Learning Activities + Technology

"Technologies are adopted more readily when cast in the context of existing teaching and learning activities."        

Implementing technology in an existing lesson will prove to be more effective than creating a lesson built around certain technologies. After all, we have standards to teach and a lesson in mind, we have technology to enhance those lessons.

An easy way to look at implementing technology in your lessons is to think of a lesson in its more basic form: what the teacher's role is and what the learner's role is. For example, if the teacher's role is to communicate then the learner's role is to read/listen. So in a lesson where the teacher needs to communicate information on a new topic or standard the technology that could be utilized could be Podcasts. The teacher could record the lesson and then post the podcast to the class LMS and the students could listen.

However, I am an elementary teacher and all of my teaching is primarily done in the classroom. I could create the podcast in class by recording the lesson as it happens. That way, the students could listen to the podcast at home when they are attempting homework and need that reminder about what they learned that day.