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Transforming Student Learning with Technology

If technology is integrated to foster engaged learning and develop essential skills that help students become effective global citizens, than it is being used effectively. Unfortunately, professional development in educational technology in the United States is largely underfunded, and many teachers simply don't get the help they need to integrate technology effectively into their courses. Many teachers remain intimidated by technology, or just doubtful of its usefulness.

Technology can be used to enable students to explore fundamental curriculum issues and to answer core questions. Students can use the Internet, electronic databases and other online sources to gather information. They can use spreadsheets, timelines, and other programs to store, organize, and analyze information. Students can also integrate multimedia desktop publishing, web publishing, video and audio editing, and graphics programs to create and present information in innovative and engaging ways.

There are many fundamental reasons for incorporating technology in the classroom:

Resources: Using technology can bring traditional classrooms otherwise inaccessible resources-- information, people, media, and events.
Information Literacy: The 21st century workplace requires more sophisticated skills for finding, selecting, analyzing, manipulating, modifying, and distributing information. Students and teachers need more training and experience in information literacy. (The Internet is becoming an increasingly important source of information, and young people are the likeliest users of the Internet with 97% of 12-18 years olds reporting Net use.)
Connections: Technology fosters global connections and communication in our shrinking, "flat," and interconnected world.
Collaboration: Email, discussion rooms, and other technologies help support collaborative learning and group communication.
Motivation: Teachers and students regain energy and enthusiasm for their academic work as they create new ways of learning and thinking.
Personalization: Technology tools enable teachers to provide students with access to instructional materials that better match their learning needs.
Skills: A growing number of fields include tasks in which information technology has become essential.
Access: Technology can provide access to instructional materials that would otherwise be unavailable due to scheduling, location, or physical restrictions.
Results: Teachers can reasonably expect higher results from students who have access to technology tools such as word processing, email, and the Web.
Expectations: Students and young faculty often have high expectations of access to, and use of, technology.
Relationships: Technology can help teachers foster mutually supportive relationships with educators across the country and create partnerships with school librarians and media specialists.

Basic Tips for Getting Started

Used wisely, technology empowers students to take responsibility for their own learning. In Leonardo’s Laptop, Ben Shneiderman provides teachers with a powerful framework, Collect-Relate-Create-Donate (CRCD), for designing student-centered learning opportunities using computers. In particular, Shneiderman’s CRCD framework emphasizes the importance of the social aspects of learning in generating creative work. In CRCD projects, students research information, work collaboratively to create a meaningful product that demonstrates their learning, and contribute that project to a larger learning community. Shneiderman designed the Collect-Relate-Create-Donate framework as a vehicle for preparing young people for a 21st century world where innovation, creativity, and collaboration will be more highly prized than retention and repetition. The tips below will help you to get started with your curriculum development using new technologies.

1. Get Some Training.

You don't have to become a computer expert, but you need to have some basic understanding of how computers operate and what to do when they do not operate properly. You should also become familiar with a web browser such as Firefox or Internet Explorer and websites that provide tech-integration resources and tutorials. Your school or college likely has an instructional technology specialist to help you in this regard.

2. Don't Re-invent the Wheel.

There are plenty of credible and experienced educational technology organizations, administrators and teachers out there who can lead you to quality materials, lesson plans and activities for use in your classroom. You don't have to spend hours using search engines to locate appropriate sites and materials. Some of the best educational Web sites for integrating technology in the classroom are:

3. Establish a Partnership with Your Students.

Many of your students will be excited about computer use, but you and they may be apprehensive about how technology will change your learning environment. Tell your students that computer use in your classroom is new and exciting for you as well, and that you are all part of an experiment whose ultimate success will largely depend on your combined efforts and cooperation. Stress how special this educational opportunity is and how much you need their input. Remember, it's about the students, not you. Your students will probably appreciate you asking for their help, and it may spur them to take ownership of the program. It also may soften some frustrations when technical problems occur.

4. Have a Plan B Ready.

You are going to run into some technical difficulties in class and how you handle them will go a long way in determining how successful and enjoyable your technology experience is. You can minimize unwanted surprises by getting some training from an instructional technology specialist and by minimizing your reliance on live web connections. However, you will invariably run into technical problems during class that you are not able to solve immediately. In such instances, if you appear overly perturbed and frustrated you will send a signal to your students that they too can moan about technical problems and perhaps use them as excuses to forego completing computer-based work. Even worse, you may inadvertently cause them to question the ultimate merit of computer-based learning. Instead, try to make a smooth transition to a backup lesson plan, thereby sending a signal that technical glitches are just part of your educational adventure.

Collect - Relate - Create - Donate Framework

In Leonardo’s Laptop, Professor Ben Schneiderman lays out a simple but powerful framework for designing user-centered, student-centered technology- integration projects.

The framework consists of four parts: Collect, Relate, Create, and Donate.

In Schneiderman’s framework, projects begin with a chance to Collect knowledge, and students research the factual building blocks of their learning project.
From there students Relate with one another - since collaboration and cross-cultural communication skills play essential roles in our economic and civic spheres.
Based on the collection of building blocks and relating their knowledge to one another, students the Create some kind of tangible demonstration of their understanding.
The final part of an activity is to find a forum to Donate the student work so that students can enjoy the opportunity to publish their work and be of service to others.

We’ve found this approach helpful in designing and evaluating Social Studies activities that take advantage of emerging technologies. The best technology integration projects use computers to empower students to take responsibility for their own learning and give them the tools to succeed in that endeavor. The Collect-Relate-Create-Donate (CRCD)framework is a great way to get started in creating these kinds of student-centered learning experiences.

The following projects employed the C-R-C-D framework: