Can Technology be a Bad Thing

Why is technology still a class kids go to to learn to use a tool and not an integrated part of the lessons we teach?

   To understand this question we really have to take a deeper look into what goes on in our classrooms.  Do we have teachers that look at teaching as a chance to inspire and provoke learning from within the student or do we have teachers that see their classroom as a place to come and get the knowledge of their certain topic.  When teachers open up the possibilities of learning to any tool or resource that students have, you will see integration of technology naturally into the curriculum.

   So, why do we still have technology classes, I would say it is because we still think there are parts of technology that still needs to be taught or shown to our students.  Our core teachers are swamped with standards and objectives they must achieve that they can not naturally teach the technology tools that students will use in their lives.  We provide classes to teach word processing, photoshop, and business tools that could easily be integrated into English, History and Math.  

How can integrating technology into our teaching enrich instruction and help promote learning?

   If we would continue on with a shift in education by using technology rich environments to meet the  normal objectives.  We will see teachers stepping to the side to guide students through their curriculum.  This is hard to achieve, but with baby steps of changing small things in a classroom you will see students come into learning with an excitement and maybe even go beyond the objectives of past classrooms.  

  As the US looks at their educational system and integrate technology into the classrooms, I do think that we need to take a look at how other countries are being successful.  If we can use technology to create individualized and self paced learning environments for our students then we will have greater buy-in from teachers and will achieve at high levels on our standardized test that we will always have.  

  I would still say that the best technology use in a classroom is one that an outsider would possibly not even notice.  Technology should just be a part of the process.  The access to knowledge and resources that er given to students with devices or access to the Internet during class will be one of the many advantages.  

Presentation Design "Death by PowerPoint"

This week we began studying presentation design. I had no idea that when creating a presentation that you could do so much with so little.  I have come to realize that my use of images, bullets, themes and text have been so wrong.  I have sat through many presentations and do recall leaving the room either tired and board or excited and questioning what I just learned.

The readings and videos that I just finished, made me think.  Do I spend enough time preparing for a presentation?  I do believe that I am good in front of an audience, but I never really thought about what my visual aids or PowerPoint conveyed to the audience.  I know I was guilty of "Death by PowerPoint".

Here are some things that I can work on:

1. Less is More:  Be thoughtful about what I choose to put on the presentation
2. Focus Attention:  Place images, text and title in a way to keep the attention of my audience 
3. Take Time:  Brainstorm the old fashion way first.  Then develop a presentation to match what I'm going to speak about.
4. Be Creative:  As I look at the tips and good presentation, I feel that I could use some different visual aids to make my presentations so much better.  

As a teacher, I was guilty of putting every piece of information or script on my slides to show to my class.  Why was I even there.  I remember even pausing to give my students time to write down notes or important facts.  As I have moved into teaching or working with teachers, I see that I need to revisit how I present my materials.

Taking time to create something that will aid in my presentations will take me to the next level.  I hope that I can start to rethink my visual aids and hopefully keep my audience coming back for more.  

Video in the Classroom: Blog Reflection

One of the new tools available for education with the availability of internet and devices in the students' hands is the use of video in the classroom.  I would say this is one of the easiest ways to engage the new type of learners in the new digital age.  We are teaching digital native students and some of us are digital immigrants and our students need us to change and use this tool to aid in their education process.

I would have to say that I myself am a digital native.  I have grown accustomed to technology and have had access to it most of my life.  I would have to say I’m not as engulfed into technology like some of the students today, but I do understand most of their tendencies.  I like to use different videos and techniques to grab students' attention.  The more that I read and experience new teaching strategies I see video usage as one that we should get more adept in using in the classroom.  

I think the key with videos and creating an atmosphere of learning is to keep everyone up to speed on what new things are out there to use in the classroom.  Students also need to understand what materials are good to use or watch for education and what are not.  Teaching students good digital citizenship skills are key.  With the ever changing atmosphere of online activity you can get caught up in creating posting and do other things that are not appropriate.  

Using a scanner in the classroom.

   One method of using a scanner in a classroom is to scan a student's work, such as a math problem worked out.  As more and more schools go to having devices in each student's hand math teachers struggle with how students can show their work.  Why not have students still show their work for the problems assigned and then they can scan their work and turn it in digitally.
   Having students turn in work digitally allows for the teacher to grade more efficiently and quickly.  Using an LMS would allow the teacher to house the work and possibly in some LMS programs add notes and markups directly on the work.
   With schools looking at different types of schedules such as a flexible schedule where students do not have so much seat time in a normal classroom.  Turning work in digitally allows for students to continue with their assignments without physically being in contact with their teacher.  

Digital Photography Project in High School Geomety Classroom

Classification of Geometric Figures - Have students take pictures of each type of geometric figure they can find on the school grounds.  The more creative the better.  Once they have these pictures have them use the pictures as backgrounds in Geogebra and then they can draw and label the figure so that you can classify the geometric figure.  Do not have the students put the name of the figure only label it with geometric markings and with a number.  Once the class is all done have each student share project with a partner and they must classify the geometric figure.

