Category Archives: A. Interview

Camille has been living in the United Arab Emirates for four years.  She is Canadian, with a Bachelors in Social Science, with a Masters in Childhood Education.  She teaches Math, Science, and Reading in Kindergarten.  I thought this would be an interesting change from all the other interviews we have seen in this thread. I also thought that it would be interesting to see what technology use looks like at a younger age level in a country beside Canada. In the UAE students in kindergarten are aged 3 to 5 years old.  This interview was conducted over the phone on January 28, 2017.

How often do you use technology in your class?

I honestly use technology daily.

What ways do you use technology in class?

I use technology for everything from taking attendance, to lesson starters, to interactive games.

Describe to me some ways that you use technology in your class?

We do math interactive games on the smartboard.  I also use the Smartboard to show videos and other forms of media for Science.  We have a computer area with two computers (for 25 students).  Students are also taken to the computer lab once a week for 30 minutes.  During this computer lab time students, can practice their reading, as well as work on Math and Science activities.  We also have 5 iPads in the class that students have time to use once a week for 30 minutes.

Have you seen an improvement in technology use among students over the years you have been teaching in the UAE?

Definitely, there has been a significant increase in the students’ ability to use technology.

Tell me about some of the advantages you have noticed in your students from using technology in the classroom.

Some of the teachers at our school are very comfortable using technology in the classroom, I love technology and I think that it is essential to have in a classroom in this day and age.  Kids as young as 3 can log in on their own, use the mouse, the are comfortable with the touch screens.  Having technology in the class makes it easy to teach things like research skills, which is something that the Abu Dhabi Education Council is pushing hard right now.  They want use to teach critical thinking.  We try to teach students that you cannot just believe whatever someone tells you, you must be able to look it up yourself.  We show them how to do basic searches on Google.

Disadvantages?

Teachers who are not comfortable using technology do not use it in their classrooms and this puts students at a disadvantage.  There are no clear outcomes or outlines from the school or from the Abu Dhabi Education Council as to how we should use technology in class.  Also the upkeep is not there, teachers have to look for useful programs on there own.

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Because I teach older students and many of my students are lacking in their technology skills, I was happy to see that so many young students possessed basic computer skills.

Keywords: Purpose, Process, Access.

Teacher A is a grade 6 teacher at a middle school in Victoria, BC.  The teacher has a Ed.D. in educational technology, and has worked as a primary school teacher, an elementary technology specialist in the United States, and as a middle school teacher.  Teacher A’s current teaching assignment is in an upper middle class neighbourhood at an English-track school.  The interview took place in Teacher A’s classroom after school on a Monday.

The three points I took from my interviewee were:

Purpose:

Teacher A uses technology in math primarily as way to either enrich or remediate: “in math class, I use technology primarily with my children who are at grade level as reinforcement/enrichment”.  She is particularly interested in finding software with automated leveling, so the students are working on appropriate activities based on current achievement levels.

Process:

“[My students] are guinea pigs and I tell them they are guinea pigs all the time.”  Although her background as an Ed.D. in educational technology afforded her a deep grounding in research and philosophical frameworks for evaluating technology, Teacher A remains a pragmatist.  She relies on her students as the main vetting system for new technology.  Guiding her decision making is her belief in Complexity Theory as it relates to schools: “I am a proponent of complexity theory in that schools need to move and evolve with the greater community – we’re not we’re not in isolation.  The fact that some people use no tech in their learning and no tech in their classroom –  that’s not the way of the world.”  Teacher A believes that there is a danger in school learning environments being separate and different from the context that the students live in: “schools need to be more like the real world and less isolated so we don’t become irrelevant.”

Access:

When asked about access, Teacher A interpreted the question through the lens of the relatively privileged context in which she teaches.  Rather than thinking in terms of access to devices or reliable internet access (which can still be a major barrier, even in her upper middle class school), she spoke more about more about anytime/anywhere learning: “when I when I look at programs [I ask]: Is it ubiquitous?  We have ubiquitous access, for sure, when I’m looking at new software it has to work on every device.  If it doesn’t work on every single device then that’s not really one that I want to use.  It has to be available – all apps, you know, that are super popular – they have it for every single device.”  The reason she feels that this is so important ties in with her views on Complexity Theory and the need for schools to stay relevant: “We don’t have offices so much anymore – so many more people can work from home.  I think it’s the same education that some of these guys will do their math first thing in the morning in bed.  Other times they’ll do it at the rink when their brother is playing hockey, and that back and we can get on that access everywhere and anywhere because of the tools that we use now I think is huge.  Because some of them between nine and three is not when they want to focus.”
Teacher A talked about her role as a university instructor, and access pre-service teachers have to instruction in edtech.  At the moment, there is one required course in the elementary education program at her university, and the subject matter taught in that class varies widely by instructor. She also stressed the need to stay connected, “I couldn’t imagine trying to teach this course and not be a classroom teacher because [technology] changes so fast.  Even when I taught [the same course] four years ago – I’m not teaching word, I’m not teaching PowerPoint anymore.  I’m doing Google Apps for Education and robotics and coding and virtual reality and all the things that are new in our world hear as teachers. I try and get them some hands-on time.”

