Monthly Archives: January 2012

Asking the right questions …

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How can technology be effectively and authentically integrated into math and science learning environments? This is a question that continues to occupy my mind and propels me to investigate it further. It’s no longer “good enough” to just bring technology into classroom. I have tasted the rewards of embedding technology into the learning process allowing it to become a means of discovery, application, and synthesis as students take charge of their own learning. Moving beyond seeing technology as a mere tool to add to or replace what predictably already happens in the classroom is a necessary shift in thinking that needs to occur. The challenge isn’t just in finding new and better technology. It involves investing in new strategies and instructional design that streamline the use of technology as an innovative integral component of the process.

The issue of effective technology integration is a complex dilemma for educators. Replacing the common regime of isolating it for drill and practice, collecting information, and presenting “good copy” version of assignments is more convoluted than many may think. Meaningful integration of technology requires an evolution of how teachers think about it, which is preceded by the desire to embrace it, learn it, and take risks with using it in the classroom. That in itself is a significant challenge for many teachers, which was illuminated by the data collected through the interview process; therefore, before best practices using technology can be validly analyzed, we must first ask “How can teachers be encouraged and supported in the acquisition and sustainability of technology skills?” It’s both unrealistic and unfair to assume a level of comfort and knowledge prior to setting expectations for technology integration. Progress towards the goal of teachers using technology effectively must begin with a commitment towards helping them better understand it in an effort to increase their overall confidence with it. Technology glitches need to be expected, but not feared, so teachers must learn to develop trouble-shooting strategies and be prepared to “switch gears” to Plan B if necessary.

Across diverse educational settings, these issues of how technology is viewed, used, and how school and district infrastructure can be designed to support teachers wanting to use technology were recurring themes documented in the various interview abstracts posted in the ETEC533 discussion forum. What technology can offer educators will remain largely untapped until we can implement effective ways of building skill capacity. Media literacy is a critical element that teachers must possess themselves before they can begin encouraging students to develop it. For all the potential educational benefits technology purports to offer, without this aspect teachers will continue to face difficulties in being able to choose and use the best forms of technology to help teach their subject matter. Like Freire advised, we need to be analyzing how we are using technology and identify the pedagogy underlining its integration in schools because computers are “not technologically determined to compel students to use them in a critically conscious manner” (Kahn & Kellner, 2007); however, before we can reach this pinnacle educators must travel down this path for themselves first. Given the underlying obstacles of time, money, mindset, access, and expertise, integrating technology effectively is a challenging enterprise.

Kahn, R. & Kellner, D. (2007). Paulo Freire and Ivan Illich: technology, politics and the reconstruction of education. Policy Futures in Education, 5(4), 431-448. doi:10.2304/pfie.2007.5.4.431

 

image: OverThink by las – initially released under a CC Attribution – Noncommercial – No Derivative Works license

What Do Butterflies Have in Common With Slowmation?

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After watching the video case highlighting pre-service teachers undertaking the process of slowmation (Learner Environment 7) as a strategy to engage learners and increase depth of understanding, I was struck by one comment in particular. When asked if she could envision using slowmation with younger students, one CITE student stated she probably would not as it was a time consuming process. This was pretty disappointing to here, but at the same time I’m sure she is not alone in that mindset.

Teachers have curricular expectations to uphold, outcomes to assess, but I am wary of putting time limits on a learning process that could be a valuable experience for students. When students become creators and teachers, they need to execute higher order thinking skills. Slowmation would provide them with opportunities to “make what they learn part of themselves” (Chickering & Gamson, 1987) increasing comprehension, retention, and connections to their learning. To dismiss this opportunity because it appears to be a lengthy process without considering options for implementation is a slippery slope. Given that the video was a small clip of the pre-service teachers’ learning experience, I hope the course instructor or other peers offered practical solutions to counter the concerns of others.

