The Most Important Element…Reflecting

My Reflection

As the course “The Impact of Technology” comes to a close, it is time to reflect on the last seven weeks. This course has been the most inspiring for me and makes me realize I need to begin to change my practices to become a better teacher for my 21^st century learners. While I consider myself to be a digital native, this course has given me the time to play with web tools, such as blogging and wikis, that I have always considered myself too busy for. I have read blogs and wikis, but never taken the time to create my own, to experience sharing my thoughts with the world.

This course has allowed me to develop my technology skills by giving me time to look at web tools and realize the power they have for the classroom if used appropriately. I have now taken the time to play with Garage Band in order to create a podcast, create RSS feeds, use a reader to track websites I regularly frequent, blog, and create a wiki. I have examined how these resources are used by other teachers and now have ideas of how I can use them within my own classroom.

I have realized that the teaching and learning process has changed. I was taught with little technology, even though I had technology available at home. As the years have passed, technology has become more ingrained within homes than ever, yet school systems have stayed the same. Outside of the school system, when I want to learn how to do something, the first place I look is the web. If I am sick, I can simply look up my symptoms. If I want to buy a new electronic gadget for my house, I go on the web to read reviews and compare prices. Information and opportunities to learn something new are at my fingertips. This is the same for my students. While education still has standards in each subject matter to address, learning is not something you have to wait to do at school. It can be done anytime, and practically anywhere. Teachers need to bring this mindset into the classroom and give students the opportunity to learn in the ways they know how and that interest them.  As a teacher, I am no longer the expert in the room; there is potential to have 34 plus experts.

The education system needs to embrace this mindset. The classroom needs to be shifted from teacher-centered to student-centered. Since this course has begun, I have done two activities that are solely student-centered, and the results gave me goose bumps. Students are very capable when given guidance and the correct tools and it is in those moments that students are given the opportunity to really learn. Student-centered is the way of the future, and districts, schools, and teachers need to get on board.

As this course comes to a close, I have begun to make plans on how to continue my personal development when it comes to educational technology. For one, I will continue to use the web to further my own professional development. There are many websites and blogs to explore that discuss the integration of technology and I will continue to surf these to get ideas. In my classroom, I will integrate the web tools that have been the most inspiring in this course, such as blogs, wikis, and podcasts. Through trial and error, I will find which tools will work best within my curriculum and have my students give input on how they would like to use these tools to further their education.

My Goals

My first goal is to get my students emails, so that we can create wikis, utilize Google docs, and more. This goal is already in the works. I have a meeting with my district’s technology coordinator (tomorrow actually) and a meeting with my school’s technology coordinator to set up my class wiki while still being compliant with my district’s policies. If I am successful, my goal is to begin teaching my students the skills needed immediately so that we can begin using these tools. If I cannot achieve this goal, I will use other web tools, such as blogs, which students can utilize with or without a school email address.

My second goal is to empower my students. As Marc Prensky states in “Listen to the Natives,” schools need to include students on making decisions regarding curriculum development, teaching methods, etc. Our students know what the world of technology offers and are great assets, which we need to utilize. While I will continue to explore web tools that will increase student achievement, I will also have my students help me develop ideas.

How have I changed?

When this class started, I was not involved in developing technology skills within my school. Since my class, I have joined my school’s technology committee and am now involved in making decisions regarding educational technology for my school. I am sharing what I have learned in this course with my co-workers and administrators to gain their support and help lead our school in the right direction.

I am now engaging my students in dialogue about technology, talking about appropriate uses of technology, and beginning to integrate technology in meaningful ways. As I continue to learn more, collaborate with colleagues and students, and experiment with technology in order to determine best practices, I will continue to change and evolve. 


Reference:
Prensky, M. (2005). Listen to the natives. Educational Leadership, 63(4), 8-13. 

"In what other profession..." by David Reber

David does a great job pointing out the fact that teachers are often overlooked when analyzing and critiquing education. Last time I checked, if you want to know about a profession, you go to the people working within it. This article is written by a teacher who writes from his heart. Read the article, tell me what you think...