Transcript:

1. Reflecting on your math/science classes, in what ways do you predominantly use technology? For example: to transmit information, for student assessment, as a student tool to show learning, for teacher workflow, etc.

In math class I use technology primarily with my children who are at grade level as reinforcement/enrichment.  I use a drill and kill program called Xtramath to go through their math skills.  It starts with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division because so many kids coming to grade 6 without those skills.  So I try and get them through that program before the end of the year so I know that know their multiplication facts.  Some kids are through it now and some kids won’t finish it by the end of the year.  I use math software for my kids who are low incidence and that’s their entire program.  I’m just starting to use a program right now called DreamBox that self-levels.  It is out of a university and does Canadian western content.  Because there’s so much drill incorporated in the program, I think it’s really good for my kids are working at, like, a grade 2 math level right now because there is that repetition element to it. I tried Prodigy (I have a license that goes until the end of June), but I find it too gamey.  It doesn’t do a great job of math and it doesn’t do a great job of being a game…parents look at it and they say , ‘what are you doing? It’s a game!’, so I won’t renew that subscription.  For science, I use technology as a collaborative tool, primarily.  They do a lot of group projects in science.  They use Google classroom to work on something together.  Right now, they’re doing Canadian exploration technologies and working together on a slideshow to share with the class.  Then, together they’ll come up with a way of assessing the class on their knowledge of the topic they present on.  Some of them are doing a Kahoot – some of them are doing a paper-based one.  I don’t do a lot of transmitting information.  I will scan the textbook and [upload it].  For the kids who can’t read, I use Google Read&Write for science. I’ll use Google classroom second to put up an answer key so they can mark their work that way. This year, because I have such a low class and so diverse, they mark their own when they’re ready and then a lot of parents to the marking as well because the kids are really, really low this year.

2. What is your process for integrating new technology into your practice? (ie. Do you have a philosophical framework? How much vetting do you do vs. allowing the students to help you choose?)

They are guinea pigs and I tell them they are guinea pigs all the time. I’ll tell them, ‘this is new’, ‘this is one I’ve used before and I really like it and you will use it’, ‘this is one that we’re trying out’.  The students absolutely help me choose.  I asked them all the time, ‘what do you think about this?’. I’ll tell them if it’s new or not new, ask,  ‘do you like it? Do you not like it?’. For reading comprehension we tried to different programs and they told me what they liked and didn’t like about the program.  Some kids automatically found their way to the more appropriate program and other kids needed help to go to a lower level to because they can’t read yet, so they need to be a little bit forced into being a level that was right for them.

My philosophy about it is more big picture because I am a proponent of complexity theory in that schools need to move and evolve with the greater community – we’re not we’re not in isolation.  The fact that some people use no tech in their learning and no tech in their classroom –  that’s not the way of the world.  In the world, people can communicate with with each other kind of whenever they want, so I don’t tell my students, ‘no you can’t text your parents’.  If the parent texts the child to say I’m there for pick up then then I allow that.  So, I think it’s more my rules surrounding technology and technological use in the classroom – trying to be more in line with what they do outside of the classroom because schools need to be more like the real world and less isolated so we don’t become irrelevant.  We can’t teach in the old ways anymore.  We have to look at the new ways.  So, I guess when I when I look at programs [I ask]: Is it ubiquitous?  We have ubiquitous access, for sure, when I’m looking at new software it has to work on every device.  If it doesn’t work on every single device then that’s not really one that I want to use.  It has to be available – all apps, you know, that are super popular – they have it for every single device.  So when I’m looking at educational software, if it requires flash then that’s not OK because we can’t do flash on iPhones (unless we go through, you know, a roundabout route to use a different browser.  If it doesn’t look right on their phones because they don’t have that set up, then that doesn’t really work for me.  So that’s really, I guess, the only tie-in in terms of choosing software.

3. What role does access play in integrating technology into schools in SD61? For this question, consider ‘access’ as inclusive of student and teacher access to hardware/software, teacher access to pro-d to learn how to use tech, and access for pre-service teachers in the educational research around technology integration.