My initial thoughts on slowmation were quite the opposite. My immediate reaction to learning about it was: how can I make this happen in my class? It will require substantial time to complete, but if students are engaged in their learning I don’t mind providing the time. Plus, a project like this creates several different scenarios for integrating cross-curricular outcomes. Backmapping outcomes on a such a project also maximizes the assessment potential as emergent and inquiry-based learning often creates it’s own path towards a final representation of knowledge. Taking the time to consider the depth of learning demonstrated even if it has veered in any way off an intended path is vital to the process. Another way slowmation can be implemented successfully in a classroom is to use it as a jigsaw strategy making sure that each group of students works on a different component that the other groups can learn from in the end. Each group becomes an expert on one aspect sharing their understanding with the remaining students.

My students are also currently in Grade 7 and another aspect of the pre-service teacher’s  hesitation to implement technology like slowmation was the idea that it wasn’t viable with younger children. It brought to mind a video project my class worked on 2 years ago with their little buddies in kindergarten. The kindergarten students had just finished a unit on the butterfly life cycle. To reinforce their understanding, the little buddies taught the big buddies what they knew about the process. My Grade 6 & 7 students had access to books on the life cycle to help correct any misconceptions and to help their own understanding as not all of them knew the life cycle well either. From here, the buddies created a short narrative together that described the metamorphosis. Little buddies led the process and big buddies typed making sure certain vocabulary was included in the writing. On their next visit, my students helped their buddies record their narratives in Audacity, which was a great experience in learning what to expect from students in kindergarten. The big buddies found they need to record sentence by sentence as reading skills were not well developed yet and they couldn’t hold the entire story in memory. On their own later, my class edited the recording to piece it together as one story.

As a next step, the kindergarten teacher had her students draw and colour the four main stages in the life cycle, while my students looked at the stories and created any supplemental details needed. When the kindergarten drawings were complete, my students followed through with creating the video with help from each other. They were familiar with the process because they had created their own videos on figurative language months before. It was a great process to undertake as the kindergarten teacher was eager to find ways to bring more technology into her class and others around us were skeptical of the project based on the perceived abilities of 5 year olds and the fact that there were students in that class who received significant support. Every kindergarten student ended up creating one. I’ve embedded a couple of these videos to offer a counter argument to the pre-service teacher’s claim that using slowmation with younger students wouldn’t be worth it. The process for completing the two types of videos would be very similar.

images:
Genie III – wall&clock by Cathérine released under a CC Attribution – Noncommercial – Share Alike license
“HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!” by MrClean1982 released under a CC Attribution – Noncommercial license

Measuring “Good”

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Math and science learning environments are prime arenas for introducing technology. With all the options available, it can be easy enough to initiate its use in one of these settings, but substantially more difficult to execute well. Ultimately, the effectiveness of educational technology, be it in whatever form, is determined by whose hands it’s in and whether they can unlock its potential.

When technology is used well, it assists in learner engagement and enriches the learning experience. It can enable teachers to diversify instruction and meet students where their current skills are at encouraging a greater chance of success. New possibilities emerge when technology is used to bridge classrooms around the world, thinning the confinements inherently created by the four walls that ordinarily surround students; however, an environment that thrives with technology does not necessarily abandon conventional methods, but recognizes that technological innovations can provide students with access to opportunities that may not otherwise be available, as well as alternate means of reaching students and providing options for how their learning can be demonstrated. Decisions to use technology need to be grounded in sound pedagogical theory that is put into praxis to inform and guide students in developing an understanding of how to use the technology beyond its entertainment potential. Done well, it can be a catalyst for student-led learning, an authentic application of concepts, and a medium for building collective knowledge through collaboration.

When technology is successfully implemented into math and science environments, it facilitates the momentum of learning to expedite process and extend student thinking; although, the use of technology, especially in elementary math classrooms, is largely dedicated to drill and practice activities and low-level thinking output. The potential for using technology to develop reasoning skills remains significantly untapped, and therein rests a vital challenge for educators. How can technology be intertwined with critical thinking and problem solving to create meaningful learning experiences that help students connect their learning with others and the world? How can it be used to reshape or deepen their understanding from both a concrete and metacognitive perspective?

image: A Blurry Sense of Magnitude by ZeRo`SKiLL released under a CC Attribution – Noncommercial – No Derivative Works license