Who needs field trips anyway?
Below is a “email” I would send to a colleague to introduce them to a ways of using technology in the classroom to aid instruction. All of the information given came from the school librarian blog A Media Specialist’s Guide
Good
Morning Ms. Chapman,
I
hope you are well! Thank you so much for meeting with me about your upcoming
English III unit on The Crucible by Arthur Miller. As we discussed in our meeting, technology is
such an important part of the learning experience for kids, and can be very
beneficial when it comes to engaging students while also challenging them as 21st
Century Learners. In Smith’s article, “Making the Case for the Leadership Role of
School Librarians in Technology Integration,” she states, “Today’s youth are
fluent in the use of technology in their everyday lives. They thrive in an
environment where technology is second nature” (2010, pg. 618). Essentially, incorporating
technology into our instruction is so important because it’s a tool students
use in their daily lives, and we as educators need to make teaching as relevant
to students as we possibly can (Freedman & Robinson, 2019).
As I was searching for tools for
your upcoming unit on The Crucible, I found a librarian blog called A Media
Specialist’s Guide to the Internet, and it had a great
resource collection about the various virtual museum tours that are available right now (Greller, 2020a). Currently, the Salem Witch Museum in
Salem, Massachusetts is offering virtual tours.
Instead of having your students write traditional notes from a PowerPoint you have created, you could have them discover the information by taking part in the virtual tour. Along with being able to do a virtual tour, the Salem Witch Museum website also has a plethora of articles, videos, student resources, witch hunt activities, guides, maps, and information about the various myths of Salem.
In another great article from A
Media Specialist’s Guide to the Internet, Greller discusses how inforgraphics
can be such a great online resources for teachers and students (Greller,
2020b). You could have your students create an infographic about what they
learned on their virtual tour of the Salem Witch Museum, or you could assign
different parts of the museum to groups that would have to create infographics
to present to the class. By doing this, students are still receiving all of the
information they would have been receiving from their traditional notes, but
now the learning is in their hands. Additionally, this inhibits the “create”
aspect of Bloom’s taxonomy, rather than using the “remember” stage that would
come with only copying notes (Armstrong, n.d.).
If
you are not aware, infographics are a graphic visuals that present needed
information in an appealing and easy-to-follow way (Nediger, 2020). If you click
this link and scroll down to number 4, Greller discusses the importance of
infographics in the classroom and has various examples of how to show students
tutorials for making infographics. Below is an example of an infographic.
As
you can see from the image, the information and clear, concise, and it contains
visual appeals (Greller, 2020b). By giving students a tutorial for infographics
and showing them examples, they will: learn a new skill in technology and interact
new a new form of literacy all while still collecting valuable information.
This challenges students to use more skills required of the 21st
Century student (Freedman & Robinson, 2019).
I believe that these two pieces of
technology inclusion would be perfect for you because they are manageable with
the resources you have, students will engage in higher thinking, and your
lesson will be more engaging. By working within the means that you have and
creating more engaging lessons, you will be setting your students up for more
success as they are challenged on a deeper level (Overbay et al., 2011).
Thank you again for agreeing to
collaborate with me on this unit, and I hope we can continue to work with each
other throughout the course of this unit and school year. Technology
integration is such an important part of the learning experience for 21st
century learners, and our collaboration ultimately ensures that students are
getting the best education possible (Overbay et al., 2011). Please let me know
if you have any questions!
Sincerely,
Alex
Umsted
References:
Armstrong, P. (n.d.) Bloom’s taxonomy. Vanderbilt Center for Teaching [Article]. Retrieved
from https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/
Freedman, J. & Robinson, A. (2019). School librarians level up. Knowledge Quest, Volume
47(5). pp. 10-15..
Media Specialist’s Guide to Technology. [Blog]. Retrieved from
https://mediaspecialistsguide.blogspot.com/2020/09/updated-95-online-museums-to-
visit.html
Greller, J. (2020b). 10 must-haves for your nedia center's virtual website. A Media Specialist’s
Guide to Technology. [Blog]. Retrieved from
https://mediaspecialistsguide.blogspot.com/2020/09/10-must-haves-for-your-media-
centers.html
Nediger, M. (2020). What is an infographic? examples, templates & design tips.Venngage.
Retrieved from https://venngage.com/blog/what-is-an-infographic/
Overbay, A., Mullette, M., and Vasu, E. (2011). A technology plan that works. Educational
Leadership, 68(5), 56–59.
Smith, D. (2010). Making the case for the leadership role of school librarians in technology
integration. Library Hi Tech, Vol. 28 Iss 4. pp. 617 – 631. From:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/07378831011096277
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