Technology Integration
- 1. Diane Hanks IP&T 287
- 2. Lesson Objectives Guided Reading (small group reading instruction) Objective #1: Helping children to read smoothly instead of word-by-word. Objective #2: Encouraging children to use vocal expression when they read.
- 3. Technology: Video Clips In order to help the students have a visual image to relate to the concepts taught in this lesson (smoothness and expression), I showed two video clips to my small reading group.
- 4. Clip 1: Expression The first video clip was a short clip of monkeys communicating with each other to illustrate expression. After watching the clip, I had the children talk about what they heard and how they could read the title of the book we would be reading expressively like monkeys.
- 5. Clip 2: Smoothness The second clip I used was a short video clip of swans gliding smoothly along water. After watching this, I had the children explain and demonstrate to me what the difference is between reading with and without expression.
- 6. What Went Well… The children were very excited to be able to watch video clips for part of the lesson. They were really able to relate what they saw in the video clips to how they should read. The clips gave them something new and different in the lesson, so they were more actively involved and engaged throughout the guided reading lesson.
- 7. What Went Not So Well… Because I was working with only a small group of students, I used my laptop to show the video clips. Although it was big enough for the students to see the videos, I think it would have been even better if I could have shown the videos on a larger screen. I had to keep the sound of the monkeys low since the other students in the class were working on other tasks.
- 8. What I Might Change… Next time, I might make the lesson a whole-class lesson so I wouldn’t have to worry about the noise level of the videos. If I did this lesson for the whole class, I would use a projector to make these videos larger so everyone would be able to see them.
- 10. Student Use of Technology Although the students did not physically use the technology, they were actively involved in the use of technology because they were able to watch the videos, and then discuss and demonstrate how they could relate what they saw in the videos to how they should read.
- 11. Technology Use is Essential Without the use of the internet, I would not have been able to show the students these video clips to help them understand what it looks like and sounds like to read smoothly and with expression. Without the use of my laptop or another computer, I would not have had a way to show the videos to the children. The inclusion of these video clips in this lesson was very important because it gave them a fun image of what they should be aiming for when they read.
- 12. Focus is on the Learning Task The focus, even when using technology, was on developing the children’s fluency and not on the technology I used. I made sure I had everything ready so I didn’t have to spend time in the middle of the lesson getting to the clips on my computer or figuring out how to make then play. This enabled a smooth transition in my lesson so that the focus remained on the content of the videos, not on the laptop or videos themselves.
- 13. Added Value These videos facilitated the children’s learning and helped them to develop a deeper understanding of what it sounds like to read expressively and smoothly. The videos made the lesson much more fun for the children and helped them to have more meaningful learning. The inclusion of these videos allowed the children to make more connections with the lesson focus.