Running head: Integration of media and technology

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Integration of Technology and Media Resources

Jessie Caprio
Regent University

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Integration of Technology and Media Resources

The proliferation of technology in modern society is abundant. Almost everything
requires some degree of technological prowess. This can be seen in something as simple as
using an ATM to bank or something as complicated as composing a spreadsheet on the computer.
As the abundance of technology increases so does the requirement for it in society. College
classes, for instance, have an expected degree of technological ability from its students. The
work force is very similar. The ability to get a job often hinges on ones ability to compose a
document or perform other basic computer skills. This increase in demand for technological skill
outside of school underscores the necessity for it within the educational sphere.
Rational
Both artifacts this week show how technology was integrated into, but not the topic of,
our reading and comprehension lessons. In the first artifact, the students were given a list of
prefixes and suffixes. They were tasked with writing down as many words as they could using
both the prefixes and the suffixes. At times they were required to use just the prefix, just the
suffix, and both the prefix and the suffix. Instead of having them write their answers on paper, I
integrated the use of IPads into the lesson. This not only gave the students the ability to navigate
the IPad and go to the notes, where we did the lesson, it gave them direct experience with using a
touch screen device. Although most knew where to go and what to do, some students needed
direction in getting to the notes section.
The second artifact is centered on computer skills instead of the IPad. In it, the students
received experience using a mouse, scrolling, and typing on a keyboard. The lesson used the
program Kid Biz 3000. Kid Biz is a program where the students increase reading comprehension
in a technological environment. In the program, the students are initially given a reading

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assessment to determine their Lexile reading range. From there on out, when they log into the
program they are given an option of three articles. They pick the article they want to read and
are asked an opinion question at the beginning. After they read the article they are asked if their
opinion stayed the same or changed. They are also asked comprehension questions about the
article. Depending on their competency and number of articles read, the students earn points to
earn rewards ad prizes at the end of the year.
Reflection
Ill never forget my Regent Universitys Technology in Education teachers assertion that
Technology is not always an easy as it may look and sometimes the best plans go crazy
(Snyder). If anyone can understand this its me. It seems as though sometimes the simplest tasks
become more complicated than I ever imagined when using a computer. It is equally as
frustrating when someone can fix the problem I have been working on for hours with a simple
stroke of a key. There is substance behind my lack of aptitude though. I didnt have my first
computer until I was 15 years old. Even then, the computer didnt have internet and was merely
used as a word processor. This remained the case well into my college years. I didnt get my
first e-mail until I was a sophomore in college and 20 years old. This is much different than
modern generations of children.
Children today already understand how to use the Internet to find images and tutorials to
help them understand the world around them (Elliot). They get introduced to computers at a
young age and are surrounded by them in almost everything they do. Instead of only 15% of
homes owning a computer, 1995, now more than 85% of all households in America own a
computer (Comparing). This is not including the multitude of smart phones and gaming systems
available today. Unlike when I was a child, the goal of technology in schools today is more

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about introducing positive constructive uses than introducing the technology itself. By
integrating positive uses of technology in the classroom, it teaches the students how to learn
without a teacher. It gives them access to the resources they need to learn in the manner and
construct they choose. It empowers them to learn and grow as a person.

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References

Comparing todays computers to 1995s. (2012, February 23). Retrieved October 20, 2015.
Elliott, L. (2011). Teach like a techie: 20 tools for reaching the digital generation (p. 13).
Peterborough, N.H.: Crystal Springs Books.
Snyder, S. (2013, January 1). Technology in Education. Lecture, Virginia Beach. Adjunt Professor