Technology Integration

Looking at the technology integration matrix at http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/matrix.php has been interesting. I have never seen this matrix before, but I like how it let's you click on the different levels and see more information.  According to the matrix there are 5 levels of technology integration into the curriculum and 5 characteristics of the learning environment.

On the integration of technology I can see myself in the Infusion and Transformation categories. This year I decided to change the way I teach the students. Instead of doing everything on paper and pencil we are now doing just about everything on the iPads. This I thinks put me in the Infusion category because students are able to choose the tools they want to use in order to achieve the outcome that is expected. However, there are many other things that we are doing which puts me in the Transformation stage. We are doing genius hour this year and the students work on their own projects. The students will video tape how their projects are going and will edit them on the iPads. We are also learning about community leaders. With this the students have come up with interview questions and we invited 6 people to come in to tell us about their jobs. Those six people have been interviewed while being videotaped with the iPad. At the end of it the students will each take those videos and edit them anyway they want and then we will show them on our touch screen tv to the group. This is something that can't be done without the use of technology.

Since I am already doing some things in the Transformation stage I believe that I will just get better at integrating technology more and remain in that last stage. I know that I have a lot to learn still and I am hoping that I can learn that during the different times that we use the iPads to interview, edit the videos, and show them. I know that as we go along we will get better and hopefully quicker. 

Some of the things we are using at the Infusion and Transformation stages are: iPads with google classroom, edpuzzle, and email, Green Screen, VeeScope Live, iMovie, bluetooth microphones, iPad tripod, and many other things.