Access is huge and we kind of heard this was coming forever and ever – that that education has to be ubiquitous because [students] have to be able to get to the same programs, the same software, the same data at home and at school.  I talk to the kids about that a lot and parents, for sure, in the first week of school – that the way with Google apps for education the way we use it in our teaching and learning that [students] can do [their work] when they’re at home sick.  If I give an assignment on Google docs someone who is at home sick can still do the work.  [They] can still watch the movie, they can still write the assignment and I think that ties in really well with complexity theory – that that is the way the world works.  We don’t have offices so much anymore – so many more people can work from home.  I think it’s the same education that some of these guys will do their math first thing in the morning in bed.  Other times they’ll do it at the rink when their brother is playing hockey, and that back and we can get on that access everywhere and anywhere because of the tools that we use now I think is huge.  Because some of them between nine and three is not when they want to focus.   I’m teaching EDCI 336  (Technology and Innovation in Education) and I believe it’s the only tech course that they take.  Every professor teaches it differently and I know that e-portfolios are a big thing, and I’d like to see that happen with our kids.  Dr. Tim Hopper is doing a big folio (as he calls and it) an e-portfolio, so what the the idea is that it is web based and they put all the information about themselves to help them get their first job.  So he does badges – if they can make a hotlink or insert a video – if they can make a video…there is a reward system.  At the same time, the students are building this portfolio that they can show to prospective employer, ‘I can do this and I can do videos’ and all the things that they can do.  He really stresses connections between [pre-service teachers] and following people on Twitter, and in turn, following what’s going on the world education.  There are other professors that teach differently.   they do more…what I feel to be not relevant.  I know they’re fighting really hard right now to try and get Google Apps for Education at UVic, and it hasn’t happened yet because of privacy [concerns].  They are much more concerned with privacy laws than we are, and that’s been the major stickler with not getting it in place there. They are worried about where student information will be.  I guess for us, as teachers [in SD61], it’s done for us.  I don’t worry about privacy or what my kids can and cannot put Google Classroom because I figure the district takes care that for me.  Certainly [UVic] is far more aware of that.  When I teach [at UVic]…I go through every tool…it’s very, very, very hands on.  We do coding, we do Google Apps we do Slides, we do Docs, photo editing.  Everything that I know is new.  We do virtual reality stuff.  Every class we talk about the different types of reporting that are available.  I couldn’t imagine trying to teach this course and not be a classroom teacher because [technology] changes so fast.  Even when I taught [the same course] four years ago – I’m not teaching word, I’m not teaching PowerPoint anymore.  I’m doing Google Apps for Education and robotics and coding and virtual reality and all the things that are new in our world hear as teachers. I try and get them some hands-on time.  They’re making their own teacher webpages so they have that when they go to school, so if they want to use Google Apps, they can they can.  If they want to use Wix or whatever – they can.  As well, to try and get them ready to integrate as soon as they hit the classroom.

Integration, Engagement, Workflow

Mr. C is a grade 7 teacher that works for the Vancouver Board of Education that was interviewed on his use of technology in his science and math lessons. His qualification are a B.Ed. and B.A.. He is involved in teaching coding and HTML to his students.  He is a technology mentor and has worked at the district level on various projects related to aboriginal issues.

Integrating technology through access

Mr. C discusses how it was challenging to incorporate technology into his program because not all students had a device to use. He states that “once I was able to provide each student with a device, teaching workflow…made it possible to increase the use of technology. This is an issue that I find can sometimes hinder my own practice when there are not enough devices available.  Students have to be given the opportunity to be creative in their own independent space sometimes.  It can be challenging to really to use a learning management system when the students don’t always have access to the devices. Mr. C started with 10 Macbooks and then expanded his collection of computers over the past several years.  However, with students choosing to bring in their own devices, the needs for the school to provide each student a device is not as necessary anymore.

Student Engagement with Technology

Mr. C will use programs and apps that allow students to utilize any device in the classroom. He also uses many reading, math and science websites and programs. Some of them include thinkcera.com and activelylearn.com (which student’s read for content in the field of science). In order to provide the students with hands-on (manipulative learning) in mathematics he uses explorelearning.com.  This provides students with various drills and games to further develop this skills. For science presentation he uses glogster and for math khanacademy.  From the multitude of applications he utilizes, it’s obvious that he is quite embracive of new programs makes great attempts to find students programs that suit their learning needs. One of the most interesting things that I found was that Mr. C is completely self-taught when it comes to using technology in the classroom.  He encourages his students to play with technology  through trial and error and in order to master how to use something. Mr. found the many of the students in other classes at his school were “envious” of he used technology with his own students.

Efficient Workflow:

Efficient workflow and organization are important aspects of students learning, especially when the amount of content increases.  Mr. C discussed how “students agree  that doing things online… means less [performance] issues around executive functioning, organization and accountability.” With all of the tasks that students need to complete in a given school work week, he felt passionately that technology provided the structures to keep students organized and accountable.

In conclusion, Mr. C was able to demonstrate tremendous mastery with the different educational tools he uses in his classroom. He seems to be willing to work with any types of device as long as it can run the internet.  He emphasized that effective workflow is necessary in order to maintain good organization in his class with technology.

If you would like to check out my transcript Q&A, see the below google doc link

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BKDTJqLde51b7vE_TmEYFGxbZvT0urXmGQz7icaktv4/edit?usp=sharing

Thank You,

Tyler

Ms. A from the Wapaskwa Virtual Collegiate (WVC) in Winnipeg, Manitoba was interviewed on her views of technology use.  Her educational background is B.Sc, B.Ed, PBDE, and currently she is taking the CACE program at the University of Manitoba while working as an Instructor/Curriculum Developer at the WVC.  She is involved in teaching both math and science courses using D2L and Adobe Connect in synchronous and independent classes.  She responded to the following questions in an email interview:

1. How do you use technology in your science and math classroom?
2. What are the main goals of using these technologies?
3.  In your opinion, what are the effects of using these technologies on your students’ learning?

Following are three summary points based on the responses given by Ms. A.

Supporting Independent Learning:

Ms. A uses various technologies in her classroom “…to enhance and support student learning (hopefully independent learning also) and [chooses] technologies because they are simple and easy for learners to utilize…”.  This is probably the most important point to be made about independent learning: that the technology being used by the teacher must be easy to use.  If there is difficulty in use; learners become disengaged.  The technologies used regularly in her classroom include Youtube Videos, Website Links for activities, and explorelearning.com “…which [allow] learners to complete mini labs that support what they are learning in the course”. Adobe Connect is used to meet with learners online to “…talk about content [as well as] give [learners] guidance on their progress”. Moreover, “Geogebra to help with showing learners graphs for math and physics…” and “…a computer graphing calculator…to show learners how to complete calculations…[and] graph on their own personal graphing calculators”.  In an attempt to increase student independence, Ms. A also utilizes “…Camtasia to make videos for learners when they require additional information [like] introductions, lessons and video solutions”.

Giving Choice:

One of Ms. A’s main purpose of using a variety of technologies in her classroom is to “…support different learning styles…”.  She provides this choice in each lesson as “the pattern in each lesson provides learners the opportunity to choose which technologies to use for their learning”.  She suggested use of different activities via website links, different source of youtube videos allowed learners to “…have the opportunity to choose their own path which [she feels] is important. She does however at the same time, make “…assignments and labs…mandatory components…” in her classes.

Effective interaction with learners:

Ms. A suggested a goal of  using technology was to “promote more effective communication [and] interactivity [between] the learner and teacher”.  She uses YouTube Videos to “support the content that learners are reading…”, website activities and explorelearning.com to allow “[learners] to expand their learning and explore beyond the content presented in D2L”, video solutions via Camtasia to “…provide the learner the opportunity to to check their work as they go to ensure understanding”, Geogebra and digital graphic calculator to allow “…learner to make connections between equations and graphs”.

Thus it is logical to conclude Ms. A’s classes are thoroughly enhanced by using these different technologies in their own capacities to provide ease of use leading to independent learning, choice to support different learning styles, and provide effective interaction with learners.

Thanks,
Vibhu

After reading through all the interviews, it seemed that similar issues were echoed throughout, which is particularly interesting as the experiences were not limited to one grade level, one district, or even one province. I am aware of teachers in the US that also have these issues so I think it would be fairly safe to say that these issues are education issues, not just teacher issues.

The first issue seemed to be that of time and training. Teachers interviewed seemed to agree that there is not enough time given to teachers to learn how to integrate technology purposefully into their classrooms. Many noted that anything they have learned has been on their own time and expense. One teacher in Jessica’s abstract said that she had incorporated technology through trial and error, and that you just had to jump right in. Most of the information around using technology came from collaborating or meeting with peers and colleagues to share information. One teacher noted that she did not have the time to explore programs that were beneficial to her program and relied on the information other teachers shared with her, and another online teacher said that she knew there were programs out there that would benefit her students but did not have the time to search them out and try them to make sure. In Stephanie’s interview of a recent student teacher, she noted that although there was some emphasis put on using technology in the classroom, they were not formally shown anything but were basically left to explore things on their own without any guidance or information. All of this means that teachers are expected to research and learn relevant technologies on their own time, without sufficient guidance as to what or how. This leaves a lot of teachers without enough knowledge and confidence to integrate technology in meaningful ways into their programs.

Another key point was the appropriate use of technology in the classroom. It was widely reiterated that technology should not be used just for the sake of using technology. It needs to be subject and grade appropriate, but should also enhance the learning of the students. In one interview there were two intermediate teachers who said that they integrated technology quite a lot in their classrooms, only for us to realize it was for watching videos or playing games. Although these are ways to use technology, it does not transform the learning of the student. This is not to say that this should never be done, but that other ways of integrating the technology should be used also. However, having said that, this issue seems to relate back to the time and training issue. Teachers are not given the time to collaborate with other teachers to find programs that will enhance their subject, nor are they given the training on specific software to allow them to use it for more than a large viewing screen or a basic research tool.

The last issue which seemed to resonate with each interview was the frustration that came with the devices themselves. There were many instances where teachers were frustrated with the lack of band width for a whole class to use devices simultaneously, unreliable wifi with slow uploads and downloads, computers or chrome books that crashed frequently or were not charged sufficiently to use them. Many teachers still have to sign out equipment to use it making it awkward to use it seamlessly during the day. With the entire school sharing the devices the upkeep was difficult with many devices being broken, screens scratched, keys missing, and the like. There is also the issue of things going wrong and being unable to troubleshoot to fix them. Waiting for IT to fix an issue could take hours, if not days, depending on the issue and where the IT is located. I have to put in a ticket and wait for the IT department at the board to rank it, then put it in a cue to be dealt with. Some teachers can trouble shoot their issues, but at the expense of losing the class who are left waiting while it is being fixed. The lack of devices also seems to be a standard issue. Some schools have adopted a BYOD policy allowing students to bring their own devices to use, but this comes with its own set of issues such as inappropriate use in the classroom. This takes us back to time and training on how to teach students to use technology responsibly in a classroom setting.

Technology in the classroom is not going away, it is only changing, and we have to change with it. This requires appropriate time and training for all teachers to be able to confidently integrate technology into their classrooms to transform learning. and the infrastructure to support them in their efforts.

Abstract:

Teacher L is a distance learning teacher working for an independent school in British Columbia. In the past, she has taught high school math and science courses in both public and private brick and mortar schools. She has also spent two years teaching overseas. Teacher L is presently working with students from grades eight to twelve, facilitating math, science, physics and chemistry courses. She has been working as a distance learning teacher for the past eleven years and through her job has the opportunity to work from home.

