Technology Improvement Proposal

What: In comparison to the changes in society, educational environments have evolved relatively modestly since the early twentieth century, yet demographics of society, socially and culturally, have been constantly changing. One major contributing factor facilitating this change in society is continuous advancements in technology. Earlier inventions, such as radio and television, changed how the American family functioned in many aspects. With the onset of the personal commuter in the early eighties, technological advancements have been rampant. The majority of American cars, homes, businesses and even jails have the most current and up to date applications yet the majority of our schools have not kept current with such global advancements.
Why: I have come to one conclusion after evaluating foreign language classrooms with varying levels of acquisition: Special education, Inclusion, Spanish 1B, Spanish 2, and Spanish AP. Little to no technological resources were incorporated into the curriculum.
Integrating technology into the curriculum can facilitate student achievement while developing the skills and knowledge necessary to be active and productive citizens in society. Technology integration is not solely computers in the classroom but a complex process. Integration incorporates the principles of LOTI and includes quality training in regards to gaining proficiency and insight into the effectiveness of the medium. In addition professional development resources, in regards to technology hardware as well as curricular implementation, need to be available for all educators.
As educators, we need to focus on utilizing technology to engage students in activities that are beyond those possible in the traditional non-technology classroom. Schools must update their technological resources and accessibility in order to be able to compete with the captivating external forces that exist on the other side of the school walls.
It is not enough that we merely place technological resources in the classroom. The key to achieving constructive learning practices and positive learning outcomes is meaningful incorporation. Incorporating meaningful technology into the curriculum will engage students, scaffold their learning and provide authentic learning experiences.
How: Teachers can start empowering themselves by:
§ Utilizing the schools technology resources
§ Aligning curriculum to LOTI and ISTE/NETS
§ Evaluating different foreign language software
§ Accessing electronic support systems designed to facilitate teachers in the development of lesson plans, units, and curriculum such as the Digital Classroom
§ Learn how to create technology-based learning projects
Teachers can start empowering their students by:
§ Implementing technology based activities
§ Utilizing PowerPoint in the creation of instructional materials
§ Engaging students in inquiry based web quests
§ Allowing students to work collaboratively to create multimedia presentations
§ Creating an e-mail relationship with another student in the target language via the internet and Computer Pals across the World
§ Implementing electronic portfolios for learning and assessment
§ Creating Digital Stories in the target language

Technology can greatly enrich the communicatively-based approach prevalent in current foreign language practice. The emphasis of foreign language study is on communicative competence or the ability to utilize language in a meaningful and functional manner. In the foreign language classroom meaningful integration will enhance cross cultural understanding by integrating authentic cultural items accessed from the web or via other mediums. Computer supported collaborative learning (CSCL) is a beneficial way to incorporate technology for the improvement of teaching but more importantly it increases student motivation, productivity and progress.