Reflection on Views of Technology

Recently I completed a Master’s course related to using educational technology in the classroom. This course helped me not only learn more about educational technology, but to develop my own technology skills as well. I had the opportunity to create this blog and post comments to my classmate’s blogs. This was a new experience for me, but was very simple and taught me how easy a weblog can allow students to communicate with others around the world. In addition, I enjoyed the process of creating my first ever podcast. This audio podcast required me to record my students’ voices and edit their comments with software, thus giving me first-hand experience into the world of podcasting. Finally, I participated in a wiki to complete a class project. This assignment let me see how easy it is to collaborate with someone who I have never met. Participating in these three experiences helped me expand my technology skills as a professional teacher. By working with these useful tools, I better “understand the pedagogical implications for the classroom” (Richardson, 2010, p. 9).

Through this course, I have deepened my knowledge of the teaching and learning process. A teacher’s role needs to shift from a lecturer to one who facilitates instruction (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010d). This creates a classroom that is student-centered. With this set-up, an effective educator guides class discussions and provides opportunities for students to solve problems and manage their own learning (Keengwe, Onchwari, & Wachira, 2008). In this situation, a teacher can learn alongside their student and it gives students opportunities to develop 21st century skills (Partnership, n.d.). Another characteristic of a student-centered classroom is one that is individualized for each student. At first I thought accomplishing this was a daunting task, but technology helps educators “personalize, differentiate, and deliver a more flexible” curriculum (Trilling, 2005). Technology reaches all learning styles and can be employed in a variety of ways. The learning process has changed because teachers are no longer boring students in front of the classroom, but student are becoming engaged and in control of the material and making their own connections (Laureate Education, Inc. 2010a).

Although I learned more than expected through this course, there are a few ways to expand my knowledge of integrating technology into the classroom. In this class, my peers provided me with various links to websites and blogs related to educational technology. I am in the process of subscribing to the RSS feeds of these sites to help me stay updated on current ideas and trends (Richardson, 2010). After receiving this information, I can decide what works best for my third grade classroom. Secondly, I am majoring in Educational Technology and further courses will provide me with additional insights into becoming a better educator and incorporating technology into the classroom. Lastly, is my own process of leading with technology. To accomplish this task, I want to try using different resources available and to teach others how to use them. Just as Richardson (2010) mentions “it wasn’t until I fully understood how these technologies could facilitate global connections..., and how they could help me create powerful learning networks and communities that I was able to see what needed to change” (p. 8-9). Some of my colleagues are unaware of the tools available and it will be easy to show and discuss with them what I have learned. Through these three tasks, I believe my knowledge of teaching, learning, and leading with technology will expand greatly.

Based upon my new knowledge, I have decided to set two long-term goals related to transforming my classroom environment. My first goal centers on using more digital tools in the classroom. I personally believe that we are teaching a new type of learner that uses technology often at home. Teachers need to “allow students to use these tools to find information” while they are at school (Prensky, 2008, p. 45). I think of how much my third graders benefit from looking up words in a dictionary during writing time, but how they struggle with finding the words due to small print. A teacher at my school has an electronic dictionary for each of her students. They can type the word into the device and immediately receive its definition and synonyms. This is just one example of how teachers can “adapt materials to the language of Digital Natives” (Prensky, 2001, p. 5). Acquiring tools like the above is difficult with the current state budget cuts of Arizona, but with outside funding it could be possible. I plan to apply for a grant which will help me attain various tools like the above.

My other long-term goal may be more challenging to accomplish although it is free. My school district has recently implemented a strong internet filter that blocks quite a few websites. Although I know that the internet has inappropriate content, this strong filter blocks appropriate websites that are beneficial to my students and me. It can be difficult to integrate technology into the classroom when blogging and communication websites are blocked (Richardson, 2010). I would like to set-up a way for teachers to get websites unblocked if they can justify the reason for their use in the classroom. This may be difficult to accomplish as some district personnel may think the bad on the internet outweighs the good. To support my position, I would like there to be a standard internet safety course taught by the media specialists at the beginning of the school year. This way every teacher and student will have the same expectations for what is allowed and what someone should do if they come across material that is inappropriate. Hopefully, I can accomplish this goal within the next school year so my students and I have access to more beneficial websites than we do now.

During the first week of my Master’s course, I completed a self-assessment checklist (2010) about my teaching practices in regards to technology. Some of my answers have changed during the eight weeks of this course. For example, I originally marked that sometimes I select and share new tools with others in my workplace yet this response has already improved. Just yesterday I spent time showing my grade level team what a wiki was and how I plan to implement it into my classroom. They immediately saw the benefits and were so appreciative that I shared this tool with them. This has motivated me to continue to share resources and to be open to suggestions from others as well.

