Discussion Board # 5

            When I enrolled in EDUC 630, I was very nervous. I am the first to admit, that I do not consider myself technologically savvy. Week 1 nearly brought me to tears, trying to figure out how to get my blog to work. However, reflecting on the past eight weeks, I am proud of the lessons I have learned along the way.

Lessons I will take away from EDUC 630

            The first lesson I am taking away from this course is Nearpod! Through exploring Nearpod, I discovered that I could create simple assessment games for the Preschoolers I serve. The second lesson I am taking away is learning that I have a Youtube channel!  I learned that I could upload videos from my phone straight to my Youtube channel and share them with others.

How Was I challenged?

            The fact that I had to face my lack of knowledge in the technology department was most definitely a challenge. There were times when I had to delete an assignment and start anew. Through these challenges, I learned that perseverance is the key to learning material that intimidates me.

In What Ways Have you changed?

            Now, I am more open to exploring applications and interactive educational websites that once intimidated me.

What would you like to take with you?

            Aside from Nearpod, I am taking away the fact that perseverance in the face of fear will yield success.

Discussion Board # 4- Assistive Technology

            As a Pre-K teacher, the technology I use in the classroom is limited to Epic and short YouTube videos to enhance a lesson or to do a large group movement activity. Currently, I do not have students that use assistive devices. However, I am not opposed to using technology if it would enhance a lesson or would support a student’s learning modality. According to Rosenfeld, technology in a preschool classroom should be integrated within the existing curriculum or lesson and never by itself (Rosenfeld, 2022).

            In the future, when I am in a position where I could implement technology in the classroom, I will use the strategies outline in chapter 5 to choose which applications or software to use with my students. The strategies include differentiating features which would allow me to personalize the application or software to the student’s needs, and student involvement which will allow me to review how much the students would be interacting while on the app or website (Hughes & Roblyer, 2023).

                                                     Reference

Roblyer, M. & Hughes, J. (2023). Integrating educational technology into teaching, (9^th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.

Rosenfeld, D. (2022). Using Technology to Balance Early Childhood Education. Edutopia.

http://www.edutopia.org/article/using-technology-to-enhance-early-childhood-education

Written Explanation

            I decided to use Nearpod as my technology tool since it allowed me to create my own lesson for my Preschool students. I created an interactive lesson for one of the literacy objectives found in GOLD, the assessment component to Teaching Strategies, and the curriculum I implement in the classroom. The objective of the lesson was for students to match the first twelve letters of the alphabet to a corresponding picture.  Since this lesson is interactive, it most definitely enhanced the participation of students. The Nearpod lesson benefited the learning because it enhanced student participation and provided another learning modality. Moving forward, I plan

To differentiate instruction I could add a timer and/or change the pictures to make it more challenging for advanced learners.  For students that need more support, I could only use the letters found in his/her name or limit the number of letters to six. I could also have the students play in partners to practice turn-taking and cooperation.   I could add a voice recording to provide an alternative form of instruction for the lesson and record the instruction in Spanish for my ELL students. Moving forward, I plan to explore Nearpod more in-depth to create interactive lessons to enhance student learning.

Discussion Board # 2-Gaming

What benefits and challenges are associated with gaming in the classroom?

As an Early Childhood educator in a small non-profit preschool, some of the challenges I face in the classroom is the limited quantity of devices that are available for the students to use. As you can imagine, two iPads in a classroom of 18 four-five-year-old’s produces conflict during Center time. To be fair, a timer is set to allow as many students as possible to get a turn with an iPad. Since the time each student has to play a game is limited, it’s difficult for students to progress to the next level within a game.

The benefits associated with Starfall, the educational gaming system used during Center time is that the games align with the literacy and mathematical objectives found in the curriculum used by the center. The games are interactive and therefore children remain engaged. According to the author of Using Games to Help Improve K-2 Students’ Phonics skills, games, the author explains that games are effective ways of developing and enhancing young children’s phonological awareness (Smith, 2022).

Do you have any strategies that you use to make gaming productive?

In my Pre-K classroom, I make gaming during Center time productive by ensuring that the games that are available during Center time align to the phonics and mathematical concepts being learned. According to Hughes and Roblyer, games have become so interactive that they grasp the students’ attention leading to growth in subject areas such as literacy and math (Hughes & Roblyer, 2023).

When is gaming inappropriate in the instruction setting?

Gaming is inappropriate when it takes the place of direct instruction. Games should be used in conjunction to teach and to enhance lessons. In Early childhood classrooms, games should never take the place of interactions and hands-on exploration.

Reference

Roblyer, M. & Hughes, J. (2023). Integrating educational technology into teaching, (9^th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.

Smith, D. (2022). Using Games to Help Improve K-2 Students’ Phonic Skills. Edutopia.

Above, you may find my PowerPoint presentation dealing with professional development.

Personal Philosophy Paper

Ana Y. Ventura

Liberty University: School of Education

EDUC 630: Technology Practices for Instructional Improvement

Dr. Rory Morse

January 29, 2023

Personal Philosophy: Purpose of technology in education

The purpose of technology in the classroom is to enrich lessons, to provide a different learning modality, and to individualized instruction. Adding technology in a classroom provides students with a different visual and auditorial representation of a core standard being taught. For example, one of the literacy core standards in kindergarten is the expectation that students will expand vocabulary by listening to variety of books during read aloud experiences (www.doe.virginia.gov). A kindergarten teacher can use technology to enrich students’ exposure to read alouds by using an approved ,high quality literacy website so the students can listen to other adults read a book, thus exposing them to different annotations of words.

