Navigating Classroom Management in an Increasingly Digital Context

In today's fast-paced world, where technology and connectivity are omnipresent, educators must adapt their classroom management strategies to effectively engage students and maximize learning outcomes. As the digital landscape continues to evolve, harnessing the potential of technology becomes essential. This requires rethinking traditional approaches and implementing innovative strategies to minimize distractions, establish clear expectations, promote digital citizenship, and leverage students' expertise. Let's explore some practical ideas to navigate classroom management in an increasingly digital context.

Minimizing Distractions:

With technology comes the challenge of managing distractions. To mitigate this, implement strategies that minimize extraneous stimuli. For instance, have students close all unnecessary browser tabs except the one they are currently working on. Encourage them to shut their laptops or face them towards the teacher during teaching or discussion time. By setting these expectations, you create a focused learning environment that reduces the temptation to engage in unrelated activities.

Balancing Engagement with Technology:

A well-balanced classroom experience incorporates both technology-based and non-technology-based activities. By jumping back and forth between these two modes, students are more likely to stay on task and engaged. Mix interactive online exercises, research, or collaborative projects with hands-on experiments, discussions, or group work. This balance ensures students experience a variety of learning methods and fosters a more holistic educational experience.

Establishing Clear Expectations:

At the start of the school year, establish clear expectations for technology use. Communicate classroom procedures regarding the appropriate and responsible use of technology. Ensure students understand when, how, and for what purposes technology should be utilized. This clarity provides a framework for students to navigate technology effectively and helps maintain a structured learning environment.

Promoting Digital Citizenship:

In our current context, teaching digital citizenship is essential. Educate students about appropriate behavior when engaging with content, peers, and others online. Foster a sense of responsibility, empathy, and critical thinking. Encourage students to respect intellectual property rights, practice online etiquette, and understand the potential consequences of their digital actions. By instilling these values, you empower students to become responsible digital citizens. This is a skill who's importance cannot be understated.

(For more information on digital citizenship visit this page on Harvard's graduate school of education site)

Regular Check-Ins:

Maintaining an active presence in the classroom is crucial. Regularly walk around the room, checking in with students to ensure they are on task and offer support when needed. 

Leveraging Students' Expertise:

Recognize and leverage students' expertise with technology. Encourage them to share their knowledge and teach one another. By implementing student-led workshops or group projects that involve technology, students develop leadership skills, improve their understanding of technology concepts, and enhance collaborative abilities. Implement a "3 Before Me" policy, encouraging students to seek assistance from their peers before seeking help from the teacher. This promotes independent problem-solving, reduces interruptions, and strengthens peer relationships and connection.

As technology continues to shape our world, educators must adapt their classroom management strategies to effectively engage students in an increasingly digital context. By implementing strategies to minimize distractions, establishing clear expectations, promoting digital citizenship, and leveraging students' expertise, educators can create a structured and productive learning environment. Let us reimagine classroom management and navigate the digital landscape together, ensuring maximum learning opportunities for our students.

(With support of generative AI)

Now Premiering: The Collision of that One Trendy Video that has Everyone Laughing and Your Academic Content!

Students are constantly immersed in the latest trends and forms of entertainment. Whether it's trending hashtags, clothing styles, or viral TikTok sounds, students are up to date. Amidst these pop-culture conversations, we cannot overlook the importance of the latest YouTube videos and genres. With a wide range of content, from unboxing videos to workout routines, on-site reporting, bat dad, challenges, and ask-me-anything sessions, YouTube offers an endless array of engaging material. Using these video genres as a tool to present classroom content can make learning more exciting and relatable for students. Educators can ask their students about their favorite YouTube genres and explore how they can integrate these preferences into the curriculum. By leveraging students' interests, teachers can create personalized and relevant learning experiences. 

The Power of Video Integration:

By allowing students to explore and create academic content in the form of TikTok or YouTube videos, educators can encourage their creativity and foster active participation. Rather than simply consuming information, students become active contributors to the learning process. Moreover, utilizing video creation for test reviews or project assignments adds an element of excitement to otherwise mundane tasks.

The Process of Creation:

It is crucial to remember that the learning does not usually occur during the filming of these videos but instead in the process of content creation. When students are tasked with creating videos, they delve deeper into the subject matter, research extensively, and gain a comprehensive understanding of the concepts. This process of synthesis and simplification helps solidify their knowledge. Furthermore, collaboration with peers during the video-making process fosters teamwork, communication skills, and the ability to think critically and creatively. Thus, when we use these ideas in the classroom, we are not assessing the product as much as we are the process. 

Minimal Technology, Maximum Impact:

The best part about incorporating video creation into the classroom is that it does not require an extensive technological setup. All you need is one phone with a camera per group. By utilizing the devices already present in students' pockets, educators and students can transform dry and abstract concepts into visually appealing, engaging content that resonates with students. 

Incorporating YouTube genres into the classroom is a powerful way to engage students and foster a love for learning. By incorporating video creation activities, educators can empower students to become active participants in their education. The process of researching, synthesizing, and simplifying information for video content deepens students' understanding and strengthens their collaboration and communication skills. By tapping into students' interests and preferences, educators can create a dynamic and relevant learning environment that resonates with today's tech-savvy generation. So, let's embrace the power of YouTube genres in the classroom and unlock the full potential of our students' creativity and knowledge.

(With support of generative AI)

Diving Deeper with the SAMR Model

    In the ever-evolving landscape of education, teachers are constantly seeking innovative ways to engage their students and deepen their understanding. Enter the SAMR model—a framework that encourages educators to transform their teaching practices to higher levels of engagement and learning using technology integration. Here is a run-down on the basics of the SAMR model:

    By moving beyond simple Substitution and incorporating Augmentation, Modification, and occasionally reaching Redefinition, teachers can empower students to utilize their skills for research, share their knowledge with peers, make connections, and develop a well-rounded understanding of the world. Beyond the model shown above, here are some simplified key points and examples that may help in understanding each stage of technology implementation: 

• Substitution = Doing old things in old ways
• Examples: Replacing a manual GPS with a smartphone's GPS app; replacing a hardcopy of a dictionary with Google's "Define" function 

• Augmentation = Doing old things in new ways
• Examples: Replacing hardcopy books with eBooks where the user can highlight sections, define vocabulary, and share the source with others; replacing paper maps with Google Maps where the user can see ratings for their destinations, images, fastest routes, hours of business operation; replacing the chore of handwashing dishes to using a dishwasher

• Modification = Doing old things in better ways
• Examples: Replacing hardcopy books with audiobooks so that the user can listen while completing other tasks, or so that a user who struggles with reading can engage audibly; using Google Drive rather than handwriting/printing numerous drafts of an essay, reducing paper waste and allowing the user to simply make changes rather than rewriting the same work multiple times

• Redefinition = Doing new things in new ways
• Examples: Transportation by airplane rather than by car or train, gaining access to the rest of the globe rather than being landlocked; using Venmo for payments rather than cash, increasing convenience while also reducing the risk of pickpocketing

    By guiding students through the research process and providing technological resources, teachers can foster critical thinking and information literacy skills. The shift from substitution to augmentation allows students to take ownership of their learning and explore topics in new ways. To further elevate engagement and understanding, teachers can facilitate opportunities for students to share and teach their research to their peers. This not only enhances their presentation and communication skills but also promotes collaboration and new perspectives for understanding of the subject matter. Peer teaching encourages students to explain concepts in their own words, reinforcing their understanding and fostering a supportive learning community; therefore, fitting into the category of redefinition.

    Making connections is another crucial aspect of the SAMR model. Teachers can help students see the bigger picture by encouraging them to explore how their research and learning connect to other material or topics. By drawing parallels, students develop a holistic understanding of the subject matter and its relevance in various contexts. Engaging in conversations with individuals from different cultures and perspectives further broadens their horizons, challenging assumptions and nurturing empathy. 

    To achieve this, teachers can introduce redefinition by stretching the boundaries of traditional classroom experiences. Inviting guest speakers into the classroom, organizing virtual Zoom calls with experts from around the globe, and encouraging students to create their own unique renditions of projects are just a few ways to foster a deeper connection to the real world. These experiences inspire creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills, transforming students into active contributors and shaping their understanding of the subject matter on a profound level.

    Incorporating the SAMR model into lesson planning allows teachers to embrace the transformative power of technology and pedagogy. By gradually moving from substitution to augmentation, modification, and occasionally reaching redefinition, teachers empower students to become active learners, critical thinkers, and global citizens. With this approach, education becomes a dynamic and enriching journey, propelling students towards higher levels of engagement, understanding, and success.

