COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN NEVADA

MAY 10TH, 2016

Doraisabel Gaxiola

Position Paper
Here at, ABC Community School we take the growth and development of our
students very seriously. Therefore, I stand here to show you how important it is for us and
our students to have access to the use of technology. There are many reasons why the use
of technology has grown so much in the past let us say ten to fifteen years. I mean if we
think about it as adults, especially us in professional fields, we are all required to be
proficient in word processing programs, spreadsheets and so on. Everything outside the
classroom requires our students to interact with technology. Technology and the use of it
have become inevitable. For many of these students, the use of technology is like second
nature, so my point is why constrain it?
There are many different factors as to why the use of technology is so beneficial
to both the teachers and the students. As well know by now as educators we only have a
short period of time to get through many different content and students only have a short
amount of time to learn it, understand it and apply their knowledge of tests. Just as an
overview lets look at the fact that most information is easily and more accessible through
the internet, its environmentally friendly with the lack of paper use, and as a note
dictated lecture can be presented in a manner that is less time consuming for both the
teacher and students. In addition to students being able to write down information from
the lecture, if a student is absent, he/she can easily obtain the content they missed from
asking for a copy of the content.
Now if you want to get technical about we go ahead and move down to a couple
of researches done by the Journal of Research on Technology in Education. They
conducted several studies about technology-enriched classrooms. They evolved around
the Effects on Students of Low Socioeconomic Status & The Influence of Teachers
Technology Use on Instructional Practices. The ESLSS consisted of treatment
classrooms which included a variety of technology hardware and software while control
classrooms did not. The sample was composed of 211 students of low socioeconomic
status and of various backgrounds, races, and ability levels. In this study alone it was
found that in areas such as mathematics achievement, composite self-esteem, school
self-esteem, and general self-esteem showed statistically significant differences, favoring
the treatment group.
As for The Influence of Teachers Technology Use on Instructional Practices, in
which I recommend everyone here to take a look at it in its entirety. This study
investigated the relationship between technology use and skills and the use of
constructivist instructional practices among teachers in rural schools and well the results
were phenomenal. It indicated that there is a significant, positive relationship between
both levels of classroom technology use and personal computer use and the use of
constructivist instructional practices. Teachers use existing technology to transform
classrooms into dynamic centers of purposeful and experiential learning that intuitively
move students from awareness to authentic action. The appropriate use of technology
can reinforce higher cognitive skill development and complex thinking skills such as
problem-solving, reasoning, decision-making, and scientific inquiry.
All in all, as we see when teachers thoroughly integrate technology into the
classroom, constructivist-learning environments can evolve. If we want our students to be
the best they can be, please allow them to learn and grow with the help of their teachers,
families and technological tools implemented in our classrooms.

Identification of Standards
All of the District, State & National standards have a few of basic ideas of things
in common. For example, they all focus on student learning and creativity,
communication and collaboration, research/ information fluency, critical thinking,
problem-solving, and of course digital citizenship. Across the elementary, middle and
high school grades I noticed that the most of the standards seem to have the same
objective with just more detailed and complex standards. I also noticed that standards
from Kindergarten, first & second grade are each broken down individually. While as
from third grade until 12 it only broken down four times (3rd grade, 5th grade,8th grade
and 12th grade), such as in the Nevada Computer and Technology Education standards.
According to the data obtained from the different standards I can understand why they are
broken down in such a way. Starting from third it gives students the basic foundation they
need to start with and by the time they reach 12th grade they are prepared enough to at
least say they are proficient in keyboarding, word processing, database/spreadsheet
programs. Not all standards are universal. Why, because each subject (Reading,
Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Language, PE, Music, Health,
Library, or Visual Arts), have their own set of standards, in which technology use is
required or can be implemented on the way or another.
For my lesson plan, Ive taken a look at The Next Generation Science Standards,
which are now the science national standards used in Nevada. My lesson plan will be
created around the 3-ESS2 Earths Systems, standards RI.3.1 & 3.MD.B.3.
-RI.3.1 Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text,
referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
-3.MD.B.3 Draw a scaled picture graph and a scaled bar graph to represent a
data set with several categories. Solve one- and two-step how many more and how
many less problems using information presented in bar graphs. (3-ESS2-1)
Ive decided to do a quick, fun and painless lesson on the water cycle and
clouds for my substitute teacher to conduct. Like Ive said before all standards can be
changed and technology use can be implemented. Thanks to my second standard,
3.MD.B.3, students will be able to use a computer to draw their water cycle module along
with using interactive websites to help them go over the different parts of the water cycle
and test them on the different types od clouds.
As for the ISTE Standards for Students, I will implement standards #1(Creativity
and innovation) & #3 (Research and information fluency) and standards #4 (Promote and
model digital citizenship and responsibility) for the ISTE Standards for Teachers.

 Name of lesson: Water Cycle & Clouds

Grade Level Appropriateness: 3rd grade
Technology Content Standard Addressed:

ISTE Standards for Teachers #4 (Promote and model digital citizenship and
responsibility)
ISTE Standards for Students, #1(Creativity and innovation) & #3 (Research and
information fluency)

Other Content Standard Addressed:

(4)3.1 - Investigate and describe the water cycle, including the role of the sun.
(4)3.3 - Investigate and describe how the earth is nearly spherical and covered
with more water than land.
Objective: Students will identify the amount of water on Earth, different clouds and
the steps of the water cycle.
Materials needed to facilitate the lesson: Anchor chart, Laptops/drawing program,
water text
Suggested group size: Full classroom (20-30 students)
Procedures:

Teacher will chose one student to read a paragraph of the text content and then
student will chose another student to read. (Water Foss Textbook)
Show students the basic water cycle on Smart board

Have students replicate modeled outline of each step on their laptops. Paint

Then have students go to Water Cycle (It will be in their science web launch pad)
have students add to their notes.
Once most of the class is done we can introduce the different types clouds and
how they are formed. Please go to Cloud Facts

Assessment:

Assessment will be carried out throughout the lesson in the form of

various activities.
o Vocabulary test on the water cycle.
o Clouds: Students will take quiz in Cloud Facts
The final assessment will be to have each student answer the following
question:

WHERE DOES WATER COME FROM AND WHERE DOES IT GO?

Students should be allowed to answer this question in a final project that would be chosen
from the following:

Draw or paint the answer to the question & use Paint or power point
graphically answer the question.
Or Write a life history of a raindrop.

. Student Sample that depicts what the student would be completing as a project if
they were given your instructions, and successfully completed your lesson. After you
author the lesson in section 4, complete it yourself as if you were a student. What
does the finished product look like?
For example, the items you turned into me all semester were student samples. There
was a lesson plan behind everything I had you do this semester, and the items you
turned in were the student samples. Now, you are doing the whole enchilada... You
are doing the research, creating an original lesson plan that makes
students actively use technology for a curricular purpose, and then once you are
done with sections 1-4, you are creating what you expect your students to create by
doing your lesson plan...Think of it as the visual aid, or the example you would show
your own students so they know what you are expecting them to create before they
began. This student sample will most likely be a separate file attachment when you
submit this final project for a grade to CANVAS.