Integration of Technology and Media Resources

Haylee Caldwell

Regent University
 Introduction

Technology is something that in the past decade has become very mainstream. Almost

everyone has some sort of technological device which they use daily. Since technology is so

popular it has increased more and more in our school systems in the United States. Due to the

increase in popularity of technology and the increase in accessibility it is important for teachers

to integrate technology into their lessons as often as possible. Technology integration is not

something that should be ignored, rather something that should be embraced with every

opportunity.

Rationale for Selection of Artifacts

For my first artifact I chose a picture of my first placement students doing virtual reality

in the library. The virtual reality experience played a part in the students learning about the

Oregon Trail for their writing assignment. If you look closely you can see some of the student’s

jaws wide open in awe of their virtual experience. The picture also shows the virtual reality

goggles the students used. When the students put the goggles on, they were able to see different

pictures of covered wagons, and things that people who traveled in covered wagons- like those

on the Oregon Trail would have. The goggles were wirelessly connected to a special router

which made them all show different pictures from “Google Expeditions” in sync. The virtual

reality helped the students feel as though they were standing right beside a covered wagon. The

students were able to observe and take notes on all the things they were seeing in the virtual

reality goggles. This was so when they were writing their narrative fiction essays, they would be

able to describe things that they had seen in the virtual reality that they likely would not have

been able to see in real life.

 The second artifact I chose is the lesson plan I used on the day we did our virtual reality

experience. The lesson plan shows the instructional part of the lesson as well as how I built the

technology integration into my lesson. Before telling the students about the exciting experience

they would have later in the day, I read them a few excerpts from a book containing stories about

the Oregon Trail. This serves as the anticipatory set or the hook to get students engaged and

thinking about the new content. I chose excerpts from the book that were particularly interesting

and a bit scary so the student’s attention would be on the book. I encouraged them to think of

how their life would be if they were on the Oregon Trail. I then reviewed the materials from

previous days and focused a lot on discussing sensory details in relation to what the students

were writing. I reviewed the map, nonfiction article, and journal entry from their Oregon Trail

packets. Prior to going to the library, I asked the students a question for them to reflect on their

understanding of the importance of using various resources during writing and allowed them

“Think Time (McCarthy, 2018).” Once we went to the library, my students enjoyed the virtual

reality experience and they were able to see many things that would have been on the Oregon

Trail.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

I chose integrate technology in this way because in this moment in history, Virtual

Reality is very popular. Some of my students expressed that they had tried virtual reality and

they were so enthusiastic about doing it in school. I think integration of technology in education

is very important especially since many of the students have grown up with technology their

entire lives. According to Sudarsana, et al, “Technology can be used as a media even as a source

of learning that is always used by educators in the learning process to attract the attention of

learners (Sudarsana, Pusparani, Selashi, Juliantari, & Renawati , 2019).” Based on my

experience with this lesson where I integrated technology, I can say that the technology

definitely appealed to the learners. I do believe that appealing to learners is of key importance in

effective teaching. According to Paula Rutherford, instruction needs to include four specific

elements to increase student engagement (Rutherford, 2008, p. 7). One of these strategies is

varied sources of input, and another is meaningful and active learning (Rutherford, 2008, p. 7). I

believe that through the lesson I taught and the lesson with the virtual reality in the library the

students received varied methods of input which is important. Additionally, the active learning

occurred as the students learned about items pioneers had and examined each item with the

virtual reality goggles. Overall, I could tell by the amazed look on my students’ faces that they

were engaged and excited about their learning experience therefore, I conclude the lesson was

successful.
 References

McCarthy, J. (2018, January 10). Extending the silence. Edutopia .

Rutherford, P. (2008). Instruction for all students . Alexandria, Virginia: ASK Publications &

Professional Development.

Sudarsana, K., Pusparani, K., Selashi, N. N., Juliantari, N. K., & Renawati , P. W. (2019).

Expectations and challenges of using technology in education. Journal of Physics:

Conference Series .