“This is so hard. Can’t we just go back to the classroom and have a lecture like in every other class? I don’t want to think this much…” I smile when I hear these statements from my students now. This is a shift for me. I have engaging lectures for the most part. I incorporate animated PowerPoint presentations into my classroom lectures. I have used interactive white boards to keep my students interested and engaged. I used document sharing on network drives…but this semester I have used technology to do different things with my teaching instead of doing the same things differently.
My focus has moved from information dissemination from the teacher to information exploration for my students. In class this semester my students have used online discussion boards across class periods and outside the school day, wikis for collaborative writing, templates for print media, authentic learning experiences in the real world that simulate the experiences of characters in literature, multimedia presentation of information, individualized skill development through online resources, cloud computing, email communication with students on individual skills, and an initial step into the world of podcasting. All of these activities helped me understand that students need to explore and learn in a fun environment if they are going to have meaningful learning experiences. I have moved away from an environment of regurgitation to a world of meaningful interaction.
I remembered what it felt like to be excited about teaching. I have been reenergized because teaching is fun and engaging for me as well as the students. This semester is the first semester in a long time that I feel like I am really preparing the students for the world they will be entering instead of the world that they were born into. At parent teacher conferences the parents were saying that my delivery methods have engaged their students in English again. Many parents said, “Oh, this looks exactly like the system I use as work,” or, “Oh, this looks exactly like the system I use in my college classes.” My students are excited about being able to go at their own pace or go deeper into assignments they are interested in.
One of the most exciting aspects of my adventure this semester has been the way that other teachers have been energized by my experiments. I have been asked to do trainings. I have been given access to additional technologies because of my successful trials. Because of my pilot program for district email for individualized instruction, all 30,000 of the students in my district have email accounts. There is discussion of implementation of a new class for technology instruction at the high school level because of my reflections and discussions about technology use. My school is looking at drafting a long-term technology plan based on my recommendations.
Much of this is due to the fact that information I learned in my Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society class was directly aligned with my goals as a teacher. I was able to implement the skills, activities, and ideas from class into my everyday practice. I was encouraged to look at professional education blogs, participate in professional discussions, and engage with the technologies I wanted to implement with my students. I have rarely had a class that had such a direct impact on my teaching. The activities I engaged in during this class are activities that I can continue to engage in to expand my knowledge of learning, teaching and leading with technology. I have already seen real world gains in student learning and critical thinking and expect that as more of the work is shifted to the students through engaging, well-developed activities, the more this trend will continue.
So, what are the next steps?
One of my goals is to work on expanding our course offering to include a 21st Century Communications and Technology class. Through my use of technologies in class this year I have been approached to help write the course description and syllabus of such a course. Right now we are in the process of deciding what technologies would be included and the order that those technologies would be taught. The goal right now is to have this class submitted for approval by the end of the semester. I have been convinced through my use of technology in class that my district needs to have a plan for teaching the students how to use the technology without sacrificing time in content areas.
The next goal is to develop a technology plan for my school that is vertically and horizontally aligned with a lot of thought being given to how technologies are used in different subjects to enhance the learning environment for students. Much of the technology used in my building is used for the sake of using technology and not because the technology is supporting the learning of students. We also have many teachers using different types of technology, but we do not have any alignment so students are missing out on the benefit of using these technologies across the curriculum. Creating a technology plan that includes a matrix of technologies being used in the building and the types of assignments they are used with could help solve this.
At the end of this class I am more confident, intentional, and excited about using technology in my classroom. I have already started the process of achieving my goals. I have rallied the teachers in my English and technology departments so that we can begin to think about our long-term goals. I have worked collaboratively with a partner to develop activities that involve multiple aspects of 21st Century Learning. I have begun to be a model for the teachers around me. The best part is though…I am just doing what I think is right. I did not set out to become a model. I didn’t set out to change the district landscape. It is kind of funny how sometimes the weight of leadership comes simply from following one’s conscience. I think I have finally found my niche in education and am looking forward to setting trends for my students and colleagues.
