Technology integration - five interdependent characterisitcs of meaningful learning environments

What is the Technology Integration Matrix?

The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) illustrates how teachers can use technology to enhance learning for K-12 students. The TIM incorporates five interdependent characteristics of meaningful learning environments: active, constructive, goal directed (i.e., reflective), authentic, and collaborative (Jonassen, Howland, Moore, & Marra, 2003). The TIM associates five levels of technology integration (i.e., entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion, and transformation) with each of the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments. Together, the five levels of technology integration and the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments create a matrix of 25 cells as illustrated below.

What is the history behind the tool?

The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) was developed to help guide the complex task of evaluating technology integration in the classroom. Basic technology skills and integration of technology into the curriculum go hand-in-hand to form teacher technology literacy. Encouraging the seamless use of technology in all curriculum areas and promoting technology literacy are both key NCLB:Title II-D/EETT program purposes. The Inventory for Teacher Technology Skills (ITTS) companion tool is designed to help districts evaluate teachers’ current levels of proficiency with technology and is also used as a professional development planning and needs assessment resource. The TIM is envisioned as an EETT program resource which can help support the full integration of technology in Florida schools.

I have had a good look at this matrix. I think that the levels of technology integration that support the characteristics of meaningful learning, will provide a useful scaffolded structure for the guiding the teaching and support of reflective practice. MOre comment on how I have used this matrix to follow.

Technology Integration Matrix

E-Portfolios in education -practices and reflections

Through interaction with colleagues in my professional learning community, Classroom 2.0, I was sent this publication on “Digital portfolio as a strategy for teachers’
professional development” It reflects the views only of
the authors and I was interested to read the articles posted by Maria Joao Gomes on 'Educational potential of e‑portfolios: from student learning to teacher professional development' and Maria Adelina Laranjeiro, Cristovalina Afonso & João Carlos Sousa on "Digital portfolio as a strategy towards teachers’ professional development"

You may be interested in reading the publication "e-Portfolio in education. Practices and reflections." It is available in PDF here: http://194.117.13.130/pessoal/ulfpcost/c/media/doc/e%C2%ADPortfolioinEducationv2.pdf

e-Portfolios: The story so far

Interesting.

ePortfolios: The story so far

View more Microsoft Word documents from Nick Rate.

Podcasts

I also found someone in the classroom who was wanting to start podcasting. These were the responses. I thought that I would just save these and place them on my " To do" list for looking at in the holidays. I thought that there were some good suggestions.

Permalink Reply by Dana on March 1, 2009 at 8:54pm

Hi! I don't know too much about podcasting yet, but I like podbean. It is a great (and free) service for posting a number of postcasts. And, it automatically hooks you up with ITunes - where students can download your podcast for free! If you have strong membership and great artwork for your podcast - you may even get a chance to be featured on Itunes.

Let me know how it goes!

Permalink Reply by Linda on March 14, 2009 at 8:33am

I have been using GarageBand 4 to make enhanced podcasts. They're enhanced because I've added artwork to the audio. I would like it to open them in my blogger classroom blog account and be able to see the artwork as well as hear the audio. Blogger doesn't offer anything to assist in this area. I'll try your podbean idea.

Thanks,
LInda

Permalink Reply by Jonah Salsich on April 15, 2009 at 7:36am

Linda,
You can post enhanced podcasts on blogger. If you open the "share" menu in garageband and then "send song to itunes" it will lead you through the steps to put your podcast in your iTunes library as an .m4v file (you can play around with the quality settings, but blogger can usually load the highest quality pretty quickly).
Then in blogger, when you add a video, browse in your iTunes library under podcasts and select the one you want. if it is in m4v format it will post as a video. In my experience garageband is far superior to podbean.

Hope this helps!
Jonah

Permalink Reply by Jonah Salsich on April 16, 2009 at 10:20am

Oops! When you share an enhanced podcast to iTunes, it is actually a m4a file, not m4v (that is an iMovie file). But either way, they both upload on blogger (and other platforms) as video files.

