Integrating Technology in Classroom Instruction

Presented by UNC’s School of Education and World View – An International Program for Educators

Delivered via Video Conference to your School District from the Carolina Center for Educational Excellence at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Recognizing the need to support teachers as they prepare students with 21st century learning skills, this series of four 3-hour workshops focuses on the integration of technology and global education into any discipline or grade-level. Teaching the “Net-Generation” is a particular challenge in our schools these days, given the fact that most of the teachers grew up in a totally different “electronic environment”. Participants will learn to integrate technology into their classrooms in a way that focuses on the skills that have been important for decades. In addition to attending the workshops, they will read and respond to articles on the seminar topics, track their use of technology in the classroom, and create an action plan. The workshops are designed in a linear fashion to take the participant from using simple online tools to more advanced web 2.0 communication practices. Typically they are offered in spring or fall on four afternoons once a month.

Workshop One – What Is Web 2.0?

This session introduces the concept of the 21st Century classroom and an overview of digital trends engaging today’s generation. Participants will explore bookmarking, annotating, and concept mapping tools.

Technology Tools: Diigo, Bubbl.us

Topics include:

• Understanding 21st century trends
• Using online tools for annotating, bookmarking, and collaborating

Workshop Two – Exploring the Virtual Classroom

This session follows Workshop One through an examination of tech strategies for creating a 21st Century classroom. Participants will explore tools for building a virtual classroom and ways to enhance classroom instruction through online collaboration.

Technology Tools: PBWiki, Wordle, Newseum

Topics include:

• Creating a classroom Wiki
• Using widgets and imaging
• Understanding how we are connected

Workshop Three – Crafting an Asynchronous Experience

In this session participants will identify opportunities and resources for integrating an asynchronous connections and craft their own using VoiceThread. Participants also will learn how to engage their students in collaborative and competitive dialog.

Technology Tools: VoiceThread

Topics include:

• Creating overseas online connections
• Resource gathering and organization
• Collaborative versus Competitive Dialog

Workshop Four – Going “live” with the Net-Generation

In this session participants will engage in a simulated classroom global experience using Skype. During the experience, think-aloud activities will foster an understanding of how the technology works and what elements of the experience are critical towards desired outcomes. Participants also will learn best practices in cross-cultural communication.

Technology Tools: Skype, Dim Dim

Topics include:

• Using synchronous communication tools
• Best practices in intercultural communication
• Post-experience debrief

The Instructors: Carina Brossy and William M. Ferriter

Carina Brossy is World View’s Assistant Director for Curriculum. She holds degrees in International Affairs and Spanish from Florida State University, has studied and traveled in Latin America, Europe, Africa, as well as Asia and speaks Spanish, French, and some Mandarin. Her primary role is to research and develop curriculum materials for teaching a global perspective in all areas of the Standard Course of Study and at all K-12 grade levels. She also serves as coordinator for World View’s annual study visits to Central America and is the lead instructor for World View’s K-12 online globalization course. As a former middle school foreign language teacher, she has led several language and cultural student exchanges abroad. Connecting the “global dots” among students and faculty is her passion.

A National Board Certified Teacher, William M. Ferriter has been honored as a North Carolina Regional Teacher of the Year. He has worked as a contractor, designing professional development courses that empower educators with twenty-first-century skills. His trainings include the creative use of blogs, wikis, and podcasts in the classroom; the role of iTunes in teaching and learning; and the power of digital moviemaking for learning and expression. Bill has also developed schoolwide technology rubrics and surveys that identify student and staff digital proficiency. He has published articles in the Journal for Staff Development, Educational Leadership, and Threshold and writes a regular column on technology in the classroom for Educational Leadership. His blog, the Tempered Radical, earned Best Teacher Blog of 2008 from Edublogs. He is a contributor to The Principal as Assessment Leader and The Teacher as Assessment Leader (both Solution Tree, 2009), is the co-author of Building a Professional Learning Community at Work (Solution Tree, 2009), and has his first book Teaching the iGeneration: 5 Easy Ways to Introduce Essential Skills With Web 2.0 Tools just published.

Continuing Education Units

Upon successful completion of all workshop activities, participants will be issued a certificate with a suggested 2.0 license renewal credits. The renewal credits represent participant’s attendance at all four workshops, reading and responding to articles on global learning, tracking technology use in the classroom, and completing other outside activities.

What Participants Wrote about this Workshop Series

“I got more out of this conference than any other I have been to because of all the links and information I can access at anytime through the yahoo group.”

“I’m a visual as well as hands-on learner and I really thought the demonstrations were helpful, especially since we were able to do the ‘hands-on’ ourselves.”

“Allowing us to work with the different programs gave us time to ask questions or brainstorm how we could use it in our classrooms.”

“It is the least expensive conference I have ever gone to and one of the most useful!”

“The workshop exceeded my expectations because we were provided with a wide variety of technological experiences to widen our view of the world and to get in touch with its diverse population.”

“I left feeling and thinking like a global educator, and ready to inspire my students to be open minded, and culturally aware of the world we live in.”

“I have recommended this workshop to all of my colleagues and hope to generate more awareness. I believe that all teachers should take this workshop in order that we all become unified as global educators!”

How to Sign Up

The workshop series can be broadcasted to every facility capable of doing video conferencing via IP. Most school districts and many community colleges have such a venue.

If you are interested in participating in the workshops, please approach your Director of Professional Development or Technology and find out whether your school district would like to offer the seminars.

The next step would be to contact Björn Hennings, director of the Carolina Center for Educational Excellence, to get the event organized.