At first, I was very nervous about integrating technology into my unit. I created a first grade unit on community helpers, and I did not think that there was much technology first graders would be able to do. After working on it, I created projects first graders would definitely be able to accomplish. I started by getting an idea for a lesson. Then I would start to write that lesson, while thinking of how to integrate technology. By the end of the lesson I had a great lesson with technology integrated.
In my unit, seven of my lessons include integrated technology. Each of my technology integrations are created to benefit student learning. The reasoning behind my technology is to enforce concepts that the student learns in the lesson and have them practice with the material. The students will be doing all of the technology projects by themselves except for one which they create together as a class.
My unit is community helpers which is very broad so I was able to do many things with it. My class is first grade so that became a challenge because I wanted to create more complicated technology projects, but I had to make them simpler for first graders. Once I started thinking more like a first grader it became easier to create the technology.
The eBook I created from my unit was about helpers in the community. In this lesson, the students will read my eBook on their own. Since there are first graders who cannot read yet, I recorded all the words in my eBook so if a student cannot read something they can click it to hear it read to them. My eBook is very colorful and has real pictures of places the helpers work. This technology was meant to help students learn about the places community helpers work and also a characteristic that most common with that helper.
In another lesson in my unit, I teach the students about rules in the school and community. Also the students learn how community helpers enforce rules in the community and how they help people if their broken. The students will be reading the comic I created about two kids breaking a fire rule and what happens when they do. After the students read mine, they will create their own comic about someone breaking a rule in the community and what happens. Also they will include how a community worker would help in that situation. The integration of this technology lets the students create their own story. In Bloom’s Taxonomy, the highest level of thinking is creating and that is what I wanted my students to be doing with the technology projects. Having them create something with the information I give them, helps them remember it and relates it more to them because they get to make it.
I had both good and bad experiences with integrating technology into my unit. I am still getting comfortable with some technology programs that I have not mastered yet, which caused me to struggle with my unit. I would get a good idea for a technology project and then try to make it, but was unsuccessful and had to scratch the idea. This only happened a few times before I was able to create seven technology integration projects that I wanted to use.
When I start teaching I am going to request to have as much technology as they will allow me to! I am hoping I will have enough technology available to me to create technology integrated lessons for my students. I want to have a Smartboard in my classroom so I can create interactive lessons where my students take charge. I want all the technology I use to be meaningful and beneficial for student learning. I do not want my students sitting at a computer playing games. Teaching students 21st century skills is a very important part of teaching today. Technology is a huge part of 21st century skills because today people use technology for everything! I want my students to be exposed to as much technology as possible when they are young so it is not so “scary” as they get older. Technology will be very important in my future classroom!
