ETEC 533 Inquiry e-folio

Technology in the Science and Math Classroom: Teacher Interview Analysis

January 28th, 2009 · 1 Comment

Technology in the Science and Math Classroom

ETEC 533: Interview Analysis

Grade Six Teacher: Vancouver, BC

January 28, 2009

 

This grade six teacher is in his first year of teaching, and has utilized technology in his current practice and in practicum.  Examples of technology used in his classroom include the following:

·         Computer generated food chain posters that use various animations and graphics (student project)

·         Online surveys (e.g., ecological footprints)

·          Online math games (e.g., fraction hunt)

·         Student and teacher made power point presentations

·         Webquests

 

The following questions and responses are copied from an online chat discussion that occurred on January 27, 2009.

 

Question:  Did you reflect on the effectiveness of your use of technology?  If so, how did you measure its effectiveness?

 

·reflect, yes, more informally

·i always think its good simply because we are in a technological society what kid doesn’t think technology is great

·any chance they have to use the computer they cheer

 

 

I purposefully asked my interviewee this question to gain insight into how this educator rated the utility of his use of technology.  While his reflections and measurements are informal it is clear that his students respond well and are motivated by his use of technology in the classroom.

 

 

 

Question:  Do you think it enhanced their learning and ability to meet the prescribed learning outcomes?

 

·greatly enhanced

·it’s more REAL to them because they’re on a computer when they get home too

·the more quickly get to the task at hand

·which means they pick up what they are learning more quickly

·and therefore getting through the PLOs just in doing so

·you don’t have to draaaag something out that may have taken forever through the old way

 

This question was asked to see if the teacher thought his use of technology was actually helping his students meet the prescribed learning and performance outcomes.  It appears that this teacher feels the relevancy of the technology use for his students quickens the learning process for his students.  This teacher also responded later in the interview that his formal assessments also demonstrated enhanced learning.

 

I feel this is a great reflection regarding relevancy as there is so much evidence in educational research that demonstrates that children’s learning is enhanced when it is relevant.  Students are inundated with technological devices so this reflection just makes sense to me.  However, I think we still need to be cautious about what technological innovations we’re going to use as teachers. Technological “gimmicks” may grab student’s attention, but we need to ensure that it will be of value to their learning.

 

Question: As teachers we need to be cognizant of the diversity of learning needs in the classroom.  How was this considered when implementing your use of technology?  Explain.

 

·         Utmost because technology is what inspires the [attention difficulty]

·         the kids that need that extra “urge”:

·         to do an assignment

 

This question has great relevance to me as I view good use of technology as that which is open to the most users as possible.  There are a lot of students in schools who are hyperactive or have other exceptional reasons that make it difficult to focus on tasks at hand.  Kids with ADHD, FAS, FAE, and Autism are an example of just some of the exceptionalities where attention to tasks can be difficult.  If technology can help these kids focus on tasks designed to enhance learning than it is a success!

 

Question: Do you find most learners are able to use the technologies you described?

 

·         they are and they teach me things

 

This question I posed relates to open learning as all kids need to be able to actually use the technologies introduced.  Introducing something that is too far from their schema can cause disinterest, frustration, and lack of motivation.  I was encouraged by this teacher’s response to the question and reflected on my own similar experiences.  My students often teach me things they know about technology and I think this can do great things for their pride. 

Tags: Framing Issues

1 response so far ↓

  • stephen hawkins // Jan 29th 2009 at 9:41 pm

    Technology in the Science and Math Classroom: Interview Abstract
    Interview Details:

    Interviewee: First Year Teacher/Grade 6
    Date: January 27, 2009
    Format: MSN Chat

    The interviewee I approached for this meeting is a friend of mine who has just started his career teaching grade six in a Vancouver school. When pondering who I should approach for this task I immediately thought of him due to our frequent sharing of instructional (esp. technology) ideas over the past few years. I immediately remembered interactive power point presentations he had created for sounding out words for a primary class; the presentation was equipped with animations and audio to amplify the learning.

    My inherent feeling regarding the use of technology (esp. digital) technology in the classroom is that it is a good thing, and that kids will totally buy into it. But I know that the meaning has to be more, that performance and learning objectives must be nourished. This course has provoked me to reflect on what is “good use of technology” and as such I entered our chat room with specific questions in mind.

    Is the use of technology worthwhile?

    New technological innovations might sound like the latest and greatest, but are they worthwhile? How do you measure their effectiveness? When asking my interviewee his opinion, he responded with the following:

    •reflect, yes, more informally
    •i always think its good simply because we are in a technological society what kid doesn’t think technology is great
    •any chance they have to use the computer they cheer

    The comment that “they cheer” with use of technology resonated with me and amplified the message that kids are into technology, they like it, and will buy into it. Our kids understand and know technology, and from the mere point of relevancy we have struck a cord. I was really trying to see if he evaluated the effectiveness of the technology in enhancing the learning, and while I didn’t get the measured response I was seeking, he was confident that their learning is enhanced and supported.

    Does the use of technology open the learning to as many participants as possible?

    This question or theme is important to me and resonates with the fact that I have worked with kids with exceptionalities for 12+ years. If we can open our classrooms to as many learners as possible, then we do not have modify as much and remove students from such a valuable learning community. I asked this very question and received this response:
    • Utmost because technology is what inspires the [attention difficulty]
    • the kids that need that extra “urge”:
    • to do an assignment

    I am quite inspired by this response to technology meeting the needs of many learners as we have many students in our school system who struggle with attention to task. Whether it’s caused by exceptionality like ADHD, FAS, FAE, or Autism, they all tend to have difficulty with focus and technology might just be a solution to provide kids focus. My interviewee went on to discuss how he thought technology hastened the learning process for many students which also might alleviate boredom and distraction.

    What else can I use in the classroom?

    This is one of my paramount reasons for being in this course. What else can I use? What strategies might I use? What more can I learn about technology to support learning in the classroom. Of course I garnered many ideas from my friend, but I will stop here and share all in by blog.

    Many Regards,

    Stephen Hawkins

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