By Michael Hilkemeijer
Integrating technology in the classroom is an instructional choice and is about imagining the potential of the particular technologies for learning within the contexts in which it will take place. It also involves the here-and-now of the available technologies as opposed to looking to the future for the next big technological development that will somehow solve your problem of integrating ICT in teaching and learning.
Having an integrated curriculum means that you successfully integrate technology into meaningful activities embedded in subject-related contexts. Throughout this process, technology use should always be transparent so that the children become so focused on using technology as a tool to achieve other outcomes that they hardly notice they are using technology itself.
Your goal as an elementary teacher should always be to equip the children with sufficient experience to enable them to use ICT without having to stop and think.
This is how to incorporate technology in the elementary classroom and is how ICT capability and digital literacy is developed.
Throughout my online professional development for elementary teachers you will find in my Academy of 60 + online courses, I discuss in detail and with examples, many ICT tools for teaching and learning.
Today, I am going to share with you what they are together with some strategies and examples of activities so that you can get started on this today.
Most of them will you might know already what they are and what they can do and this is the perfect place to start as if you want to successfully integrate technology in the elementary classroom, the best place to start with something that is familiar.
This is great for several reasons. First, it gives you the confidence and competence to get started. Secondly, it will help you prepare for any issues or problems that the children may encounter and you can plan for these.
This familiarity involves more than just knowing how to use the program for a variety of tasks. It means reflecting on the processes it helps the child to carry out and the ICT techniques with which particular effects can be achieved.
For each of the following familiar programs you will need to consider how the children will be introduced to the program, what ideas need to be clear before they start and where they might find difficulties.
Let’s have a look at what they are.
How to integrate ICT in Teaching Maths?
In this online workshop for teachers, I will highlight key points to remember such as:
- The purpose of the lesson;
- The structure of the lesson;
- Delivery of the lesson;
- Selecting appropriate resources.
These are just some of the aspects which you need to consider when integrating ICT in primary mathematics.
What are some ways for you to get started?
Word processors are commonly used for writing but did you know that they now possess some features that allow students to use them for numeracy learning?
Word processing can be used in mathematics to present findings and import graphics or images. It is a good tool to add commentary, pose questions and make a contribution to class discussion through fact sheets.
Graphics programs can be to explore possible arrangements and you might even include an extension activity that might have conditions or additions. Students can use this type of program to develop their understanding of shape and you can prepare files incorporating a grid, lines of symmetry and children can make use of the grid to help them to draw the reflected or rotated.
Spreadsheets can be introduced through the functions that perform. An idea might be to draw the children’s attention to the formula determining the function and then encourage them to experiment with modifying the formula
In this online workshop for teachers, I will highlight key points to remember such as:
- The purpose of the lesson;
- The structure of the lesson;
- Delivery of the lesson; Selecting appropriate resources.
These are just some of the aspects which you need to consider when integrating ICT in primary mathematics.
What are some ways for you to get started?
Word processors are commonly used for writing but did you know that they now possess some features that allow students to use them for numeracy learning? Word processing can be used in mathematics to present findings and import graphics or images. It is a good tool to add commentary, pose questions and make a contribution to class discussion through fact sheets.
Graphics programs can be to explore possible arrangements and you might even include an extension activity that might have conditions or additions. Students can use this type of program to develop their understanding of shape and you can prepare files incorporating a grid, and lines of symmetry and children can make use of the grid to help them to draw the reflected or rotated.
How to integrate technology in the Science Classroom?
You will learn how technology can enhance and/or transform the learning and teaching of science in the primary classroom by exploring key activities and strategies for using technology and feeling confident to introduce the available technology into your teaching and learning of science.
Through these nine applications of ICT in science you will learn to make sound instructional decisions that will embed the best practices today.
- Providing information;
- Supporting fieldwork;
- Assisting observation;
- Recording and measuring;
- Sharing data with others;
- Facilitating interpretation;
- Simulating experiments;
- Providing models and demonstrations;
- Enhancing publishing and presentation.
We will show you how to consider the use of technology as a tool for students for data capture, analysis and evaluation; how you can use it as a tool for information presentation and demonstration, simulations, and virtual experiments; and as a tool for knowledge enhancement, planning and assessment.
How to Teach Literacy to elementary students with ICT?
What is purpose-driven literacy-technology integration? How can you most effectively integrate ICT into literacy learning at the elementary level?
This is the question that this online workshop for teachers addresses and throughout your professional learning journey, it delivers:
- Quality literacy with ICT integration experiences for your students with over 100 activity ideas;
- Supports you in your efforts to provide quality literacy with ICT integration experiences for your students;
- Continually increases your understanding of effective literacy with ICT integration through your work.
Today, ICT tools for teaching and learning such as word processors, email, digital video, and the Internet have resulted in a profound change in the way in which we learn, work and play. This is the nature of literacy-ICT integration.
It is only through continuing professional development such as our F-Year 5 that you will build your capacity as you focus on the evidence-based strategies for learning about new technologies as they become available and strategies for making decisions about whether and how these technologies might enhance literacy learning for students.
In these online courses for English teachers, you will learn strategies to do with:
- The learning environment for literacy-technology integration;
- Planning for literacy-technology integration;
- Teaching effectively with ICT;
- Using assessment to inform decision-making;
- How to become a change agent?
And we do this as we encourage you apply these strategies in your classroom now. It will help you to ensure that ICT is integrated into classrooms responsibly, wisely and effectively.