Intellectual engagement asks what cognitive task students are engaged in, what are they thinking about while completing the work? I identified with Jonassen who states that students should be creating with technology rather than consuming from it (p41). I think that digital tools allow for cognitive engagement beyond the mechanics of completing the task. Designing learning experiences with the end in mind is essential when developing technology enhanced learning environments (TELEs). If the teacher begins with the outcomes in mind and has a clear idea of how the task will move students toward achieving the learning outcome then the learning experience should be successful.
I think in an ideal learning environment, each learner is working independently towards their own learning goals where the learning of math and science goes beyond the memorization of fact to the application of the learning to a context. Students are provided with feedback related to their learning in short cycles to ensure students are developing accurate conceptions. Learners in technology-supported learning environments work collaboratively to construct understanding together that is greater than the sum of all the parts.
Teachers and learners must plan with the learning goals in mind and be able to identify success criteria.
I think that a TELE allows the learner to become a little bit “untethered” from the instructor a little in that they have the ability to move more at their own pace as the classroom becomes more dynamic. In a traditional classroom the learner is reliant on the teacher for knowledge but I think a technology-enhanced environment allows students more agency in their learning.
Jonassen, D. (1995). Computers as Cognitive Tools/ Learning with Technology Not From Technoloy. Journal of Computing in Higher Education. Vol 6(2) 40-73
Dear Tracey,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. The idea about how the purposeful use of technology reflect the German philosophy, Heideger’s (1977) idea of being intentional about tools. It is important for educators to stay firm to their pedagogical prioritizes as technological tools become more accessible.
I am interested in your opinion on how to better provide consistent and frequent formative assessment. Recently, I have been trialing something called plickers (see demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bejiz2HzUz8) in my grade 2 class. Essentially, these are quick feedback cards where I give students questions and they hold up their cards so I can scan them to document who choose what answers. I like this because all answers are documented and I can correct any misconceptions as we look at the results. As for upper grades, I enjoy using the proofing part of Google documents where you can add comments to a specific part of the writing. What are some quick feedback tools you find effective? What may be ideal for your context?
Heidegger, M. (1953/1977). The question concerning technology. In M. Heidegger, The question
concerning technology and other essays (trans. W. Lovitt) (pp. 3-35). New York, NY: Harper & Row.
http://simondon.ocular-witness.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/question_concerning_technology.pdf
Alice
I love plickers for my students, especially because it’s a blend of high-tech with low-tech. There is not a lot of technical problem solving required of the teacher to make the technology work and we can see as they “buzz in” who got the correct answer and who made a mistake, especially if we are careful about crafting possible answers that students may have ended up with through misconceptions.
More and more I am trying to create a classroom where students are engaged in independent inquiry, which frees me up for more 1:1 conferencing with students. I have seen relief in students when they get conversation time with the teacher and I would say, at least anecdotally, that their results are improved. I generally consider myself a language teacher but because of this course have really been focussing on math conversations with my students to get at what they understand. It’s low-tech but it’s HIGHLY impactful. I record these conversations in our digital student portfolios, which have both a teacher-facing and student-facing side.
Hi Tracey,
I feel that you covered two important aspect of good technology-enhanced learning: Cooperative learning and still individual learning. For me, it seems challenging to achieve both in traditional, non technology-enhanced classrooms. Technology can better support both – learning together, but learn towards my own objectives.
Do you feel that it could make sense to ask students to start a learning diary to document their objectives and how they want to achieve this? Do you find this feasible for younger kids? At the universities, learning diaries and e-portfolios are often discused (but seldom implemented).
Elske
Good point, Elske. We do digital portfolios for our students in a program called Iris. The CBE is extremely careful about student data and Iris, they promise, is not prone to data breaches. Teachers use it with kids as young as kindergarten to record learning and set goals. I love it as a teaching tool but one has to be committed to the idea that reflection is important in the learning process because it definitely takes a good chunk of time with young learners.
Hi Tracey,
Your post reminds me of a program that I have used in a previous school called Understanding by Design or “backward design.” Teachers create their units/lessons based on the learning goals or questions that the students presented. We called these learning questions “Essential Questions.” The students would be introduced to a topic and they would brainstorm some of the questions that they had. In this style of teaching, the students get to guide their own learning journey on the topics that are introduced. It was based on the ideas found in this book http://www.ascd.org/Publications/Books/Overview/Essential-Questions.aspx.
Have you ever heard of the backward design? Do you implement this style of teaching in your classroom?
Nicole
Yes, I think I was introduced to backward design in inquiry about 3 years ago when my learning leader at that time shared the work she was doing with the Galileo learning network. It seems intuitive to begin with an essential question about what we want students to learn but the more I get into classrooms the more I find that it’s not the way many are working with students… When teachers pay teachers and pinterest are so ubiquitous and easy to access it seems many start with the worksheet and work towards the objectives of the program of studies.
Hi Tracy,
Thank you for your insights on this topic. I can completely agree with you on how important it is to have the end in mind before creating any design in any situation. I think it is essential to know what the outcomes of a lesson are going to be before designing the lesson. Similarly, one cannot design TELE without knowing what outcome do we want out of it. I also wonder if it is important to have students design their own learning experience. If not allow them to design but at least have a say in how they want their learning experience to be? As an international student who just moved from a third world country and does not know how to operate a computer may want to have a learning experience that does not include technology in it. Therefore, these are some of the questions we need answers to before one can design a TELE.
Good post!
GK
Thank you. I think opportunities like a genius hour allow students to really explore what is interesting to them in a way that makes sense to them. I have had students who learned to crochet right up to students who wanted to program robots. I think having a teacher with a wide variety of experiences and expertise allows students to benefit and see that crochet and coding are not that far apart with tools like the lilypad arduino.
Hi Tracy
I like the fact that you mention “Students are provided with feedback related to their learning in short cycles”. Online HS in BC at most schools has students starting when they wish and they basically have one year to complete the course. There is very little to no collaboration between students within the course. When I first started teaching online HS science – some students would submit all their assignments at the same time and therefore would make the same mistakes in all the assignments. There would be no learning. Now I have set it up so the students can only submit one assignment at a time and cannot submit the next one until I mark the previous one. That way they are getting “feedback related to their learning in short cycles”.
I have always wonder why the BC government have students decide when they start and finish. Is it a $$ grab for school districts?
A good next step might be to look at students working at “their own pace”. In this class, I have set weekly deadlines for postings. Should I have left it open-ended or have deadlines?
Christopher