Teaching and Learning with Technology

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2010-02-18T12:45:00.001-08:00

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Communicating with Parents via Technology

2009-10-13T11:46:00.000-07:00

A variety of technology tools and resources enable teachers to communicate with parents in a variety of ways. Several of you mentioned ways in which your CT's are using technology to keep parents "in the loop," particularly through email and class Web sites.

Most of you had similar views about promising technologies to stay in touch with parents. The most frequently sited tools include:

email
course Web sites, particularly Edline
class blogs

With this potential, however, also comes responsibility on the part of the teacher. Afterall, technology-mediated communication is an extension of you (for better or worse ). Matt noted the importance of varying your communication style and "voice" for your parents for a course Web site or in email. Several of you noted the importance of being organized and profession.

Matt suggests that

e-mail can make it easier to communicate with parents, but it might also cause communication errors on either end of the spectrum. If your writing is not clear and concise, parents are more likely to misunderstand you and get frustrated or angry.

Several of you noted that you cannot count on all of your families to have easy, reliable Internet access at home and that technology might not always be the best option. Ruth sums it up well,

As teachers, we cannot rely on e-mail alone since many families have limited internet access. Notes home and phone calls are still necessary forms of communication. Also, there's something to be said about hearing the voice and inflections of the person you are talking to that is removed from e-mail conversations.

Most of you suggested that "friending" students on social networking sites could be problematic (and perhaps unprofessional). Alex, however, poses one alternative regarding Facebook:

I would simply like to point out that a way to incorporate the user-friendly features of Facebook into implementing extracurricular classroom connectivity might be to make a private Facebook account for your class. Students could post questions to their classmates, receive links and other assignments from the instructor, and more, all while maintaining the privacy of the instructor's personal Facebook account (i.e. by not utilizing it).

Rachel posted an interesting nugget to think about

While technology is wonderful in reaching parents, I have to wonder, is there too much communication? When parents can find out instantly their children’s grades, is this necessarily a good thing? It is good for parents to know if their child is failing to complete assignments or failing tests, but maybe parents being too involved and the ease at which teachers can contact parents over the littlest mistake can cause parents to overreact...Are students not learning to be independent and organized? Are they relying too much on their parents to keep up with assignments and due dates from webpages?

I want to high-five George Lucas

2009-09-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

Molly's comment provided a great title for this post,

I want to high-five George Lucas. What a man. I loved his Englishy ways (Sorry Dr. Moore, Englishy is a word). As a mind wanderer/day dream believer, I find myself only engaged by teachers who communicate effectively and in interesting ways. It’s all about the story/finding a connection/metaphor/ relationship.

I think it's safe to say that you all had strong reactions to the Lucas article. If nothing else, his ideas for education were thought-provoking. Several of you expressed general agreement with his premise that a certain kind of "media literacy" is important for students and teachers today.

Greg responded to the premise of the article,

He described the need to stop looking at art and music as separate topics taught to the emotional mind, and instead incorporate them in other classrooms. Many of his opinions aligned with modern learning theories, but one statement was fairly novel. He said,

"One of my concerns is that we're advancing intellectually very fast, but we're not advancing emotionally as quickly."

He pointed out that it is common to see highly educated people (professors with PhDs, anyone?) who are clueless when it comes to good form in presentation and visual communication. This comes from an educational system rooted in 19th century thinking, according to George Lucas, clinging to tradition in the face of a society and business climate that demands change and flexibility.

Amanda K. asserts Lucas' notion that, "We as future teachers need to make sure that we work to enact change whenever possible to avoid our teaching from becoming stagnant or worse, irrelevant."

Emily also suggested,

The most appealing elements of the classroom Lucas proposes include the opportunity to engage the “daydreamers” and students with “unfocused ambition” that Lucas identifies with. What teacher would take responsibility for calling George Lucas an unpromising student? Perhaps the inclusion of film into a classroom will identify talent in more students than a paper and pen could. Regardless of conservative or innovative philosophies of teaching, it is the duty of teachers to use resources to meet their students.

Sarah H. expressed enthusiasm

Although I consider myself a fairly technologically un-savvy individual (my iPod challenges me regularly); the idea of incorporating digital video and podcasts into the classroom is enthralling. Children (along with the rest of the population) are already bombarded with visual and audio media stimulation at an absurd rate, so why not turn the tables and let them have control of these elements, but for bettering their education? We are a species which thrives on communication, so children should be embracing such methods within their education, for it’s a vital part of life.

Jennifer N. extends this idea, noting,

I love art and the creativity of cinema, because they leave the door open for students to shape their own understandings based on their own technological skills. I will never forget one group assignment I had in my seventh grade earth science class, where we had to create our own news broadcast that covered a natural disaster of our choice. It is always more stimulating and interesting to work with others to come up with your own unique learning experience. Students leave the assignment with a personal connection, which therefore makes the assignment more meaningful.

Others of you, however, questioned some of the argument. Laura R. struggled with a statement from the Lucas article,

I found this comment by George Lucas to be particularly thought-provoking: "When people talk to me about the digital divide, I think of it not being so much about who has access to what technology as who knows how to create and express themselves in this new language of the screen. If students aren't taught the language of sound and images, shouldn't they be considered as illiterate as if they left college without being able to read or write?" On a literal level, my first reaction was no - you can't say that the language of sound and images is as critical as being able to read and write....but then, on an emotional level, I thought yes - communicating with sound and images really is an enormous part of our lives today, both locally and globally. It can be a very effective way of engaging people, so no matter what field of work you choose, you probably have a much better chance of engaging people if you are adept at expressing yourself through sound and image media.

Patricia was more pointed in her critique of the reasonableness of Luca's argument,

I feel like he is an uninformed commentator on the current state of education. He was directly asked how to incorporate this type of literacy into the classroom and responded with a strange metaphor that the subjects are a circle. Then, when asked about funding, he responded with an incredibly vague answer, essentially calling for a complete overhaul of education today.

While Matt challenged some of Lucas' emphasis on skill development over content learning, he did note that creating content-focused movies/podcasts may be the best of both worlds. He said,

On the other hand, the last site that we explored (the podcasting booklet) provides some avenues for achieving reading/writing development with the ultimate goal of providing experiences with technological communication (i.e. creating a podcast). Planning for making such recordings or videos requires writing a script, editing, planning a narrative, etc. By embedding these exercises within the context of creating a video, students might be all the more motivated to learn the basics while at the same time be exposed to the new, artistic technology the Lucas speaks of.

Interestingly, the Technobeets had a different take on some of the ideas and issues raised by Lucas in the article. Check out their discussion here.

In looking at the Web sites and sample projects, several of you highlighted elements of this kind of work that you found interesting. For example, Matthew lists three reasons that this kind of learning activity is appealing for him:

1. It's fun (for me and the students)
2. It helps students with different learning styles to learn.
3. The possibilities for it uses are limited only by one's imagination.

