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Observations on the Integration of Instructional Technology in the Classroom

Abstract
With the advent of technology the traditional role of teachers has been
transformed. This transformation has shifted the power of a facilitator of learning to all
students. Students are now actively engaged with the integration of technology in the
curriculum. Teachers are expected to provide learners with ample opportunities where
students are actively engaged in the content using pedagogically effective teaching
methodologies and tools (Dona, Stover, and Broughton, 2014). Though the integration of
technology is critical, classroom observation also plays a crucial role in ensuring and
deciphering that students and teachers are effectively integrating and using technology at
its best. This paper will provide a description of the effective integration of technology
observed in an eleventh-grade Spanish classroom at a central east high school in Georgia.
It reveals the use of a valuable tool to measure the integration and use of technology in
the lesson observed that promoted collaboration amongst the students and the teacher and
empowered the students in that Spanish class.
Overview
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Classroom
Observation Tool (ICOT) is a technology checklist that was used as a guide to observe
technology integration in a Spanish class. The checklist allowed for a consistent
observation of what was happening in the classroom as well as to document whether
certain technological standards were being utilized (Lentz, 2011). The ICOT was
selected because it is a comprehensive observation tool that gave the author the
opportunity to describe the classroom setting, students grouping system, and teachers
role, as well as to monitor the teacher and the students activities with technology usage.
The Georgia Department of Education recently adopted the National Educational
Standards for Students (NETS) in order to improve students achievement through the use

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of technology (gadoe.org, 2011). The integration of an exciting learning tool that has
changed the way students react and learn a foreign language in the classroom is of Voki.
A visit to a Spanish one classroom showed the use of this technological tool to drive
instruction, engage students, and consistently maintain students interest. Cicconi (2014)
stated, thankfully the quantity of free, quality web-based programs that foster
collaboration is increasing exponentially (p. 61).
Voki
Voki is a free learning activity that is user friendly and engaging. Cicconi (2014)
explained Voki as a web-based program in which children bring monologues to life (p.
61). She further explained that Voki allows students to design Avatars, add voice
narrations, and create unique characters from digital images that represent a person or
character, by choosing from a wide range of Voki options. According to Cicconi (2014),
the appropriate use of Voki promotes peer collaboration as well as higher-order thinking
skills (e.g. creating, evaluating, and analyzing) (p. 61). Students can also use the
character created to share thoughts and ideas through typed text, computer microphone,
sound file upload, or phone (Cicconi, 2014).

Observation
Classroom Setting and Use of Technology
The class consisted of 22 eleventh-grade students in a Spanish one level class and
their teacher. Each student had a personal netbook computer that was issued by the
school. The lesson began with a whole group activity of students using their netbooks to
play an interactive game of Kahoot. As students entered the room, they immediately
viewed the Kahoot instructions that were projected on the interactive whiteboard from the
teachers desktop, directing them to the website and the game pin. Students played the

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game for 7 minutes, responding to 6 questions that reviewed adjectives in Spanish.
Afterwards, the teacher displayed the students responses and used the next 3 minutes to
review the responses with the students and make necessary corrections. Using the ICOT,
the author easily identified the NETS standards that were addressed in this activity. With
this activity, the teacher and the students were able to collect and analyze data to identify
solutions and/or make informed decisions (ITSE Standards, 2007). The students were
able to understand and use technology systems, select and use applications effectively
and productively, and transfer current knowledge to learning of new technologies (ITSE
Standards, 2007). This activity also exemplifies one of the best practices of technology
integration. The ICOT is a tool that was efficiently and easily used by the teacher to
formatively assess students as she designed and developed digital age learning
experiences and assessments (ITSE Standards, 2007). This assessment is in keeping with
the ITSE standards recommended for teachers to provide students with multiple and
varied formative and summative assessments, aligned with content and technology
standards, and use resulting data to inform learning and teaching (ITSE Standards,
2007).
The teacher maintained the students attention and interest as she engaged them
with a Voki greeting and introduction presentation. Again, the teacher used her desktop
computer and interactive whiteboard as she modeled the assignment for the students. In
this instance, the teacher promoted, supported, and modeled creative and innovative
thinking and inventiveness (ITSE Standards, 2007). The students were then given
instructions and guidelines for individually creating and presenting their own Voki
presentation that was to be sent as an email to the teacher at the end of the class period.
With 35 minutes remaining in the class period, the author observed students actively

