Technology Integration Ideas for Language Arts

1. Using desktop publishing software, such as Microsoft Publisher, allow students to create a newspaper on books, periods in literature, or famous authors.

2. Using presentation software, such as PowerPoint, insert digital images and use the presentation as a teaching tool to generate class discussion, for journaling activities, or to accompany discussion of literature topics, such as an author’s biography or style of writing.

3. Have students research a topic and create an electronic scrapbook of information about that topic through the use of PowerPoint.

4. Students can use Netscape Composer, a free web editor in the Netscape browser, to create web pages on any topic. These pages can be linked to the school web page, the teacher’s web page, or to the teacher’s eChalk class page. Students will write readily if they see that their stories will be published online.

5. Use the digital camera to produce pictures that will generate stories from children. Students can take their own pictures, then write a story. Have children summarize information from a field trip from the digital images taken during the trip.

6. Have children write poems which they illustrate with pictures drawn in the Paint program found on all CCSD computers. These pictures and and illustrations can be put into PowerPoint for a class book or as an attraction for Parent Night.

7. Create a PowerPoint class Big Book. The children group write with the teacher who then puts the words on multiple PowerPoint slides. Clip art or student drawings can be used to illustrate the class book. The books can be stored on CD’s or on the class computer to be read during center time.

8. Take digital pictures of the illustrations in a read aloud book. Put each digital picture on a separate PowerPoint slide. As the teacher reads the book aloud, the PowerPoint slides can be clicked to move along with the reading. The students delight in seeing the big pictures of the story.

9. Use the editing tools in Microsoft Word to edit student essays. You can even put in secret messages with hidden comments. Speech bubbles with editing comments delight students.

10. Do grammar exercises on the computer. Have students change the font color of all nouns to red and all adjectives to blue in the sentences in a Word document. Then students can email their work to the teacher for a grade.

11. Use student email, available to all CCSD students through eChalk, to practice letter writing, for writing exercises with pen pals, for “finish the story” group writes, and more. Email is a good way to get students to write for a variety of reasons.