Integrating Technology into the Curriculum

In this chapter, the contributor offers three tools for creating technology-based instructional materials. Microsoft Word is the word processor of choice for creating text-based materials. Microsoft’s Power Point is recommended for visual-based classroom presentations. And, Netscape Composer provides an environment for creating Web-based materials. Chapter 11 offers a primer for creating technology-based instructional materials. Certainly, there is no attempt to provide a level of detail necessary to produce materials that would compete with commercial packages. Rather, consider the technology tools introduced in Chapter 2, combine them with the academic content offered in Chapters 3 through 9, take into account the implications of special needs students addressed in Chapter 10, and create individualized instructional materials using the skills offered. If additional features are desired, readers are encouraged to locate a copy of Teaching Digitally: A Guide for Integrating Technology into the Classroom, by Lawrence A. Tomei, published by Christopher Gordon Publishers, Inc.

Technology in the Technology Classroom

Technologies in the classroom are now the norm in schools equipped with multimedia, graphics and animation, access to the Internet, and handheld and remote devices. Students use these technologies as once they used pencils, books, and manipulatives to learn content in all subject areas. Learning is surpassing mere skills and facts; students are thinking and solving problems using these new skills. Literally, the world has become their classroom. Technologies help students master content aided by the fastest Internet connections at home as well as school. Technologies are the norm rather than the exception as tools for learning and content to be taught and mastered in school. Technologies are transforming how teachers teach and how their students learn, making it possible for both to attain the demands of ever-increasing standards. To meet these demands, educators have come to consider technology as a content area to be learned and as tools to be mastered.

Technology in the Mathematics Classroom

According to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, technology is essential in teaching and learning mathematics. It influences how mathematics should be taught and enhances what students learn. Calculators and computers present visual images of mathematical ideas for students. They help students organize information, support investigations, and develop decision-making, reflection, reasoning, and problem-solving skills.

Technologies for Students with Disabilities

Computers and other technologies are powerful tools supporting students with disabilities. Students with visual impairments access written text through auditory output devices or print magnification devices, students with learning disabilities who have difficulty organizing thoughts use software as a visual organization tool, students with physical disabilities write papers using adaptive equipment attached to a computer or voice recognition software, students who cannot use their voice speak using an alternative communication device.

Technology in the Foreign Languages Classroom

The world is shrinking every day. Television, the Internet, and jet travel have put people from all over the globe in closer contact than ever before in history. Because of this close contact, customs, beliefs, and cultures are shared on a regular basis. The door has also opened for greater interaction and economic interdependence in the global economy. However, one of the major stumbling blocks in this globalization and cultural sharing is the fact that communication among people still depends on an understanding of each other’s language, an understanding that entails the written, as well as, the spoken, word.

Introduction to Technology Across the Curriculum

Teaching with Technology Across the Curriculum is a book for teachers who wish to use technology as a tool to enhance the teaching–learning process. Its focus is on integrating technology into the P–12 (preschool through Grade 12) curriculum using computers, software, and Web-based instructional materials to analyze, evaluate, and apply the academic content to be delivered. The book purports two primary themes: Creating Technology-Based Curriculum Instruction for the Classroom and Infusing Technology-Based Academic Content into the Curriculum.

Major Applications of Instructional Technology

In the words of Malcolm X, “education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.” One such passport for educators grappling with the preparation of their students is the use of technology applications as tools for learning. Not only will children need these tools to successfully navigate their years of formal schooling, but they will also need these tools to successfully navigate their lives in the 21st century. To effectively use these tools, educators and their students must become comfortable via an ongoing daily integration of the major instructional technology applications in the classroom.

Technology in the Language Arts Classroom

Technology is transforming how the language arts are taught. The language arts curriculum, designed and developed over the years, includes the content areas of reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and visual expression. The transformation currently underway has been fueled by the enormous growth of the World Wide Web and educational software. Learning is no longer constrained by printed materials, as the language arts become more accessible across cyberspace. Electronic books from classical and contemporary authors are readily available. The application of theories and practices throughout the English-speaking world are dispensed for real-time consideration. Students entering online writing communities examine the virtual works of peers in other states and other languages. Numerous sources of information support the development of a more literate population.

Technology in the Science Classroom

Technology, when properly used as an integral part of the curriculum and the instructional approach, can be a very effective tool for improving and enhancing instruction and learning experiences in the content area involving all students in complex, authentic tasks. (Kimmel, Deek, & Frazer, 2001)

Technology in the Fine Arts Classroom

This chapter of Teaching With Technology Across the Curriculum assists the educator in understanding the valuable role of art and technology in the classroom and seeks to convey the potential of this “dynamic duo” to motivate, instruct, and inspire students and teachers. It also explores the long history of technology in the fine arts discipline and introduces past and current uses of instructional technology in the classroom. Several evaluation rubrics are included to determine appropriate fine arts software and Web sites as well as provide criteria for lesson design when incorporating art and technology into a subject area.