Even Technology Needs a Reflection

I wanted to preface this post by saying... I had absolutely no idea what to write! Finding a topic for this week's post took a good portion of the week, and I have erased and restarted my writing countless times and have stared at a white screen for far too long. Just goes to show that the post you think will be the easiest always tends to be the hardest (and the one you're most distracted from)/ Plus, it can quickly turn into something completely different than what you wanted it to be...

Normally, I would use my Learning Journal post to explore into a specific piece from our weekly learning modules, and talk about how it could have an effect on the classroom. This week, however, I decided to take a different approach and reflect on how technology is molding my classroom every day.

Some of the kids working on a class laptop

It would be safe to say that students in today's era are accustomed to learning with technology. In fact, they are the offspring of the technological boom that shook the nation in the past few decades. In my class, I see this on a daily basis... and am just starting to really understand exactly what that means for my kids. As I've said in previous posts, my classroom isn't a stranger to the realm of technology. We use it constantly with laptops and an interactive white board (not to mention the stab at Class Dojo with my phone that I dropped the ball on since I always forget to update points).

But recently, we started to push ourselves even more with what we're doing technologically. Instead of just using the white board as a display board, we play interactive Jepoardy to learn different aspects of science. We use the website Khan Academy to watch lesson videos and practice different math skills. Study Island allows my students to sharpen skills in all subjects, and play games when they get the right answer. A virtual field trip led us to EPCOT so we can learn about where energy comes from with Ellen Degeneres and Bill Nye the Science Guy, and then we followed it by going on a first-row-seat ride of a roller coaster to experience potential/kinetic energy. And today, we started with a website called MobyMax to bring extra math practice (geared specifically to that student's level) so we're ready for FCAT.

We even have our own Edmodo group now that is used as a classroom network and a place for extra homework help, as well as study tips.

Sometimes, I actually find myself feeling overwhelmed with the increase of technology we use. But, EME5050 has really had me reach out past just using the curriculum to help my students. Now, they are able to really feel engaged in their learning. They take a sense of ownership, and ask what new things they can do next. Their brains are reaching out for the next challenge, whether it be a review game for the next test or a virtual lab to see how static electricity affects a balloon.

What's next in the education technology department though? All of these resources are being used with students, but how can we make sure it is having the right effect on them that we want? That part, personally, I'm still working on with my class. I want them to get the most out of what I can offer them, but I don't want there to be so many things that they become overwhelmed and it goes over their heads. Especially as we head into FCAT crunch time and these kids need to really buckle down to prepare.

For me, I think it's time I try to calm the technology waters and get them used to certain programs/skills - I don't want to throw anymore in there and make a tech storm that they can't handle.

Any experience in this and how to effectively continue to introduce students to technology without overwhelming them? Or to find the right balance for what works with their learning level?

The BYOD Stalemate

"Technology is the future of education and the school systems." I feel like this is a truth that is constantly thrown into the faces of teachers on more than a daily basis. The push for technology integration is in such high demand that teachers are bending over backwards to make sure that there are multiple types of technologically advanced moments in each part of the lesson plan. Students are interacting with SmartBoards, using laptops to practice math skills starting in Kindergarten, and making their own YouTube videos at the Elementary level. Not a single one of my students in 5th grade is without at least a cell phone in their lives, and most of them have laptops and iPads to go along with it. Not to mention e-readers, iPods, and many other gadgets that they stay glued to throughout the day. And they aren't allowed to use these in the classroom due to, for a lack of better term, quality control.

"iphone" by jgarin on flickr

CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jgarin/8189626137

With all of the available apps and QR codes out there, wouldn't it be spectacular to actually be able to let all students use these resources? Yearly, more school districts are adopting a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy for students, allowing them to bring their phone or iPad in to do work on as long as they adhere to the rules set by the school district. No discriminating sites. No games. Many districts have even created a separate wireless network for students so they don't "hog" the network from the teachers. There's a lot of information found online about how to implement and incorporate BYOD in the school setting, such as this article from Scholastic.

One of the biggest red flags with BYOD comes from cheating - giving students the access to any information they could care for at all hours of the school day also gives them a larger chance to pull said information at any time during class. Including during a test or while writing a paper. And teachers can push the "it's wrong to do that" as much as they want, but when push comes to shove and that student is feeling stressed from an answer that they swear they know, will they take a guess or will they just do a quick phone peek? 

As an educator, I myself am torn on the idea of students bringing in their own equipment. I am learning to incorporate our set of 7 class laptops into daily instruction, and have recently created an Edmodo group for my kids to connect with me out of school (at their request, too)... but I am also very quick to take any electronic away from them the moment I see it. I scared one of my students one day by snatching up a blue device right out of her hands since it was out in the middle of instruction time. It ended up only being a calculator, but it looked so realistic to an iPhone that I panicked, not wanting the school leadership to catch one of my students with a piece of contraband in their hands. 

I worry constantly about what my students are sending to one another on their phones without them being allowed in class - my kiddos can be very sensitive, so the smallest bit of name calling is a top-notch bully issue to them. Imagine how that would increase if they had their phones consistently within their reach. Any time someone got an answer wrong, I could just see a "that was stupid" text getting sent to them and World War III being set off. 

However, I would love to have them have iPads in my classroom. I feel so much could be accomplished! It would really improve small group instruction, and allow them to react more hands-on with the material. 

Is it right to have them banned from school? Honestly, I believe that actually changes based on the classroom. Yes, there are many many many perks attached to being able to get students technologically tuned in, but what some consider the "ethical" stand point (I see it as just plain common sense) needs to be weighed in too. 

I'm at a stalemate with my decision, and the more I search BYOD, the stronger that stalemate becomes. 

What do you think would be the most beneficial/harmful aspect of having students bring their own devices?

Insta-Classroom

Social networking is at it's height in the World Wide Web. Facebook, blog sites, Twitter, Tumblr, YouTube. They are all sites that individuals use to connect with others under the same interests all over the world. Thanks to advances in technology, that connection is easier to make on a daily basis. Many educators in the field are doing what they can to use some of this technology to their advantage, especially in the blogging sphere. One can find out many inside tricks to the trade by searching for their perspective grades, including stories from the front about how students react to lessons. To enhance these posts, many use another networking site that is becoming a forefront for both young and old alike to use. 

Image Credit taken from http://sjsdblogs.com/coughlin/files/2013/07/Screen-shot-2013-07-31-at-10.20.11-AM-1shenpo.png

Instagram is a public hosting website for uploaded phone photos that can be instantly edited with filters to change color, size, and clarity. Users are able to find pictures by searching for hashtags of specific topics - like #dogsofinstagram or #intheclassroom. With it's popularity, as well as my students' innate ability of finding my personal Instagram (which has pictures of gifts they have given, and too many Disney shots to count), I couldn't help but wonder how I could use this tool to enhance education for my students?  

A very brief Google search led me to a great article by Hannah Hudson (found here) that gave 10 excellent ideas of how to use Instagram in the classroom. I thought the neatest one that I would certainly enjoy participating in was #5 - a character in fiction's use of Instagram (Hudson, 2013). Hudson gives the suggestion to have students and the teacher both find/create pictures that famous fictional characters - like Harry Potter - would post on their own Instagram. This idea and others has given me a base of where I could start if I were to implement Instagram posts as a supplemental, fun way to enhance reading instruction.

In another, shorter article, Ian Jukes (2013) gives ways to use Instagram to enhance instructional time. One that really intrigued me was having students take pictures of parallel lines for a part of a math unit. His article can be found here.  

As with many other social networking sites, teachers need to follow serious netiquette when interacting with their students and posting things on their profiles. It is, after all, a public hosting site. As a teacher, certain presence needs to be upheld, and students need to do the same with their accounts as well. 

My brief search around the inter-webs led to some valuable information that I feel I could use if/when I decide to incorporate this technology with my current 5th graders. However, for those who have already found me, I believe my first post will be from the viewpoint of the current hero we are reading about - Bradley Chalkers from There's a Boy in the Girl's Bathroom. 

References

Hudson, H. (2013, July 22). 10 Ways to Use Instagram in the Classroom. Retrieved from: http://www.weareteachers.com/community/blogs/weareteachersblog/blog-wat/2013/07/22/10-ways-to-use-instagram-in-the-classroom

Jukes, I. (2013, November 5). How to use instagram in the classroom. Retrieved from: http://fluency21.com/blog/2013/11/05/how-to-use-instagram-in-the-classroom/. 

An Excuse Against Technology - Is There Such a Thing?

Note: Hello EME5050 class! Welcome to my "teacher blog". I'm a huge blog lurker of others that talk about what works in their classrooms, and what cute crafts they made to use for their students... so I made this blog just before the New Year! So, if you look outside of the Learning Journal posts, you will see things specific to my classroom - maybe something I've made for them, or a lesson that we did that day, etc. There's no need for you to have to look if you don't like, but you're more than welcome to check out the other parts of my blog. :)
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There's no question that we live in a society run by technology, and yet day after day people make countless excuses to not learn/use the tech in their lives. Teachers seem to be the worst.

"It takes away from instruction."

"My students will be too distracted by the ads."

"I just don't have the time."

Principal Bill Powers made a post dealing with the very topic almost a year ago (on this particular blogger's birthday no less!). In it he brings up both sides of the argument involving technology, then poses the question "what do you think/believe?"

To answer Powers' question, you have to think about how much technology is integrated into life on a daily basis. For instance, I am currently writing on an Internet journal system (known as a blog) on one laptop, while my other laptop is hooked up to the TV and I'm streaming an episode of one of my favorite shows (Veronica Mars).  I am also checking in with my students while they study for a Science test in Weather and the Water Cycle on studyisland.com. My boyfriend is next to me on his laptop doing class work/playing on Facebook. Between us, there sit two iPhones that are consistently checked. And that's just one specific moment.

During the day, the students in my class and I work with eight different laptops, a SmartBoard, a document camera, and my phone, which is constantly used to track "Class Dojo" points (if you don't know what that is, check it out here. My kids love it, and it makes for a great class management system!). Being able to put grades into a system that automatically calculates averages and has attendance automatically attached to it has worked wonders for being a first year teacher.

My team mates? Not so much. They complain often about not being able to do it just hand written, and about having to integrate any type of technology into their lessons. For them, it takes too much time to find the sources that can be helpful in the lessons.

But is that an excuse? To not have enough time?

My personal opinion is that no, it is not.

Educators these days are teaching to a room full of digital students that are used to having multiple technological outputs running data through their brains. Having the constant connection to just the Internet alone allows students to have access to a vast array of information that they can understand on their own terms. They can pull up any facts they want about their favorite singer, movie, or video game.

If students are able to work quickly to understand information they read online, why not use that to a teacher's advantage? If an educator's purpose is to ensure that all students master the material needed for that grade, why not let them learn using a tool that they don't only know but love?

When I was a student in elementary school, it was unheard of for a teacher to have a computer in their room. Now, we have eight in my classroom. Every year, technology charges through change, and students are charging right along with it.

So, is there an excuse to not join the technological movement? Is it okay to sit back and say "I just don't have the time," even if that site you could come across would be beneficial?

Not if you want your students to be given the best opportunity to learn.


Resources
Powers, B. (2013) Why 'I don't have time for technology' is No Longer Excusable. Retrieved from http://www.edudemic.com/i-dont-have-time-for-technology/

Shelly, G., et al (2012). Integrating Technology in a Connected World. Boston, MA: Course Technology, CENGAGE Learning