ICT Joint Statement

To successfully complete the ICT Integration Project, we the students need to consider several things

First, we must consider the importance of understanding that ICT is now a staple in the modern
classroom. Unlike the classrooms of our youth; technology and electronics now play a bigger role
within the classroom and the education of the upcoming generation. We need to accept the place of
technology in the classroom even if we may not be efficient with it. This is the reason why Notre
Dame has given us this assignment. So, that we may practice and learn technological skills such as
web quests, which are now required in the classroom.

Secondly, we need to consider how learning theories and primarily social constructivism connect
with our lesson plans and classroom management. Working on this project, has taught me that my
teaching methods primarily use two different learning theories. Social constructivism and operant
conditioning. The project has given me a chance to do further research into learning theories and
determine which ones better suit my style of teaching.

Thirdly, it gives us an appreciation for technology and how it contributes and augments classroom
learning. As mentioned earlier technology now has a staple role within the classroom and if we accept
this and try to work with it instead of against it there is a lot of potential with it. This project gives us
a chance to trial various technologies, assess their usefulness and contemplate how would we use
them in the class. It also gives us a chance to understand that there are difference levels of technology
integration within the classroom.

These different levels of integrations are transformative technologies which is when technologies are
used to redefine or modify an existing class activity. With the other level being enhancement
technologies which are technologies that augment or substitute existing class activities. The former of
these two levels of integrations is the desirable level of integration and the level that the university
encourages us to aim for. The reason for this being that at the transformation level, technologies are
better able to assist with the higher levels of Blooms Taxanomy which are linked to higher order
learning.

Figure 1: Sourced from http://www.schrockguide.net/samr.html

Overall, I believe that Notre Dame has tasked us with this assignment so that we can appreciated not
only the importance and large of technology in the modern class. But also, so that we may
understand how we can uses this technology along with our learning theories to better conduct
classes once we finish our degrees. For example, working on this project has already made me
consider developing the ideas that I have produced for the web quest to use them once Im on prac.