Advocating for Tech in the Classroom

Advocating for Tech in the Classroom

            At this stage in our society there is no reasonable debate as the why we should not incorporate technology in the classroom. The biggest hurdle for teachers now is what programs should we use to improve our students education? Society has noticed and has created a market in which there are plenty of choices for teachers to use. The amount of choices can be overwhelming.

            The real question now becomes what is the best choice? That question is the toughest question educators face. Through our program we have seen a number of teaching tools that can be easily installed into the curriculum. Local teacher Sean Fetterbush who has an IT background provided the most articulate answer. His suggestion was to start with one product and grow from there. It took some time for him to develop his curriculum. Ours will take time as well.

            When I was in undergrad I had three female students introduce me to Google Docs. I can remember like it was yesterday watching 3 people editing the same document in real time like magical elves fixing all the mistakes we made. I had never seen nor heard of anything like that. From that point on, much of my work was complete on Google Docs.

            When we first started this program I helped introduced Google Docs to the class for class notes. Over the course of the semester others within or cohort have begun to introduce other new and helpful tech. Another member introduced to the group a program called GroupMe. Which has been a useful communication tool. During my last placement at the grade school level I could see the teacher and class grow in their relationship with technology in a similar manner. Towards the end the students were working efficiently in Google Docs on projects and creating power point presentations.

            The point I’m tying to make is that we are already taking steps towards being tech savvy. We are naturally taking the steps towards having our classrooms be completely integrated with technology. What we need to do is focus in on new ways in which the products work well for our students. We will grow and excel technology only as fast as we are willing to go. The real question is becomes how fast are you willing to grow for your student’s education?

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Ask the IT guy

            For this blog and addressing the content of tech in the classroom I thought it would be helpful to interview an IT person who works for a K-6 school district in Encinitas California. I asked him five basic questions that would help our cohort with their future in teaching.

1. What is the biggest security threat in a classroom?

IT guy: The biggest issue is the Internet. The web filter cannot catch everything, we want kids to search the web and find information but not find too much. The trick is to find that line. Schools typically have a system wide Internet filter or firewall that prevents finding content they should not. Typically if a student tries to access a site that isn’t recognized a message is sent to IT that states possible material labeled adult, unknown or gambling.

*I followed up on gambling with him and he further clarified that he hasn’t seen too much gambling. Mostly student and teachers finding betting lines. However, at the high school level it has been an issue.

2. What’s the most common problem teachers and students have with computer based technology?

IT guy: There are a lot of devices on the district network, computers, iPads, phones etc. was causes synching problems. As a result there are times in which you will be bumped/kicked off the wifi.

3. Most common way to fix a tech problem as a teacher?

IT guy: When you’re kicked off or having trouble, try restarting the device. I find the most common pattern with teachers and technology goes as follows. They don’t have the tech and don’t really care then they get it and can’t live without it. It’s funny how teachers react as if the sky is falling. The most common piece of equipment is the Apple TV. They were not designed to be used everyday in the classroom, Apple TVs have been adopted by schools to be key piece of equipment. My question is how did you teach before you had the Apple TV?

4. Most used program?

IT guy: The most commonly used program is the web browser. Programs are developing so fast teachers have begun to customize their curriculum to match their needs. Mainly the programs in which teachers use they can access the students work from a remote location. Google based product and Edmodo for example.

5. Biggest pet peeve as an IT guy?

IT guy: The most common tool used for trouble shooting by a tech is to simply restart the device. In most cases it will fix the problem. It is a little frustrating when a teacher refuses to touch the equipment without doing any trouble shooting themselves and hide behind the slogan, “I don’t want to break it any more than it is.” They are just relying on the IT person. It is especially irritating when a teacher a teacher calls and asks for help and a sign on the wall that states, “Ask three then me” and the teacher doesn’t try to figure it out. Most tech products are designed to be user friendly. At times it feels you have to go out of your way to not attempt to solve the problem yourself.

Games and Coding

Games and Coding

            A question facing a modern education is how do we get students to invest in more time coding. The first and most obvious manner has been to create games in which makes learning fun. After playing with programs like hopscotch and Scratch I am inclined to wonder if programmers know what fun is. While I do give them credit for trying there is still a major hurdle in which these programs face. Unless a student has a natural preference towards simple logic based games then those who do not have desire to learn programming will not.

            In today’s society children are constantly being bombarded with new and stimulating information. While most kids love to play games the question becomes, how do coding games compete with the gaming consoles that are more exciting and easier to use? In most cases in which I’ve seen young students work with Hopscotch and Scratch, they spend 5-10 minutes playing the game before the search the web to find a easier game.

            I understand the importance of coding games. They are naturally problem-solving tasks that would enrich the students lives. I get it. It’s computational thinking, which is the direction that the school system would like to go. The biggest challenge I see is a society that craves instant gratification. Unless the kids prefers coding like another student would prefer baseball it will always be an uphill struggle. To have any young person to sit in front of a computer working on it for long periods of time when other options are available is setting that student up for failure.

