Can We Reach Them All?

As I listened to Wolfe (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011a) discuss how learning and memory are all about connections the thing that came to mind was social networking.  Perhaps this is because I had Facebook up on another tab, but also because of how it fits with the concept.  The brilliance behind such mainstays as Facebook, Twitter, and the likes is how thoroughly they are becoming integrated into our lives.  They pull together every group and everything we do from business to pleasure.  As teachers we must start thinking in a more web-like manner, connecting what we want student to know with what they already do know.  No longer can we rely on a linear path we like to call curriculum which starts with Chapter 1 in September and ends with chapter 38 in June.  One of the best ways to do this in the classroom may just be to start thinking more like the tools we use daily.

Along those lines, I tend to agree with Wolfe (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011a) that there is no such thing as a Homogenous group.  Look at your own children who have been raised in the same home, with the same gene pool, with the same values and you will see how you can get kids on each end of every spectrum.  Orey (2001) expounds the conundrum by discussing the eight accepted types of intelligences students may learn best by. Mix in the various learning styles, and shuffle up socioeconomic, racial, and cultural backgrounds and you will realize what a grab-bag our classrooms really are. How then can we teach them all the way they learn best?

The answer is that there is no simple answer.  However, as Orey (2001 & Laureate Education, Inc., 2011b) discusses, one key piece of the puzzle is technology.  Technology is evolving quickly.  Though this may scare many educators, it is also our biggest ally.  Advances in technology are allowing us to aid student learning by building connections and strengthening the ones that are already there.  For example, Wolfe (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011c) stresses the importance of emotional connections for retention of content.  In science there is nothing more powerful than watching raw footage and interviews of a tsunami that happened that morning when we are studying tsunamis in class!  As Orey (2001) describes various aspects of intelligences and learning styles, he constantly offers ideas for application involving technology.   From collaboration to journaling, graphics to music, technology gives educators more and more ways to reach kids the way they learn best.  I know there are hurdles to get over and hoops to jump through in order for technology to work its wonders, but I believe it is our best bet for reaching our students and keeping them motivated to learn.   

 Resources:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011a). Understanding the brain [DVD]. Bridging Learning Theory Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011b). Instructional theory vs. learning theory [DVD]. Bridging Learning Theory Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011c). Brain research and learning [DVD]. Bridging Learning Theory Instruction, and Technology. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Orey, M. (Ed.). (2001). Multiple intelligences and learning styles. Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page

Technological Reflections

The Perfect Online Teacher I Strive to Become

As I come to the close of another course for my master’s degree at Walden University, I wanted to share some thoughts about what I have learned and where I will take my classroom from here.  To start I would like to begin by looking at the technology I have been made much more aware of in terms of its use in a classroom. 

Blogs – Though they were not new to me, I did not realize how much potential they have for student learning.  Between the coursework and my own findings, I have thought of dozens of applications for them.  To name a few we have scientific journaling, a lab notebook that cannot be lost, and a discussion forum that will work not only between classes, but also between schools and even countries.  It was nice to discover how much administrative power we can still have in terms of access as well.  Blogs will definitely be a part of my new classroom.

Wikis – These were a technology that I had not spent time with outside of Wikipedia.  I now see them as an incredible tool to foster collaboration among students.  Again, I really liked the administrative options available, especially the power to see who posted what and when.  I have big plans for using Wikis in the immediate future with my classes.

Podcasts – This was another area I have very little experience with.  It was great to find useable freeware for editing and recording as well as posting. This is another one of those resources that would be a great outlet for students who may otherwise opt out of written assignments.  Podcasts also got me excited about looking into video editing for a classroom activity as well. 

Beyond the actual technology I have been introduced to, I have deepened my knowledge of teaching in several ways.  The most important of these has to be the realization that there are many more things that go into teaching than just covering content.  In order to be an effective, and current, educator, we need to be able to teach skills relevant to the 21^st century (see my post on the Partnership for 21^st Century Skills).  We must also prepare our students for a future filled with ever-advancing technology by holding them accountable to the National Education Standards for Technology (NETS) as defined by ISTE (see ISTE.org).  These are not just more to-do lists to throw up on a classroom wall, as implementation of these will require a complete metamorphosis of the class and the way it is taught.  As difficult as that will be, I have also realized that it is a necessity on a system-wide scale if education is to become relevant again.

One of the things that this change entails is a realization that a classic teacher-centered classroom, with the teacher up front constantly guiding the students, is not the best way any longer (if ever).  Instead, we need to shift to a way of teaching that is based around the students guiding the learning, rather than following a teacher.  Technology and implementation of 21^st century skills can foster this transition naturally.  However, it will be something that will take a lot of time and trials to truly master.  It must also be noted that this does not mean a teacher kicks back and relaxes.  On the contrary, our roll shifts into one where we actively guide students through the learning instead of preach from a pulpit.  In some ways this can actually be harder than the standard model as we need to be much more aware of where students are at and what they need help with (as opposed to teaching them all the same).

Most of the knowledge I have acquired in this class has been only skin-deep; a quick glance into what and how I should be teaching.  I am not knocking the class, just realizing that there is only so much they can show us in eight weeks.  Instead, a door has been opened that I must walk through on my own in order to affect student achievement.  The first step to this will be gathering more resources and knowledge.  Already, I have found several great blogs and websites that offer many great ideas.  Perhaps more effective than independent research would be the building of a community of colleagues who share a passion for technology integration and 21^st century skills.  However, both of these steps will be irrelevant if I do not immediately vow to practice and implement things into my classroom.  I have a belief that technology begets technology in the same way that knowledge begets knowledge.  In other words, the more I practice, the more I will learn, and the more I will use them more.  Additionally, I need to vow to freshen things up each year.  I cannot be content with doing the same activity the same way each year.  After dusting off each one, I need to look at where new technology and skills can be applied.

I believe the biggest stumbling block to the integration of many of the things I have discussed is the lack of technology and internet access in my district.  In order to overcome this, I have set two goals for the next couple of years.  The first is to convince my district to begin using, and invest in, wireless technologies.  As of now, there are no wireless networks in the district.  Most teachers have a laptop computer, but it must be plugged into an Ethernet port in order to get internet access.  In thinking about student use, and the rapid pace technology is moving, I believe wireless technology is imperative for my district.  This will mean compiling data to convince them that wireless networks are viable, safe, and cost effective, especially with N-wireless now readily available.  The second goal I am setting is to find a grant in order to get more computer access for my students.  Two (and a half) computer labs for 600 students does not cut it in today’s technological world.  The best option would be access to a Computer On Wheels (COW) cart, which is essentially a wireless hub with laptops that locks.  This way the school would have greater access and they would be much more user friendly for science classes where we can use laptops in a lab setting.

I can see that this course will certainly change the way I teach my classes.  As I look back at the checklist we completed during the first week of class, I see many areas where I said I “rarely” or “sometimes” do something that I will now do much more frequently.  Tying into the goals I just set above, I will make it a priority to: “Participate in developing a vision for technology integration” (Walden University, 2011), in my school and district.  This is something that I previously never thought of getting involved with, but now see as a requirement for furthering my student’s education.  Another area I see a change is how I: “Collaborate with students to explore and evaluate new and emerging technologies and investigate how these tools can be used to solve problems in real world environments” (2011).  Technology is not always a part of my curriculum, let alone emerging technologies.  However, through programs that this course has shown me and other things I have seen and wish to explore further, I believe I can get students involved in the online community to make real steps in impacting our community and world.

Resources:

Walden University (2011). Assessment checklist for technology integration practices. Minneapolis, MN: Author.

Student Technology Profile

This week I took the time to create a technology profile of the students at my old school.  I gave a survey to students to determine their access to technology at home at get their opinion about how the school is preparing them for a technology-centered future.  Check it out on my new PodBean account at:

HiSciTech Podcasts

Let me know how I did on my first Podcast as I would love some feedback!

Digital Natives in our Midst?

