Observation of Integration of Instructional Technology (ICOT) in the Classroom

Technology is a staple in todays society. Its influence has migrated from research,
games, and social media into the classroom as a tool for instruction. Students now have access to
an abundance and valuable information that allows for a deeper understanding of content when
used correctly and consistently. How can teachers be sure that they are using technology
correctly and consistently enough to influence change? The International Society for Technology
in Education (ISTE) has created the ICOT to help administrators and teacher address this
question. The author will explain the observation tool and its use, discuss the observation and
suggestions for improvements, as well as using the observation tool for classroom analysis.
International Society for Technology in Education Observation Tool
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has used the ISTE
Classroom Observation Tool (ICOT) since 1999 to determine instructional use of technology in
classrooms related to federal, state, and private grants (Bielefeldt, 2012). The ICOT uses the
National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) to evaluate the use of technology by the
teacher. More specifically, the ICOT directly used the standards for students when conducting
classroom observations.
The ICOT highlights seven attributes of the learning environment. The first attribute is
the identification of the setting, including the school, teacher, subject, and grade level. The
second attribute is student groupings. The observer notates whether the students were grouped
working as individuals, in small groups/pairs, or whole class. The third attribute addressed is the
teacher roles. The observer notates if the teacher was giving a lecture, modeling, giving
interactive direction, moderating, or facilitating. The fourth attribute addressed is the learning
activities, which are given as a list. The fifth attribute is the identification of technologies used

by teachers and by students, which is also notated from a list. The sixth attribute is technology
usage in the form of time, which is recorded in 3-minute intervals. The last attribute is the
percent of students engaged, which is determined using the number of students in the class and
the number of students disengaged in the lesson (Bielefeldt, 2012).
The author conducted the observation at her current employment site, which is a
federally-funded Title-I school in an urban area of Middle Georgia. A portion of the reason for
choosing the site was due to convenience. However, the main reason was because the school
used is the model school in the county for the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Initiative, where
students are allowed to use their personal devices for instructional purposes. The author chose
Mrs. M. because she has fully embraced the use of technology and the BYOD initiative within
her classroom. Many in her department use her as the technology instructional specialist. Her
willingness to change the view of a traditional classroom was a deciding factor for the author.
Observations and Suggestions for Improvement
The author observed an environmental science teacher. The class was a mixture of class
levels, ranging from tenth- to twelfth-grade students. Mrs. M. is known in the school as a teacher
that embraces technology in ways that engage the students. While observing her class, the author
witnessed the use of two technologies. The first observed technology was gosoapbox.com.
Gosoapbox.com is a backchannel website that allows students and teachers to interact with each
other in real-time, with both receiving immediate feedback. The particular feature used was the
confusion barometer. The confusion barometer allows students to indicate when they become
confused with the content, during the instructional period, by simply clicking a button (Go
Education, 2014). Mrs. M. used the tool during a lesson on the nutrient cycles within an
ecosystem. She taught the lesson using PowerPoint. As the lesson continued, the data chart on

her screen would change as students indicated their level of understanding. Student questions and
student responses were also displayed on the teachers screen. While the theory and execution
was both acceptable and beneficial, the author found one area for a suggested improvement. The
school allows students to bring their own devices and use them instructionally. However, some
students did not have access to personal devices. The author suggests the utilization of the
mobile lab that is available within the school. Students in Mrs. Ms class were sharing devices.
Gosoapbox.coms confusion barometer only allows one button to be active at a time; either the
student indicates that he/she understands or that he/she is confused. Only a single student can
input an answer therefore, sharing devices will not present an accurate representation of the
classs understanding level.
The second method of technology used within the class was a PowerPoint presentation
projected on the SmartBoard. Mrs. M. presented the different cycles using graphics and bulleted
points within the presentation. As Mrs. M. presented the lesson, the students filled-in the blanks
on a guided-notes sheet. The author suggests that using the SmartBoard software to create
interactive presentations would improve the use of the available technology and may help with
students understanding. An alternative is to utilize different presentation formats, such as a
Prezi. Zhu and Kaplan (2011) suggested the use of Prezis for content with connections between
content, such as cycles.
Using ICOT for Analysis
The formatting of the ICOT as an instrument and the attributes it addresses gives a
comprehensive view of how technology is used within the classroom setting. The thoroughness
of the instrument can be useful to the classroom teacher. The instrument can help the teacher to
identify how well he/she is integrating technology into their curriculum. The instrument

addresses the amount of time spent using technology; yet it also lists the standards for students
using technology in the classroom. Identification of the standards addressed can help the teacher
determine if he/she are getting full use of the technology and how it impacts students. Zhu and
Kaplan (2011) suggest that teachers choose the technology source based on course objectives
and the needs of the class. Mrs. M. expressed that the class that was observed had a tendency to
not speak up when they were struggling with the content. The issue was communication. Mrs.
Ms use of the confusion barometer gave the students an anonymous method of communication
and collaboration. The technology met ISTE Standard for Students 2: Communication and
Collaboration. Specifically, the element that states students will interact, collaborate, and
publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media
(ISTE, 2007) was addressed. Yet, using the instrument and standards list will help the teacher to
choose types of technology that helps meet more standards.
Similarly, ISTE provides access to standards created for teacher use of technology within
the class. Access to and use of the standards will help teachers to better use technology for
instructional purposes. Mrs. Ms uses have of gosoapbox.com meets the first ISTE standard for
teachers that address teacher use of technology to facilitate and inspire student learning and
creativity by promoting student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students
understanding (ISTE, 2007a). The use of a PowerPoint presentation addresses the second ISTE
standard for teachers ability to design and develop digital age learning experiences and
assessments that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning (ISTE,
2007a). It is the authors opinion that the use of other presentation types will increase the level of
compliance for the standard mentioned above.
Conclusion

Technology can be influential to the education system when used correctly in an

instructional setting. One way to ensure that technology is used in an adequate manner and used
enough is to observe teachers using technology within the class using the ICOT. The observation
tool allows the observer to note how often technology is used within a class period, along with
how the technology is used and by whom it is used. Having the information can help teachers to
plan according for full and effective integration of technology into the classroom. The author
observed a science teacher using the ICOT. The data showed that the system used allowed
students to collaborate and share ideas with others. It also provided the teacher with immediate
feedback to direct instruction. The teacher used a PowerPoint presentation to deliver the content.
However, the author has suggested adding an interactive aspect to the presentation. Using the
National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers and Students, along with the ICOT can
help drive discussions on how technology can help student engagement and achievement.

References
Bielefeldt, T. (2012). Guidance for technology decisions from classroom observation. Journal of
Research on Technology in Education, 44(3), 205223.
International Society for Technology in Education. (2007). ISTE Standards for
students. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_StandardsS_PDF.pdf.
International Society for Technology in Education. (2007a). ISTE Standards for
teachers. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_StandardsT_PDF.pdf
Kaplan, M. & Zhu, E. (2011). Technology and Teaching. In M. Svinicki and W. McKeachie
(Eds.), Teaching Tips (pp. 232264). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.