This interview was conducted through a synchronous Zoom meeting session, using video and audio features. Teacher L was situated during the interview at her home work space in the Lower Mainland in British Columbia, while I was in a quiet conference room at a nearby library in Edmonton, Alberta. 

When considering three keywords that could summarize Teacher L’s teaching experience intersected with the implementation of technology, the following words and phrases surfaced: isolated, stretched-thin, and low-risk. All three of these descriptors have a tinge of negativity associated with them, but through the interview with Teacher L, the negativity is balanced with a positive outlook towards future possibilities.

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As a distance learning teacher, Teacher L faces some issues of isolation. Throughout the interview there is little indication of collaboration efforts with colleagues or professional development in the area of technology. When asked how she has learned to incorporate referenced types of technology into her learning space, she admits that it is largely “through trial and error” and that “you just need to jump in”. When prodded to share if colleagues have been a useful resource in helping learn new technologies, she seemed unsure and responded with “I guess” and then mentioned that she has “emailed the Zoom people to see how to make things work” when initially setting up a Zoom conference room for her students. Although Teacher L does not seem to have much collaboration with other teachers, she is self motivated to learn new technologies, but feels that her teaching assignment is too broad and is too demanding of her time and energy. She states, “I think there are definitely programs, and like I said these labs and stuff out there, that could enhance it [student learning experience], but this is my own shortcoming that I need to find, or spend time researching and getting those programs, or finding those websites that would do more. When I think of technology enhancing learning, I think of those things that you can send the student to help them in a more practical way. Ultimately that is what I would love to add more of to the courses.” From an earlier portion of the interview she shares some hopes and frustrations: “One thing that I haven’t used, but I would like to use but it’s challenging, and to be honest because I have so many courses I haven’t been able to look into it as much, but there are online labs that are for chemistry and physics, but I haven’t implemented them as much as I would like. I feel like I haven’t implemented a lot.” 

Teacher L has implemented some use of technology within her teaching, course delivery and student learning requirements, however this implementation of technology is mainly used to instruct students through a delivery system. For communication with students, Teacher L mainly uses email, Skype and Zoom meetings. Her preference is now Zoom as she can “have a face-to-face and … hold up a diagram, but there is also the whiteboard option”. She describes the whiteboard option as one of the most beneficial technology teaching tools that she uses “because the ones [students] who are struggling need that more visual back and forth … that we can actually do with the whiteboard to go through the problems”. As well, Teacher L is using a Learning Management System called Canvas which allows her to set up courses for students to access content and assignments and then submit assignments, complete tests and receive feedback. As described in the interview, the younger grade eight and nine students require some teaching time to learn how to use Canvas, whereas the grades ten to twelve students were able to use it more intuitively. In response to challenges of use by the grade eight and nine she states, “Initially with Canvas, a lot of them were having issues putting the right thing in the right place and knowing how to use it. Next year, I need to start out differently with the students. Let’s take some time to learn to use this well.”

At this time in Teacher L’s career, ease of use of technology for both herself and her students is the key to a successful learning space. Perhaps our interview may spur her on to incorporating more complex uses of technology into her course design, but for now she asserts that a new technology must be “easy for them [the students] to open …, and see what they need to do, and easy for me to implement.”

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Interview Transcript:

Interviewer: As a distance learning teacher of math and sciences, which types of technology have you used?

Teacher L: Obviously, a graphing calculator would be the standard in any classroom, so because we’re an online school I also found several online graphing calculators for students who do not want to buy a graphing calculator. I have always used Skype, used Elluminate a bit for the whiteboard but it was a bit more cumbersome. Zoom works actually quite well because I can not only have a face-to-face and I can hold up a diagram, but there is also the whiteboard option so I can draw on there. There are videos and such that are online. It’s hard because a lot of them are made in the US and for US curriculum so they don’t follow our curriculum so well. One thing that I haven’t used, but I would like to use but it’s challenging and to be honest because I have so many courses I haven’t been able to look into it as much, but there are online labs that are for chemistry and physics, but I haven’t implemented them as much as I would like. I feel like I haven’t implemented a lot because I don’t actually have a classroom right? Like the kids are really working individually. They’re all over the map so you can’t just have a lesson.

Interviewer: Of the technology you have used, which types have you found the most effective and efficient in your teaching and in your students’ learning?

Teacher L: Probably the whiteboard situation, however that looks, just because the ones who are struggling need that more visual back and forth. Some of them will email me a question and I’ll write out this great big explanation and email them back and that’s totally fine, but others are doing the headlights, I need more. So that back and forth that we can actually do with the whiteboard to go through the problems definitely helps.

Interviewer: How have you learned to use the types of technology that you use in your teaching and with your students?

Teacher L: Through trial and error. You just need to jump in, try it and ok this works. If you have a question you can ask someone who maybe knows it better.

Interviewer: Like a colleague?

Teacher L: Yes, I guess. There’s some times when I emailed the Zoom people to see how to make things work.

Interviewer: What characteristics (technology related or not) does your ideal learning space consist of when teaching math or science?