                Much like Sasquatch, the “Digital Native,” as coined by Prensky (2001), is a highly debatable subject.  I would love to call myself a digital native, but am I?  At twenty-seven years old, I come from a reasonably affluent family, meaning we had decent technology growing up.  However, that still means I remember playing Pirates on a Commodore 64.  My elementary days had monthly Mac lab days where we got to play one-color Number Munchers.  Even in high school, our Mac lab time was spent creating offline projects in Hyperstudio.  Cell phones were not really user friendly until the Nokia and StarTAC came out in high school.  Did I grow up in a digital world? Kind of.  For those that are older than I am, you would probably say yes.  However, if I think about what digital experiences kids nowadays are having from birth, I may fit more into the category of “digital immigrant.”

 AS we look for a clear definition, Prensky (2001) throws out a list of characteristics stating that:

Digital Natives are used to receiving information really fast.  They like to parallel process and multi-task.  They prefer their graphics before their text rather than the opposite.  They prefer random access (like hypertext).  They function best when networked.  They thrive on instant gratification and frequent rewards.  They prefer games to “serious” work.  (pp 3-4)

I agree with Prensky that this generally describes the students in my classroom today.  However, as a biologist I must disagree on his notion that the brains of digital natives are physically different.  Rather, I tend towards Davidson’s (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011a) view that while the way they process may be different, it is really just another way an organism is adapting to its environment, as opposed to the evolutionary jump that Prensky seems to be pushing for.  However, according to Dede’s (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011b) continuum, I must say that I fall into the category that believe that technology, like language, is learned much easier if you have access to it from birth as opposed to learning it later in life.  Even if you can learn it the same later in life, technology moves fast enough that you will never truly be able to catch up with someone who has been learning it since they were one.

As Thornburg (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011a) then questions, where do we draw the line for calling someone a digital native as opposed to a so-called digital immigrant?  I believe it has more to do with taking on the characteristics described in the quote above by Prensky (2001).  Take digital multi-tasking, the ability, or shall I say necessity, of having ten different programs and windows open while working on a project.  For me, it was not until college that I was able to master this skill, partly because the computers prior to that made having ten windows open nearly impossible.  Now, I have taken on this multi-tasking as part of life, both in and out of the computer world.  However, I do not do this half as well as younger students who have been exposed since birth.  As Prensky describes, I have a “digital accent” that may be faint, but is still noticeable to a younger, more digitally adept clientele.  Accordingly, I am going to draw the line for the earliest true “digital natives” as someone born in the mid to late nineties.  Though this could vary greatly depending on socio-economic group and many other factors, it was at this time that technology in the home truly became digital.  Home computers became fast enough and cheap enough to foster the skills previously described.  This would also put children born at this time at the perfect age for adapting social media once it bloomed earlier in this last decade.

                 

Even if I am a highly integrated digital immigrant, I am still going to deal with an ever-widening gap between my students and me.  I also agree with Dede (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011b) that we will see a larger variety of students in our classroom than we may have a decade or two ago.  This will not only be due to general technology knowledge but the fact that the technology is getting diverse enough that we may soon see student adept at niches far removed from another student ( ex: Web design vs. video editing).  This diversity is even greater at a low and mixed income school like mine.  There is no perfect answer, but I know it will have to do with a mix of general tech skills mixed with cutting edge.  I believe the shotgun effect may be the best choice, as we will never truly have enough time in the classroom to cover all technology options deep enough in class.  As more and more of our students become what Dede (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011c) calls “neo-millennial learners” we will best serve our populations by introducing them to a sampling of what is available and encouraging them to expand what they like outside of the classroom. 

P.S. After living in the Northwest for a few years I have determined that Sasquatch . . . is real!  

Resources:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011a). Digital natives vs. digital immigrants [DVD]. Available from Walden University.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011b). Today’s learners [DVD]. Available from Walden University.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011c). Millennial learning styles [DVD]. Available from Walden University.

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

21st Century Skills

This week I spent a lot of time on the website for the Partnership for 21^st Century Skills (www.p21.org).  What I found is a group deeply vested in the future of our education system.  It is an organization supported and founded by not only groups like the National Education Association and the U.S. Department of Education, but by corporations like Apple, Microsoft, Disney, and Verizon to name a few.  All of them share my own belief that: “There is a profound gap between the knowledge and skills most students learn in school and the knowledge and skills they need in typical 21^st century communities and workplaces” (http://www.p21.org/about-us/our-mission).  Together they have come up with a relatively simple “list” of skills and dispositions which students should leave the educational system with in order to succeed in the increasingly global world.  Beyond the skill identification, they have a slew of resources to help integrate these skills from the classroom all of the way up to national policy.

