Here is a screencast of Prezi I made to summarize the Tech Club visits.

https://youtu.be/2EFbNr02FBA

Technology Integration Rationale

For my technology integration class (Summer 2015) we were asked to create a hypothetical classroom and defend our choice to use technology for the assignment.  This paper does not include a complete lesson plan.  The assignment I had in mind is writing a parable or allegory and presenting it as a digital story.

We had to personally create a digital story as an assignment for the course, so I blended a lesson plan I wrote during the spring with the technology use.  Here is my rationale.

Technology as Literacy in English Language Arts

Contextual Factors and Background Research

West Jackson High School is located in Greene County, Montana.  It serves Belmont, a town of approximately 8000 people.  I am the English Language Arts teacher for the 9^th grade classes and teach 120 students a day.  Roughly 29% are considered economically disadvantaged and 9% are minority students.  Gender enrollment is nearly equal, and based on last year’s test scores 86% ranked proficient to advanced in reading proficiency.  In my classes I have two students who speak English as a second language and another student who is hearing impaired and requires the use of a personal PA system.

            As an ELA teacher, my lessons range in literary genre and take into account multimodal literacy including but not limited to reading, writing, communications, visual imagery, and technology integration.  These forms of literacy span across literature, art, music, film, history, geography and any other subject that enhances students’ understanding of ELA.  Computing resources are vital to our understanding.  For the parable writing assignment, students will be asked to utilize computers and/or photo-taking devices (not required, but acceptable to use) and have internet access at school and after school as needed for digital presentations, word processing, video and image resources, collaboration, research, and document/file sharing and publication. 

Activity Plan

Standards:

CCRA.W.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism

W.9-10.3 3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, well-chosen details, and well-structured event sequences.

W.9-10.6 6. Use technology, including the Internet, to produce, publish, and update individual or shared writing products, taking advantage of technology’s capacity to link to other information and to display information flexibly and dynamically.

Materials:

            Computer with audio sound for whole class

            Smartboard to display videos in lesson

Computer and/or device and headphones for each student (computer lab – already scheduled)

Personal device and headset for Martin Allen (*Made up name*  He knows to arrive prepared and already has links.)

PA system for Martin.  Be sure to repeat any Q/A in whole-class situations.

ESL students may have questions on videos.

Objectives:    

Students will understand and identify the differences and purposes of parables and allegories.

Students will write their own parable or allegory.

Students will create and share with the class a digital story presentation of their parable or allegory relying on technology to convey meaning.

Day 1:

            Follow specific lesson plan located in Google drive

Days 2-4:

Students are to spend time creating and publishing their digital stories using one of the following programs: Animoto, Storybird, or iMovie. 

Students are expected to adhere to the following standard:  CCRA.W.8 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism

Encourage them to experiment with the technology and use Google to search for answers to their questions.

Stories are to be uploaded to YouTube and shared with me (leevernonteaches@gmail.com) by the end of class on Day 4. 

Technology Integration Rationale:

While I could ask the students to write a parable or allegory on paper, the opportunity to incorporate visual imagery strengthens their contextual understanding.  It also lends itself to communication accommodations for my students with IEPs.  Students typically enjoy playing with technology and free expression, so the digital process may make learning fun while allowing students agency over the outcome.  Parables and allegories employ the use of abstract thinking, so to bridge the abstract thought with concrete images and sounds may encourage students to see meaning in images and visualize images with written text. The students still have to use their imaginations to create the story and find suitable pictures, but instead of just surface reading (fake reading) and writing, they must find substantial imagery to accompany their words.  There’s no faking that. 

According to very recent research, “Digital video is a valuable 21st century writing tool in the classroom in three ways: high levels of student engagement, multiple layers of experiential learning, and authentic social collaborations” (Bruce & Chiu, “Composing with New Technology”).  Students, both high achieving and low, are regularly exposed to digital media, and most are quite comfortable searching for, creating, and sharing their interests and personal creations in this format.  It is highly accessible to them, so they are likely more motivated to use it.  It is always changing, so it rarely causes boredom.  Digital video is also inherently meant for sharing.  It can quickly reach a large audience and results in more learning experiences for students (Bruce & Chiu, “Composing with New Technology”).   The ARCS model of student motivation intertwines attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction.  Incorporating digital video into this particular writing assignment hits each component of this research-based model. 

The use of technology works to the advantage of a differentiated classroom.  This particular assignment asks students to express themselves and their understanding of ELA topics through creating, writing, visualizing, and presenting.   Those who struggle with writing may have a keen eye for visual design and feel good about their ability to succeed at a writing assignment.  Those who are comfortable with presentations are allowed to shine, while those who aren’t comfortable can still express themselves but with less exposure.  Students who are kinesthetic learners are not confined to a black and white one-dimensional screen.  They can move around, perform, take photos, and be physically involved in this process.  The options are endless and can be modified to suit all learners. 

One of the goals of any ELA teacher is to develop students’ organization skills in writing.  A growing trend exists in the inclusion of comic books as part of the regular curriculum because the images prompt readers to fill in the gaps. Digital stories work similarly by making use of story grammar elements explained by Harry R. Noden, author of Image Grammar: Teaching Grammar as Part of the Writing Process.  Story grammar elements are an initiating event, internal response, attempt, outcome, resolution, and reaction.  They are similar to the set up, rising action, climax, and resolution concept of a story (Noden 177-179).  Studies suggest that visualizing the steps improve reading comprehension and memory as well as organization in writing.  A simple allegory or parable follows this model well, and the use of technology makes achieving this goal convenient, interesting, diverse, and shareable. 

School subjects are no longer taught in a vacuum.  Teaching and learning increasingly become multi-disciplinary evidenced by a growing trend in blended classrooms as well as the adoption of common core standards.  Common core standards include those for literacy and technology.  Literacy, for example, has become a huge emphasis across all disciplines, which in turn redefines literacy to include multiple modes.  It would be irresponsible of an ELA teacher to exclude technology as an ever-burgeoning literacy outlet.  Technology does not replace creativity; it expands horizons and provides students with an opportunity to construct their own understanding. 

           

  

Works Cited

 

Bruce, David L., Chiu, Ming Ming.  “Composing With New Technology: Teacher

Reflections on Learning Digital Video.” Journal of Teacher Education 66.3

(2015). Web. 24 June 2015.

Noden, Harry R.  Image Grammar: Teaching Grammar as Part of the Writing Process.

2nd ed. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011.  Print.