Category Archives: e-folio

This section will display all your e-folio posts.

Backwards Planning

Technology as a Learning Tool

The definitions that I resonated with the most was Jonassen’s. His ideas align well with what many of us have been suggesting in this course. Technology is only as useful as the context in which it is planned. For it to be integrated meaningfully, we need to consider whether or not it is enhancing the learning experience for the student(s). As previously argued, we no longer assume that students come to school as ‘blank-slates’ waiting for their brains to be filled with knowledge from the teacher. We now appreciate that children of all ages come to school with pre-constructed knowledge that was built from their past experiences. The role of the teacher has evolved, and instead of solely telling students what to learn, we are providing them with opportunities and guiding them in the right direction to build on that knowledge and construct their own meaning. We do this by providing with experience to work collaboratively with tools and materials and giving them time to apply new skills and knowledge to real-life. Technology is a tool that supports the construction of knowledge and they “learn with it, not from it.”

Designing a technology-enhanced learning experience.

When designing a technology-enhanced learning experience in Math or Science one needs to first ask “What do I want my students to learn?” and consider tools, questions and learning engagements that will get them there. Teachers should plan essential questions that will initiate critically thinking about topics as well as draw out prior knowledge and misconceptions of the outcome(s). After, the appropriate materials, tools and equipment and a series of learning engagements can be chosen and planned for. Students should be given sufficient time to collaborate with one another to not only learn from each other but uncover misconceptions together. Thoughtful consideration needs to go into the technology used as it should elevate the learning experience by allowing students to construct their own knowledge, help them show what they have learned in a way that is meaningful, and/or allow them to apply their knowledge.

Here is a diagram I created that highlights what students will be engaged in during this type of design.

What is technology?

To me, technology is all of the tools, techniques, knowledge, and resources that we find useful and that make our lives easier.

I agree with all of the definitions that were given but the one that appealed to me was Roblyer’s (2012) statement in which he describes technology “as technology is us -our tools, our methods, and our own creative attempts to solve problems in our environment.”

There is a big difference from when I was a kid and the age that we are living in today. With the advancements of technology, there is something new to discover every day. When we run into a problem we use whatever methods and techniques we can to solve that problem. For example, domestication of animals. Many people would not agree but the process and techniques used to domesticate animals is the technology; dogs have been cultivated to suit human needs through many centuries of selected breeding. It is our methods and processes that have turned vicious packs of wolves into our furry little best friends.

How would you design a technology-enhanced learning experience?

If I were to design an ideal pedagogical design of a technology-enhanced learning experience for math and/or science I would ensure it is a learning environment where collaborative work is emphasized. When different learners come together and share their knowledge about how they came to a conclusion about certain concepts and theories, there is an exchange of ideas and perspectives which is a great way for students to learn.

When students construct their own knowledge through hands-on work, students are able to understand it and apply that new knowledge in a real setting. An ideal TELE space would provide learners different types of technology to enhance their learning and have fun. The technology would be new and it would encourage all types of learners. There would be interactive educational technologies so learners would be able to show their thinking; so, they can investigate their questions, interact with it, and then comprehend it in their own way.

This space would be learner-centered where students feel safe to ask questions and take charge of their own learning; the teacher would act as a guide in case learners have issues/questions. There would be lots of manipulatives and materials available for each learner so learning is not hindered by lack of resources. These materials would allow students to experiment and build their own knowledge. In this environment, students would be able to go at their own pace; this is important so students can start from what they know and then build from there.

The following is an image that I found and if that was combined with what I said, it would be my version of a perfect TELE.

Source: https://qz.com/375894/this-is-what-the-ideal-learning-environment-looks-like-according-to-science/

Accessibility, Challenges & Collaboration – Oh My!

For my interview, I spoke with the technology coach at my school ‘Trevor.’ This particular individual works collaboratively with teachers in elementary one on one to help with tech integration in the classroom and supports grade level planning during units that have a technology, or Makers Education focus with year level teams. I have a pretty good idea of how classroom teachers view technology integration at my school, so I thought it would be interesting to get the perspective from someone who works across grade levels in a support/coaching role. Three words that stuck out to me during my analysis were Accessibility, Challenging, and Collaboration

Accessibility
During my discussion, Trevor describes many examples of accessibility and explained in different ways how technology allows everyone to access the curriculum. He explained that “writing isn’t the end all be all” in education and there are many ways for students to show their knowledge rather than writing it on paper. Technology has allowed education to progress by providing students with the opportunity to personalize their learning by giving them access to a wide range of platforms and programs. “When I went through school…the only way to show what you knew was either through writing things down or to do a science fair project and that’s it.” We have a very diverse school with many EAL learners as well as students with a wide range of learning disabilities. Trevor emphasized that technology can build confidence in those learners by allowing them to find a good place in school and help them feel like they belong. Having technology accessible to all students is a natural way to differentiate learning as well. Trevor describes this as “a low floor, high ceiling” approach.”… you can take it as high as you wanna go.” Students can produce work with the minimum requirements, or they can take it as high as they want by including things like multimedia and “App Smashing.” Technology also provides access to more hands-on experiences with certain materials that may not be available to your school. For instance, in a chemistry classroom when students are learning about how to mix chemicals properly many schools probably don’t have access to hazardous materials, “but sometimes technology allows us to simulate science, on the computer…We can have access to hazardous chemicals, or other things…” and give students an opportunity to handle them virtually.

Challenging
It was interesting to hear what the challenges were from Trevor’s perspective because they were very similar to the challenges that we saw in the video cases. Trevor believes that our school has been productive and made a lot of progress working with teachers by providing training through professional development and specific grade level planning meetings to get to a point where technology is being effectively integrated into many classrooms across the school. There is still the challenge of time, however. In our school teachers have a heavy workload and many expectations. “Classroom teachers are always juggling, you know, your report card outcomes […] positive education, field trips that you have to go on, the expectations that you have a makers unit, expectations that you are integrating technology throughout your curriculum, you’re developing a new Math program right now […], all these kinds of things.” With so many expectations on a teachers plate, we are still faced with the challenge of teachers seeing technology as something separate and something “they have to do” rather than it being organically embedded into our pedagogical approach to teaching. Many feel as if they don’t have the time to use it, and or explore how they can use it.

Collaboration
In many instances, Trevor mentioned how technology allows us to collaborate with different audiences in different contexts. It opens up conversations with parents and gets them more involved in the classroom, and allows them to connect and collaborate with their child from home. Technology “allows us to connect and collaborate with people outside the classroom…” It gives us the opportunity to “connect with people in [the] community and outside of [the] community [as well as] the global community. It really becomes a classroom without walls when used effectively.” Using technology regularly also gets students in the “habit of sharing” which Trevor describes as an element to collaboration. By using programs like GoogleDocs and SeeSaw, students are continuously sharing their work with their peers, parents, and others outside the classroom “this helps to build this habit of sharing.” By using technology in the classroom, students are continuously developing their collaboration skills by working together to solve problems and by figuring out new programs, with each other and the classroom teacher.

Collaboration, Experience, and Exploration

This interview was conducted with a second year, 4th grade classroom teacher. He also is a new coach this year to the school’s LEGO robotics team. As he is someone who is younger, new to teaching, yet excited about tech (and self-reports and tech competent), I thought he would make for a great subject to interview, especially after seeing so many of the new teachers in the case study videos seems very uncomfortable with technology.

The interview was held in my own classroom on a Friday afternoon, right after school. This interview provides a unique look into a teacher’s classroom that is comfortable and confident with technology, but is still building up the confidence and TPACK to fully integrate technology use into the classroom. The six questions that were asked are listed in order:

What are the main benefits/skills that students in LEGO robotics gain?
What kinds of growth and changes have you noticed in the students as they work with the technology?
Do you feel it is important or necessary that you as the teacher/coach are an expert with the technology? Why or why not?
What are the most effective ways that you use technology in the math and science classrooms?
What is the biggest misconception you have encountered from parents, staff, and/or students related to STEM and technology?
What were some of the key take always that you have from using technology in the classroom?

