Running Head: INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY 1

Integration of Technology and Media Resources

Patricia Moormann

Regent University
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Introduction

Technology offers teachers a new way to keep things different and interactive in a

classroom. From hosting trivia games and allowing new types of kinesthetic learning, to physical

participation and allowing for many new ways to differentiate for students who need it,

technology has allowed teachers to provide students with many different ways to learn.

Technology has also given teachers the ability to gather more accurate data on their students’,

and properly assess them in the classroom. Overall, technology has played a huge role in

enriching student learning in the classroom.

At Brandon Middle School, every student is provided with their own Chromebook.

Students are provided many different resources at their fingertips, and they are able to really

learn the material to their style of learning. The students also have many different ways of

completing homework that has been assigned for practice if they have problems with writing. At

Brandon, we make sure to use technology to improve the learning experience of our students.

This paper includes a pictorial sampling of an interactive Smartboard assignment that we

did with the Algebra class about multiplying polynomials. The students were able to come up to

the front of the class and properly manipulate algebraic tiles to see how we multiply two

binomials together. This paper also includes a few other pictorial artifacts of a Kahoot trivia

session we had on the most common mistakes across Unit 5 in our Math 8 class.

Rationale For Artifacts

The first artifact is the interactive Smartboard that we did as a group assignment in our

algebra class. In our Algebra class, we have quite a few students that have disabilities. Some of

the students have motor issues that cause problems when they need to write, and they tend to

maintain the information more when they have a chance to physically complete the mathematical
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concept in other ways than writing. In Teaching mathematical problem solving to middle school

students in math, technology education, and special education classrooms, the authors wrote

about how average-to-low achieving students, and students with disabilities, produce better work

when taught with meaningful, hands-on technology compared to traditional text based teaching

(Bottge, et al., 2004). This is true with some of the students in our classroom. Therefore, we used

an interactive Smartboard lesson for learning to FOIL two binomials. The students would walk

up to the Smartboard, and have a mathematical discussion on the proper placement and

completion of the problem using the algebraic tiles on the Smartboard. The students would then

solve and write the final product. If any mistakes were made, the group would have to have a

mathematical discussion on the topic.

The second artifact is a Kahoot Trivia Quiz that students in the Math 8 course completed

on their Chrome books as a way to isolate and correct common mistakes that happen in the

variety of topics in the unit, and discuss mathematical conceptual questions besides just

computations.. The common mistakes and conceptual mistakes were identified prior by

analyzing the results of prior activities. In The role of computers in mathematics teaching and

learning, Lynda Wiest said, “using technology appropriately means emphasizing mathematical

thinking in an environment with well-integrated instructional approaches grounded in current

mathematics education theory,” (Wiest, 2001, p. 44). It is important to use technology that

requires the students to discuss concepts and complete computations as they are all a part of the

mathematics learning experience. In the Kahoot trivia quiz, we were able to do those exact things

while presenting it to the students in a fun and different way.

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Reflection

When I was a student in secondary education, we did not use a lot of technology in the

classroom. While some aspects of learning were moved over to a technology-focused

environment, such as writing classes, math classes did not have you use a computer unless it was

for a mathematical paper. When I started at Union County College, I saw firsthand the wonderful

integration of technology that can happen in the classroom while taking a Statistics course. I

learned how technology could be used to teach math and encourage mathematical discussion. My

time at Regent University put a big emphasis on the usage of technology in the classroom to

encourage mathematical thinking. This is where I saw the true benefits of using technology in

math as a student. Now, as a teacher in the classroom, I can see first-hand the massive impact

technology has in the classroom and all of the benefits it provides the students. The teacher is

able to provide students with lots of resources and learning options, as well as properly

differentiate instruction without adding extra workload to myself. Something as small as using 4

to 5 colors helps students highlight the different transformations in a class, and is easily achieved

with a click of a button using a Smartboard. Without technology, it would take extra preparation

and might not be possible on certain days if you lack the resources. In Advancing the math skills

of middle school students in technology education classrooms, the authors wrote, “EAI

[Enhanced Anchored Instruction] conditions were effective at improving the math skills of

students over those of students in the BAU [Business as Usual] classes,” (Bottge, Grant,

Stephens, & Rueda, 2010, p. 81). Students have the availability to get what they need and be

taught on a more personal level when we integrate technology into our classrooms, and this has

made a huge impact in improving the math skills of the students at Brandon Middle School.
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Works Cited

Bottge, B. A., Grant, T. S., Stephens, A. C., & Rueda, E. (2010, June). Advancing the math skills

of middle school students in technology education classrooms. NASSP Bulletin, 94(2),

pp. 81-106. Retrieved from

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.regent.edu:2048/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=3cb0

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f62cac0c44cc%40sessionmgr103&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=5

4640310&db=ehh

Bottge, B. A., Heinrichs, M., Mehta, Z., Rueda, E., Hung, Y.-H., & Danneker, J. (2004).

Teaching mathematical problem solving to middle school students in math, technology

education, and special education classrooms. Research in Middle Level Education

Online, 27(1), 43-68. Retrieved from

http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.regent.edu:2048/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=b353

7081-6f04-43f5-9927-6b51daf85237%40pdc-v-

sessmgr05&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=12991920&db=ehh

Wiest, L. R. (2001). The role of computers in mathematics teaching and learning. Computers in

the Schools, 17, 41-55. Retrieved from

http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.regent.edu:2048/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&

sid=d9f649cc-00ad-4fcd-9857-212eee42adea%40sessionmgr4008