Apply and Discover 2.2

Because students coming into our classrooms are digital natives who have grown up with technology at their fingertips, it is unrealistic—not to mention unwise, and maybe downright unfair—to expect these students to unplug and power down when they go to school each day. 


They have become accustomed to a fast-paced world where they have random-access to information, as opposed to the linear approach textbooks offer.  They have become practiced experts at multitasking, parallel processing, and networking.  What can appear to be a short-attention span is, in reality, a different way of thinking.  Instead of fighting this, we can incorporate technology to capitalize on the skills students possess.  


We can use sites like TodaysMeet and Sync.in to create opportunities for collaboration among students. TodaysMeet allows students (and teachers) to hold a backchannel chat during a class.  Why would we want students to "chat" during a class?  Because it allows them to process information in a collaborative manner.  They can ask and answer questions, discuss application of information, and internalize the lesson.  Sync.in (and other similar sites) allow students to collaborate on a single document, and also has a chat feature on the screen.  I've used this site when students have worked together to answer interpretive questions about literature.  I can post a number of questions about a book or story, and use the chat feature to ask probing questions as they work.  Students can add to each other's answers, and jump from question to question when they have ideas to contribute.  When using this site, I found that not only was student engagement much higher than during a traditional class discussion, but I could also post a link to the collaborative document on our classroom Moodle page.  Unlike a whiteboard that is erased at the end of the period, students had continued access to all of their ideas.  


Integrating technology allows teachers to better meet the needs of all learners in the classroom.  Today's devices offer more opportunities than ever to hook visual and kinesthetic learners, and students with special needs can seamlessly access support.  

Alphasmart

When I began my teaching career, students whose fine motor skills impacted their ability to hand-write work were obligated to carry around an Alphasmart for word processing.  These were provided by the special education department and were generally reserved for students with IEPs.  They hated it.  And no wonder.  For one, only a few lines of text showed on the screen at a time and it was cumbersome to print their work (requiring connection to a PC).  Most importantly, though, it was like carrying around a big label that said "I'm a special ed student" and was a constant reminder of their disability.


Today's devices, on the other hand, are not only more user-friendly and have greater capabilities, but they also have the cool factor.  And cool factor is big, especially among middle school students.   


Integrating technology is fast becoming a non-negotiable in education.  It is no longer just a matter of trying a new program or device every once in a while; it requires a paradigm shift in our way of thinking about curriculum, about our instructional practices, and about students themselves.  We can’t expect digital natives to change their way of thinking when they enter the school building, so we have an obligation to change our ways in order to meet their needs.