Teacher L: I guess just ease of use, easy to use, easy to understand. Whether it’s a lab or a thing like Zoom that it is easy for them to open it and see what they need to do and easy for me to implement.The characteristic is ease of use and smoothness of it. The characteristic that would be make it useful is when students find it easy to do because then they’re going to do it. Initially with Canvas, the math just the way it was set up a lot of them were having issues putting the right thing in the right place and knowing how to use it. Next year, I need to start out differently with the students. Let’s take some time to learn to use this well.

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

Teacher L: When I think about it Canvas is a technology that is used because half of my kids are doing online math, so they are actually watching videos and doing assignments on there. But the assessment has changed because now Canvas can mark all the multiple choice questions and I just go in and mark the long answer, so it has taken aways some of that work for me and it also put that assessment all in one place, so it’s easier to see. It’s nice that it only marks the half of it and you go in and mark the other bit. The math program that we’re using some of the tests it just marks and then I don’t actually know it’s done. Only when there is something that I need to mark am I notified that I need to mark it. But when something is done and I don’t need to go and take a look at it, it could pass me by. So that’s not good, because you do want to keep a pulse on what students are doing and how they’re doing in what they’re doing so you can address issue when you see them. I can see what they’ve done, I mark it and then I go back to them and say that I need them to redo these questions. They then can email me back within the same day or send it back on Canvas the same day. So in that sense, it’s all in the same spot since they’re submitting it again in the same Canvas space. So then you can look at them side by side.

Interviewer: Do you feel that technology enhances your students’ learning experiences in science and math? Why or why not?

Teacher L: I think it could enhance, I don’t think mine the way it’s going right now enhances it. I think there are definitely programs and like I said these labs and stuff out there that could enhance it, but this is my own shortcoming that I need to find or spend time researching and getting those programs or finding those websites that would do more. When I think of technology enhancing learning, I think of those things that you can send the student to help them in a more practical way. Ultimately that is what I would love to add more of to the courses.

Interviewer: From your perspective, what are the most significant challenges students face when using technology in math and science learning?

Teacher L: There’s this challenge of being distracted, by getting off task by doing their various things. Again, the ease of use –  if someone finds it frustrating, they don’t find it easy. Basically how easy to use, their understanding of how to use it well, their rabbit trails. As a teacher, the challenge would be finding the appropriate technology to use, but for the students I think it’s more about using it and implementing it appropriately.

My Primary Interviewee is in her 33rd year of teaching. She has taught a variety of grades throughout her career including kindergarten up to high school grades in an alternate school setting. Currently she is teaching grade 3 at a primary (K-3) school in BC. The interview was conducted at her school on Tuesday, January 17 at 3:00pm.

My Secondary Interviewee is in his 8th year of teaching. He has taught a variety of secondary courses in the math and science area and is currently teaching Calculus, Pre-Calculus 12, Physics 11, and Pre-Calculus 11 this semester in a secondary (10-12) school in BC. The interview was conducted at his home on Tuesday, January 17 at 8:00pm.

The interviewees both had some recurring themes throughout our conversations such as time, appropriate use of technology, and the frustration of technology failure. Change is occurring in the math classroom, in their opinions, and it may not be what you think:

“In math I’m not even sure if it’s so much technology, math has just completely changed from when I started teaching. When I started teaching it was worksheets, you delivered the lesson, it was all teacher talk, then you worked on the math pages and you sent home what wasn’t done…And now I see us using all sorts of different manipulatives, different ways…getting kids really involved in their learning. I think math has really, really changed…I think it [technology] has transformed learning a lot because kids who didn’t learn by the teacher direction, do the homework, kids who couldn’t learn that way are being given the opportunity to learn in a way that is working for them. And that’s where I see technology and just even the whole way we have changed the way we teach has definitely made a difference.” (Primary Interviewee)

“I think in certain places you could implement technology and it could increase their learning if people knew what they were doing and knew how to use it was appropriate for the topic but just throwing technology in there isn’t going to do anything. I think since we’ve gone away…since we’ve put less technology in the math classrooms the kids are learning more than when they had more technology to use. Because they have to rely on understanding how to actually do it they can’t rely on just knowing where to put the numbers into the technology and having it do it for them. So I think they’re actually having that struggle and figuring it out on their own and not relying on some piece of technology to help them or be able to do it is actually helping them more fully understand the topics that we do.” (Secondary Interviewee)

How do we move forward, I wonder? Both interviewees admitted failure with technology when the reliance is too high and cited the need for a backup plan. “And sometimes I don’t [have a backup plan] and then it’s hard…you really have to change your whole lesson” (Primary Interviewee). How do we encourage educators to persevere when failure utilizing technology in the classroom can be frequent? “The computer carts are almost useless. To get enough bandwidth for the kids to do anything is almost impossible.” (Secondary Interviewee).

Lack of infrastructure, hardware, and funds seem to be general concerns that apply to many. The time it can take to learn these new innovations and implement them is not always rewarding right away or in some cases at all. Education, or possibly just our current public school systems, seems unable to keep up with the current pace of technology innovations. Sometimes it seems to me that the whole system needs to change,  along with the way we teach. The question of how we can effectively navigate these ever-changing technology waters as educators while maintaining life balance, providing engaging learning opportunities, and properly preparing our students for the world, still engages me even as I near completion of this program.  

