Technology, Instructional Strategies and Teaching for the 21st Century

My classroom today looks far different than my classroom ten years ago. The photo above shows two groups of students working on Power Point presentations on various aspects of Anglo-Saxon Culture as a prelude to reading Beowulf. Ten years ago, these students would have been reading an intro in a text book. Because the text books had been around (and would be around) for decades, they would not be allowed to annotate in them, but would be forced to take notes on the reading. Chances are, they would have answered some comprehension questions, or taken a quiz (that most would have failed) about the content they were asked to read so that I could assess their knowledge. Today, the students are actively engaged in teamwork, research, problem solving and presentation skills. They must find the knowledge, sort it for importance, create a digital presentation and then teach their aspect to the rest of the group, then the rest of the class. Yes, it takes more time to do it this way, but the result is definitely worth that extra effort. This photo is proof that technology can engage students in ways that traditional texts could not. The classroom was silent as they researched independently, and then it roared to life when they began sharing their information and figuring out how to do their presentations. They were attentive when watching each-other present; way more so than when I do the presenting.

Instructional strategies and technology work together to bring new life to the classroom. Understanding how students learn best is paramount to using technology effectively. One area that technology has bolstered immensely is inquiry guided learning, where students are provided with questions that require research to answer and then independently go about finding the answers to those questions, just like in the example above. Without technology, this would be a logistical nightmare. Students would be running amok in the library, all trying to read the same books. Many would simply stick with the "easy" or "safe" method of reading in their assigned texts. With many students and limited resources, I would have a few students working hard and most hardly working. Technology opens a door for my students by allowing them access to almost any library in the world. They can learn form videos, podcasts, journal articles, personal blogs and primary documents. They can present their findings to me, the class, the school or the entire world in any number of digital formats. While instructional strategies have been around for decades, the effectiveness of those strategies can be amplified by partnering them with technology, and I can prepare my students to not only understand the underlying Anglo-Saxon belief system that resulted in Beowulf, but how to problem-solve, research, collaborate, create, present and evaluate for the 21st century.

Edutopia has great web resource with inspirational videos and content for using technology centered instructional strategies across the disciplines.  Check it out here. http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration