Reflecting on the Impact of Technology in Education

Reflecting on the Impact of Technology in Education

In order to effectively teach 21st Century learners, today’s teachers must develop technology skills that utilize Web 2.0 tools such as blogging, podcasting, and wikis. Before this course, I had very limited experience blogging. Like many people I have a Facebook account, I occasionally “tweet” on Twitter, and I view videos produced on YouTube, but I still consider myself a novice at creating and consuming information on the read and write web. This course has given me the opportunity to start my own blog, develop a podcast, and work on an instructional wiki space with others. These experiences have opened my eyes to the many possibilities that exist in using Web 2.0 applications in the classroom. I realize that the future is now. Students can now use the Internet not just for research and surfing purposes, but for collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, cross-cultural understanding, communication, computing, and career and learning self-reliance (Trillig, 2005). I am learning how my role as a teacher in the 21st Century is shifting to facilitating and guiding students through the learning process because the amount of information students have at their fingertips requires a new paradigm through which to learn.
I have learned that as a professional educator and someone involved in the schooling process that I must change my approach to the teaching and learning process because of the impact of technology. Many students become jaded in today’s schools because administrators and teachers ask them to “power down” in the classroom (Prensky, 2008). Students are asked to turn off their cell phones and ipods, and use their limited time with computers in school, according to Thornburg to “do things differently” not to “do different things” (Laureate Education Inc., 2008). Students after school lives are very technologically rich, yet their exposure to useful meaningful technology in school can be severely and unnecessarily restricted because schools and teachers are hanging on to 20th Century methods that are losing effectiveness with today’s 21st Century-digital native learners. Educators must learn to embrace these new technologies to prepare students for the future. Web 2.0 tools are making learning more relevant, meaningful, and engaging. In this Information Age students have the potential to take their education to unfathomable heights, as Friedman notes, “Anyone with smarts, internet access, and a cheap wireless laptop can invent.” (Friedman, 2005). It is our job as teachers to develop the kind of “smarts” through 21st Century Skills that will enable students to maximize their potential as life-long learners.

To become life-long learners students must develop 21st Century Skills. These skills go far beyond the 3 R’s of reading, writing, and arithmetic (Trillig, 2005). In today’s digital world a new set of skills requires a new approach to the classroom. Thornburg relates that the teacher-centered, direct-instruction, one-size fits all approach to schooling, no longer meets the needs of digital learners in the post-industrial world (Laureate Education, Inc, 2008). I am learning that I need to give students opportunities to wrestle with meaning through critical thinking, and generate new ideas by giving them the opportunity to create artifacts that show evidence of higher order thinking. I also need to provide students with opportunities to collaborate and have meaningful discussions about the material. That is a fundamental reason why blogs, wikis, and podcasting are so effective for meeting the needs of today’s learners. A learner-centered environment also frees the teacher from having to know everything which means the teacher becomes more of a model-learner, a guide to help students figure things out for themselves.
As a model-learner, I will need to stay current on how to use effectively use new technologies in the classroom. It is necessary for me to expand my knowledge by reading and contributing to educational blogs, wikis, and podcasts. I must model taking academic risks by experimenting with new teaching strategies involving technology on a regular basis. I will need to attend workshops, seminars, and webinars to make sure that I am up to date on new advancements in technology pertaining to education. I also must carefully observe the natural ways that students are learning after-school, and play an active role in determining how best to use cell-phones, mp3 players, and even video games to better facilitate student learning.

Transforming the classroom into a 21st Century learning environment is no small task; goals must be set in order for significant change to be achieved. The first goal I have is to advocate for more computers in the social studies classroom. My school has a mobile computer lab of 30 laptops to be shared by an entire social studies department of about 12 teachers. In order to blog, podcast, and work on wikis in the classroom, students must have access to the Internet and computers. I will need to be a technology advocate in department meetings, and petition the administration and school board for more monies to be spent on computers for student use. This may mean I need to apply for a grant. A good start might be to have 5-10 laptops in each classroom so that students can use them to work in small groups, or take turns creating and researching content on Web 2.0. The next goal I have is to make a classroom blog. I am still in the process of deciding whether to make this mandatory for all students (because some may not have computer access at home) or as an alternative assignment. In order to make it mandatory, I will need to work with the library and computer lab staff to ensure that students have adequate time to do their work before or after school. An overarching goal for me is to continue develop a coherent learner-centered teaching style that achieves balance in meeting the needs of today’s digital natives while at the same time recognizing the realities of the school system, which includes high-stakes, standards-based district assessments that do not always take into consideration the way technology is having on impact on education, work, and society.

References:

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Technology and society [Motion Picture]. In Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore: Author.

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

Prensky, M. (2008, March). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40–45.

Trilling, B. (2005). Towards learning societies and the global challenges for learning with ICT. TechForum.

Adventures in Podcasting

I am learning how to podcast. You can check out my first attempt at

http://paulwmcvey.podbean.com/2009/10/11/adolescent-technology-usage/

I am podcasting about the use of technology by high school students. I conducted a survey of a classroom and interviewed students to shed light on how technology is changing the way students learn.

21st Century Skills

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has a very admirable mission: “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”. This organization is effectively meeting its goal. The Partnership works with public entities (U.S. Department of Education and state department of education) and many private corporations (including, Apple, Microsoft, Verizon, Ford and Walt Disney) to make their vision a reality. It is remarkable how the government and competing private corporations can come together in the name of improving education.

South Dakota, where I currently reside, is one of eleven states P21 Leadership States that officially and strategically implements 21st Century Skills into every aspect of their educational program. As a classroom teacher, I am required by my district and the State of South Dakota to integrate 21st Century Skills into every lesson I teach. This has not been very difficult to do, because the 21st Century Skills are broad in scope and can be readily applied to any teaching situation. In fact, good teaching, anywhere, and at anytime will include aspects of the 21st Century Skills. What educational program does not seek to work on the skills of communication, problem solving, innovating, finding and evaluating information, problem solving, analytical thinking, and collaboration?

That is the biggest (and only) qualm I have with the 21st Century Skills. By attaching “21st Century” before their program, the Partnership makes it sound like these skills are new and this is a ground-breaking change in educational thought and practice. While the 21st Century Skills program is both valuable and effective, it appears that good educators have included these skills throughout history. While technology has changed, people have not. If in the past collaboration, problem solving, analytical thinking, etc. were not a valued skill set in education, that just shows how things have improved and how misguided educational efforts in industrial society may have been. I am most impressed with how the Partnership emphasizes working together to make society better through education. I cannot believe how many different “big name” groups have supported this program. This emphasis on collaboration and shared responsibility has had a ripple effect on students and teachers.

Students, now more than ever, are asked to work together to solve problems. Learning is becoming increasingly social and driven by student engagement on meaningful topics. Teachers, now more than ever, are working in professional collaboration groups to enhance curriculum, instruction, and assessment, and to hold each other accountable in effectively delivering and guiding students through 21st Century Skills. Significant change in education does not happen by accident. It takes many people working together to organize and transmit ideas in fresh-new ways. The Partnership of 21st Century skills is preparing teachers and students to succeed in a changing world.

Resources:
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. www.21stcenturyskills.org

Blogging as a Learning Tool

I teach high school sociology and world history. Last year I experimented with a classroom blog, and I would like to try it again. I have noticed that when I lead the class in an oral discussion, I get limited participation. Most of my students to do not participate even though I know each one has a valuable perspective on a given topic.

I think blogs provide a forum for every student to have their voice heard. Often in social studies classrooms when students write, the only person that reads their work is the teacher. They are writing for an audience of one. The quality of student work improves when they know that their peers and potentially anyone in the world could read their thoughts. Blogs are done anonymously so it gives students the freedom to say what they think without the fear of embarrassment or ridicule.

I wonder how much class time should be dedicated to blogging. Should blogging be something students do at home, in class, or a little bit of both? Because internet access is essential to blogging, it also means that while students are blogging, they also have access to the treasure trove of resources that is the www. This encourages students to research.

I believe that blogging also holds teachers accountable to devise and deliver sound lesson plans. If all stakeholders involved in the education process can view and participate in the virtual classroom, it means teachers are constantly being evaluated, perhaps more than ever. This is a good thing because, it forces teachers to be prepared, but the increased need to update the blog and or classroom website can lead to stress and fatigue in the already busy lives of teachers. Sadly, many classroom and school websites are not updated frequently enough.

Teachers who use blogging in the classroom need to ready to manage this monster that they are creating. Blogs are exciting and effective learning tools, but teachers need to let the blogs work for them, and not work for the blogs. Blogs, like other Web 2.0 tools, are so dynamic that they can take on a life of their own; the challenge is to manage the monster’s life so that it is positive, productive, and focused on learning.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. The inspiration for the name of the blog comes from a quote by John Wooden, "Make each day your masterpiece." I will use this blog as a forum to reflect on the things that I am learning in order to help others (and myself) reach their fullest potential. I am attempting to get a masters degree in education; this blog will serve as a valuable tool in that process. I hope to explore all of the potential of this blog in helping me enjoy the journey of becoming a "master" teacher and learner.

Paul W. McVey