The worldwide pandemic highlighted the need of technology in the classroom. Due to its usage, teachers and students were able to connect daily via a virtual platform to continue learning. Post pandemic, it is crystal clear that technology has a place in the classroom. Aside from being a communication tool, technology serves as an asset in the classroom. It can be used to individualized instruction for a group of students, as a different learning modality for students that are auditory and visual learners, and to enrich lessons. However, Technology should be used keeping the students’ developmental levels in mind. For example, an app that will help enhance math skills for a second grader will not be developmentally appropriate to use in a Kindergarten classroom. According to Sundqvist, technology should be immersed in the classroom based on the students’ levels of experience (Sundqvist, 2021).

Teachers’ Professional Obligation to Technology

Being technological literate is a necessity and therefore teachers have an obligation to implement technology in the classroom. Looking at the use of technology through the lenses of an early childhood educator, I believe that technology should be used when it enhances a lesson, it supports students’ individual learning style, or to differentiate instruction for a student or a group of students. However, in a Pre-K classroom, technology should not replace interactions, exploration of concrete material, hands on learning, or direct instruction from the teacher. During the formative years, interactions, and hands on exploration are crucial for young children’s overall development. According to Hughes and Roblyer, the pendulum on whether to add technology in a preschool classroom can swing both ways depending on the teacher’s philosophy on the implementation of technology in a Pre-K classroom (Hughes & Roblyer, 2023).

Educators, regardless of the grade level they teach should be proficient in the technology they use in the classroom, thus ensuring the students get the most of its usage and that is being used to fidelity (Sundqvist, 2021). Teachers have the obligation to educate themselves on the new software, apps, and games pertaining to the grade level they teach to ensure they can accurately implement them into the curriculum being used.

A Biblical Defense for Technology in the Classroom

The book of 1 Corinthians found in the New Testament, serves as a reminder that the body of Christ, or the church, is made up of individuals with different gifts and abilities (New International Version, 1973/2011). God has given men the wisdom to create technology. Like every tool created, technology has the power to enhance lives or to destroy them. Of course, an educator’s responsibility is to use technology to enhance learning. Teachers have the legal and moral obligation to meet all students’ learning needs, and therefore if technology can meet the needs of students, it should most definitely be used. After deciding what technology to use to differentiate instruction for students or to simply motivate them, Proverbs 16:3, serves as a reminder to: “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.” (New International Bible, 1973/2011).

In reference to the use of technology in the classroom, the book of Solomon encourages that whatever our obligations, or in this case, whatever our position on the use of technology may be, to use it to the best of our abilities (New International Bible, 1973/2011). I am reminded through this scripture that whatever technology tools I decide to use in the classroom to enrich lessons, to provide a different modality, and to individualize instruction, I should implement them to fidelity and with the students’ best interest at heart.

Approach to Technology Implementation

How I approach the use of technology in my Pre-K classroom is determined by answering the following questions:

1. Will the lesson be enriched by the implementation of technology
2. Will the use of technology provide a learning modality to a student or a group of students.
3. Does a student need individualized instruction that can be met using technology.

If I answer yes to any of the above questions, I will research a video, an app, or an interactive website that is developmentally appropriate to my students and use it in the classroom. As stated before, the use of technology in a Pre-K classroom should never replace the interactions, hands on manipulation of material, or the natural process of exploration that is innate in young children.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the purpose of technology in a classroom is to enrich a lesson, to provide a different learning modality, and to individualized instruction. Since, we are living in a world in which technology literacy is becoming more and more crucial, educators following a standard-based curriculum are obliged to research and implement technology that will meet the learning needs of students. However, in a Pre-K classroom, the teacher must genuinely determine if the use of technology will enhance a concept being taught, will support the learning needs of a student/students, and if it is a modality that will support students’ learning style.

Reference

New International Bible. (2011). Grand Rapids, MI.

Roblyer, M. & Hughes, J. (2023). Integrating educational technology into teaching, (9^th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.

Sundqvist, P. Characterizations of preschool technology education: analyses of seven individual preschool teachers’ and childcare attendants’ description of their teaching. Int J Technol Des Educ 32, 2003-2018 (2022).

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10798-021-09678-2

Students from Kindergarten to 12th grade enrolled in public schools are taught
according to a curriculum standard outlined by their state. Educators are expected to teach according to the standards and therefore little to no room is left to teach outside of such standards. Today’s public-school classrooms are rich in diversity, yet the curriculum standards are not applicable to today’s culturally diverse learners (Katz & Marriott, 2020). Although educators are demanded to teach using a standards-based curriculum, the modalities used to teach concepts within such curriculum is left to the educator’s discretion. To meet the individual learning needs of each student, educators can modify how standards are taught according to the individual student’s learning style. The tools that educators have at their disposable to comply with a standard-based curriculum and the individual needs of students are differentiating instruction according to students’ needs, informal assessments, and small group instruction. After reading Using Technology to Enhance Early Childhood Education, the deciding factor of whether to incorporate technology in my Pre-K classroom is if they video, game, or app will enrich the concept I am trying to teach.

Works Cited

Katz, A. & Marriott, K. (2020). Curriculum That Reaches and Represents All Learners, 42(4). Rosenfeld, D. (2022). Using Technology to Enhance Early Childhood Education. Edutopia http://www.edutopia.org/article/using-technology-to-enhance-early-childhood-education

Stay tuned!