Technology in the Classroom,Integrating

A new section of each course starts monthly. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when lessons are released. You will have access to all lessons until the course ends. However, the interactive discussion area that accompanies each lesson will automatically close two weeks after the lesson is released. As such, we strongly recommend that you complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

The final exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the final exam has been released, you will have two weeks to complete all of your course work, including the final exam.

Lesson 1
Are you ready to unleash the power of technology in your creative classroom? Today's teachers face a lot of new challenges and daily decisions, and one of the most important ones is how to integrate a slew of new technology into the traditional classroom. In this lesson, we'll learn the important differences between the traditional classroom and the technology-friendly one, and strike a balance with realistic integration plans.

Lesson 2
If you don't yet have a teacher presentation station, or if yours needs a little updating, stay tuned for helpful tips on personalizing your station for maximum educational impact. Often seen as the core of the technology-friendly classroom, this presentation station is the gateway to bringing the high-tech world into a low-tech classroom.

Lesson 3
Do you know the safest way for your students to surf the Web? In this lesson, we'll explore kid-friendly Internet search engines and directories that you can use to safeguard your students' online experience. We'll also take a look at the power of the bookmark to help you keep track of all the student-friendly sites we'll visit in this course.

Lesson 4
Ah, the keyboard. Since proper typing techniques will help your students gain confidence in their writing exercises, learn the best ways to introduce this computer skill to your classroom. Have a little fun with these activities, and take a sneak peek at the future of typing and writing in the classroom. There's some exciting technology on the horizon!

Lesson 5
If your classroom reading activities need a little spicing up, check out the world of interactive reading on the Internet. In this lesson, we'll discuss ways to pair new reading technology and traditional ELA standards with the characters and books you've always loved. Capitalize on your students' fascination with new ways to read and try out some of these great reading sites and the activities that will extend them into your classroom.

Lesson 6
Writing?most students either love it or hate it! If you're looking to change the score in your classroom, this lesson will introduce you to the best software, Internet sites, and classroom activities to help your students fall in love with the written word. Also, discover the hallmarks of a great writing activity so that you can plan yours for maximum impact. Who knows where the next John Steinbeck or Louisa May Alcott will come from? Perhaps your writing class!

Lesson 7
I bet you don't look forward to the science fair right now, do you? Well, you soon will, because this lesson is packed full of technology and classroom tips that you can use to excite your students about planning ahead for their projects. The Science Diary works wonders, and your students will have a lot of fun making it. In this lesson, you'll learn to meet and exceed the NSTA's standards with a new perspective on bringing our amazing world into your science classroom.

Lesson 8
Do your students hate math? Do you? Not for long. It's never been easier to bring NCTM standards and your math lessons to life than it is right now! Discover fun Web sites and computer activities that will bring your math lessons up to speed so that you and your students can experience the pleasure of numbers all over again. And get ready to implement your own Smart Bank, which will energize your students about budgeting skills.

Lesson 9
Stamps, town hall meeting, and news are all fair game in your social studies classroom. Do you enjoy bringing the world into your classroom on a daily basis? Technology makes this even easier, and with the wealth of resource information in this lesson, you'll soon be meeting the NCSS standards with creativity and flair. Plus, you'll learn how to invent engaging social studies activities with the Microsoft Office applications already on your computer.

Lesson 10
Do you ever miss music and art in the classroom? Well, the good news is that they can make a quick and inexpensive comeback with free Internet resources that will help you teach your students the importance of artistic expression. It's a treat to help students unleash the power of creativity, and when you can integrate these subjects back into the classroom on a tight budget, everybody wins!

Lesson 11
Do you sometimes feel like none of your students are paying attention in class? That may be because you need to customize parts of your lesson plans to reach diverse learner groups. In this lesson, we'll talk about using technology to meet the needs of special needs, GATE, and bilingual learners. Plus, we'll take a look at customized WebQuests that engage each group of students with different activities as a part of the same writing lesson.

Lesson 12
In our last lesson, we'll look at the bigger picture of technology integration in the elementary classroom. Computer ethics are an important part of your overall integration plans, and it's dually important to know when technology will really enhance your instruction as opposed to when it's just technology for technology's sake. Finally, we'll take a sneak peak at some of the cutting edge tech tools that may be coming soon to a classroom near you.