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engaged in creating their Voki that reflected creativity and focuses on higher-level
thinking skills of creation and evaluation (Cicconi, 2014, p. 62). The author observed as
the students created original works as a means of personal or group expression, applied
existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes, exhibited a positive
attitude toward using technology that supports collaboration, learning, and productivity,
and exhibited leadership for digital citizenship (ITSE Standards, 2007).
The class observed incorporated equal student and teacher technology use. The
emphasis, however, was on individual student work with technology to demonstrate
learning and transferring of knowledge in a student-centered class. The Voki technology
captures students attention with attractive graphics, encourages collaboration by
providing authentic audiences, and enhances creativity by presenting a large selection of
options (Cicconi, 2014). Though this was a very interactive and engaging lesson that
empowered students to bring their thoughts and words to life through self-created digital
avatars (Cicconi, 2014, p. 62), the students seemed to focus mainly on creating the
avatar, than inputting the actual content of the assignment. Once the students realized
that they were crunched for time, some students quickly tried to complete the rest of the
task given. Perhaps the teacher could have also assisted students with time management
by allotting a certain time to the creation of the avatar, and the rest to putting a voice to
the avatar. Unfortunately, at the end of the class period, the majority of the students were
not able to send their completed Voki to the teacher by email.
Conclusions
Teaching a foreign language requires significant and meaningful interaction
between the instructor and students (Dona, Stover, & Broughton, 2014). Anderson
(2012) established the importance of technology integration in education. She suggested
technology integration is important in order to engage students, to create more equitable

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classrooms, to provide additional strategies for teaching and assessing learners, and to
create on demand and just in time learning. Moreover, each teacher in the state of
Georgia is required to use and integrate technology in the curriculum. Though the
importance of technology use and integration has been established, it is also important to
evaluate technology integration to ensure that such integration offers high quality types
of interactive pedagogies (Dona et al., 2014, p. 156). In the foreign language classroom,
administrators and teachers need a valuable tool that will help them to evaluate
technology integration that is rich and which allows students to focus on the active skills
of listening, speaking, reading, and writing in the target language. The ICOT allows for
administrators and teachers to determine, by observation, if technology is effectively
integrated in the classroom, is aligned with curriculum and instruction, promotes active
interaction with technology tools, and if technology is used to promote a range of
important cognitive skills (Bielefeldt, 2012).
The author found the ICOT a crucial instrument to use to observe the class. The
efficacy and user friendliness of the tool allowed the author to complete the observation
with accurate and detailed information and notes that were also completed in a timely
manner. Once completed, the observation was easily retrieved and provided valuable
information to the author and the teacher, analyzing how much and how well technology
was integrated into the lesson.

References
Anderson, B. A. (2012). Testing the effectiveness of professional development for
integrating technology in an urban Iowa middle school. (Doctoral dissertation).
Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxylocal.library.nova.edu/eric/docview/119765079
8/fulltextPDF/9599F5B5D2194D5DPQ/2?accountid=6579
Bielefeldt, T. (2012). Guidance for technology decisions from classroom observation.
International Society for Technology in Education, 44(3), 205-223.
doi: 10.1080/15391523.2012.10782587
Cicconi, M. (2014). Vygotsky meets technology: A reinvention of collaboration in the
early childhood mathematics classroom. Early Childhood Education Journal,
42(1), 57-65.
Dona, E., Stover, S., & Broughton, N. (2014). Modern languages and distance education:
Thirteen days in the cloud. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 15(3),
155-170.
Lentz, B. W. (2011). Using the ICOT instrument to improve instructional technology
usage in the ABE classroom. Journal of Adult Education, 40(1), 26-27.
ITSE Classroom Observation Tool (ICOT). Retrieved February 10, 2015 from
www.iste.org/docs/excel-files/icot.xlsm?sfvrsn=2

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International Society for Technology in Education Standards. (2007). Retrieved February
17, 2015 from http://www.iste.org/standards