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Technology is an integral part of the contemporary world; therefore, it should also be an important aspect of our classrooms. As new technologies become available, teachers should seek to incorporate them into the classroom in order to increase students’ technology literacy, motivation, participation, and ability to learn. Because technology is used in college and careers, students need to become literate in the field so that they are prepared for successful futures. By using technology in the classroom, teachers can expose students to new tech options and teach them how to use them correctly and responsibly. In addition, using technology can motivate students in the learning process. Outside of school, students live in a technology-filled world, and they enjoy using new devices and programs. Therefore, if teachers incorporate these technologies into the classroom, students will be motivated in their learning, seeing it as fun, interesting, and participatory. For example, there are computer programs that allow students to text in responses. These quick text responses not only allow the teacher to quickly assess student understanding but also motivate students because they get to use technology in the learning process. Also, in this example, all students are participants, and those who may not feel comfortable sharing in large groups have the animosity of the textual response. Lastly, technology decreases the learning discrepancies in our classrooms by providing accessibility to students with special needs. For example, for students who have difficulty writing, there are computer programs like WordCue that can assist them in composing written responses. By using these devices in the classroom, students with special needs can achieve the same product as their peers because the technology lessens the gap and allows teachers to meet accommodation needs. Overall, technology is an integral part in the modern classroom because it increases students’ knowledge of both the tech devices and the content knowledge. By using technology while planning, teaching, and assessing, teachers can ensure that their students are prepared for competitive global careers.

At Perry Hall Middle School, I led students in a guided research project that required them to use technologies in the classroom. A completed plan for this technology-based lesson can be found in Appendix I of this wiki. To help introduce the historical context of their upcoming novel, //Milkweed// by Jerry Spinelli, I assigned various Holocaust research topics to my students. For the first three days of instruction, students independently researched their topics online. They used the research databases provided by Baltimore County Public Schools to find information about their topic and complete their guided outline. In order to be able to successfully complete the research portion of this project, students needed to be able to use key words to search for information, evaluate the credibility and usefulness of online sources, find documentation information, and critically read online material. Following the completion of the research, students synthesized their information and made a PowerPoint presentation, which they presented to their peers. Students practiced integrating texts, images, and videos into an effective presentation, critically considering how they needed to present materials to their audience. They modified backgrounds, fonts, formats, and animations in order to create the most effective presentation for their research topic. By using these technology features, students were able to inform their peers about one aspect of the Holocaust and help create an informed historical context for our upcoming novel.