Infused with Technology or Technology-Infused?

Confused? Wondering, “What’s the difference?” Let me explain. 
Infused with technology is what I refer to as our 21st century digital natives. Or, in plain English, children growing up today. They are infused with technology from birth (see my prior Blog entry “Teaching Students in the 21st Century”). 


On the other hand, technology-infused refers to a classroom that is equipped with (and making the most of) technology. It is a 21st century digitally enhanced classroom. So, what does a technology-infused classroom look like? A technology-infused classroom is one in which technology is integrated into lessons throughout the school day/year. Looking around one of these classrooms you would see 1:1 computers, laptops, or iPads for the students and teacher. A set of classroom student responders (clickers), a projection unit, a document camera, and an interactive whiteboard would all be present. 


And what would the students be doing in a technology-infused classroom? They would be involved in real-world authentic learning experiences. They would be working independently or in collaborative groups to solve an assigned problem or task. They might even be communicating with experts or others around the world via Skype. 


I plan to have a technology-infused classroom by volunteering to try out any new technology offered to me. (Which I actually already do and have done in the past.) Currently I have quite a bit of technology available in my classroom. I have a class set of responders, a projection unit, a document camera, and an interactive whiteboard. I also plan to ensure that I am exploiting these technology tools fully in my students’ learning process. Furthermore, I plan to try ad obtain some type of 1:1 technology hopefully through an online donation site or grant. 


I pledge to use the technology I have to meet (or exceed): my grade level standards, the common core standards, and the ISTE-NETS (the International Society for Technology in Education National Educational Technology Standards) for students/teachers!