Online Course: Integrating Technology in the Adult Education Classroom

First of all, I have to say that I am addicted to Pinterest, too.  I don't post - I'm just a lurker who finds recipes, new hairstyles, and home decorating ideas -- and occasionally some good teaching ideas -- by perusing the site.  I absolutely love Nell's class project:  Pinterest for a collaborative board on what a new immigrant needs to know when they arrive in the United States.

How did Nell’s use of Pinterest in the lesson on autobiographies enhance and extend student learning?

A few brief comments: 

1) First, I think how she paired a student who was comfortable with computers with a novice is a very effective way of breaking in technology integration for students and setting up a comfort zone.  I typically do this, too, by having the very first class project (some sort of partner presentation or introduction) a pair project. 

2) When students are excited about something in class, they are more motivated and will spend more time on the task, which was obviously the case with the autobiographies, as Nell said: "All the students did their homework and some did much more than was assigned."

3) Finally, not only did students express themselves with technology as the medium, they also learned new tech jargon (pin, post, etc.) and skills.  They had a wide audience by sharing their work online with the world. It would be incredibly boring to read or listen to someone talk about themselves without images, and the students learned various ways to find/use images, which enhanced their digital literacy. 

Creative, awesome project idea!

As I mentioned in my introductory post, although I have integrated technology for a while now, I have only a minimum of the theoretical background on sound practices, and there is always so much more to learn, but that's what keeps me from getting burned out. 

As an "early adopter," I approach technology integration with a very positive attitude and try out new tools myself whenever I have time and try to include one new tool in my lesson plans for students to try at least once every term (every 8 weeks).  Although most of my students now feel more comfortable with technology, occasionally there is one in each class -- typically an older student -- who will say "I've never touched a computer before."  Luckily I usually have an instructional aide and sometimes a student writing consultant when my class visits the computer lab, and I'll even go so far as assigning one of my helpers to the student or sitting with the student myself to type his/her paragraph or create his/her PowerPoint presentation, whatever the task happens to be, just to help the student ease into the comfort zone.  I can usually gauge students' levels (as well as their English proficiency) during the first day or two of a new class, so again, pairing up students based on abilities or lack thereof really helps in the beginning, as do group projects later.

Resource: Technology Integration Matrix (Teacher Descriptors)

I also used to give a speech the first day of class to create buy-in for all the technology use I have students do.  This was stolen from someone at the CA Dept. of Ed/Adult Division, and I would credit him if I could remember his name.  Anyway, I tell students that to be successful in the USA they need to be able to use two languages well.  I ask them what languages they are. Responses include English, of course, but also Spanish, and sometimes Chinese.  After a wait time, someone will eventually think of "Computers" as the second language.  Then, a class, we brainstorm all the necessities that are met via computers (e.g., finding a location/address/driving directions, booking travel, applying for a job, using an ATM machine, even the self-check lanes at supermarkets, connecting with friends/family, registering/enrolling in classes). Nowadays I don't really need to create buy-in as much as I did just a few years ago because of the higher levels of technology accessibility of students.

I am quite familiar with TPACK, Universal Design for Education, and student goal setting, but I had not heard about POST.  I really like its simplicity and will definitely use it myself as a theoretical framework for technology integration as well as in the future when I mentor other teachers and give technology-integration presentations.  Honestly, though, I am a holdout on integrating social networking such as Facebook.  I feel that there are so many other tools available for connecting to and with students, even though the majority of them do use FB. I prefer to use tools that are specifically designed for educational purposes or that allow different methods of creativity / communication / learning /sharing that are not possible with the educational sites.  It is interesting to note, though, that when a site becomes popular (such as Voicethread or Voki) with educators, a subscription version for teachers becomes available.

I have used the majority of the tools in the Technology Tools in Educational Context table  but one that I want to explore further is QR codes. The video was very brief - it provided just 2 - 3 ideas, but I have found several resources online that list multiple ideas for using QR codes. 

 I recently had students in my Vocational ESL class complete an assignment in which they created business cards with their personal logos on Word business card templates, which included a QR code with their contact info or they simply created v-cards using the site http://www.qrstuff.com/.  It was a good experience for them because although almost everyone had seen a QR code before, only a few knew what they actually were. 

I would like to experiment with QR Voice http://qrvoice.net/, which turns text entered into an audio file.  I can see excellent potential for this tool with beginning level ESL, which I do not currently teach, unfortunately, but I have a lot of ideas for how this tool could be used for intermediate-advanced level students. I also would like to create some sort of class activity with QR Code Treasure Hunt Generator http://www.classtools.net/QR/.

After listening to two adult education instructors reflect upon their experiences integrating a technology tool in their classroom instruction, the following are my responses:

(A) Nell - technology tool - email.

• She was very comfortable using email herself, but she didn't expect that students would not have any experience using email or that they would have difficulties in simply setting up their email accounts. 
• She modeled flexibility in the time allowances for the lesson activities in order to get students on board with email. 
• I do believe that even though the class was a language class, the instructor taught an invaluable technology tool - email.  While the students' initial reward in learning email was the ability to communicate with family and friends, eventually they will be able to use email for a wide range of purposes - communicating with their and their children's teachers, seeking information, shopping online, looking for and applying for jobs - to name a few.  We pretty much need an email address for so many things we do these days.  At the college where I teach, students cannot even enroll (as for all California community colleges) in credit classes without an email address.
• It is unclear which email provider was used - some are easier to set up and use than others - personally I love gmail because with its account, you have Google docs, Google drive, Youtube account and more).  I have heard of Gaggle https://www.gaggle.net/, which I guess is "safe" and filtered, made especially for education. 
• I have had the same experience that Nell did, and from the frustration of the experience of using so much class time to help students set up email accounts just to have them "forget" their password the following week in the lab, I created a step-by-step handout with screenshots on which students wrote their log in and passwords, kept in a safe place in their binders.  Other teachers just have students use the same password, such as the name of the school or class.
• I do believe this (email) was the best choice of technology tool for writing to the mayor of NYC.  Letter writing is becoming less common and is reserved for more formal matters that require documentation, but I suppose another option would have been to teach letter format and have had students use a Word template to type up formal letters.

(B) Cythia - technology tools - URL shortener and QR Code creator and reader on cell phones.

• It was unclear whether Cynthia had ever used these tools much previous to the experience/lesson described.  She didn't find out how many students had cell phones, but luckily, if they did not, they could always use the short URL to access the video rather than the QR code.
• Her idea to shorten the long URL for the Khan Academy video was great.  I could understand what she meant about typing in the URL, though, on cell phones - what a pain for clumsy-fingered people like me!  That's the beauty of the QR code - just point, shoot, and the mobile device does the work. I wonder how long it took for students to download the QR code reader and which one was used, if any particular one.  In my experience using QR codes, some students know what they are but no one has a QR code reader installed on their devices, so that could take up some class time.
• The tools definitely promoted family literacy/numeracy!  How cool that the students watched the video at home again with family members!
• Personally, since I teach with a CMS (Blackboard) or if not, I create a class Web page for my ESL classes, I would just link or embed the video on my class site, which I assign and expect students to visit at least weekly.  However, I can see that if this were not the case (no class Web site), URL shorteners such as Bitly or Snipurl, etc., and QR codes and code readers would be a great way to provide homework, supplemental resources for students to study and read outside of class, provide class announcements, etc. I suppose that the instructor could have also just texted or emailed the URL for the video to students so they could simply click the link - that would save time for the teacher of creating (and printing - not sure if she printed out the QR code or just projected it) the QR Code and save time for students to have to download a QR code reader.

Hi, there.

This is the culminating activity for the Integrating Technology Self-Paced Course, an introductory VESL project on selling/branding oneself by researching company logos and making mini presentations, creating a personal logo, writing a paragraph about it, and presenting the logo to the class as way of self-introduction: Kristi Reyes Culminating Activity.

As I expressed, I am interested in learning more about online portfolios for ESL students.  Over the course of a term, I have students do several projects, which I would like for them to be able to compile in a portfolio for later reference and access.  Does anyone use online portfolios?  If so, please share which site you use and any words of advice.

Thanks and happy new year!

I am Lisa Mullins.  I teach AE in Tennessee.  Ours is a very rural setting, but most folks have access to some type of technology.  I thought Nell and Cynthia used some great ideas with their classes.  The facebook activity was a good way to bring learners to use social media in a writing activity.  Also Pinterest can open new doors for the students and for the teacher as it offers a vast number of ideas on many topics.  I have not tried these types of activities with my classes, but hope to do so soon. 

I'm Margaret Stoughton and I teach Adult Ed. at the Beaver County Jail in Western PA. We have no Internet but I'm trying new methods so that my students can be exposed to more than photographs! We do have computers and printers and CDs which are not very useful. The program we use most is Encyclopedia Britannica Multimedia.. It has reading excerpts, still photos, and videos on countless subjects. There are Math CDs, typing practice, and a program of skills necessary for the GED 14.

The students use the computer for the class in Everyday Edits (locating errors in a reading and correcting them on a laptop which is projected on an ENO Board.) My goal is to learn how to use the board effectively. They also use a Print shop program to make writing paper, cards, calendars, etc. which teaches them more computer skills - rather elementary, but it's all we have now.

It's often frustrating and I'd appreciate any ideas for computer activities and programs for a class with no Internet. I have been told that it is possible to use YouTube and downloading it to a flashdrive. I will certainly try that.

Hello,

    My name is Lynette Hazelton and, among my responsibilities, I teach a hybrid GED Social Studies/Language Arts course at District 1199C Training & Upgrading Fund in Philadelphia. The increased demands of the new GED in terms of background knowledge, the ability to read complex text and the ability to respond to a prompt using text-based evidence combined with the limits we have on classroom time and mixed with students' anxiousness to get their GED as quickly as possible has created for me a perfect storm.  This collision of forces has compelled me, as noting has before, to really up my technology game and that is why I signed up for the course.  

       Currently, I teach once a week for three hours and about a third of that time is spent in the computer lab. Right now I've used it for internet research, writing position letters to elected officials, and practicing the extended writings.  However, my hope is to expand my repertoire in a way that increases a student's engagement (including time on task) and increases a student's retention of the information.

        I look forward to both the class and being a part of the this group. 

HI,  I'm Cheryl from Arizona Adult Ed. 

It’s exciting to see students engaged, as they will be using their cell phones or other mobile devices in the classroom, but I find them too small for truly profound engaged work.  I’d like to see them getting away from their phones and more into conversation with each other and with longer, more involved, challenging ideas and texts. The woman who used phones to teach her adult ed students about QR codes and broached math through a cell phone viewing of a Khan Academy video shows the use of technology to enter a subject and get the attention of student. Now the job would be to have them put down their phones for some of the time while they did some project-based work which involved discussion and problem solving. Just because phones are accessible and attractive to students doesn’t mean they’re the best tool for the job.

The challenge is in getting students engaged in something meaningful and keeping them engaged, some of which can be done through technology that incorporates thoughtful self-expression, elf-reflection and deep reading. This means taking the time to design really exciting project-based challenging work, or finding sites like PBS Learning Media that integrate some technology and the use of videos with good, thoughtful lessons. We need to be connecting students to relevant ideas that somehow inspire them to become intellectually curious and discerning. Technology may be a portal, but the challenge is to use it in a way that moves them to a deeper understanding of into the important topics and problems we face today. 

Students can create a recipe book online through Google Docs that can be updated and shared easily. They can also use Publisher.

Cynthia used a technology tool she thought her students would like that "looked cool."  However, students did not go there. So, she reassessed with the POST method and decided to use Facebook since that was the platform most of her students were already using. The advantages of using Facebook are that students naturally gravitated here anyway and were familiar with how it worked, and it was easy to post things there to share. The disadvantage is that it wasn't private, some students didn't have an account, and  not all students used it equally.