With support from Generative AI

Embracing OpenAI in Education: Intimidating but Essential

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become an undeniable force shaping our present and future. OpenAI, with its groundbreaking advancements in language models and machine learning, has brought AI to the forefront of various industries, including education. While the integration of AI in education seems intimidating and uncertain, it is crucial that we acknowledge its power and reimagine our educational paradigms to prepare students for a world dominated by AI.

1. Embracing the Future

As technology continues to evolve at an unprecedented pace, it is clear that AI will play a significant role in shaping our world. By embracing the potential of OpenAI in education, we equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in a future where AI is deeply intertwined with various aspects of life. Ignoring AI's influence would leave students ill-prepared for the rapidly changing landscape and limit their opportunities in the job market. It is true that one of the highest paying jobs on the market today is as an AI prompter. We are doing our students a disservice if we do not prepare them for a world where this is the reality. 

2. Shifting Educational Paradigms

To adequately prepare students for an AI-dominated world, we must reevaluate our educational paradigms. Traditional models of education, focused on rote memorization and standardized testing, are ill-suited to nurture the skills needed in an AI-powered society. Instead, emphasis should be placed on cultivating critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and adaptability—skills that are uniquely human and complementary to AI capabilities. We must embrace the ideas of connectivism as a learning theory and its pillar that the capacity to learn more is of greater importance than information previously known.

3. Integrating AI into Curriculum

OpenAI offers educators the tools to integrate AI into curricula effectively. By leveraging OpenAI's language models, students can engage in collaborative projects, conduct research, and explore complex topics with AI assistance. AI can provide students with personalized feedback, adaptive learning experiences, and access to a wealth of information. By incorporating AI as a supportive tool, educators can enhance the learning process, encourage exploration, and foster a deeper understanding of AI's impact on various disciplines. These tools exist, and choosing to discount them is disservice to the educator a students alike. 

4. Ethical Considerations

As AI becomes more pervasive, it is essential to address the ethical considerations surrounding its use in education. These conversations should be happening in the classroom, facilitated and prompted by educators. OpenAI models must be used responsibly and with proper safeguards in place to protect student privacy, ensure algorithmic transparency, and prevent bias in decision-making processes. Educators must engage students in discussions about the ethical implications of AI, encouraging them to think critically about the ethical use of technology and the potential consequences of AI applications. They should lead students through explorations of the biases and ethical dilemmas that pertain to this technology. If educators choose to ignore this responsibility they are failing their students and the world instead of helping cultivate ethical, responsible citizens. 

5. Lifelong Learning and Adaptability

One of the most valuable skills in an AI-dominated world is the ability to learn continuously and adapt to new technologies and concepts. OpenAI can assist in creating adaptive learning environments that foster lifelong learning. Students can develop the capacity to embrace change, acquire new skills, and remain agile in a rapidly evolving society. These skills are essential in a society where the half-life of information is only 18 months. By integrating AI in education, we instill a mindset of curiosity, adaptability, and resilience and encourage students to be lifelong learners. 

While the integration of OpenAI in education may seem daunting, we cannot afford to ignore its power and the impact it will have on the future. By embracing AI and rethinking our educational paradigms, we prepare students to thrive in a world dominated by AI. OpenAI provides educators with the tools to enhance the learning experience, promote critical thinking, and foster the skills necessary for success in an AI-powered society. With careful consideration of ethics and a focus on lifelong learning, we can navigate the intimidating landscape of AI and harness its potential to create a brighter future for education and our students.

(With support from generative AI)

The Power of Open AI to Break Down Language Barriers in Education

In today's globalized world, the ability to communicate and collaborate across languages is more important than ever. Language barriers can hinder education, impeding the sharing of knowledge and limiting opportunities for students and educators. However, with the advent of OpenAI and its advanced language models, we are witnessing a transformative shift and the breaking down of language barriers in the education context.

