As referenced in the observation tool from Appendix C, in order for technology
use to be meaningful and effective, students should be communicating, collaborating,
creating and researching with technology tools. Teacher 3 asked the students to log into
their account of a tutorial math program called Cognitive Tutor and continue with their
personalized math program that is customized to their level of learning. The
differentiation of learning was naturally a positive component in the lesson. However, in
regard to the use of technology, the program was not being utilized in a meaningful way.
Students were not working or interacting with each other in a collaborative way to
manage projects or conduct research. The computer program could easily take the place
of a workbook or set of problems selected by the instructor. In Teacher 2’s classroom,
the 80-minute block period consisted of students working in pairs looking up various
components and vocabulary words from the unit. Students showed no signs of difficulty
in logging into their laptops or navigating to specific web sites provided by the teacher.
The simple task did not employ higher level thinking skills as suggested by the Digital
Bloom’s scale of evaluating, creating or designing (Churches, 2007).