Author Archives: catherine sverko

Interview Excerpts, Analysis, Synthesis and Next Steps

Excerpts of Interview with Teacher T:

This Interview took place on a Thursday night at 9 pm Ontario time. Teacher T lives and works in Edmonton. The interview was done as a video chat on Google Hangouts.
The interview lasted approximately 26 minutes. The screen recording was done with Filmora by Wondershare and Google Docs was used to with the voice typing feature to help record the written notes.

Teacher T is a certified teacher in Edmonton. She spent approximately 6 years in the regular classroom and 7 years in a self-contained special needs classroom. For the past two years, she has been an Emerging Technology Consultant with her board.

In the table below the questions asked by the interviewer are in the left-hand column in green, excerpts of the interviewee’s answers are in the left-hand column in black. Analysis by the interviewer are in the right-hand column.

Synthesis of Interviews:

After reading all the interviews posted and engaging in several discussion threads I started to think about what do we do with all this information? It is remarkable to me that several of the barriers to using technology in the classroom resonate through many of the posts. Our interviewees were of varied ages, genders, experience level and current job placements, yet the underlying issues remained constant.

Rather than dwell on the things we can all plainly see are barriers (hardware, bandwidth, teacher training) I wanted to start a discussion on how we can improve some of the problems we encounter. I realize I may be naïve in thinking that if we can decide on some improvements we clearly see as necessary we can start things moving in the right direction.

These are the things that I took away from our interview posts:

1) We need better in servicing and training of staff at every level in order to have teachers feel comfortable using technology WITH their students. (As Dana stated it would be nice if we could just call the Prime Minister’s office and say, “hey we are teachers across Canada, we have a Wi-Fi issue that needs to be addressed or we can’t use this technology in our schools”. Unfortunately, education in Canada is governed at the provincial level and sadly I doubt Wi-Fi is an issue they will all get on board with. I also think Stephanie’s Mentorship plan (including mentoring technology) is a super awesome idea and I hope it catches on with every school district. The mentors in our schools never deal with technology other than here is how the report card works.

2) We need teachers to value technology not as a tool to do what has always been done but to do things differently and engage students. As I mentioned in a previous post there is medical evidence emerging that clearly demonstrates children’s (digital natives) brains are wired differently than previous generations. (Levitan, 2014) if we do not change how we try to teach these students, I fear they will become a lost generation, stuck between old teaching methods and a new career world. I recently read a book by Ross Greene (2014) called Lost at School (Why our Kids with Behavioural Challenges Are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help them). What I kept thinking about as I read this book was that yes we definitely have students with severe behavioural issues in our schools, but is that number rising because of what many on my staff would like to call poor parenting, environmental issues? Or is the number seemingly rising because we are failing to engage them on the level they require?

3) It is time to blend our teaching with Problem Based Learning (PBL), Genius Hour or 20% Time and allowing our students to direct much of their own learning in essence allowing them to choose the differentiation that works for them. We need our students interacting with their learning. Trying, failing, trying again and understanding what perseverance is. If you want to learn more about these processes I have three recommended reads: Learning by Choice (by A. J. Juliani, 2014), Pure Genius: Building a Culture of Innovation and Taking 20% Time to the Next Level (by D. Wettrick, 2014) and inquiry and Innovation in the Classroom: Using 20% Time, Genius Hour and PBL to Drive Student Success (by A.J. Juliani, 2015). These three, easy reads helped demystify the PBL process for me.

When I consider the TPCK framework as described by Mishra and Koehler (2006) and apply my understanding of both TPCK (see basic TPCK visual below) and PBL’s I see the perfect merging of theories.

The use of PBL’s in Science and Math provide the perfect opportunity for educators and students to hit the sweet spot of the TPCK Venn diagram incorporating all facets of Content, Technological and Pedagogical Knowledge.

4) We need to recognize, as mentioned in one of the posts, that we are attempting to prepare students for a future none of us understands. How can we do this? The answer to me is that the material we use today is only a vehicle that we use to help our students learn to become innovators, problem solvers and critical thinkers. Already most employers are looking for employees who have these skills over those who just achieved high grades in an outdated education system. My final recommended read is Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World by T. Wagner (2012). Although I am only half way through this book I am already thinking differently.

As I continue through ETEC 533 I would really like to look at using PBL’s in math and science, as well as incorporating the use of makerspaces. Makerspaces allow a classroom to be vibrant and pulsing with excitement. A makerspace classroom lends itself beautifully to PBL’s as student work on their desired project. For me personally MET has changed me. I lament all the time I spent as that teacher who did what was always done and thought a quiet classroom was a good classroom. My thinking has taken 180-degree turn, I want my students up and doing and thinking and trying and failing and trying again. Helping each other solve problems and most importantly excited by what they are doing.