Enhanced Translation Capabilities

OpenAI's language models, such as GPT-3.5, possess powerful translation capabilities that facilitate seamless communication across different languages. With the ability to understand and generate text in multiple languages, these models can act as instant translators, enabling students and educators to overcome language barriers in real-time. This opens up a wealth of possibilities for global collaboration, allowing students from diverse linguistic backgrounds to participate in joint projects, share ideas, and learn from one another. In addition, OpenAI facilitates ease of communication with families who do not speak fluent English. Educators can communicate with students and families in their native language and thus foster connections between home and school life for students and bring parents into the loop about what is going on in the classroom. 

Access to Diverse Learning Resources

Language barriers often limit students' access to educational resources, particularly when the content is primarily available in a single language. OpenAI's language models can bridge this gap by translating educational materials into different languages, thus making them accessible to a wider audience. This not only benefits students whose native language may differ from the instructional language but also facilitates the sharing of educational content across borders. By democratizing access to diverse learning resources, OpenAI empowers students to explore subjects and content that were previously out of reach due to language constraints. They can learn from a more diverse group of authors and engage with texts from regionally and culturally grounded genres that have not previously been translated. Educators can bring diverse perspectives into their classrooms and encourage students to engage globally as a result of OpenAI.

Linguistically Personalized Learning

In addition, OpenAI's language models can play a crucial role in personalized learning. With their ability to understand and generate text in different languages, these models can provide tailored learning experiences to individual students in their native language. They can generate and adapt content to a student’s preferred language making education more equitable and accessible. It also allows educators to target specific skills with their assessments rather than simply a student’s ability to comprehend English instructions when that is not their native language. In this way we can avoid misconceptions that EDL students are not grasping content when in reality they are just struggling with language barriers. 

The power of OpenAI in breaking down language barriers in the education context cannot be overstated. Through its advanced language models, OpenAI enhances translation capabilities, improves access to learning resources, and enables linguistically personalized learning. As language is no longer a barrier, students and educators can collaborate, share knowledge, and explore new horizons together. The classroom is more adaptable, equitable and welcoming as a result. OpenAI's contribution to dismantling language barriers paves the way for a more inclusive and globally connected education system, where language diversity becomes a strength rather than a limitation.

(With support from generative AI)

Classroom Management Tips & Tech

Classroom management can seem daunting, especially when integrating technology. Below are some helpful tips for helping create a positive, consistent, and focused classroom while using tech (thanks for the example lesson, Jeff!).

1. "Ask Three Before Me"

This is a helpful reminder for when students have a question. It encourages them to ask three peers, or check three resources (online, book, instructions) before they ask you as the teacher. This helps protect your time as a teacher and also encourages them to interact with their peers and practice being resourceful. I am a fan of this method and am excited to use it in my world language classroom because it also rhymes in French: Demande à trois, avant moi :) 

2. Limit Time (and Award Bonus Time)

One common mistake is giving students too much time to complete a task online or using technology. It is quicker to type than to handwrite and especially if students are familiar with the website or technology resources they are using, they may be able to accomplish a given task quicker than students have in the past. When they get done early, students will find other things to fill the time and may get distracted. 

Instead, underestimate the amount of time it will take students, and then award bonus time if it looks like most students aren't done yet. This helps them stay focused (and makes you the hero!). 

3. Physically Remove Screens

Even as adults, it is difficult to avoid the temptation of checking a screen when it's right in front of you. Help your students by physically separating them from their screens. This does not mean taking away your students' devices. Rather, have them set their phones face down or laptops closed on the tops of their desks. Or, have them turn their laptop screens completely away from themselves so they face the front of the class when you are speaking.

4. Exploring New Tech

When introducing a new technology tool, students may become distracted, wanting to explore and push the limits with how they can use it. To avoid losing control of the class, allow intentional time for students to play around with the new technology beforehand. This can even be just 3-5 minutes in class and then you can even allow space afterwards for students to share with the class what they learned. 

5. Clear Expectations and Explanations

Establish a consistent routine and clear expectations for students. You could start every day with the same entry slide on the screen that outlines what materials students need. For example, is a laptop needed today or not? Headphones? Pencil and paper? This helps students know what to expect and whether it will be appropriate to get out their computers each day. 

Another way to set clear expectations is to use timer on the screen when students have a certain amount of time to get a task done. This helps gives students ownership of their time and practice pacing themselves. 

6. Review Established Procedures

Help students out by practicing already-established procedures periodically throughout the year. For example, before you begin a lesson, you could ask students to demonstrate what good listening looks like (closing their laptops, looking at the you or at their notes, not talking to neighbors). This helps remind students what is expected and makes them feel confident that they know what to do.