It's important to recognize, though, that moviemaking and podcasts are a new medium that students may not have extensive experience with. To help students, Meghan suggested that,

Teachers should try to model using the digital mediums effectively in their lessons, so that the students will hopefully learn how to harness technology in their learning and not be either 1) distracted by it or 2) intimidated by it.

Classroom possibilities:

For younger students, you all indicated several potential advantages of incorporating digital movies and audio in the classroom. For example, Addison suggested,

I also really loved the storytelling podcasts especially when the text was on the page as well while they listened to the podcast. What an excellent resource for young children learning to read, because they get both aural and written language experience. This would definitely be a great tool to encourge students to read at home, possibly assigning them homework of following the reading podcast on a weekly basis.

Addison extended this notion to moviemaking as well, stating,

I think my favorite example that I saw may have been the Pledge of Allegiance video that one class made, where each student had a part in the video and they went line by line through the pledge of allegiance attaching meaning to each verse. This was great again because the student's were so invested in it and what they were learning, and they were creating something they could be proud of.

Christie liked how creating a podcast might extend learning into the larger community, stating,

I especially liked the "Our City" website where students create podcasts about their cities. It seems like that would be a good activity for students learning about their community and region.

Sarah L. suggested an interesting approach to a whole school podcast

I think podcasts would also be a great project for the whole school. Say for instance, each grade has to do a special report on earth day. Each grade could work together and it could all be presented to the whole school!

Anna liked the idea of incorporating an iPhoto Book,

The kids compiled one of projects they had made and told an African Folktale called The Sun and the Moon. It was amazing what these kids did and how the photos of the African masks they had made added to the story in the book and the telling of the oral tale. Incorporating that technology wouldn’t be difficult and could add a lot to any sort of lesson.

Addison shared,

My CT has told me that in the past when her students have been learning about the different regions of VA in social studies she has them do a vacation project where they have to research a part of VA and advertise it for tourism, and she had them do commercials and they would give their narration in front of a green screen and she would later edit in an image of the location they were advertising. How cool is that? She's supposed to get me a copy of the dvd soon, and I can't wait!

For older students, different ways of creating movies and podcasts caught your attention. For example, Greg highlighted two projects that impressed him:

Math Movie Minute - This video created by middle schoolers is a good example of cross curriculum teaching. While explaining how to find the surface area of a pyramid, students show understanding of storytelling, use of humor, editing, and sound mixing.
Immigration iMovie - In this video, students presented immigration experiences from a first person perspective, essentially role playing. I chose this because it is a project that could easily have been assigned as a paper, which would have faded into the background of so many other papers in the students' memories. Doing a project like this is more likely to be both pleasant and memorable for the students.

Laura R. noted that she liked the Math Movie Minute as well because, "I like the fact that in the process of making such a movie, they would be learning how to express themselves using the vocabulary of math, as well as learning how to express themselves creatively."

Rebecca also offered a few ideas:

For social studies classes I feel like the possibilities are endless for moviemaking – students can dramatize historical events, discuss current or historical issues, document places, people, ideas. Students could use these movies to help present research projects also.

Hannah pointed out that a teacher can also make use of existing podcasts in the classroom. She suggested,

I also think that it would be neat to subscribe to a podcast created by a news organization and watch a five-minute clip at the beginning of each class. This would help students get into the habit of watching the news each day, give students some exposure to current events, and may even convince some students to subscribe to the podcast and watch the rest of the episode after class.

Katlin offered the following suggestion for using podcasts in the English classroom:

I could have groups of students select certain literary works (poems, short stories, novels, or plays) and act them out to help students better understand the plot. This is could be very helpful for sections on Shakespeare, where the language can be very confusing. I could even take the opportunity to dress up as characters to explain texts to my students via podcast.

Laura J. suggested that student review podcasts may have potential in her classroom:

I also like the idea of doing weekly podcasts in order review what the students have learned. I would want to have the students get in pairs or groups and each one be responsible for a weeks worth of review. This review could be a ten minute podcast where students get an overall summary especially if they missed a few days of school. This would also be a great way to help parents know what their students are learning on a basic level. You could also include announcements for the next week such as when quizzes, tests, or projects will be due.

Podcasts can also have their drawbacks as well. In discussing the posting of lectures via podcasts, Katie R. was concerned that this may both contribute to laziness on the part of the students as well as losing some of the interactive potential of class sessions. She notes,

I think that the value of a class mostly comes from the in class “face to face” time that you can only get from going to class and interacting with the professor and the rest of the class. Participation and class discussion is invaluable to understanding a subject. Being able to ask questions in class while the teacher is lecturing is also critical to comprehension and may be lost to the world of podcasting. I think there is an appropriate place for podcasts in education and learning, but the key is to use them as a supplement to class time, but not allow them to replace class time.

Rebecca also reminds us that we have to consider the Digital Divide.

We have to worry about students not having access to the tools needed to use podcasting and digital moviemaking. While lots of kids have iPods, we can’t count on every one of them having them or on them being able to access the podcast at home on a computer.

Rachel W. cautions us not to "pigeon hole" podcasts as vehicles for lectures only. She argues,

I think our conversation about podcasts is stuck in thinking about them for only one purpose… to record lectures to catch students up when they miss school. I think we can agree that while this may be an appropriate use for motivated college students, it doesn’t apply as well in middle or high school classes that are not lecture based.

But I think podcasts can be used effectively in a middle or high school setting. For students who struggle with reading, recording excerpts from the text would give them extra support in class. Student projects would be another use. You could have students create radio shows (for events in history, about scientific topics, even math concepts) or use podcasts to present information. Teachers could use them to create museum walks (like those ear piece things that some art museums have to explain exhibits). For foreign language classes, students could record themselves and the teacher can refer to the recordings for assessment.
There are many different things you can do and being creative will produce the best results and the most effective use for learning.

While allowing students options for expressing their understanding is clearly helpful for them, it does pose a challenge for the teacher in terms of assessment. Lydia expressed this well, "I'm not sure how to enforce a high standard in projects if I allow them to choose their mode of conveying knowledge."

Jen I. also was concerned about the potential for podcasts (and other projects) might not be worth the classroom time. She argued,

Having students make a podcast may motivate some more and may encourage better effort. But it can also turn into a waste of time. Don't get me wrong, in general I think encorporating technology and things to catch kid's interest is great, but we can't go overboard. In the process of doing something like making a podcast a lot of time will go to completely non-academic activities--like choosing background music or deciding on colors and fonts for credits in a video. Having kids learn how to do such things is not bad (though I don't see it as quite as important as Lucas does), but if they make podcasts on everything (and teachers do tend to do that--if they encorporate technology once they do it all the time) then how much time is going to such non-academic pursuits? And it's not like kids aren't going to learn such things if it isn't done in school, those are exactly the types of things they would learn on their own.

Sarah H. also expressed some fear in terms of having the necessary time, access, and skills to pull off a major project.

