Week 8 Reflection

The distinction between doing things differently and doing different things with technology was never clear in my mind before taking the course, Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society at Walden University. In fact I did not even understand that there was a difference! Dr. Chris Dede illustrated the concepts beautifully with the story of how a fire provides benefit to all who stand close (Laureate Education, Inc., 2007). Technology unfortunately does not radiate knowledge like a fire radiates heat to all nearby. Technology, as a learning tool in the classroom, requires an instructor who is willing to do different things in order to benefit his/her students.

The first step I had to take in order to treat technology as more than an expensive fireplace was to become a user of different types of Web 2.0 technology. As Will Richardson recommends, I had to “make these connections in [my] own practice first so [I could] thoroughly understand the pedagogical implications for the classroom” (2006, p. 8). This course provided structure and support for me to include blogs, rss feeds, social bookmarking, and wikis into my personal practice, so I could experience for myself the profound power of these technologies to impact life. I have now gained confidence in my ability to navigate those technologies and can better envision their successful use in the classroom. In fact I have already begun to use a wiki with my students and have received positive feedback from students and parents. I would never have had the confidence to add this collaborative tool to my instruction without the practice I had creating my own in week 3 of this course.

To maintain and build on the momentum I have achieved in this course I must first continue to use Web 2.0 in my personal life. Secondly, I must remain dedicated to learning as much as I can about technology in the classroom and then using that knowledge to impact my classroom practice. As a life-long learner I will continue to push myself in areas that might be unfamiliar and uncomfortable but which will ultimately benefit my students.

To focus this momentum, two goals I would like to achieve professionally in the area of technology are to stay committed to and expand the wiki I just started into a student-built supplemental textbook. For this I will need to block out time each week to let my students explore areas of historical interest to them. These areas can then become the basis for the wiki. While at first glance this might seem to be taking time away from my curriculum, it is actually meeting state goals of helping students become historical thinkers. Secondly, I will become a leader within my building for the infusion of technology. One of the Educational Technology Standards for Teachers is that they become leaders and models to others (International Society of Technology in Education, 2008). In order to achieve this I will become a vocal member of our building technology committee, build a better relationship with our district technology department, and encourage other teachers to observe technology infused lessons I create. These steps will require changing how I operate as a classroom teacher and a faculty member but will pay big dividends to the future of our students. As Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach writes, “the time is ripe to begin instituting true change” in our schools (2008). Through this course I have been given the tools and confidence to be an agent of that change.

References

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2007). “Evolution of Technology and Pedagogy.” [Motion picture]. Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society. Baltimore : Author.

International Society of Technology in Education. (2008). NETS for Teachers. Retrieved April 12, 2010, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/
NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards /NETS_for_Teachers_2008.htm

Nussbaum-Beach, S. (2008). No limits. Technology & Learning, 28(7), 14–18. Retrieved April 5, 2010, from http://www.techlearning.com/article/8466

Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wiks, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Week 5 Application #2

Week 5 Application #2

Posted using ShareThis

This is my second try at getting this podcast uploaded correctly. Enjoy listening and if it doesn't work for you, please let me know!

New Literacies

Check out this blog post from Peter Pappas. It seems particularly apt in light of the articles we have been reading this week on new literacies. I really like what he says about being able to filter information as an important skill for "readers" of the internet. He also reminds us that access to the World Wide Web is not necessary to create a social networking opportunity. We already have a network of 30 minds in our classrooms!

Week 4 Application

Analysis of The Partnership for 21st Century Skills Website:


Colorful sites with lovely visuals and difficult concepts simplified into graphics are always going to attract my attention. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills certainly got my attention in that manner with their rainbow framework of student outcomes and support systems for the 21st century. (See the framework here, http://www.p21.org/) This organization, which began in 2002 as a joint effort between the U.S. Department of Education and corporations such as Microsoft and AOL Time Warner, seeks to promote 21st century readiness in education. The partnership between those charged with educating children and those who will soon be employing them is one that makes this organization stand out from others. In the book, Stopping at Every Lemonade Stand, James Vollbracht contends that in order to raise healthy children the larger community must be a part of their lives (2001). This means that businesses have just as much responsibility in helping to raise the next generation as parents and teachers. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills embraces this ideal as evidenced by the partnership between businesses and educational stakeholders. I must admit that I was surprised my state, Washington, was not one of the states working with the organization, especially with Microsoft as one of the founding corporate sponsors. Microsoft does so much locally for education that it seems they would be advocating for a commitment to the initiative from our government.

