This entry is question 2 of Section C. It examines the technology integration used in Lesson Plan #1 and #2 (see Appendix). Question 2 is centred on the successes and challenges of integrating technology into a lesson. It also focuses on reflecting on ways in which experience with technology integration can enhance understanding of teaching and learning and plans of sustaining it in the classroom. In my practice technology integration is significant because it serves as a visual aid and effective game-based learning platform.
Question 2 (a)
The technology used in Lesson #1 was Microsoft Teams, Quizizz and Padlet. Zoom, Canva, Google slides and Jamboard were used to facilitate Lesson #2. Microsoft Teams was the host platform for the class, it was used to set up a video call for the session. Microsoft Teams also has a classroom where the presentation PowerPoint and notes were posted. Students also posted the monoprints they would have made during the session in the classroom. Visual aid for my lesson was provided by PowerPoint. For assessment I used Quizizz. Quizizz is a game-based teaching and learning site. It was used to administer a quiz to assess students understanding of monoprints. The results were also able to be displayed in real-time during the session.
Zoom was the host platform for Lesson #2, a link was posted in the classroom for students to access the session. The classroom was also moved to Google classroom because Microsoft Teams proved to be less manageable. Google slides were used to present notes and supporting images for the lesson. Canva and Jamboard were used for the interactive portions of the lesson. Students used Canva to create their poster and Jamboard was used to post their final thoughts on the exercise.
As the Teacher Microsoft Teams and Zoom were both effective and easy to use as host platforms. However, Teams was difficult for students because they were unfamiliar with it. Both PowerPoint and Google slides served as integral parts of my teaching strategy. They both effective visual support and reinforcement for the lesson. Canva, Jamboard and Padlet all had user-friendly interfaces and made adding an interactive element to my lesson.
Question 2 (b)
Teaching classes online for the past year has enlightened me on the necessity of integrating technology into my teaching strategy. To sustain technology in my practice I would continue to use platforms such as Google Slides and PowerPoint for my presentations. In addition to being visual aids for techniques and terms, they would be beneficial for displaying lesson reinforcements such as instructional scaffolding and task analysis. I will also continue to use platforms such as Quizizz. Game-based education platforms offer the opportunity to foster a sense of competitiveness and comradery among students, in addition to reinforcing the lesson taught. This can assist in encouraging interest in the subject and make students more willing and receptive to concepts that may have been too difficult to learn without the assistance of an interesting delivery.
On a departmental and administrative level, I would seek to sensitize my fellow educators on the benefits and applications of technology in the classroom. In addition to simply having discussions with staff, with permission, workshops can be scheduled to showcase and demonstrate new applications to teachers who may not be “tech-savvy”. These workshops can also serve as a support system for teachers to make teaching technology-friendly in my school. Support is one of the most important components of technology integration sustainability in the classroom and I would also lobby teacher to adopt an “each one teaches one” attitude towards sharing any new development in teaching technology they may have come across.
Question 2 (c)
Teaching is overwhelming. In the classroom, a teacher needs to keep tabs on each student while delivering continent in a stipulated time. In a class of twenty-five to forty or more students, sticking to the script can be next to impossible. Implementing teaching strategies, record keeping and assessment will happen but things can be mistakenly overlooked. For me, Technology Integration has provided a solution for some of this problem.
Teaching online requires meticulousness which can be detrimentally exhausting but professionally beneficial to me. Using technology to deliver my lessons has caused me to become more thorough when planning lessons. Using platforms such as Zoom removers the interpersonal aspect of teaching which means I need to be more cognizant of my teaching strategies when writing unit and lesson plans because if I do not choose strategies that engage my students I run the risk of them looing interest in my content and not internalizing the lesson.
Technology Integration also allows me to be more aware of the effectiveness of my assessment strategies. In a normal setting feedback on tests are extremely lagged but sites such as Quizizz and Kahoot give instant results on tests which allows me to assess the effectiveness of my lessons and give students real-time feedback. This instant information has assisted me in adapting and correcting tasks in my lessons and has helped me improve the way I structure and deliver my lessons.
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