What is TIM?
The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) provides a framework for describing and targeting the use of technology to enhance learning. The TIM incorporates five interdependent characteristics of meaningful learning environments: active, collaborative, constructive, authentic, and goal-directed. These characteristics are associated with five levels of technology integration: entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion, and transformation. Together, the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments and five levels of technology integration create a matrix of 25 cells, as illustrated below:
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Students are actively engaged in using technology as a tool rather than passively receiving information from the technology.
Active learning is when students use the information as they receive from the faculty. Students create notes, write reflections and discuss their learning with each other. Interactive teaching, group work, case studies are some effective pedagogies in this type of learning environment. The goal is to move from passive use of technology to active use of technology.
Let's look at different examples to understand how each of these lessons have been implemented using varying levels of technology integration in the classroom.
A comprehensive Active Learning Resource can be downloaded here.
Click on your department/discipline to view lesson plans developed using technology integration.
Students use technology tools to collaborate with others rather than working individually at all times.
The Collaborative characteristic describes the degree to which technology is used to facilitate, enable, or enhance students’ opportunities to work with peers and outside experts. This characteristic considers the use of conventional collaborative technology tools as well as other kinds of technology tools that assist students working with others. Schoology Discussion Boards, Blogs, ePortfolios and G-Suite Applications enable collaborative learning. The goal is to move from individual use of technology to collaborative use of technology.
Find your discipline/department tab and view the technology integrated lesson plans.
Students use technology tools to connect new information to their prior knowledge rather than to passively receive information.
The Constructive characteristic describes learner-centered instruction that allows students to use technology tools to connect new information to their prior knowledge. This characteristic is concerned with the flexible use of technology to build knowledge in the modality that is most effective for each student. For example, connecting with students through their preferred social media tools, using online/cloud tools that enable project management, mind mapping and hypermedia representation of student learning. The goal is to move from content-centered use of technology to learner-centered use of technology.
Students use technology tools to link learning activities to the world beyond the instructional setting rather than working on decontextualized assignments.
The Authentic characteristic involves using technology to link learning activities to the world beyond the instructional setting. This characteristic focuses on the extent to which technology is used to place learning into a meaningful context, increase its relevance to the learner, and tap into students’ intrinsic motivation. Examples include: meeting with an expert, virtual field trips, blogging for a business etc. The goal is to move from a de-contextualized use of technology to contextualized use of technology.
Students use technology tools to set goals, plan activities, monitor progress, and evaluate results rather than simply completing assignments without reflection.
The Goal-Directed characteristic describes the ways in which technology is used to set goals, plan activities, monitor progress, and evaluate results. This characteristic focuses on the extent to which technology facilitates, enables, or supports meaningful reflection and metacognition. Examples include making classroom rules together, creating goals for learning, daily learning agenda etc. The goal is to move from a conventional task-oriented use of technology to productivity-oriented use of technology.