introducing technology into the curriculum ken ries m.a

Technology in Curriculum 1

Running head: INTRODUCING TECHNOLOY INTO THE CURRICULUM

Introducing Technology into the Curriculum

Ken Ries

M.A. Education: Educational Leadership

CI554 Curriculum and Instruction, Professor S. Slater

Concordia University, St. Paul


Introduction

In 1994, less than 5% of the nation’s K-12 classrooms had internet connectivity. By

2002, more than 90% of our classrooms did (Evans, 2008). In other words, new teachers

graduating from college this year did not utilize internet during the majority of their K-12 career.

Today’s second graders take it for granted. Project Tomorrow surveys over 1.2 million

K-12 students, teachers, parents and school leaders each year and compiles a report entitles

Speak Up. Their data shows that the 4 most common uses of technology used by students

includes online gaming, downloading music, communications, and maintaining a personal

website. When it comes to academics, 74% of the students surveyed reported using technology

for writing assignments, for online research (72%), checking assignments and grades (58%),

creating slideshows and videos (57%) and messaging classmates about assignments (44%).

Finally when it came to access to technology, 70% of the 9-12 graders surveyed reported having

a cell phone. More amazing that, 40% of the K-2 grade students surveyed reported having a cell

phone (Evans, 2008)!

Clearly the profusion of technology among the students and the lack of experience among

educators have created a digital divide within the classroom. Even though most teachers

understand how to write a paper using a computer, few have the experience and familiarity with

technology necessary to integrate the technologies common among the students into the

curriculum.

This paper consists of a series of four sections each related to the research based

strategies described in Marzano, Pickering, and Pollock’s seminal text Classroom Instruction that

Works with technologies freely available on the internet in a series of curriculum examples that

can be utilized by teachers within the classroom (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001). While


each paper spans two of Marzano’s strategies, project requirements limit each response to a

single strategy.

Written from the perspective of a technologist, each section will describe how technology

can be implemented to assist/increase student learning and why an instructor may choose to

implement the technology. Once this project is complete, the material will be integrated into a

staff development plan that can be used to help familiarize teachers with new technologies

available to them.

Section 1: Notes and Differences

Note taking is an age-old technique practiced since the days of stone tablets. While many

teachers may be familiar with many of the strategies outlined by Marzano, most limit their

application of technology in note taking to word processing. So, let’s start there.

Word processing is no longer the product of a desktop computer running a specialized

application. Any modern computing device can access a version of a word processor via the

internet, anytime, anywhere. However, the basic strategies and formats outlined by Marzano still

apply. The first format that should be mastered is the informal outline. This technique uses

hierarchal structure to organize notes. Each major topic should be justified to the left of the page.

Each sub point should be indented using the tab key or a fixed number of spaces. This structure

is important as we manipulate the notes later.

It is not necessary to purchase Microsoft Office or another word processing tool. You can

sign up for a Google account and edit your documents online with any device that can connect to

the internet. This includes cellular telephones, personal digital assistants, portable computing

devices such as the iPod touch or a netbook, or, of course, a traditional laptop or desktop


computer. For my example, I utilized Google Docs using a low-cost netbook device. The results

are shown in illustration 1, informal outline.

When teaching students note taking skills, it is important that teachers don’t skip the

techniques Marzano describes as identifying similarities and differences. Teachers should urge

students to include information in their notes that associates new information with information

previously acquired. This will enhance student understanding and the ability to use both

previously taught knowledge as well the new material (Marzano, 15).

Once the student has captured the basic notes during a presentation, the student should be

given time and encouraged to actively explore the material. Marzano describes the act of

recording summary statements as a way of processing the information a third time. Students can

also leverage technology to reprocess the information and generate different representations of

the material. The results of these efforts can be used in a group or cohort environment as a basis

for another of Marzano’s note taking strategies, reciprocal teaching (42).

While addressing the identification of similarities and differences, Marzano discusses the

use of graphic organizers to classify information into groups based on their similarities (20).

Later when describing formats for notes, Marzano describes webbing as a tool that can be used

to emphasize the importance of information based on the size of a circle (46). Freely available

mind mapping tools allow students to create and manipulate visual representations of their data.

Tools such as Text2MindMap provide a simple web interface that will automatically create a

mind map from the student’s notes. See illustration 2, Text to Mind Map.

Full featured tools such as Freemind or the web-based Mindomo provide additional tools

that allow students to manipulate the information by adding video, audio, sounds, links to web

pages, and other material. Students can also change the size, color and other value of each item


to emphasize importance or other properties. These also tools benefit the student by providing a

non-linguistic representation of the data, which, according to Marzano, “stimulates and increases

activity in the brain (73)”. See Illustration 3, Adding Images, Movies, Sounds and Other

Content.

