TECHNOLOGY UTILIZATION

PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTION

Technology Utilization- this refers to the proficiency in applying technological resources to achieve
instructional goals in a given teaching-learning situation.

As a classroom teacher, your role is to establish learning environments that foster the defined outcomes
for your learners.

1. Assess prior knowledge – To learn from most material and activities, student must possess
prerequisite knowledge and skill (Newby, Stepich, Lehman & Russel 2010)

Rosenshine suggests devoting between five and eight minutes every day, preferably at the start of a
lesson, to review previous learning. As our cognitive load is quite small, if we don’t review previous
learning, then us trying to remember old information will get in the way of us trying to learn new
information.

By dedicating a short period each lesson to reviewing and evaluating previous academic performance,
students will ultimately perform better. This is because students will develop a more in-depth
understanding of syllabus material, make connections between topics, and enhance their critical
thinking skills.

This could be through self-marking homework, correcting mistakes from the previous lesson, getting
students to go over what they found difficult or asking them what they remember about the topic so
far.

2. Consider individual differences –Learners vary in terms of personality, general aptitude,

So, if students are presented with too much information at once, the brain suffers from something
known as overload. This causes the learning process to slow down or even stop since the brain can no
longer process all the information being presented at that one time.

3. State objectives– For you and your students to know where instruction is going and what is to be
accomplished, the goals must be specified. Learning objectives must match expected outcomes or
standards (Mager,1997)

4. Develop meta-cognitive skills – the skills of selective monitoring, evaluating and adjusting their
approaches enhance students’ learning and help to make them lifelong learners. Learners need
assistance in understanding how they learn and what resources help in that process.(Nelson,1992)

Meta-cognition refers to higher order thinking which involves active control over the cognitive
processes engaged in learning. Activities such as planning how to approach a given learning task,
monitoring comprehension, and evaluating progress toward the completion of a task are meta-
cognitive in nature.

Questions like:
"What is the main idea of ...?"
"What are the strengths and weaknesses of ...?"
"How does this tie in with what we have learnt before?"
"Which one is the best ... and why?"
"Do you agree or disagree with this statement: ...?"
"What do you still not understand about ...?"

5. Provide social interaction– teacher and peers serving as tutors or group members can provide a
number of pedagogical as well as social supports. Learners gain experience and expertise when
collaborating with others in and beyond the classroom. (Jonassen,Howland,Marra& Crismond,2008)
6. Incorporate realistic context – learners are most likely to remember and to apply authentic
knowledge presented in real-world context. Rote learning leads to“inert knowledge”;that is, learners
know something but cannot apply it to real life, students benefit from understanding how their
knowledge and skills fit into the world around them (Bransford,Brown& Cocking,2000)

Example: addition and subtraction

7. Engage students in relevant practice – the most effective learning experiences are those requiring
learners to practice skills that build toward the desired outcome. Learner participation increases the
probability of learning. Practice, especially in varying context, improves retention rate and the ability to
apply the new knowledge, skill or attitude. Practice promotes deeper, longer lasting
learning(Morrison& Lowther,2010)

Example: teaching values

8. Offer frequent, timely and constructive feedback – student learning requires accurate information
on misconceptions, misunderstandings and weaknesses. Learners need to know if their thinking is on
track. In addition to knowing that responses are incorrect, students need to know why they have been
unsuccessful and how they can improve their performance. Further knowing details about their correct
responses in terms of how and why they are accurate helps students understand more about what they
have learned(black&William,1998)

Example: commenting on essays, checking lesson plan

PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE TECHNOLOGY UTILIZATION

This is especially true when working with the 21st century learners and addressing the skill outlined
for them, for which teachers not only need to use technology effectively in their teaching but also need
to guide students in using those tools to enhance their learning. The advent of newer technologies
requires critical decisions related to the best tools to integrate into teaching.
The National Education Technology Standards for Students(NETS-S),noted in the following list
especially outline expectations for students use of technology to guide their learning (International
Society for Technology in Education[ISTE],2007). 

 Creativity and innovation

Many of these standards address the essential elements for success in acquiring 21st century
knowledge and skills.

Teacher also have standards for acquiring these skills. These are also provided by the ISTE namely;
 Student learning and creativity 
 Digital-age Learning experiences and assessments 
 Digital-age work and learning 
 Digital citizenship and responsibility 
 Professional growth and leadership

As a teacher,you will be expected to enhance students’ abilities to engage in the use of technology to
support their learning and addresses these six areas of competency,also known as technology literacy
skills. You can combine knowledge and skills related to content areas and information literacy skill by
using technology in ways that help students learn information and communicate knowledge. For
example, in a science lesson on weather, you can present a problem to your students that will require
them to search websites for data or information, use communication tools to collaborate without side
experts, generate solutions to the problem collaboratively,and present their ideas to classmates using
creative resources. By approaching your instruction in that manner, you have addressed many of the
standards by which your students will be measured and will be given guided practice in developing
their knowledge skill.

PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE MEDIA UTILIZATION

We are continually learning from multiple sources of media that provide us with information and
challenge our thinking. As users of these sources, we need media literacy skill to know how to access
them, how to understand and analyze the content, and how to create new media messages
(Stanbury,2009)

Text,television,video and a host of other media sources that will be covered within this textbook are all
valid and vital sources of information.Your role ist o guide your students to use these media as sources
for their learning in ways that are wise,safe and productive. For example, students need to learn to find
multiple sources to verify facts they may have heard on the television news. They need to learn to be
critical users of these resources to ensure that they are well informed and their conclusions are accurate.
As mentioned earlier the ISTE NETS-S address many of skill learners need to be successful consumers
of the media resources surrounding them. Furthermore, you teaching approach should provide student
with opportunities to explore how to use these media resources to communicate their knowledge.

Ask: Similarities & Differences Between Principles of Effective Technology and Media

Similarity
Both technology and media are the main approach for 21st century learners in which it had become a
required method in teaching and learning process. In addition, teachers also must ensure the
engagement of students with technology and media in learning process so that they will able to
managing this new method of learning and as a result they would be able to make use of it in their
future life.

Differences
Technology required the knowledge and capability in handling tools in technology in order to vary the
method of learning. Virtual learning or online learning is one of the example of the usage of technology
as a new platform for education purposes. The implied of technology in education would help in
creating modern approach of learning process.

Media allowed the various use of virtual medium such as video, website, audio and also visual image
that can be access through online. The usage of vary media can create an interesting approach of
teaching besides creating excitement in learning process.
Both technology and media was implement for each other in order to create effective learning approach
so that educator could achieve the required goals for 21st learners.

PRINCIPLES OF EFFECTIVE TEXT UTILIZATION

Text is everywhere in students’ learning experiences. Text materials include textbooks,fiction and non
fiction books, newspapers ,booklets, computer screen, magazines, study guides ,manuals and
worksheets, as well as word-processed documents prepared by students and teachers. The ability to use
text as a means to gather information or to communicate is known as text literacy. The two aspects to
becoming literate in the use of text as part of leaning process are Reading and Writing. Reading isthe
ability to look at text and gather knowledge from the message. Writing is the ability to generate text
through tools such as pencils,pens or computers to communicate.