Introduction

The e-folio assignment for ETEC 533 – Technology in the Mathematics and Science Classroom was one I approached with reservations. I had never blogged before the MET program, and then only as a participant in a class blog. Designing a blog from scratch was both daunting and exciting. The skill set required, from choosing the basic appearance, colour schemes, and text styles to the posting and editing of my thoughts was formidable, but very educational! This final e-folio entry is an analysis of the posts rather than a summary. Throughout the process of blogging certain entries were required, while others were not; nevertheless, certain themes or foci emerged as a result of analysing the legacy for learning assignment. The Tag Cloud was actually quite useful in establishing areas of concentration. One thematic group I will examine is TELE (Technology Enhanced Learning Environments) with 9 Tags. Learning Environment had 6 tags, but is included in TELE. Anchored Instruction had 6 tags, and integration had 5 tags.

Focus Area 1 – TELE

The most heavily tagged focus in my e-folio was TELE (Technology Enhanced Learning Environments). This term is used to describe Learning Environments which are enhanced by the use of any of numerous different technological applications. Through this course we have covered a widely disparate sampling of technologies for the Math and Science classroom. The course assignment that had the most relevance for me was the interview with a colleague. This task required the use of skills garnered in earlier ETEC courses, and was a method in which to gather field-data for the purposes of analysis and reporting. My interview was with a mathematics teacher who heavily incorporates Smartboard technology in his classroom. This teacher had received little formal instruction in the use of Smartboards; rather, he had pursued this knowledge on his own. After several workshops and some mentoring, he is able to effortlessly and efficiently use it as one of his primary instructional tools. For me, this interview was valuable in that it opened my eyes to the importance of learning new technologies and implementing them into instructional activities. It highlighted that while there is not always support at a district or school level, there are avenues to pursue new knowledge, and teacher motivation is key to success. Rather than one blog posting, I split this interview into 2 posts; one focusing on a summary of the interview, and a second focusing on the benefits and hindrances of this technology in class. The process of building the e-folio was multi-purposed at both an assessment level and a metacognitive level. The purpose of the interview was to learn about the technology and how a teacher had implemented it; but the purpose of the act of posting and this further critical analysis was to think about the technology within the domain of our own instructional practices.
A post from the ETEC 533 discussion forum that resonated with me was one made by Jerry Mah.

“In creating “ideal” technology-enhanced learning experiences or environments, I believe there are no set variables. Learning experiences need to be flexible and adaptive; responsive to the growing and changing needs of students” (Mah, 2013, Jan.28).

This is a post that makes sense to teachers; not every student is at the same level, and instruction needs to be differentiated for the disparate levels of student ability in your classroom.
A second area of focus in the TELE tag was The Jasper Series and WISE. The importance of inquiry based learning seems to be of obvious benefit to students and teachers; however, in a February 11 post in my e-folio, I stated:

“Linn, Clark, and Slotta (2002) suggest that inquiry-based practices are not common in today’s classroom. Philosophically, if we are trying to teach students about science, we need to allow them to become scientists and emulate experts in the field (USBSE, 2000; Furtak, 2006). This was something that The Jasper Series offered us, and is one of the tenets underpinning the constructivist learning environment” (Nelles, 2013, Feb.11).

I think that the emphasis put on The Jasper Series and WISE learning environments in both the course required reading and assignments and in my own e-folio gives a false sense of the level of integration in today’s typical classroom. Simply by studying about them and specific case studies of their curricular inclusion leads us to believe that they are more common than they are. In discussions with teaching colleagues, few of them had heard of these resources. Sure, they were familiar with the concept of web-based investigation and anchored instruction, but not specifically these resources. I believe this to be one of the points of the e-folio and this summative examination of our learning: reconciling what we have learned with classroom realities, and beginning a movement toward incorporating these technologies into our classroom practices, or even the larger community at the school level.

Focus Area 2 – Anchored Instruction

The above mentioned The Jasper Series marks a good transition from my primary focus on TELE to a second focus in the e-folio: Anchored Instruction. I specifically mentioned The Jasper Series in 4 different posts. For me, learning about this incarnation of Anchored Instruction was important. I had never heard of this resource before, and was actually surprised it existed “I don’t know how I have never heard of this series! After teaching Math for 15 years I am embarrassed to admit that I am seeing it now for the first time” (Nelles, 2013, Feb.2). A required post to the ETEC 533 discussion forum was on the applicability of The Jasper Series as an instructional tool. Douglas Connery felt that

“how we access, share, create, manipulate and view information has changed dramatically since we embraced the age of the Internet. The Jasper Series was created when the Internet was in its infancy so there is no reference to it even at a Web 1.0 level”( Connery, 2013, Feb.6).

One required posting in the e-folio was a side by side comparison of The Jasper Series and WISE. In the February 12th posting I suggested:

“With the many activities offered in the WISE design, students can view text, animations, movies, pictures, drawings and many other forms of knowledge, from one platform. Students can review, take tests and quizzes, complete questionnaires, and more importantly students can communicate with each other in small groups, and with users in other schools, cities or countries. Different students learn in different ways, and WISE appeals to students with its bright, fast-paced and varied activity platform” (Nelles, 2013, Feb.12).