To link to a word file of this post please click here.
<a href="http://E folio Interview Post“>E folio Interview Post

References:

Greene, R. W. (2014). Lost at school: why our kids with behavioral challenges are falling through the cracks and how we can help them. New York: Scribner.

Juliani, A. J. (2014). Learning by choice: 10 ways choice and differentiation create an engaged learning experience for every student. Ambler, PA: Press Learn.

Juliani, A. J. (2015). Inquiry and innovation in the classroom: using 20% time, genius hour, and PBL to drive student success. New York: Routledge.

Levitin, D. J. (2014). The organized mind: thinking straight in the age of information overload. New York, NY: Dutton.

Mazur, E. (2013). Assessment: The Silent Killer of Learning. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBzn9RAJG6Q January 26, 2017.

Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. The Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054.

Wagner, T., & Compton, R. A. (2012). Creating innovators: the making of young people who will change the world. New York: Scribner.

Wettrick, D. (2014). Pure genius: building a culture of innovation and taking 20% time to the next level. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.

CiteULike Help Answered by Me! Kinda funny

Ok so in my previous post I said I was having difficulty finding the resource folders in citeulike, well that trouble continued over the past couple of days. I watched and rewatched the videos contained in lesson 3 but still foundered. Then about three minutes ago the brain fog cleared. If you like me were lost here is some help.

Join the ETEC 533 group
Then click on the ETEC 533 group link BESIDE the link that says myciteulike.
When the drop down menu appears -choose TAGS
When you click tags they appear alphabetically.
Scroll down until you see resource folder 1, etc.
Hope this helps someone.
Catherine

Catherine’s Synthesis of the Interviews

Synthesis of Interviews:

After reading all of the interviews posted thus far and engaging in several discussion threads I started to think about what do we do with all this information? It is remarkable to me that several of the barriers to using technology in the classroom resonate through many of the posts. Our interviewees were of varied ages, genders, experience level and current job placements, yet the underlying issues remained constant.

Rather than dwell on the things we can all plainly see are barriers I wanted to start a discussion on how we can improve some of the problems we encounter. I realize I may be naïve in thinking that if we can decide on some improvements we clearly see as necessary we can start things moving in the right direction.

These are the things that I took away from our interview posts:

2) We need teachers to value technology, not as a tool to do what has always been done but to do things differently and engage students. As I mentioned in a previous post there is medical evidence emerging that clearly demonstrates children’s (digital natives) brains are wired differently than previous generations. (Levitan, 2014) if we do not change how we try to teach these students, I fear they will become a lost generation, stuck between old teaching methods and a new career world. I recently read a book by Ross Greene (2014) called Lost at School (Why our Kids with Behavioural Challenges Are Falling Through the Cracks and How We Can Help them). What I kept thinking about as I read this book was that yes we definitely have students with severe behavioural issues in our schools, but is that number rising because of what many on my staff would like to call poor parenting, environmental issues? Or is the number seemingly rising because we are failing to engage them on the level they require?

3) It is time to blend our teaching with Problem Based Learning (PBL), Genius Hour or 20% Time and allowing our students to direct much of their own learning, in essence allowing them to choose the differentiation that works for them. We need our students interacting with their learning. Trying, failing, trying again and understanding what perseverance is. If you want to learn more about these processes I have three recommended reads: Learning by Choice (by A. J. Juliani, 2014), Pure Genius: Building a Culture of Innovation and Taking 20% Time to the Next Level (by D. Wettrick, 2014) and inquiry and Innovation in the Classroom: Using 20% Time, Genius Hour and PBL to Drive Student Success (by A.J. Juliani, 2015). These three, easy reads helped demystify the PBL process for me.

When I consider the TPCK framework as described by Mishra and Koehler (2006) and apply my understanding of both TPCK (see basic TPCK visual below) and PBL’s I see the perfect merging of theories.

References:

Greene, R. W. (2014). Lost at school: why our kids with behavioral challenges are falling
through the cracks and how we can help them. New York: Scribner.

Juliani, A. J. (2014). Learning by choice: 10 ways choice and differentiation create an
engaged learning experience for every student. Ambler, PA: Press Learn.

Juliani, A. J. (2015). Inquiry and innovation in the classroom: using 20% time, genius hour,
and PBL to drive student success. New York: Routledge.

Levitin, D. J. (2014). The organized mind: thinking straight in the age of information
overload. New York, NY: Dutton.

Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework
for teacher knowledge. The Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054.

Wagner, T., & Compton, R. A. (2012). Creating innovators: the making of young people who
will change the world. New York: Scribner.

Wettrick, D. (2014). Pure genius: building a culture of innovation and taking 20% time to
the next level. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.

CiteULike Help

Hi Everyone,
This is the first time I am using CiteULike in MET. I have registered and joined the ETEC 533 group. So far it looks like there are three of us from this course there. My problem is in the class notes for lesson 3 it says there are resource folders by subject area on CiteULike. I thought I would go on the site and see the folders and accompanying documents for each folder but I don’t, I see different articles from different resource folders in one spot and no articles from other resource folders. Do I search a specific topic of interest and see what appears? I think I just have brain block but sometimes that is when its time to ask for help.
Catherine

Wide and varied views on Technology in Math and Science

Key Words: Apathy, Coding and Life Long Learning

For this activity, I actually ended up interviewing four teachers. Teacher C was a male eighth-grade math and science teacher (he has been teaching for 13 years), Teacher S is a retiring grade seven teacher who teaches math but no science (she has been teaching for 28 years), Teacher S2 is a 3/4 grade teacher who teaches both math and science (she has been teaching for 15 years) and finally Teacher T is a tech consultant.

What I found interesting first off with two of the three teachers was just the general apathy about technology. They used it mostly to show a video or have kids play a game. They seemed to think they were using technology well and had no real interest in investing their own time to learn more. If the school board provided opportunities during the school day then they would be interested. Neither of these teachers had invested any of their own money for training or equipment (not a judgement just a fact as the other two interviewees has spent money on their own equipment).

The third classroom teacher had self-initiated learning technology and had attended several workshops on their own time and at their own expense. They were most frustrated by the red tape that is needed to use any sort of technology not approved by the board and had spent a lot of time with paper work to unblock sites or add drivers only to be denied by the board office. This teacher mentioned how she invested in a device to add to an iPad to be able to save student work. The driver needed to be added to the iPads so that it could be used. It was not allowed by the board, and she expressed exasperation at the fact that her students continue to be frustrated by lost work.

All three teachers felt that there was not enough training by the board to implement technology and that they were frustrated by blocked sites and inaccessibility to apps. While the board has been investing in hardware there is no training to go along with this. The staff have all been given Chromebooks but no in-servicing. One teacher used hers, of the other two one was locked in a drawer, the other had been leant to an Educational Assistant to use. All agreed they knew the Chromebook could be a powerful tool but they had no idea how to use it effectively.

Note: In terms of the interview questions I had prepared I found myself adjusting these as the interviews took place, teachers answers often covered more than one of my questions and repeating it as another question seemed redundant.

The fourth interviewee Teacher T is the interview I will share here, (the other three interviews will be available on my e-profile later this week). I specifically chose to interview this Teacher because of their own evolution of technology use, as well as, the opportunities that they make available to the staff of their school district.

Teacher T Interview

Teacher T has been teaching for about 15 years in the Edmonton School System. She spent several years as a classroom teacher and then a teacher in a designated special needs room. She has spent the last two years as an Emerging Technology Constultant and loves the job. I met teacher T through the MET program. We have collaborated on several projects and keep in touch outside of the MET forum. Teacher T was an enthusiastic participant in the interview. The interview took place over Google Hangouts (we screen videoed the session and used Google Docs with voice typing to keep track of the notes). The interview took place at 9pm Ontario time on a Thursday evening.

What prompted you to begin integrating digital technology into your classroom and how has your use of digital technology developed since you began?

Okay, so actually this one’s a really important one because I was one of those stereotypical teachers that was terrified of technology.
I really didn’t use it other than when I was forced to check my email and I would like Google stuff to find out the answer. What I mean is I could use the internet that was about it. All of that changed because about eight years ago I moved from the regular class to a severe special needs program. It was a group of 14 students at a time and grades 4 5 and 6 chronologically but academically about K to grade 1 and I went in the room and tried to teach you like you teach anybody. Let’s shove intervention down their throats, you know keep giving them more books and more practice and more worksheets and I was feeling miserable and at the time I was pregnant. Thank goodness I was going on maternity leave. I really struggled with that classroom and what was interesting was while I was gone on mat leave they had installed a smart board without even telling me and I cried because I realized I was one of those who teachers didn’t have a clue what I was doing to do.

That was the 180 change in me, I decided I was going to actively integrate technology purposefully in this class. It really felt like this was going to be the linchpin that could be the Difference Maker to these kids. So I did a ton of research and really looked at how I could do a different program. I realized nobody around me was doing it differently, if I was going to do this I had to be really going to war with it.

I started with Twitter because if there’s any place to find up to the minute information about how to use technology it was going to be there and in the back channels I found this thing called a Raspberry Pi and I thought okay okay I can do this. You build your own computer and learn to code and finally, I convinced myself I’m going to do this so I went to a teacher’s convention session on Raspberry Pi and I made my husband who’s a teacher come with me because I didn’t want to go alone. When we arrived the speaker pulled me aside and said you know this if for Raspberry Pi I think you are in the wrong room. And I said no I’m here for Raspberry Pi and when I turned around I realized I was the only girl in the room in a sea of male high school science teachers. I just decided to try my best so I went in that room and I was the first person to build my computer was the first person to unpack the new software and it was a changing point for me. I decided no more being afraid and so I dug into coding and using a physical computer with the Raspberry Pi, it was perfect because while I was teaching my students I was learning it so my student really transformed they started to build a computer. I had a student who couldn’t spell his name right and yet he built a computer and maybe he couldn’t write a story but damn if couldn’t put together some awesome graphics. My students went from being terrified, terrified of death by Papercut to computer builders. From there we moved on to Minecraft, to the Makey Makey we started hacking things for a classroom to make a night vision camera to discover what nocturnal animals do at night. We made our guinea pig take selfies using tin foil and some celery and you know the Makers Space and robotics meeting changed them and changed me and I never looked back so from there. I love building computers, I honestly just got a Raspberry Pi 3 today. I work with emerging technology every day and it excites me.

If you were to focus on learning and integrating one new program or application related to math or science, which program/application would you recommend in terms of having the most impact on student learning within the classroom?

2. Up and down my number 1 answer without even thinking about it is coding. it’s one of those things that’s quickly becoming a new leader, see it’s becoming our way of life, it is a language we all need to learn to speak and is foundational to mathematics and science literacy. All of it regardless of whether you are four years old or you’re in high school and coding is easily accessible by anyone, anywhere. The best place to start is The Hour of Code website they, have it broken down where you can filter subject area, grade level, ability level, device type and they will filter for you what apps or web-based programs work for you. It contains tutorials so that the teacher doesn’t have to feel like they need to be the expert. What is fantastic is they will learn along with the kids. You know it starts with simple things like Anna and Elsa from Frozen and they create snowflakes in the ice and what’s really amazing is that you are learning measurements, learning angles, you are learning all of this mathematics. I actually had a teacher well you’re not supposed to learn angles until grade 6, that’s in our grade 6 program of studies here in Alberta and I thought let this kid use angles! Coding is just one of those powerful, powerful foundations that you can use across anything. You have to code, code, code!

Can you share how your assessment of student learning has changed with the integration of digital technology into your math or science classroom?

3. Yeah! 100% if we’re going to move to using digital Technologies in math and science we cannot just take the learning or even the teaching of it using new digital Technologies and then completely rely upon the traditional assessment. We have got to move away from paper-based assessments. To really capture the base level Knowledge and Skills only with paper in math and science isn’t going to work. Why do we give a kid a list of 30 questions? If they could do it after 5 we know they can do it. You know what we’ve done is sucked the love of learning out of our students in math and science. It should be those two subjects that we love because it’s real life learning, it’s Hands-On learning, it’s problem-solving and we have reduced it down to a fill in the blank answer on the line. If we’re going to use digital technology then we need to use it properly and assess properly and there’s no better way than just plain and simple documentation. Video and images, capturing contextual concepts in the moment. In the moment learning and it’s so simple to do whether that’s a simple screen capture of something that they have done, or using an app say show me what you know. Have them going through a demonstration or whether you’re using a Chromebook and you’ve installed the extension screencastify and it’s them explaining, hey teacher here is how I do this and I’m moving manipulatives. This can be done for higher-level projects, they can also be done to demonstrate everyday learning instead of filling in the blanks on this worksheet let them play the game online and record themselves using screencastify and then talk about it. Higher level thinking cannot be reduced to a fill in the blank

What do you see as a barrier to teacher education in technology?

4. Teacher education whether in pre-service training or in-service training is like the idea of the murder on the Orient Express.The whole idea of that was there were many different facets that that came together to cause this problem. I see the number one factor is we rely on this lovely excuse of “well I did not learn that in my teacher preparation courses, therefore I will never need to use this in the class” and we put everything on teacher preparation. I call that out because especially in the realm of Technology with the speed at which technology is changing there’s no possible way that we can expect it to be part of our teacher preparation courses. Because by the time you graduate it is no longer relevant. What’s more important is the technology pedagogy. Those big things we need to look at like digital citizenship. We need to look at a representation of learning. We need to look at technology thinking in all of those student teachers. The actual technology it is going to change, is going to change, is going to change… because that is the nature of technology.

