Integrating Technology into Lessons

After completing the technology integration project, I can definitely see how some lessons can be tied together using technology. I chose to focus my lesson around an environmental learning lesson. I focused on the 2nd grade age level, as that is where I will be teaching next year. The technology I chose to use was digital storytelling. I decided that this form of technology specifically would be very useful in helping students make real-life connections to material that they are learning in the classroom. Additionally, because they are personally invested in the creation of this story from beginning to end, they have a finished product that they can be proud to share within their school and local communities. I have compiled all of the portions of this unit onto a website, please feel free to look it over.

I really enjoyed this project, while it did take a lot of thought and effort to put together. Throughout my time as a pre-service teacher at Michigan State, I have had plenty of opportunities to create lessons to be used in my future classrooms. However, I have not had the opportunity until now to choose a specific topic that I am particularly passionate about. After completing this project and this class, using technology seems a lot more do-able in my future classroom.

Podcasting

For the podcasting assignment, we were asked to create a video podcast that could be viewed and heard in an mp3 format. We started by creating a slideshow of images using Microsoft Photo Story 3. We then were asked to use audacity to record a sound to follow the story of the pictures. This sound file could then be added to the slideshow to result in a video podcast. Unfortunately, while I started, I did not complete this task due to my lack of access to a computer with a microphone.

I do think that there would be several occasions where a podcast would be a cool way to share new information. I think that a podcast, especially a video podcast would be a way for a student to take a virtual tour of the school, a classroom, or an area outside the classroom, maybe a museum. In this way, students could use a podcast to take a kind of virtual field trip on their own time. Teachers who are not provided the funds to take an entire class on a field trip could use this idea as an alternative option.

Additionally, I think that teachers could provide podcasts occasionally as a way to provide extra support to ELL and Learning Disabled students. Students could use podcasts to listen to some extra tips or extension activities as part of a take home support system. For example, a teacher could create a kind of "book on tape" complete with pictures that could be taken from around the school or local learning environment.

Overall, I feel that a podcast could provide great supplements or extensions to in class work. However, podcasts do require quite a bit of planning and work. Therefore, I do not think that it would be practical for a teacher to use on a daily basis in an elementary classroom.