INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA RESOURCES 1

Integration of technology and media resources

Joanne Van Zyl

Regent University

Introduction
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Integration of technology is a valuable resource when aiding modern instruction. Because

of our high dependence on technology in our society, using these valuable tools help educate

future generations on how to use these tools to their full intended purpose while approaching

them with care and safety. With technology, students have access to many educational programs

to assist in learning like BrainPop, TenMarks, and Achieve3000. They also have access to an

endless supply of research, discovery, and independent learning through educational videos,

documentaries, and search engines. Technology, when used appropriately, allows students to

have access to more innovative educational content than any students before them.

Rationale for Selected Artifacts

Selecting only a few artifacts for this competency was especially difficult, since

technology is such a daily facet of student learning. Students have access to their chromebooks

daily. However, for my first chosen artifact, I have selected the Science Unit posted for this past

week in Schoology, an educational program that allows teachers and students connect on

educational platforms by sharing content, course resources, and interactive websites to increase

student learning. Ms. Crichton and I use this website to assign course resources to the students,

so they may be able to access any content related information. The example I have posted gives

students the option of watching educational videos, playing interactive games, and reading

relevant articles on our structures of nature unit. This work is completely independent and allows

students to fully explore the content to their own learning level, while still being guided by the

curriculum.

My second artifact is a morning meeting flipchart created everyday for the students. This

flipchart was made using ActivInspire, an application accessible on school laptops that is

compatible with Promethean Boards to aid instruction. The application allows transitions to
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activities quickly, by the use of visual aids and easy classroom accessibility. It is also very useful

during math instruction, where students and teachers alike can directly interact with the board

with easy transitioning.

My third artifact is an example of an animal research project students submitted. Each

student was tasked with using Google Docs for the first time, researching their facts about their

specific animal with credible online sources, and conferencing with other students by adding

helpful and constructive comments to their peers’ work. This allowed students to fully integrate

themselves in the new technology of Google Docs, while conducting independent research that

piqued their interest. This resulted in students learning how to change fonts, upload images, cite

online sources, add comments and revisions to their peers’ work, and using keywords to search

results in google and other online search engines.

Reflecting Theory to Practice

In the article “Technology Integration for the New 21st Century Learner” (Blair, 2012),

Nancye Blair discusses how important keeping students up to date the latest technology is to

their education. She (2012) suggests that technology offers students to conduct more independent

learning and encourages students to learn at their own pace instead of being hindered by generic

instruction. Blair (2012) states that teachers’ role becomes a catalyst for student growth through

these resources instead of being the sole holder of all the content students are studying. I agree

with Blair’s approach to use technology to encourage independent learning. In Ms. Crichton’s

class, we use an online application called Clever Portal to connect all students to specific

programs to help them practice skills they are learning in class. These programs exist to help

students with reading and comprehension, such as Achieve3000™ and System 44™ . There are
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other programs that focus on science and math instruction, such as PebbleGo™ and

TenMarks™ .

The article “Integrating Technology with Student-centered Learning” (Moeller &

Reitzes, 2011, pp. 4-5) discusses how teachers can use technology as a way to make students

more accountable for their own learning and using skills such as creativity, time management,

and data organization to help students stay on task. In Ms. Crichton’s class, all students have

access to their chromebooks and have a specific google drive that saves all of their work done on

their computer, whether it be their internet history or writing projects. Students are also given

choices when they are independently learning by choosing which articles they read on their

Language Arts programs, what skills they practice in their mathematical programs, and what

concepts they study in science.

In Matthew Lynch’s article “7 Ways Technology is Impacting Modern Education”

(Lynch, 2017), he discusses how the access to technology gives students access to current

events, allows students to study interactive online simulations to increase understanding, and

allows formative assessments to become much more efficient. In Ms. Crichton’s class, when we

were working on our conservation of the environment unit we showed many current clips of

ways humans are actively saving the environment and other current scientific findings. We also

have given access to students working with online simulations such as interactive food chains

and studying Google Maps when working on different geographical regions. Formal assessment

grading has also been made much more efficient using technology for quarterly tests and reading

inventory exams as they provide for less human error and provide more accurate and substantial

results to make sure students are staying on track with their grade level standards.
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1 Corinthians 1:4-6 (ESV) states “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;

and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is

the same God who empowers them all in everyone.” It is difficult to pinpoint one verse that

speaks about technology, but I believe that this verse encompasses why we must use technology

as a tool to further His will instead of distract us from it. Technology is a powerful resource

granted to us and we should use it for its intended purpose within God’s will and to increase

positive learning growth in our students instead of a distraction.

References

Blair, N. (2012, January). National Association of Elementary School Principals: Serving all
elementary and middle-level principals. Retrieved from https://www.naesp.org/principal-
januaryfebruary-2012-technology/technology-integration-new-21st-century-learner

Lynch, M. (2017, March 4). 7 Ways Technology Is Impacting Modern Education. Retrieved
from https://www.thetechedvocate.org/7-ways-technology-impacting-modern-education/
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Moeller, B., & Reitzes, T. (2011). Integrating Technology with Student-centered Learning.
Nellie Mae Education Foundation,4-5.