Welcome to Applications of Technology: DQ 1 What is Technology Integration?

The meaning of technology is defined under Wikipedia as “…the making, usage and knowledge of tools, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or serve some purpose” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology) . Integration is basically defined as “Parts that make a whole”. So…technology is a system of components that serve as a function in our society today and was borrowed from earlier eras to serve the same purpose which is, make our lives a little bit easier in a thriving environment.  Integration came before technology was produced due to parts (components) that became a whole (integration) and can now function to serve its purpose (technology). In the classroom, students and teachers are all integrated into an environment that has its purpose such as society did then and now. We are all parts that will become integrated into a whole with the help and usage of technology. Technology in the classroom is a tool needed to support and aid in higher learning. An example of “Higher Learning” is achievable through the use of virtual tours that can take a class to China, India and the Himalayas without the cost. Technology in the classroom is another source teachers and their students must use to be able to survive and thrive in our societal environment just as our ancestors did and had to create it to survive in theirs. "Curriculum integration with the use of technology involves the infusion of technology as a tool to enhance the learning in a content area or multidisciplinary setting... Effective integration of technology is achieved when students are able to select technology tools to help them obtain information in a timely manner, analyze and synthesize the information, and present it professionally. The technology should become an integral part of how the classroom functions — as accessible as all other classroom tools. The focus in each lesson or unit is the curriculum outcome, not the technology." (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technology_integration#cite_note-2).

Technological integration of school curriculums, Smartboards, Document cameras, computers and such, are now the components our teachers and students need to become the whole in our classroom environment and into our societal one in the midst of our human need of survival