I realize I will be limited by the resources which school funding provides and what the school district deems appropriate, so the likelihood of my students directing a mini-series on the amazing accomplishments of Ancient Egypt is probably slim; however, a short film (such as the “Life of a Monarch”) or a podcast could happen.

There may also be Copyright issues involved when creating new media. In response to Melissa's question regarding Copyright and student-created media, Laura J. noted,

I think that the copyright issue would not really come into play if you had the students create something of their own. For example, for any of the subjects, you could have students create a play or a radio show and have them broadcast it to the other sections of the class or have individual groups present projects to the whole class via podcasts.

Sagely, Jen I. reminds us, "Don't let the technology eclipse the lesson!

For some inspiration on creating movies for your students, see The Plaid Avenger (thanks Molly!).

Don’t Be Greedy and Give Credit where Credit is Due (But Is That Enough?)

2009-09-15T08:35:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Katie O. for providing the title to this post. I think in this title she really helped sum up some of the frustration you all expressed when dealing with issues of Copyright and Fair Use in the classroom. Several of you indicated how little you'd learned about Copyright in your own educational experience. For instance, Lindsay F. commented,

In reading the two articles that were posted, I quickly realized how much I did not know pertaining to Copyright laws and the ‘Fair Use’ Rule. Apparently, Business Law was a huge waste of my time.

Similarly, Addison suggested,

Even though I've studied copyright law in a variety of settings and contexts, I still can't remember everything. The best thing we as educators can do is research before we act, and ask when the answer is unclear regarding whether or not something is fair use, and as we come across these lessons in copyright law we need to share that knowledge with our students and stress to them the importance and seriousness of adhering to copyright law.

Laura summed it up well,

Everything I read in the two articles made sense to me, so why did I have such a difficult time applying that knowledge to the quiz questions?

The reality is, Copyright and Fair Use are not as clear as we might like. Still, many of you were able to identify useful principles to help guide your actions. Jennifer N. summarized some of these ideas well:

Reproducing copyrighted material for nonprofit educational purposes is permissible. However, teachers must follow other guidelines of fair use.
Giving the author credit for their work does not give you permission to share their work and use it for your own purposes. If the rules of fair use do not give you permission to use the work, crediting the author is not a loophole.
In most cases, the less of a work you use for your own purposes, the more likely it is covered by fair use guidelines. Using the copyrighted material for educational purposes does not give educators free reign of authors’ works. There are limits on what is allowed to be used.
Sometimes it is necessary to gain permission from the owner of the copyrighted material. Teachers can utilize the services of the Copyright Office to find out who holds the copyright for specific works and find out how to contact the owner for permission to use their work.
Copyrighted material becomes “public domain” after a certain point of time. This varies slightly according to who owns the copyright, etc. However, if the work was published prior to 1923, it is safe to view the work as “public domain” and allowable to copy or imitate the work without permission. (Ex. Painting in the style of a famous artist, putting different words to the song of a famous composer.)

Still, even after reading the articles and the principles, many of you found it difficult to apply the ideas in practice. Katie expressed a common frustration,

I was extremely frustrated when reading these articles because I felt like the policy of Fair Use is so poorly defined, making it difficult for people to really know whether they are legal in their actions or not.

This leaves us with the difficult choice of how/if to use certain materials. Sarah W. noted,

"The best course of action is simply to seek permission for all copied material you intend to use." - Because fair use is determined on a case-by-case basis, it seems that the best way to avoid copyright infringement is simply to always ask permission.

However, this may not always be practical. One great lifeline for you will be your individual schools/school divisions' policies. Typically policies are much more specific than the vaguely worded Fair Use guidelines we explored in this topic.

The next challenging is considering how you might address copyright with your students. Your approach may differ considerably depending on the age of your students and the frequency with which you or your students may use copyrighted material. Megan commented,

I think it would be difficult for younger students (especially the primary grades) to understand the abstract concept of it -- so obviously it should be broken down into easier terms that they can relate to (i.e. a "real world" context using in-class examples may be helpful). Rather than simply explain to students what the laws are, have them brainstorm reasons why such laws exist? What do they consider "fair use" of their own creations, etc.? Perhaps even establishing classroom rules for sharing and copying each other's work may prove to be a helpful introduction to the topic.

Patricia agreed, noting,

I agree that students should be introduced to copyright and plagiarism in upper elementary school. They will soon be responsible for doing research and writing papers graded for both content and construction. If the basic knowledge of what's appropriate and what isn't is missing when these skills are being developed, the students are faced with an even greater challenge. However, the earlier they become familiar with copyright, the more they will be able to practice good research and writing skills. Then, when they reach middle and high school, the ability to use those skills will be well rehearsed.

With middle and high school students, however, the circumstances are different. The culture in which students live, however, may make this a challenge. Matthew suggested,

I believe one of the biggest hindrances to students' understanding of copyright law is the way in which the internet makes information instantly available, apparently without consequences. In an age of file sharing, DVD ripping, and the like, a student may have no qualms using copyrighted material in an illegal manner.

For many students, then, copyright (and plagiarism as well) may not seem important. Molly noted,

No one thinks plagiarizing or copying is a big deal until they get caught...in sticky honor code violation. Teachers need to warn students of these consequences and teach them the proper way to use or not use the work of others.

Molly's comment suggests the need for teachers to be proactive. Several of you suggested very practical ways to both model and introduce these topics for students. Several of you emphasized the importance of modeling ethical use. Tori commented, "As teachers we need to be careful that we set good examples for our students." Sasha suggested,

As a general rule, although teachers don't have to, I plan on providing source information on all my documents (in corners of slides, as footnotes on papers), so that my children will become used to seeing this, realize how important it is, and hopefully pursue the same avenue of loyalty to authors their self.

Ruth looked at modeling slightly differently. She suggested that when students turn in work that they, "...should have an option to decide whether the work they create is published in school newsletters, on our class website, or displayed in the school." Jessica seconded this notion commenting,"I will definitely ask their permission before reproducing or displaying their works."

In terms of teaching students directly about Copyright and Fair Use, many of you group these issues with plagiarism. For instance, Erin suggested,

While plagiarism and copyright are separate issues, I feel that they can be dealt with similar ways. First, prevention is key. This includes telling students what copyright violation and plagirism is and what use of other's work is acceptable and what is not. Also, projects and assignments should not be conducive to copyright violations.

Amanda further suggested,

Teaching the basics of copyright law at the same time students are learning how to conduct research and utilize multimedia properly is critical. When I have them create projects, I need to have them provide a list of sources and check their origin.

In the end, none of this is easy. Remember, though, that you aren't in this alone. On the Portaportal, I've included links to many additional resources. And always know that you'll be given guidance from your schools as well.

Generative Technology in the Classroom

2007-04-02T06:29:00.000-07:00

Recently we have been exploring the potential impact of recently developed forms of "generative technology" like blogs, wikis, and podcasts. After exploring the capabilities of these tools and examining some classroom examples, my students had a lot to say...

