Adventures in Art and Technology

Steckel, B., Shinas, V. H., & Van Vaerenewyck, L. (2015). Artistic Technology Integration: Stories From Primary and Elementary Classrooms.  Reading Teacher ,  69 (1), 41-49. The authors of the article visited with teachers to discuss the ways they integrate technology into their classrooms. They also gave 6 guiding principles, or recommendations, for integrating technology into your own classroom.  The first teacher to be interviewed was Elizabeth.   Her kindergarten students are learning about Middle Eastern culture.  Elizabeth uses technology to fully immerse her students into the culture they are studying.  For example, the students are reading the blog of a National Geographic journalist who is traveling through the Middle East and posting questions for him to answer.  After reading his response they listened to music from the Middle East, imagining they were traveling in a camel caravan.  Technology allowed her students to make a connection to a culture unlike their own.