Frameworks for Technology Integration

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"As the U.S. has become focused on standardizing learning and outcomes, making sure that students are using their time to meet learning goals is even more vital when integrating technology."

The Triple E Framework

What is it?

The Triple E Framework, developed by Liz Kolb, is a measurement tool that teachers can use to evaluate how effectively they use technology with the curriculum (Kolb, n.d.). The framework, oddly enough, contains three elements: engagement, enhancement, and extension. All three of these elements refer to the learning goals. Looking at engagement, teachers need to ask themselves how well they use technology to engage students with the material that leads to their learning goals. For enhancement, teachers should ask if they are using technology to enhance those goals, rather than just replace an existing technology (i.e. textbooks). And with extension, teachers consider how the technology takes the curriculum out of the classroom and into the real world.

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For lesson plans using the Triple E Framework
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Why is it important?

The past several years has seen an explosion of new technologies that target education, especially internet based products that can be used with the typical laptop or tablet. The potential to impact student achievement is huge. Today's student population comprises youths who grew up as "digital natives," having used smartphones and other web-enabled devices from a young age. Technology is their "thing," and it can be used to motivate students. As Kolb remarks, "Pragmatists like John Dewey (1897) pushed for learning to be embedded in the student's authentic everyday lives, socially constructed knowledge, active/hands-on learning and full of choice" (n.d.). So it makes sense that technology become an everyday part of the classroom experience.

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Unfortunately, most teachers don't fall into the digital native category, and tech use in the classroom is haphazard at best. This can create a problem, as "a significant body of research has also made clear that most teachers have been slow to transform the ways they teach, despite the influx of new technology into their classrooms. There remains limited evidence to show that technology and online learning are improving learning outcomes for most students" (Herold, 2016). 

There are frameworks that objectively measure technology products but there wasn't a framework to evaluate how effectively teachers incorporate that technology into the curriculum before the Triple E Framework, according to Kolb. "The type of tool selected is not nearly as significant as the instructional strategies a teacher creates when using the tools. Instead of tossing out effective teaching strategies when using technology tools, teachers who use technology effectively are able to integrate instructional moves to leverage better learning with the digital tools (Kolb, n.d.). Self evaluating one's ability to integrate technology into the curriculum is vitally important for the success of students. "As the U.S. has become focused on standardizing learning and outcomes, making sure that students are using their time to meet learning goals is even more vital when integrating technology" (Kolb, n.d.).

How did I do?

Since I am a paraprofessional in my high school's alternative education program, I decided to evaluate us as a team. Lockport Township Academy employs four teachers and five instruction paraprofessionals. Each student receives a school-issued Chromebook with Google's educational platform. Common apps used include Google Classroom, Docs, Slides and Drive, as well as YouTube and EdPuzzles. In addition, all the classrooms are equipped with large, networked TVs and high speed Wi-Fi routers. Considering this, I took the framework test. Shockingly, I rated our team as a 7 - some connection between goals and learning tools. 

Engagement in Learning Goals    Keep in mind, the student population at the academy comprises youths who have emotional disturbances/behavioral disorders. Engagement is a challenging part of our work. So, it is little surprise that we received the lowest score here  for some ability to help them focus without distractions. (1 point)

Enhancement of Learning Goals    The technology we use in the classroom tends to simply replace textbooks, DVD's, cassette recorders, and printed materials. However, some of the features of these tools do enhance the learning experience by offering students choice among differentiated materials, as well as the ability to explore subjects independently. And the ability for the staff to provide quick feedback helps with scaffolding. (4 points)

Extending the Learning Goals    The one, clear advantage to having school-issued Chromebooks is that students can access class materials from outside the school (although not always at home). (2 points)

Using these results, we can take the time to strategize ways to improve, particularly with engagement and extension of the learning goals.

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References

Herold, B. (2016, February 5) Technology in Education: An Overview. Edweek.org. https://bit.ly/3tnH2qi
Kolb, L. (n.d.) About the Triple Framework. tripleeframework.com. https://www.tripleeframework.com/about.html