Opinion Paper

Integrating Technology into the Curriculum.

            My name is Janice Sullivan.  I am 30 years old and currently live in Selden, NY with my husband Sean and dog Emmy.  My husband and I will be married for five wonderful years in July of this year.  My undergraduate studies were completed at SUNY Stony Brook.  I received my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in May of 1997.  I worked as a nursing home social worker for six years.  Most recently, I worked at Nesconset Nursing Center in Nesconset, NY.  My caseload of 120 residents included a Dementia unit as well as a long-term care unit.  I was involved in various aspects of a resident’s life.  I provided counseling and behavior modification.  I was part of an interdisciplinary team to ensure that each resident was receiving the care that he/she required.  I helped residents and their families deal with end of life issues and make decisions that they felt comfortable with. 

In 2000, I took some classes at Wilson Tech. to become a Certified Internet Webmaster.  I currently hold a Professional CIW certification.  The classes I took covered all aspects of web design and maintenance.  I really enjoy working with computers and have a personal web site that I have created.  I use my computer on a daily basis.  I didn’t feel that I could easily make a career change from social work to web design.  I started looking at other options because I was not happy in the social work field.  I decided to change careers from social work to teaching in 2002 and that is when I applied to Dowling College.

            In December of 2003, I completed the requirements for the NYS teaching certificate for Pre K-6.  Right now, I am substitute teaching for the Middle Country Central School District.  Soon, I will also be substitute teaching for the Comsewogue Union Free School District.  Currently, I am working on completing my research paper for my Master’s degree.  I will be able to graduate with my Master of Science degree in Elementary Education and Professional Diploma in Educational Technology by the end of July of this year.

            I enjoy teaching elementary school students.  The subject that I most enjoy has to be Science.  For the Power Point presentation, I will create a lesson on Why do leaves change colors?  This presentation will involve the process of photosynthesis.  This lesson will be presented to fifth grade students so the knowledge of the process of photosynthesis will be prior knowledge that the students have obtained.  Photosynthesis is usually taught in fourth grade.  The idea of this lesson is taken from a lesson that I previously presented during my student teaching experience in a fifth grade classroom.  I want to incorporate technology into this lesson to create a new lesson that will both interest and motivate the students.

            Reed and McNergney (2000) state that “Technology alone will not improve the quality of education, but when integrated with curriculum and instruction, it can be a powerful educational tool.”  When technology is used as a supplement in the classroom there can be many benefits.  There are many different types of instructional technology available to teach science in an elementary classroom.  Teachers can use software to supplement  the curriculum.  Students can be asked to use the Internet to research information about the topic, “Why do leaves change colors?”  They can then create a presentation or paper about what they learned.  Here are some web sites that students would be able to use to get some of the information that they would need.

Science Made Simple: www.sciencemadesimple.com/leaves.html

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry: www.esf.edu/pubprog/brochure/leaves/leaves.htm

Environmental Education for Kids: www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/veg/trees/treestruecolor.htm

Why leaves change colors: www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo/pubs/misc/leaves/leaves.htm

Chemical of the Week: http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/chemweek/fallcolr/fallcolr.html

Here are some types of software that the students can use.                                                       

            Distance Learning is also a great way to integrate science into the elementary curriculum. A teacher could use Video-Conferencing to take students on a virtual field trip.  Students could also create web sites to share what they have learned with other students.  Students could use digital cameras to take pictures of leaves at different times of the year.  Teachers could use video or a Power point presentation to present content to their students, as I will do with my lesson.  Students can perform experiments involving leaves and then use graphing programs and spreadsheets, such as Microsoft Excel, to tabulate and display their results.

            There are also many websites that are available that would help teachers integrate technology into the curriculum.  Here are a few examples.

McGraw Hill Online Learning Center: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072397721/student_view0/integrating_technology.html

Computer Integration Activities: http://www.swlauriersb.qc.ca/english/edservices/pedresources/webquest/integrating_technolgy.htm

Integrating Technology into Curriculum: http://pirate.shu.edu/~rodrigfr/BMIE%203700/

Integrating Technology into your Curriculum: http://www.k12.hi.us/~dtisdell/integration/resource.html

Knowledge Network K-12 News: http://www.kn.pacbell.com/news/CAschools/science.htm

             The use of discussion boards and list servers is a great way to connect with other teachers to share ideas and resources.  A discussion board for elementary teachers can be found at www.proteacher.net.  A teacher can choose to join a discussion board specific to the grade that they teach.  Teachers could also find other teachers through the discussion groups that would agree to do shared class activities.  A great idea to use with my Why do leaves change colors lesson would be to have a leaf exchange with a class from a different region of the world.  This can be done through photos, email, and the creation of a web site.