The interviewee (otherwise identified as Teacher K) is a 24-year-old teacher who graduated from an out-of-province university in June 2016 and is currently in her first official teaching position.  Her current teaching load includes grade 6 – 9 math and grade 6 – 12 science.  All of the courses are split-level arrangements.  I am Teacher K’s coworker and mentor. The interview took place on the evening of Sunday January 22, 2017 by online chat.

Highlight #1:The Disconnect Between Teaching Training and Actual Practice

As Teacher K is a recent university graduate, I was interested to see her perspective on the connection or disconnection between the education she received and her own classroom practice.  While in her experience the importance of and theory behind technology use was emphasized, even basic examples of programs and apps were not readily offered by instructors.  As a result, unguided exploration was the primary option for finding ways to integrate technology into teaching practice.  Conversely, her current school division and colleagues offer many resources for tools and implementation options, including time with mentors.  As I am Teacher K’s mentor, it has been rewarding to see her growth over time in the area of technology.  Despite the theoretical–practical disconnect between her university training and practice, Teacher K has been able to find ways to meaningfully use technology tools in her classroom.  “In science, technology allows students to see videos of situations we are unable to see in real life. For example, when studying ecosystems, we are unable to visit a desert. By using technology, students are able to see pictures and videos of the interactions that happen in different biomes all over the world.”   

Highlight #2: Catch-22 of Risk vs. Reward

Teacher K expressed an associated value with technology when it is used purposely and at the right time in instruction, but also a series of concerns regarding less effective use or challenges encountered by students.  These challenges can make it more difficult to incorporate technology tools she identifies as potentially useful as some of the students lack the self-regulation skills to engage with the tools properly.

“[Technology] can interfere with their learning if used inappropriately.”

“If a student doesn’t already have knowledge on the topic, the use of technology can be confusing or distracting for them.”

“If I begin the class with students working with technological devices, they will not be able to do anything else afterwards. Therefore, if I use technology, I must incorporate it at the end of the class.”

“Another challenge occurs when there are not enough devices for each student. This causes arguments between students who are unable to share or wait their turn.”

Technology has many potential benefits to offer to the classroom; however, the challenges also need to be considered when determining on the best way to use tech tools with students.

Highlight #3: Technology for Organization

In addition to technology for the actual exploration and learning of concepts, Teacher K finds value in using technology for organizational and communicative purposes. With reference to her class website, she explained that it “allows students to study from home without having to carry a textbook. This is especially useful for middle school students who often forget their notes or assignments at school.”  In this way, the technology enables students to learn more ubiquitously and continue to practice their math and science skills regardless of time or when absent from school. Using technology tools for communication and organization facilitates more effective use of instructional time, and helps students prepare for work and life in the 21st century world of electronic communication beyond that latest trends on their Instagram feeds.

As a whole, Teacher K has a positive view of technology use in her math and science classroom, despite the challenges. Her own determination to learn will continue to serve her well as she dives deeper into her teaching career.

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Transcript of Responses:

1. In what ways did your teacher education training prepare you (or not prepare you) for the use of technology in your teaching?

In my teacher education training, we were taught the theory behind using technology in our classrooms. We were taught that it is important and it is something we should strive to do, however we were never shown how to incorporate it into our lessons or specific examples of programs we could use in our classrooms.

2. Do you feel that technology enhances your students’ learning experiences in science and math? Why or why not?

Technology can enhance the students’ learning, but it can also interfere with their learning if used inappropriately For example, using interactive games on the computer, Ipad or Smartboard allows students to manipulate and interact with the problems. This can allow them to better visualize and understand the problem in front of them.

In science, technology allows students to see videos of situations we are unable to see in real life. For example, when studying ecosystems, we are unable to visit a desert. By using technology, students are able to see pictures and videos of the interactions that happen in different biomes all over the world.

3. From your perspective, what are the most significant challenges students face when using technology in math and science learning?

If a student doesn’t already have knowledge on the topic, the use of technology can be confusing or distracting for them. For example, when using an online fraction game, a student without an understanding of fractions will just drag objects around the screen and guess to get the answer correct. By doing this, they are not learning the concept.

4. From your experience, what are the shortfalls or challenges of using technology to teach science and math?

Technology must be used at the most appropriate time in a science or math class. If I begin the class with students working with technological devices, they will not be able to do anything else afterwards. Therefore if I use technology, I must incorporate it at the end of the class. If students like using technology, it can be used as a reward if they show positive behavior during the first part of the class.

Another challenge occurs when there are not enough devices for each student. This causes arguments between students who are unable to share or wait their turn.

5.Do you have any advice for colleagues wanting to bring more technological approaches into their practices but are not sure where to start?

My advice would be to start small. Introduce technology in very small ways for a short period of time. By doing this, the students get a small introduction to it and the teacher gets to see how the students handle it without it taking up all the instructional time.

6. Can you think of any examples of when using a technology-based approach yield a positive outcome that would not have happened otherwise?

In my classroom, we have a class website. This allows me to post messages, information, notes and assignments for students and their parents. I post upcoming test dates,assignment due dates, pages from their textbook, and all notes required for students to prepare themselves for tests. This allows students to study from home without having to carry a textbook. This is especially useful for middle school students who often forget their notes or assignments at school. With use of the class website, students are still able to complete their work and study for tests despite not having their school books with them. This also allows students and parents to keep up to date with classes and study when needed. This is also great for when students miss class, they are able to stay caught up with their classmates.

