Transforming the Classroom

Before taking a graduate course entitled, “Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society,” I had limited experience with blogs, told my students not to use sites like Wikipedia, and never thought I had the time to learn the process of creating a podcast. To tell you the truth, I had never heard of the term the Read/Write Web. Will Richardson (2009) explains that these tools I have been ignoring make up the Read/Write Web, providing the opportunity to transform classrooms and keep pace with our “flattening” world (Friedman, 2005). Richardson states, “In almost every area of life, the Read/Write Web is changing our relationship to technology and rewriting the age-old paradigms of how things work” (p.2).

My previous description of using technology included word processors, LCD projectors, and the creation of PowerPoint presentations. However, it has been brought to my attention that these tools are only substitutes for less advanced technology, allowing us to do the same thing more efficiently. The Read/Write Web is so much more in that it offers us the opportunity to do things never done before. Thornburg (2004) explains, “Today we are clearly in the realm where the question is not how technology should change to fit classroom practice, but rather how, given current technology, classroom practice should change. We live in a world where it is commonplace for technology to be used to do different things, not just do old tasks differently” (p.3).

With this introduction, now more than ever, I realize the importance of bringing relevance into the classroom by creating engaging real world activities. Using technology to create authenticity will provide the necessary support to teach the skills of the twenty-first century. “Authentic instruction and assessment involves engaging students in the construction of knowledge, use of discipline-based inquiry methods combined with substantive conversation about the topic, and teachers posing questions that have value beyond school” (Cramer, 2007, p.128). The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (n.d.) offers insight to what these skills are and the initiatives currently taking place to incorporate them into education. It notes, “Students who have access to technology outside of school will find schools without access to and integration of technology into their coursework to be antiquated and irrelevant to their world” (p.7)

In addition to increasing authenticity, the responsibility for learning needs to be put in the hands of the students. “In student-centers learning, faculty must become facilitators and collaborators, and instruction must move from memorization to problem-solving” (Keengwe, Onchari, & Wachira, 2008, p.81). In this type of learning environment, students utilize the networking and collaborative skills often developed through the tools of the Read/Write Web. “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” (Nussbaum-Beach, 2008, p.3).

I teach one specific class entitled Intensive Reading through World History. Because the students required to take this class are reading significantly below grade level, creating lessons involving technology has not been a priority. Mandated progress monitoring and structured remediation programs often take up much of class time. However, as Miners and Pascopella(2007) point out, “Despite the fact that many students struggle with traditional reading, they’re still engaged when they’re online. And engagement means they are more excited in school and less likely to drop out” (p.34). I now see that it may be even more important to get these “at risk” students involved in the Read/Write Web. Literacy skills will be developed simultaneously with those required in the twenty-first century workforce and society.

Starting this school year, a class blog will become an important tool for all of my classes to be used for discussion, collaboration, and to display and organize student writing. As it will be available to a wider audience, quality of work will increase. In addition, as I begin to use other valuable tools, such as wikis and podcasts, I want to take the time to teach the necessary ethics and responsibility required to use them effectively. Specific lesson will be devoted to the awareness of the dangers that can come with the use of these tools and how they can be most effective when used for the right purpose. November (2008) agrees, “These tools can be a major distraction from learning or they can be a major catalyst to it. It will be the courageous educator who works with students to explore the power of these tools and in turn empowers students to be lifelong learners and active shapers of a world we cannot yet imagine” (p.2).

After making these transformations, I will be accomplishing the following goals not previously accomplished as noted in the “Self-Assessment Checklist” for the course: “Enable students to take responsibility of their own learning by providing tools and resources that allow them to manage their own learning goals, plan learning strategies, and evaluate their progress and outcomes” and “Collaborate with students to explore and evaluate new and emerging technologies and investigate how these tools can be used to solve problems in real world environments.”

Resources:

Cramer, S. (2007, January). Update your classroom with learning objects and twenty-first century skills. Clearing House, 80(3), 126–132.

Friedman, T. (2005, April 3). It's a flat world, after all. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com

Keengwe, J., Onchwari, G., & Wachira, P. (2008). The use of computer tools to support meaningful learning. AACE Journal, 16(1), 77–92

Miners, Z., & Pascopella, A. (2007). The new literacies. District Administration, 43(10), 26–34.

November, A. (2008). Web literacy for educators. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

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

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. A report and mile guide for 21st century skills

Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Thornburg, D. (2004). Technology and education: Expectations, not options. (Executive Briefing No. 401). Retrieved from http://www.tcpdpodcast.org/briefings/expectations.pdf

Podcast: Profiling Today's Students

It is no secret that children today have access to and utilize technology like never before. Because of this interaction, students enter our classrooms with a variety of new skills and expectations. To truly find out the extent to which my students’ lives involve technology, a sample of three students were interviewed. Using the technology theme, the results of the interviews were used to create a class profile, which was then documented through podcasting. Listento my profile at http://www.podcastmachine.com/podcasts/1464/episodes/6882

Since this was my first time creating a podcast, it took some time to get use to the programs and software being used. However, now that I feel comfortable with the process, I am aware of the great potential podcasting offers to education. If you want to try it yourself, I used Audacity to record the profile and PodcastMachine to publish it. Give it a try. I think you will like it!

Dedicated to the Future

With the release of numerous reports regarding skills seen as essential in preparing students for the 21st century workforce, educators are faced with the critical decision of choosing which list of skills to follow and how to effectively implement them into the curriculum on top of covering the many state and federal requirements. After review, I have decided that The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has done a commendable job of designing a resource available to educators in need of guidance in making these critical decisions.

