Technology Integration Plan-EDT 501

Shannon Simmons

Context:

The learning context for this assignment is within a secondary educational environment at a high

school in Beaumont, California. The specific class in which this lesson is designed for is an 11 th

grade English class that is blended (mainstream students, EL students, SpEd students). The

learners have dynamic needs and abilities within the classroom. They are all rather proficient

with technology and applications on the Google Chromebook because as a site we have a 1:1

technology plan. This means that all students have a Chromebook, google accounts, online

textbooks, and usernames/access to various school wide technological applications/subscriptions.

All students are able to access WiFi at school and at home (our district provides hot spots for

students who don’t have internet at home in order to ensure Williams Law and equal access are

faithfully implemented). The content that will be covered for this lesson comes from Unit 2-

American Foundations. This unit explores the varying definitions of what it is to be an American

starting with the founding of America through early American History. One of the themes

covered in this unit is that America (since its inception) included a variety of perspectives and

that each of those perspectives deserves an equal voice in our examination of historical

literature. In this Unit, we read a variety of historical documents and narratives including

excerpts from: The Autobiography of The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson,

“Declaration of Sentiments” by E. Cady Stanton, “Letter to Thomas Jefferson” by Benjamin

Banneker, and “Ain’t I a Woman?” by Sojourner Truth. Each of these explores the definition of

what it is to be an American. This particular lesson will ask students to further explore that

definition by reading an expository article of their choice from an available text set that
represents the variety of perspectives in America called, “A Changing America”. The assignment

will require students to then read, annotate, collaborate, create, and present using the article they

have chosen and technological resources available to them.

Relevant Standards:

Content Standards (California Common Core Standards for Grades 11-12)

 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.11-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to

support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from
the text
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.2 Determine two or more central ideas of a text
and analyze their development over the course of the text, including how they
interact and build on one another to provide a complex analysis; provide an
objective summary of the text.
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.3 Analyze a complex set of ideas or sequence of
events and explain how specific individuals, ideas, or events interact and develop
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases
as they are used in a text
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.5 Analyze and evaluate the effectiveness of the
structure an author uses in his or her exposition or argument, including whether
the structure makes points clear, convincing, and engaging.
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.6 Determine an author's point of view or purpose
in a text in which the rhetoric is particularly effective
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.7 Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of
information presented in different media or formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively)
as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.

The designed lesson and activities appropriately align to the content standards and challenge

students to work toward proficiency. For this particular lesson, students will be asked to read

expository articles and annotate them using the CATCH method (CATCH=circle unfamiliar

words and define, acknowledge confusion and ask questions, talk with the text (via comment,

reaction, summation, analysis, paraphrase), circle and explain main ideas, and highlight

supporting details). CATCH annotating integrates close reading and examination of a text

structure with careful attention to main ideas, author’s point of view, and interpreting the text.

Newsela articles are designed to provide reading content at varying lexile levels to ensure all
students are being appropriately challenged. In addition, this lesson asks students to collaborate

their understanding of each article into a group/partner infographic that they will then present to

groups of their classmates. This will allow students to further analyze multiple sources and

varying perspectives indirectly for texts they have not yet read but will hear presented by their

classmates.

ISTE Standards for Teachers

a) Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity: Teachers use their knowledge of
subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to facilitate experiences that
advance student learning, creativity and innovation in both face-to-face and virtual
environments.
i. Engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic
problems using digital tools and resources.
ii. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify
students’ conceptual understanding and thinking, planning and creative
processes.
iii. Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with
students, colleagues, and others in faceto-face and virtual environments.
b) Design and Develop Digital Age Learning Experiences and Assessments. Teachers
design, develop and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessments
incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context
and to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes identified in the ISTE Standards
i. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools
and resources to promote student learning and creativity.
ii. Develop technology-enriched learning environments that enable all
students to pursue their individual curiosities and become active
participants in setting their own educational goals, managing their own
learning and assessing their own progress.
iii. Customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse
learning styles, working strategies and abilities using digital tools and
resources.

Students during this lesson have the opportunity to explore real-world expository texts using an

innovative digital tool. In addition, students are asked to collaborate and expand on their

knowledge in order to reciprocate and model key elements from their text for their peers.

Students are given technology tools to take control of their learning and maximize knowledge
development through individual and personalized reading and annotating. Also, students are able

to customize and personalize their learning experience through Newsela itself and also through

the use of Canva. The ISTE Standards chosen appropriately connect to this lesson and reinforce

the idea that this lesson combines technology and content to allow students voice and choice in

their learning.

Affordance(s) or Relative Advantage(s):

Five years ago, a typical lesson such as this one would have meant that the instructor looks for

and finds multiple articles online that could be printed for student use. The articles would all

represent the same reading levels, content, etc. Students would select the article they want from

far fewer options (due to printing constraints). Students would be able to read and annotate their

print-article. Students could even develop, in pairs, a collaborative poster or hand made

infographic to redistribute information from the reading to their classmates in a visually

organized and stimulating way. Presenting to groups would be easy and practical. Having said

that makes it clear that this lesson does not depend on technology in really any major

capacity...so why should we implement technology and how does technology benefit the lesson,

the learner, and the capacity to learn and transfer meaningful knowledge?

