I completed the online LINCS (Literacy Information and Communication
System) Self-Paced Online Course: Integrating Technology in the Adult Education
Classroom, which examines the why, how, and what
questions for integrating technology in the adult education classroom:
o Why is
technology important for instruction and learning?
o How do you
approach integrating technology?
o What tools
can you use to integrate technology?
Certificate of completion: 4 hours
- Technology integration is not the goal of technology integration – competency development of students is.
- Start with a goal and see what tool would be best for the job. What competency am I helping students to develop with this lesson?
- Tech integration doesn’t always have to be a planned event.
- Use the tools that are used in everyday life in the real world – use the same tools to provide academic success and bring education into the realm of the real world.
- Technology, in and of itself, does not produce learning. However, many aspects of how specific technology tools and platforms can be integrated into instruction reflect the key teaching practices that support deeper learning, as described in a booklet also published by the NRC, Education for Life and Work: Guide for Practitioners (2012). Technology can and does amplify and extend instructional strategies and provides opportunities for repeated practice and feedback, which can lead to greater retention and application of new knowledge and skills. The benefits of integrating technology into instructional practices include the following:
o Helps students develop 21st
century employment skills
o Makes learning tasks authentic and
challenging
o Makes challenging content more
accessible
o Makes learning relevant - more young
people are entering adult education classes who are familiar with and use
technology
o Supports the diverse needs of adult
learners
o Helps students bring real life
experiences into the classroom
o Extends time devoted to a project
o Supports collaborative work
o Provides inexpensive, multiplatform
accessibility to all learners
o Helps break down the digital divide
Three Principles of UD in Education:
- Principle 1: Provide Multiple Means of Representation
- Example Technology Tool that Supports Principle 1: Multiple Means of Representation: Readability is a simple tool that makes reading on the web more enjoyable by eliminating the clutter around what you are reading and focusing on the text (new to me)
- Principle 2: Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression
- Example
Technology Tool that Supports Principle 2: Multiple Means of Action and
Expression: VoiceThread (have used and
trained teachers on before)
- Principle 3: Provide Multiple Means of Engagement
o
Use technology as a tool to research, organize, evaluate,
and communicate information
o
Use digital technologies (e.g., computers, PDAs, media
players, GPS), communication/networking tools, and social networks
appropriately to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, and create information to
successfully function in a knowledge economy
o
Apply a fundamental understanding of the ethical/legal
issues surrounding the access and use of information technologies
o
SAMR (Substitution, Augmentation,
Modification, Redefinition) Model, the TPACK
(Technological, Pedagogical, Content, Knowledge) – new to me
o
POST (People, Objectives, Strategy,
Technology) – new to me
o
TPACK
(Technogical Pedagogical Content Knowledge) – very familiar with this model through my work with OTAN
The course focused on the POST method
P = People: Who are your
students and what are their learning goals? What are your students’ existing technology skills, areas of challenge,
and level of access to technology devices?
Rsources related to P:
·
Help students set goals
for their learning so that they will be more motivated, and as a result, more
likely to persist. To read the entire section on setting and monitoring student
goals from TEAL
·
Assess students: Northstar Basic
Computer Skills Assessment. Much like the Technology
Integration Self-Assessment (TISA) for teachers, the Northstar Assessment
enables students to demonstrate where they have strong skills and where they
need additional skills and knowledge.
·
Gather information on
what technology devices your students already have and use frequently.
O = Objectives: Tangible outcomes/observable behavior that result from
student learning for the lesson or unit
Resources for O:
S = Strategy: Activities that lead to the outcomes; examples: presenting
ideas using media; using online resources to search, evaluate, and organize
information; and generating texts and multimedia documents.
Resources for S: Section on Literacy in a
Digital Age on page 6 of Improving Adult Literacy Instruction:
Developing Reading and Writing.
T = Technology
Resources
for T: Video sharing sites (YouTube,
TeacherTube, Vimeo), Visual content (Flickr, Pinterest), Audio content (Podcasts, iPadio, iTunes U), Collaborative Writing Tools (Wordpress, Blogger, Tumblr, Google
Docs/Google Drive), Productivity
Tools (Evernote, Bitly), Online Networking Tools (FB, Twitter), 1:1 and Mobile Learning Tools (QR
Codes, Weebly, PollEverywhere)
Useful Information / Resources:
Emerging Technologies in Adult Literacy and Language Education (see my post summarizing the report)
In a 2013 study on Cell Phone
Activities, the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project
found that – among a sample of 2,252 American adults age 18 and older - 91% owned a cell phone. Among those who
owned a cell phone, 56% owned a
smartphone, with the rise of smartphones contributing to the increase in
overall cell phone usage.
Compare
with NCESL Department’s WIA/EL Civics 2014 student survey data:
Educause, “Using Technology to Increase Quality Time on Task," Berlin
Fang and James D. Dvorak (2013) discuss how the use of technology impacts
student work.
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