The teacher used Pinterest as a tool to help her students become more familiar with the computer and to create an autobiography. They also wrote about themselves and shared their autobiographies orally.

I generally  go about the process backwards as well. I find a cool platform that looks like it will be easy to teach students how to use, and that is versatile enough for several purposes (reading, WRITING, creativity learning). I think this can work if the plan is to use the platform regularly and in class, and I don;'t want to use phones or Facebook. 

After looking at the list of tools for each category, I would like to explore student podcasts and pinterest for ESL students. I also saw that we can re-purpose and create QR codes for education by using the codes to access online sites or videos without having to enter lengthy web addresses. That was cool. 

My name is Laura Smart. I am an adult basic education teacher in Huntington and Warren. I have only been in adult education for 1 year and have already fallen in love with it! I come from an 18 year career in special education and ready for a change. I am currently working on my Masters Degree in adult education & executive development at Ball State University. Once I have completed my degree, I hope to assist with teacher trainings, curriculum development and grant writing. 

My students, surprisingly, have access to more technology than I do! They have smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc. however, they do not always know how to use them. I think with some of my students it is more of a "status" symbol for them among their friends. My students are able to mostly play music, check emails and a few of the students will work on websites which I provide for them to study for the HSE. Other students use these devices for social media. They keep in contact with their family and peers. 

Does anyone have any good examples of Wikis in use for classroom teaching and student interaction? This is like Wikipedia but for an individual class. The technology behind it I'm talking about is MediaWiki, which is an open source tool for creating a Wiki environment. Can you share a link to the Wiki?

Thanks,
Chris

I am a vocational Instructor teaching basic computer skills, typing, Microsoft Office, and Introductio to business. My options are limited to computers only due to the correctional setting. However, as we have a Local Area Network, I have created a Web environment that is comfortable for those students with Web experience, and a training setting for those who have not utilized the internet. By making it a paperless environment, the class is run very much like an online class, with the exception of having instant help via Instructor or tutor. As it is an open-entry/open-exit class, my students are at various places in the program. The class is as multimedia as I can make it utilizing the resources I have available. The demonstration  of the students reaching their goals is when the perform their final project. The final project consists of presenting a multimedia business presentation to the class. They are required to utilize all aspects of Microsoft Office including Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, & Publisher. The creation of the final project is totally up to the student and they receive no help from the instructor or tutors.  It is a cumulative of all they have covered in the class including Business Writing. Also by touching on the public speaking piece, they have the opportunity to speak before a group, which I have found is usually a first.

• Introduce yourself.

Hi, my name is Tram Ngo, and I am an ESL Program Coordinator as well as ESL teacher.

• What technology devices do your students have access to? What are some of the everyday tasks your students are using these technology devices to accomplish?

Due to our limited budget, the technology devices our students have access to tend to be their own personal devices. Most of our students have smartphones. In spite of the many functions a typical smartphone has, our students tend to use their phones only to call friends and family.

We do have one student who has an iPad and uses it to connect to the Internet. The iPad is very user-friendly, and she finds it more accessible than a desktop computer.

• What two technology tools did Cynthia try to implement with her students in the classroom? What were the observed benefits of using one tool over another? What are some limitations of both tools?

Cynthia tried to implement two technology tools: 1) an online platform and 2) Facebook. It was advantageous for Cynthia's students to use Facebook, rather than the online platform, since the majority of the students (85% of them) are already Facebook users. It was one less place the students had to go to. Nevertheless, not all of Cynthia's students used Facebook with the same frequency. Every online tool has its observable benefits and shortcomings.

How did Nell’s use of Pinterest in the lesson on autobiographies enhance and extend student learning?

Nell's integration of Pinterest in the lesson enabled students to take an interactive role in developing their autobiographies. With the help of a social platform such as Pinterest, the students were able to select and choose images that represented them, such as images of their home countries and images of their favorite foods. Gathering images and pinning them onto the boards gave the students the opportunity to be makers of online content, and give online viewers an inside look at the students and their view and knowledge of the world. 

