Annotated Bibliography #3 - Integrating Technology: More Than Just Having Computers

Citation
Starr, L. (2011, June 12). Integrating technology in the classroom: it takes more than just having computers. Retrieved from http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech146.shtml

Summary
     This article begins by stating the importance of integrating technology as part of your core curriculum instead of just an occasional add-in or project. It recognizes the difficulties this can produce for teachers who lack experience. The article gives nineteen steps and almost fifty websites to help teachers integrate technology easily into daily classroom routines, such as weather forecasts, online math problems, weekly science experiments, and logic games.

Critical Response
     I began reading this article with enthusiasm as it seemed to provide so many resources and neat activity ideas for students. Some of the activities did seem really interesting and fitting for my students. For example, the weather forecast might be a fun thing to include to predict the weather at recess time and graph to check for accuracy.  Other ideas seemed like great resources for myself, like the Steve Spangler science newsletter. Our science curriculum is not very hands-on and I am always looking for related resources that are active and student-centered.  Many other links were for upper elementary, middle, and even high school students which are too advanced for my second grade classroom, but might be worthwhile for another teacher.
     However, a few of the links did not work, like the reading comprehension and fluency link. I also had a difficult time understanding how some of these activities fully integrate technology effectively. The logic games would be a fun game for students to play who finish early or if we have a few extra minutes after a lesson, but I fail to see how it would enhance the actual teaching and learning of a lesson. I fear that, if these were the only ideas a teacher incorporated in their classroom, there would still be a large gap between fully integrating learning and technology in a best practice manner.