"In what other profession..."by David Reber

Technology Podcast

P21, Education, and 21st Century Skills

Looking at the website of Partnership for 21^st Century Skills, I had mixed emotions.

Their mission is a wonderful idea that I wish could be implemented instantly in schools throughout our nation. Simply put, the Partnership for 21^st Century Skills’ mission is to bridge the gap between what students are learning in school and what skills they will need when they join the working world. They state that schools need to combine the 3 R’s (reading, writing, arithmetic) with the 4 C’s (critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity).

[Click here for a direct link to P21’s mission.]

This all sounds great! Partnership for 21^st Century Skills (P21) offers a wealth of information about how 21^st century skills are needed, which I full heartedly agree with. But like most education reforms, implementing 21^st century skills will cost money. This is when my mixed emotions came in…

P21 offers professional development and guides for how to get started, but what it comes down to is that schools and districts will need to invest money and time to make a school wide change. The main cost will come from informing and providing professional development for teachers. Right now in the current climate, because 21^st century skills are not tested, I do not see the implementation P21 suggests to be realistic.

Luckily, I am working at a school that is an International Bachelorette candidate school, which means we are working on transforming the way we teach so that students become effective global society members. When reviewing the P21 Core Toolkit, I found that some of the example lesson starters were similar to lessons/projects I am already beginning to integrate into my teaching. What was pleasantly surprising about some of the sample lesson starters offered in the toolkit, is not all of them require technology to be available. Some of the lessons were focused on critical thinking skills (real-life contexts) that anyone can implement in their classroom easily. While learning how to use technology is important, some schools do not have technology available, so it is encouraging to know that  21^st century skills cant still be taught.

I recommend that anyone who is interested in implementing 21st century skills, check out this website. Regardless of whether or not this model will be implemented, it offers a wealth of information on why 21st century skills should be integrated in curriculum. I also recommend checking out their resources for educators (Route 21) because it offers a variety of input from what appears to be many community members. While, I think this resource database is at first hard to navigate, I did come across some worthy reading material on 21st century skills. 

Blogs? In the classroom?

This week I have been thinking about how to use blogs in the classroom...

Blogs are a foreign territory for me. I've heard about them, read some occasionally, but nothing more. As I have been reading, "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms" by Will Richardson, I've realized there are tons of things I could be doing!

For my 6th grade science class, I am thinking that a blog would be a great place to have discussions about what we have been doing in class! Also, there are many times my students want to know more, but unfortunately with strict pacing guides in place, we are forced to move on. 

I would use a blog to have students respond to questions and expand on concepts they wish we could have covered. Not only would this serve as a fun way to think critically about science, it would also give students a chance to be independent learners and thinkers. 

While I do not see the use of blogs as a homework activity, as some of my students do not have access to the Internet, it would be a great way to get students to talk and write about science in class. For my Master’s program, I watched a video this week of a teacher using blogs in the classroom. It was amazing to see groups discussing their answers before writing their blog responses!

Then, today in my science class, I experienced a situation that blogs would be great for! We were talking about the layers of the Earth and a student asked, which is hotter: the sun or the core of the Earth. That question would make a great blog post! A blog would allow my students to post about what they are curious about, giving students the chance to be independent and curious learners!

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

An Interesting Point of View

If you are like me and don't always feel great about our education system and are interested in change...then this is the video for you.

Technology-An Overwhelming Concept for Education

We are surrounded by technology. In my house alone you can find eight devices in which I can access the Internet. I am constantly using technology in my life. Yet, technology has not made its way into my teaching. Yes, I have and use a document camera and laptop and often use Power Points to teach concepts. But, my students are not given the chance to use the technology in school that they use at home. It is my goal for this blog to offer a perspective as I delve into the world of technology in my classroom. I will share my triumphs and my failures and hopefully some of you will be willing to share your stories.