Blogs

Of the three tools, blogs seemed to resonate most with the group. I don't know if it's because it's easier to envision this tool in the classroom because of their similarity to journals, but many of my students had reactions and ideas relating to blogs in the classroom.

One way that blogs were viewed as beneficial was on the efficiency side. Several students noted that setting up a class blog site would enable them to easily post course information, upcoming assignments, handouts, etc. in one central location that the students could access from in or outside school. Melissa also noted that

I could more easily grade blog assignments because I could set them up in
aggregates, so that my computer would notify me of new entries. This would
benefit students because they could get feedback from me more quickly.

Ashley sums up this efficiency element of blogs noting,

Blogs are efficient by saving me time, open up lines of communication between
students, parents, and teachers, and practical in that they are free to use. I
won't go so far as to say that a blog is like the Staples "Easy Button" but it
does make teaching and learning a whole lot more organized and interesting!

Another relative advantage of blogs relates to the ability to comment and encourage dialogue and creativity in the classroom. Mike picked up on the potential for commenting to increase engagement and dialogue in the classroom. He commented,

Using blogs could greatly enhance both the amount that the students connect with
the material and with each other….The students would be required to keep their
own blogs about course material, and encouraged to reply to each other’s blogs
so as to generate more creative thought and hopefully connection between the
students. I would read the blogs and reply to them as well, to keep students
on the right track. In this way, I could get a better insight into what and how
the students were thinking, as well as how they were interacting with each
other. Students could also ask questions in their blogs to which other students
and I would reply.

Kalyn also pointed out that, "Blogs allow for quiet students to voice their opinions in a different way. "

The interactive elements of blogs aren't necessarily limited to the classroom, however. Melissa notes,

One other great opportunity would be to communicate with others about novels
like Patrick Henry High School. For example, if we were reading Pride and
Prejudice, we could contact the Jane Austen Center in Bath, England and ask
experts at the Center to respond to our blog questions.

Several students picked up on the potential for encouraging engagement and creativity through student blogs. Ashley comments:

I especially loved the blog hall of fame that one teacher had developed for his
classroom, where he encouraged the students to create a superior blog by
rewarding them with a placement in the hall of fame, a website that other
teachers could comment on and use.

Laura notes:

Blogs can have a huge impact especially in an English classroom; I feel like far
too often in English classes, students feel distanced from the text and complain
that literature has little immediate relevance to their lives. Using blogs and
wikis can help them to make connections with the works we're reading and with
each other as well. I envision using blogs not only as a place for creative
writing but as a discussion forum where students can talk about their reactions
to the text and challenge each other.

Melissa suggests:

To encourage creativity, I could really have some fun. I would assign the
students a journal entry much like the journal entries in the Historical Diary
on Immigration, except instead of being in the voice of an immigrant, I would
require students to write blog entries in the voices of various characters from
novels we are reading.

Several students recognized that using blogs isn't always rosy. Janelle explains,

Various resources also made me think about parental reactions to blog use and
the importance of protecting students while still giving them freedom and a
claim to their own work. Censorship and the “Tinker test” concept were not
things that initially came to mind when thinking about classroom blog use, but
they certainly broach a multitude of implications and questions.

Charlotte echoed this sentiment noting,

I like that blogging allows students to share information and tips outside of
the classroom, which would be favorable in terms of helping each other with
assignments. However, I do realize that seventh graders could exploit this tool
and use it to encourage mockery and bullying, so commenting should probably only
be allowed as long as it is not ill used. If any hurtful or malicious comments
are posted, switching to a teacher-only commenting system would be ideal.

With these issues in mind, Aleah sums up the potential of blogs,

There are so many different approaches to using a blog. As a teacher, I can
see the value in the collaborative blogs - The Secret Life of Bees blog example
is particularly compelling, most notably the incorporation of drawings and art.
How cool is that! Going beyond text in a blog is becoming easier and is of such
value to a classroom. Using a blog as a response journal or as a creative outlet
individually could both be very valuable to the class. Having students generate
ideas in response to the material to help fuel class discussion before getting
to class would make the lesson even more interesting and interactive.

Wikis

Students also noted some of the potential of wikis to support teaching and learning in the classroom. Like blogs, several students noted that setting up a course website on a wiki would be easy for the teacher and allow students to contribute as well. Specifically, several students identified the potential of a wiki to serve as a collaborative study guide. Michelle suggested,

If each student made a page about a chapter in the textbook, the pages could be
used as study guides for tests. The 613 social studies blog is also a really
great example of how to use generative technology in the classroom. It provides
notes, information about the topics they are covering, and most importantly it
connects the students with each other by linking the students' pages to the
homepage. I also like how the teacher encouraged the students to post over
vacations and to respond to each other. This really created a community feeling
and I think that it would really promote student involvement and excitement, and
encourage the students to write more and write more thoughtful responses because
they know their peers are reading what they write.

Beth discussed a way to engage students more deeply in the content of a course.

From browsing the additional resources, I found the RomeWiki, which was an
online encylopedia about Roman history and culture. Having my students create
something like this would be a great way to encorporate culture and history into
the classroom language instruction. Students would be able to pick topics
interesting to them, become acquainted with scholarly resources, and develop
their writing skills at the same time. My brother currently has to do something
like this for one of his history classes here at William and Mary, and I'll have
to keep this in mind for my own classroom.

Finally, Carl-John zeroed in on the potential for a wiki to be the "hub" in the classroom.

The Wiki could also serve as a hub for organizing class blogs, podcasts, or even
presentations made by students. Something I think is a good idea, which many
students have mentioned in their blogs, is as a project to have students make
their own Wiki pages about a certain topic, or even something that is built
through out the year as their own classes wiki with information presented in
ways that they thought up that makes sense to them.

Podcasts

Not as many folks discussed podcasting in the classroom, although many referenced their potential in passing. Specifically, though, David noted,

Instead of giving a boring lecture, or having students read a book for homework
(boring), make a podcast to introduce a lesson. Include some music and fun facts
to make the podcast more fun and interactive.

And Erin added,

I like this idea because kids would get really excited about it and be able to
exercise their creativity. The use of podcasts offers a way to make oral
presentations in a less scary way.

Concluding Thoughts...

To wrap up, Beth comments,

While I've never been "scared" of technology, I've been intimidated by the
amount of technical know-how needed to use these programs. This new generation
of user-friendly blogs, wikis, and podcasts seems perfect for someone with my
lack of technical skill and computer software.

Carl-John finishes by saying,

It is no longer about the tech geek making every portion of a website from
the ground up. Anyone with a modicum of computer experience can begin writing
their own blog or loading a video or audio recording to one of the many video
sharing websites like Youtube.

