Purposeful technology integration supports authentic application of learning
ReflectionBonjour! Parlez-vous français? Don’t speak French? Don’t worry! I didn’t either when I collaborated with our French teacher to present a lesson requiring students to create a multimedia presentation integrating their speaking, listening and writing skills. I developed and implemented this three-day lesson during my internship after reviewing the many uses of Voicethread, an interactive web-based program. Students can create and respond using written language, audio and video, along with uploading images and documents.
I saw this as a way for students to review and practice their vocabulary as they were completing their unit on fashion, clothing and shopping. Students, working in partners, scripted out their “Favorite French Fashions” presentation on a storyboard, collected images, recorded their narrative and then commented on other shows using either spoken or written French. Also, by modeling and co-teaching with the French instructor, I demonstrated how this program can be a possible language reinforcement tool. Although I had used Voicethread many times previously, I had never taught anyone else to use it, let alone a class of 30 French-speaking students. Structure and clearly explicit directions were essential. By breaking the process over several days, we were able to chunk the project into manageable pieces and I could tweak and revise along the way. There were times when the technology did not cooperate as expected, but we improvised and students helped problem-solve, as well. Most students were engaged and applied their language skills in narrating their French fashions and then commenting on other students’ Voicethreads. Some students required more one-on-one support, and some spent too much time looking for images. Voicethread definitely is a valuable program warranting continued use. On their exit survey, students stated that they would like more of their teachers to use this program. Students reported that the activity forced them to apply their language skills in different formats, which allowed them to increase their proficiency. Despite several technology glitches, students persevered. For example, when some of our headphone/microphone combinations failed, students shared or used their own headphones with a hand-held microphone. I may rearrange some of the directions to streamline use and increase script practicing. I also would modify my directions to have students work off of one account instead of each student having his/her own. An additional day would have allowed more students to review other presentations and practice commenting. Time is so valuable for teachers, who constantly feel the crush of curriculum. But by demonstrating the value of authentic application, perhaps more teachers would be inclined to use a tool like Voicethread to engage students. |
1.4 Integration of 21st century skills and learning standardsCandidates advocate for twenty-first century literacy skills to support the learning needs of the school community. demonstrate how to collaborate with other teachers to plan and implement instruction of the AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner and state student curriculum standards.
Candidates employ strategies to integrate multiple literacies with content curriculum. Candidates integrate the use of emerging technologies as a means for effective and creative teaching and to support P-12 students' conceptual understanding, critical thinking and creative processes. ARTIFACTS |