According to Wikipedia, technology is the making, modification, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems, methods of organization, in order to solve a problem, improve a preexisting solution to a problem, achieve a goal or perform a specific function.
Contrary to popular belief, technology is not necessarily something having to do with computers or electronics.
In prehistoric times fire was used to create charcoal. This new technology provided an avenue to express thoughts and tell stories in caves to pass on for generations to share the history of a people.
Sometime later the pencil was constructed using graphite, which soon gave way to fountain pens, ballpoint ink pens and typewriters. Who knew those typing skills aimed at training young women to be secretaries would become a standard and a necessity for the future of civilized mankind?
Today, the amount of storage space once contained in buildings can be found in a handheld cell phone. The television series Star Trek had futuristic depictions of many cordless communication devices and the Borg were people who had technological implants that are now commonplace in the medical field. “We’ve come a long way, baby” is an understatement.
Morphing Education
After some thought, I came to the conclusion that over time, all technology has one thing in common – man’s ability to use our hands to build, deconstruct, fashion, create, solve and achieve mighty fanciful things. With that in mind, when we use “technology” in the classroom, it could be the use of a pencil, which is technology, just old technology. Using current technology is more of the challenge to educators, and the rate of change in technology is increasing exponentially – at WARP speed! It is nearly impossible to keep up with the technology advancements.
Many teachers feel overwhelmed with the need for professional development like never before. No longer can teachers depend on the techniques and strategies of the past. We are teaching to a new form of student – a child of the technological age who has a personal cell phone or computer before the age of five. Just as they cannot imagine a world without computers, many teachers cannot find a way to grow as an educator in the “Brave New World” of education full of data, analysis, technology, and now accountability to the nation.
21st Century Chunking
Television uses commercials to chunk up sitcoms and game shows. Every 12 minutes or so, they show an engaging commercial that can give the viewer a chance to stretch their legs, grab a snack, chit chat, etc. Our classroom can be modeled in the same way with commercial breaks, using Internet videos connected to the lesson to chunk it up and engage students with substantial conversation.
According to brain research, the human brain works best with extra boosts of dopamine, which help students stay engaged and learn. Principals of physical movement, music, visuals, and conversation build an atmosphere that contains these “boosts” for a classroom of learners.
Use short internet clips, videos, pictures and paintings to help students analyze, compare and contrast information. For example, take a commercial clip for one of those sleep aid companies. First let the students only listen to the audio – block the picture from their view. Have the students write a few short sentences on what they hear the commercial saying. Discuss for a few minutes in class.
Then show the clip again, but mute the sound and have the students write what they see; then discuss as a class. Next, show the clip with sound and picture and have the students write what they believe the commercial is saying and discuss as a class.
This is a powerful tool, and if you do it for yourself first, you will uncover very interesting perceptions that you have. This technique can be used to teach a multitude of ideas and lessons but immediately correlates with standards about communication and the use of advertising or media to lead us in the direction the advertiser want us to believe.
The Edmodo online learning platform is a great place to do this. When designing a lesson or course, include a series of videos, articles, photos and activities to engage students brains. Great news too! Now once you develop a course in Edmodo you can copy the course saving lots of time.
Here is link to a great resource to help you use Bloom’s Taxonomy and technology in your classroom from Kathy Schrock. These tools can help you link apps, computer sites and iPads to technology resources to empower both you and your students with 21st century technology tools in the classroom.
As teachers, we need to face our fears and integrate technology one step at a time. Rome was not built in a day, and you can’t do everything, but you can do something.
Saturday, May 13, 2017
Eject the Core
Eject the Core?
Although the core gives life, it is not very palatable on its own. The flesh is where the meat is, the tasty, fiber filled, crunchy, sense-pleasing part of an apple that we long for, and of course the skin that wraps and protects the apple as we are lured into tasting it from the vibrant and varied colors.
I think that many students feel like they want to eject the core – in the U.S. they are not able to see how knowing the three R’s will benefit their future, particularly students in low SES environments. Self, survival and pleasure are the motivating factors for my students. Interestingly, it is the contrary for students in countries with extreme poverty – they know that the success of their future lays in the understanding and completion of educational pathways.
