Apply and Discover 11.1

By putting many of the concepts of this course into action, I’ve found myself changing as a teacher.  I have tried to remain current with my knowledge of available technology, so the difference for me was not so much in learning about new tools (although I do have a few new ones in the ol’ toolbox) but instead about changing the way I use that technology—or more specifically, the ways in which I encourage my students to use technology. 

I’ve become much more flexible in letting students explore the ways in which technology works for them, instead of expecting everyone to use it in a particular way (my way).  I am the kind of person who, by nature, likes things a certain way; I’m organized and linear and in the past I’ve kind of expected everyone else to be too.   But more and more over the past couple of months, I’ve found myself saying to my students, “Whatever works best for you.”  Or, instead of leading them through certain steps, I’ll point out a bunch of resources at the beginning of class and say, “Use these to help you as you work, and let me know when you need me.” This has transformed my classroom by allowing students to capitalize on their own learning styles, and has given me the freedom to interact with students one-on-one. It allows to watch students as they are in the process of applying skills; I can intervene when I need to, provide additional supports, and get a better grasp of where students are struggling.

These changes in my approach are a direct result of gaining a better understanding “digital natives.” Schrum and Levin (2009) argue that 21^st century skills include “flexibility, adaptability, initiative, self-direction, social and cross-cultural skills, productivity and accountability, leadership, and responsibility” (p.31).  I found myself asking how much I really show that I value those skills, and I wondered about the ways in which I can teach and encourage them within the realm of the classroom.

As a result, technology becomes not the target itself, but instead the vehicle through which students can learn not only content-area skills, but also all of the other skills that will be needed in a future that has yet to be determined.  Lessons and curriculum units must be designed with the perspective that technology is merely a tool used to reach other targets, whether the goal is learning to analyze literature or learning self-direction (or both).  Many of the tools we learned about in EDU 533 demonstrate this concept when used correctly.  By using a WebQuest, for example, students not only master content-area standards, but must self-initiate to work through the process at their own pace, access resources, solve problems along the way, and help each other.  As Schrum and Levin (2009) put it, “You can…let [students] discover for themselves, not just tell them” (p.85)  In other words, students become active in the learning process, which cements their learning.  

Although most of my learning in this course impacts classroom practice in my role as teacher, it also helps me as I continue on the path towards an administrative role.  As many of us have pointed out in the discussion board, administrator support is essential for teachers when it comes to technology.  I know that if or when I become an administrator, modeling the use of technology will be one important step.  Maintaining a blog, using wikis for communication, and sharing resources are all ways to show support.  A sense of understanding and empathy for teachers trying something new will also be important in encouraging others to step out of their comfort zones. 

In just the short time since I began this course, I’ve already seen many changes in myself as a teacher.  And I feel like the transformation just beginning.  This is one course that will continue to impact my beliefs and practices long after it has ended. 

Resource:

Schrum, Lynne, and Barbara B. Levin. Leading 21st century schools: harnessing technology for engagement and achievement. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Corwin, 2009. Print.

Engagement or Distraction?

Recently, my students were working on writing blogs in response to literature they were reading.  We had a mobile lab, and students were working individually on computers, but they were sitting in groups with others who had read the same book, just in case they wanted to discuss aspects of the book while they worked on their posts.

One particular group was comprised of all boys, two of whom would be typically be labeled as 'reluctant readers.'  They had read Heroes by Robert Cormier, and were working as I circulated around the room to ask and answer questions.  While I was across the room near a different group, I heard one of the boys ask (to no one in particular), "Who wrote this book?"

I was just about to call out "Robert Cormier" when I bit my tongue.  Wait, I thought. He has a book sitting on the floor beside his desk with the author clearly written on the front.  He has three peers around him (all with their own copies). He has a computer. He can figure this out.  Hey, if I want students to be independent learners, I better give them a chance to do so.

And that's when I watched it happen.  Being a 21st century learner, he ignored the book near his feet and went straight to Google, where the top hit sent him to Wikipedia.  He quickly found the information he wanted, but instead of stopping there, he read through the rest of the page about Robert Cormier.  He read off a couple of other titles by Cormier, and the rest of his group became curious.  So they too jumped on Wikipedia.  "He wrote a book called I Am the Cheese!" one laughed.  Another remarked, "And The Chocolate War.  This guy must have a thing for food."

It continued: "He was from Mass.""Look at his picture--I didn't think he would be that old"  "He was born in 1925?!  Wait, when was this book written?...Oh my gosh, he was like 70 when he wrote it!"

They called me over.  "Did you know he wrote a book about cheese?  And one about chocolate?" (Well, yes, but they're not really about cheese or chocolate.)  "Have you read any of them?" (Yeah, actually, I have The Chocolate War over on that shelf. It's about a kid who's freshman at a private school.  He's a little guy on the football team and he gets targeted by a group of bullies.)

And slowly their attention drifted back to their blogs.

Many teachers would have called that distraction.  Get back to work on your assignment.  You shouldn't be on Wikipedia.  My sense, though, was not that this was distraction, but engagement at its best.

My sense was confirmed at the end of the period when one of those 'reluctant readers' asked if he could borrow my copy of The Chocolate War.