When accessing http://www.21stcenturyskills.org, you will find their mission to “Serve as a catalyst to position 21st century skills at the center of US K-12 education by building collaborative partnerships among education, business, community and government leaders.” It is a relief to see that they realize that educators can not do it alone; businesses and politicians must also play a vital role. Backed by today’s leading technology companies, educators can bring the globalization into the classroom.

I was surprised to see that several states have already embraced this mission and have devised plans to make it a reality. However, when trying to view the details of exactly what steps each state is taking, I find the information vague and difficult to comprehend. In addition to viewing information from the political standpoint, I would like to see the initiatives taken by individual districts and schools. If you access their report at http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/images/ stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf, some of this information is available. I believe it should also be an important part of the website.

Although there is definitely work still to be done, it is an inspiration to see that progress is being made to keep education at the same pace as the rest of the world. Responsibility will fall in the laps of both students and educators to learn the and utilize these essential skills. In addition, “We must commit to ensuring that all students have equal access to this new technological world, regardless of their economic background” (21st Century Skills, n.d., p.4). Hopefully, the valuable members of this organization will help see this through.

References:

http://www.21stcentruy skills.org

Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf

Going Green? Try Blogging!

As a tenth grade World History, Intensive Reading, and an eleventh grade Introduction to Teaching teacher, the opportunities to utilize blogs in the classroom are many. Although I am going to take Will Richardson’s (2006) advice and start small, I would like to use blogs to create historical resource pages, as discussion boards, and for online student portfolios (p.44).

With my World History class, I would most like to create a resource page or “build a body of knowledge” similar to the online textbook and study guide created by Darren’s AP Calculus class mentioned in Web Literacy for Educators. While the students are learning information and posting it to a blog, they are also creating a learning resource for other students and a reference for their future studies (November, 2008, p.84). Throughout the year, my students do a significant amount of research on historical topics that should be seen as knowledge to share with others. Going beyond just blogging, I was also impressed by Will Richardson’s (2006) suggestion to create a similar type of resource using RSS (p.82). The ability to create a webpage by posting numerous links regarding a specific topic is mind-blowing.

I also teach and Intensive Reading through World History course where we read books and work on literacy skills through the topic of history. I would most likely use blogs as a discussion board with this class. I was influenced by the example presented by Will Richardson (2006), regarding a project undertaken by his class of eleventh and twelfth grade students. They were reading The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, and through their discussion postings, created a reader’s guide, along with having virtual discussions with the author herself (p.25). My students read Copper Sun by Sharon Draper every Spring as they learn about the Atlantic Slave Trade. What a wonderful way to have students discuss the reading, demonstrate comprehension skills, and create a resource for other readers of the book. In addition, Sharon Draper has done live book talks with our school in the past and I would definitely contact her to find out if she would like to become part of the discussion.

Finally, this will be my first year teaching a class entitled Introduction to Teaching, for students who want to become teachers in the future. We all know that developing online portfolios is an important part of teacher education. Therefore, I would like to use blogs with my students for this exact purpose. As they write teaching philosophies, lessons plans, observation notes, and reflections, the blog will be a place where their work will be posted for review and as a place to store these important documents for future access.

Although these purposes can be fulfilled in other ways, blogs have the power to make assignments meaningful and are a motivator for quality. High-order thinking is a constant and writing has purpose. Powerfully stated, writing stops; blogging continues. Writing is inside; blogging is outside. Writing is monologue; blogging is conversation. Writing is thesis; blogging is synthesis . . . none of which minimizes the importance of writing” (Richardson, 2006, pg.30).

References:

November, A. (2008). Web Literacy for Educators. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Copyright 2008 by Sage Publications, Inc. Used by permission of Sage Publications, Inc.

Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wiks, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Can Technology Solve Reluctant Reading?

The year after graduating from college, I was hired to teach high school social studies. This was great! I majored in History and felt comfortable teaching my assigned World History curriculum. However, I soon found myself more than a history teacher; overnight I had also been labeled a reading teacher. Due to low state standardized test scores, all teachers were expected to teach reading skills by embedding them into the content of their subject area. As a new hire, I was also required to get my Reading Endorsement within two years to keep my job. It only took me one, but I soon found myself also teaching an Intensive Reading class. I guess you could say things changed very quickly.

As an avid reader myself, I had big plans of helping each student find a book of personal interest and begin each class with fifteen minutes of SSR. At the end of the first week, after everything appeared to be going well, I ask students to share a brief summary of their book thus far and either make a comment, share an opinion, or predict what would happen next. Within a few minutes, I learned that many of the students could not provide this information as they were simply staring at pages as if they were blank and turning them every few minutes to create a facade of reading. Luckily, no behavioral problems ever resulted from this "free" time I was giving the students everyday, however there were many missing books and stories left unread by the end of the year. I never realized so many students were so reluctant to read. I guess that explained the low test scores.

So how do we solve the problem of having reluctant readers? In the article The Best of Both Literacies, Magaret Weigel and Howard Gardner (2009) suggest that digital media is the answer. Although there is a major difference between online reading and offline reading, and many pitfalls surely need to be addressed, reading online can become an active, hands-on ways to engage students and make them responsible for their own learning. In addition to building basic reading and writing skills, "New digital media have a powerful ability to link students across time and space, capitalizing on their natural desire to socialize with peers" (Weigel & Gardner, 2009, pg. 40). To me, using computers and the Internet to interact with a text seems like a logical solution when addressing literacy issues in a technology-driven society.

Wiegel, M., Gardner, H. (2009). The best of Both Literacies. Educational Leadership,
66(6), 38-41.