Running head: INTEGRATION OF TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA RESOURCES 1

Integration of Technology and Media Resources

Arrykka S. Jackson

Regent University

As required for EFND 595: Field Experience and Student Teaching

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Integration of Technology and Media Resources

Technology has many uses in the classroom today. Students respond better to things that

they can identify with. Technology can be integrated into many subjects. There are many apps

and websites available to teachers to help their students succeed in learning. Technology allows

teachers to vary instruction so that students stay engaged in learning (Radford, 2013).

Rationale for Reflection of Artifacts

I chose a screenshot of the TenMarks program that I have used to enhance my math

lessons. TenMarks allowed me to differentiate assignments based on readiness. In the TenMarks

program, I selected competencies that I wanted to focus on for the whole class or for only one

student. I assigned problems similar to those that students would see on state summative

assessments and the district-provided unit summative assessments. I used it as a center that the

students go to for practice. I also used the center time for remediation on TenMarks. I looked at

the objectives and noticed the places where students struggled. It also helped to spiral back in

objectives that were taught at the beginning of the year. These isolated objectives were difficult

to tie in to the lesson, yet in using TenMarks, I found that students could focus on the areas the

struggled in. TenMarks also had a video they showed students if they continued to struggle.

TenMarks engaged students with the content in math. There were also math games that they

could play too strengthen their math skills.

My second artifact is a screen shot of an app that I used to show the cell. The app, iCell,

helped students to identify the different parts of an animal or plant cell. This piece of technology

allowed students to have an active role in learning science. Although students were not able to

see a cell because it was impractical, they were able to see the cell using the app. The students

could interact and turn the different organelles. The app also had a feature where when the
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students clicked on the parts of the cell, it would read the information about that organelle. This

helped the kids to relate a picture with the function of the organelle. It brought something that

was unattainable to something that they could work with and manipulate. Technology helps to

take the intangible and turn them into manipulatives.

Reflection on Theory and Practice

I have found that in the age of technology, computers, phones, iPads, and other

electronics have ventured into the classroom. I have not been a fan of the use of technology,

especially phones because I feel that they take student attention away from the content and on to

the distraction of electronics. I have learned in my time at Christopher Farms that technology can

be very useful and enhance learning in profound ways. If used properly, technology can take

learning to the next level and allow students to interact with the content and personalize it.

TenMarks displays computer-assisted instruction (CAI). Bergin and Bergin (2012) speak about

computer-assisted instruction; Just a few half-hour CAI sessions per week help most children

learn, particularly in math. Your students who have high computer self-efficacy will learn the

most from CAI, (pp.579). I have seen this in the lives of my students. My time in Virginia

Beach City Public Schools have allowed me to see media and technology used in a positive,

supportive manner.

I plan to now incorporate media and technology in my classroom. I have learned ways

through my student teaching to properly use media and technology. I have learned that you must

have a plan and purpose for using technology. The use of technology should not be used as only

a convenience. I have seen that most classrooms have at least six laptop computers. Although it

is convenient and nice to have the computers there, they must be used with purpose. I had to

check out the iPads to do the activity with my students. This takes planning and preparation. I
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also had to prepare what questions I was going to ask them and how I was going to show that

they followed what was expected of them. I created a worksheet that had blanks in sentences for

the students to fill with information from the iCell app. Once the students completed the activity,

the had a series of questions that they had to answer asking them about the difference between

plant and animal cells. This was an appropriate use of technology. I plan to use it more because,

[t]echnological tools have the power to help students sift through exponentially expanding

information, (Dean, Hubbell, Pitler, & Stone, 2012).

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References

Bergin, C.C. & Bergin, D.A. (2012). Child and adolescent development in your classroom.

Belmont, CA: Wadsworth

Dean, C.B., Hubbell, E.R., Pitler, H., & Stone B. (2012). Classroom instruction that works:

Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. (2nd ed.). Denver, CO:

Mid-continent research for education and learning.

Radford, C.M.P. (2013). Strategies for successful student teaching: A guide to student teaching,

the job search, and you first classroom. (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson

Education.