Some "best practices" and other considerations

I have been thinking about what guidelines ought to be considered when an elementary school teacher decides that he or she wishes to bring more technology into the classroom. It's a bit of a daunting task! The topic is broad - really integrating technology means changing some of the fundamentals of the classroom. It means adjusting the roles and relationships of the teacher and student. It means moving away from traditional assessment measures and towards performance- and project-based assessment. The promise of technology in the classroom is to enhance students' opportunities for problem solving, communication, and application of their learning in authentic ways.

Technology is already integrated into most students' (and teachers') daily lives. We use email and text. We quickly look up answers to questions we encounter. Banking, calendars, shopping, entertainment and other daily activities have moved on-line. We can even get the groceries by sitting in front of the computer! All too often, though, when students enter the classroom, their technology rich lives are left outside the door.

The Center for Applied Research in Educational Technology (CARET) is a project of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). On their home page, they say that, "CARET bridges education technology research to practice by offering research-based answers to critical questions." For the question, "How can technology be infused into curriculum and instruction effectively?" they offer four answers from the research. They determined that educators and decision makers should: review the content of technology applications to see that it aligns with content standards; enable students to develop proficiency with technology tools prior to content instruction; intentionally develop lessons and units utilizing technology to support content standards; and know how to use the selected technology and any additional resources or equipment required.

Edutopia, from the George Lucas Educational Foundation, has some amazing and exciting suggestions for ways to integrate technology. In one article on their site, the Edutopia staff identify four essential goals that effective technology integration can support: "active engagement of students, participation in groups, frequent interaction and feedback, and connection to real-world experts." They emphasize, too, that technology integration should be a seamless part of the environment and support curricular goals.

The research I have done for my Independent Learning Project (as well as hands-on experience with technology in my own classroom) has led me to the following considerations for effectively using technology to support students' expressive communication:

• The learning goals and content outcomes must be identified by the teacher before technology considerations can be made. Educators must think about what they want the students to learn and only then should they select the appropriate technology.
• Be aware of what the final product will be in order to plan the steps needed for completion. You can't answer students' questions on a project if you don't know where it should be headed.
• Think about who will receive your communication. Who is the audience for this activity? How do you want them to find and interact with the information? What is the content that your students are communicating. Consider privacy implications if your plan is to publish students' work. These first three points are closely related and align with good teaching practices generally: know what you want to accomplish and then make a plan for how to get there.
• Try out the technology yourself first. Whether you are creating a podcast, making a movie, or using a spreadsheet to show class data, you need to know how the hardware and software works. It's embarrassing (not to mention unprofessional) to be stuck in front of the students not knowing how to make the application work. Glitches will happen, but some practice with the technology will help you to anticipate them and know what to do. Technology's not perfect, so you should have a backup plan in case something's not working at the moment you want it!
• Plan to use technology in a  constructivist manner. Wenglinsky (2005) analyzed performance data from the NAEP and found that teaching practices that emphasize higher-order thinking, problem solving, and development of meaning correspond to better performance on assessments. Interestingly, he found that didactic uses of technology (rote skill-and-drill types of work) had either no effect or a negative effect on performance.
• Plan for differentiation of instruction. Consider the ways that the selected technology can support struggling students and provide additional enrichment for advanced learners. 
• Be creative! When you encounter or are told about a new technology, make a mental note of it. Try it out to see if it might have an application for your classroom. Don't force a lesson onto the technology (see bullet point #1) but keep the tool in mind for possible applications. Adding a new twist to some old lessons can bring them to life again and can make teaching and learning fun!

OK, I know that's probably WAY too much to put into one posting. I apologize for that! I encourage you to add considerations that teachers should make when integrating technology into the classroom. As always, these tips are just a starting off point!