Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works

Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works

There are many new technology devices out there and web 2.0 tools being developed each day, it is quite easy for teachers and students to get excited by something flashy and lose sight of the original purpose of the lesson.  We often need to remind ourselves to start with our learning objectives/goals and THEN decide what technology may enhance the learning process.

Along with principal Jessica Johnson, I recently finished reading the 2nd Edition of  Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works, which was published by ASCD. I found it to be a great resource to maintain this focus on the purpose.  This book is a  follow-up to Dr. Robert Marzano's original book of Classroom Instruction that Works that many of you may have. In Marzano's original book one can see that there are 9 research based strategies that can have a direct impact on the learning in your classroom. This month we are focused on reinforcing effort and providing recognition as noted in our engagement and instructional strategies sheet. In this technology resource book, the authors take educational scholar Marzano's strategies and explain a variety of a ways that technology can be integrated into the classroom as a tool for these key instructional strategies.  This book is full of ways to integrate technology for:

• Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback
• Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition
• Cooperative Learning
• Cues, Questions, and Advance Organizers
• Nonlinguistic Representations
• Summarizing and Note Taking
• Assigning Homework and Providing Practice
• Identifying Similarities and Differences
• Generating and Testing Hypotheses

In the beginning of this book there is a simple chart that identifies which tech tools in the book relate to each of the 9 instructional strategies.  After seeing this, fellow colleague, Jessica Johnson, found herself curious if the authors had done any similar work on iPad apps related to these strategies, so she simply asked one of the authors on Twitter and received a reply within hours...

You can find the Google Spreadsheet of iPad apps HERE

For teachers that are not connected online, this book is a great resource to get started with learning ways to integrate technology into the classroom with purpose.  

Will Richardson says it quite well in his forward to this book when he says "technology in all of its forms is no longer an add-on to the work that we as educators do. It is now a fundamental part of the way we live and learn and teach."  This book is a great place to begin the work of integrating technology into learning. 

Enjoy your week.....Eric

 

Videos to check out!:

Rubik's Cube: A question waiting to be answered (2min)

Summarizing and NoteTaking--Instructional Strategy from Last month (10 min)

Reinforcing Effort (4 min)

Fun way to teach variables (2 min)

Articles you might want to check out:

Differentiate and Personalize Learning

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Calendar of Events:

Jan 16-Indistar Gathering at ESD
Feb 10--Tentative Learning Walk at Slater Elementary
Feb 13--Division 22 Standards Report Due--see EXECUTIVE NUMBERED MEMO: 
004-2014-15 DIVISION 22 ASSURANCES 2014-2015 
Feb 13--Alice Nine @ Harney ESD--register with J. Caldwell 541-573-4834
Feb 26-27 K and Early Literacy Summit
March 9-11 CCSS Regional Trainings
April 10--Harney County Tech Conference 2015 @ BHS
April 30-May 1--Kevin Feldman Learning Walk and Training info to come soon