            The biggest area I do see in change is actually for females more than males. I recently heard a fact that only .3% of women applied to college declaring a degree in the STEM field. Young boys tend to be more energetic and slightly behind on the cognitive development scale. Thus find it hard to sit down for extended periods of time, time that is needed to develop the proper coding skills. Young females will actually be the wave of the future. They tend to be more patient and have less physical influence tugging at them. The biggest hurdle being the math and logic sides of coding will also improve as their inclination towards math grows as common core solidifies.

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What is a PLN?

            A personal learning network is critical to education going forward. As educators in order to teach the new we need to learn the new. Technology is not the wave of the future it is a tsunami. At my last placement the teacher began a new and permanent way of assessing her students through a national standard. The means of which required that each student spend a significant period of time on a computer. There were moments when she was lost and could not figure out how to start the testing process. Other teachers had to leave their class during class in order to help.

            By having a personal learning network for technology is a vital part to our student’s growth. Once my CT figured out how the program worked she was amazed by the real time analytics. To know exactly where each student is in terms of their academics though the data provided was incredible. The data showed multiple different areas of the student’s development and recommended common core standards.

            During the process of watching one teacher lead another teacher felt like watching the blind lead the blind. I heard a lot of “I think” said in a form of a question. After the testing was complete I was allowed to access the site and see what I could come up with. After five minutes of playing around with the software I was finding all forms of new computational data. My CT was shocked with the information I gathered. I just figured the program was designed to be user friendly.

           The only way we can evolve through the process is to be a student ourselves. To break and fix is exactly what we ask of our student. We should not be afraid to venture out on our own. If anything it should feel refreshing to be able to embrace the role of the student.

            As tech grows so does the amount of information. Blogs like this one helps grow the social circle. Larger circles like Evernote , Flipboard, twitter and other tech blogs provide a new learning medium for teachers to go and develop on our own. I personally recommend Flipboard for those who are starting out. It combines multiple forms of social media into one location. It is user friendly and the reader can follow and find new ways to address their lack of computer skills in a non-threatening manner.

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Using Google Tools in the Classroom

            Using Google tools in the classroom is very easy. If you have an email account your essentially in. Google has a wide range of useful tools that can be instituted into a classroom. Recently I had second and third grade students create Google documents to write research papers. An example by a second grade student:

   Raccoons              12/15/14                                                  

                                    by Chloe

                                                                                                    

    I’m going to tell you all about raccoons.  Raccoons are heavier than a U.S penny. Raccoons are nocturnal. Raccoons are very sneaky and very good diggers and swimmers. Baby raccoons are longer than a teaspoon. A raccoon’s life span is 1-3 years. Raccoons are also adaptable. Raccoons family name is procyonidae. Raccoons are omnivores they eat fish, seeds, small animals, baby crocodiles, birds nests, fruits, nuts, bird eggs, plants, and frogs. Raccoons live in North and South America to Asia. Raccoons also live in wetlands prairies and forests. Raccoons are mammals. What if raccoons could be pets?

During the project I could real time help them correct their punctuation and spelling. The younger students loved the fact being on two different computers working on the same page.

A second medium that Google provides that can be used by second and third graders is Google slides. Once in Google docs you create a new project, scroll down to slides and found within slides are a wide number of choices.

The only drawbacks are due to the availability of computers or tablets. Group presentations and projects are no longer burdened by accessibility. Anyone with a computer could log in and work remotely on papers or presentations. The combination of which opens up new means of curriculum not previously used at school.

What is possible with technology in a classroom?

I’m a little lost in the world we live in and how we don’t incorporate more technology in our classrooms. It is so easy to take advantage of all the possibilities technology has to offer in the classroom. Nearly everyone has a smart phone. Social theory is struggling with the concept of what is and is not important to learn. If you don’t know how many feet are in a mile, you can just ask Siri. How about the solar system? I do not plan to go to any other planet in my lifetime, yet if we go onto the computer or your smartphone, we can see amazing pictures of Universe. The world has been brought to our fingertips. As a result, we are left with new questions to ponder when it comes to technology. The biggest one I have is, how can we tell our students in good faith to use your imagination and yet not use our own?

            From the moment, we walk into our classroom's we should find ways in which we can incorporate technology. Imagine a classroom in which you as a student have no idea where in the world you will be on a given day. Webcams can show the class parts of the world that your students may have never thought to go to. Some webcams show simple exotic locations where the water looks warm and blue, or see the first snow fall in a tiny little Swiss town. How about outer space? Yup, NASA has something for that too.

             Imagine a science class in which you can bring the world to your students. The number of zoos and aquariums that provide live access with a biologist, researcher or veterinarian grows daily. Recently I discovered the Monterey Bay Aquarium broadcasts live feeding of their animals.I plan on incorporating a lesson that cover language arts, comprehension and science is a neat little bow. A teacher would have to be intentionally difficult to not take advantage of technology in a multi-subject class. 

            Just like technology the possibilities are endless. It is our job as educators now to chart new territory with technology in the classroom. In order to maximize the learning potential of our students in a manner that best suits their future, we need to adjust our thinking technology and embrace the new.