January 1999 — Features

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Teachers of the 21st Century Know the What, Why, and How of Technology Integration

How Do You Do It?

Once we know what and why, we have the question of how. Michael Eisenberg suggests that there are two requirements for effective integration of technology skills: 1) the skills must directly relate to the content area and to the classroom assignments, and 2) the skills themselves need to be tied together in a logical and systematic model of instruction.[1]

Following are seven steps teachers in the Jerome School District found to be effective in tying the skills to a content area:

  1. Choose a core area (just one to begin with), e.g., reading, writing, math, science or social studies.
  2. Decide what technology skill(s) you want to teach or could be best taught in this area.
  3. Choose one lesson or unit that could be enhanced or taught through the computer. Stick with an easy project in an area you are comfortable with.
  4. Develop that one lesson or unit in a software package or medium you know very well.
  5. Use it!
  6. Evaluate how it went (what went right or what went wrong). This important step should not be left out!
  7. Refine the lesson and/or start with the next lesson or unit.

Here are two examples of this process:

Project 1: I wanted to integrate technology into my sixth grade science curriculum on the periodic table. Internet addressing, e-mail retrieval and sending were the technology skills I used for the project. After finding a site, I e-mailed my students this message:

Hi Guys and Gals!
Here is your Internet assignment on elements in the periodic table:
Print out this e-mail.
Go to http://the-tech.mit.edu/Chemicool/
Answer these questions on the paper on which you printed this e-mail!

  1. What element is represented by the symbol Ag?
  2. What is Ag's atomic weight?
  3. What are the characteristics of Ag?

Turn your print out into the science box and e-mail your answers back to me.
THIS ASSIGNMENT IS DUE BY NOVEMBER 26!!!

Students learned content-area curriculum (periodic table) outcomes and computer skills (retrieving and sending e-mail, Internet addressing and printing) all with one 5-10 minute activity!

Project 2: More complicated, but just as rewarding, is to create your own multimedia presentation. I created one on the ancient Americans for my social studies curriculum. The stack replaced the content from a chapter in the textbook. Over a period of a week, the students worked through five stations, one of which was the multimedia presentation. I was able to go into more depth than I had ever gone before and had more time for one-on-one or small group discussions with the students. Without increasing the one hour slot I usually use for social studies, I was able to delve much deeper into the culture of the ancient Americans. We studied hieroglyphics, social structures, legends, etc.

This same presentation was offered to other teachers to use.