Here is a great article that highlights some additional tips for integrating technology into your curriculum.

What are other classroom management ideas that you find helpful when using technology? Please feel free to comment below!

The Mindset of Change ~ Creating a Better Classroom

     Think back to your high school days for a brief moment. Who were your most memorable teachers (good or bad)? What specifically did they do that made them great (or terrible)? What do you think their mindsets were when it came to teaching; did they continually adapt or did they stick to their script? Hold onto this thought.

    Now, I want you to think about a class that you don't remember well or don't have any memories attached to that class. What made this class unmemorable? Can you remember who your teacher was? Was the content too boring or did the teacher not love the subject matter?

    The reason I ask these questions is that I want you to imagine what your teachers' mindsets were. Each teacher has a different view on education, different ways of teaching, and different processes to teach information. From my experience, my most memorable teachers (the good teachers) had great mindsets, they adapted, and they cared about building relationships with students.

    This leads me into talking about the three most important mindsets teachers should have if they truly want to change what learning looks like in the classroom. These mindsets are:

1.    Create a simple structure for students to use (and update) to gain insight into how to best collaborate and learn together.
2.    Build better questions together.
3.    Learn from your mistakes by exploring them together.

    Whether you like to or not, life is about figuring out to collaborate and communicate with others if you don't agree with them. The classroom must reflect this and allow kids to figure out ways to work with each other. As the teacher, it is important that you understand how your students learn and use that to create learning groups. As the year goes on and each kid gets better at working in groups, then you can create a group of students who are complete opposites in learning styles. This structure is simple, go from groups that work well together and slowly create groups of kids who have to figure out how to work together. To gain insight, you can have students reflect on each group member and reflect on themselves. 

    Helping students build questions is extremely important not only in the classroom, but in their everyday lives. Building questions can follow a process, such as the "what, where, when, who, why, how" model. As the students start a topic, they can start by answering the questions in this model. As they progress in that topic, you may model some questions they may have and then ask them to write down questions they have.

    Exploring mistakes through reflection is extremely important. If we do not reflect on our mistakes, how can we improve? This is what your students have to understand in the classroom. Everybody makes mistakes, but how are you going to change your approach so this mistake will not happen again? Mistakes shouldn't be celebrated, but rather treated as a learning moment. Many mistakes, especially in math, tend to be calculation mistakes, and students may have developed a process that can help compute problems for other classmates.

Math through SAMR

    Being part of the first wave of Chromebooks in my high school, I thought it was really interesting how little we used them. The Chromebooks never left the classroom and we only used them for researching topics in history, science, and English. For math, we never touched our Chromebooks, like EVER. Everything in my math classes was done by hand whether it was a homework assignment or not. Fast forward to college and EVERYTHING was online. Since I was used to doing work on paper, it was a huge struggle for me when assignments were all online while the tests were on paper. Let me tell you, online math homework SUCKS especially when it grades only your answer and not your process.

    So, what is the common ground? Strictly online math assignments are extremely unbeneficial, but there is still technology not being utilized in the math classroom. The truth is that math is everywhere but we are commonly taught that math only exists in the classroom. Every day we see sales at the grocery store saying up to 35% off, we see houses for sale stating their square footage, and we see gas prices per gallon. The mathematics classroom HAS to transform and connect to the world around the students. This can be video calling a math class in Europe to see what they are learning. This could be picking your favorite state/country on google maps and using it to find the total area of the state. This could be tracking the ocean tides and graphing its position on the beach relative to time. What I am saying is that math is not stagnant and it is not contained in a classroom. It is everywhere and kids need to understand that it is an amazing tool to see the world through. Technology is our friend if we choose to use it properly and it has the power to take students to places they never thought possible.

Forget Purdue Owl!!!

     To me, the most mind-blowing thing from this class is the fact that Google Docs can generate footnotes and citations FOR YOU when you insert a website link. After I learned that, I could automatically see my future students' lives becomming easier when citing sources. Not only do you have to go over Purdue Owl anymore (sweeeet!), your students won't have to struggle understanding how to format citations or with dealing with citation machine that will absolutely kill their battery life

    This being said, it is equally as important to teach your students what proper sources look like. This citation tool on Google Docs should NOT be used willy nilly for any website, students must understand how to find proper sources. To do this easily, you must teach your students about "site:" when using google. This gives them the ability to search for credible sources, while at the same time giving them good sources to use in their research.

