Choosing technology to meet varied learning purposes. (Technology in the Classroom).

It is a rare classroom these days that doesn't have computers and a teacher who expects children to use them in some way to enhance learning. There is no question that computer software focused on reinforcing basic skills has been popular with teachers; these programs provide enjoyable ways for children to practice skills that need to be repeated in order to be mastered. Software programs that help children progress independently through levels of ability are also useful to teachers, who can use the time to work closely with those children who need more personal assistance. Software activities that focus on problem solving and concept construction skills have been popular, although teachers often use this type of software as an enrichment activity to be engaged in after class assignments are completed, rather than as an integral part of the lesson. As teachers have become more familiar with the Web, they are increasingly asking children to find Internet resources for their work; however, teachers usually need to investigate and select those resources in advance so that the search process for children will be productive and relevant. Even more adventurous teachers are helping children use technology to create multimedia themselves, thus translating what they have learned into communication channels. As teachers become more sophisticated and comfortable computer users themselves, they will expand the computer options they give children.

Fortunately, some excellent resources are available to help teachers use these more complex options. Here are two of them. The Web site www.marcopolo-education.org is designed to help teachers find curriculum standards-related resources available from six discipline-specific organizations: American Association for the Advancement of Science, National Council on Economic Education, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Geographic Society, and the Kennedy Center. While each of these organizations has its own Web site, MarcoPolo allows teachers to select a topic and pull panel-reviewed resources from all of these sites. There are professionally developed lesson plans and classroom activities, as well as integrated resources for child-initiated Internet research. For example, a search under "acid rain" (a concept of interest in my midwest location) reveals resources related to the arts, science, economics, humanities, and geography. I also found lesson plans on water resources, clouds, forestry, endangered species, air and water pollution, killer fogs, permeability of state boundaries, and the impact of humans in environmental disasters. A search under "fractions" shows sources as varied as the relationship of musical rhythm to mathematics; the use of fractions in food preparation, scientific estimation, and measurement; and baseball statistics. Teachers can select age level and curriculum areas, or they can browse based on topics to decide what is appropriate. One of the most useful aspects of the site is that it can aid teachers in planning integrated curriculum.

A second new resource is Making Multimedia in the Classroom (Lach, 2000), a book that gives teachers specific directions for helping children work together, plan conceptual maps for the project, design screens, incorporate interactivity, and evaluate their work. The author writes from her own experience as a teacher in a racially and socioeconomically diverse area of London. The book offers step-by-step directions for multimedia project development; an accompanying CD-ROM includes an overview of the book content, examples from actual media of the interactivity and design concepts, and a range of multimedia designed by children from ages 5 to 14, some of which has won awards for excellence. Titles of the examples include "Alive and Not Alive," "The Tudor Maze," "The Computer Children," "The Water Cycle," "Ancient Egypt," and "The Periodic Table." Another important aspect of the book is that it describes how both teachers and children should evaluate multimedia. For example, there are clear examples showing the children's initial simple concept mappings as well as the much more complex concept maps that evolved in the course of developing the project. If you have been wanting to engage children in multimedia design, you will find this book and CD to be excellent resources.

Other Resources for Teaching With Technology

Flash Action Colors, Shapes, & More. This is the newest title in the School Zone Interactive series of basic skill software (www.school zone.com). This company, which has created workbooks for children for many years, also has developed an extensive line of "electronic workbooks" focused on skills for children at the preschool to 3rd- or 4th-grade levels. While I am not at all a fan of written workbooks, these electronic versions have some characteristics that make them useful for practice to mastery. They provide reinforcing characters that keep motivation high, keep children focused on the appropriate concepts (something workbooks often don't achieve), and adjust the difficulty level as children progress. Thus, if your goal is to have an interesting way for children to practice basic skills, these electronic workbooks may be worth a look.

Scribblebug. A new product from Polyester (www.polyester.com) is designed to improve the writing skills of children, kindergarten to grade 8. It is based on curriculum standards in writing and includes interactive elements that require students to brainstorm / plan, organize and categorize ideas, write drafts, edit drafts, and use rubrics and checklists to revise for the final product. It can be bought in a version that allows children to read and respond to each others' work. It also can work in tandem with another company product, Firefly.

Firefly. This software is designed to focus on "kid-friendly" or teacher-authorized Web sites for children grades 2 to 8. Once children identify a content area, prompts help them categorize text and graphic formats, classify how specific they want the information to be, and organize by dragging and dropping between folders or assignments. Another good feature is that all sources are listed with their references so that the likelihood of plagiarism is reduced. When children are using Scribblebug, they can directly integrate the Firefly search into their writing. Firefly is also available in network or standalone versions. If your school does not have a similar software available, this may be one to consider.

Reference

Lach, V. (2000). Making multimedia in the classroom: A teacher's guide. London: RoutledgeFalmer.