Week 4: Vision of Technology Integration

Welcome to the 21st century classroom! Where collaboration and communication are reached through tools that enforce communications and information literacy.  Where students take control of their education and form a sense of digital citizenship. Where students are developing a sense of personal and social responsibility on the internet and efficient ways to monitor it.  Where is the teaching of the content needed to pass state and national standards you may ask? Well, it is all intertwined within each daily lesson.  Within each assignment or self-reflection. This is my vision on technology integration in the classroom.

My vision begins with four main criteria:

1. Student to Teacher Collaboration/Communication

2. Student to Student Collaboration/Communication

3. Student-World Collaboration/Communication

4. Student Reflection and Development

As a current educator, do we want the above image to ring true?

Student to teacher collaboration and communication opens the door of the classroom and allows for learning or assistance virtually anywhere.  A student may ask questions “on the go” or in a time of need.  This also provides a second chance for students who may have missed the opportunity to ask for clarification or assistance at the time of the lesson. Also, many children may find it easier to communicate their questions or problems this way.  In my classroom,  I have used Google Docs to create K-W-L charts prior to select lessons.  This not only allows me to assess where the students are, but they like to see that I take time to comment on each of their statements.  This sense of collaboration and communication builds a healthy student-teacher relationship where the student sees the teacher as more of a guide in their education rather than an enforcer. Of course, this criteria must be used responsibly and in an efficient way. That is why it is up to each individual teacher to take the time in setting up guidelines, expectations and rules that all involved are able to easily understand and abide by.

Are we preparing students for a future based on these skills?

Student to student collaboration and communication may be the most important criteria in my technology integrated classroom.  Let’s be honest, most children above the age of 10 have some sort of smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.  They are probably masters, if not experts, at using this device and the tools it has to offer.  When not in school, they are texting and communicating with their friends using this device.  So why do we shut them off from one another when it comes to their education? It can be exciting for students to see aspects of their peers they may have never seen until they were pressed with the challenge of creating an online website with them.  They build relations with someone they may have thought they didn’t have anything in common with.   Most important, the students are building upon the 21st century skills that many colleges, universities, and future employers will require them to have.  These learners will have a broad way of thinking by having the opportunity to problem-solve and critical think with their peers.  They will have a better knowledge in efficient and proper ways to communicate and collaborate within their global network.  All in all these learners will have a better grasp on the tools needed to succeed in a digital age.  

Student to global connection allows for the individual learner to connect with others on a global scale.  This could be used by educators in the classroom or by students who wish to deepen their understanding of a new culture or way of thinking.  The time to begin this revolutionary way of thinking and educating is now.  As educators we have an array of tools that allow for this criteria to be met within our classroom.  Using blogging websites such as Blogger (www.blogger.com), Twitter (www.twitter.com), Skype (www.skype.com) or even Facebook (www.facebook.com) students have access to discuss, problem-solve, and collaborate with individuals they never thought possible.  Skype even allows for educators to connect with other educators who envision this multicultural approach in their pedagogy on their educator website: education.skype.com.   Not only are educators encouraged to connect with other educators to promote student-global awareness, but educators may seek out specialists in a given topic or concept.  For instance, the video below was created when two classrooms connected with Páll Davíðsson via Skype.  He was able to take the classrooms on a virtual tour of a disappearing glacier in Iceland.

Student reflection and development is the final of the four criteria in my vision of a technologically integrated classroom.  The best way to meet this aspect may be through student blogging.  This is where the learner takes responsibility for their personal and social actions.  Were they using the tools they had efficiently?  Are they happy with their outcome?  How would they perform better in the future?  This is an essential stage in order for growth and development to occur in learners young and old.  

Week Three: Literature Review

Literature Review: Supporting Technology Integration in the Classroom

Article Link

Course Objectives Met Through This Review:

•   #1 - Demonstrate the understanding of how technologies can effectively promote student learning.

•   #2 - Evaluate and use a variety of current technologies to enhance content instruction and to advance students' technological literacy.

•   #5 - Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of safe, ethical, legal and moral practices related to digital information and technology.

•   #7 - Demonstrate an understanding of the use of adaptive technologies and other digital resources to personalize and differentiate learning activities for every student.

•   # 8 - Evaluate, adapt and reflect upon emerging tools and trends by participating in local and global learning communities and by reviewing current research and professional literature.

 Image Source

To spend a day in the classroom of Rabbi Wex, at Hillell Community Day School, would be a first-hand opportunity to see technology and collaborative networking being used productively by 21st-century learners.  

At first, many educators may be shocked when they take a step through the door and into the Rabbi Wex's technologically savvy classroom.  They will witness students immersed in their laptops, tablets and iPads during his lesson, all communicating and collaborating through Edmodo, Google Docs, and discussion boards.   Rabbi Wex will be walking around the classroom, refocusing, monitoring and acting as facilitator of his lesson, not a lecturer to his students.  Nor will he be sitting behind his desk on a laptop of his own, instead acting as a tool to help students access the information they need.

Rabbi Wex admits at first that his students were not experts with the technology he presented them, but they wanted to learn for themselves and became independent thinkers/learners while doing so.  His students would even prefer to go to a peer versus the teacher when faced with a problem or issue that they just cannot seem to comprehend.  As an educator isn't this what we want our students to do? Learn the skills needed to become an efficient and productive member of society of the 21st century.    Students in Rabbi Wex's classroom problem-solve together, analyze together, and collaborate together.  “They summarize their learning and respond to other students’ postings.  The discussion broadens the learning by increasing student participation and takes it to a high level by allowing students to discuss and share...” (Penchev 1) They show their understanding by demonstrating their knowledge of the concept at hand on a Prezi, which is a more modernized PowerPoint that allows user access anywhere, as long as there is internet available. 

  This article hits close to home for me.  Recently, I worked with the technology teacher at my school to set up Gmail accounts for each of my homeroom students.  I wanted to practice using Google Docs together and prepare them for what to expect from their future teachers/professors.  Every single one of my students was eager to get connected and dive right in to this skill of using Google Drive.  We talked about appropriate behavior and my expectations for using their Gmail accounts.  Currently, in my class, I send about one document a week out to my students.  It is not mandatory that they respond, but highly encouraged.  My goal is that for next year, my incoming students will have already set up a Gmail account.  This way we can begin the process of discussions online and via Google Docs.

 In conclusion, after reading this article, I found myself even more motivated and eager to continue using a network in my classroom.  Though I have used Edmodo in the past, Google educational tools are more universal and relevant to my students.      

Image source: http://edtechdigest.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/21st_century_classroom.jpeg