Creating in the Classroom: 3 Tech-Infused Projects to Engage Your Learners

Purpose & objective

Outcomes:

Participants will be able to guide their students in creating a digital book, digital poster and which one doesn't belong actiity.

Participants will be able to select the appropriate/available technology tool for their grade level/school division/purpose.

Participants will be inspired to have learners create digital products to showcase their knoweledge and skills.

Instructional Plan:
I will share examples and ideas from different grade levels and subjects, provide a menu of tools that work for each creation project and also guide participants in hands-on creation so they have the experience of creating the products just like their students will.

Evidence of Success:
Participants will successfully participate in creating digital products. Participants will feel prepared to implement all 3 projects with students.

Outline

Introduction (10 minutes)
background and teaching roles
how we use these activities
why it’s important to promote student creation (vs. only consumption)

Digital Posters (20 minutes)
examples from different grade levels and subject areas
technology tools that can be used for this project
audience interaction & sharing in chat discussion
hands-on creation: design a digital poster

Book Creation (30 minutes)
examples from different grade levels and subject areas
technology tools that can be used for this project
hands-on creation: participants will collaborate during guided creation time to create their own book following the format of one of my classroom learning activities, which includes a short read-aloud and then hands-on creation of a book based on the model text
audience interaction & discussion-- examples and ideas for using this idea in their own classroom or school

Which One Doesn’t Belong (20 minutes)
examples from different grade levels and subject areas
technology tools that can be used for the project (Microsoft, Google, other)
hands-on creation: participants will have guided creation time to create their own “which one doesn’t belong” activity for their own students
audience interaction: option to share their creations (crowd-sourcing of resources in a shared location to use after the workshop, plus the chance to learn from each other!)

Wrap Up and Questions (10 minutes)

Supporting research

.If teachers believe there are benefits for students, they are more likely to adopt technology. This presentation provides an opportunity for educators to see the benefits of integrating technology. We provide clear ideas for linking the projects to different subject areas/goals and allow teachers to experience the creation process that their students will experience if they try these activities. A 2010 study by Ottenbreit-Leftwich et al. examined eight award-winning teachers’ use of technology. Ottenbreit-Leftwich et al. found that the teachers studied were motivated to use technology because they believed that technology would support student learning and help prepare students for the future. The teachers studied believed that technology could help engage and motivate students, improve student comprehension, promote higher-order thinking and encourage the development of important skills (Ottenbreit-Leftwich et al., 2010). An earlier study by Hughes (2005) resulted in a similar conclusion that “the power to develop innovative technology-supported pedagogy lies in the teacher’s interpretation of the technology’s value for instruction and learning in the classroom (p. 297). Blackwell et al. (2013) also found this to be true for early childhood educators. These findings indicate that teachers are more likely to adopt technology if they believe it will result in improved student learning.

Blackwell, C. K., Lauricella, A. R., Wartella, E., Robb, M., & Schomburg, R. (2013). Adoption and use of technology in early education: The interplay of extrinsic barriers and teacher attitudes. Computers & Education, 69, 310–319. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.COMPEDU.2013.07.024

Hughes, J. (2005). The role of teacher knowledge and learning experiences in forming technology-integrated pedagogy. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 13(2), 277–302.

Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. T., Glazewski, K. D., Newby, T. J., & Ertmer, P. A. (2010). Teacher value beliefs associated with using technology: Addressing professional and student needs. Computers and Education, 55(3), 1321–1335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2010.06.002