Technology and Growth

Only a few teachers in our school district search out ways to use technology in the classroom. Perhaps this is because technology has been unintentionally discouraged; most blogs and wikis are blocked, along with most file sharing applications, like Google Docs, and many other potentially useful sites. Although this is done for logical reasons—to reduce the chances of infecting the network with viruses and worms and to reduce the chances of students accessing objectionable content—the result is that there is little motivation for teachers to learn more about the opportunities that the internet offers today.

Nevertheless, my enthusiasm for educational technology received a real boost this summer as a result of a Walden University master’s class I have been taking. EDUC 6710, Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society, has been a real motivator. As a result of this class, I have helped to create a wiki for the first time, set up my own blog and followed the blogs of classmates (as well as the blogs of several educational technology leaders), created a podcast for the first time, set up my own RSS feed, and even inserted a YouTube video (see below) into my blog. Even more important, I have gained ideas for using these Web 2.0 tools in the classroom as a way to engage today’s students—the new generation sometimes called digital natives (Prensky, 2001). Since these students are likely to learn and process information differently because of their early and ongoing exposure to technology, as Dede explains (Laureate Education, 2008b), interactive applications available on the internet may be the best way to reach today’s learners.

For example, the U.S. Department of Education (2009) has concluded that “blended” instruction, which includes elements of both face-to-face and online instruction, leads to greater achievement than either method by itself. Completely online instruction has been more effective than completely face-to-face instruction. As a result, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan states, “Effective teachers need to incorporate digital content into everyday classes and consider open-source learning management systems, which have proven cost effective in school districts and colleges nationwide.”

In addition to updating our tools, teachers need to update our approach to education. Dede points out that it is not enough to do the same things in different ways; we need to do different things in the classroom to engage our students (Laureate Education, 2008a). By innovating with today’s technology, he says, teachers can change both content and pedagogy, leading to greater student involvement and greater learning. The skills students will need in the 21st Century workplace—especially critical thinking, problem-solving, information fluency, communication, and collaboration—mesh well with student-centered learning situations. Lessons that include collaborative web applications like wikis and blogs are ideal places for students to learn and apply these skills. As Nussbaum-Beach (2008) notes, “Classrooms in the 21st century need to be collaborative spaces where student-centered knowledge development and risk taking are accepted as the norm and where an ecology of learning develops and thrives.”

Because I am studying in Walden’s Adolescent Literacy and Technology program, I will have the opportunity to take several additional technology classes in the near future. Beyond that, however, I could find myself, like many of my colleagues, wondering how to keep up with the changes in technology unless I actively seek out additional professional growth in this area. Since so many teachers need to learn more about technology, I will encourage our administration to offer in-service training in technology. Our district has invested considerable funds in our computer system, and it would be beneficial to students and staff alike to take advantage of more of the possibilities.

In my own classroom, I want to use more lessons that call for collaboration and direction from students. After receiving general guidelines from me, I would like my students to do more projects in which they determine how to meet the learning standards. Collaboration on this type of work can be significantly facilitated by a wiki, so I will first request that my students be allowed to access certain sites. I believe that the administration, tech department, and I can reach a compromise that will permit access to some sites that will allow collaboration. In addition, our district already has an application called Moodle that allows us to create an internal blog. I believe we could also create a wiki using Moodle, so I should be able to meet this goal soon.

In addition, I will promote the use of digital images, both video and still, by my students. In today’s media-rich culture, pictures are still worth a thousand words. They gain attention, clarify, and emphasize. I would like for my students to also be able to access instructive video created by others and to post their own work for others to see; this will probably require a process much like that for gaining access to a wiki. We might be able to arrange for student access to safe sites like TeacherTube.

For this transition to be truly effective, though, I believe I will need to work with my department colleagues to plan ways to incorporate technology into many teachers’ lessons. Adding technology will be more effective if we somewhat agree on how students can meet the standards in new ways.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008a). “Evolution of Technology and Pedagogy.” [Motion picture]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008b). “Today’s students.” [Motion picture]. Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore: Author.

Nussbaum-Beach, S. (2008). No limits. Technology & Learning, 28(7), 14–18. Retrieved from http://www.techlearning.com/article/8466

Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5).

U.S. Department of Education. (2009, June 26). U.S. Department of Education Study Finds that Good Teaching can be Enhanced with New Technology. ED.gov. Retrieved Aug. 21, 2009, from http://www.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/06/06262009.html.