Running head: INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA RESOURCES 1

Integration of Technology and Media Resources

Caitlin Jennings

Regent University

In partial fulfillment of UED 495 Field Experience ePortfolio, Spring 2017

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Introduction

Technology and media resources have become a staple in the 21st century classroom.

Effective integration of technology and media resources provides both students, and teachers with a

variety of benefits. The technology found in many of today's classrooms can provide

accommodations for struggling learners, and students with disabilities. Technology enables students

to learn at their own pace. Almost all of the educational programs allow for individualized

instruction, providing students with the opportunity to learn according to their abilities and needs.

Additionally, many of the technology resources students use, offer teachers useful diagnostic and

assessment tools, that gather formative data on individual learners' abilities and help to track their

progress. Teachers can then use that data to plan lessons, and differentiate instruction to meet the

needs of the learners.

Rationale for Selection of Artifacts

The first artifact I selected is a lesson plan I created that integrated technology into

classroom instruction. I uploaded the story for the lesson on to Google Classroom so that students

could quickly and easily access the word document from their Google Chromebook. As I read the

story aloud, the students followed along on their Chromebooks. When prompted, students were able

to go back to the text to reread and search for the information required to complete the Somebody,

Wanted, But, So graphic organizer. Using the Chromebooks ensured that every student had a

digital copy of the text, and continued to practice using the technology responsibly by following

directions.

The second artifact I selected is a photo of me using the document camera to accommodate

the unique learning styles and needs of my students. In this particular second grade class, the

majority of students were visual learners. They needed to see an example of exactly what I was
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asking them to do. By using the document camera and other media resources for the SMART Board,

I was able to provide visual reinforcement of the content being covered. Furthermore, there was a

student in this class who was visually impaired, so I frequently used the document camera to

enlarge documents, or provide examples that would enable the student to remain engaged and

follow along with the lesson.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

Technology and media resources have become a big part of our everyday lives. Todays

students are exposed to a variety of information and changing technology. They dont know a world

without the Internet, smartphones, iPads, videos, and computers (Elliott, 2011). The integration of

technology into the classroom has shown to have many advantages to the way students learn. A few

of the benefits of integrating technology into the learning process include: increased student

engagement and motivation, facilitation of differentiated instruction, and preparing students for the

future.

Students that are usually uninterested in learning become more interested and motivated

when technology is involved. There are a variety of educational programs now that make learning

fun and exciting, while keeping students actively engaged in academic content. During a practicum

in a second grade classroom, I observed students using a website called Sumdog during math. At

first it just looked like students playing video games, but, students actually had to know the content

in order to excel in the game. Sumdog proved to be a fun and effective way to have students

practice math skills by playing games on their own, or against their classmates. The site was also a

useful tool in gathering formative data on each students learning level, which then influenced

differentiating instruction.
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Another advantage to integrating technology into the classroom is that many of the resources

available to enhance student learning, are also valuable tools for teachers to enhance curriculum,

instruction, and assessment. Many of these technology based education resources provide teachers

with data on student abilities and/or progress in content areas. For instance, the teacher using

Sumdog was able to go into the site and monitor students progress with a certain skill, identify

individual students strengths and weaknesses, and assign content according to students abilities and

needs. During my student teaching in a fourth grade classroom, the students used an educational

program called Achieve 3000. This program differentiated literacy instruction, and tailored grade

level content to each students individual reading level. This program also provided teachers with a

diagnostic tool to evaluate, and monitor student progress. Technology enables students to learn at

their own pace. In both cases, students were able to work independently on tasks that were tailored

to their ability and needs.

Finally, one of the most important benefits of integrating technology into the learning

process is it helps with preparing students for the future. The role of education is to prepare students

for work, life, and citizenship. As the demand of technological knowledge and skills increases, the

integration of technology becomes essential to the learning process. These days, students in primary

grades are probably more tech savvy than the average adult, but they still need guidance in

navigating technology for education. Sara Powell (2015) explains, Teachers are responsible for

helping students make sense of technology tools, along with ways of using them to be academically

productive in our technology-rich society.

Throughout my courses at Regent University, I have learned how integrating technology and

media resources into the classroom can have an impact on students success. Integration of

technology and media resources is more than just teaching students basic computer skills. Effective
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integration of technology into the educational process uses technology as a tool to support and

enhance learning.
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References

Elliott, L. (2011). K-12 Teach like a techie: 20 Tools for reaching the digital generation.

Peterborough, NH: Crystal Springs Books.

Powell, S. D. (2015). Your introduction to education: Explorations in teaching (3 ed.). Boston, MA:

Pearson Education Inc.