Another one of my responses that changed on the assessment checklist (2010) was requiring student collaboration. I rarely have students work together, but Dr. Dede discussed that collaboration has changed in regards to whom and how we communicate (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010c). Having students work with others does not always require noisy group work at desks in the classroom where some students may not be doing their share. 21st century collaboration can be online and with people from all over the world (Richardson, 2010). I already plan on introducing blogs to my students and letting them use wikis. Both these tools will allow my students to collaborate with others without the classroom getting too noisy and letting my easily keep track of who is doing their part of an assignment.

Finally, my initial response about students sharing and presenting information in multiple ways was rarely. Usually my students would talk in front of the room or have a Microsoft PowerPoint to present. Dr. Thornburg stated that we need to stop doing things differently and start doing different things (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b). My students should not continually make slide shows, but they can start sharing and presenting with podcasts. They can also share ideas through class blog postings and wiki discussions. Recently, I came across a website called Prezi (http://prezi.com/) that lets students create moving presentations online. There are numerous multimedia tools available and I need to make my students aware of them and give opportunities for my class to share and present with these different tools.


References

Keengwe, J., Onchwari, G., & Wachira, P. (2008). The use of computer tools to support meaningful learning. AACE Journal, 16(1), 77–92.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Program number 23: Bringing the fun into teaching with technology [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Program number 1: Emergence of educational technology [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Program number 11: Skills for the 21st century [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Program number 22: The changing role of the classroom teacher: Part 2 [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/downloads/P21_Report.pdf

Prensky, M. (2001a). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5).

Prensky, M. (2008). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40–45.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Self-assessment checklist [Lecture notes]. (2010). Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/56607/CRS-CW-4769808/Artifacts/6710_Techchecklist.pdf

Trilling, B. (2005). Towards learning societies and the global challenges for learning with ICT. TechForum. Retrieved from http://www.techlearning.com/techlearning/pdf/events/techforum/ny05/Toward_Learning_Societies.pdf

Podcasting about Technology

Will Richardson stated that you need to “experience what you are asking students to do” (2010, p. 117).  HERE you will find a link to my first ever podcast! This required some time and practice but I found the process to be very simple. Initially, I spent a bit of time practicing using my laptop’s microphone. Once I felt comfortable, I interviewed three of my students about the technology they have at home and at school. After completing each interview, I put all three together. Using Audacity software, I edited the responses and also added in my own commentary. The editing was the most tedious part but you do not need any experience to understand what to do. It was pretty easy to figure out the features of the software.

This was a great experience for me to practice my podcasting. My students would enjoy podcasting. Even though they are only third graders, I could easily see all of my students recording and publishing to the web. I do not believe they could edit too much but I think this would be an effective way to let my students collaborate and be creative with content.

Reference

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Partnership for 21st Century Skills Website Review

I spent time browsing and reading through information on the website Partnership for 21^st Century Skills.  Although this site was a bit difficult to navigate at first, I found some interesting information.  I also liked the resources available to educators. 

In the Overview tab, the website introduces the viewer to Route 21 (http://www.p21.org/route21/index.php), a quick guide about 21^st century tools and resources.  I noticed that one of the components was Professional Development.  Teachers need training in instructional technology and 21st century skills so they can learn how to embed these skills into their classroom and also have a support system (Miners & Pascopella, 2007).  Unfortunately, it is more up to the state and district to provide programs for teachers to get needed training.  With budget cuts, it seems less likely that teachers will be given much needed development.  The responsibility is placed more upon the teacher to go out and seek for courses and workshops to improve our knowledge on 21^st century skills.  I appreciate the fact I am going for my Master’s in Educational Technology as I am being given an opportunity to strengthen my skills more and continue to learn about integrating technology into the classroom.  I worry about those who cannot afford this avenue and how they will be given support.

Along the top of this website is a tab titled State Initiatives.  My state of Arizona was listed so I checked it out for more information.  I knew my state had adopted a technology plan but I was unsure of the details.  I learned that Arizona had adopted technology standards and they are supposed to be becoming embedded into the curriculum.  However, I have not heard anything about this and have not received any training in how to do this.  The site talked about our previous governor, Janet Napolitano, and how she had planned to create professional development opportunities for teachers to learn about embedding 21^st century skills into the classroom (Partnership for 21^st Century Skills, n.d.).  I have not seen this happen and I wonder why there was not more recent information from our current Governor, Jan Brewer.  It makes me concerned that it is not a priority in my state.