A Strong Foundation
When I was growing up, I had opportunities in school to learn and apply foundational knowledge in classes that created something – architecture, welding, woodwork, home economics – where has all the creation gone in public schools? There is so much focus on the core academically and political red tape that it feels like all the children are being left behind and that it has come down to numbers – not in the classroom, but on papers and in computers that fulfill government requirements as evidence for learning. The “Einstein’s” and “Van Gogh’s” are being neglected and cast down as invaluable because they can’t record evidence of their brilliance on a bubble or click test. This makes me sad.
Starry Starry Night
There has got to be a way to prove to the world the value of students who are able to create and apply knowledge in ways that are not able to be measured by national testing. My philosophy about my students is based on a quote by Paul Cezanne who said, “I will astonish Paris with an apple”. I believe that I can use educational tools to develop my students into outstanding and diverse “apples” that can affect positive change in the world they live in.
Scotty! Engage The Warp Drive!
After attending college and learning about teaching and learning, I wrote a mission statement to drive my teaching – to Engage, Enlighten, and Empower my students. Most of the time my students, who come from low SES environments, could care less about being enlightened. I decided to try and create situations so that they would first become engaged, because they are living in a society full of engagement and activity. If they come in my classroom and I don’t engage them first, they have a hard time getting to the enlightened stage – it’s not impossible, but somewhat difficult!
I am participating in a project with one of our universities in Oklahoma to develop scenarios for activities that use authentic strategies for students to construct knowledge, learn through meaningful questions, substantive conversation, have value beyond school and are student-centered. I worked with an 8th grade science teacher who is part of the same project, and we developed sister lessons that were similar but different, and students could see a clear connection from a core science class and an elective Family and Consumer Science class (the old home economics on steroids!). She had students develop a fair way to analyze UFO cleaning solutions and create a way to compare, contrast and analyze and assess data. I had students investigate cleaning solutions that could be made with baking soda, vinegar, rubbing alcohol or water. Once they found a formula, they had to prepare it, perform a cleaning comparison test, collect data and present it in a table, do a cost comparison analysis, reflect on the product they would use based on economic impact, opportunity cost, environmental impact or convenience. Afterwards they researched MSDS sheets and created one of their own.
WOWOWOWOWOW!! The students had so much fun, were working together, having great academic conversations and learning powerful foundation concepts and vocabulary throughout the task. Since then the science teacher discovered that information the students learned were on an EOI for another class, so she and I were able to have students learn curriculum about our class as well as other class – integration at its best!
We don’t have to eject the core, we just need to be creative and DESIGN lessons that will integrate the core as well as empower students to become 21st Century learners by giving them tools for investigation.
Although the core gives life, it is not very palatable on its own. The flesh is where the meat is, the tasty, fiber filled, crunchy, sense-pleasing part of an apple that we long for, and of course the skin that wraps and protects the apple as we are lured into tasting it from the vibrant and varied colors.
I think that many students feel like they want to eject the core – in the U.S. they are not able to see how knowing the three R’s will benefit their future, particularly students in low SES environments. Self, survival and pleasure are the motivating factors for my students. Interestingly, it is the contrary for students in countries with extreme poverty – they know that the success of their future lays in the understanding and completion of educational pathways.
A Strong Foundation
When I was growing up, I had opportunities in school to learn and apply foundational knowledge in classes that created something – architecture, welding, woodwork, home economics – where has all the creation gone in public schools? There is so much focus on the core academically and political red tape that it feels like all the children are being left behind and that it has come down to numbers – not in the classroom, but on papers and in computers that fulfill government requirements as evidence for learning. The “Einstein’s” and “Van Gogh’s” are being neglected and cast down as invaluable because they can’t record evidence of their brilliance on a bubble or click test. This makes me sad.
Starry Starry Night
There has got to be a way to prove to the world the value of students who are able to create and apply knowledge in ways that are not able to be measured by national testing. My philosophy about my students is based on a quote by Paul Cezanne who said, “I will astonish Paris with an apple”. I believe that I can use educational tools to develop my students into outstanding and diverse “apples” that can affect positive change in the world they live in.