Universal Design for Learning

2007-02-27T08:03:00.000-08:00

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a simple, yet powerful educational concept. The basic premise is that as you design educational experiences, it's important to consider and plan for the diverse needs of learners in your classroom. To do this, the folks at the Center for Applied Special Technology offer the following principles for UDL:

To support recognition learning, provide multiple, flexible methods of presentation
To support strategic learning, provide multiple, flexible methods of expression and apprenticeship
To support affective learning, provide multiple, flexible options for engagement

While few educators would argue against any of these principles, they can be challenging to put into practice. As my students have considered how they might apply these principles in reasonable ways in their future teaching, a few interesting ideas have emerged:

Ashley noted that

An English teacher can show film clips alongside discussion about specific scenes in a book and have students compare and contrast, giving the students who may not have understood the print version a chance to see the scene acted out and thus enable them to comment, and giving the students who understand the print version the chance to further develop their understanding.

Janelle continued the English ideas suggesting that she might be able to effectively engage her students by

presenting texts in a variety of forms such as physical, online, and recorded; diversifying student products to include not only papers but also websites, videos, voice recordings, photographic essays, etc.

While noting the potential of eReaders to enable students to engage with a text at multiple levels, Britanie also suggested a more low-tech approach, suggesting

Even acting out plays within the classroom or reading a book aloud, if we don't have this technology available, could support the UDL style.

Joseph noted that the interactivity of many digital resources could be helpful in connecting with the needs of diverse learners. He noted that

Interactive maps and other visual stimulus can help students better understand the nature of political change. Information displayed through interactive graphs and other stimulus also provides another avenue for students to learn.

Liz echoed the potential of interactive tools.

Dissections can be made better through online dissection options for students who can't or do not wish to dissect the actual animal.

David provided a thoughtful cautionary note

Teachers can use multimedia programs and other technology based program to surround their student in information. These could include things such as movies, games, charts which are both visually and audibly appealing. However, I caution the integration of UDL in the classroom... We have discovered that all children have different brains, with different ways of effectively learning. The obvious solution? Combine every kind of learning into one giant curriculum. The result is a elaborate lesson plan every day, that may or may not reach every student. Soon, if we integrate so much technology into a lesson, finding it as a cure-all, some students who have a harder time learning will be left behind by these elaborate curriculum.

Too much of a good thing is sometimes just too much.

Laura continues in this line of thinking

I think one of the main aspects of UDL to keep in mind when actually implementing it in the classroom is that there is a difference between "access to information" and "access to learning." Just because there is such an abundance of new technology doesn't mean that it's always going to be applicable to a lesson, and just because a teacher presents a class with new technology doesn't mean it's going to help the students to learn any better.

Clearly, the effective application of UDL principles in the classroom requires some thoughtful consideration and artful application on the part of the classroom teacher.

Digtial Images in the Classroom

2007-02-13T06:48:00.000-08:00

Recognizing the primacy of images in our popular culture, it seems reasonable to explore how images might enhance and extend teaching in the high school classroom. After a discussion in class and reading a series of articles on digital images in the classroom in Learning and Leading with Technology, students in my Designs for Technology-Enhanced Learning course spent time considering how this integration of images might best be done.

Britanie, Beth, and Michelle all explore how the use of images can create a larger context and enable students to connect new ideas with those they are familiar. Joseph and Charlotte discuss how, in the hands of students, images might provide students with a creative outlet. Melissa, Mary MacKenzie, and Janelle all point to how images can reinforce/re-present verbal or textual information. Liz, Erin and Charlotte argue that the use of images can add depth to presentation and discussion or make topics more real for students.

One topic that seemed to resonate was the idea of students using images to create digital stories. Ashley, Janelle, and Laura all suggested this may be a powerful use of images in the classroom. Laura noted the potential that this kind of work has in providing students a voice in the classroom (and beyond).

Just incorporating images in teaching does not necessarily result in enhanced teaching and learning, however. Michelle asserts the importance of having students analyze images rather than being more passive viewers. Aleah takes this notion one step further, commenting,

Just like any other form of technology, it can become a distraction or a bore. Used sparingly and interestingly, it can (to an extent) liberate learners who have felt trapped by the text and open up a whole world of educational success to some students who would have potentially only known failure.

Opportunities and Challenges of Technology in the Real K-12 World

2006-11-10T06:25:00.000-08:00

Ramona wrote:

Last week, I taught a social studies lesson using powerpoint. I rolled the huge white box that held the projector down the hall to my class. The students were very curious to know what was inside. Some thought it was a huge computer and another thought it was a camera. When I turned on the projector, I heard a "wow!" from the class. Then, I showed the students slides of different world cities and they loved it! My teacher was very impressed, even though to me, it seemed like such a small thing. I mean, I see powerpoint in class all the time. Yet, this was something new and exciting for the children.

As we've been discussing what students are seeing in their K-12 classroom practicum placements, several of my students are making some interesting observations, not unlike Ramona's story. While there is certainly different levels of access to technology in the classroom (Digital Divide), there seems to be even more variation on how (and if) the technology is used in the classroom (Didactic Divide). While there are individuals who take advantage of access to technology to really add value to their teaching, most keep the technology at the periphery of their instructional practice (see Cuban, 2001). Not surprisingly, most students see little more than their cooperating teacher use the overhead projector, videos, and the occasional PowerPoint in their teaching. This lack of modeling is proving problematic for my students. In one way or another, I keep hearing from my students that they are beginning to see the potential for technology really enhance their teaching practice, but feel isolated in terms of actually seeing technology used in K-12 settings, and perhaps more importantly, they don't feel they have someone to mentor them in their buildings on designing technology-enhanced learning opportunities.

These issues are of course not new. It is troubling, though, to see schools in which technology has been made a priority and where administrative support for technology integration is evident - and yet still not seeing much of an impact. As more and more new teachers are more on the digital native side enter the classroom, the expectation is that the tide may begin to turn. With these real or perceived lack of modeling and support, however, I wonder if we may be expecting too much of novice teachers.

I do have a couple of suggestions, however, to address some of the more pervasive concerns about incorporating technology into teaching...

There isn't enough time to add something new in to the curriculum...

While there is no doubt that instructional time is at a premium and the classroom teachers feel the constant ticking of the clock and pressure of pacing guides, I think this may be a flawed way of approaching the problem. Effective curriculum-based technology integration shouldn't be something that is extra or added on. Technology integration doesn't necessitate "taking away valuable instructional time for something new." Rather, the use of technology should be used in support of addressing curriculum-based teaching and learning. So, rather than incorporating a WebQuest or digital video project as an extension activity for a unit, perhaps the WebQuest could be designed to teach the project. Perhaps the digital video project would incorporate key concepts and the products could be used for the students to teach each other in the jigsaw method. I'm going to put my money where my mouth is on this one and collaborate with a partner seventh grade teacher to design a week-long activity on sub-Saharan Africa in which students will both learn and "re-present" the content entirely through a virtual exhibit project. So, rather than considering technology after the fact, perhaps integrating the technology during the process may be a more effective (and reasonable) approach.

My teacher is supportive of me using technology, but he/she doesn't use technology, so I'm not sure where to start...