This activity would allow for students to see in real world settings how different geometric figures are used.  When the students are having to label the photograph they are also practicing using geometric labels such as parallel or congruent.  By having each student only label geometric labels and then numbering each figure, then the students are actually creating a review for other students or the teacher to use later.

As you have students take pictures you will see that students will probably have a hard time seeing the more unique geometric figures.  You will probably have to show examples in class before going out to collect the pictures.  I do think that your students will enjoy being able to actually create real world examples to be used later in class.  

My role at in my school.

   Helping my colleagues be more effective instructors will require me to model and share effective instructional strategies.  Myself being a Technology Coach gives me a great opportunity to not only model effective instruction through my trainings, but also gives me a chance to work side by side with the teachers to improve their instructional strategies and maybe share some tips to improve their instruction.  

   When I have trainings the focus is usually on a new tech tool that we are trying to implement.  I do keep in mind that I have different leveled abilities across my audience.  This requires me to usually start at a baseline and also be very conscious of what I want all my staff to be able to do in the time that I have.  This brings me back to setting goals and being clear with my staff what I want them to be able to do.  
   In the end, most of my training introduces a new tool and give a base knowledge presentation.  After the training I usually can see what teachers want to go further with the new tool or knowledge that I gave them and I work with them one on one at another time.  These teachers, then share what they are doing with each other and start to train each other on these new tools.  This is just like a classroom when you get students that have mastered an objective and then they can teach others how to achieve this objective.  This is the best assessment tool also in my opinion, teaching others.     

  One thing I keep in mind when I am working with teachers it that I want them to go back to their classroom with something that they can use right away.  This usually involves them, creating something during our time together.  This is what all teachers strive for, students taking something from their instructions and applying it right away.  
   As I reflect on my trainings and I see that my colleagues are more engaged, and more willing to come to future trainings.  I see that my engagement is high and willingness to work for me is high also.  This is one of the most important instructional strategies, engagement.  If I would not have good engagement I would not have the buy in I do with new tools.  This is key when I'm asking teachers to be open to trying something new or to change a method they have been using for a while.  

   If I follow good instructional strategies I see my colleagues benefiting greatly.  The more I focus on; clear goals, higher engagement, time, and leveled instruction the better the trainings go.  These strategies will greatly benefit my colleagues also just by myself being focused and possibly using my trainings as examples as I work with staff one on one.  

Are teachers well versed enough in Instructional Design?

    As we read: "Education has missed the boat, with respect to instructional design. Teachers come up with lesson plans on the fly, with little thought to why they are presenting information or even who their audience is. Teacher training, at the university level and during Professional development, needs to focus on helping teachers become comfortable with instructional design principles." I see that the view that teachers have not been trained enough in Instructional Design is a misconception. The teacher might not be following one of the many Instructional Design Models, but the essence of teaching when done correctly is evidence that teachers do focus on Instructional Design.

   As I look at teachers I work with and have worked with, I see an emphasis on instruction being at the forefront of their lesson planning. From the outside looking in, the emphasis might look like it is state standardized test, but if you talk to the teachers and truly find out what their emphasis is you will find that it is all about students learning and instruction.

   Teaching at its essence is about instruction and learning. Teachers that are trying to do their best look at a lesson as a chance to present their material in a way that will grab the students' attention, then will lead into the student learning or achieving the learner goal. This is not much different than most Instructional Design Models.

   Teachers come up with their objectives, which is the first step in almost all Instructional Design Models. Once they have their objectives the work on creating a lesson that will cater to the students needs to achieve the goal, this would be similar to Instructional Analysis. The nature of teaching also leads itself to the constant reflection and adjustment of the plan through formative assessment; this is very much a part of Morrison, Ross and Kemp's model of instructional design which is a popular Instructional Design Model. The last part of any lesson is an assessment or evaluation of what the students have learned, which is the same of any good Instructional Design Model.

   As we look at whether teachers have been trained in Instructional Design I would have to say that the nature of their process is the same. I would only say that teachers do have other factors that come into play when doing their planning. When a teacher has a great lesson plan or unit plan it will always run into the classroom atmosphere as a road block. School activities and distractions cause the teachers to adjust and to think on their feet to change the perfectly designed lesson to work in the changing atmosphere. This is where we get the outlook of planning on the fly; it is really just teachers adjusting to the classroom atmosphere.

So taking a closer look at teaching shows me that Instructional Design is a large part of the profession. The training that teachers go through at the university level helps to prepare them in this practice so that they can achieve success in their own classrooms. I would even say from my personal experience that I was prepared well in Instructional Design. I learned to reflect on my delivery and modes of delivery and was most definitely taught to assess my students to see if what methods I used worked.