After listening to the two teacher reflections from Cynthia Bell and Nell Eckersley, consider the following: How have you approached technology in the past? With the guidelines provided in this module, what new or additional considerations will you build into your unit or lesson planning process to more effectively integrate technology into your classroom?

In the past, I approached technology with a more instructor-centric model. I thought up of lessons related to technology but was never cognizant that my technology biases were not being recognized. Cynthia Bell's case example of using Facebook instead of another online platform was illustrative of meeting the students where they were at. Sometimes as instructors, we have ambitious ideas of what the lesson should be. Forgotten underneath all of those ideas and ambitions is the student, and what he/she knows and what he/she can work with during the lesson. The POST model really brought this reminder home.

• Identify the technology tool the instructor used. Was the instructor comfortable using the tool? If not, what was the instructor’s plan for understanding the tool? Nell Eckersley was using e-mail. It seemed like she was comfortable using e-mail.

• Did the tool selected meet the students’ existing technology skills? If not, what was the plan for teaching the students how to use the technology tool? Most of the students had pre-existing e-mail addresses, but there were some who didn't have any. In order to get the latter group of students abreast with the rest of the class, Nell had to teach them how to pick a good e-mail address and a good password.

• Did the technology tool selected improve instruction and/or deepen student learning? How? E-mail deepened student learning and had great applicability and relevance to the students' lives. As Nell recounted, some Pakistani female students who had never used e-mail before, now were able to communicate with family and friends back in their native countries. 

• Was this technology tool the best choice to implement the teaching strategies of the unit or lesson? What other technology tools could the instructor have selected to use? I think e-mail was a good initial start to the unit on city governance and ways for members of the community to address their needs and wants. 

We are fortunate to have a computer for each student and internet access. Ninety percent of my students have cell phones with internet access. Eighty percent of my  students do not have home computers. To search for information,Google is the most popular search engine. 

Facebook is a popular social media choice but the computers in our class do not let students on certain sites and Facebook is one of them . That is a blessing sometimes because it eliminates the temptation for students  going on the site and getting distracted. However,there are so many you tubes I would love to access but can not. Previously, I had students in a computer room and Facebook was a constant distraction . It can be a double edged sword .

My name is Mary Scholer and I am an Adult Education Teacher  in Albany, NY

Technology devices that my students have access to are cell phones and our class computers.  Ninety percent of my students have access to a cell phone. The students have calls come in but they mostly text.

 Students  use their phones to take notes.  For example  students take  pictures of math formulas that  I have on the classroom walls .Some students take pictures of schedules that are posted on the door rather then have to write them out. 

In my classroom we are fortunate enough to have computers and internet service for all my students. Most students do not have computers at home.

Everyday my  students use the classroom computer to review math concepts that they just learned. 

 The site they go to is Kahn Academy. If we learned about percentage the students log on to kahnacademy.org and go to the math percents section and practice math skills. If they still don't understand the site explains the concept very concisely. 

Students also regularly look up words on their cell phones that they don't understand.

Google is the most popular search engine they use regularly. Another everyday task students use is checking their Facebook account on their phones.

Our computers in class don't allow access to Facebook and I find this very helpful.

Some creative ways to integrate technology into the strategy for the final activity would be to have my students use our class computers which has Microsoft Word. Most of students do not have home computers.I would have them go to Microsoft Word and then they would go to the "file" menu . Students would scroll down to "new".Then I would have them go to  "templates" When students get to templates they will type in "recipes".

There are nice templates and students will have a sense of ownership when they type their own name on their personal recipe. Students can type the ingredients using one font and then the instructions for the recipe in another font so to differentiate the ingredients from instructions. They could also put the ingredient amounts in bold. Then they can copy and paste the recipe and email it to themselves or friends. They could also post the recipe on their Facebook account. We also could print the recipes out and exchange them with one another. Since my students do not use computers other then in class I think this could be an assignment that would meet them where they are at technologically.