Collaboration

Over and over again, the topic of collaboration came up in the interview. When asked what the main benefit or skill that students in LEGO robotics gain, the teacher responded, “The biggest thing they take from LEGO robotics is collaboration and the ability to work with the computers and tools.” Yet, as the conversation continued, the tools aspect of the learning seemed to play a secondary role, with collaboration and teamwork being the main focus. “A lot of the kids that come out for LEGO robotics are your natural born leaders. They want to initiate something. They are the GATE kids, the higher level kids. They don’t really struggle with academics so they need something as a challenge. We went from having 14 leaders to having two solid groups.” Even though these kids are all highly qualified to work as individuals, they see the power of collaboration and organize themselves along those lines.

Experience

As the teacher was a second-year teacher and first year to LEGO robotics, I was very curious to see how he felt when he didn’t have the answers. He was very relaxed and quickly admitted that this happened all the time. “With this program, the instructor is using just as much as the kids.” He also commented on the fact that teachers are given all the tools and resources to be successful, just like the students are. So, the learning can place simultaneously. “[When I don’t have the answers] the kids think it’s funny. We laugh together. I tell them, ‘I’m new to this, too!'” This relaxed, growth mindset is invaluable for students. In the 21st Century, it almost feels old-fashioned to think of the teacher as the reservoir of all possible knowledge. Ever since the presence of the internet, students and teachers have been given equal access to the full power of the humanity’s knowledge. It appears to be that in the modern classroom, students don’t see it as a fault if the teacher doesn’t have the answers, only if the teacher doesn’t have the resources.

This same thread of experience extends to the students as well. When parents were doubtful that students could be trusted with technology, this teacher took it upon himself to advocate for them. “When I had the students on Google Classroom the first week of school, I was able to prove to the parents that, yes, they can handle the technology. Let them on the computer.” The results were quick and clear as well. He told a story of a student who always struggled with handwriting. Yet, when they typed and submitted their first story online, he was thrilled that his writing, not his handwriting, was the focus of his grade. “I think that’s what technology is for: giving students more pathways to express and show what they have learned.”

Exploration

Thinking about not having all the answers lead directly into the next topic. “Usually we tell the kids to look it up and figure it out. They come back to us and tell us, ‘Hey, let’s try this.’ And that’s all part of the problem-solving skills we are trying to build.” Students in the classroom are free to explore and to experience the wealth of knowledge that is out there. They are practicing how to utilize resources, input data, and revise hypotheses every step of the way. Also, the ability to have technology present makes the classroom an exciting place to learn. “This year in science, we’ve been using Mystery Science. It’s all online, with lots of multimedia. I virtually dissected a cow eyeball in front of the kids.” www.mysteryscience.com is a free resource (notice the drastic change from a concretely written curriculum) that is full of hands-on/minds-on experiences for the kids to engage with, all focused around a question or problem that has been developed around NGSS standards.

With that said, this teacher admitted that exploration was much easier to accomplish in the science classroom for him. He could list ways that the was using technology for science, but for math, it seemed that it was mainly being used as reinforcement and practice. He had already self-identified this as an area of improvement and has made it a personal goal to incorporate more technology into the mathematics lessons.

-Jonathan-

For a further look into the interview, you can check out my reflection on my ePortfolio.

Collaboration, Experience, and Exploration – Interview Reflection

Empowerment, Challenging, and Collaboration

Interview Abstract

I conducted my interview with my school administrator (Zelda) on Friday, January 12^th 2018 from 11:45 to 12:15. The interview took place at a school in British Columbia. Zelda has been teaching for 15 years and has been an administrator for 5 years. Three key words that caught my attention during the interview were empowerment, challenging, and collaboration.

Empowerment:

Zelda emphasized the power of technology and how it can empower students to take charge of their learning especially those students that are at-risk, those with fine motor issues, students with dyslexia, English Language Learners, and those who are blind/vision impaired. Zelda stated that those students with fine motor issues “the thought of a paper-pen task is daunting and that technology can motivate those students and help relieve stress.” Zelda stated that text-to-speech technology like Kurzweil “gives students the opportunity to have access to programs that are at their level.” Technology can inspire “those at-risk learners both in and out of the classroom as it enables them to comprehend and retain concepts, especially in math and helps them to break it down one piece at a time.”

