Integrating Technology into the Classroom

       For this particular assignment, we were required to create a lesson plan that involved utilizing multimedia to portray the salt, sugar, and fat content of three different cereals. Although there are different types of lesson plan templates, we were required to use the ASSURE lesson plan model in which there are six steps, each step representing a letter in the acronym “ASSURE.” 

Overall, this lesson plan model serves as a guide for teachers and focuses on the level of technological support applied.

        For my lesson plan, I incorporated mathematical standards and objectives for the most part. If I were to create a similar lesson plan to the same group of students, I would focus the standards and objectives on a different core subject, such as English or even Health Science. Also, instead of nutrition fact labels from cereals, it would also be interesting and relatable to discover the sugar content of different sodas that the students consume. 

        Although the students already had basic experience using Google Spreadsheets prior to the lesson, I still believe my lesson plan serves as a great introduction to students in regards to the usage of Google Spreadsheets. This lesson required students to extract and utilize their prior knowledge while obtaining an introductory hands-on experience creating graphs and charts on Google Spreadsheets. For the next lesson, I plan on furthering the students’ knowledge and experiences using a digital spreadsheet through teaching them various keyboard shortcuts and formulas for easier calculation methods. Additionally, they would be able to create more detailed charts and graphs. According to Riley (2012), “the benefits of spreadsheets are that they help students manage working with complex sets of numbers and save time by allowing for quick calculations. This frees students to ask more “what if” questions and may increase motivation because students can manipulate spreadsheet graphics;” therefore, it is important for students to acquire ample knowledge and skills in using digital spreadsheets.

        Furthermore, based on the evaluation results, I would use that information to make improvements in my future lesson planning. For example, if the students were not paying close attention to the videos shown during my lesson presentation, then perhaps, it would be more ideal to present a video that is more appealing to the students.

Reflecting on the information gathered from my evaluation would help me to see the strengths and weaknesses of the lesson and how to make further improvements on it to ensure all objectives were met and the students have gained a meaningful learning experience. Also, to further enhance the lesson, I would introduce more online resources, such as Powtoons and other search engines for kids.

       Although this lesson may already seem challenging as it requires prior knowledge and skills of computations and digital spreadsheets, and requires students to create graphs and charts on a digital spreadsheet, there are other ways to make this lesson plan even more challenging for the students so that they can further expand their knowledge and skills. One way to make this lesson plan more difficult is to modify the student objectives to meet higher expectations. Also, to ensure that each student has gained the anticipated skills in this lesson, the activity could be done individually, instead of in groups of four. This would also promote more individualized critical thinking skills during the lesson.

       In conclusion, educators are continuously seeking new and innovative methods to refine and improve classroom instruction. In recent years, integrating technology has enhanced classroom instruction and it is the responsibility of teachers to effectively incorporate technology into meaningful instruction. Hence, the ASSURE lesson plan model provides assistance in achieving this goal. The ASSURE lesson plan model has helped me to create a lesson that not only provides meaningful content, but is also integrated with various technological tools and resources to further enhance the students’ learning experience and provides them with skills they can later use in the future. After all, according to Edutopia (2008), “Learning through projects while equipped with technology tools allows students to be intellectually challenged while providing them with a realistic snapshot of what the modern office looks like. Through projects, students acquire and refine their analysis and problem-solving skills as they work individually and in teams to find, process, and synthesize information they've found online,” which are all essential skills needed in our ever-growing technologically-based society.

References

Edutopia. (2008, March 16). Why Integrate Technology into the Curriculum?:

        The Reasons Are Many. Retrieved November 05, 2016, from

        https://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-introduction.

Riley, G. (2012, June 25). Using Spreadsheets in the Classroom. Retrieved

        November 05, 2016, from

        https://evolvingeducator.wordpress.com/2012/06/25/using-spreadsheets-

        in-the-classroom/.