The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills, or P21, is not the first group to come up with such lists.  As we saw earlier this week, others such as David Thornburg (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011) have come up with very similar lists.  The beauty of P21 is not only their support and organization, but also the way in which they have wrapped the skills they deem so critical.  As opposed to an exhaustive list they have layered the main skills into four superseding categories for ease of application (see image at end of post).  The four categories are:

1) Life and Career Skills

2) Learning and Innovation Skills

3) Information, Media, and Technology Skills

4) Core Subjects – 3R’s and 21^st Century Themes

Each of these can be further divided, however these larger categories allow users a more practical beginning without being overwhelmed by another laundry list.  Though many of the smaller categories are not new, Creativity and Information Literacy for example, I appreciate the addition of values like Environmental and Health Literacy.  If P21 stopped here, with another list to add to the plates of educators, I would not give them much thought.  However, they have thought it through and realized in order to be effective in long-term application of these complex skills, a strong support system must be in place.  These include:

            1) Standards and Assessment

2) Curriculum and Instruction

3) Professional Development

4) Learning Environments

They realized that both students and staff are going to need support all of the way up the chain of command in order to integrate these skills successfully into our education system.  Along those lines, they provide an enormous amount of resources and links for support, ideas, and implementation guides for the classroom teacher up to the national policymaker.  I really like the series of self-assessments they offer educators and districts to see where they stand on implementation of 21^st century skills and guide them towards beginning implementation.     

One thing I did not agree with one hundred percent was P21’s push for virtual schools.  This may seem ironic coming from a student in an online graduate program, but hear me out.  As far as I can tell, P21 is pushing for virtual schools across all grade level and subjects.  I agree with them that virtual classes can be great for the right type of higher education program.  I also agree that they can be an incredible supplement for districts not able to offer a wide variety or advanced classes.  However, I cannot see virtual classes completely taking over as they are now.  There are still many advantages to being in a physical classroom with a teacher and fellow peers.  Even at higher levels, online education cannot replace all courses.  One reason I did not pursue a graduate program in biology online is that all of the programs currently offered online appeared to be a compromise in terms of equipment, research, and support.  I do see the value in offering some classes for upper grades, but do not see our society ready, socially or technologically, for a complete switch.

That point aside, the Partnership for 21^st Century Learning is spot on with what I believe I should be doing with my class.  I also believe they provide a ton of resources to help me get there.  The biggest challenge toward full integration is that to truly work, we need to apply 21^st century skills in everything and every way we teach.  This means that it cannot just go on in my science classroom, but must be system wide.  I am realizing that in order to succeed I cannot be a one-man army.  If we want these kids to really take on the skills they will need, we are going to have to push for change all of the way up.  This does not just mean my class, department, or even school.  We can plant the seeds there, but in order for our nation to be strong in the future, we are going to have to fight for nationwide implementation and support.  However, we have to start where we have the most effect, in our own classrooms.

Resources:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2011). Skills for the 21st Century [DVD]. Available from Walden University.

Partnership for 21^st Century Skills (P21). (2011).  Accessed at http://www.p21.org

Jigsaw Blogging

Recently, I have been looking into how to use blogs in my classroom. Through my master’s class at Walden University I have been introduced to several great resources to help get those creative juices flowing. At first, it sounds great to just jump into the computer lab and have students start blogging. However, Kathy Martin (Laureate Education, Inc., 2010), makes an excellent case for scaffolding the blogging process before jumping directly into the collaborative process. She discusses how students may seem familiar with “collaboration” through sites like Facebook, but how that is more of a journaling process. It takes practice to get students to realize the difference between “OMG ur post wz awesum,” and the formal language we expect in a classroom setting.

