Inquiry Questions and Findings

After deciding that the focus of my inquiry project would be using technology in the classroom, these are the questions that I decided to focus on:

     1. What types of technology are available for the classroom, and in what ways can they be used?
     2. Is there ever a time when technology should not be used?

The following are links to articles that were found online regarding using technology in the classroom, and provided the information for the majority of my findings:

Using Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom

Technology and its Impact in the Classroom

Using the Technology of Today in the Classroom Today

There’s an App for That: How Two Elementary Classrooms Used iPads to Enhance Student Learning and Achievement

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/64/

Major Findings

Question 1
   
     As a student in my twenties, I would like to think that I am technologically savvy. I have written a few blogs, I own a tablet, and compared to a lot of people I know I can use my computer sufficiently well. But when it comes to actually using these types of technology in the classroom, I wanted to learn more about the possibilities. I have created a list of the technology that can be found in classrooms, and the different ways that these can be used to meet various ares of the curriculum.

Computers

            There are a ridiculous amount of programs that can be run on a computer that allow students to expand their knowledge, so I will only focus on a few that have been popular recently.

Skype is one program that has been seen recently in Canadian news due to its presence in schools in the past couple of months. With astronaut Chris Hadfield floating around the planet in the International Space Station, it opens the door for many learning opportunities. One of these has been question and answer sessions through Skype with various schools. Students are able to come up with their own questions that Hadfield can answer from space, because of today’s technology. Even though this isn’t the traditional use of Skype, and it isn’t normally used in the classroom in the first place, it is a great example of how technology is expanding the world for students. It is also a great way to integrate subjects such as science and literacy.

            

          Another area that computers are used is for a plethora of assistive technology. From text to speech programs o voice recognition software, there are also endless possibilities when it comes to using the computers for purposes that aid students with learning disabilities.

Just to name one of these programs, Word Cue is one that I have seen used successfully in the classroom, but it is also one that I am still very unfamiliar with. It is a program that is used in conjunction with word processing applications, and in addition to being able to allow students to hear a piece of text being read to them, it also helps students as they are typing. For example, if a student starts typing ‘arc…’ it would give suggestions as to what word they are trying to spell. It may suggest ‘ark, arctic, arch, etc.’, and if a student continued to have trouble with the correct word, they also have the option to read and hear the definitions of the word suggestions to make the correct choice. 

          I also couldn't give examples for using technology without mentioning the use of classroom websites and blogs. There are many different ways that students can have a place to post reflections and be given the opportunity to discuss topics with their classmates in an online setting. This would be suited more to the junior grades, and would have to have strict rules regarding what is appropriate and not appropriate to post, but this could be an effective way to have students share and discuss ideas using technology.

iPads/ Tablets

            Based on what I have seen in the classroom as a student teacher, iPads are still very new technology when it comes to what teachers and students have at their disposal. I know there are a lot of classrooms that may have (very) limited numbers, but as I saw here there are many ways to make iPads work successfully in the classroom, even if it means students have to share.

            With many boards increasing their focus on using technology in the classroom, teachers are also finding more and more creative ways to integrate them into as many subjects as possible. One great app that is easy for students to use, and also a great way to incorporate media literacy into your class, is iMovie. The app is $4.99 in the iTunes App Store, but is a worthwhile investment. It is very student friendly, and part of this is because of the fact that it is done on the iPad. If students were using a movie-making program on a computer or laptop, there would be more work involved than is needed when it comes to uploading and editing footage. With the built-in cameras students are able to film themselves and their peers, use templates to easily create movie trailers or other video projects.

Since the release of the iPad in 2010, there have been studies conducted to test the value of using them in elementary classrooms. In the article “There’s an App for That: How Two Elementary Classrooms Used iPads to Enhance Student Learning and Achievement” by Corey McKenna, some of these results are outlined with regards to Literacy and Mathematics proficiency. 

Smartboards/ interactive whiteboards

          Similarly to using computers, interactive whiteboards are easy to incorporate into any lesson and use for an infinite number of purposes. Because they can be connected right to a classroom computer, anything that can be done on a computer screen can be made ‘interactive’ on one of these white boards.

One of the important things that teachers must remember when using these tools is to not use them in the wrong way. Even though presenting something on the whiteboard can seem like teaching is being differentiated by having an interactive aspect, teachers have to ensure that they are not just displaying worksheets on the board and having students fill them out in front of the class. There are many different ways that these boards can be used to enhance student learning, whether it be using presentations that other have created on SmartExchange, or creating your own that is tailored to your class and whatever subject they are working on. 

MP3 Players

          Differentiating learning is one of the most important things you can do as a teacher to reach all of your students, and part of this is teaching to their needs and their individual styles of learning. MP3 players are one of the ways in which this can be achieved.

Using audio books is not only a great way to help those who are struggling readers, or those who are auditory learners, but that are also a great tool to use for students who are fluent or gifted readers. They allow students to follow along with text as they listen to it being read, and for those who are proficient readers it allows them to listen to material that may be beyond the level that they would normally read. 

Typewriters

          I am including typewriters in the category of technology, even though they are not a type of technology that is current. I think that typewriters would be a valuable piece of technology to use in the classroom, not only for literacy purposes, but also to help integrate literacy into other subjects. While previously doing typewriter research I came across Ryan Adney's blog, Magic Margin. Ryan is a teacher who has brought typewriters into his classroom to see how they can affect his students' writing, and who says in the 'About the Project' section of the blog that using typewriters makes students focus on their writing and offers an environment that is distraction free- something that computers have taken away from us as writers. He calls it 'writing without a net'.


Question 2- Is there ever a time when technology should not be used?

I am a strong believer that technology can be easily integrated into any subject and can be used in multiple ways. I know it is not likely that a teacher would have students using technology 100% of the time, but as part of my inquiry I wanted to know if there were any situations where it would be detrimental to students to use technology in the classroom.

I was not able to find any significant research that stated that technology would not be beneficial when used in a specific subject, but I was able to find an article that discussed some of the negative effects of using technology in certain situations. In Bruce D. Perry's article about using technology in the early childhood classroom, he discusses the negative effects of using too much technology too early in a child's life. Because of the fact that most technologies are passive, they don't provide the essential experiences needed for development at early ages. He says that young children and students can benefit from other simple activities such as playing cards, rather than looking at screens as a form of entertainment.