The readings for this week all asked the same question - how do we plan to integrate technology into our lessons while at the same time remaining true to the state standards?
Reading Today
Education is changing through the use of technology, but it does not mean that our students are. This article had some very interesting points about different assumptions that some teachers make about the use of technology in the classroom. Contrary to popular belief, many students do not know how to use technology tools (even if they have access to them) and incorporating technology does not automatically make for a great lesson. I had a professor tell our class once that technology can make a good teacher great... but that is only if the teacher is good to begin with. The teacher must have the knowledge to implement the technology and the teaching knowledge to be able to attend to her students and meet their needs. We also need to spend time to make sure students know how to use the technology tools before they use them. Using a new literacy tool is different from using an older literacy tool, and even advanced students may struggle. We need to know that and be attentive to the issue.
We also need to make sure we know WHY we are using the technology and not just using it because it looks good. We need to work with other teachers and get their ideas on integrating tech in the classroom and be informed together.
Hutchinson
One interesting part of this article spoke of the frustrations teachers sometimes have with technology. Sometimes, it seems easier to not use technology because it you don't use it, it can't break! There are times that troubles with technology, or our confusion or the confusion of our students can get in the way of the lesson. I know that I have experienced those moments when technology stops working and I had to make adjustments. I have also experiences moments when explaining how to use a piece of technology or program got in the way of the real teaching.
Although digital tools can frustrate teachers, I think we need to think of ourselves as constant learners and adapters to technology. From the article, the authors say that "digital tools and environments alter what it means to be literate". This is absolutely the case. And, like it or not, the digital age is not going anywhere. This is why the integration of digital tools and new types of literacies in our classroom is so important.
The planning framework TPACK (Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge) is a way for teachers to plan a meaningful and complete lesson that includes elements of technology, pedagogy, and content. Until this class, I had not heard of this framework for teaching, but it absolutely makes sense and is similar to other frameworks I have used. As with all lessons, we need an instructional goal to know what the students need to learn, we need to know how we are going to teach the students to reach our goals, we need to figure out our tools we need for the lesson and how these tools will aid instruction, we need to know potential issues with the tools we are using, and we need to know how instruction will change if there are any issues with the tools used. I also like the idea of writing a reflection on the lesson after the fact to note how it went and if I would do anything differently.
BABR (chapter 2)
The chapter mentions another planning framework - substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition model. This model makes it easy for a teacher to substitute a digital tool for a non-digital one. Augmentation allows students to demonstrate their learning in some way. Recording students in some way can allow for students to become teachers themselves and share their learning with their peers or even the internet! Technology is changing the way learning is taking place and knowledge is shared.
We need to teach students to use digital texts and tools the same way we teach them how to use and comprehend books. We need to teach students to use the same skills and strategies that they use for physical books for digital texts as well. Such as making connections between texts and their own life, looking at the text from different perspectives, and learning how to select appropriate texts.
Digital tools can be so helpful to assist with instruction inside the classroom, but also can assist with communication outside the classroom. A classroom blog, website, or blog can be helpful to provide students and parents with useful information that they can access at home.
We know that choice can be a huge motivator! I love the idea of letting student choose which technology tool they will use for their learning. How fun! We can also let students choose how they will show what they learned.
The part I really loved is the section on helping students who are struggling or have disabilities with technology in the classroom. How powerful is it to be able to use a digital tool to show students something that they cannot experience in person! There are some kiddos who simply do not have the background knowledge to comprehend certain texts. It can be made more difficult if that student is an English Language Learner or from a different country. Providing the students with texts that include images, video, and audio can bring the text to life. There are so so many ways to differentiate using technology!!!
Questions open for discussion!!
1. Do any of you keep a teacher reflection journal? I love this idea!
2. Have you or anyone you know had success with a flipped classroom format? How does this work for students who may not have much or any access to a computer outside the classroom?
3. Do you spend as much time teaching students how to read digital texts as you do teaching them to read printed texts?
4. I love technology as a tool for differentiation, but one worry I do have is other kids seeing a student use technology and think it is a privilege and he/she is getting special treatment. How can I prevent this?
Thanks ladies!!
I do not keep a teacher journal, but I love the idea! I sort of think of my Pinterest boards and my google drive as a sort of teacher journal, though, except they just include ideas and strategies I admire/want to implement.
ReplyDeleteI think that classroom flipping is such an interesting concept - I have so many questions about it! I don't personally know anyone who has flipped their classroom, nor have I tried it because of the lack of internet access outside of our school building. I'm interested to know if anyone else has, though!