Apply and Discover 10.1

Gabrien's WebQuest on writing narrative essays is an excellent example of a teacher maintaining the same high standards for all students while differentiating the methods students may take to reach those goals.  At every step of the way, Gabrien points out the ways in which students can adjust this process to meet their own learning needs.  From offering definitions in several ways, to providing visual cues, to including examples through text and audio, students have multiple opportunities to tailor the lessons to their own learning styles.  I especially like that many students will see a practical use for this lesson in the form of college application essays, as it is designed for use with high school juniors and seniors. Through the WebQuest, Gabrien sets the tone of the unit as one that will includes both seriousness and a little humor—a perfect combination for the topic of narrative essays, as the best writing of this type includes a sincere message mixed with a few laughs. As a fellow English teacher, I can definitely see using this WebQuest in my own classroom.  

I was very curious to see Maureen’s WebQuest on folk tales because I wanted to see how such an activity would be adapted for lower grade levels.  Maureen kept the language and sentence structure simple and easy to understand, so her second grade students would be able to understand the task, process, and other aspects of the WebQuest.  Also, at the bottom of the home page, she included the directions to “Click on Task.”  This is a small step, but stood out to me as something important to help young students who would not be familiar with a navigation bar.  Older students, who have more experiences navigating sites online, would see the navigation bar and automatically know to click on the next page, but younger students need that extra direction to be successful with this format.  I thought the process page was very clearly laid out and the pictures next to each step would help visual learners move through each part of the process.  Maureen’s use of italics and bold are also effective ways to help focus students’ attention on the most important information in the text.  Providing YouTube links to audio text was essential in this case since Maureen points out that the reading level of the text may be above some students’ reading ability.  By providing the audio, she is able to stretch her students to use more advanced texts, but still make them accessible and understandable.  Maureen made students’ expectations and roles very clear by describing what each student in the group would work on.  She mentions that assigning each student to a role could be either student- or teacher-chosen.  As a teacher, I would probably lean towards choosing the roles for students because that would allow me to match the tasks to ability level of the student (working on the moral, for example, requires inference, so that would be a more difficult task than some of the others). Overall, this WebQuest would appeal to many different kinds of learners, was very clear, and would be accessible to young students.  

Michelle’s WebQuest on the Iditarod is an example of unit that encompasses many different language arts standards, and hits all the major areas of reading, writing, listening, and speaking.  She included a nice combination of whole class, individual, and partner activities, so that students would have a balanced experience of classroom activities.  One thing that I especially liked about Michelle’s topic is that it relates to real-world event, and by having students research a musher and write a letter, they are constantly reminded that this is not just something that exists in a text, but has real people (and animals) involved.   This must increase student motivation.  Knowing that their letters are sent to a real audience would increase students’ drive to write a clear and correct piece.   And learning about and making a connection with the mushers must make their stake in the debate stronger.  There were a few things that I thought were particularly good about Michelle’s WebQuest design and unit planning.  First, the directions for the letter were very clear in indicating exactly what students should include in terms of content, which would be especially helpful for students who struggle with writing.  Also, she used rubrics that were familiar to students, which would increase their understanding of the expectations. Lastly, I liked that on the conclusion page, she included additional links for students to explore.  This provides students who finish the material at a faster pace an activity to extend their learning.  I would expect that this WebQuest would have very good results in the classroom.  

Apply and Discover 9.1

What does it mean to provide equal access to the digital world in the classroom?

Teachers must ensure that we are helping all students learn.  With that goal in mind, technology is one important tool to assist students and meet individual needs.   Yesterday, my school hosted Jodi O'Meara, author of RTI with Differentiated Instruction, at our professional in-service day.  She began her presentation by pointing out that schools have been so focused on proficiency (thanks to standardized testing), that we often forget to look at students' growth.  Shifting our focus to growth will help us ensure that we are meeting the needs of students of all abilities, including those in both the highest and lowest percentiles.  Providing equal access to the digital world helps us to do that because technology can help us tailor instruction to the needs of individuals.

As most educators know, special education students are entitled to learning in the least restrictive environment under IDEA.  The mobile nature of technology has given teachers the ability to provide most students with the accommodations they need within the confines of the regular classroom setting.  We no longer need to send students to a resource room to access special programs on the computer; now the computer can come to them.  Laptops and iPads can be used for programs and applications that provide the assistive technology necessary.  Discrete earbuds allow students to listen to audio recordings as opposed to reading text; zooming in makes it easy for students to adjust text size to fit their needs; the vast number of videos available online provide teachers with a plethora of audio/visual resources as alternatives to traditional text-based information.   Learning to navigate and control the features of technological devices also encourages independence and allows students to take a more active role in their education.

The increase in using technology for all students limits the ways in which special education students stand out from students without IEP's.  Gone are the days when an outsider could walk into a room and easily identify assistive technology because in most cases all students are using the same devices.  While the differences among students are minimized in appearance thanks to these devices, it is easier than ever to individualize instruction to each student's unique needs and abilities.

Using technology as a tool helps all students move forward in their learning, regardless of their starting points when they come into our classrooms.  By providing equal access to technology, we can maximize each student's growth.