Collaboration, Persistence, & Communication

I interviewed a colleague at a K – 8 school who is a Continuous Improvement Coach.  This is her first year in the role, as it is a new job in the division, but she has been in a coaching type of role in her six years in the division.  Prior to that, she worked in Ontario in administration for private school where she was part of the development and founding team and worked with gifted and talented students.  The reason I chose M is because her and I have worked closely together in the last few years on STEM, personalized learning, and technology related projects.  However, she has a more supportive and engaged administrator and teacher team and our projects often end up looking very different.

 

M and I had difficulty connecting for a face to face interview.  Between her illness and the tightness of our tech tools, our options were limited.  We ended chatting through todaysmeet.com, which is actually blocked through our school division.  The division will block sites to force us to use ones that they provide.  The teachers in the division have access to Office 365 but Microsoft Teams would not allow me to export the chat transcript or print it.  Secondly, we wanted to be able to speak freely about some of the divisional controls on a non-divisional tool.

 

M identified immediately that she used technology with staff and students for collaboration.  While technology use varies across the school, she explained that “For the most part the kids use technology for research and presentations.  I’ve been trying hard to get people to look beyond that and how it can be a tool to the actual project, as well as the collaboration.  The technology can also BE the project.  Or provide opportunities for them to create their own learning”.  She described that students wanted to know how to make a Snapchat filter and how much learning has to go into a project like that.  However, when I asked her what her favourite ways to use technology in the math and science classroom are I found the examples to be very surface level, symbolic learning.  Melissa described Mathletics, Khan Academy, Kahoot, and exit tickets via email. Are these authentic ways to use technology in a math and science classroom?  Do they provide true opportunities for collaboration?  I am skeptical that these tools do more than make learning fun and easy.  They are great entry points but not the whole story.

 

Part of the story I hoped to hear from M was about the misconceptions about technology and STEM that she hears from parents, staff, and/or students.  M stepped in right away to say “That it is floof, or a free for all – or even more so, that you need to be an expert to teach it.  You need persistence and patience – you do not need expertise”.  I think this is a great message for teachers and students.  STEM is not about having all of the answers, it is about being curious enough and determined to find them.  M continued, “Your students will figure it out.  There are tutorials for pretty much everything online.  We should not limit our students learning to our comfort zones – that is ridiculous – but often happens”.

 

Woven throughout the interview was M’s reference to Bring Your Own Device, and closer to the end of our discussion we addressed it when I asked her ‘In what ways has the school division helped and hindered the implementation of technology in your context?’.  To summarize, M said that students are prevented from using tools at school that they use at home.  She believes that “…for years they [the division] have been so terrified of privacy and protecting the children that we are super far behind”.   This is directly reflected in fact that for K-8 schools (she could not speak to 9-12 contexts) there are and have never been any BYOD plans or foundations started.  We both stated a belief regarding how important BYOD is to being able to successfully and authentically facilitate STEM which led me to a whole new question.

 

Ally:

If we were to make an argument, why is it important for students to have experience with technology in a STEM context?

 

M:

I would say that it is the absolute most important tool for all learning – these subjects included.  It can be used through the learning process in so many roles.  AND it’s essential to prepare 21st century learners ready for the workforce.  I can’t think of any job that doesn’t use technology in some form or fashion.

 

Ally:

It really is the door to so many opportunities!  Thank you for your candor and expertise, M!

 

M:

You are most welcome, Ally!

 

 

Reflecting on this interview, I wish I had asked a few more questions.

• What does she wish she could do with technology?
• What can’t technology do?
• What assumptions do students/staff/parents make about STEM & technology?
• Where is literacy in STEM?
• Apple or PC? ????

 

As a parent and an educator, M also strongly advocates for better technological communication with parents.  It was a common thread throughout our interview and it led me to wonder if these stakeholders aren’t receiving enough information?  Are they getting everything they need regarding STEM and technology?

 

Ultimately, this interview magnified the importance of communication.