Incorporating technology into the classroom is a lot like moving furniture. First you have to come up with a plan of action. You scope out the situation, determine the steps, and look at all the angles. Then, you take action and do the heavy lifting or the rolling out. As you are doing this, you try to make sure that everything is fitting into the spaces the way you thought it would and you are monitoring the effectiveness of your efforts. In the last step you ask your wife if she likes it where it is and, if you are lucky, she says yes. If not, you go through the process again. If your wife is easy going like mine, you only have to do this once or twice, if not, the process can seem like it goes on forever until you have finally decided that you either need new furniture…or a new wife.
This is the same kind of process I go through when deciding whether or not to bring a new piece of technology into my classroom. There are lots of factors to weigh, but in the end it comes down to a simple question: Will the technology enhance my students’ understanding of content? If the answer is yes, I ask myself questions that relate to the T.E.C.H. process of technology integration described by King-Sears and Evmenova (2007). One of the most important aspects of this self-questioning is trying to determine the best way to use the technology to create enriched environments. As King-Sears and Evmenova (2007) and Coulter (2008) point out, technology in a classroom does not, by itself, lead students to a better understanding of content or increased student achievement. The tool’s effectiveness is dependent on the experience, intentions, and application by the instructor and students.
To this end, it is important to have a GAME plan (Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, 2009). This plan includes having Goals, taking Action, Monitoring progress, and Evaluating and Extending the learning environment with the integrated technology. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) created a set of standards for teachers interested in integrating technology into their classrooms (2008). When looking at the National Education Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T), I found that there are two areas that I feel comfortable with but would like to extend my awareness of. These two areas are standards one and two which relate to facilitating creativity and developing digital-age learning experiences and assessments (ISTE, 2008). These are learning areas for me because I would like to delve into ways to engage students in authentic problem solving and determine better ways to assess this kind of real-world work within the bounds of a standardized testing system.
Goal: First I will locate and participate in a global community of educators interested in having students address real world issues. By connecting with other educators I will be able to work collaboratively with educators who have been successful and will be able to utilize online collaboration tools to help both my students and myself learn how to engage in thoughtful participation. As part of this plan I will be utilizing the online spaces at TakingITGlobal to begin networking and engaging my students in real world issues. I will also be utilizing this Personal Learning Network to find and create authentic assessments for student work.
Action: Once my online classroom is built and I begin to network, my students and I will engage in collaborative projects and research on global issues that students find relevant. We will use online databases, collaborative writing spaces, video-conferencing (I hope), and interactions with experts to make a difference.
Monitor: I will monitor the interactions, the use of technology, and the roles of everyone in the classroom as we work on our projects and I will have the students do the same. As I look at my own growth, I will be focusing on whether or not the online environment, collaborative tools, and research methods are fulfilling the goals of increasing students’ engagement with real world issues and whether or not my formative assessments are leading to an increased understanding of the content I am attempting to teach. I will modify my approaches and the tools used if it appears that this would be beneficial for students.
Evaluate: At the end of the process I will reflect on the plan and make modifications for future attempts. It is important to take risks when those risks are not detrimental to student success and at the end it is important to study the whole approach and make modifications as necessary. I will go through this final step with student input so that I am sure that I am seeing the situation through more views than merely my own. I will also have students evaluate their own progress and set goals for their future endeavors with respect to collaboration, creativity, and their digital experiences.
Though I have attempted to engage students in digital experiences and creative endeavors, these are two aspects of teaching that can never be fully mastered. As King-Sears and Evmenova (2007) point out, technology changes at such a rapid pace that it is difficult to stay abreast of all the changes let alone master them all. In addition, creativity is a skill set that has no final destination or defined form and is always something to strive for. With the problems facing the world today, creativity is going to be a cornerstone of the way we address issues and needs to be constantly fostered in our students. At the end of the day they are the ones who are going to have to be satisfied with the way we leave the furniture…or they are going to be the ones who have to fix it.
Cennamo, K., Ross, J. & Ertmer, P. (2009). Technology Integration for Meaningful Classroom Use: A Standards-Based Approach. (Laureate
Education, Inc., Custom ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Coulter, B. (2008). Bridging the Gap with Technology. Connect Magazine, 22(2), 14-15. Retrieved from Education Research Complete database.
King-Sears, M., & Evmenova, A. (2007). Premises, Principles, and Processes for Integrating TECHnology Into Instruction. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 40(1), 6-14. Retrieved from ERIC database.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2009). Integrating Technology Across the Content Areas. Baltimore: Author.
International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National Education Standards for Teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved July 8, 2010, from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/
2008Standards/NETS_T_Standards_Final.pdf
Sean,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your statement that you made about creativity being the cornerstone of the way we address issues. In our week 1 discussion I posted this: Dr. Katherine Cennamo said it very well in our DVD, “The ability to think creatively is the key to our economic competitiveness” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009), without creative thinkers, our future leaders will not be motivated, persistent, open-minded or flexible (Laureate Education, Inc., 2009).
And I totally agree, if our students can not think creatively, then our future is not looking to good.
Erika
Sean,
ReplyDeleteI agree that trying to engage every student in digital experiences that are creative and challenging may not ever be accomplished. I think the key with technology integration is teaching students how to be self-directed in searching and locating information. According to Cennamo, Ross, & Ertmer, because technology is changing so rapidly, it puts a premium on teaching students how to learn as opposed to teaching specific skills. Although I think it’s important to teach students how to locate information and to be problem solvers, I also feel it’s important to structure opportunities that foster student creativity. Learning how to organize activities in which technology is used to support creative thinking is one goal that I would like to accomplish in this course. I believe that technology will be able to help me create authentic opportunities that will meet my curriculum goals in ways that will engage and support student creativity.
Cennamo, K., Ross, J., & Ertmer, P. (2010). Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Greg
Sean,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your analogy comparing "incorporating technology into the classroom" to "moving furtinure". You couldn't be more right! Through Walden we are constantly being introduced to new types of technology from instructors and classmates. It all seems so exciting and engaging, but how do we choose which tools, websites... will meet our needs and our students needs?
As you stated, "The tool’s effectiveness is dependent on the experience, intentions, and application by the instructor and students". For these reasons, we (as teachers) must be confident and continue to educate ourselves as technology rapidly changes. We must facilitate creativiy within our students which will allow them to become problem solvers with creative and critical thinking skills. Our reading resources state that individuals with these skills "are motivated, flexible in their thinking, and have the confidence to act on their ideas despite the awareness that they do not know for sure how their ideas will play out" (Cennamo, Ross & Ertmer, 2010, p. 25).
I believe you have a great GAME plan that will encourage students to become successful self-directed learners that possess the skills needed to be successful in life.
Suzie
Thanks for the affirmations. The difficult part of any plan like this is to make it something that others who are more reluctant can pick up and run with. One of my goals is to help those I work with also develop a GAME plan that they can use to bring more technology into their classes as well. It is important for everyone to provide these opportunities for the students so that we are strengthening their understanding of the ways in which these tools can be used across disciplines.
ReplyDeleteDo any of you have ideas about how to encourage reluctant staff members to come on board?
Thanks for the feedback.