Overview
The goal
of this assignment is to create a learning/lesson plan for a single 50-60
minute learning session where technology is integrated in ways that will help
your learners gain decision making and problem-solving skills, demonstrate
increased creativity, and form stronger social connections with peers.
You
will use a Problem-Based Learning approach to design the learning plan for a
specific audience of learners. The
ASSURE model for instructional planning, the Technology Integration Matrix, and
the ISTE standards for students each provide valuable frameworks to help you
define a well-conceived technology integrated learning plan.
The ASSURE model (Smaldino, Lowther, & Russell, 2008)
encourages a purposeful look at and selection of appropriate technologies to
foster student engagement. The first step in using ASSURE is to understand your
learners. Assess the learner’s knowledge, skills, and dispositions before
planning the instruction so that you target the areas of most need and design
activities that will most likely engage and motivate them to learn. It is
critical that you recognize where the learners are before the instruction even
begins. This front end planning will go
a long way to ensure success. The instructional decisions you make are
opportunities for making a difference in people’s lives, both now and in the
future.
The A in ASSURE stands for Analyze
Learners.
Describe your learner and their characteristics such as
learning styles, prior knowledge, skill level, and attitudes towards learning.
For instance, some learners are very hesitant in learning math skills but are
excellent writers.
The S stands for State the Standards and Objectives.
You will select 1–2 curriculum standards for the lesson. Then
select 1–2 ISTE standards for students from the ISTE Standards for Students link in the Technology Integration: Problem-Based Learning Plan Assignment page. Use these standards to determine 2 -3 associated
specific and measurable learning objectives for the lesson.
The second
S stands for Select Strategies, Technology, Media, and
Materials.
Digital technologies can facilitate students and teachers in
the collaboration process. Great
thinking and lesson planning include instructional strategies that incorporate
the highest level of technology integration for student engagement. To help you
evaluate and plan for the integration of technology in the lesson you will use
the Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) framework where you will compare the
level of integration and engagement typically experienced during instruction
and learning experiences with those presented in the TIM. The Technology Integration Matrix link is
provided in the Technology Integration:
Problem-Based Learning Plan Assignment page. You will select one of the 5
interdependent characteristics of meaningful learning environments to structure
your learning activities and design a vibrant technology integration plan for
your target learners: active, collaborative, constructive, authentic, and
goal-directed. Your goal in designing the lesson and use of technology is
to move as far to the right on the meaningful engagement scale as possible. Push past the Entry and Adoption to
Adaptation, Infusion, or Transformation.
This is not easy to do and the TIM provides examples in video form to
help you. For instance, if you click on
the Active Learning under the Infusion level you will find several videos that
model this level of use with active learning taking place.
The U
stands for Utilize Technology, Media, and Materials.
Once you have assessed what technology tools you have
available for use and observed some exciting ways these tools might be best
utilized to promote learning, describe what you actually will use and how the
tools will be used. You want your learners to collaborate in examining the
important issues and identifying solutions to the problem. You also want them to leverage technology to
help co-construct solutions. Jonassen (1996) refers to technology tools as
“intellectual partners” (p. 9) that aid learners as they seek to expand their
thinking and understanding.
The R
stands for Require Learner Participation.
This
is where you plan the learner’s actions.
How will you plan for your learners to engage with the ideas and with
the technology tools in order to meet the learning goals and objectives? Good questioning is an important
aspect of formative assessment. Include your questioning
strategies and questions for introducing the problem and lesson, processing the
problem, designing solutions, ensuring understanding, and final checkpoints.
The E stands
for Evaluate and Revise.
The final
section is where you will describe the methods you will use to assess the
learning. Then describe how the resulting
data might be used to revise the instruction plan for next time.
Focus on
the integration of technology. Think in terms of the types of questions an
instructional coach might ask after observing the actual instruction that you
have planned such as:
·
Did
the lesson accomplish what you intended?
·
Were
the objectives met?
·
Would
different tools have done a better job of facilitating the problem-based
learning approach?
·
Did
anything surprise you?
·
What
would you do differently next time?
·
What
score would the selected technologies have according to the Triple E
Framework? See the provided link for the
Triple E Evaluation Rubric in the Technology Integration: Problem-Based
Learning Plan Assignment page.
Download the Technology
Integration and Problem-Based Learning Plan Template. Open the template and review each section of
the template. The template requires you
to complete the following sections:
o
Introduction to Problem-Based Learning (PBL)
o
Technology Integration
o
The ASSURE Model for Instructional Design
o Analysis of Learners
o
Analysis of Technology in the Local Setting
o
Standards and Objectives
o Strategies, Technology, Media, and Materials
o Require Learner Participation
o Evaluate and Revise