Challenging:

According to my notes on Zelda, technology integration is and can be extremely challenging due to a number of reasons. The implementation of technology needs to be thoughtful; you cannot just throw technology at students. To really “utilize technology to meet the needs of students, there is a huge commitment piece for teachers and this is an immense challenge in itself.” Many educators do not want to use technology due to time constraints, accessibility, reliability, lack of skill-set, and a big reason is that technology can be intimidating. Zelda stated that “people do not want to look stupid in front of students or colleagues but they do not want to put the time in to learn and experiment.” One of the most challenging things is that although “there are six smartboards in the school, no one is using them” and “a lot of educators are overwhelmed that “their students know more about using technology than they do and they need to be okay with this.”

Collaboration:

“Technology can be a great way for colleagues to work together and can allow for a more tech-savvy educator to teach others how to integrate and use technology within their classrooms.” Zelda emphasizes that not only can technology enhance collaboration between student-student but between teacher-student and teacher-teacher. “Technology use and integration is a great way for teachers to learn together and promotes community within the school.” Zelda also emphasizes that the collaboration between students through technology is a great way for students to interact with students that they normally would not talk to and allows for an exchange of perspectives which enhances critical thinking.

Control and Gender Stereotypes

As I was watching the videos, I saw so many different stages of myself reflected back to me. From trepidation (Students 9-11, 13-14), to curious (Student 15), to excited (Students 12 and 12’s friend). Even though the videos were a bit older, I still saw some of the same concerns from the teachers about moving over to technological classrooms.

What if the equipment breaks?
What skills will the students lose?
What if the technology gives students the wrong idea?
What if the students know more about the technology than I do?

I think that a lot of these issues come down to control. Many teachers feel that to be in control of the classroom means to eliminate all uncertainty and have unchanging, predetermined plans, goals, expectations, and timelines built into the curriculum. Yet, what was very clear from the interviews is that students don’t like to learn in those ways. In the classrooms where students were turned free to explore and be more self-directed (Level 3 classrooms, as Teacher D defined them), the students were active, engaged, and took ownership of their learning. Teacher B talked about how the students were so excited to get into the classroom with the technology, even if similar simulations were going to be run.

But, engagement alone isn’t enough. I couldn’t agree more with Teacher A when he was talking about how through technology-enhanced learning, the students are learning transferable skills such as collaboration, time management, resource utilization, etc. When teachers refuse to relinquish control, many times, the curriculum is still taught and learned, but these transferable skills are not given a chance to be practiced and developed.

The issue of control is an interesting one, and can take some teachers time to get comfortable enough to relax and loosen control. To further explore this, I would be curious to see who those teachers who said they would never want to use technology in the classroom would react to the opportunity to teach a lesson using technology with a technology expert in the room. In this way, their “troubleshooting” fears could be relaxed, they could focus on catering to the learning environment, and the students could learn from self-directed learning. Would teachers after this experience have a different idea about using technology in the classroom? Or would they quickly revert back to not using it? Also, would the students feel more or less empowered to take risks if they knew that there was someone there with “all the answers” rather than a “fellow learner”?

——–

Another issue that was touched on early in the videos was the way the different genders responded to technology in the classroom. Teacher F reported that the technology favored those students who were prepared to play the system. He reported that female students in general usually were more focused on the process, not the tool, while male students tended to explore the tool (technology) instead of putting their focus on the task. Teacher A reported that female students really enjoyed having he chance to explore and experiment using technology, as it is much less public, while male students would quickly go to the extremes and see how they could push the tools. Teacher D served as bridge for these teachers and said that focusing on group by motivation, not gender, made for the best groups.

The idea that men like technology and ladies don’t is so outdated today, yet some of these thoughts still exist in the minds of teachers. Making sure that these kinds of ideas are not present in the minds of our students is important to ensure the equal access the curriculum that each student deserves. While I wouldn’t necessarily agree with the ideas these teachers expressed about genders responding to technology differently (as much of that is pushed onto students by society, not by gender), I do think their words represent the different approaches to technology that students have. It’s the classic debate of means to an end or ends to a means. Each group of students is approaching the problem from a different way. When a student focuses on the Assignment and experiments in private, they are focusing on the task. Yet, when a student experiments on the tool and wants to learn all about the tool, they are also approaching the task by focusing on the means. They want to understand the tools that they are using to complete the assignment.