These are just a few of the multitude of applications available to teachers and students to

facilitate the teaching and learning process. I encourage everyone to try some of the techniques

described above to add value to the note taking process.

Section 2: Reinforcing Effort and Practice

Computer gaming offers an excellent opportunity for students to practice and apply the

concepts being presented. Both game play as well as game development can be leveraged as a

method to engage students in homework activities both inside and outside of the classroom.

When it comes to gaming, reinforcing effort and practice are keys to success. Marzano

cited research by Schunk and Cox; Stipek and Weisz; Hattie, Biggs and Purdie; and Kumar to

provide evidence that not all students believe in the importance of effort and that students can

change their belief (50-51). However, based on personal observation of the computer gaming

community, students do believe that effort is important. Ask any high level World or Warcraft

player how much time she has invested into the game. You will be surprised by the answer.

Educators have simply not presented their own material in a manner that drives students to invest

the effort.

The fact that educational material is being presented as a game, by itself, does not result

in the motivation to increase the effort invested. Research shows game playing on its own does

not increase a student’s motivation to learn. (Whitton, 2007). However, while Marzano cited

several findings that support this view by suggesting that rewards decrease intrinsic motivation,


his broad generalizations also explain why gaming can be a successful strategy for increasing

learning (55). The rewards provided within the game environment vary dramatically – the

tracking of goal or task completion, leveling up, collecting objects in-game, and the recognition

of accomplishments within the in-game community can all be part of the action. However,

incorporating gaming does not have to be complicated.

Incorporating simple games into the curriculum can be a very effective strategy.

Following the practices outlined by Marzano, simple games with a clear purpose and outcome

facilitate focused practice when students are practicing complex skills and practices (65-67). The

motivation to play is not provided by the game itself, but rather the recognition provided by the

teacher based on successful completion, speed, accuracy, or other simple metrics that are

collected during game play. This type of game can be incorporated into a learning management

system for delivery outside of the classroom environment.

Control of the Cell, produced by the Nobel Foundation, is an excellent example of a

simple game. In Control of the Cell, successful completion is the goal. The player must complete

an animated series of events that take place as a cell grows and divides. A help button is

provided that offers support. It takes approximately 10 minutes to complete the game and the

player is allowed to repeat the steps taken until they complete the game. See Illustration 4,

Control of the Cell.

Allowing students to create their own games using a simplified game development tool

can be another effective strategy. Designing a game that demonstrates the curriculum concepts

can result in both the analysis and application of the content being taught. The ability to share the

end result both within the confines of the curriculum and to the global community can result in

increased interest in the project.


Scratch, a simple game development environment produced by MIT, and the Homework

Help Root Reductions application, developed by BoltBait using Scratch, is an example of what

can be done. The programming involved the application of the square root property and basic

game development techniques using the Scratch toolset. The result of the effort is a graphic

application that can be used to reduce mathematical roots. Once the author completed his work,

he uploaded the content to MIT’s Scratch site and shared it. Since it was shared 4 months ago,

806 users viewed the application, 36 people indicated that they love it, one person remixed the

application into something new, and 105 people downloaded it into 9 galleries! See Illustration 5,

Scratch, Homework Help Root Reductions.

Finally, drill-and-practice games can be used to enhance standardized test results. In this

case, the motivation is not provided within the game but rather by the player’s drive to achieve a

certain outcome on an assessment test. I have used several drill-and-practice software tools to

enhance the retention of knowledge prior to taking technology industry certification exams with

very positive results. Test preparation games are not often used within courses but rather

recommended for students who are seeking additional tools to help them succeed on

standardized tests.

My SAT Coach by the Princeton Review exemplifies the drill-and-practice test

preparation game. Written as a series of short mini games arranged around the subsections of the

SAT exam, this tool allows the player to practice skills and track their progress through a series

of quizzes. In essence, this is simply a handheld electronic version of the Princeton Review test

preparation. But, for some people, this may be the ticket to improving their SAT score. See

Illustration 6, My SAT Coach


Remember, incorporating gaming by itself will not enhance learning. Successful

incorporating of gaming into the curriculum relies on careful application of the motivational

theories and thoughtful application of the research and theory related to practice summarized by

Marzano.

Section 3: Nonlinguistic Representations and Cooperative Learning

There are many methods that can be used to present information in a nonlinguistic format.

In section 1, I discussed the ability to create mind maps that incorporate audio-visual information

into a graphic organizer format. In section 2, I demonstrated the use of computer gaming to

deliver curriculum content. Modern computer technology can go further yet. Immersive reality

simulations can be used to provide hands-on experience using computer based models.