Something else that struck me was the Assessment section about Arizona.  It mentions how plans are in place to assess 21^st century standards and skills.  However, all these items are going untested right now which is going to make it challenging to achieve real change (Miners & Pascopella, 2007, p. 28).  A part of me feels that people are doing a lot of talking about what we should do than actually doing anything about it.  However, I read a powerful statement that stated: “strategic long-term planning now to integrate 21^st century skills…will be more effective in the long run than adding them piecemeal later” (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, n.d.).  This is an idea I struggle with agreeing to although I see their point.  We do not want the wrong type of assessments, curriculum, and standards put into our schools just to remove them later on and retrain teachers on a new system.  We need to have an effective plan in place and then integrate it.  I just do not want to see us taking too long only to have to have the technology keep changing.

One area I was concerned about was the fact that schools are in different situations economically.  This site made it seemed like everyone needed all the technology available to succeed in integrating these 21^st century skills.  However, the site mentions that there is not a perfect approach to teaching these skills and that every district must decide what is best for them considering their circumstances (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2007).  I liked that they mentioned this to help relieve pressure that some readers may have been accumulating.

As a teacher, I need to be willing to modify my instruction, assessment, and curriculum to help my students acquire these 21 century skills (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010).  It requires patience from me and my students but it will be worth it in the long run.  The public school system currently has a gap between what we are teaching our students and what they need to know to be successful in the workplace.  I need to make some changes and I cannot always do things the way I have done them.  This change will help my students acquire the skills they need to survive in school, jobs, and life.  I only see the benefits this will have for my students as young as they are.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Program number 11: Skills for the 21^st century  [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Miners, Z., & Pascopella, A. (2007). The new literacies. District Administration, 43(10), 26–34

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2007). 21st century curriculum and instruction. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/route21/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=13&Itemid=228&limitstart=1

Blogs in the Classroom

I was thinking about how I might use a blog in my third grade classroom.  I worry that my students are too young to use blogs to their fullest extent.  However, I still want them to have access to our class blog and get familiar with how to use it.  I think I would primarily use a blog as a class website with access to various materials and a place for communicating with others.

First, I would use the blog as a place for students and parents to find out more about our class.  It would be like a class portal to place classroom rules, homework assignments, class photos, upcoming events, and more (Richardson, 2010).  I currently have a class website (http://www.husd.org//site/Default.aspx?PageID=4748) that allows for this, but it does not let parents or students leave comments.  I know that parent involvement is important for student success in school (November, 2008).  Having a blog would allow parents and students to give feedback on lessons and projects.  It allows students to share what they have learned and what they still want to know more about.  Those who access the blog could provide additional ideas, links, and resources that “truly expand the wall of the classroom” (Richardson, 2010, p. 27).  This blog lets parents communicate with other parents and could allow for extended family members to stay updated on our classroom.  What a great tool, not available in the past, to keep the lines of communication open with everyone.  As Dr. David Thornburg has mentioned we are in the communication age where increased collaboration is occurring due to the internet (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010b).

In addition, I would post rubrics and homework assignments on the blog.  This way students and parents have continuous access to these materials and can always print another copy if students misplace their copy (Richardson, 2010).  This is something I currently do on my website, but I have concluded I could use a blog to post PowerPoints I showed in class or post websites students can access to supplement their learning.  This could enhance the day’s lesson as some students might go home and access these materials for additional practice or learning.  Finally, I would love to post a weekly summary of what we did in class and what students have been learning.  Hopefully this posting will not only keep parents updated, but might initiate further comments.  These weekly posts would be an excellent archive of the learning we have done all year long (Richardson, 2010).

I do not think I would use a blog too much for instruction or for student assignments.  I think my students are too young as third graders.  I might start students off small having them comment on a lesson or write a review of a book they enjoyed.  I think once they begin blogging they will become engaged and start doing it on their own.  Of course, I feel like I would have to take time to teach them blog etiquette and how to comment on other’s blogs (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010a).  I would be open to any suggestions others might have on using blogs with younger students.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Program number 6: Spotlight on technology: Blogging in the classroom [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2010). Program number 3: The 3rd wave [DVD]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore, MD: Author.

November, A. (2008). Web literacy for educators.  Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Welcome!

This is my first blogging experience.  I started this blog as a place for educators from around the world to discuss how they use technology in the classroom.  There is so much technology available and it seems more resources are created every day.  I want to have a place where teachers can communicate on the technology they find most effective and to discuss ideas on how to integrate it into the classroom.