Scotty! Engage The Warp Drive!
After attending college and learning about teaching and learning, I wrote a mission statement to drive my teaching – to Engage, Enlighten, and Empower my students. Most of the time my students, who come from low SES environments, could care less about being enlightened. I decided to try and create situations so that they would first become engaged, because they are living in a society full of engagement and activity. If they come in my classroom and I don’t engage them first, they have a hard time getting to the enlightened stage – it’s not impossible, but somewhat difficult!
I am participating in a project with one of our universities in Oklahoma to develop scenarios for activities that use authentic strategies for students to construct knowledge, learn through meaningful questions, substantive conversation, have value beyond school and are student-centered. I worked with an 8th grade science teacher who is part of the same project, and we developed sister lessons that were similar but different, and students could see a clear connection from a core science class and an elective Family and Consumer Science class (the old home economics on steroids!). She had students develop a fair way to analyze UFO cleaning solutions and create a way to compare, contrast and analyze and assess data. I had students investigate cleaning solutions that could be made with baking soda, vinegar, rubbing alcohol or water. Once they found a formula, they had to prepare it, perform a cleaning comparison test, collect data and present it in a table, do a cost comparison analysis, reflect on the product they would use based on economic impact, opportunity cost, environmental impact or convenience. Afterwards they researched MSDS sheets and created one of their own.
WOWOWOWOWOW!! The students had so much fun, were working together, having great academic conversations and learning powerful foundation concepts and vocabulary throughout the task. Since then the science teacher discovered that information the students learned were on an EOI for another class, so she and I were able to have students learn curriculum about our class as well as other class – integration at its best!
We don’t have to eject the core, we just need to be creative and DESIGN lessons that will integrate the core as well as empower students to become 21st Century learners by giving them tools for investigation.
The Art of War
As we begin our growth process through life, we encounter challenges that exhaust us as we struggle through, and challenges that energize and motivate us along the way to continue in pursuit of the answer. A productive classroom is one that gives opportunities to enjoy the struggle. I believe that a classroom practice that is underutilized is “The Art of War”.
I don’t mean a literal war, I mean a friendly war or challenge with ourselves or others that causes us to grow in knowledge and skills. Friendly banter helps students to build relationships, trust each other discover and build knowledge together. When students build something, they take pride and ownership of the construction of that knowledge or skill. They become problem solvers and 21st century learners who start believing they can do anything, if the obstacle looks insurmountable. We surely need these kinds of attributes in those who we look to lead our tomorrows.
Consider planning lessons with a problem or scenario first. Let students brainstorm their way through to an answer and create strategies and rules for their solution. After a short time, regroup and do round robin responses by first having students write down their explanations and then share them with the class one by one. As the instructor you can take this time to ask probing, big idea questions so that students can begin to construct clear and concise understanding of new material and misconceptions can be cleared up.
Allowing students to have authentic learning experiences by discovering knowledge and engaging in substantive academic conversations is a way to have a classroom of inquiry where students are continually wanting to know why – and willing to search for the answers.
I don’t mean a literal war, I mean a friendly war or challenge with ourselves or others that causes us to grow in knowledge and skills. Friendly banter helps students to build relationships, trust each other discover and build knowledge together. When students build something, they take pride and ownership of the construction of that knowledge or skill. They become problem solvers and 21st century learners who start believing they can do anything, if the obstacle looks insurmountable. We surely need these kinds of attributes in those who we look to lead our tomorrows.
Consider planning lessons with a problem or scenario first. Let students brainstorm their way through to an answer and create strategies and rules for their solution. After a short time, regroup and do round robin responses by first having students write down their explanations and then share them with the class one by one. As the instructor you can take this time to ask probing, big idea questions so that students can begin to construct clear and concise understanding of new material and misconceptions can be cleared up.
Allowing students to have authentic learning experiences by discovering knowledge and engaging in substantive academic conversations is a way to have a classroom of inquiry where students are continually wanting to know why – and willing to search for the answers.
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