What about your role as a tech consultant?
I’m an emerging technology consultant I’m part of a team of 5 for 90 schools 40 000 students, 3000 teachers and I have to make sure how I cover my bases for my learners. I offer professional develop workshops, I make sure I cover the cost of Subs are coming into class and workshops, I create online resource materials that are always posted and available. I have a YouTube video channel where I’m posting weekly lessons and ideas. I have to make sure that I’m providing those learning opportunities for teachers Teachers need to take ownership of that which they need to learn but I can’t take a horse to water and make them drink. I need to make sure that we are promoting and we are not apologizing that we need to have 21st Century Learning in our classrooms. That technology is not an inconvenience or optional or block four on Friday. This is part of our everyday learning and if we create those options then we will draw in more teachers. I have to make sure that we really are reframing professional development. That’s been a goal of mine this year but number one with this is going to come down to the leadership and administration. I am going into this school tomorrow to do a Google workshops following up from PD that I did and the principal is providing internal coverage so that two teachers at a time can come and ask me anything they want about Google based on where they’re at in their learning. We also make sure that we provide schools for half-day sub release cost. In Alberta Thursday afternoons are considered professional development time, we don’t have students so we go into schools and we put on workshops are we hosting big District workshops at those times as well. I go into schools for drop-in sessions and I am getting a completely different demographic of participants. This is the one that my teachers are coming to, the ones that you know don’t really open up the doors of their classrooms. And it was really interesting to see the different people because this is a safe and smaller way to get them support. On the other hand I know that there’s some people I will never reach that way so I have something called do-it-yourself learning where I have a lot of hyperdocs where I create a digital materials and I am always adding to it and people who want to be a self-learner but don’t have to go through the Google search for finding the resources. I have created and filtered and put them together and our do-it-yourself site and our YouTube series is incredibly popular. I am doing these weekly webcasts so people can watch me a hundred times but they can also play me while they’re on their computer doing what I’m saying and push repeat and push pause and go back and so that has been a real plus.

What is your most important message to teachers?

I always try to get across the idea of “why is learning tech optional”? Our boards take on new programs and new initiatives and whether they like it or not teachers do it because they are expected to. Why is learning tech optional? In Alberta, part of our teacher mandate is to be life-long learners. The mission statement doesn’t say to do what we have always done, it states to be life-long learners. We need staff to embrace this and learn tech. If someone doesn’t know where to start it is easy to follow the ISTE standards for students and the ISTE standards for staff. Take one step and suddenly you will realize this isn’t something that will go away. We need to learn tech to be effective educators.

Catherine

Interview Help with Google Docs

Hi,
If you haven’t done your interviews yet I have a couple of suggestions to help you make life easier. If you have any tricks I would love to hear them.
I just did a google hangouts video interview and screen recorded it. (Permission form already signed and ready to go), but also used another feature that is really helpful. We tried it for this video chat and it worked great. If you use GAFE’s you can open a google doc and under tools click voice typing. It does (or at least in this case) it did a great job of transcribing the voice interview into a typed google document. It doesn’t catch the punctuation in fluid speech but it certainly saves time transcribing the notes.
If there are any sections that I am unsure of I have the video to go back to.
Hope someone finds this helpful.
Catherine

Pre-Service Teacher Training and Teacher Professional Development

The video case studies were very interesting to watch from several perspectives. That of the teacher (pre-service, new teacher, teacher and retiring teacher), the student (elementary, secondary, post-secondary and post-degree), as well as the male- female dichotomy and finally what I will term confidence (with or without reason) and non-confidence (with or without reason) the confidence factor could be applied to student or teacher at every level.

If I were to create a blog on all the notes I took watching the videos I think this entry would be several pages long. I watched and re-watched the videos with a different lens and spent a few days mulling over what I thought was the most important take away for me. After much consideration, my mind constantly returned to the struggle of the teacher (pre-service, new teacher, teacher and retiring teacher). I will admit however, that I likely returned to this struggle because it is an area of interest I would like to explore further when I have completed the MET program.

1. Teacher Confidence: Teacher Confidence played a role in the use of technology at every grade level. Teachers who were confident in their material and understood what I will call the bigger picture seemed to seek out using technology to engage their students and deepen their knowledge. (I will state here however that a couple of the teachers seemed to use technology in less effective ways and it seemed to me, the viewer, that it was more to entertain than educate).

The STEM teacher (Case 1), the math teacher (Case 2), the physics teacher (Case 3) and Glenn Pellerin (Case 7) the college professor, all appeared to use technology to get the students more active in their learning. As the physics teacher said “more transactive, than transmissive”. I applauded the STEM teacher’s comment that he no longer stressed about sticking to the curriculum guide because he found the students were making more connections and deeper connections. The STEM class seemed like an awesome place to work. A makerspace every day. Students exploring concepts in a self-directed setting that allowed for problem solving and critical thinking.

Conversely, several other teachers were much less confident in their ability to use technology well. This theme emerged like a red flag with new, preservice and retiring teachers.

