I chose to base my analysis based on the principles set out in Chickering & Ehrmann (1996).
I believe that these principles are not only good practice when using technology, but they are good practice in any context; educational or not.
1. Good Practice Encourages Contacts Between Students and Faculty
I could not agree more. Without solid lines of communication between myself and my students, we all would be lost. I am lucky to teach in a small school (250 students K-12) so it is not difficult to find time both in class and out of class to talk to my students. Complementary to this point is communication with parents/guardians.
To further these goals I use a tool called Remind (formerly called Remind101) to communicate with students and parents outside of class time.
2. Good Practice Develops Reciprocity and Cooperation Among Students
This practice is enhanced by my situation in a small school. My students all know each other and most have gone to school together since kindergarten. I encourage my students to talk about and exchange their work on formative assessments, leveraging the knowledge of the group instead of trying to learn individually. My students text and picture message each other, as well as sending out group Snapchats on a regular basis. (Personally, I have some large issues with Snapchat itself, but I am glad that some students have found a way to make it a positive tool.
3. Good Practice Uses Active Learning Techniques
This is one practice where I find my practice lacking. Teaching senior level math, I rarely give up the control to my students to direct their own learning. Most other math teachers would understand this reluctance. My role is shifting to now teaching some science courses, and I find myself able to “let go” and have my students construct their own knowledge.
4. Good Practice Gives Prompt Feedback
My principal and I have initiated a policy in which we will not place a number or letter grade on any summative assessment handed back to students. We will only provide detailed feedback, and post the number grade in our online gradebook only after the student has reviewed the feedback. We have found that our students are now more involved in the learning and are seeking out the feedback as validation rather than a mark. Anecdotally, I have found that my students are much more in the moment and less are willing to “cram” at the end of a unit.
5. Good Practice Emphasizes Time on Task
Again, I find my practice lacking in this area. While I have played with tools to flip my classroom and engage technology as a learning aid, I haven’t been able to get past those few students who will routinely misuse the technology.
6. Good Practice Communicates High Expectations
As I have begun shifting into teaching more science courses I am able to apply this practice more easily. Science lends itself to the “real-life problems, conflicting perspectives, and paradoxical data sets” referenced my Chickering & Ehrmann. I find it easier to motivate these students with the expectation that their work will be published in an online format and have found their work to be of better quality than if it were to be just handed in to me.
7. Good Practice Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning
In my math classes, I routinely offer options of how to solve some problems, particularly those conducive to using a graphing calculator. Most graphing problems and many finance problems can be solved using a graphing calculator. Many of my students choose this option as they see it to be “easier”, because of their ways of knowing. Other students will prefer to use an algebraic method or to graph by hand, if necessary.
To be honest, I have never thought about formally assessing my technological proficiency so these criteria seem quite complete. As I think about this more my views on the criteria may change. As I have already stated, using technology to enhance active learning techniques and emphasizing time on task are deficient in my practice, so these are the digital-age skills that I would want to develop more fully.