What two technology tools did Cynthia try to implement with her students in the classroom? What were the observed benefits of using one tool over another? What are some limitations of both tools?

Cynthia tried assigning a writing lesson in order to prepare her students for the essay part of the GED exam.

She reminded me of myself going ahead an giving an online platform without stopping to consider where the students were at.  Cynthia learned the on line platform wasn't working with her students. Cynthia observed that most of her students had facebook accounts. The POST METHOD made her take into account who her students were instead of forcing a tool on them. She had the students do writing in a FACEBOOK group. She observed also that the students who wrote the least in her class wrote much more in the FACEBOOK group. 

One limitation FACEBOOK has is that there are many distractions such as advertisements and chats.

An observed benefit of FACEBOOK is the students were open to using FACEBOOK because most of them had accounts and enjoyed it.The students that didn't! have accounts were  agreeable to joining. 

A benefit of using the online platform tool is that the lesson is very structured. You don't have the temptation to wander off the topic. The disadvantage is that you can't always be as creative. 

How did Nell’s use of Pinterest in the lesson on autobiographies enhance and extend student learning

Nell was very creative in her ESL class using Pinterest. I never would have thought to use Pinterest with my students. I use it for my personal use but thought what a great Ida to use in class. Most of my students have email addresses and know how to create passwords.

there is one exception in my class and he is an ABE student. For him I would have to give him one on one tutoring to help him establish an email address. It seemed Nell was very comfortable using email and Pinterest.

pinterst enhanced the EHsL students learning because they had pictures serve has another type of media in understanding vocabulary words and the history of fellow students in their class. 

My students use smart phones, ipads, and desk top computers.  Most students use facebook to keep in tough with friends and family.  They all do some kind of school work on a device, either to study for the GED, complete course work for high school classes, or to learn basic computer skills.  Only one stated that they paid bills and got updates from their healthcare provider.

Students could create a potential blog post about their recipe.  Using a web image search they could look for food pictures that look like their recipe.  Student could also take pictures of the actual recipe the next time it is made at home.  For each entry they could tell the story of how the recipe became their favorite or how their family began making the dish.

Students would be using internet search tools, camera, some form of transfer of data for the pictures, and publishing software.

Student could create a Power Point or other presentation program.  As with the first activity, students can use a web image search they could look for food pictures that look like their recipe.  Student could also take pictures of the actual recipe the next time it is made at home.  For each entry they could tell the story of how the recipe became their favorite or how their family began making the dish.

Hello! Everyone. I teach adult ESOL. Students in my classes have access to cellphones, smartphones, chromebooks, and notebooks. Mostly students use their cellphone and smartphones to access the Web, look up the translation of word, get the pronunciation of words in English, and to email an assignment.

• After reading the Let’s Become Chefs! final activity, what are some creative ways to integrate technology into the strategy for the final activity? List a couple of ways that you can integrate technology into this strategy.

They can use a common-access website that uploads documents (google documents or windows 365). I am thinking of creating a class wiki and letting students letting students share different recipes. For the end of term get together, I can have students use the class wiki to plan what  foods and drinks to have  write  what they will each contribute. This will allow for active participation and each student will get to read the wiki and to write on it.

In her ABE class, Cynthia used Facebook  to create a class Group . Since 85% of her students were already on Facebook. Cynthia had tried using an online platform before but her students were not going to it. The observed benefits were that students were willing to go use this site once their accounts were made private. Students got a space where they could meet without being Facebook "friends." They were able to upload documents, write in other program formats, as well as upload their work. All in all, students who were not so inclined to write at first were the most users of this group which Cynthia created just for her class. The limitations to the Facebook group are that students would all need to join the group so as to see and reply to work submitted to the group. Another limitation is that they would all need to know how to upload the different documents if the need to share their work.

Nell's use of Pinterest in the lesson on autobiographies enhanced and extended student learning by allowing students to become better acquainted with fellow classmates' home countries. They were able to work collaboratively on finding favourite  foods. They were also able to use technology in many different ways such as searching for images, uploading, and writing.  

In the past I just used whatever technology available in the classroom to the best of my ability. However, after listening to the reflections to the reflections of the two instructors and reflecting upon the guidelines in this Module, I would surely be giving to P.O.S.T. I also plan to become more familiar with the features of the technologies available and to explore the many possible ways of using them in to better student learning.

After reviewing the printable table of categorized technology tools  used in an educational context, I would like to explore using Weebly,Tumblr, and Google Docs in my lessons. The ways mentioned are new to me since I never used them in my lessons. I am thinking that an online class community can have their own Facebook account. This is a way of repurposing one tool for another. The community will meet but through Facebook.

Nell used emails and Gmails with her students to communicate with the mayor. This at first din not meet students' existing needs since many of them  hadn't email accounts and Gmail l restricted to a certain number the amount of addresses which could be used form the same IP address. I think that opting for each student to have use their individual emails to write the mayor was  did not meet their existing needs since they didn't even have accounts. What could have been done instead was to create a class email account then write one letter signed by all the students. In this way it would not have been so frustrating when Gmail restricted the number using the same IP address. I think that using did eventually improve learning since the students learnt how to set up an email account and to communicate using emails.

Cynthia' s use of  smart phones I think did meet student's existing needs. The idea of creating QR codes to access Khan Academy was also a good one as her program doesn't have a computer lab.

Thank you,

W.Coward

•  Apply the POST Method in the Technology Integration Action Plan
  • ​People:  One-to-one tutoring.  Student, Ms. A., is working towards her High School Equivalency Diploma.  Middle aged female with transportation barriers to attending a regular adult education classroom. Good technology skills, although hit-and-miss on occasion and she could learn much more, she is highly "connected" with a smart phone, tablet, some Internet search and some word processing skills.  While she is the only learner completing the project, I have designed it with hopes that it is reproducible in an adult ed classroom.
  • Objectives: 1) to examine both sides of the issue of Indian Removal in the 1830s, including legislative events leading up to the Trail of Tears; 2) to learn the difference between primary and secondary resources.  Learner(s) will be able to present an expository paper, a speech or a visual representation of events leading up to & including the Trail of Tears
  • Strategy:  1) to pique interest in two- or more-sided issues with the technology based introduction to controversial subjects and subsequent discussion; 2) Allow learner to satisfy her desire to learn about Native Americans by research on the Internet, while requiring the location of primary and secondary government documents related to the subject. 
  • Technology: 1) PollEverywhere.com (on smart phones and computers) used to introduce the idea of controversial subjects, with subsequent discussion hopefully leading to the conclusion that there can be more than one plausible answer to any controversial issue. 2) Desktop computers with Internet access; 3) Smart phone access to apps such as Dictionary.com and the law.com; 4) Smart Board for Introduction to subject matter (for Projecting questions and results to PollEverywhere; and to introduce a PBS YouTube video for viewing as whole group from the SMART Board.
• Part 2 Planning for Technology in Technology Integration Action Plan 
  • ​Where am I now?:  1) I was not as prepared as I thought for using PollEverywhere.com with my learner.  I stumbled because I had a participant's account I had forgotten about, and a presenter's account which I had prepared for this lesson; 2: SMART Board,  of course, not all Adult Ed program have access to a SMART Board.  Perhaps there is other technology, simple laptop and projector to accomplish the goals I had for classroom reproduction of this lesson
  • Where do I want to be?:  I would like more experience with laptop/projectors and SMART Board technology.  While I work for a small literacy non-profit, I would like to benefit the AE community with some of my ideas that could be adapted to the AE classroom.
  • Timeline for PD and Implementation: I have been exposed to but would like further professional development on the use of SMART Boards.   I have noticed their use on the local weather reports.  It would be nice to bring the latest into and Adult Ed classroom.
  • Assessment:  Informally assess the increase in talk about technology, its use in everyday life and in the classroom among learners; where, how, why to use technology and when learner want to use technology in their learning.
• Part 3 Reflecting on Integrating Technology in Tech Integration Action Plan
  • Results:  Learner (Mrs. A) is very independent and completed most of the project on her own.  She was more interested in learning about Native American History and culture than any events leading up to the Trail of Tears. 
  • Change or Improve: primary and secondary government resources needed to be addressed and broken down into "common language" in separate or mini-lessons to make the documents more understandable.  This will be addressed in future lessons with Mrs. A.

