Integrating Technology Resources for Instruction
"Integrating technology into education" is a big buzz phrase these
days, but what does it really mean? How can you plan for integration
so that it makes the most of the electronic medium an d at the same
time provides the best possible resources for your students? This
page gives just a few basic tips for choosing appropriate WWW
resources and using them to enhance your traditional classroom
instruction. The tips here are organized into a step-by-step plan,
but realize that this planning process might look different depending
on each instructor's teaching style, the topic being taught, and the
level of students.
- The first thing you'll want to do is pick a topic that you're
going to teach. This might be something very traditional that is
required by your district or something extra that you're going to
try.
- Create a planning web or other type of lesson plan that will
allow you to think of all related topics.
- Next, possibly using another color pen to keep the ideas
separate, identify the resources you think could be used to teach
each concept in your plan. You'll want to consider all types of
traditional resources, including books, pic tures, videos, and
guest speakers, as well as computer-based resources, like
software, informational CD-ROMs, and websites. At this point,
brainstorm as many possible resources as you can, since all will
not work out to be ideal for your purposes. Now, you're
ready to locate your resources. To find web resources to address
areas that you have planned, start by making a list of keywords
that will help focus your search. Enter your keywords into a
search engine and be sure to bookmark any site tha t looks even
remotely interesting so that you can go back later to evaluate
further.
- Allow plenty of time to go back and evaluate each web site.
Many sites that have promising titles or catchy graphics at the
beginning later prove to be less helpful than what you expected.
Consider the following areas in your evaluation:
- Content: Does the page cover what you are planning
to teach? Is the information current? Remember that you do not
have to use the entire website. If just a few paragraphs of
text or some great pictures will help your cause, the site may
be worthwhile.
- Reading Level: Some websites may have the most
amazing information, but they may not have been written for
students at your level. This does not neces sarily mean that
the page is not useful - you might be able to show the pictures
and paraphrase to students what the text says, for instance.
- Appropriateness: Be VERY sure to look through
everything on a website to make sure that it is appropriate for
your students to see. Also check the links off that page to
other pages. Some very informative pages branch quickly into
not-so-relevant or possibly even objectionable material rather
quickly.
- Usefulness: Is the website the best way to teach the
material? Would another website, or even a more traditional
resource teach the same things? You do not HAVE to use web
resources just because you have access to the Internet! Don't
get caught up (or get your students caught up) in th e hype of
a cool website if it isn't instructionally relevant.
- Layout: Is the page well-organized? Is the text at a
font size that is easy to read? This will become important as
you decide how to use the website. For instance, if the word s
are too small, they will not project easily for a whole group
to read.
- Once you have located resources on the Internet, you must plan
how you are going to use them. Too often, teachers find a
cool site and think their job is done, but they end up wasting the
information and their students' time. (Just as you wouldn't teach
a traditional lesson without thinking it through, don't rely on
the flashiness of the Internet to maintain student interest
enought to carry you pass poor planning!) Decide how your
students are going to use each particular website. Will this be a
whole class activity, with you demonstrating at the front of the
room? Will small groups or pairs work together at an individual
computer to go through the page? Different pages will lend
themselves to different uses, depending on your topic. Have a plan
in mind ahead of time to make the most of each resource. Use the
following table to see some ideas for using computers in your
teaching:
- Decide what is important about each website. Will you be
using the entire page or just certain parts? If you are showing a
website to a whole group, plan how you will show them. Just
scrolling endlessly through a bunch of text will cause students to
loose interest. If students will be using the page independently,
provide them some guidance on what they should do with it. Rarely
will you want them to just wander around the page, clicking on
links at will. Depending on their age, a printed list of
directions guiding them through the site might be helpful. They
should know what parts are important to read and what they should
ski p, and whether or not they need to take notes or discuss
anything with their partners.
Now you're ready to teach with Internet resources. Be ready, as
always with teaching, to be flexible. Websites sometimes do not pop
up when you need t hem, and sometimes information changes without
notice. ALWAYS have a back-up plan so your valuable school time will
not be wasted!
Before you begin exploring on the Internet, you may want to take a
trip to Internet
Island to discover how to use the Internet in a classroom -- an
excellent tutorial!
BYU's
Subject Guide to Internet Resources Page provides an extensive
list divided first by curriculum areas and then further within each
area by databases, lesson plans, activities/exhibits/museums and
finally by i ndices and meta-indices.
Use Berit's
Best Sites for Children by Judy Rice of BYU to help you get some
ideas of where to begin. You may also want to take her
Educator's
Tour -- another outstanding resource!