My compelling question was derived from some of the problems that arose when I began my first teaching job. When I was in undergrad I was taught to teach with NO technology on chalkboards. I never thought that was a good plan because, I did not feel that it best prepared me to teach in the 21st century. When I walked into my first classroom I was shocked to see a chalkboard. They are so ancient that I really did not think that they were still making and installing them in classrooms. The shock didn't have time to dissipate before the panic set in when I noticed the SMARTboard. I began to think about the SMARTboard and the other technology resources available to me and became overwhelmed. My first job was teaching science to three classes and social studies to my homeroom. My students would moan and groan every time social studies was mentioned. I did not understand why students disliked social studies so much. I began my first teaching job in January and after a week of teaching social studies the was the previous teacher did I began to understand why students disliked all things social studies. Social studies instruction consisted of reading the text book and answering questions. Children are social creatures but, the instruction included NO interaction with other students, the teacher, or the subject being taught. I wondered: How can technology increase engagement, specifically in regards to social studies? I decided to apply to NC State to try to answer that question and achieve a goal. I always dreamed of teaching secondary social studies and elementary school. I never felt that I should have had to choose between my dreams, I always felt that people could dream and do more than one thing.
My journey here at NCSU has taught me that integrating technology is an important component directly tied to student engagement but, project based inquiry is important too. Students should be given opportunities to participate in PBI projects. The projects enable students to collaboratively investigate, think critically, and problem solve. I have found that through the use of PBI and technology integration students are much more engaged. I have also found that when students are more engaged they from longer lasting connections to the subject material they are learning. I personally have also seen a direct correlation between student engagement, information retention, and assessment scores. It is nice that test scores have increased but in the words of Roland Barth, "So if your school has succeeded in getting 95 percent of its students scoring at the 95th percentile on standardized tests, and, at the same time, students are leaving a teacher, a grade, or the school ‘burning their books’ saying ‘I’m done with this stuff; I’m outta here!’ then you have won a battle and lost the war. The price of the short-term success is a long-term failure (Barth 2001, p. 188, 17). Integrating technology and including project based inquiry as a form of instruction is instilling a love for learning in students that will set them on a path of a life long love of learning.
