Our students are bombarded with technological advances daily, including cell phones, social networking sites, iPods, computer games, and digital cameras. Their knowledge of and ease with technology should be taken advantage of in the classroom. "Teaching through technology" is a phrase that all teachers must consider and implement in their classrooms to meet the growing needs of 21st century students. While integrating technology in the classroom, teachers should ask, "What skills do my students need to use this application? What new literacies do I need to develop? What technology will best facilitate student learning goals and outcomes?"
Teaching Through Technology
Highlighted Course: ECI 546 New Literacies and Global Media
Course Description: Critical analysis of new literacies that are prompted by emerging technologies and participatory media in K-12. Design and application of new literacies and media instructional practices to literacy curriculum and other discipline areas.
During this course, Britney Kensmoe and I conducted research in her 9th grade World History class, considering the question: "How can we use Multimodal texts in the classroom to increase engagement and foster content knowledge in History?"
Students used previous information about Enlightenment thinkers and the related North Carolina Standards for 9th grade World History to create a Voicethread, Animoto, or a compose video using the flip camera.
The major success of this project was the engagement and enjoyment of our students. They used their time as wisely to create final projects that were thoughtful and creative. Students expressed the desire to use these technological tools again for future projects. All in all, this lesson was successful in enriching existing content knowledge and infusing this knowledge with technology.
Here is our final project where we synthesized our findings:
How can I use ideas and theories about new literacies and global learning to increase student learning in the social studies?
The rise of the Internet has greatly changed how individuals approach knowledge sharing and gaining. This digital revolution is suited to transforming the field of education and changing the ways in which students learn. Further, developing digital literacies are essential for the future of our students. Ways in which teachers can teach through technology can present on small to large scales. There are a number of online educational sites aimed at promoting creativity and fostering learning, such as Animoto, Voicethread, Glogster, Voki, and Xtranormal. Also, teachers can take advantage of social networking sites, such as Twitter, to help infuse education with current and future communication trends. No longer must teachers limit students' education based on materials within a school. Teaching through technology expands the realm of possible education topics, resources, and learning outcomes.
For more information on our lesson (including a rubric) and the successes and challenges we experienced, read our detailed synthesis paper.
The rise of the Internet has greatly changed how individuals approach knowledge sharing and gaining. This digital revolution is suited to transforming the field of education and changing the ways in which students learn. Further, developing digital literacies are essential for the future of our students. Ways in which teachers can teach through technology can present on small to large scales. There are a number of online educational sites aimed at promoting creativity and fostering learning, such as Animoto, Voicethread, Glogster, Voki, and Xtranormal. Also, teachers can take advantage of social networking sites, such as Twitter, to help infuse education with current and future communication trends. No longer must teachers limit students' education based on materials within a school. Teaching through technology expands the realm of possible education topics, resources, and learning outcomes.
For more information on our lesson (including a rubric) and the successes and challenges we experienced, read our detailed synthesis paper.
For more information...
Explore these books about new literacies, creativity, and digital storytelling:
Explore these books about new literacies, creativity, and digital storytelling: