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!