Student Motivation and Technology

This discussion provides an opportunity to evaluate a variety of digital and assistive technologies for supporting diverse learners. Based on the required readings from Housand & Housand (2012), McCombs (2000), and Page (2002), you know that research shows that effective technology integration can support student motivation, engagement, and interest in learning. Furthermore, research has shown that through thoughtful integration of audio, video, and other media, instruction can be differentiated, ultimately increasing a student’s motivation to learn. To explore this research, in this discussion you will analyze how technology integration can be used as a method of intervention to meet the needs of diverse learners. To prepare for this discussion, review the Week Two Instructor Guidance and the Required Resources for the week. Next, access either The Teaching Channel or Edutopia and conduct a search using the key words “using technology for learning motivation” or similar. Select one video that can inform your response to the discussion points below. If for some reason you are unable to support your response to this discussion using the video option, please contact your instructor for an alternative way to complete this discussion.

Initial Post: Respond with an initial post that includes the following components:

Provide a link to the video you viewed and a succinct description of the video’s focus, such as the grade and/or ability-levels of students, the educator(s) involved, and the subject being taught (e.g., science or language arts). In at least one paragraph, describe how the technology is being used in the video and describe what you observed in the video that informs you that students’ motivation is increased or otherwise supported due to the use of the technology. Next, succinctly describe how the use of the technology promotes students’ engagement during the learning process. Finally, describe the extent to which the use of technology and its motivating factors outweighs the potential challenges the educator might face in acquiring the technology and learning how to effectively implement it. Guided Response: Post replies to at least two peers before the close date of this discussion. In your replies, consider asking questions of peers about their responses to encourage further conversation. View the videos of at least two peers. Reflect on how the technology used in their selected video promoted student engagement and motivation in the learning process. To what extent do you agree with their observations and impressions? Provide specific feedback regarding their perspective of student motivation versus the challenge of the educator acquiring and effectively using the technology. Remember, though two replies is the basic expectation, for deeper engagement and learning, you are encouraged to provide responses to any comments or questions others have given you, including those from the instructor, to further the conversation while also giving you opportunities to demonstrate your content expertise, critical thinking, and real world experiences with this topic.

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