Running Head: TECH INTEGRATION CASE STUDY 1

Tech Integration Case Study

ISTC 674

Kelly Sullivan

Towson University
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Description of Lesson:

Unit 4 - Fraction Operations, Lesson 2 – Finding Common Denominators

Objective: Students will be able to find common denominators for fractions with unlike

denominators

I chose to analyze a lesson that is currently part of the 5th grade math curriculum in

Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS). I often find it beneficial to analyze the instruction we

are currently required to implement in our own classrooms because it offers the opportunity to

look at it with an objective eye and to truly delve into whether or not the instruction is designed

effectively. This is my fourth year teaching 5th grade so I am quite familiar with the content.

However, being a part of a district that provides 1:1 devices for 5th grade students, I continue to

be surprised at the lack of technological integration in county-designed instructional lessons. I

chose this lesson because it is one of many lessons created by the county that I don’t believe

effectively uses the tools provided to us and I hope to come out of this analysis with a better

understanding of how to use technological tools within these lessons.

This is one of the introductory lessons to the lengthy fractions unit in the 5th grade

curriculum. Being able to find common denominators in fractions with unlike denominators is a

necessary skill that students are required to master. Mastery of this standard will help them in

many of the upcoming lessons, including adding and subtracting fractions with unlike

denominators or adding and subtracting mixed numbers. The ability to find common

denominators between fractions will also help them with skills like simplifying fractions.

Analysis of Strengths and Weaknesses:

The lesson allows students to find common denominators using number lines or area

models and are able to represent both methods visually. Students are able to access various
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online tools through Pearson, the math curriculum utilized in intermediate grades. Students are

able to interact with materials through the use of digital number lines, area models, fraction

strips, or digital tools provided through Pearson. In addition, Pearson provides “Visual Learning”

videos in which strategies to meet the intended objective are essentially retaught to students

using a short video recording.

However, this lesson has various shortcomings in the way in which technology is

utilized. It ultimately lacks variety and multiple means for engagement. This lesson is very much

designed around the idea of “paper and pencil” type instruction. In addition, while the Pearson

digital tools are a valuable asset, the lesson never explicitly references the tools. In fact, for a

beginner teacher, these tools may often go unheard of. It often surprises me that while BCPS has

these tools available to teachers and students, they often go unmentioned.

Benefits of Utilized Technology:

BCPS provides two technological tools that assist in ensuring that students achieve the

necessary objective. The first being digital access to Pearson, the math curriculum used by

intermediate grades. Pearson provides online tools that help to supplement their curriculum.

They provide various digital math manipulatives (i.e. fraction strips, number lines, etc.) that

students can interact with. In addition, Pearson provides videos that serve as opportunities for use

in reteaching the material. Students can watch the “Visual Learning” videos for a quick, 1-2

minute, reteach of the subject matter.

The second tool is Dreambox, an adaptive and interactive online tool that provides

lessons based on the students current understanding of various math standards. Using this tool,

teachers can also assign more focused math games that help to target the intended objective.

Dreambox meets students where they are and adapts instruction as necessary. It measures
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students’ success by how well they achieve a particular standard, and will progress them through

grade level standards as students display proficiency.

Analysis using Taylor’s “Tutor, Tool, Tutee:”

Robert P. Taylor discusses the three roles of a computer in school: the tutor, the tool, and

the tutee. The way in which the various tools that BCPS leverages are utilized within this lesson

successfully fall within two of the three categories.

Computer as a Tutor: According to Taylor, “to function as a tutor in some subject, the computer

must be programmed by ‘experts’ in programming and in that subject… the computer presents

some subject material, the students responds, the computer evaluates the response, and from the

results of the evaluation, determines what to present next.” In this case, the computer would act

as the “tutor” during Dreambox instructional time. Math standards and interactive lessons are

already programmed into Dreambox. Dreambox presents a particular lesson assessing a certain

standard and based on the students’ responses, Dreambox will adjust upcoming lessons as

necessary. Instruction is differentiated for each student and lessons are presented until

proficiency is achieved. (Taylor, 2019)

Computer as a Tool: When the computer is used as a tool, it can “improve and enrich classroom

learning,” according to Taylor, and it does not require the “student or teacher to learn much

about computers” (Taylor, 2019) .In this particular lesson, the computer is used as a tool when

Pearson digital math tools are utilized. Use of these tools does not require a student or a teacher

to know much about computers. Use of the digital tools is “immediate” and “practical.” It

provides the same benefit as students using hands on tools but instead leaves the tools readily

available at their fingertips.

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Computer as a Tutee: The way in which this lesson is designed does not utilize the computer as a

tutee. In order for the computer to be used as a tutee the student or the teacher would be required

to do the programming. None of the tools utilized by BCPS, or any of the tools I would utilize to

improve students’ learning, would require students or teachers to program or “teach” the

computer.

Improving Students Learning:

I continue to be surprised that despite the fact that BCPS provides 1:1 devices for 5th

grade students, they are rarely, if ever, are they incorporated into the lesson plans that the county

provides. They rarely ever reference the tools provided through Pearson, nor do they mention

any other tools that could be utilized in instruction. However I believe that there are so many

ways that technology can be utilized to help enhance these lessons and improve students’

learning.

Providing students an opportunity to display their comprehension of the material is

essential. Giving them choice in how they show their comprehension is just one of many ways to

help our students be more successful. One way in which they could do so in this particular lesson

is to create their own method for teaching one of their classmates how to find common

denominators in fractions with unlike denominators. There are various ways in which they could

do so. Students would have the option to create a Wixie, a Flipchart, or a video using their

device. In addition, students would be allowed to create a Kahoot that could be used as

assessment.

Another tool that could be utilized is a Discovery Board on Discovery Education. This

would require more preparation on the teacher’s end. Using the Discovery Board, teachers could

provide links to various tools or activities for students to access that would help to differentiate
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instruction through varying the levels of challenge. Perhaps, if they were showing mastery with

this standard, they could be given activities addressing the next standard of adding fractions with

unlike denominators. For students who were struggling with this standard, they could be

provided links via the Discovery Board that lead them to videos on Khan Academy that could

help them with understanding the standard. This could also all be done using Schoology, the

school management system used by BCPS. Both the Discovery Board and Schoology provide a

“one-stop-shop” where teachers can push out the necessary resources to their students in order to

reach their individual needs.

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References

Taylor, R. P. (2019). The Computer in School: Tutor, Tool, Tutee. CITE Journal, 3(2).