Spreadsheets Using Google Docs

Hello Everyone!

If you go to this link (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qLc7jQJBE4cb9pyQdhjj8ra-eF2KhK73spjzrVbMBbY/edit?usp=sharing), it will take you to a spreadsheet that I made using Google Docs.  I've used Google Docs for many things when it comes to writing but never for a spreadsheet.  It is definitely comparable to Microsoft Excel; both are user-friendly and easy to work with.  One of the definite advantages of using an app like Google Docs for a spreadsheet is that it is easy to share with other people.  If you need to send it to your principal, a specialist, another teacher, a student's former teacher, etc. it is easy to send just by hitting share and sending it to them.  I think Google Docs is also great for spreadsheets because it also comes with many tools.  I was easily able to change the color of the boxes I was using to make my information more reader-friendly.  One quick glance and I can tell which standards need more work and which ones don't.

One of the downfalls to using Google Docs, as with any other online app, is that it may be seen as tricky to someone who has never used it before.  High schools offer courses to help students understand the different programs they may need to use in the job world.  For my generation, that was programs like Microsoft Word and Excel.  Now, I'm sure they are teaching students about the benefits of Google Apps and Zoho creator to do the same thing that we once did using Microsoft products.  The point is that all of these apps and programs take some practice so without that practice this may be tricky to make or understand for a teacher who has never used one before.  Simple enough to learn but teachers have so many things on their mind already that something even this simple is falling to the wayside.

However, for those educators who can create them and understand the information presented, this tool could come in handy in the classroom and school-wide.  This could demonstrate what each individual teacher needs to work on and promote discussion of what has worked better to give students better understanding.  Ideas can be shared between teachers to help boost scores on tests and in all different subjects.  It can also aid teachers in helping individual students who are struggling in all areas.  Looking at the results of the spreadsheet may cause a teacher to rethink how he/she is teaching to a way that is conducive to all learners and may, in fact, include technology.  Overall, spreadsheets are very useful to teachers and may be the key to doing better on assessments.

Presentation for Teacher Training

I created a Haiku Deck presentation about technology integration.  Below is the link to see it and the notes that go with the presentation.

https://www.haikudeck.com/p/3edf23e9c1/technology-improvements

Technology, Pedagogy and Content Knowledge (TPACK)

Using technology in the classroom can be a fine line for many educators because the technology use needs to be meaningful for the students as well as for the educators.  There are many things to consider when using technology and among those are making sure that the educators has technological knowledge and can integrate that with pedagogical knowledge and content knowledge.  This is called the Technology, Pedagogy and Content Knowledge (TPACK) model.  A perfect technology lesson will combine all three of these aspects.  All three aspects should overlap but there are times where only two will overlap.  The perfect concoction should contain all three.

When two of these areas overlap, they could work together but they would be missing a key component.  Technological pedagogical knowledge lacks the content knowledge; that means that the students are not learning the content they are supposed to be learning while at school during this lesson.  That makes the lesson less worthwhile for both the educator and the students.  Pedagogical content knowledge means the students are learning the content they are supposed to in a way that is conducive to learning but they are not getting the technology knowledge they are expected to learn.  Technology can enhance many lessons for the better.  The last one is technological content knowledge; this one would work the most effectively except if you have a student who is not motivated or if the classroom is crazy due to lack of classroom management.  That is why pedagogy is so important to the process.  All three go hand-in-hand to make the most meaningful lesson.

To implement this in the classroom, each technology-based lesson needs to be planned and well thought out beforehand.  To make sure each lesson is meaningful in every way, the lesson should contain content knowledge that lines up directly with the state standards as well as a lesson that can be controlled by the educator.  Sometimes it is hard to make sure that the technology enhances the lesson instead of just using the technology for the sake of using technology.  There are so many ways to make a lesson more meaningful for the students by adding technology but it will not always be the right way for all the students.

In Instructional Planning Activities Types as Vehicles for Curriculum-Based TPACK Development (Harris & Hoffer, 2009), there is a table of sample activities that encompass all three areas.  One of these activities was answering a question and they suggested using a blog, chat or discussion board to do this.  It is technological, it is easily monitored by an educator using a password and monitoring, and can be tailored to many different state standards.  This is an example that contains the entire Technology, Pedagogy and Content Knowledge model.

References

Harris and Hoffer. (2009). Retrieved from http://activitytypes.wmwikis.net/file/view/HarrisHofer-TPACKActivityTypes.pdf

Koehler and Mishra. (2013). Retrieved from http://cemca.org.in/ckfinder/userfiles/files/ICT%20teacher%20education%20Module%201%20Final_May%2020.pdf

The Many Hats of the Technology Integration Specialist

Hello everyone and welcome to my technology blog!

Today I'll be discussing the many roles of the Technology Integration Specialist.  Not every school district has a technology integration specialist (TIS) but every district should!  A TIS is a very important person in the school district: they are responsible for helping all the administrators, teachers and students effectively use technology in the classroom setting.  One of the hardest jobs of the TIS is that some schools do not have enough technology for every classroom for every student, some schools have teachers who are not trained in using technology in the classroom and some teachers are refusing to learn the new technology because the old methods still work (Okojie, Olinzock, Okojie-Boulder, 2015).  All of these issues could be either solved or aided by having professional development about technology integration.  Bringing publicity and attention to the school's lack of resources could be discussed during professional development time.  If the school is able to show what all the classes could do if they had technology, they might find someone to aid in buying the technology.  Professional development time is a perfect time to train teachers in the new technology they could be using in their classroom!  Some teachers may know more than others and the teachers could help each other discover the possibilities technology brings.  Having all the teachers in one place could promote discussion about technology that would show the more reluctant teachers what an amazing tool it could be.  Having professional development time dedicated to technology integration will bring out the amazing tools some teachers are using every day.  A technology integration specialist works with nearly everyone in a school district to make sure the experience with technology is meaningful.

Pedagogy and technology integration go hand in hand in the classroom.  It is the role of the teacher to help the student become technologically savvy and safe in the technological world.  It is also the role of the teacher to use the technology he/she comes across to enhance the students understanding and to give the students the tools they need to access more learning.  "Effective integration of technology is achieved when students are able to select technology tools to help them obtain information in a timely manner, analyze and synthesize the information, and present it professionally. The technology should become an integral part of how the classroom functions -- as accessible as all other classroom tools" according to the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (Edutopia, 2007).  The teacher plays a large role in making sure the students have effective tools to help the students do their best.

That's all for today but don't go too far away!  More to come soon! 

References

Edutopia. (2007). What is successful technology integration? Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-description

Okojie, M.; Olinzock, A.; & Okojie-Boulder, T. (2015). The pedagogy of technology integration. Retrieved from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JOTS/v32/v32n2/okojie.html