Flight Patterns as Polynomials

    After our lesson about teaching through google maps and google earth, I thought it was super interesting seeing how flight patterns actually look. This got me thinking about how I could utilize this technology in my math classroom, and I thought that teaching my class about quadratic equations using flight patterns would be super interesting. 

 

    Using maps to teach quadratic equations can allow kids to choose their starting point and destination, learn about latitude and longitude, and use the flight pattern to generate an equation given that the starting point is the origin. This could then lead into cubic equations by treating the above destination as a layover and then picking another destination.

    Teaching polynomials through maps allows kids to apply mathematics to the real world, which helps them understand how the world works around them.

Am I Media Pre-Literate?

    Media literacy is the ability to accurately analyze and evaluate media, which can be social media, books, videos, etc. For a crash course you can visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIaRw5R6Da4. (I will not be using the 5 questions from this video). In my adult life, I haven't had to consider how media literate I am. I look up what I want to know, either find an answer or don't, and I move on. But this class has made me question; what is my media literacy level? Since I'm thinking about it, I should answer that question using a few more questions.

Can I assess who created the media, what they are trying to do with it, and what they want to get out of it? Yes. One point for me.

Do I assess who created the media, what they are trying to do with it, and what they want to get out of it? Sometimes but not when I am in a hurry. .25

Do (or did before yesterday) I know how to restrict my searches to give me more trustworthy sources. No, 0

Do I restrict my searches? No, 0

Do I move on to the second page of found sources? No, 0

Do I look for a diversity of opinions in media? Sometimes, I typically just look at the first couple of sources that fit what I am looking for. When I am researching a product or something that has specific relevance to me I will look at a variety of opinions and try to discern what I am seeing. .5

Can I assess media	1pt
Do I assess madia	.25
Do I know how to restrict searches	0
Do I restrict searches	0
Do I continue to 2nd page of results	0
Do I look for a diversity of opinions	.5
	1.75/6 Low Literacy

Looks like I have a small problem.

    I remember that there used to be discussion a few years back about how technology was flooding people with stimulus and an unprocessable amount of information. The discussion was mostly negative from people who didn’t grow up with all this information and connectivity available to them. They were right on many details and many were pragmatic to say that these technologies are not going away and that kids growing up now will need to be educated on how to navigate the world with all of these distractions and mass of information.

    The new generations need to be taught what they are seeing, why it is there, how to discern what is worth noting and what is not, and how to produce content in a time where production is at its easiest. And it looks like I, as well as many others slightly more removed from the age of information, need to work on literacy as well. I look forward to the capability this era gives to individual people, and I accept my responsibility to get informed and literate for myself.  

Just Google it

 Reflecting on the topics that we discussed in class today, I was struck by the amount of options for learning are integrated into the Google learning experience. Between Google classroom, Google maps, Google news, Google earth and the like, teachers almost never have to leave Google. I grew up just before classrooms started getting a large number of Chromebooks that students had extended time to work on. For us, the school had one computer cart that our teacher could book for a class period. We would check out a computer, work on our assignment, put it away, and then never see the computer again.  

Entering college, we started to have more homework and assignments that we had to work on digitally and to be able to submit or work on with our own computers. I became a Chromebook user for cost efficiency, mainly using Google Docs and Google Slides; not much more than that. I only used the basic functions and got my work done on the computer solely because we didn't do it on paper or by a different medium.  

Computers were never my source of high tech, technology use. In part because I was never required to use highly interactive materials; a copy and paste image here and a PowerPoint animation there is as far as I went. But even doing that was using Google's resources well. Now-a-days things have certainly changed. Google classroom has created an interactive environment jam packed with hyperlink and embedding options. Student's can interact on the same documents and materials of different types that are all set up in advance and controlled by the teacher. 

Today's teachers have an incredible resource in front of them. A resource that their districts are already paying for and their student's are already equipped to thrive with. I am personally terrified of and exited about this technology. I have so much to learn and catch up on to use this tool effectively, but I see how I can teach students in a much deeper and more meaningful way with it. 

Wish Me Luck!!