How about starting small? I think people envision technology integration as grand scale projects that use technology every step of the way. It might be more productive to identify short, targeted uses of technology that supports a larger goal. In this way, both the time required to develop the technology enhancement and the instructional time allotted to its implementation are decreased, therefore also decreasing the stakes. Perhaps a short PowerPoint presentation, a collaborative look at a web-based simulation, or a data charting activity could serve as a way to hook students into a more traditional project. Perhaps students could use a PRS system to help you gauge their understanding of a particularly difficult concept or idea. Perhaps you could create a concept map in inspiration that you could add to collaboratively as you progress through a unit. The point is, consider small steps. The important thing, however, is to jump in and try it.

Technology integration isn't something that necessarily transforms teaching over night. It is an iterative and developmental process because "what works" is different for every teacher in every setting. Particularly as novice teachers are developing their instructional purpose, approach, and style, I think it's important to consider pedagogy as a work in process. Start small, reflect on how things go, talk with your students... This is the way that you can develop your own approach and style for technology integration - not be watching someone else use technology. It's a tall order, but when approached incrementally, may be more palatible.

Additional Thoughts on Games

2006-10-19T09:15:00.000-07:00

In reading more student blog posts on games, I've uncovered some great insights. First, I wanted to share Jan's opening...

I am engaged. But I don't have a ring. My little brothers have been engaged for years, and they're barely 18! Even my eight-year old pal Carlos* is engaged. It seems like everyone is getting engaged at a younger age... Funnily enough, they don't seem to stay engaged... at least not between the hours of 7:30 am and 2:30 pm.

I think this captures well the idea that there is a clear disconnect between kids' engagement in games outside of school and their work in school. I think two posts pretty clearly lay out the pro and con arguments for using games in the classroom...

Krista (Pro) v. Sean (Con)

I think the challenge with considering games in education is that both Krista and Sean make valid arguments. The work of the teacher is in exploring where the two might intersect. Two relevent questions might be, what games might be effective in supporting teaching in my classroom, and what elements of games might I be able to incorporate into my pedagogy?

Two quick thoughts I had in reading the posts. First, engagement doesn't equal fun. One might be engaged in an activity and have fun with it, but engagement may also be a product of challenge. Lynn sums up this idea well:

The biggest commonality between the Norton & Wiburg chapter and Prensky's lecture is the necessity to engage our students. Prensky even argues that this is more important than content. I agree. By "engage" I don't mean entertain or amuse. I'm using dictionary.com's definition: "to occupy the attention or efforts of (a person or persons)." I don't see how we stand a chance of teaching content if our students are not mentally present in our classroom.

The other idea that kept creeping into my consciousness was the idea that in using games we might be catering too much to students - afterall, this isn't the real world. While I agree with this to a point, I think if we're too rigid in what school needs to be like, we are not recognizing that students learn differently - not just from us, but from each other. Several folks rightly pointed at that gaming isn't necessarily something that all students enjoy. In the same way, lecture and discussion isn't something that all students enjoy. Moreover, this approach to learning may be extremely difficult for students who are more visual or conceptual learners. In my estimation, educators have a moral imperative to try to help all students be successful in their classroom. If this means catering to the diverse needs of diverse learners, then I'm all for it. Does this mean that all traditional strategies should be abandoned? Absolutely not. Just as with all technology, games should be used for specific purposes, in specific ways. They are nothing more than another tool in the pedagogical toolbox.

Games and Simulations in Education

2006-10-13T10:01:00.000-07:00

Rather than me blathering on, just read Danielle's post. Kudos, Danielle.

Media Literacy and Online Research

2006-10-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

Some quotes from my students...

Getting tangled in irrelevant websites can turn what started out as a simple search into a dizzying waste of time, and time is what students and teachers seem to be running out of more and more. - Pat

If your students don't know how to use the internet effectively, there isn't any point in having them use the internet in class to complete projects or other activities. They could easily end up with ineffective or unreliable sources, and waste a lot of time trying to find that information. - Cathy

and finally...

The thought of letting loose 25 children to research on the internet at first seem like a wonderful idea. Oh The Places They Will Go… Then you stop and think OH THE PLACES THEY WILL GO!!!! WAIT, STOP! - Chris

As Chris' quote suggests, and many agree, the place to start is safety. It's absolutely essential to make sure that students are safe online at the outset. Caroline offers a clear synthesis of concrete and simple ideas to consider in keeping kids safe online.

These quotes all point to the very real concerns teachers have in integrating web research into their teaching. One theme that came up in many posts, and was perhaps best summarized by Sue is that, as a teacher, one can't assume that students can effectively research on the web. Rather it is important to be didactive in helping students understand that they must be critical consumers of the information they find online. Brittany argues that teacher modeling in essential in this process, perhaps using "teachable moments" as Katie suggests. Amanda asserts the benefits of students having guided practice in evaluating web resources. While these ideas may seem obvious to the geeks among us, they are not necessarily part of typical teacher practice. Danielle shares an anecdote that's worth reading and reflecting on.

One challenge with helping students analyze and evaluate information sources they encounter is the metacognitive nature of this work. Thinking about thinking is no easy task. Chris notes that this is particularly challenging with young children. At the same time, it's really important to start them thinking as critical consumers early on. Katie offers a fun way to help kids learn to triangulate information they find.

In the end, while this is a challenge,

To use or not to use- is not the question How to use is… - Chris

Podcasts, Wikis and Blogs in the K-12 Classroom

2006-10-05T15:43:00.000-07:00

Over the last several weeks, students in my Designs for Technology-Enhanced Learning courses have been consider how (and if) podcasts, wikis and blogs may fit into their teaching. After exploring some existing projects and resources (thanks Will), here are the top 10 ideas (in my humble estimation) to use these generative technology tools in the classrooms:

10. A wiki for a collaborative book report from Sharrie

9. A podcast for interviews with historical figures from Katie

8. A blog for student science activity journals from Ava

7. A blog as an historical impersonation diary from Eleanor

6. A podcast to recreate an Enlightenment Salon conversation from Ashley

5. A podcast for role-playing on Jamestown from Pat

4. A podcast morning news show for students to apply and practice their vocabulary from Kathleen

3. A Why Math? wiki where students interview adults who use math in their careers from Genevieve

2. A podcast where students share songs they use to remember important math formula and theorems from Pam

1. A wiki produced by students to help teach senior citizens technology skills from Chris

Wish I had this kind of creativity!

Considering Generative Technology in the Classroom

2006-09-22T10:44:00.000-07:00

Over the past week or so, students in my Designs for Technology-Enhanced Learning and I have been exploring ways that generative technologies (blogs, wikis, and podcasts) might be used in K-12 teaching and learning and what opportunities and challenges might arise. Here I attempt to summarize and synthesize some of the recurring (and original) themes I found in exploring the posts. First, a few of general observations I made that seemed to cut across posts. First, for most of us, blogs, wikis and podcasts are new - particularly in education. Ashley said:

I have to admit, this is my first blog. I have mixed emotions about it~ I'm excited because this is something I hope to use in my classroom in the future, but I am nervous too because this is brand-new to me, and it's old hat to many people around the world including kids much younger than myself. I feel like up to this point I've "been out of the loop".