As I dug deeper into the framework graphic I began to appreciate the completeness of their picture of how to boost 21st century skills in American schools. The organization realizes the importance of standards and acknowledges the accountability portion of NCLB, while pushing for a “broader vision […] to meet our nation’s challenges” (Partnership for 21st Century Skills). They seem to be arguing for a more balanced system where standards promote learning improvements and provide for a more educated workforce. (This is clearly opposed to the current training of a workforce with the ability to sit quietly and take a test for 2 or more hours!) They also discuss the importance of professional development as a support system for student success. This is very similar to the new draft of the National Educational Technology Plan which was just published (Department of Education, 2010).

To determine where my school is in implementing the facets of the 21st century framework and the Department of Education goals, I took the self-assessment survey provided on the site. My school is in the “early” category of implementation in all areas. (To see these results click here). The recommendations provided help me see where my school needs to go in order to meet the needs of the 21st century.

Ultimately, though, the site disappointed me because it did not provide anything immediately relevant for the classroom. (I do plan to look at the Video 21 section during spring break. Perhaps I will find something applicable to my instruction there.) While I appreciate the need for system-wide change, as a teacher it is hard to find the energy to promote such a massive undertaking when the demands of the classroom claim so much attention. For teachers it is important to be aware of and include 21st century skills in instruction where possible, but until educational systems and governments wholeheartedly embrace the initiative, I fear not much will change. Thomas Friedman shares that this lack of change could spell problems for America as other nations catch up and exceed us in training for the 21st century work place (2005). This holds dire implications for the children of our education system who need to compete in the global marketplace. These children need the rainbow framework to be a real working movement throughout education, not just an impressive graphic on a webpage.

References

Department of Education. (2010, March). National Educational Technology Plan-Draft. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved March 20, 2010, from http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/netp.pdf

Friedman, T. (2005, April 3). "It's a flat world, after all." The New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2010, from http://www.nytimes.com

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved March 22, 2010, from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/downloads/P21_Report.pdf

Vollbracht, J. (2001). Stopping at Every Lemonade Stand. New York: Penguin Group.

Week 2 Application

In my classroom, where I teach 7th grade social studies, I always post a question that guides my unit. The question is one that I refer my students back to in order to determine if they actually learned anything throughout the lessons. For example, my current question is: How has Ancient Greek culture influenced our lives today? Often, though, this question is addressed in a rush at the end of the period and not explored as fully as it could be. I feel that it is not a good gauge of what all students have learned due to the format in which we reflect right now. Students usually talk for a minute and then share out their answers, but I cannot always tell who is participating actively.

Writing reflections on my unit question is how I would like to introduce blogging to my students. Lisa Zawilinski refers to this type of blog as a "mirror blog" or one that "allows bloggers to reflect on their thinking" (2009, p. 652). In this case, it would be a collaborative reflection that students could continually build on as we learn more.

Don Tapscott at the ASCD annual conference remarked that collaboration is an important characteristic of this generation of students (Varias, 2010). Blogging will allow students to work together to gather their thoughts and analyze the work of the unit, thereby utilizing one of their preferred learning modes. Additionally, the benefit of my planned blog and blogging in general is that is allows students to continue classroom learning all the time. We are definitely not in the agricultural age that David Thronburg describes, but rather, in a time where learning should take place anywhere and anytime (Laureate Education, Inc., 2007). Blogging offers the opportunity for teachers and students to extend the dialogue outside the school day, moving beyond the limits of those pesky bells that ruin so many instructional moments. Furthermore, the blog will allow me to assess more accurately who is participating and understanding the content. I can also look for the whole class' overall understanding and adjust lessons accordingly. The unit will improve due to this reflection, collaboration, and forum for continued learning.


References

Laureate Education Inc. (Executive Producer). (2007). Program Three. The Third Wave. [Motion Picture]. Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society. Baltimore: Author.

Varias, L. (2010, March 7). Tapscott on changing pedagogy for the net generation. Message posted to ASCD Inservice, archived at http://ascd.typepad.com/blog/2010/03/tapscott.html

Zawilinski, L. (2009, May). HOT blogging: A framework for blogging to promote higher order thinking. The Reading Teacher, 62(8), 650-661.

Welcome!

To all of my classmates at Walden welcome to my blog! I can't wait to collaborate with you and look forward to my first blogging experiences.