New and preservice teachers felt they were not educated on the use of technology in the classroom, and many seemed overwhelmed at the prospect. There was so much to learn, there was so much to do, they hadn’t been taught much if at all in preservice programs, and all were wary of how much time it took. As for the retiring teacher, honestly part of me thought she was retiring because technology was taking her on a route she was uncomfortable with and felt that she perhaps was not as effective as those who could implement technology more confidently. (What I did like about the retiring teacher was her willingness to try some technology and let her students show her how it worked. Many retiring teachers I have watched, shy away from technology and avoid it completely).

2. Teacher Education: As I have worked my way through the MET program I have become increasingly frustrated by a) the lack of technology training for preservice teachers and b) the lack of professional development and time for training for new and regular teachers. I would love to develop a technology course for elementary preservice teachers and implement it at the local Faculty of Education. It could be a full year course in focused modules that explore the depth and breadth of the technology available, as well as time for students to work with the programs and become confident using them before they ever step into a classroom.

Pre-service teacher education and professional development is sorely lacking, at least in my area of Ontario.

Classroom teachers are wary of technology for several reasons.

A) they worry that it is next bandwagon the board is jumping on; they will try to use it and implement it only to have it tossed by the wayside the next year for the next best thing. For many long-time teachers, they have “great idea” fatigue.

B) Teacher in-service usually consists of quick modules presented on a PA Day where they sit and watch someone “show” them technology. They do not get an opportunity to try it at most workshops and many don’t know where to find the time to practice what they learned on their own. Many lack the motivation as well.

C) Many of the teachers in the case studies (Strawberry Hill, lead teacher Case 5) as well as the confident teachers mentioned earlier in this blog sought out technology on their own time, at times investing their own money in courses or equipment. They went to meetings and professional development sessions outside of their regular day. Teachers often feel so overwhelmed and that time is a limiting factor anyway that they are not able to take advantage of these opportunities.

D) Availability of hardware, software and bandwidth. As mentioned in several cases where preservice teachers were interviewed many felt they did not know the devices or systems well enough and were concerned about relying on technology as part of a lesson and being able to trouble-shoot if a problem popped up. Classroom teachers know the reality of not being able to access Chromebooks or iPads, systems crashing and poor internet connectivity. To most going ahead with their regular lesson and style of teaching is less of a risk.

As I mentioned this problem is one I would love to help solve. I have a niece and nephew who are now in their second year of teaching. Both attended a faculty of Ed three years ago. They had no real technology classes and had no idea what was available to them in the classroom. They graduated with the B.Ed. with the same level of tech training as I did 27 years ago. How can that be?

We have spent time in this past summer and on holidays working together. I have shown them makerspaces, digital storytelling, stop motion animation, on line programs. They have eagerly learned about it, tried some of it in their classrooms and are always asking me to send them more. We need to capitalize on the enthusiasm of our preservice and new teachers and provide the opportunities for them to learn technology before they try teaching with it. Does anyone know of a preservice program that does a great job of introducing technology to preservice teachers? How do we go about helping to implement changes in other programs that do not?

As for teachers already established in their careers and skeptical of the benefit of technology I look forward to the day that that changes. Unfortunately, until good professional development opportunities and time to use the technology is available I must hope that they will see technology being used in other classes and seek out how to use it from their co-workers.

Finally, the use of technology must not take over the reason for the lesson. Teacher’s must be able to assess work on an ongoing basis not just at the end of the assignment. If the teacher has to spend all their time troubleshooting hardware or other issues this on going assessment is going to be lacking. This is when misconceptions can be missed and sadly, I believe if a student has a misconception that is not caught and corrected, all we have done is reinforce their misconception as correct.

Catherine

Module A Lesson 2 Cases 2-8

HI,
Has anyone been able to open the video’s and interviews for cases 2-8. Case 1 was fine but I have tried in Safari, Chrome and Firefox and I am unable to see anything in the boxes where the video or audio should be. At the moment I am working on an ipad and wifi (my mac book is at the apple hospital at the moment 🙁 Not sure why I can see the video of the first case but not the rest.) I can read the scenarios but that is it. I have tried accessing through the course module A as well as the message that Samia sent, but still no luck.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Catherine

Unpacking my assumptions

Unpacking Assumptions

Proper use of Digital Technology in the Math and Science Classroom is dependent on the reason for use. If a teacher is planning to do what they have always done, with the new twist being they have put the same lessons and readings on line then the implementation of the digital technology is likely to be no more effective than the lessons presented with out the use of the technology. Technology is not a magic gadget that improves lessons on its own.

In my previous course ETEC 565A a fellow student remarked how her daughters classes (grade 8) had “changed” because of technology. Basically, the students went into the classroom, watched some YouTube video lectures and then did seat work. If they were confused they were directed to rewatch the video. I took a lot of issue with this approach. What exactly were the teachers doing during this time? Where was the “learning”? Was there any hands on discovery by the students? When did they test their hypotheses? The above scenario, I think we all agree would not be a good use of technology in the Science and Math classrooms.