Perhaps on a lighter note, Lisa began:

ta-da!!! I made it. I am blogging and I am smiling.

Most reported moderate to high promise with these gnerative tools. Finally, there seemed to be an implicit assumption in many of the critiques of the selection of teaching tools and resources as being an either-or proposition. For example, several folks asserted that while podcasts are great for public speaking and engaging a broad audience, they would want their students to do face-to-face presentations as well. Exactly. These tools (I think) could be powerful options in the arsenal, but NOT to the exclusion of other more traditional (and maybe more radical) approaches to teaching and learning. Ok, off the soap-box. Here is what my students had to say...

On the bright side

Caroline points out that, despite the constructivist bias in many ed tech circles, these tools could be used both in efficiency and constructist model and that they may complement one another. Kelly and Molly go on to argue that the use of these kinds of tools place learning in a familiar context for students and Sharrie notes that this may help to play to students' strengths but would also require a shift in the teacher's role.

Camille and Sue both discuss the opportunity to match technology to students' intellectual level. Katie also discusses how these tools could be matched with students' interests. Heather extends this concept further, noting that these tools may be used to help meet the particular needs of students. Beth saw clear connections with these tools and teaching with Multiple Intelligences. Finally, Pat made what I thought was an interesting observation - the work that students produce with these tools enable us to get a better look into the minds of our students.

Ava points out how, in using these tools, students are creating information. This provides an expressibe outlet (Brittany) and enables student voice Pat and Garrett). Pat further asserts that these kinds of tools may provide students with a sense of value and authenticity for their work. Finally, Jan notes that these tools provide a social context for learning and an opportunity for negotiation of meaning.

Ashley sums up the positives pretty well, arguing that these tools help students be a part of the bigger picture.

On the other hand...

Katie speaks for many, many students in noting the potential lack of validity of information found on wikis. Others noted the challenges with time required to plan (Ashley) these activities and their management in the classroom (Dawn). Genevieve asserts the importance of having a clear purpose and expectations for students. Mike also draws from his experience to argue that it is key to connect in-class work with online work. Krista sums up the concerns well, noting that just using these tools doesn't mean they will be effective.

Two questions that bubbled up for me in reading these posts...

Noting the lack of research evidence to support the effectiveness of these approaches compared to more traditional approaches - are the old ways effective? And for whom?
Is content king? Should we judge the effectiveness of a pedagogical approach or tool based solely on the acquisition of content knowledge?

Creating a Collaborative Course Wiki

2006-08-24T05:49:00.000-07:00

One strategy I'm going to employ this semester to both engage students in class discussion and encourage students to pool their ideas and resources is developing a collaborative course wiki. I have begun to create the "shell" for the course, including links to technology integration examples, resources, and outlines for discussion during class sessions. My idea is to have two students assigned to add to the wiki for each class session. The students may choose to work out a system where they can both edit the pages during class (note that at least with wikispaces, students may overwrite each other's work if they edit the same page simultaneously) or divide the work to inside and outside of class. In this way, one student can edit the page "live" and the other could clean up the page after class and fill in gaps and additional resources. Here is a writeup of the assignment in more detail. In addition to this assigned contribution, students will be encouraged to add resources, examples, ideas, etc. throughout the course of the class. They will only be graded, however, on their assigned participation course session. Students may also choose to contribute more frequently to the course wiki than in class, if this is preferable for their learning style.

I'm hopeful that this approach will encourage minds-on learning both during and after class. We'll see...

Encouraging Minds-On Learning

2006-08-04T16:51:00.000-07:00

One thing I always struggle with in my teaching is encouraging real "minds-on" learning. This is challenging in that, to me anyway, this type of engagement in learning is not accomplished by delivering information which students madly scribble into their notebooks. Nor however, is this type of learning necessarily accomplished through roundtable discussions, activities, or seminar style structure.

I'm trying three different ways to utilize "Web 2.0" tools to attempt to encourage this type of engagement in my courses this fall. In two graduate educational technology courses for preservice teachers I plan to use a collaborative wiki space (the beginnings can be found here), student blogs, and weekly student-created podcasts as a means to keep them engaged both in and between class sessions. It could be argued that I'm trying this multi-faceted approach to "see what sticks." And, truth be told, this may be partly true. I'm also taking this approach, however, because I think these three tools might appeal to different types of learners. The class wiki may encourage those students who need to be doing something during class to maintain their focus. Blogs allow for more thoughtful, considered, and introspective expression. And podcasts, as I'm considering employing them in my courses, allow for a more conversational, informal, and open forum to explore the ideas from class.

In the following few posts, I will share how I plan to use each of these tools to attempt to facilitate this "minds-on" learning. I hope that you will add comments and offer your own suggestions. The best and most frustrating thing with educational technology as that we're always "en route" to what works.

Wiki Crazy

2006-08-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

I'm not one to immediately jump on board with the latest "revolution" for technology in education. In fact, that may be one of my weaknesses as an educational technologist. I guess I just need to think things through, see how a new technology resource or tool works in my classroom or in someone else's before I get too excited. Goodness knows, I've been burned more than once with premature enthusiasm.

Late in the Spring semester I was having lunch with friend and colleague of mine, Gene Roche. He was waxing poetic about how well a wiki space had worked in one of his graduate courses in educational technology. Although his enthusiasm was contagious as he explained how he used the wiki in his class, it wasn't until I saw the fruits of their labor that I became interested. I was still skeptical, however. I still had bad visions of clunky wiki editors in my head. I did, however, begin to explore PB Wiki which Gene had used in his course. I was pleasantly suprised to see how far the editor had come and how powerful a tool this could be.

So...I went crazy over the next few weeks building the websites for my fall courses in PB Wiki and thinking through how I might structure student collaboration both during and beyond class. I got caught up in the enthusiasm and began exploring the rich feature-set and upgraded my account to gain more features and lose the ads. I just about had everything set up when I came across an article from my friend, Adam Friedman on K-12 teachers' course websites. This made me step back and rethink things for a moment.

He found that although practicing teachers in his course were able to create and publish course websites (and indicate how useful they might be), most didn't keep them up beyond the course. They indicated that two of the primary reasons they didn't keep up with their sites was that they lacked access to the software they used in the class (FrontPage and WS-FTP) and the time necessary to make changes, post, etc. Aha, I thought! Vindication for my interest in wikis! A wiki would be the perfect solution.

Then I thought back over the last few weeks of building my course wiki space in PB Wiki. I realized that I might have been a little too focused on the power of what you can do in PB Wiki that isn't possible with some of the other wiki sites. I took an honest look at that editor and how "html-ish" it looked relative to something like Blogger. I realized that while this is a great tool for a moderately techie person, it might be a bit off-putting for a time-harried classroom teacher.

