I have just completed my first technology course for my master’s degree at Walden University. In eight short weeks I have had the opportunity to experiment with several technologies and web tools that have practical applications in the classroom. This blog site was the first of my endeavours. I realized that blogs have a place in the classroom. Giving students a chance to express their opinions to a worldwide audience gives more purpose to their work than just submitting and assignment the teacher. The second web tool application I was involved in was a group wiki. The project was a truly amazing task. Doing a group project with people from all around the globe really emphasized what collaboration is all about. I have my students working in a group wiki assignment at this moment. A third task was to create a podcast. I do have limited experience with this. However, you do get a feeling of satisfaction when you receive comments from people who are listening to your ideas and insights. I think the biggest thing I gained from doing these assignments was that it is not that hard to do many of these things. Take your time to find several sites for posting your work and choose the one that makes most sense to you.
To continue to expand my use and knowledge of technology in the classroom there are several courses of action to take. Firstly, I am doing more searching for educational blogs and adding them to my aggregator (another assignment). I find that Google Reader is right for me. The website http://www.21stcenturyskills.org is a good site for educators to get ideas and a focus of where 21st century learning skills are heading. Another website to investigate is http://www.epals.com/groups/about/pages/epals-overview.aspx. This website offers a safe environment for students to email, blog and podcast. Getting partners from different schools around the world gives students a chance to learn from a global perspective. Instead of talking about a topic, students have the chance to talk with someone about that topic. Currently, I have an offer to be ePals with a grade 7 class in the USA. This would be a wonderful opportunity for both classes. I believe the best practice for increasing my student’s chance for success using 21st century skills is for me to continue to search out web tools that will give them that chance. I need to be creative and innovative. Alan November (2008) talks about children having to power down at school, I believe more students can have more success and interest in school if they can keep more of their “power” sources.
To ensure that I can keep going in a forward direction with technology in the classroom I need a plan. Dr. David Thornburg 2008) has listed many of the skills that 21st century learners will need. The two skills that jump out at me the most are communication and collaboration. Through wiki projects and possible ePals, I intend to get my students involved with other students around our school division and around the globe. The current wiki assignment I mentioned will be changed for next school year to include students from another school in our division. Hopefully the ePals project will also work out. My second goal to help increase student achievement is to become a voice. As in many school divisions, my division has a limited vision for technology in the classroom. Many websites are blocked, and other web tools can only be used in a minimal fashion. Also, teacher training needs to be increased. Keengwe, Onchwari, and Wachira (2008) refer to the need of trained teachers to incorporate technology into the classroom. I will offer my services to the division for training other teachers.
Teaching in the 21st century has its challenges. The needs of students are different than earlier times in our history. Teachers also need to change their methods to meet these needs. Start small and keep adding technology to your teaching. Take your regular curricular outcomes and brainstorm how technology could be incorporated to meet the required outcomes. Give students a chance to be more engaged in their learning. Ask questions. These are some of the lessons I learned in the past eight weeks.
References:
http://www.21stcenturyskills.org
http://www.epals.com/groups/about/pages/epals-overview.aspx.
Keengwe, J., Onchwari, G., & Wachira, P. (2008). The use of computer tools to support meaningful learning. AACE Journal, 16(1), 77–92
Laureate, Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Skills for the 21st century: Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society [DVD]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
November, A. (2007). Banning student 'containers'. Technology & Learning. Retrieved from http://www.techlearning.com/article/7468
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Wretched Technology
The other day I had my class read the story, The Wretched Stone, By Chris van Allsburg. We had a great conversation about what the author was trying to say about the effects of television on society. Are we becoming slaves once again to new technologies in our lives. There is a YouTube video that looks at this question. Can we get along without being powered-up at all times?
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