E6805 Integrating Technology into Classroom Curriculum

E6805 Problem Scenario

Background Information for Problem Scenarios ........................................................... 2

Problem scenario for Module 1 ..................................................................................... 4

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E6805 Integrating Technology into Classroom Curriculum

Background Information for Problem Scenarios

Your School
Innovation Public High School is located in an urban section of a large city in the
southeastern United States. The population of this city is around 1 million, with most
people falling into the middle-income group. More than 50% of the population is between
18 and 54 years of age, which is younger than the national average. The surrounding
metropolitan area boasts a $35 billion marketplace driven by technology, which
heightens the demand for technologically competent graduates. The city is a major
commercial and transportation hub of the southeast United States and its international
airport is one of the busiest in the world. The city's economy is also strong in the service,
communications, retail trade, manufacturing, finance, and insurance industries and is
considered a leader in educational innovation. About 20% of the population lives in low-
income neighborhoods.

Cultural Background of Innovation Public High School:

Innovation Public High School offers grades 9 – 12 and has a diverse socioeconomic
background, partly because the school has embraced the directives of the No Child Left
Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and works hard to encourage students from all social and
cultural backgrounds to attend school.

The current cultural composition of the school is about 45% Caucasian, 25% African-
American, 16% Hispanic, 8% Asian, 1% American-Indian, and 5% other visible
minorities. About 20% of the students are considered ELLs (English Language
Learners).

Curriculum of Innovation Public High School:

The curriculum has a liberal arts and science, individual-student focused foundation that
uses constructivist, experiential, and problem-based learning approaches. Technology is
becoming a strong focus, but there have been problems with promoting uniform
integration. Only a few of your colleagues have managed to become technologically
proficient enough to feel comfortable integrating it into daily learning activities. Your
school administrators plan to add a Virtual School component to the traditional on-site
curriculum as well and to focus more on technology integration across all grades.

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E6805 Integrating Technology into Classroom Curriculum

Technology Problems at Innovation Public High School:

The biggest problems have centered on school and home access (physical and social)
and the lack of technology competencies of students, teachers, and administrators. Very
little technical support is available, and the budget for supporting a professional
development program for teachers has been rudimentary in the past. Within the next
year, administration plans to increase the budget by 20% to provide technical support,
new equipment, and professional development initiatives for teachers.

Motivation for Technology Integration for Innovation Public High School:

Your school administrators wish to incorporate directives from recognized organizations
such as the National Education Technology Plan by the U.S. Department of Education;
and the 2020 Visions Guidelines from the National Science and Technology Council
(NSTC) to prepare students for technological innovation in education as well as the work
place and to boost total school improvement. They also wish to use the benefits and
innovative nature of technology to improve the quality of each individual student's
learning experience.

Advantages of Technology Integration for Innovation Public High School:

This will help to prepare your students for postsecondary education and the workplace. It
will also help the school to meet State standards for educational excellence. The plan for
a Virtual School component would help meet the individual needs of students (gifted,
ELL, and learning challenged), plus address capacity and supply challenge issues.

Your Role in the Technology Integration Process:

As a teacher/administrator of Innovation Public High School, you are part of the team
initiating technology integration. You have been assigned a leadership role in planning a
faculty support network for helping your peers (teachers, support staff, administration) to
learn to integrate technology into your school.

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E6805 Integrating Technology into Classroom Curriculum

Problem Scenario for Module 1

Distinguishing Between Educational Technology and Instructional Technology

Your Task for Module 1

Research the differences and connections between the two disciplines: Educational
technology and instructional technology. This difference has to be explained to your co-
teachers. To do this, you need to conduct a Web Quest and create a digital presentation
using any technology that you think suits your purpose.

Guidelines for the Web Quest

Conduct a Web Quest to find pertinent resources from credible sources on educational
technology and instructional technology. You need to find a minimum of five resources
that provide national or state level directives with expert standards, definitions, and
theories on both disciplines. You can conduct this Web quest individually, in pairs, or as
a small group. If you are conducting the Web Quest collaboratively, you will be required
to find ten or more resources.

Guidelines for Digital Presentation

Summarize your results from the Web Quest using a visually oriented digital medium of
your choice. This could be a PowerPoint; a desktop published Summary Sheet or
Brochure, a Concept Map, a Blog, Wiki, or an HTML page. You could work on this
independently or in a group.

Before the submission, be sure to discuss the problem scenario with your peer group
and make notes of the points discussed.

In the submission for this module, be sure to:

• Define both educational technology and instructional technology in your own
words, supplemented with a quoted definition from one of the sources you
identified.
• Contrast the characteristics of educational technology and instructional
technology using a table, map, or matrix display.

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E6805 Integrating Technology into Classroom Curriculum

• Organize the sources found during the Web Quest as a resource list of Web links
with a summary introduction to each.

By Day 5, submit the Digital Presentation, which will include the three components listed
above. For grading, refer to the assignment page of this module.

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