Landscapes Menu The "A's" Seeking Help from Technology Adapting to Change Changing the Landscape Return to Eduscapes The A's of Changing Technology Landscapes   Over the past century, our schools have see many new teaching and learning technologies including Internet, CD-ROM, videos, and books. However, we often forget to mention the most evolving resource, people. Although technology has evolved, we won't see a true impact until teachers make use of these resources when designing learning environments.   This section will explore the A's of these changing technology landscapes including: Apply good practice Adapt current skills Activate learning environment Address individual differences Acquire new partners Advance new ideas Apply Good Practice Teachers know a lot about what works and what doesn't work in a classroom. They need to apply their knowledge of good teaching practice to the use of technology. Begin by examining the curriculum. What do you teach? Why? What are the basic competencies? How can technology help you teach something that might be difficult to demonstrate, discuss, or explain?   Rather than starting from scratch searching for online resources, consider some starting points that other teachers find useful. The 42eXplore project posts a different thematic topic each week. The topics are generated by teachers who are seeking web-based information, activities, and teaching ideas. Start by going through this list to identify topics you already teach. Could these resources be helpful in addressing your standards?   Let's use the topic of Polar Regions. Unless you live in Northern Canada, Alaska, Siberia, or one of the other northern or southern polar regions, you may not have the opportunity to experience this type of landscape. Use the technology to help your students understand what life is like in the Arctic region and in Antarctica. The Polar Region 42eXplore page is a place to start. They provide four good places to begin your exploration such as the Smithsonian Arctic Project and the Secrets of the Ice program. For younger readers, try the Zoom project on Antarctica. You might even find a unit already developed that could be adapted such as on Antarctica English project from New Zealand.   Adapt Current Skills Once you feel confident applying technology to what you know, think about adapting your current skills to new projects. For example if you've always done the science fair and student oral presentations, why not add a technology element? Discovery Channel's Science Fair Central page contains many links to help you facilitate science fair projects. Rather than traditional speeches and science demonstrations, consider asking students to create desktop presentations to discussion their findings. This is an excellent use of technology. Check out some classroom PowerPoint presentation examples.   Activate the Learning Environment Activate the learning environment by using technology to bring a dull subject alive. Do you have a hard time getting excited about "dirt"? Use the Internet as a springboard to the topic. Use the Internet to communicate and share information about soil with students in other parts of the world. Iowa State even has a building dedicated to that study of soil . Explore the Dirt Web and the showcase for examples of soils you can discuss. Use the web pages as the springboard to learn more about different kinds of soil.   Address Individual Differences Address individual differences by using technology resources. Think about the multiple intelligences represented in your classroom. Are your teaching strategies addressing the needs of each child? Use technology to present ideas in many ways. Direct students to ask questions and use technology to seek answers. Students can use technology tools to write, discuss, draw, and create. They can even share their ideas with others around the world. Explore the varied landscapes of learning through technology. For example, three art projects contain many ways to involve students in learning. The National Gallery of Art project provides text, visuals, and hands-on activities. For example, students are asked to use art, science, and math skills to better understand the art of Kandinsky. At the Museum of Modern Art, students are asked to write about art and create art. Finally, a student project in Australia focuses on discussing the art and culture of India including hand painting traditions. Combine using the Internet for information with a literally "hands-on, hand painting" activity.   Acquire New Partners Acquire new partners for teaching and learning. There are teachers and students around that world communicating with each other and learning together. Find friends on the technology landscape. An excellent example of this is a project that involves teachers from a half dozen countries all working together on nature and culture projects. Each member of the team has unique experiences and skills to bring to this type of project. The Earth projects include a calendar project, a millennium project, and a new project for 2001. There are many online activities you can join, check out Scholastic's project page. If you need a place to begin looking for partners, check out epals.   Advance New Ideas Advance new ideas by viewing the landscape in new ways. Some projects weren't possible before technology. In May 2000, Clinton signed an agreement making it possible to use GPS (Global Positional Satellites) for very precise measurements. Hikers can now locate specific places by latitude and longitude using a GPS device. GPS projects are an excellent combination of physical fitness, science, and math. Geocaching is a new sport that involves hiking to a specific location and finding caches or treasures. Using the GPS coordinates, hikes find a hidden box, sign a log, and trade treasures. A older version of this sport called letterboxing uses traditional directions.   Landscapes Menu The "A's" Seeking Help from Technology Adapting to Change Changing the Landscape Return to Eduscapes Created by Annette Lamb, 02/01.