In a number of posts I extensively referred to Edelson (2001) and Radinsky, Oliva, & Alamar (2009). These authors were crucial to my learning in the area of Anchored Instruction. When I came across Edelson’s (2001) 4 principles:

1. Learning takes place through the construction and modification of knowledge structures.
2. Knowledge construction is a goal-directed process that is guided by a combination of conscious and unconscious understanding goals.
3. The circumstances in which knowledge is constructed and subsequently used determine its accessibility for future use.
4. Knowledge must be constructed in a form that supports use before it can be applied. (p.357)

I found them to make real sense to me. The principles worked in conjunction with his 3 steps (Motivation, Knowledge Construction, and Knowledge Refinement) to give me a solid understanding and heightened appreciation for anchored instruction.

Focus Area 3 – Integration

A third focus area that is evident from my e-folio tag cloud is that of integration [of technology]. With a total of 5 tags, this area was a crucial component of not only the content of this course but also represented most of the time in my interview with a math teacher, and was the topic of my “framing STEM issues” paper. The integration, or as is often the case the lack of integration of technology is directly correlated to the time the classroom teacher has available. “‘[T]ime’ was identified as a persistent barrier by teachers in terms of fitting in curriculum, planning lessons, troubleshooting computer glitches, and teacher training and development” (Wood, Mueller, Willoughby, Specht, & Deyoung, 2005, p.202). As mentioned above, my interview with a math teacher was a primary component of both my e-folio and in my learning in this course. A primary focus of my interview subject was that the level of training on Smartboards was not enough to make him an expert. He graduated from the University of Northern British Columbia, and had a computer science course aimed at classroom implementation of most common programs, but no Smartboard training (Nelles, 2013, Jan. 20).
One student in the ETEC 533 discussion forums consistently stood out for the quality of her posts. She could be counted on for her observations, insights, and helpful comments. In regards to integration of technology in the classroom, Jaime Peters said:

“[t]he role of technology is to enhance the learning environment, not to download facts and information into the heads of the students. Teachers must still use the technology with intention and purpose. The ability to modify the technology is a feature that would allow teachers to construct projects and lessons that meet the specific needs of their students” (Peters, 2013, Mar.4)

In fact, upon further reflection, integration of technology into the classroom seems to be the overarching or meta-theme of my e-folio. I have taught in the classroom for 22 years, and therefore most every folio entry I posted was from the perspective of “what would this look like in my class?” There were some technologies that I explored that I would not likely utilize, for example the MyWorld and WISE learning environments which target science curriculum. Other technologies I explored were directly related to my interests and classroom foci (graphing calculators whiteboards), and I either use them currently or plan on using them in the near future. Several articles I read in preparation for my “framing STEM issues” assignment are referenced in my Jan. 25 e-folio post Refining the STEM Issue. Bennison & Goos (2010), Wood et al. (2005), Monroe & Tolman (2004), and Cooper (2001) were important sources in helping me establish my exact perspective on implementation and barriers.

Conclusion

It is difficult to see themes emerging when at the macro-level of single blog entries and editing html codes to get the desired effect. Only by stepping back and taking in the e-folio as a whole can the patterns or themes be observed. It seems the main purpose of this summative assignment was to get the site authors to look at the entire product rather than finishing the last post and not visiting the project again. The three thematic groups I focused on most consistently were TELE (Technology Enhanced Learning Environments), Anchored Instruction, and integration. I measured the number of times I visited a concept by its inclusion in the tag cloud. Fortunately I had endeavoured to be consistent and logical with my tags, or this would not have been a reliable method.
The exposure students were given to different frameworks, designs, and learning environments throughout the ETEC 533 course was probably the most beneficial component of the course. The readings were relevant and current, which is to be expected in a field that is so young. The readings that I found were most significant to me were: Bennison and Goos (2010) Learning to teach mathematics with technology: A survey of professional development needs, experiences and impacts; Edelson (2001) Learning-for-use: A framework for the design of technology-supported inquiry activities; and Linn, Clark, & Slotta (2003) Wise design for knowledge integration.
I am left with some of the same questions I had when I started the course. From one of my first posts : “[d]oes the packed curriculum really allow us another hour for these kinds of experiments/fun/reinforcing skill sets?”(Nelles, 2013, Jan 13). A second question or issue that I retained for much of this course was teacher’s skill levels with technology. My Jan.20 post focused on a young teacher who quickly picked up the skills needed to effectively introduce and utilize technology in his classroom. But the same post also examined a Video Case file from the ETEC 533 library that featured a teacher close to retiring who stated “I find it frustrating; I don’t have enough time; If I don’t practice it I just forget; and the children know more than I do and learn more quickly” (Learning Environment 4 with Teacher S).
These two questions that I have had since the outset of the course I now take with me at the end. I have read many articles focusing on these issues and have refined the questions and constructed some partial answers. The readings, discussions with ETEC classmates, and assignments within the context of the course have allowed me to move forward on these issues and work towards more effective and meaningful integration of technology into the math and science classroom.