Planning and Designing Learning Environments and Experiences, Standard 2

The second standard for the ISTE National Educational Technology Standards and Performance Indicators for Teachers states that the teacher will “Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.” It basically states that a teacher will create a classroom environment that fosters a natural use of technology that a student would see in a real world setting. The teacher will also develop lessons that call for the use of such technology and applications in relation to the class content. The indication that this would be occurring, firstly, is that the teacher incorporates digital and technological tools into the lesson plans. Secondly, the lessons and environment allow for the student to pursue his/her own interests, set personal goals, and assessing his/her own progress. Thirdly, the teacher customizes the lesson to each student’s personal learning style and needs. Finally, that the teacher uses various technological means of assessing student progress.
Meeting this standard and the indicators in my classroom will be difficult, but not impossible. My students are not particularly technologically savvy, and some of them dislike computers altogether. I foster the use and try to instill in them the import of technology in our lives and that their familiarity with it is imperative. However, I fundamentally disagree with any notion that asks, or demands, that I rework my entire teaching style for the sake of instituting technology simply for technology’s sake. My students are struggling readers, and some programs can read to them and aid in their comprehension. However, said programs will not teach my students to be better readers or to practice, as is necessary for them to build important decoding skills. Computers, technology, they are tools…they do not do the job for us; they aid us in doing our job. Many of my lessons require in class reading, and unless I take my 25-28 students to the lab everyday—which would make me REALLY unpopular with the other teachers—they must read from their books. Another thing to be addressed is student aptitude. Some students cruise through assignments, especially on computer, and reining them in after they have gone to check out their email, or found a way past the blocks to music or games, is extremely difficult.
I use technology on a daily basis in my classroom in the form of reading guide notes on PowerPoint slides. I also have CDs at my disposal that read some, not all, of the texts from the book aloud. I like the CDs, however, they have a tendency to lack inflection, therefore, like a gentle lullaby, lull my students to sleep. Aside from this, I use relatively little technology unless it is a project or in relation to a novel.