I use digital texts as much as I can squeeze in right now, but I definitely want to do more. Our Oklahoma Social Studies units come with eStudiesWeekly, and they have an online supplement that has all of the newspaper articles with supplemental videos online for students, and they love to read the eStudies newspapers on the SMARTboard together, then answer the questions. During my Daily5 time I also allow groups to visit the laptop station as a rotation, where they go to funbrain.com and read Diary of a Wimpy Kid books - they love it! Those are also AR books, which is also a bonus.
I usually just explain to the class that without a computer/laptop for each student, we will need to practice the art of sharing and caring for our supplies. A few class meetings about this and they're good to go. :)
1. I don't keep a teacher reflection journal, but I know teachers who do. They say that it is very beneficial.
Delete2. I don't have much experience with flipped classrooms, but I did observe in a 6th grade classroom that was flipped. One of the main tools they used was EdModo, which is has similar formatting to Facebook. It seemed like a lot to manage, but the teacher had a strong system in place. She seemed to be having a lot of success with it and the kids liked it.
3. Unfortunately, I don't spend as much time teaching students to read digital texts as opposed to print texts. One main difficulty I have is that free, high quality digital texts are hard to find in early childhood. Another problem is that I have limited access to computers/ipads at my school, so the majority of children's exposure to digital texts is at carpet time or at one small group center rotation each week.
4. I think that it is important to stress to students that fairness isn't everyone getting the same thing, it's everyone getting what they need.
Breanna, do you know if those eStudiesWeekly units have secondary level texts? I'd love to work in more digital informational texts. I mostly use NewsELA for leveled texts, and then just bits and pieces I find online while lesson planning.
DeleteNeka, I've heard great things about EdModo! But like you said, apparently it's pretty high maintenance. I had one co-worker have her students interact on it for homework, and many of them who had internet access chose to take a zero for those assignments rather than get online and do the tasks they were assigned. I had another co-worker, though, who had a couple of iPads students could use during class time to do the things she asked them to do on there. That worked much better.
I'm not sure if they have secondary grade level newsletters, because my online supplements are all assigned 2nd - 4th grade, but here's a sample newsletter I found online form the site: https://www.studiesweekly.com/online/resource/flexpaper/15755 Not sure what grade level this is geared towards, but it shows what the students newsletters look like! The online supplements read each article with them, and even have extra videos and readings to deepen their knowledge. It also lets me create tests/quizzes online for after reading! I think it's a pretty awesome resource in terms of helping students get familiar with digital texts because it is a blended format - both print and digital, so it's helping my bridge the learning for my students and have a gradual release.
DeleteI can really see how you are integrating the readings, Courtney, and your questions are thoughtful. Breanna has started the discussion---I'm looking forward to reading the rest of it.
ReplyDeleteI've been meaning to keep a teacher reflection journal ever since I did my student teaching, but I have yet to get in the habit, haha. I do keep fairly extensive files and documents to use as resources for the next year, and I usually modify my resources and lesson plan notes immediately after I realize that something needs to change. I guess that sort of counts!
ReplyDeleteI'm fortunate enough to teach secondary, so I don't find that I have to spend *as much* time teaching them how to read digital texts because they engage with many forms of digital texts on a regular basis. However, I am often surprised by this--for instance, some of them don't know the difference between a search bar and an address bar in a computer browser because they are so used to phones. That seems intuitive to me, but it's a good reminder that not all of my students have equal access to and knowledge about technology. I also think that while many of them are strong with the basics, they do not know a lot of the things we've discussed, like how to determine the best tool or text for a purpose, how to evaluate credibility, etc.
I find that my students use technology in two contexts: on their phones (or on a borrowed phone from a friend) in situations where not everyone needs a smart phone, or on laptops when I'm lucky enough to snag a laptop cart (in which case everyone has access to a computer). I do, however, notice when we are doing phone-based activities that some students who do not have smart phones or access to the internet feel reluctant to share with a friend or borrow someone's phone. Most do not seem to have this issue, but I don't know how you'd be able to address it in the lower grades where many students do not have phones unless you're able to work out a collaborative situation or gain access to more technology, unfortunately.
In early elementary, it is very interesting to see what students can and can't do when it comes to digital texts. A lot of my second graders last year didn't have a lot of experience with typing, which was surprising to me. I wonder if many students are coming to school without a lot of knowledge of keyboards because, instead of using desktops, they are using phones and ipads (usually with touch screens) to navigate digital texts at home?
DeleteIt's so funny because it seems that they can type on an iPad or iPhone a lot quicker than they can on a keyboard! I know a lot of my students have practice with their parents' smartphones, and/or with tablets at home. They do not have laptops or computers at home, though, so they don't get much practice using them.
Delete