I would be very curious to further explore this. One way would be to have two separate groups of students. In Group A, give the students the tools and ask them to explore. Then, the next day, give them a task to solve. In Group B, give the students the task and the tools at the same time and ask them to solve the task right away. I would predict that both groups would have unique struggles, Group A with applying the tool to the task, Group B with using the tool effectively. I realize this is a very rough experiment, but I suspect it may expose a pattern over time, especially if the researched tracked the students’ attitude toward the tools.

“Good” Digital Tech for STEM

My “good” STEM tech wish-list…

What is a good use of digital technology in the math and science classroom?

I think good use of tech in Math and Science needs to be purposeful, either for the reinforcement of foundational skills and concepts, or the exploration of ideas and themes, or the expansion/presentation of student ideas and learning.

What would such a learning experience and environment look like? What would be some characteristics of what it is and what it isn’t?

This means any program or app used should allow students to have their own account in which to save their progress and review it as needed. It should not be a “one size fits all” generic drill and kill. It should include aspects of game-based learning to inspire motivation, including containing a relevant or engaging narrative, rewarding accomplishments, and allowing users to continue to replay “levels” until they have successful solved that area. The best tech will also have the ability to assess or have inputted as a starting level, the content students are working with, connected to the curriculum. If used to reinforce or build on ideas, it will track and be responsive to whether students are correctly choosing their answers, in Math for example, and tailor the next questions to them, limiting (and rewarding!) ones they appear to have already mastered and focusing on the ones they still need to develop skills in. Finally, it will allow any on-screen text to be read aloud to students in a variety of languages, as well giving them a place to make notes and share their progress or findings with others.

How might a learning experience with technology address a conceptual challenge, such as the one you researched in the last lesson?

In order to address a conceptual challenge, the technology must provide a narrative scenario that requires a concept-linked problem to be accurately solved. It must therefore allow for verbal or textual responses rather than just number-punching or clicking pre-provided multiple choice answers. Where misconceptions become evident through failed attempts to successfully answer or solve the problem, the tech must have embedded or linked video and audio content that relates to that misconception or reiterates the problem in a relevant way that encourages the student to rethink her position and reasoning based on questions or new information.

2. Reflection and reality…

What makes this a good use of digital technology?

This would be a “good” use of digital technology because it enhances the thinking of the student and allows for differentiated content and responses, as well as receiving relevant and real-world feedback, encouraging motivation, and allowing for collaboration and sharing.

Is this a vision or is it possible in real classrooms? What makes this vision a challenge to implement and what might be needed to actualize it?

Honestly, this is probably a vision at this point. There are some techs that do some of these things, for example IXL Math aligns to curriculum and provides elements of gamification, Prodigy does an excellent job including narrative and game-based learning into its skill and drill design, with their video claiming to use diagnostic tests presumably to place students in proper content-levels, and platforms like Edmodo or ClassCraft allow for collaboration, rewards and sharing of student created content which could easily include Math or Science lessons. Furthermore, some BBC website simulations for beginning Science concepts (see here) do a good job allowing students to experiment with ideas and reading aloud the text to them or providing a problem-based scenario to guide their explorations, but to my knowledge there is nothing out there that meets all of these things on my wish-list.

This vision is a challenge because differentiated technology requires immense human planning and front-loading beforehand, not to mention 1:1 device access and reliable, high-speed Internet, teachers who are on-board with the idea, taking the time to set things up and become somewhat comfortable with the tech and the interface itself, and who actually possess, or are willing to make, the time in the school day to promote at-home use or provide at-school use to introduce, train, troubleshoot, use, and follow-up with this technology. I don’t think we’re ready for something like this yet on several different levels.