Failures and Successes

I think many educators are scared, or at least skeptical, of changing their ways. This sentiment might be more prevalent among older teachers, but might also be more common based on the teacher’s cultural norms. These teachers desire to keep teaching the way that they are used to teaching, and maybe even used to learning — teaching to their own past. There can be good parts of this, both instructionally and in content. But there are also benefits to incorporating new ways of teaching, as well as changing content to be more skill- or process-oriented. These seek to teach more for the student’s future (in fact, everyone’s future) and naturally tend toward technology (hence the subject of these blogs and this course).

The biggest hurdle in implementing these new practices is implementing them — getting them set in place to begin with. I think a helpful aspect of this is seeing what works and what doesn’t work. I appreciated seeing both the failures and successes of technology use. Even beyond the ability to recognize the potential of a given method, these examples can give insight into the mindset and effort that can make or break a teacher’s efforts. Furthermore, teachers can determine for themselves whether one success might not be successful for them, or better yet, how a given failure could become a success given some modifications. No matter how or what the teachers implement, it is always helpful to see examples of it in action. Just as teachers model for the students, they can also see models from other teachers. 

Better prepare with less content?

I think education has often been described as preparing kids for life (whether or not that is successfully accomplished). I have also seen and heard lots of dissatisfaction with how schools attempt to do that — they teach something academic that is very obscure, but don’t teach practical things about finance or home life. I think education has the possibility of including more practical things and potentially even optionalizing some of the now-required content.

As Jeff was urging during our class, skills are the important thing to learn (to access knowledge rather than knowing it all). There are two trends that I have noticed. Alternative forms of schools have become more common, which, to my understanding, are often project-based rather than content based. This might leave some of the content unlearned, yet the students are still meeting standard and learning (arguably to a deeper or more practical degree also). Thus, not all of the academic content may be necessary to cover.

The other trend is well known — technology is infiltrating our lives more and more. Thus, fluency in technology is an important skill for almost everything. The many ways we accessed classroom interactions or assignments, both in similar ways or new ways through computers, demonstrates the prevalence of them. It also demonstrates how the classroom is the perfect place to integrate their use in a way that can streamline some processes and also teach the skills associated with using technology. Therefore, using technology in our classrooms will practically prepare students for modern life and set them on track for what new developments there could be in the future (the “true” purpose of education).

Technology: A Waste of Time?

     I am used to growing up with parents and others who never cease to say phrases such as, "Staring at that screen will turn you into a zombie if you don't stop soon!", "You'll never have a life if you spend so much time on video games!", and "You should be spending more time outside!" While all of these came from a well-meaning concern for my health and success (and in most cases very likely helped me to live a healthier lifestyle), they still created a sort of stigmatization in me. This stigma has basically been telling me my whole life that "technology = bad" regardless of whether or not that was the message that was intended to be conveyed.

    This childhood experience has led me to believe that simply regulating technology use is not an effective approach. Rather, I think much more time needs to be spent on teaching kids (and adults for that matter) how to properly manage technology in their lives. There are so many wonderful and useful tools in technology for finding knowledge, entertainment, communication, and much more. however, improper management and responsibility when dealing with technology can be highly counter-productive, time-consuming, and harmful. The recent digital age has made it abundantly clear that technology will only become increasingly prevalent in our lives, so it has become all the more important to learn and teach how to effectively and healthily navigate a technological world. 

Wikipedia is here to stay

I had only recently in the last few years started to hear some buzz about Wikipedia's surprising level of reliability when I started to assimilate into the education community through music education conferences and workshops. I had no idea about the rating system or the coordination that goes into maintaining pages on the site though, and I was quite shocked at first! Now I almost feel compelled to go out and start looking for pages to supplement, although I probably won't go that far until I have more free time on my hands. This in itself goes to show that education and learning are collaborative because complete strangers around the world are coming together to provide anyone with an internet connection easy access to knowledge for free. I think it’s important to keep the love of learning alive in students and providing such easy access to knowledge will help fuel this love, but it is important that we teach students to evaluate the credibility of their sources and teach them how to research properly. 

I think it’s extremely valuable to have such a massive database of knowledge on pretty much anything you can think of in a digital and changeable format. Information changes constantly as new things are being discovered, and as those discoveries happen the documentation can change with it in real-time, and we will never lose that access as long as technology still survives. There has been so much documentation, culture, and knowledge lost to age or deliberate destruction over time, more than we could even fathom. I often think about the Library of Alexandria and wonder what information we could have still had access to if it hadn’t been devastated. I find it comforting that there is so much information stored on the internet that will never be destroyed.

