Resources for Technology Integration

The Florida Center for Instructional Technology (FCIT) is in the College of Education in the University of South Florida and is funded by the Florida Department of Education. The FCIT’s web site (http://fcit.usf.edu) has an interesting assortment of resources to help teachers integrate technology in the classroom.


TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION MATRIX

The best part of this site is the Technology Integration Matrix (http://fcit.usf.edu:16080/matrix/). This matrix is “a video resource supporting the full integration of technology.” It pairs “levels of technology integration”—entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion, transformation—with “characteristics of the learning environment”—active, collaborative, constructive, authentic, and goal directed. Each cell in the matrix lists an indicator for that particular pair combination and two links, one to a video example for “1-1 access” and one for “shared access.”

The matrix is designed for several purposes; however, I think one of the most effective purposes is for individual teachers to determine where they currently are in the matrix and where they want to be in terms of their integration of technology in the classroom. Then they can watch videos on a path from their present status to their desired status to help them develop ideas for how they can intentionally change their teaching strategies.

Last week I said, “I can intentionally make changes in process… [to] come closer to… [my] goals.” The Technology Integration Matrix is a tool which can help us make those intentional changes.


ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Additional resources are available at this FCIT web site. Unfortunately, in some sections you will find some broken links as you explore due to the fact that they haven’t been updated since 2004.

A free set of online stories and poems is available in Lit2Go. These stories and poems are in MP3 format so you can listen to them on your MP3 player or your computer. The text can also be read on a web page. You’ll find works by Aesop, Jane Austen, James Baldwin, Beatrix Potter, Theodore Roosevelt, H.G. Wells, and many others. This site has been recently updated (2007).

Clipart, ETC contains clip art which teachers can use, usually free and with minimal restrictions. You’re not likely to find a picture of a computer in the collection, but there are some good items there. And a site map helps you find the good stuff.
robin Shakespeare

More than 20,000 backgrounds for Keynote or PowerPoint presentations, Holocaust resources (last updated January 2007), oral histories (video clips) from the Vietnam War, more than 5,000 maps covering different time periods (last updated August 16, 2007), … The list of resources goes on. Spend a few moments exploring this web site and you’re bound to find something that is helpful to you.