Digital Badge #C - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: "Transforming Learning with Unique, Powerful Technology”

One of the first things that caught my eye in this chapter was the section on groupwork and collaboration (Maloy, et al, 2014, p. 61).  I think that having students work together in class is a great idea.  It can open up a student’s horizons as it exposes students to a variety of viewpoints.  I’m also okay with group discussions, such as the ones we do in this class.  They serve the same purpose to expose students to different ways of thinking, as well as creating a sense of community (especially important in an online class).  I do have one objection to groupwork, group projects in online courses.  I find trying to do a group project completely online to be so tedious and cumbersome. I like to get my work done ahead of time, but even if you try to start the project early, many won’t want to start it yet.  Some people also only get on the website once a week, so you are left waiting on them to join in.   I know we have a group project in this class, and I’m not looking forward to it.  Who knows, maybe this project will change my opinion…. 

I also liked the section on creativity.  Students don’t have to do something that’s never been done before; instead being creative simply means doing something that’s new for them (Maloy, et al, 2014, p. 63).  I think it is important to encourage creativity, because creativity lends itself to problem solving and thinking outside the box.  In my class, students are encouraged to be creative when they learn Microsoft Publisher.  First, they follow step-by-step instructions to become familiar with the program.  Next, they are given an image to create.  There are no directions; they have to figure it out themselves.  Last, they design their own Publisher document for a fictitious company.

I found the section on Seymour Papert and his vision for technology learning environments very interesting (Maloy, et al, 2014, p. 64).  He explains that humans learn lots of things outside of school without having formal teachers.  For example, babies learn to talk on their own, no small task.  His goal is to use technology to make learning any subject a more informal, natural process – like learning to talk.  This is a really intriguing idea to me.  I had never really thought before about how much children are able to learn on their own.  I’m not sure how he and others will go about creating these types of learning environments, but I think it is a wonderful idea.  I would definitely want to use a program that uses student-centered learning and allows students to learn in a natural way through trial and error.

Overall, I enjoyed this chapter and discovering how technology can be used to foster creativity, groupwork, and a natural, informal style of learning.

Resources

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2014). Transforming learning with new technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc. 

Roberson, C. (2015, January 21). Ways to use technology for creativity. Created with Piktochart. http://magic.piktochart.com/output/4207684-ways-to-use-technology-for-cre

Digital Badge #B - Chapter 2

 

Chapter 2 in Transforming Learning with New Technologies (Maloy, et al, 2014, p.22) started out grabbing my interest with the discussion about technology by the three future teachers.  There was a viewpoint by one of the teachers that was also reflected in some of the introduction posts.  This is the view that using technology frequently in school makes children weaker in critical thinking and problem solving skills.  I did some research (online of course) and found and article entitled “Linked In With: a Writer Who Questions the Wisdom of Teaching with Technology” by Marc Parry (2010) that I thought was interesting.  The article covers an interview of Nicholas Carr about his book The Shallows “which warns that the internet is rewiring our brains and short-circuiting our ability to think.”  I agree with Carr that teachers should take a “balanced approach” when using technology.  Rather than no technology or technology everything, I think it is good to have a variety.  I did, however, find one of the studies that he based his findings on, “The Laptop and the Lecture,” to be silly.  Of course students that pay attention during a lecture rather than surfing the web at the same time are going to have better recall.  Could all this technology be changing the way we think?  Possibly.  However, we can’t stick our heads in the sand and ignore the reality of the world we live in.  Today’s students need to be familiar with all of this technology to be successful in the real world, so I definitely believe technology should be incorporated into the classroom.

            Interestingly enough, this leads to the next section of the chapter which discusses how open you are to using technology.  The choices range from being a “frontier developer/innovator” to “see very little promise” (Maloy, et al, 2014, p. 26).  I understand that not everyone is the “cutting edge” type; I know I’m not.  I see myself as being somewhere between an “early adopter” and “quick to follow proven success.” I would like to think that very few teachers fall into the “pay little attention” or “see little promise” category.  That just seems so unrealistic to me.  Today’s students are digital natives, meaning that they have grown up “using instant and interactive computer and wireless technologies” (Maloy, et al, 2014, p. 38).  Teachers need to keep up with the times if they want to be in touch with their students.  At the same time, maybe those teachers who are reserved about technology just need to be educated about it and taught how to use it in their classrooms.  I feel like there need to be more lesson plans developed using technology for teachers to use.  I know from firsthand experience that creating your own lesson plan from scratch can be very time consuming. Perhaps if there were more technology based lessons available for teachers to tweak to fit their students, then more teachers might be willing to use it. 