The Library of Alexandria

#Google #Community #Hashtag

The final words of Jeff have been ringing in my ears. After being on technology overload for the past two days, the one thing that I cannot stop thinking about has nothing to do with technology. It has everything to do with being a human being.

The best thing we can do as educators is love our students from the moment they walk into our classrooms and never stop.

No matter how much we practice with technology or study all of the benefits that it brings to the classroom, we cannot change the fact that we are human beings and that we have needs that transcend technology. 

We all have a need to be seen.

To be loved.

To belong.

The beautiful part about technology is that it can be utilized in the classroom to create and foster a sense of belonging and community.

Take Google maps for example. Google mymaps can be used to show how our students are connected with each other and how our students are connected around the world. We can utilize Google mymaps to map out the location of everyone's houses. Doing this gives a visual representation to how close or how far everyone is living from each other. It can also provide a spark or connection for that new student who is looking for a way to connect with their classmates. Google mymaps can be utilized to plot points of the places everyone visited over the summer or maybe spark an interest in students of where they might want to visit one day. When students can visually see these connection points, it provides them with the opportunity to build community based on place and interest.

Take Wikipedia for example. A Wikipedia article is basically a community of individuals looking to provide the world with accurate and unbiased information on a topic that they find interesting. Think about all of the great projects that can come from this concept.  Students can be linked together through common interests and then sent off to provide the rest of the world with the best Wikipedia article they can produce through collaboration. As students are working together, they might "meet" other people from around the world that become part of their "Wikommunity." 

Take the hashtag for example. Creating a classroom hashtag lets educators engage their students on social media in a way that was never possible before. Creating a classroom hashtag allows educators to create communities that can travel together. Creating a classroom hashtag builds a community with an online portfolio for all time. The possibilities are endless!

For all of technology's short falls, it can still be utilized to meet that basic human need of...

#community

#belonging

#love

We can't live longer, but we can get more time

I think the best way to look at technology is as a means to give more quality time with students. SAMR gives good context to this. Even if a technology is not revolutionary — if it doesn’t “redefine” an aspect of education — it can still achieve the goal of getting more time with students. If an activity is enhanced with technology as a substitution or augmentation, the technology would hopefully make the activity more efficient. The activity could also give some independence to the students, which would then free up the teacher from instruction to interact with the students individually.

On the other hand, technology can be implemented in a way that does not achieve this goal. Sometimes when it is just substituted in, it does not fulfill a purpose beyond what the original activity did without technology. In that case, the substitution might just be more work, and might in fact decrease the quality of learning and interaction. If this is the case, the technology does not meet the goal of getting more quality time with students and should not actually be used in that way. Technology should be implemented in a judicious, intentional manner. 

Cheers to the Future

     Being forced to change and adapt last year because of school moving to an online/virtual format really forced the world of education to open its eyes. Education, for better or for worse, has been changed for good. The interesting thing is that many of the technological tools that were used and will continue to be used have been around for years... We have just had no "need" for them. This past year, we were forced to use them, and I believe that because of that, we finally have maybe come to recognize the value of these tools. Technology in the classroom can be a useful tool for building connections, maintaining relationships, and interacting with learning communities all over the globe. 

    I think that one challenge moving forward will be finding the correct balance of screen-time. I feel that kids today have their faces in their devices a lot, and the last thing that needs to happen is continuing that habit at school. It will be important to explore ways to use technological tools in the classroom effectively, collaboratively, and responsibly.

Education is a moving target and technology in the classroom allows teachers to stay on target more easily and effectively.

Times tables won't go away

 I can't stop thinking about the opinion I heard today about preferring to have students learn two-letter country codes rather than multiplication tables. They are both straight facts. Also, both can be found easily or quickly with a calculator or a quick search, but I think one is more useful to know than the other. When doing simple calculations (or more complex ones with simple components), it's very helpful to be able to do quick multiplication without needing a calculator. On the other hand, it seems like any time people would be using a country code, they would be able to look it up as part of the process. Thus, in my opinion, I think it's more valuable to know multiplication tables.