From a practical perspective, simulation based training offers the capability to deliver the

experience of a task without the risk or expense of providing an actual training lab; surgeons can

practice new techniques without risking patients, manufacturing workers can learn new methods

without tying up expensive equipment or producing scrap, classroom teachers can reinforce

textual based content with hands-on experiments without expensive laboratory equipment.

From a pedagogical perspective, participation in a virtual reality based simulation is a

kinesthetic activity. The learner has direct involvement with the knowledge being presented

through physical activity. Similar to physical models, simulations provide a concrete

representation that creates an image of the knowledge within the mind of the learner. Both

physical modeling and kinesthetic activities have been linked to increased classroom

performance (Marzano 78, 82).


The educator has direct control over the environment and is able to introduce complexities

that make the exercise more engaging. Classroom practice techniques such as charting progress

and speed and the ability to set performance goals can also be incorporated into the simulation.

While virtual reality based training has been available to large corporations and the military

for several years, the cost of producing models and the cost of the high-end computers necessary

to run them has prevented simulation-based from being developed and used within the traditional

academic environment.

In 2008, the Johnson Simulation Center within Pine Technical College produced a

simulation for a small manufacturing company that was interested in training their workers how

to paint parts without producing scrap or tying up their paint booths for training. Wearing

computer monitor goggles and using a specially modified paint gun, this simulation allows the

student to paint parts in real time. The video representation gives them direct feedback on their

efforts, over sprayed areas turn red while under sprayed areas are a lighter shade of the paint

color. The system also tracks performance and displays the information to the student as well as

writing results to a database. See illustration 7, The Painter Painting

Cooperative learning is probably the most obvious of Marzano’s strategies to consider

when discussing the application of technology to improve teaching and learning. Stephanie

Sandifer, author of the Change Agency blog, has created the website web2thatworks.com to

share information related to the application of Marzano’s strategies through the application of

technology. Out of the 47 web 2.0 tools Sandifer identifies to apply Marzano’s strategies, 46 are

identified as appropriate for the application of cooperative learning (Sandifer, 2009).

As mentioned throughout this series, almost every technology that can be applied to

delivering curriculum content can leverage the cooperative nature of the internet to improve


teaching and learning. Faculty who teach on-line classes can leverage discussion boards, wikis,

blogs and a plethora of other tools to facilitate group interaction among classmates. Teachers

offering blended instruction can benefit by using the same tools within a classroom environment.

Several instructional technologies such as Google Docs, WebCT, or Ning allow the

instructor to create and manage groups. By controlling group size and applying a variety of

criteria when grouping students, teachers can leverage Marzano’s research to improve results

(88). For the sake of building communities and facilitating discussions among classmates,

courses themselves can be thought of as base groups. Formal groups can be established for

specific projects and tasks. Discussion forums can provide an environment where informal

groups will naturally develop around teacher and student postings.

Course management systems such as Black Board, Desire2Learn, and Moodle provide a

secure, full-featured environment that teachers can use to deliver curriculum, facilitate

communications, provide access to curriculum materials, maintain academic records, etc. See

illustration 8, Desire2Learn. These systems require a significant resource investment and are not

available to everyone. However, there are other options such as Ning.

Ning is a web-based tool that allows any user to create a personal social networking site.

Teachers can leverage this tool by creating sites for their classes. Students can log in to access

course material, share ideas, participate in discussions, answer polls, upload assignments to a

drop box, etc. Students can access all of the Ning sites they are members of through a single

interface. RSS and email notifications allow both teachers and students to be informed of new

content the moment it is posted. Best yet, it is free. See illustration 8, Ning.

Section 4: Setting Objectives and testing Hypotheses


Setting objectives is critical for success, not just for students but for teachers as well.

Teachers are learners too. It is critical that teachers establish learning goals for themselves as

they work to integrate technology into the curriculum.

Marzano outlined three generalizations related to goal setting. 1. Instructional goals narrow

what a student focuses on. When approaching the adoption of technology into a curriculum, it is

easy to become overwhelmed. The teacher needs to focus on a narrow goal that builds on

previous learning and provides a clear and useful outcome. 2. Instructional goals should not be

too specific. Through the process of constructive learning, as the learner acquires knowledge and

skills, the goal may change. 3. Students should be encouraged to personalize the teacher’s goals.

In the case of the teacher, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. Other teachers have been in

your position. Build on what others have done. This will help the teacher develop narrow goals

built around available resources. You will spend less time trying to create goals and find

resources and more time learning and experimenting.