Photo credit to ransomtech on Flickr  

            I found one of the last sentences in the chapter to be so true.  It says, “You use technology to teach students, and you teach students to use technology” (Maloy, et al, 2014, p. 41).  I know some people lament that kids these days don’t know how to use the library to do research.  Sure, that’s still a good skill to learn.  I know that my daughter was required to have one book source for a paper she wrote last year.  What’s more important to me, however, is that students be taught how to use technology and the internet to do research.  That is the world we live in today.  They need to understand that some resources available are very reliable, while others, not so much.  These are the skills that going to be the most useful to the students down the road.

            In conclusion, if teachers want to be on the same page as their students, all of whom are digital natives, they need to embrace technology, or at the very least keep up-to-date.  I would like to be the kind of teacher that not only keeps with my students technology-wise, but is able to teach them new things regarding technology.  How cool would that be?

Resources

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2014). Transforming learning with new technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc. 

Parry, M. (2010, July 4). Linked in with: a writer who questions the wisdom of teaching with technology. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved January 12, 2015 from http://chronicle.com/article/Is-Technology-Making-Your/66128/

Roberson, C. (2015, January 13). To tech or not to tech. Created with ToonDoo http://www.toondoo.com/cartoon/8353829

Digital Badge #A - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Transforming Learning with New Technologies  got me thinking about how different school is today from when I attended.  Teachers can now have a technology-based library right at their fingertips (Maloy, et al, 2014, p. 8). When I read about technology-based libraries and how teachers and students have access to so much information with the click of a mouse, it made me think of when I had to write papers in high school.  I remember the encyclopedia was often a good source for basic information.  We didn’t have a set of Encyclopedia Britannica at home because they 
Photo credit to Stewart on Flickr                                                                                                       were too expensive.  I had to go to the library to  use those.  We did have a set of Funk & Wagnall that my mom purchased at Publix.   Even though it was no Encyclopedia Britannica, I remember thinking that it was cool to be able to look up information on something without having to go to the library.  Now, when I have a question, I can be in the stands at my daughter’s soccer game and “Google” it on my phone.  It’s really amazing how much things have changed.

 Photo credit to Mike Licht on Flickr

Reading Chapter 1 also made me think about how important it is for teachers to understand the iGeneration students that they are currently teaching (Maloy, et al, 2014, p. 3).  This generation of student is very different from past generations.  In order for teachers to be successful, many will need to change the way they teach.  These students are used to constant stimulation, whether it’s from playing online interactive video games or text messaging with two or more friends simultaneously.  The article "Technology Changing How Students Learn, Teachers Say," says research has shown that today’s teachers feel like they have “to work harder to capture and hold students’ attention” (Richtel, 2012).  Standing up and lecturing for an hour is not going to work.  The iGeneration needs to be engaged.  Fortunately, all of the new technology offers many exciting ways to engage students in learning, and I’m looking forward to learning more about it.

Reading about 21^st century learners also got me thinking about how important it is for today’s teachers to be knowledgeable about 21^st century technology (Maloy, et al, 2014, p. 9).  Sure, everyone knows how to use a computer and surf the net (at least I hope so), but that is just the tip of the iceberg.  If teachers are going to be truly prepared to teach these 21^st century learners, they need to be much more knowledgeable about teaching than that.  I especially found TPACK, technological pedagogical content knowledge, interesting.  The video below is a humorous explanation of TPACK.  

 It makes sense that a combination of content knowledge, pedagogical knowledge, and technological knowledge is necessary to truly be an effective 21^st century teacher (Maloy, et al, 2014, pp. 10-11).  I chose this class as an elective, and I’m really looking forward to getting more up-to-date on my technology knowledge.  I’m a little surprised that it wasn’t a requirement in order for me to get my professional teaching certificate.  Just kind of makes you wonder……

In conclusion, this first chapter has really made me think about how different the world is today because of technology.  These changes have a direct impact on today’s students, teachers, and classrooms.  I’m excited about learning new ways to use technology in my classroom so that my students will be ready for the world.

Resources

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2014). Transforming learning with new technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc. 

perkyprincess007. (2011, October 14). TPACK model for education. Retrieved January 9, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMCnX3F6YC4

Richtel, Matt. (2012, November 1). Technology changing how students learn, teachers say. The New York Times. Retrieved January 9, 2015, from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/education/technology-is-changing-how-students-learn-teachers-say.html?pagewanted=all.