Reflecting on Some Barriers for Technology Integration

As I tried to access my blog from school today I was reminded about the limitations my school system imposes on both the teachers and students. I couldn't access Blogger at all because it was blocked due to the filter. This is only one example of wonderful technology that I am not "allowed" to use in the classroom. In addition, we are not supposed to have teacher web pages hosted by anyone other than our school system and are not allowed to use many awesome Web 2.0 tools. So what is the biggest barrier to technology integration? Is it money? Is it know-how? Or is it the policies that are imposed on us? Unfortunately, in my school system non-educators ultimately decide what we are allowed to do as far as internet usage.

(*reflection that is relevant to focus of blog)

Reflections on our Technology Integration Discussion

Our first technology integration discussion was very informative. There were a lot of great resources that were shared by my classmates. Many of us chose different topics within technology integration. While I focused on the role of a technology coordinator, many people chose articles that focused on teachers’ attitudes and perceptions toward technology integration. While others concentrated on whether or not technology had a positive impact on student learning and achievement. I think the wide array of definitions and posts indicate that there is much to be discussed when it comes to using technology in the classroom.

Using a Blog for Reflective Learning

A blog is basically on online journal and a great way to reflect on personal, professional, and academic activities. It is an excellent tool to document and record your thoughts and opinions. You can create your own personal, free blog and invite people to follow or even contribute to your blog. What a great way to get conversation started! Blogs allow students to do journaling online which means they can access their blog from almost anywhere and can easily communicate with people all over the world. Blogs are ideal for logging your progress, your thoughts on reflection, and suitable for collaboration.

So far, I have learned a lot with our initial blogging assignment. I have become familiar with Blogger and am now able to do a few things I didn't know how to do before such as add surveys and insert a picture with a post. I've also had to be cognizant of my layout and design so that it is appealing to the readers. As I continue to add contributors, I look forward to collaborating on the topic of technology integration and blogging.

Technology Integration Article Summary

I recently read an article about VoiceThread by Bill Ferriter. I chose this article because it is all about VoiceThread—a Web 2.0 tool that we will all be using for one of our projects this semester. The author, Bill Ferriter, does an excellent job of describing VoiceThread, promoting it, giving examples, giving instructions on the basics, and follows up with some extra tips. Ferriter points out three main advantages of using VoiceThread: 1) it’s asynchronous 2) it is engaging and 3) it is easy to use. This article should be of particular interest to those that a new to or unfamiliar with this particular tool. You can locate and read the article here: http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/6538?ref=blog.

Welcome & Introduction

Welcome to my technology integration blog. This blog is designed and created to promote a forum for information on how to implement technology in the classroom and to reflect on concepts discussed in my MEDT 7464 class. I am currently working on my M.Ed. in instructional technology. It is my hope that this blog will prove to be a valuable resource and spark discussion about concerns and ideas about technology integration.

What is technology integration? I think technology integration is the smooth, effective and efficient implementation of technology into a class lesson. True technology integration is achieved when using the technology is not seen as some big event for the month (i.e. I’m going to check out the “clickers” at the end of the month for a one-day review just to say I’ve used technology in the classroom), but the regular flow of technology use in the classroom. In our book, Egbert mentioned that even pencils are a form of technology. While, I don’t particularly like that interpretation it got me thinking about things. What if we kept all the students pencils locked up in the media center? And then once a month we checked them out for a big project or event. It seems silly, doesn’t it? I mean, of course, we can use the pencils for a variety of academic goals each day—using the pencil to increase or aid student achievement. When we start thinking about technology being as commonplace, useful, and necessary as pencils in the classroom, we will have achieved real technology integration.

Egbert, Joy. (2009). Supporting Learning with Technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.