ANISIMOVA MASTER’S PORTFOLIO 1

Technology Statement

An effective teacher can incorporate technological tools of the 21st century into the

classroom to support and enhance standards-based instruction, as well as engage the students and

monitor their learning (Johns, Troncale, Trucks, Calhoun, & Alvidrez, 2017). My lesson on

acids and bases, combined with this PowerPoint presentation, uses technology to increase student

motivation and lesson retention, as well as allowing me to assess their learning.

Teachers are able to motivate students using various ways of presenting information,

such as using interactive whiteboards and embedding different activities in the lesson (Johns,

Troncale, Trucks, Calhoun, & Alvidrez, 2017). My acids and bases lesson plan is enhanced by a

Power Point presentation with an embedded video, which are features that have been shown to

increase student engagement (Raines, & Clark, 2011). “Educators have found that students who

are engaged feel more connected to the teacher and to the lesson, thus increasing their

achievement scores…Engaging students in active learning requires them to think more deeply

about a concept, skill, or topic.” (Johns, Troncale, Trucks, Calhoun, & Alvidrez, 2017).

While presentation structures such as PowerPoint, screencasting and interactive

whiteboards benefit many learners, they are especially useful for supporting students with autism

who often depend on visuals and structured learning, as well as students with visual and hearing

impairments (Slavin, 2015). In addition to the Power Point, my lesson utilizes BrainPOP, an

online standards-based knowledge and game platform which has similar benefits for learners

dependent on visual aids, but also allows the students to take some control of their learning by

participating in online games and quizzes. Students who are driven to set and achieve their own

goals are much more involved in the learning community of the classroom, taking initiatives and

working with peers to set and achieve common goals (Fong, Slotta, & NSF, 2018). In addition,
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BrainPOP allows me to look at all the students’ work at any stage of progress, as well as assign

and record scores on standards-based quizzes. The students get instant feedback on their learning

and can choose to retake quizzes, or find another way to explore the subject and demonstrate

their knowledge. “Evaluating one's own reasons for learning outcomes is crucial for effective

regulation of learning. Students who evaluate their learning through a method that is initiated by

them and controlled by them are more able to regulate their learning because they see that

learning outcomes are something that they can control and alter.” (Mykkänen, Perry, & Järvelä,

2017).

Working with technology for many students can be confusing and often frustrating,

especially when they are learning new online platforms. “The learning process is a cycle.

Students get frustrated because they want the answer right away. You need that frustration.

That's how you learn." (Shaffer, 2013). I use Brain POP and similar game-based learning

platforms like Prodigy and Code.org often enough that all the students get to have new and

challenging experiences on their own using technology, ensuring frustration. Frustration teaches

problem-solving skills because students have to ask lots of questions and look for many solutions

to problems, as well as learn from their mistakes (Shaffer, 2013). If handled correctly, talking

students through frustration can develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and teambuilding

skills (Flynn, 2017). The students are often encouraged to help one another using a

driver/navigator method (Pair Programming, 2014) and guide one another to discover the

solutions. This makes learning a social process which ensures engagement and retention

(Johnston, 2012).

Another aspect that makes technological tools like the game-based platforms useful is

that students get to try again and again when they fail without a penalty; more importantly,
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watching a student discover their own potential when they figure something out after a struggle

is one of the joys of being a teacher. I use technology not inly to improve my own instruction,

but also to improve the experience and learning process of all my students.

References

Pair Programming. (2014) Code.org. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgkahOzFH2Q

Flynn, M. (2017). Students Need Coding in Schools--And More--To Fill Stem Jobs of

Future. Tech & Learning, 38(4), 19. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eft&AN

=125955689&site=ehost-live

Fong, C., Slotta, J. D., & National Science Foundation (NSF). (2018). Supporting Communities

of Learners in the Elementary Classroom: The Common Knowledge Learning

Environment. Instructional Science: An International Journal of the Learning

Sciences, 46(4), 533–561. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN

=EJ1186201&site=ehost-live

Johns, K., Troncale, J., Trucks, C., Calhoun, C., Alvidrez, M. (2017). Cool Tools for School:

Twenty-First-Century Tools for Student Engagement. Delta Kappa Gamma

Bulletin, 84(1), 53–58. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eft&AN

=125223048&site=ehost-live

Johnston, P. (2012). Opening Minds: Using Language to Change Lives. Portland, ME: Stenhouse
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Mykkänen, A., Perry, N., & Järvelä, S. (2017). Finnish Students’ Reasons for Their Achievement

in Classroom Activities: Focus on Features That Support Self-Regulated

Learning. Education 3-13, 45(1), 1–16. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN

=EJ1126107&site=ehost-live

Raines, J. M., & Clark, L. M. (2011). A Brief Overview on Using Technology to Engage

Students in Mathematics. Current Issues in Education, 14(2). Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN

=EJ938974&site=ehost-live

Shaffer, L. (2013). STEM: Everyday Engineering. Instructor, 122(5), 38–41. Retrieved from

http://search.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.uas.alaska.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eft&AN

=86955289&site=ehost-live

Slavin, R.E. (2015) Educational Psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.