            There are many benefits and challenges to using technology in the classroom to teach elementary science.  Lisowski (1985) states that the dominance of technology in society “necessitates that today's students achieve a level of scientific/technological literacy that will help them deal with science-related societal issues for the improvement of their own lives and the advancement of society.”  It is important to use technology as a supplement to the elementary science curriculum.  Students benefit from being able to easily research and access science information through the Internet.  Students can research directly from the classroom as soon as they learn their science topic.  There is no need to wait until they can go to the library to find a book. 

            The various types of software available benefit students in the classroom.  Students can make presentations that are more interesting, adding graphics, and making a slideshow instead of a simple document.  Distance Learning provides the opportunity for students to learn without going on a field trip.  This is beneficial as some locations are too expensive or too far for students to travel to.  Technology also allows teachers to address the various learning styles of their students.  As a teacher, I would be able to reach auditory, visual, and kinesthetic/tactile learners at the same time.

            Unfortunately, there are also many challenges to integrating technology in the classroom.  Some of the information that students may access on the Internet may be inaccurate.  Teachers have to make sure that their students understand that they should check that the information they obtained is accurate and the same on different web sites.  Teachers also have to ensure that their students are not accessing inappropriate web sites.  Teachers have to be careful not to spend too much time on simply teaching their students on how to use software.  Sometimes, the idea of the lesson may be lost when too much time is spent on learning the software.

            Some districts may have a lack of technological resources due to financial constraints.  Teachers may have a limited amount of technology to work with or perhaps none at all.  Teachers have to learn to work with what they have.  Another problem is that students may not have access to computers in their home and thus cannot practice what they have learned in the classroom.  Some teachers might be technology illiterate.  I am lucky in that I feel that I have a good grasp on how to use the technology that is available.  Finally, there could be insufficient administrative support of technology use in the district that the teacher is in.  This lack of support could cause teachers to give up the idea of integrating technology into their classroom.

            I plan to use instructional technology in my classroom.  Unfortunately, at the present time, I do not have a classroom of my own.  As a substitute teacher you are required to follow the instructions that the permanent classroom teacher left.  These instructions usually do not involve technology.  However, I do have many ideas as to how I will use technology in my future classroom.

            I plan to use Power Point to present concepts to my class.  In the lesson, that I am creating, I will use Power Point to present the concept of Photosynthesis as well as information as to why leaves change colors.  I think that I would also like to involve my students with the creation of a Power Point presentation.  It would be a great learning experience for the students to research a topic and then present it to the rest of the class using Power Point.

            Using the Internet will be a big part of my classroom.  I really enjoy creating web sites and would love to share that enjoyment with my class.  I would ensure that my students know how to research using the Internet and make that a requirement of several lessons.  I think that having my students complete Internet scavenger hunts would help keep them motivated and interested in the topic at hand.  I also enjoy using my digital camera and would love to incorporate that into my classroom as well.  I could have my students take pictures of leaves that they would be able to incorporate into their own Power Point presentation.

            I would also like to learn how to do Video-Conferencing so that I can also incorporate virtual field trips into my classroom.  I know that I will use videos in the classroom to supplement the curriculum. 

            I feel that integrating technology into the curriculum is so important.  It provides different options and ways to teach any subject.  It motivates students to learn and captures their interest.  It opens the student’s minds to new ideas and different cultures.  Technology is very interactive.  Students can learn how to use technology through their peers as well as from their teachers.  I feel that the benefits of technology completely outweigh the challenges of it.  I will enjoy integrating technology into my future classroom.

References

Integrating Technology Into Science. (2004). Knowledge Network K-12 News.

            Retrieved March 7, 2004 from http://www.kn.pacbell.com/news/CAschools/science.htm

Lisowski, M. (1985). Science-Technology-Society in the Science Curriculum. ERIC

            Clearinghouse for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education, ED274513.

Reed, D. S., & McNergney, R. F. (2000). Evaluating Technology-Based Curriculum

            Materials. ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education, ED449118.

Robillard, G. (n.d.). Computer Integration Activities. Retrieved March 7, 2004 from

http://www.swlauriersb.qc.ca/english/edservices/pedresources/webquest/integrating_technolgy.htm

Rodriguez, F. (2001). Integrating Technology Into Curriculum. Seton Hall University.

            Retrieved March 7, 2004 from http://pirate.shu.edu/~rodrigfr/BMIE%203700/

Seale, V. (2002). Integrating Technology into Planning and Curriculum. Technology

            In Education. Retrieved March 7, 2004 from http://www.ael.org/rtec/ideas.htm

Sharp, V. (2002). Integrating Technology into the Curriculum. Computer Education for

            Teachers: Integrating Technology into Classroom. Retrieved March 7, 2004 from

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072397721/student_view0/integrating_technology.html

Technology In Science Instruction. (n.d.). North Central Regional Educational Laboratory.

            Retrieved March 7, 2004 from http://www.ncrel.org/tplan/guide/int5.htm

Tisdell, D. (n.d.). Integrating Technology Into Your Curriculum. Retrieved March 7, 2004

            from http://www.k12.hi.us/~dtisdell/integration/resource.html