The Hi-Tech Teacher

At the beginning of this class, I was a little confused about exactly what instructional design was. As I learned more about the concept of instructional design, I began to realize that as an elementary school teacher, I have been using instructional design all along. What is instructional design? Instructional design is " the systematic development of instructional specifications using learning and instructional theory to ensure the quality of instruction" (Brown & Green, 2020, p.7). The learning experience is specifically designed for the learner to acquire new information or how to perform a new skill. The key word that stands out in the definition is "systematic". When developing effective instruction, it must be done in a systematic process to yield quality results. The needs of the participants and the desired outcomes must be consider during the design process. In order to increase the effectiveness of the instruction, designers need to create opportuniti...

Lively Learning It's happened to all of us. You attend a professional development, and about a half hour into it both your brain and your bottom are asleep. Now imagine how an elementary student must be feeling in a similar situation. I think we can all agree that the traditional "sit and get" method of delivery is not very engaging for students of any age!  So, what can we do about it? Well, one idea is to use instructional strategies that encourage engagement with others. "Instructional strategies contribute to effective teaching and learning" (Thompson, 2017, p. 1199). What are instructional strategies? Instructional strategies are effective teaching practices that have a positive impact on learner achievement, and can be used with a variety of subjects (Brown & Green, 2020).  Nine "instructional strategies are proven through research to have a strong effect on student achievement" (Brown & Green, 2020, p. 148). identify similarities and dif...

 The InterACTIVE Class Let's take a trip back in time.     I want you to think back to the most boring class you have ever had. Was it in elementary school, high school, or college? What made it so boring?      For me, it was my 5th grade science class. I LOVED science, but I cannot remember anything we covered in that class. The reason why? My teacher had us independently read a lesson from our book and answer the questions at the end of each section. That was it...everyday!      I think we can all agree what I just described is NOT the most effective way to teach students! My teacher really should have read the book The Interactive Class by Joe and Kristen Merrill. The reason I was drawn to this book was because its description promised to help teachers use technology to make lessons more engaging for elementary students.       As a 3rd grade teacher, I struggle with finding appropriate ways to use technology other...

 Digital Argument in Social Media      I don't know about you, but I often feel weighed down by social media. Sometimes I have to force myself take a break from it. It's my own fault because I have chosen to take part. Honestly, I feel like it is a necessary evil. I know I am being a little harsh about social media, but it is because I believe so many people use it in what I consider a negative way. For example, let's think about a random Facebook post. Maybe it's a picture of your family enjoying a day at the pool. You might get some "likes" or a comment about how much fun your family must be having. Then it happens. Someone makes a comment that you and your family are being selfish and wasteful because there is a drought going on. What a waste of water!       I know this is a silly example, but similar situations happen like this all the time. I believe that as much as social media connects us, there is still that distance between users in the c...

Video as a Form of Digital Writing      The use of video is an increasingly popular mode of digital communication. In the past, a typical person like you or I would merely be "consumers" of video, and probably for entertainment purposes. Now, technology gives us easy access to video production tools, so that ANYONE can become a "producer" of video. Thinking about my own household, we have  digital cameras digital video cameras tablets computers high-speed internet      These can all be used either independently or in conjunction to produce a video. Oh! We also have all of that combined into one in the form of our smartphones!      It has never been easier to create your own videos that can then be shared with whatever audience you choose! Video as a Form of Digital Argument     I had not thought about it this way before, but ALL kinds of video present claims, evidence, and warrants, and are therefor forms of digital argument (...

Infographics What are infographics? Sometimes it is better to show than to tell. Infographics do just that! The term "infographic" was new to me. Just as its name suggests, an infographic is an information graphic. It is a visual representation of data that combines both text and graphics. The multimodality  of infographics combines multiple modes of expression (text, images, and the overall design) in order to tell a story, answer a question, or just to share interesting information (Smith & Robertson, 2021). Because of the combination of features, infographics facilitate both comprehension and retention of the presented information. In the blog post "Why Are Infographics Effective in the Classroom?" , Doyle (2019) explains the power behind utilizing visuals during instruction.  Who can use infographics? Infographics are not just for adults, or even students in the upper grades. With appropriate scaffolding and modeling, even elementary students can interpret a...

     The other day, my husband and I were trying to make a reservation at a campground that we have not previously visited. Because our camper is long, one factor we have to consider when making a reservation is the length of the campsites. As you can see, our camper is big!      Thankfully the campground had a website that included some specific details about each of the sites. We were really excited to see that a photograph of the site was included in the details. However, when we clicked on the photograph, the picture did not give any helpful information, like a full-length shot of the site or if there were trees nearby.     The creator of the campground website was trying to make the argument that campers of certain lengths either would or would not fit in the various campsites. They chose to include both text and a photograph as evidence to support their claim. The text was helpful. However, the argument was not necessarily supported by...