Jonah

Permalink Reply by Linda on April 16, 2009 at 10:27am

Jonah,

Thanks so much for your help. I did upload it as the m4a file. What I'm having trouble with is...getting it to play on blogger. When I load it on blogger, it goes to iTunes and that opens up. I don't know how to get it to play on blogger without leaving my blog.

The podcasts you have on your website can be played right there. You never leave your site

I'm missing a step somewhere...but will continue working on it!

Thanks so much!
Linda

Permalink Reply by Jonah Salsich on April 22, 2009 at 8:08pm

Linda,
I didn't notice your latest reply until tonight when I clicked on your profile to inquire about a possible video conference (but that can wait until later).

I just went through the steps that I followed before to post an m4a on Blogger, and I didn't give you the correct info last time. After you select "share - send podcast to itunes" in garageband it will open a window where you can edit the playlist, artist, etc. that you want the file to be filed under. (again the size of images you select will determine the quality but also the speed of the video).

Once you have sent it to itunes, when you "add a video" in your blog post, browse to music/iTunes and locate the playlist it was saved in, rather than uploading it from your podcast folder as I stated before. This should upload it as a video and not a podcast.

I just tested it out and the video didn't connect to iTunes, but just played in blogger.

I hope this solves it! Sorry for the misdirection! (and thanks for the great comments on our website! My students will be commenting in return.)

Jonah

Permalink Reply by Linda on March 14, 2009 at 8:29am

I have been using GarageBand to make podcasts with my students. There are a lot of good video tutorials online that I've used and I find GarageBand to be very easy to use.

Linda

Permalink Reply by indigo196 on March 29, 2009 at 7:47am

If the podcasts will be for public consumption I would recommend making them in 'vendor' neutral formats where possible; MP3 format works for the audio only feeds. For video feeds you might need to consider making both a .mov and a .wmv feed so users can use the tool of their choice when subscribing to the feed and playing the media files. This is a little more work on the part of the district, but avoids any issues.

If the feeds are just for internal consumption then you control the player available to the teachers / staff and do not have to worry about format.

If you need any advice on 'pod catchers' (programs that subscribe to podcasts) for Windows or Linux let me know.

Permalink Reply by Derek Keenan on May 21, 2009 at 7:22pm

Hello Eric,
I have been using podcasting in my classes for several years, with my latest incarnation on my website (see my profile). I have to recommend that if you want to create effective RSS in a mac environment that you look at Podcast Maker by LemonzDream. It takes all the guesswork out of RSS. I was writing my own RSS for a long time, but this program makes it so simple! Also, Feedburner is great for tracking basic stats.

Voicethread

Through Classroom 2.0,my professional community, I have made contact with Kevin. I really like the way that he uses Voicethread for reflection. We will keep in touch and I think that I will use this idea. I have to sharpen up on my skills in using Voicethread. Everyone that has used it assures me that it is easy.

Day in a Sentence/Voicethread

Click here

Practicum 2

I have finally decided on the area of professional development of my own practice for Practicum Two. The focus of my professional development will be:

"E-Tools and e-Portfolios – Supporting, developing and demonstrating reflective, self directed learning, for life.

I want to examine the concepts of reflective practice and self directed learning and how these contribute to, impact on and support development of independent, life long learning.
I also want to develop the students and my own knowledge,skill and use of e-tools and the use of e-portfolios to develop, support, demonstrate and facilitate further development of these learning practices.
I have been researching the concepts of reflective practice, self- directed learning and life long learning and am interested in the correlation and links that exists between these concepts.
I think that the importance of teaching and developing knowledge of appropriate e-tools to support these learning practices is important and I want to focus on developing my own knowledge of audio tools that will support oral reflections and the sharing of "student voice" through the use of Voicethread and podcasts. I want my students to develop e-portfolios, their own learning space, and to be able to use these as a platform to support, demonstrate and further develop these learning practices. I also want to facilitate parent/student "learning and reflecting together" sessions, where parents can work alongside their own child, enriching their own knowledge of technology to support learning while at the same time being part of a learning journey with their child.
I would appreciate any feedback from teachers who are well on their way with using these tools for reflection of learning. I would also appreciate suggestions of other tools that I could use for reflection.