Joe’s Goals and Logbook provides a simple web interface that can help a teacher keep track

of progress towards their goals. The user can create a goal and simply click to acknowledge

progress on a daily basis. There is also a notes field that can be used to record additional

information related to the goal. The user’s progress report can be posted to a social networking

site to help keep the user on track and help leverage the social community for motivation. See

illustration 10, Joe’s Goals.

Technology provides the perfect platform to generate and test hypotheses. Nearly every

technical discipline has applications available to model physical experiments in a virtual world.

By providing a playspace where students can assemble and run simulations that model physical

experiments, teachers create a learner-centered environment by providing a first-hand experience


with reality and providing a virtual experience with the physical materials related to the

curriculum.

The use of simulation supports Marzano’s research by facilitating the application of a

more inductive thinking strategy (105). In practice, a simulated environment allows the student

the ability to observe an entire system and control individual variables to determine how the

parts affect each other. Instructors can introduce problems and allow students to explore

solutions. In a simulated environment, students are inspired to invent and inquire.

In a typical electronics class, a student will create a circuit by following the instructions

provided by a teacher. If the circuit functions properly, the results support the fact that the

teacher provide good instructions, and, perhaps, demonstrates the theory being discussed. A

simulated environment allows the learner to play. Following instructions to build a circuit to

demonstrate a theory is only a beginning. In the simulated environment, the student can change

components, adjust voltages and frequencies, and change other variables just to see what

happens – and it is okay to break things!

SPICE is a popular general purpose circuit simulation program for constructing many

common types of electronic circuits. SPICE was developed by the College of Engineering at UC

Berkeley and released under an open licensing agreement. Like setting up a physical

environment, teachers can create basic models as a starting point for students to begin creating.

See Illustration 11, SPICE for Windows.

Conclusion

This paper only briefly touches on a few applications of a few technologies. Every

discipline has a wide variety of technology-based tools that can be leveraged to apply the solid

classroom instructional techniques suggested by Robert Marzano and others. I urge every teacher


to explore the options available to them. Be creative and play. Create a self-directed learner

centered environment where you can play with the technologies you are exploring. Search the

internet for ideas. Read blogs and articles. Participate in forums. However, don’t be intimidated.

Take it slowly. Set your own goals. Enjoy your successes. Change direction if you reach a

barrier. Most of all, never apply technology for technologies sake. Let teaching and learning be

your priority. Technology is just there to help.


References

DeVries, J. (2008) My SAT Coach Review: It Passes. IGN Entertainment. Fox Interactive

Media:Brisbane CA. Retrieved 21 September 2009 from:

http://ds.ign.com/articles/920/920696p1.html

Evens, J. (2008). Tomorrow’s Students, Today’s K-12 Digital Learners, Presentation to the

Educause Annual Conference, Orlando, October 30, 2008

Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock (2001). Classroom Instruction that Works. Association for

Supervision and Curriculum Development: Alexandria VA

Sandifer, S (2009) Master List of Web 2.0 Tools. Web 2.0 that Works. Retrieved 28 September

2009 from: http://web2thatworks.com/index.php?title=Web_2.0_Tools

Whitton, N. (2007). Motivation and computer game based learning. In ICT: Providing choices

for learners and learning. Proceedings ascilite Singapore 2007. Retrieved 21 September

2009 from: http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/singapore07/procs/whitton.pdf

Schiro, M.S. (2008). Curriculum Theory. Sage:Los Angeles


Tools Used

Google Docs, www.docs.google.com

Freemind, http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Text2MindMap, http://www.text2mindmap.com/

Mindomo, http://www.mindomo.com/

Ning, http://www.ning.com

Control of the Cell Cycle: http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/2001/cellcycle.html

MIT’s Scratch Game Development Tool and the Homework Help Root Reductions Application:

http://scratch.mit.edu/projects/BoltBait/516292

My SAT Coach, http://www.ubi.com/US/Games/Info.aspx?pId=6913

Joe’s Goals: http://www.joesgoals.com/index.cfm

SPICE Circuit Simulator: http://bwrc.eecs.berkeley.edu/Classes/IcBook/SPICE/


Illustrations

Illustration 1, informal outline

Illustration 2, Text to Mind Map


Illustration 3, Adding Images, Movies, Sounds and Other Content

Illustration 4, Control of the Cell


Illustration 5, Scratch, Homework Help Root Reductions

Illustration 6, My SAT Coach

Illustration 7, The Painter Painting

Illustration 8, Destire2Learn

Technology in Curriculum

The Painter Painting



Illustration 9, Ning

Illustration 10, Joe’s Goals


Illustration 11, SPICE for Windows

introducing technology into the curriculum ken ries m.a

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