21st Century Strands & Strategies
Chapter: Strands & Strategies: Deep Dive
68
Technology
Integration
Strand
Curriculum
Instruction
Assessment
Communication
Educational researchers
and practitioners agree
that the potential of new
technologies for learning
is found not in the
technologies
themselves, but in the
way these technologies
are used as tools for
learning (Owsten, 1997;
Valdez & McNabb,
1999).
Technology Integration Strand
Technology integration empowers learners to share self-
generated knowledge and make real world connections
that reach beyond school walls. Technology provides
educators opportunities to utilize innovative and
engaging teaching practices, expanded learning
communities, and current information. Appropriate
integration of technology increases student
achievement, supports responsive and inclusive
instruction and provides collaborative learning
experiences that promote college and career readiness
in a global society.
Big Ideas
•
Technology enables student collaboration and tends to result in improved
achievement. Educators and technology provide realistic, complex
environments by furnishing investigative tools and data resources, and linking
classrooms for joint investigations (Means & Olson, 1997).
•
Sophisticated interactive software creates opportunities for students to learn by
doing, receive feedback, continually refine understanding, and build and
represent new knowledge (Barron et al., 1998).
•
Integration of technology with curriculum increases student achievement.
Significant student achievement gains for technology integrated with standards
were demonstrated by an eight-year longitudinal study of SAT-I performance at
New Hampshire's Brewster Academy (Bain & Ross, 2000).