During my previous nine MET courses I have come to realize I am a very “grey” person. I do not see things in black or white. To give an example in terms of technology in math, I see its uses being very widespread, especially at the elementary level. First of all, although there is much debate about the need for students to master computational math skills with out the aide of a calculator, I still find student’s skills improve more using “computational games” on the computer than using flash cards. The games not only challenge the student but when they are done in a computer game format they allow the student to progress at their skill level, encourage them to try to reach the next level of the game, provide rewards for improved time and skill, as well as, allows the student to progress without someone grading them or saying correct or incorrect when using flash cards. So although there are other ways to drill computation skills, technology improves this experience for the student.

The use of digital technology can be very beneficial in other ways as well. Teacher’s can use technology to aide them in creating blended classrooms. Where material is presented in various formats and students work through stations. The technology aides students in working independently or with others to solve problems, understand concepts and review material. One of the stations is teacher led, and the teacher is available to assist any group that requires it. Students are able to watch and review material, as well as, watch recorded demonstrations created by the teacher whenever they need to. Students are also able to work on simulations that are especially valueable in stem classes. In physics, students can see how the changing of a variable changes the outcome. In mathematics, students solving problems on tablets and explaining their solutions would allow the teacher to review the material if it seems that the student has misconceptions.

Another valuable factor of using digital technology in stem classes is that it aides in students constructing their knowledge. They are able to review steps that they do not understand. They are able to extend their learning if they have mastered the current skill. They are able to investigate other areas of interest. I have become a firm believer in students constructing their knowledge. It is a proven fact (research by Dr. D Levitan) that our brain and bodies suffer when we try to multitask. Our neurons become exhausted very quickly and then our attention wanes. We become much less skilled at each task the more we try to multitask. So if we continue to look at the research it also states children are bombarded by information and tasks changing constantly. That they are attempting to learn (in the most inefficient way possible if the teacher is a chalk and talker) when they are over come by stimuli.
What stimuli:
Social issues –
why are my friends laughing and I don’t know why?
I wonder why Bobby didn’t invite me to his party?

Physical issues-
I am hungry, when is snack or lunch… what will I eat
I stayed up way too late last night, I just want to have a nap

Interests-
I can’t wait to get home and try to get to the next level of that video game
I hope hockey practice goes well tonight so coach starts me in the next game

Class issues-
my parents are going to be mad I got a C on my math test
I have no idea what this teacher is talking about.

Add to this that students- well all of us attend best to what interests us most and it becomes very apparent, me talking at the front of the room isn’t going to make it on their most important items to remember. The more active learning becomes the easier it is recalled. When students are up learning, testing, retesting etc they have more pathways encoding the learning. Digital technologies are a great way to let students proceed at their own pace and take their learning on paths that interest them.

Digital Technologies are an excellent way to help dispel misconceptions. For example, if a student has difficulty understanding how electrical circuits work (in series) they could work on a program that allows them to change the variables with switches. If they change one of the variables it can change the outcome. They will see the action and reaction, the appliance or light working or not.

In my opinion there are several road blocks to the proper use of technology in the classroom.
1. Teachers who do not understand and perhaps do not wish to understand how the technology can help in delivering their content and enable students to construct their knowledge.
2. Not enough teacher in service to allow teachers to be comfortable with new technologies.
3. Not enough hardware for all students to use technology when required.
4. Not enough bandwidth to support the programs that are running.
5. Too much stress about what students are doing on their devices (Facebook, texting etc).
6. Keeping information protected on open networks.

I believe we need to demonstrate to the nay Sayers what awesome things can be accomplished with digital technologies. Allow BYOD programs so that more students have access to devices. Improved bandwidth so classes don’t wait in limbo for their programs or activities to load. All of these roadblocks are manageable we just have to prove it is worth it.

Catherine

Daniel J. Levitan, The Organized Mind (thinking straight in the age of information overload), 2014.

Understanding Misconceptions

Note: I am currently unable to access my lap top/ ipad or wifi. I have attempted to complete the readings and blog post on my phone using my data plan. It hasn’t been the easiest thing to accomplish. When life returns to normal I will fix up the errors and properly cite material. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Catherine

This unit on Conceptual Challenges really synthesized for me my role not only as a teacher but also as a student. Until recently I believe I have been the antithesis of Piaget’s statement “Not how fast but how far”. Educationally I believe I have always been on the fast track, not in terms of being educationally superior but rather looking at a volume of work I needed to conquer and setting about conquering it, not learning it. Homework and assignments were a check list of activities that I tackled and prided myself if I got through it (honestly never considering if I understood it or could explain it but rather could I do what was asked as a robot would).