Taking this into consideration I believe blogging would be a great platform for a jigsaw activity. In my high school biology classroom, especially my honors group, I try to maintain relevance by using current articles and research related to the content we are covering. In a traditional jigsaw, students are placed in groups of usually four to six students. From here they break up into assigned groups to read and discuss a specific article, topic, or research project. After mastering understanding they return to their original group to summarize, respond, and teach what they have learned. Each student becomes a key piece of the puzzle. In theory jigsaw sounds great, however factors such as time, shyness, and lack of discussion are always an issue in getting the most out of the activity.

I believe that using blogs would be a great way to overcome many of the issues associated with jigsaws and help take students to a higher level of learning. You could set up the activity in the same manner as before, except it would be easier to do since you can simply link the resources rather than print copies. A blog group could be set up specifically for this assignment, or student blogs previously set up could be used. If the latter is the case students would need the names and links of the individuals in the group. It would work best to require an initial post to establish understanding of the content we are learning, for example natural selection. From here students would decide who is going to take on each piece and work individually read and research accordingly. Their second post would include a summary of their research and how it applies to the content we are covering.

Already, students will have breached many of the problems associated with standard peer-to-peer interaction. As an example, Richardson (2010) discusses how: “A blog gives them the opportunity to share in writing the ideas they may be too shy to speak” (p. 27). Students will also be able to re-read a summary if clarification is needed. However, the real power of using a blog comes in with the responses to these initial posts. Students will be asked to respond to their group member’s posts, adding in their thoughts about how that fits (or does not) to what we are studying. They will also be asked to make connections between what they studied and what their group members studied. Blogging will not only help them get over certain social obstacles, but allow for deeper connections and understanding in a way that would be difficult to reproduce offline. Finally, there is the hope of outside input. Even though students are working in set groups, their thoughts and summaries are online for anyone else to read and respond to.

I look forward to further thoughts, ideas, and questions.

Resources:

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

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Computer or the Egg

As we look at technology and its effects on society throughout the ages we see a general trend. Generally, a need is met by some form of technology, whether by study or by accident. This new technology improves the productivity of a group and therefore becomes mainstay, however rudimentary its origins are. It appears to me that the larger the society the more technology they are able to use and produce, stemming from the fact that a larger society will allow for more “free time” (in terms of agriculture, etc.) to work on such devices.

As we draw nearer to the present, the speed at which technology arrives has increased. In a sense, we see technology beget technology. In the past, technologies were a matter of survival or toys for a wealthy minority; it has now become mainstream. As we have entered into what Alvin Toffler (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011) called the Information Age the pace of technology has actually overcome the needs of society. We have switched from a time where a need created a technology to a point where technology creates a need. A large part of this comes from the capitalistic society we have created. Advertising is key, with companies convincing us that we cannot live without certain pieces of technology. This hunger for the latest and greatest simply feeds the creative minds pushing it. Inventors rarely stumble across a new technology, rather they are racing to discover and create it, funded by the corporations work for.

Look at all of the technologies in our lives that really are not necessities, yet people would laugh at you without. Microwaves for example are just considered a mandatory piece of the house. The same goes for dishwashers and refrigerators. Televisions have entire rooms designed around them. Planning for power, phone, cable, and Ethernet ports is an essential part of building a new home. This past year I was amazed, while registering for a new baby, how much stuff we “have to have” to raise a child. But this “have to” is driven by want and not necessarily by need. Could a child be raised without a Diaper Genie and Baby Bjorn? Yes, but it is so much more convenient if it is available.

As educators we must realize this trend. Technologies we grew up with in the classroom are no longer “wow factors” in lesson plans. Students are weaving technologies more and more into the fabric of their lives. Things our parents could not have dreamed of are becoming every day necessities in the mind of the children we teach. We cannot keep technology out of our classroom in the same way that our grandparents could not keep rock and roll off of the radio. As technology now drags us forward and we are told daily that we “need” the latest and greatest, we must remember that students are that much more immersed in this culture. We need to integrate these technologies into our classrooms not just to keep them relevant, but because they are becoming part of everyday life. Education as we know it is like a shark, if it does not keep swimming, it may die.

Resources:

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