RAT: Integrating technology into instruction

Technology integration in classroom instruction has been a highly debated topic for the past half century of educational theory.  However, as technology improved at an exponential rate, systematic change has struggled to keep up with the pace.

I have had the privilege to teach Language Arts, Social Studies, and technology courses to middle school students for seven years now, and even in that short time, I have witnessed monumental changes to the quality and availability of instructional technology.  In order to best prepare our students for the future, we need to best harness these resources in order for them to reach their full potential.

One of the pushes today regarding educational technology is to utilize Web 2.0 tools to improve and modernize traditional classroom instruction.  If used properly, these resources can create more authentic learning opportunities for students to engage in learning.  It is also quite possible, however, to simply try to replace what we are doing currently with something that sounds better, but in actuality brings little if any improvement to the educational setting.  One way to make sure that we are truly using technology to improve our teaching is to consider the RAT method when designing instruction.  Below, I will talk further about the RAT technique and how I use each opportunity in my classroom setting.

RAT stands for:
REPLACE
AMPLIFY
TRANSFORM

Replace: to replace current teaching practices with new technology, but without any significant change or improvement

One way that I have used technology in my classroom to replace current activities is having students type their major essays rather than handwriting them.  We often use this interchangeably, and though this improves opportunities for students with severe handwriting impairments (or poor handwriting), it doesn't really alter the learning in a significant way.  Our school system offers 1-1 iPads for our students, so that all children have access to technology in our district regardless of personal circumstances.  Though this could be transformative, currently the trend seems to encourage students to replace traditional activities, ie: reading and writing, with their iPads, more than to actually change the way we are teaching in my building.

Amplify: productivity and efficiency is improved without truly changing fundamental instruction

An example of using technology to augment instruction is having a digital textbook or magazine subscription, where students can read either from the physical resource in class or at home.  Many programs will read the words out loud to students, so that struggling readers can better follow along with the resource.  Also, my Social Studies class text book allows students to access additional content, including videos and primary source documents that can supplement their learning.  My class website is also a helpful augmented experience for students, as they can access lessons and resources online if they are home sick.  Finally, a digital plan book and grade book are great augmented resources for teachers, as they help me to quickly calculate and input grades from anywhere.  Online plan books are also great tools to collaborate with multiple instructors- allowing all of us to interact at the same time, and to have one calendar where all work, lesson plans and significant dates can be input.

Transform: technology offers a new way of teaching and learning that was previously impossible

Google Drive is an exceptional example of transformative technology in education.  We are now a Google School, and this allows students to each have their own e-mail address and Drive account.  This enables students to do so many things that weren't available previously:
 1) Have a safe e-mail address monitored through the school district when many are under age to do so otherwise, as the current age restriction is 13.
2) Collaborate online through a Google Doc or slides presentation, on separate devices, at the same time, even if they aren't in the same building as one another.  Teachers aren't using this enough yet to collaborate with other classrooms around the world in a safe and inclusive setting.
3) Save school work at home or in school without losing anything.  Students can create digital binders online through an effective folder system to help them better manage the content from their various classes.
4) Apps and Add-ons are a growing expansion of Drive that allows educators to rethink online learning with students.  For example, I use Google Forms to conduct quick surveys or to collect data from students more efficiently, but I can also use it to host quick quizzes to check-in on content. Further Add-ons such as Flubaroo allow me to automatically grade each quiz, or I can look to a resource like Gubric to allow me to grade longer writing assignments more efficiently and thoroughly than ever before.

Though these are just a few examples of the RAT framework, it provides a great deal of structure to how we are really using our technology currently to improve the educational opportunities of our students.

So the question remains- how are YOU using technology to promote student learning and engagement?  While the future of education is uncertain, it is clear that technology will have a transformative role in our classroom if we put in the effort to rethink our instruction.