April Burton-EDTECH541

Photo by Isaac Smith on Unsplash Part 1: Course Reflection          EDTECH 541 has provided the time and space to dive more deeply into intentional technology integration for more effective and engaging learning.  Because my role is to support teachers, and I am not currently a classroom teacher, I do not currently teach one subject.  I selected Fifth Grade Computer Science as my focus for this class, and I am happy that I did.  This is a curriculum that we just finished writing and is being slowly adopted in our district.  I will serve as one of the primary professional developers for Elementary Computer Science in years to come, and the topics covered in this class have provided me with a stronger foundation for how to integrate a variety of technology into this course, not just to satisfy the the curriculum requirements, but also to support 21st Century skills.  Examining a variety of software and Web 2.0 programs allowed me to ...

  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