Technology integration is a phrase that is flying around classrooms and school districts as frequently as the industry’s thousands of acronyms. Why is technology integration so important? How does it impact our classrooms and more importantly, our students?
Overall, technology integration makes learning collaborative, interactive, memorable and fun; however, there are specific and diverse reasons to integrate technology in math, science, language arts and social studies.Today, I will discuss the relative advantages to using technology in the areas of literacy, language arts and mathematics. Please look forward to my next blog entry about the advantages of using technology in science and social studies.
When you look at literacy and language arts, technology integration is imperative to keeping students relevant and prepared for life outside of the classroom. According to Roblyer and Doering (2010), ” Teachers are expected to provide new forms of literacy instruction so that students know how to locate, critically evaluate, use and communicate through technology resources” (p. 280). Now more than ever, classrooms serve diverse groups of learners; each with his or her own needs. Technology provides teachers of literature and language arts to be able to connect to their students individually regardless of the vast differences amongst learners. In my own classroom, I see this on a daily basis. I work primarily with ESL and ELL students. When they come to me (I teach second grade), typically they are a year to a year and a half below grade level. I begin by giving my students a diagnostic test to determine which phonics skills (vowel sounds,vowel teams, blends, digraphs, etc…) they have not mastered. In looking at the data, no two of my seventeen students have the exact same set of needs. I can use technology to create individualized instructional plans for each of my students; something I could not do If I didn’t have access to the vast technological resources that can aid in phonics instruction.What I have also noticed about using technology in my literacy classroom, is that many of my students actually enjoy reading. It’s not just a chore or something I am making them do, they see themselves improving, they gain confidence and they want to read! I couldn’t do that without technology.
I have to jump on my soapbox for just a moment…I know that Robyler and Doering (2010) talk about Accelerated Reader which is a reading management program that allows teachers to assign a reading level to their students and then monitor the students progress on comprehension electronically (p. 286). I just want to caution educators who use Accelerated Reader that, as with every technology, if it’s not used correctly it can be detrimental to students. I have seen the detrimental affects of misuse of AR and it’s sad. We as educators should be inspiring kids to develop a love for reading not just pushing them to meet an AR goal. So what if they can meet their goal, do they want to pick up a book after they’ve met it? If not, it’s not working! Bottom line, if you’re going to use technology, educate yourself enough to know how to use it appropriately and effectively and always keep in mind, too much of anything, even a good thing, is a bad thing!…Okay, off my soapbox.
I am not sure if you have been in a math classroom lately, but if not, a lot has changed! Math isn’t taught like it was when I was in school (and I’m only 26 so it wasn’t THAT long ago). Students today cannot simply memorize their facts and know how to apply the algorithm to a double-digit addition problem; students are expected to explain, describe and reason the process they used to arrive at every mathematical answer. It’s complex! It’s good practice but without the use of technology, it’s a tough concept to teach. Cuoco and Goldenburg (1996) state, “Much of the mismatch between the habits of mind used by mathematicians and the ways of approaching mathematics typical of beginning students stems from the difficulty many students have imagining the physics of mathematics” (p. 17). Kids aren’t abstract, they’re concrete and technology allows teachers of mathematics to make abstract concepts concrete for their students which allows students to actually understand the math concepts they are learning. Robyler and Doering (2010) talk about a variety of technology resources, “These include using virtual manipulatives, fostering mathematical principles, implementing data-driven curricula, supporting math-related communications, and motivating skill building and practice” (p. 319). Of course as I mentioned previously, we don’t just want students to solve problems, we want them to become experts and then apply that knowledge to a variety of problems, we call that problem solving. Robyler and Doering (2010) agree, “Regardless of how many mathematical facts, skills, or procedures students learn, the true value of mathematics is realized only when they can apply their knowledge to solve problems” (p. 321).
Resources:
Integrating Technology into the Classroom 
I totally agree with the accelerated reader. That is not the end all reading tool that it is said to be. I have seen students fall out of love with reading as their obsession for increasing their reading level controlled what they read. I like your point about how education has changed and expectations have changed. It is very true. My kindergarten class that I was in as a child was very very different than what I teach. My students all leave reading books and writing sentences. Things sure have changed.