(with reference to the interviews done by: Dana Bjornson, Catherine Sverko, Daniel Bosse, Gloria Ma)

In reviewing the interviews of my peers, there were definitely commonalities that stuck out for me, as well as some important “take away” lessons for me as an educator.

I felt that the themes around collaboration and communication were important in many of the interviews, but that collaboration/communication could look very different. Whether it is between colleagues, student/teacher, student/peer, or student/teacher/parent, the ability to collaborate and communicate is essential. Dana discussed interviewee “Brianna’s” use of a collaborative document between teachers (re: biology 12) so that all teachers were able to contribute to the formation and evolution of the course document, as well as make comments and suggestions. As collaboration between colleagues is incredibly important, but can often be difficult to arrange, I thought this was an innovative way to use digital technology to collaborate and design curriculum between colleagues. In another example, Dana’s interviewee discussed the fact that when a TOC (Teacher-On-Call) is in, the absent classroom teacher can still post information or a lesson using digital technology and students “know exactly what they are supposed to do” thereby allowing the teacher to communicate with students even when absent. This point was mirrored by one of my own interviewees, “Teacher T” (interview 1), who felt digital technology helped students stay connected even when the teacher or student was absent. While Gloria’s interviewee’s use of technology was more limited, she found technology especially useful for subjects like math and science, where she was able to communicate concepts to her students through videos, and was able to show students science experiments “easily on the document camera instead of having kids crowd my table,” again showing how technology can increase our ability to communicate concepts effectively with students. Catherine’s interviewee, Teacher T, has become a technology consultant through her experiences with technology, and now communicates her knowledge and skills with colleagues through collaboration and workshops.

A second major theme that emerged is around the fact that new media literacy skills are becoming essential for success in our current and future societies. Daniel found through his interview that “Mr. A viewed technology as an integral part of not only a student’s school education, but that technological skills would be necessary in their adult lives.” This connected directly to one of my own interviews, when “Teacher A” shared a quote they had heard “about teaching kids nowadays for a future that doesn’t technically exist yet, right, so you’ve got to teach them the skills to be able to work in a future that doesn’t exist.” Similarly, Catherine’s interviewee, Teacher T, found that by integrating digital technology into her program, her students “went from being terrified, terrified of death by Papercut to computer builders.” By integrating technology into our classrooms, we are not simply increasing the quality of engagement in our classes, but preparing students for their futures.

Finally, a major theme throughout interviews was simply how much or how often technology was used in classrooms. Gloria’s interviewee discussed a use of digital technology that was limited to a document camera, videos, and a projector, and Gloria noted that “most uses of technology were used mainly for her teaching. Students had no interaction with the technologies.” I found this comment interesting because in one of the interviews I conducted myself, “Teacher A” (interview 2), who discussed using a wide variety of technologies within the classroom, identified the document camera and projector as the “two top technologies.” As Gloria’s interviewee points out, in many cases it can be difficult to access technology. Gloria’s interviewee felt the teacher education program had not prepared her for integrating technology effectively and shared that teachers who felt they had been better trained on digital technology had been given experience in their practicums. One of Catherine’s interviewees, Teacher T, also discussed the fact that “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.” However, along with this, is a certain amount of apathy as is pointed out by Catherine in her interview abstract, “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.” I have noticed this too is a common theme in the comments and responses of many others within the courses I have taken (not limited to this course, but within the MET program). Having said that, I found the responses of the two teachers I interviewed interesting as they both dealt with the issues of enough technology in their own ways as well. “Teacher T” (my first interview, secondary senior sciences) applied for and received a $10,000 grant which allowed her to have her own class set of iPads a well as the Camtasia program needed to provide her students with recorded lessons (complete with tablet drawings, practice questions, etc.). “Teacher A” works at a school that has 30 iPads that are shared throughout the school and one computer lab (another 30 computers in the lab). To compensate for this, “Teacher A” has come to an agreement that she keeps six iPads in her classroom at all times and then shares those iPads between students, allowing for the development of collaboration skills in her classroom. “Teacher A” has turned a lack of resources into a learning experience for her students. Daniel’s interviewee, Mr. A., also discussed difficulties with training around technology and “identified that most of the effective technology learning happening in his context was a result of informal learning from colleagues.”

My biggest “take away” from this interview assignment was found in Catherine’s interview with Teacher T, showing the evolution of the technology consultant from a teacher who began as one of the “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.” I loved “Teacher T’s” response to what prompted her to begin integrating technology into her classroom and how her use of digital technology has developed since she began. A real “go get it” attitude that I am beginning to realize is key for integrating technology into the classroom. I think I have tended to have a similar mindset to others who have struggled to integrate technology into their classrooms. I have felt that I wasn’t “good” with technology and that there wasn’t the proper training available to help me. I realize now that I have been sitting back and waiting for the right training to come along, or to have enough time to complete the adequate training before I really get started integrating digital technology fully into my classroom. I am now, especially through this interview project, beginning to understanding that teachers who have integrated technology into their classrooms have done so despite their insecurities and lack of technology and training. Yes, resources are limited; yes, training is hard to get; but ultimately, where there’s a will there’s a way, and rather than make excuses, they “just do it” (insert Nike swish here)!