Were there tools that were mentioned that you would like to explore? Did you learn about new ways of using existing tools? How can one tool be repurposed to meet another need?

I would like to explore Bitly and QR Codes.  I had never thought of using Pinterest for education.  I once started a Weebly and would like to get back into it.  Podcasts could be used both for students to demonstrate knowledge as well as a reference for other student to gain knowledge.

• Identify the technology tool the instructor used. Was the instructor comfortable using the tool? If not, what was the instructor’s plan for understanding the tool? 

• Did the tool selected meet the students’ existing technology skills? If not, what was the plan for teaching the students how to use the technology tool? 

• Did the technology tool selected improve instruction and/or deepen student learning? How? 

• Was this technology tool the best choice to implement the teaching strategies of the unit or lesson? What other technology tools could the instructor have selected to use?

  Nell used email and seemed very comfortable with creating a new email address and sending and receiving emails.

  Many of the students had email address already but did not know how to access their account from a public computer.  Some did not have an address and needed to create one.  When the lesson was presented a second time there was more time spent preparing to go to the computer lab beforehand.  They had students bring passwords in the day before, and had students without address create several to choose from before getting on the computer.

  Students now submit homework assignments via email when they cannot attend class.  They also exchange information with fellow students about notes and assignments.

  Email was a good choice for getting students involved with politics in their area.  Nell could have used Facebook.

  Cynthia used smart phones, Bitly, and QR codes to view a Khan Academy video on whether to buy or rent a house.  She heard about Bitly at a conference and it sounded like she was familiar with QR codes.

  Most of the students had smart phones and were willing to share with those students who did not.  Only one of student had ever used a QR code before.  Cynthia worked with the student in steps to teach the technology.  They talked about apps, QR codes, watching the video, and researching available homes for rent or sale.

  Students learned many things other than how to calculate whether to rent or buy a home.  The student with phones became more confident is using them and became instructors to others.  All students learned that the phones could be used for research and learning in addition to making calls and playing games.

  I think this was a good use of technology.  I am not sure if shortening the URL was necessary or a QR code could be made from original. Getting the student comfortable navigating Khan Academy would have been a benefit.

Hello everyone.  My name is Christina and I teach beginner ESL at DIIRI.  I have taught ESL to elementary students for the last three years overseas.  This is my first time teaching adult learners and I am excited to see how I can integrate technology to help them learn.  I used technology overseas quite frequently and found it to be extremely successful.  I am hopeful I can learn ways to integrate technology at my current job.\

Most of my students have access to cell phones.  Just recently in a lesson they told me they use google maps for directions (usually in their first language).  I was able to use the computer lab and have students write down directions they found on google maps in English.  It was a great lesson because some students were already familiar with the program and could help others who were not.  Some students were even looking up directions in their home country which brought in a nice cultural aspect.

As for computers, not all my students have access.  I find it difficult to teach in the computer labs because their levels vary greatly.  I end up running around trying to get my students caught up.  I hope to find tools that can be user friendly for all levels.

One thing I just learned is that I first have to take into consideration where each student is at in my adult education class. I want so much for them to get their high school equivalency diploma that I often fail to realize I must slow down . By that I mean that I have to see where each stuent is at and work from there. 

Most of my students have smart phones.

They use these phones to look up vocabulary words, read emails,send emails , get directions Facebook,and listen to music.  We have computers in our classroom so the students who do not have cell phones Use the computers to sign up for an email address and use many sites the smart phone users access.