Fortunately, in listening to Podcast for Teachers, they did a piece on wikispaces. This is one of the wiki sites I had checked out, but the feature-set wasn't as robust as PB Wiki. In light of Adam's findings and my own experience in working with teachers, the very elegant and simple interface would be perfect for most teachers. Add to it, the offer for a free upgrade to a no-ad version for classroom teachers, and I was sold. So, I've spent the last few days porting my pages over to my new wikispace - http://educ.wikispaces.com.

Is wikispaces the perfect solution? Perhaps not. But it's ease of use, free upgrade and clean and customizable look was pretty close. I'll be using it like crazy (in collaboration with my students) until I find something better. I guess I see it as a good compromise between embracing a promising new technology with the constraints and challenges of the classroom. I'll keep you posted...

"It's the way it's always been done..."

2006-07-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

Today I came across this story in our local newspaper, the Daily Press:

The American Literacy Council wants to revise spelling rules so English words will be spelled in a simpler, more logical and consistent manner - more the way they sound.

On Parenting: Simpler spelling would shelter kids from reality

It really got me to thinking. My first reaction was that revising spelling rules is ridiculous. My line of thinking went something like this...

Why should we try to make things easier for kids now?

I learned these weird spellings, so why can't they?

It would really complicate things to have two different spellings for the same word.

I would have to relearn how to spell !?@!!

Once I poured a second cup of coffee, I settled down a little. I then began to think about some of the crazy spellings which abound in the English language (sight, dumb, etc.). It occurred to me that maybe this isn't such a crazy idea afterall. It seems kind of absurd to continue to do something in a pointless, more complicated way.

It then occurred to me that this issue encapsulates the educational technology challenge. For students today - the Digital Natives, to use Marc Prensky's expression - it must seem absurd to them that they have to do most of their school work in an analog approach. Why should they write drafts of a paper in hard copy and then word process the final copy? This flies in the face of the power of the word processor to facilitate the editing and revision process. Why can't teachers and schools simplify the educational process by enabling online submission of assignments, create RSS feeds of homework they can access on their cell phones and, most importantly, allow them to replicate their social networks inside school?

Enter the teacher (Digital Immigrant). Why should we change our established patterns? This is the way we've always done things - and it's worked just fine. I would have to re-learn what it means to be a teacher (much less how to publish an RSS feed).

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I would scoff at the hypothetical teacher's response. I might retort that we should do this because we're connecting with the world of our students. They may be more engaged, and certainly more connected with learning. I might then rail on how intractible some people can be, etc., etc., and so on.

But my reaction to the article on revising the rules for spelling helps me to understand that I have my own subconscious bias for my own experience and my own background. While I'm the first to admit that I'm a Digital Immigrant trying to connect with the Natives, I fancy myself as a forward thinker and one who embraces change. This simple article helped me to realize that most of us probably have one foot in the "old" world, and one in the "new." I suppose that what's important is that we each acknowledge our own point of view, and try to understand (genuinely) and consider (thoughtfully) the other perspective. We're not going to get very far with technology in schools if we stick firmly with "the ways things have always been done." We're also not going to get very far if we see traditional approaches as merely outdated and those who resist newer approaches as Luddites. I'm guessing we get further if we work together.

Blogged with Flock

Generative Technology

2006-07-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

I'm optimistic. Though you may call me naive, foolish or perhaps even simple-minded, this time feels different. In educational technology, we have a long history of making claims about how technology can transform teaching and learning and then not having it pan out. Visual instruction, educational radio, instructional television, etc., etc. and so on. Up to this point, one can make a pretty strong argument that technology has had negligible impact on the way most schools and teachers do their job. Sure, there are pockets of really innovative practice where technology really does change how the classroom operates. Bob Sprankle in Room 208 quickly comes to mind. For most students, though, technology remains at the periphery of instructional practice.

Becker and other researchers point to time, access, and training as significant barriers for teachers. I've seen one or more of these factors derail teachers with great ideas before they can get a project or new practice off the ground. There's more to it than that, I would argue. I think one reason that often isn't given enough attention is the challenge of making technology work for a teacher's particular purpose for teaching, pedagogical philosophy, etc. Technology has primarily been sold to teachers in one of two ways: as drill and practice software, or as a means to facilitate a constructivist revolution in the classroom. The problem is (my sense) that most teachers aren't on one end of the continuum or the other. The most constructivist teacher still teaches in an environment hemmed in by standards and testing. The most directive teacher also incorporates student-centered activities in his/her teaching. Sadly most technology to this point has been squarely focused on one end of the spectrum or the other - often leaving little room for teachers to easily connect with the "trumpeted" use of technology to support teaching and learning.

And that brings me to why I think this time around on the technology merry-go-round might be different. Rather than static software packages or a specific approach to teaching and learning, the new generation of web 2.0 tools are inherently flexible. With something like 7 new web applications being developed each week, there are many new opportunities for teachers to access (freely) powerful new tools that promote diverse ways of presenting information, sharing understanding, and facilitating collaboration. Now, if we don't just drown in all the new possibilities, we may be able to leverage these new technologies in ways that really resonate with teachers. With that in mind (beware shameless plug), please check out a new podcast I'm working on with two colleagues from the University of Virginia - GenTech: Teaching and Learning with Generative Technology.

The dreaded first post... publishing online

2006-07-10T11:08:00.000-07:00

For several weeks I have wanted to begin my own blog, primarily as a means for reflection and exploring ideas. I've been an avid reader of blogs, an addicted podcast listener, and more recently a podcast contributor. It's been a struggle, however, to create the first post for this blog. I'm not sure what it is about posting on the web in such a public forum, but I've felt a little paralzyed. I have a tendency to over-analyze things anyway, but even the topic for the post has done a number on me.

So...

I thought I might begin by reflecting on what it means to publish online. Now perhaps it's because I'm an academic (an assistant professor of educational technology at the College of William & Mary), but I find publishing online a little intimidating. This is ironic, because I regularly submit my writing for publication in a variety of journals. This process, though, seems quite different. While it's obviously possible to work through several drafts of a blog post (just as I do with my academic writing), it seems contrary to the spirit of the medium to me. It seems that a blog should be something of a reasoned stream-of-conscious - a quick (and hopefully insightful) post on a topic of interest. This is nearly a polar opposite to academic writing in which building an argument is of paramount importance. And while this process should be freeing, in actuality (at least right now), not so much.

This leads me to ponder a tacit assumption that seems to be running rampant in the ed tech community - students derive great satisfaction and put more effort into work that is posted online. For some students, both of these points are undoubtedly true. For others though, I'm sure this is a daunting challenge. You mean my words could be read by how many people?! Just like with any use of technology to support teaching and learning, we should be mindful of the unintended consequences of throwing technology into the mix. I hope, in the form of this blog, to explore these and other issues in much more depth.

For now, (to quote Russell Crowe from The Gladiator) "I'm weary from battle."