Teacher A & Teacher D

As I reflect on my answer to ‘What is a good use of technology’ in the previous lesson, a lot of those thoughts/issues were raised in the videos that I watched for this week’s lesson. In my previous post, I had said that “good use of technology would encourage and motivate students to explore questions that they may have and use technology to enhance their understanding of those questions and answers. A good use of technology would also allow for collaboration with other learners and personalize learning.” My answer was reflected in the videos; I watched Teacher D (Science, Secondary Preservice Teacher Education) and Learning Environment with Teacher A. Teacher D stated that there “needs to be a support network of people who know more [about technology] and need to have access to those individuals.” Furthermore, he stated that “the district offers no support in terms of technology [how to use it, etc.] … and there is no financial or tech-support coordinator”; in other words, you are on your own.” This is one of the biggest challenges facing educators; even if they want to use technology in their classrooms, there is no or very little support; no training and no professional development workshops on how to correctly use technology in the classroom.

Teacher A stated that “[for him], what is most important is the transferable skills that his students take away when they are using technology.” The students learn to collaborate with individuals who are not their friends and how to integrate technology into everyday life. Teacher A also stated that 1/3 of his class he has not worked with prior and 2/3s he has; he uses the students he has worked with prior as “experts” to teach other students who have not been in this class about the technology. The experts act as a support system if and when help is needed.

Teacher D lacked a support system whereas Teacher A had no choice but to use previous students (because they knew how to use that technology) as a support system to ensure that new students had someone accessible to answer technology-related questions. In this scenario, Teacher A had students to act as experts and even though teacher D was using technology in his classroom, he and his students had to figure out any technology-related issues on their own. I wonder what happens in Teacher D’s class when they cannot figure out an answer due to lack of support. I wonder whether their administrator is supportive in their classrooms. I see how involved and supportive my own administrator is and I am fully cognizant that not every school has an administrator like that. I wonder if teacher D will get fed up of the lack of support and minimize the amount of technology he and his students use; I know how frustrated I get when I need to get an assignment done and my computer refuses to co-operate but in a room full of students where learning is taking place and then a big part of that learning shuts down is extremely challenging.

Unpacking Assumptions

Technology should be used to inspire, motivate and enhance teaching and learning. It allows students to show their knowledge in a variety of ways and opens their eyes to an endless realm of possibilities. Technology can reach all types of learners, and teaches students how to think critically, problem-solve and collaborate both on and offline. When used authentically within a classroom, it allows students to access the curriculum in such a way that would not be possible otherwise.

While I integrate technology regularly into my daily practice, I always struggled with how to incorporate technology into Mathematics authentically. I teach elementary, and my school has a very hands-on approach to Math where students are continually using manipulatives to show their thinking, gain understanding and grasp concepts. I find it challenging to find technology that fits nicely into this pedagogical approach to learning that doesn’t seem forced. There have been times when I have used it organically, such as using Sphero to teach angles, but for many outcomes, especially number outcomes, I struggle to find an organic connection.

I also use various programs such as MyiMaths and Mathletics to reinforce concepts, but using those programs, in my mind, aren’t redefining learning but instead are being used as a substitution for activity sheets with the benefits of the program grading the work for me. My students also use different types of technology in Math to show their understanding of what they have learned. For instance, this week they are making a “How to” videos on how to add fractions, but again the technology in these tasks are not helping them understand our outcomes, but are instead exposing them to different applications and programs. I look forward to gaining more knowledge on how to use technology to help students understand Math concepts within this course!

Visible Thinking

I think good use of digital technology in math and science includes tools that make thinking visible and allow teachers to respond to learners and provide feedback before errors become misconceptions. For this reason, I think all student-response systems like plickers or socrative are a good place to begin. As a primary school teacher, my focus has been on helping teachers to help students develop learning portfolios that demonstrate what students currently know and help them determine what their next steps in learning are. A portfolio shared with the teacher will help the learner make thinking visible to the teacher and allow the teacher to counter misconceptions. Digital portfolios remain a challenge in primary school due to teachers feeling that they are not prepared to support students and do not have just-in-time technical support. The prevailing feeling among teachers at my school is that primary students are not able to access these tools because they are too young to enter passwords and connect to the internet. Our board is working to remove these barriers to access by providing tablet computers that are always connected to the internet. As such, students have only to enter a username and password to access their portfolio and I find they are often able to do this independently by the middle of Grade 1.