The Magic of Technology Integration…

As a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) school we are in our second year of working to further implement technology in the classroom from the student perspective. Meeting the students where they are allows us to empower them to use their devices when academically appropriate.  Today I visited several classrooms and among those classes I was able to visit two of our elective or non-core areas: vocal music and physical education. What I was able to witness was “the magic of technology integration”.

As I walked past the first choir room door I noticed the students sitting on the choir risers and as I entered the classroom our choir teacher was talking to the students. As I took my seat at a side table, our choir teacher didn’t miss a beat and led the students to the next facet of the choir lesson. Today they were analyzing their performances from last Monday’s Winter Choir Concert. With her AppleTV ready to go, and the Padlet website ready to roll, the students were ready to talk about their personal reflections. Multiple students accessed with Padlet website from their personal devices. It was so cool to see the students simply access their devices and open up the website                             (www.padlet.com ). Using the Padlet projection on the screen or their own devices the students were able to engage in shoulder partner discussions, small group, or whole class conversations! This educator has taken the next step in integrating technology in a student-friendly way that empowers student: learning, voice, and ownership.

Later in the morning I stopped by an  8^th Grade PE class. This time two PE teachers we in the middle of the Communicable / Non-Communicable Disease Project with their Health classes.  With the opportunity to use PowerPoint, Prezi, emaze, PowToon or any other presentation media, the students were given the freedom to create their educational journey presentation for the class.   During the health class each student presented their research. The students led out the presentations, the student audience led out the question and answer sessions and the two classroom teachers facilitated the learning experience. It was  exciting to see the students as lead learners in front of their peers. It was just as rejuvenating to see their peers engaging in the Q&A session with higher level critical learning questions.

The magic of technology integration opens the doors for all learners in all content areas. So when you are in doubt that technology integration is possible, simple reflect on these two examples where teachers pushed and challenged their students to take their learning to the next level. Simply believe in your students and your ability to use technology to enhance, supplement, and compliment the classroom learning environment. It is our responsibility to challenge our students to catapult their learning to the next level. I am looking forward to hearing of the messages and learning stories from your schools - as to how your school it using the "magic of technology integration" in the classroom setting!