Reflecting over the past few days on Heathers experience and the other students, as well as, Harvard Grads and Faculty, I realized that early on in my education I was considered ahead of my peers. By the time I was in grade 5 I was two years younger than my peers. It was around this time also I began to feel like a fraud. My confidence slipped and I would say I became a very average student until grade 11. In grade 11 something finally clicked. Did my brain catch up with the material? Did I become more confident? Did I just learn how to play the system and know what I needed to do to get good grades?
From grade 11 through until about eight years ago, I kept on that track I learned how to do what needed to be done to get a job done “well”. At least in the eyes of others. I taught curriculum, got through units, students produced work that they could be proud of. But what were they really learning? Had I really not just taught them how to play the system the same way I had.
I probably would have continued right on that path if a slap in the face moment had not occurred. I had to face my misconceptions head on. LIke Heather’s teacher in the video I believed that students arrived at my door with the background knowledge to proceed from where their last curriculum left off. Never once did I question the teaching that was going on in those rooms, rather if the students arrived not knowing something they just were not good at it.

I would review if needed (lecture style), and dispense new information (lecture style and perhaps with a model I demonstrated with) and often found myself thinking, that went really well, these kids have to understand this I did a great job. What a fantastic sage on the stage I was (notice I did not say teacher).

The slap in the face moment came when the first week of classes with grade sevens they were struggling with the most basic of concepts. Frustrated and decidedly sarcastically, at the time, I reverted to a primary teacher reviewing math concepts. It was then I became dumbfounded. None of the students had any understanding of WHY they did things in math. They perhaps knew the how’s of computation but application and understanding were sorely lacking. Later that day, to make myself feel better I walked in to the class that my students from the previous year were in. I asked the same question, and I got the same dumbfounding answers. They had no clue. HOw could this be?

If this was true in Mathematics it had to be true in other subjects as well. I sat down that night deciding how to map out my future as a teacher. My plan was to change my lessons from students listening to a chalk and talk to me listening to what they knew, talking to them about why they did something and trying to get them to apply that knowledge to new situations in whatever way possible.

Goal setting became important. As Blanchett (1977) stated “a good experiential situation must permit the child to establish plans to reach a distant goal,while leaving him wide freedom to follow his own route (p 37).” This led to my understanding of how I was rushing through the curriculum to check off units I had completed. I needed to slow down. In 1987, Duckworth stated that “learners need time to explore phenomenon (Chapter 6).”

Exploration became a large part of my classroom time. Allowing students to manipulate and create their own models. Give them an opportunity to try ideas and learn from the results.

In the Confrey (1990) article there is a very poignant section on arithmetic that discusses the difference between rote learning and meaningful learning. The following portion stood out for me “We label students as wrong, but do not delve into the preconceptions that may have led to this”.

Fosnot’s (2013) book delves deeply into how children can benefit from constructing their knowledge. Taking what they know (or think they know) and expanding on that. Allowing this will help them see if what they previously believed was true or if they had a misconception. Without the opportunity construct their knowledge students may never understand how to move forward and deepen their knowledge base.

After reading the articles and watching the video I began to wonder how, in mathematics specifically I could improve my own understanding of what my students knew and what misconceptions they may have.

I found a very helpful article by An and Wu (2012) entitled: Enhancing Mathematics Teachers Knowledge of Student Thinking from Assessing and Analyzing Misconceptions in HOmework.

First of all I have not been a big fan of homework for about the past 8 years, as well. During my epiphany, mentioned above, I realized that homework seemed to be busy work. Also that I assigned “busy” homework and did not really use the results to any end, other than marking it as done or not done. An and Wu (2012) bring up this point as well. Their research focuses on how we can use the grading of homework as a way to understand what our students know and what misconceptions they may have. If we assign fewer, more meaningful questions and take the time to evaluate that work we will have a much better picture of that students knowledge. We will be able to identify misconceptions and have the opportunity to allow the student time (with teacher direction and assistance to understand and correct these misconceptions).

This leads directly to my thoughts about how technology can help in this area. I envision my students choosing three of their “assigned work questions” one from each of the three sections to complete “on line”. Students could access a variety of programs that would enable them to show and talk about how they solved the problem. Why they did, what they did, why it made sense to them, as well as, if they believe they have solved the problem properly. This would allow the teacher to not only see the work the student has done, but also allows them to hear the rationale. Having this valueable information to refer back to would not only aide in understanding the students misconceptions but also be an excellent marker to refer back to once the student has progressed past this problem.

References: (Not in proper citation format to be fixed later)

Confrey, et al. Article from class notes list 1990

Fosnot, C. Chapter 1 and 2 from class notes list, 2013

An,S. and Wu, Z. Enhancing Mathematics Teacher’s Knowledge of Student Thinking from Assessing and Analyzing Misconceptions in HOmework. International Journal of Science and Math Education (2012) 10: 717