April Burton-EDTECH541

  Photo by Taras Shypka on Unsplash             For the past two years, I have served on our district's ADA Advisory Council and represented our district in a statewide Assistive Educational Materials (AEM) Cohort.  Through these committees, I have learned the importance of considering the needs of all stakeholders when developing and procuring digital educational materials.  From community-facing materials such as enrollment guides and playbills to student resources such as instructional videos, accessibility is a topic that until recently has been a "Tier 3" topic--as a district, we've been re-active in this area rather than designing with all stakeholders in mind. Even though Universal Design is not a new concept, it's finally becoming common language across our district.      The Iris Center at Vanderbilt University (2023) defines assistive technology as "a tool that students can use to address barriers to developmen...

      The use of technology in an elementary Computer Science class sounds like an an obvious fit.  If the learning objectives are to learn how technology tools can collect and visualize data, or to "create a program that uses event handlers and variables" (Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2019), computing devices will be necessary tools in this classroom.  However, apart from the obvious uses of technology to teach computer science standards, similar to any other subject area, technology can be used to elevate learning.  With intentional use of digital tools, students can connect with experts in the field, create for a larger audience, and learn at deeper levels.  As Hughes and Roblyer (2022) point out, outside of the classroom, technology is changing how students learn new things, express themselves and connect with others.  In all classrooms, especially in a CS classroom, it's imperative that we use t echnology in our ...

     At the end of the 2021-2022 school year our district technology committee, which includes library media specialists, instructional technology leaders, and our Director of Technology, sat down to review our district's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), which is part of our Student Code of Conduct .  Several of our buildings were attempting to apply for Missouri School Librarian Exemplary Status, and part of that application required an Acceptable Use policy that had been updated within the last five years. Because our Board Policy was in need of updating in order to meet this requirement, our committee sat down to review our policy and compare it to those of our neighboring districts.  What did we notice? Technology policies vary from title to length, but seem to cover the basic core components. Our committee grappled with our approach--proactive or reactive?     Education World (n.d) suggests that schools include six components in their Acceptable Use ...

  References: Florida Center for Instructional Technology. (n.d.). Multimedia in the Classroom. Multimedia in the classroom. http://fcit.usf.edu/multimedia/overview/overviewa.html  Markant, D., DuBrow, S., Davachi, L., & Gureckis, T. M. (2014). Deconstructing the effect of self-directed study on episodic memory. Memory & Cognition, 42(8), 1211–1224. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13421-014-0435-9 Miller, M. (2020). Tech like a pirate. Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.  Roblyer, M.D., & Hughes, J.E. (2023). Integrating educational technology into teaching (9th ed.).  Pearson. Teaching with accessible video. AEM Center. (2021, August 4). https://aem.cast.org/use/teaching-accessible-video 

     As a Google Certified Trainer, I work with teachers of all grade levels and content areas to learn to harness the power of Google Docs, Slides and Sheets in teaching the necessary digital literacy skills that today's students must have.  Whether teaching first graders how to present research or high school students how compose a five paragraph essay complete with parenthetical documentation, the tools found within the Google Suite for Education makes collaboration seamless and saves both teachers and students valuable time, while also providing a foundation for digital literacy that transcends into college and career readiness (Google for Education, n.d.).     According to the SAMR model, developed by Dr. Rubin Puentedura, the use of word processing tools such as Microsoft Word or Google Docs serve as a substitution for the hand-written essay.  When used solely for composing written assignments, these tools do not offer any "profound transformatio...

Back in 2017, I specifically remember reading the 2017 Horizon Report (Educause) and being somewhat in disbelief of the projection that artificial intelligence would begin to find its way into the teaching and learning environment. At the time, I was surprised to read about how AI was used to teach preservice teachers, and provide a personalized pace for lessons based on the timing of student responses. The “best use scenarios” of educational technology as predicted by the 2017 Horizon report put students at the center of learning, as they worked with technology to collaborate, create, and connect with others. It was also in this report that we saw an emphasis on computational thinking and STEM-focused instruction, specifically in the area of computer science. As suggested by Hughes and Roblyer (2022), current adoptions of computer science curriculum continue to support students’ ability to think critically and problem-solve. While the use of AI in the classroom has evolved since ...