There are several affordances to using technology in a lesson such as this. First, consider what

Spector (2016) tells us, “technology changes what people do and what they can do”. Technology

in this lesson has the ability to afford students differentiated instruction, direct interactive

instruction, voice and choice, and in many ways self paced learning. Students are able to have

differentiated articles provided by Newsela. These articles not only represent varying

perspectives on the topic, but they also determine (through student use) the student lexile levels
and provide articles that are adapted for that student’s level. Students are able to use computer

mediated instruction to digitally annotate and interact with their article in a meaningful and easy

way. Students get to direct and pace their learning; they are able to chose the article that suits

their interest and read and annotate at their pace (within the parameters of the class time given).

Additionally, students get to utilize Canva to decide how to create a multimedia digital

infographic to display key points from their learning as they collaborate with a partner and later

share with their peers.

In this lesson, it is clear that students have to successfully utilize the 4 C’s (communication,

collaboration, creativity, critical thinking) and technology helps them accomplish that task. For

this lesson, students have to think about the problem they must solve (read the article, determine

meaningful components of the article through CATCH annotation process, complete a

collaborative digital artifact to display relevant items from learning experience to share with

peers, etc.). Spector (2016) explains that one of the most powerful affordances of technology in

education is that it prompts students to think about the problem they are trying to understand. In

addition, Spector explains that educational technology, “involves the disciplined application of

knowledge for the purpose of improving learning, instruction, and/or performance.” This lesson

does precisely that; students are being asked to think metacognitively and also determine what

they need to know, extract, and question about the article they have chosen so that they can

present that knowledge to their peers. Students are also improving their learning in the process

because the article they are reading targets their ability level so that they may learn to read better

and expand their reading capacity. This lesson is not dependent on technology but it is elevated

significantly by the affordances technology provides.

The learning theories I would attach to this instructional design include Skinner’s Operant

Conditioning Theory and Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory. I found there to be a connection

between Kolb and the instructional design for this lesson because Kolb’s (1984) theory suggests

that learning is grounded in experience. Through this process of transforming learning internally

into active knowledge, learning is retained and transferred more readily (...as cited in Spector,

2016). Kolb explains how a learner has an experience (reading the Newsela article), then they

reflect on that experience (CATCH annotating process). After, the learner then forms concepts

and ideas about this experience through reflection (creating the Canva infographic and

combining ideas, critically thinking, comparing perspectives with a partner). Lastly, a learner

will try out their understanding in a novel situation (presenting their infographics and article

content to a peer-audience). Kolb explains how these stages occur naturally, according to

Experiential Learning Theory. In spite of that, these stages can be more or less supported by

instructional design, instructors, and technology as I believe they are by this lesson (Spector,

2016).

A less predominant learning theory involved in this particular lesson is a Behavioral Learning

theory developed by Skinner (1954) known as the operant conditioning theory. One of the major

principles of this theory includes the notion that providing timely and informative feedback to

learners in critical (...as cited in Spector, 2016). Through the use of technology, this lesson is

able to provide prompt and meaningful feedback for learners. The Newsela quiz is graded

instantaneously to inform readers of their proficiency and reading comprehension. In addition, I

can score annotations through Newsela’s “grade” option where I can read through, comment on,

etc. student annotations and provide them with feedback and a numeric score. By using Canva,

students are able to present their learning in a multi-media format that makes the information
clear, concise and allows me to score them while they are presenting the content. This lesson

allows for timely and meaningful feedback for learners.

Learning Environment:

The equipment needed for this learning environment includes: Chromebooks, WiFi, Newsela

subscription/user log-in’s, Canva log-in’s, classroom. The budget is not relevant in this scenario.

Everything is covered by the school in terms of cost. The format for this lesson will be face-to-

face; students will always be in the classroom but are utilizing online resources and materials

while having face-to-face conversations and collaborative discussions. These resources support

learning and instruction by providing tools for students to work productively, efficiently, and

within a timely manner during a 2-hour block schedule class.

Integration Strategies:

The time frame for this lesson is a 2 hour block. The text set is available to students through

www.Newsela.com. Students will select a partner to collaborate with. Partners will agree on a

text; then read, take an embedded quiz, and annotate the text individually. Once partners

complete the reading and annotating they will create an infographic (as partners) on

www.canva.com to display key ideas/relevant points from the text they read. Also on the

infographic, students will clearly define the point of view in the article they read and the

evidence that supports that author’s position. Students must also clearly explain how their text

connects to the idea of what it means to be an American (our unit theme). Students will share

their infographics in small groups as a way to present several articles quickly.

Evaluation

There are a few ways in which I can determine how effective this lesson was in terms of

authentic learning and student retention. Newsela offers a “quiz” function. Students must

complete the quiz after every article they read (it is four to five questions with varying DOK

levels) Every four quizzes Newsela evaluates their reading level (based on quiz results) and

makes changes to their reading level (so articles reflect the appropriate reading level) as needed.

I will use the scores on the Newsela quiz to determine reading comprehension. I will also grade

the annotations according to a CATCH annotating rubric that students have. Their rubric score

on those annotations will provide me with an understanding of the quality of their reading and

understanding of author’s purpose, varying perspectives, vocabulary, analytic skills, evidence

provided for statements, etc. In addition, I have a rubric for the infographics and will determine

the quality of the information they provided for their infographics as an indicator of their

understanding of the chosen texts. These three scores (quiz, rubric score for annotations, rubric

score for infographic) will allow me the learner performance data I need to see how to revise the

lesson for future groups of students in order to better impact their learning.

Citations

Spector, J. M. (2016). Foundations of educational technology: integrative approaches and

interdisciplinary perspectives. New York: Routledge.