TakeAways 3/10

Bit coin? The internet community is much more heirarchical and legitamate than I thought. Even websites like Wikipedia, which I thought of as sort of a "free for all" have a system of moitoring and editing that keep them up to date valid. Looks like even those of us who are digital natives have some immigrating to do towards true digital literacy.

Chapter 5 Reflections - ICT & 21st Century Literacy

In Chapter Five, Maloy et. al discuss the changing face of ICT and 21st Century Literacies. ICT literacy, or information and communication technology literacy, refers to the "ability to use digital information, communication tools, and networks appropriately to solve information problems in order to function in an information society" (Maloy et al, p115).  NCTE uses a similar description of 21st century - "proficiency with technology tools, the ability to build relationships and solve problems collaboratively, the capability to design and share information, the capacity to analyze and evaluate information from multiple sources, and the ability to handle information in ethical ways" (Maloy et al, p117). No matter how you describe it, it seems education communities across the country and around the world recognize the importance of digital literacy. 

A recent Education Week article highlighted the changing views of digital literacy.  (As an aside, if you don't follow @educationweek on Twitter, you should. They post multiple free articles and blogs each day providing commentary and real-time updates on issues in American education...that's how I came across this article). No longer an elective or enrichment program, policy makers and district superintendents across the country are pushing for more teacher-training and implementation of computer science. Computer science education, which they describe as more of the 'back-end' programming and troubleshooting of technology, has become so mainstream that seventeen states and the District of Columbia are allowing their students to take computer science in lieu of mathematics or science credit. In many ways, these three disciples adopt Jonassen's Constructivist  Learning Theory - manipulation of the environment, articulation of what they have learned, and reflection on what they did (Jonassen, 7). This is not to say that all states are on board, of course.  Striking disparities do exist between the exposure and availability of such courses across geographical and racial demographics.  College Board reported, for example, that in 2013 there were 11 states where not a single African American student took the AP Computer Science exam and 8 states in which not a single Hispanic student took the exam. There were also three states where less then ten students TOTAL (across all racial demographics) took the exam.  So of course, there's a long way to go, but the ball has clearly started rolling.  

Check out the full text Education Week article HERE. 

Questions for the Group: 
1. What is your main source of information regarding current events in American and global education? Are there any reliable blogs or publications you recommend? 

2.In your experience, as a student or as a teacher, was computer science education offered in your school? Was it an elective course or could it count towards math/science credit as described in the article? 

TakeAways from 2/24

In tonight's class we saw three examples of integrated technoloy lessons and assignments. In these examples, technology wasn't just the "icing on the cake," but a key componment in how student's expressed their understandings and learnings. This seems to be a very authentic way to demonstrate growth and learning as students are able to connect in visual, auditory, and linguistic ways.  Some included short prose in their work, and their vocabulary and sytax was very converstational.  This aided in the sense that it gave solid insight into the understandings of the high school students, but I couldn't help but think how those words would be recieved had they been on an exam or paper. I'm seeing a big disconnect between these projects and the realities of American high school students.

WebQuest Idea

For this third-grade task, students will rewrite a classic fable, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, in light of his/her own cultural tradition.  Students may select one culture to focus on (ie:Korean), or include aspects of several cultures (ie: Italian-American). The protagonist will have a name representative of the culture(s) chosen as well as home furnishings, foods, and clothing appropriate to the culture. The WebQuest portion of the task will allow students to gather information about traditional aspects of the culture(s) chosen.

This task will address the following third-grade standards as outline by the Common Core: 

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.6 With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with others.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.2 Recount stories, including fables, folktales, and myths from diverse cultures; determine the central message, lesson, or moral and explain how it is conveyed through key details in the text.

Chapter 2 & 3 Reflections

Prensky's claim that millennials "learn differently" is still bouncing around my head.  (Check out the article HERE) He implies that students today, the "millennials" or "digital natives" should taught with frequent opportunities for multi-tasking, and parallel processing, as well as random-access to information.  I agree these conditions all exist in millennials web browsing, social media networking, and game play, but should these conditions become the hallmarks of classrooms? Maloy, et al. seem to think not. 

Chapter two explores a "new science of learning" which emphasizes active student engagement and a focus on metacognitive thinking to build student-centered approaches to thinking. As a recent graduate with a BS in Education, this isn't "new" to me, but rather was the focus of must of my coursework and case-study.  Maloy, et al. further emphasize that this is not a willy-nilly approach to education.  Such an approach must be carefully planned to allow students to "construct new knowledge and understandings based on what they know" (p33). "When connections exist between the known and the new," she continues, "learners are better able to contextualize new information, and in some cases, make the intellectual leap to new understandings" (p33).  That to me, sounds like the opposite of Prensky's claim. In this active learning approach, students are making gains because they have solid foundations on which to build, not because they have lots of misjointed data. 

For the past several years, the New York Times has been running articles which examine digital schools and classrooms, emphasizing as Maloy, et al. does, that it is not enough to simply have the technology in the classroom.  Educators must use the technology as a tool to target students at their current levels of achievement and build on that new information to make further gains...very student-centered and "active learning" focused! A 2012 NYT article examines Mooresville School District in North Carolina. This school utilizes individualized software modules during math instruction, allowing teachers to portion out their time based on the needs of students, without dragging other students behind or ahead in the shuffle.  Check it out HERE. 

Two questions for the group: 

1. If you read the linked NYT article, why do you think Mooresville Schools District has been so successful with their integration of technology? Why are they considered the model for this approach to education? 

2. Chapter three explores two types of planning: starting with the means (learning objectives) and starting with the ends (enduring understandings).  In you planning, which way do you find most beneficial. 

TakeAways from 2/10

Tonight we further explored the concept of an "E-Teacher."  An E-teacher is one that can seamlessly integrate technologies with their own instruction.  Technology shouldn't be the "icing on the cake" as when you are asked to type a response after handwriting it, but rather as an ingredient in the cake.  The technology should aide in allowing students to gather, analyze, and present information.

In preparing for next week's blog post, Dr. Chen asked us to integrate information from outside the textbook and our own experiences to include news and ideas from the web.  In this way she is encouraging us to make our blogs not just the "icing," but a key ingredient on our journey to be E-teachers.

Chapter 1 Reflections

I would like to highlight two points that most prominently resonated with me from Chapter 1. The first addresses "Generation M" - children who have grown up using computers, the internet, and other media.  In my first years teaching, it astonishes me how technologically savvy my kindergarten students are.  All of them know how to open and manipulate apps on the iPad.  They can raise or lower the volume, recognize when it needs to be recharged, and plug it in to recharge totally independently.  On the other hand, I have several classic CD players with headsets for the students to listen to books on CD.  They needed significant instruction on how to operate these devices and had no idea how to problem solve issues that arose! How indicative of the type of media these youngsters have been exposed to! 

When the SmartBoard isn't functioning properly, they offer a myriad of suggestions: "Ms. Spitz is it plugged in?" "I think you need to press the dots again (referencing the calibration feature)" "What about the light? Is that on? (referencing the projector)" "Maybe the internet stopped working." Their suggestions demonstrate that they have an understanding of this technology that goes beyond simple manipulation of it, but they have a deeper understanding of how it works.  They know it has to be plugged into the wall for electrivity, that it must be connected to a projector, that there is a way to calibrate it, and that the internet it's connected to reaches beyond our classroom! All that at the ages of five and six! Unbelievable!

The second point that resonated with me is the idea of "Web 2.0" - tools that connect educators and students across the country and around the world! During my undergraduate work in Boston, I spent time in several elementary classrooms for observation and student teaching.  From these experiences, I gained insight into different classroom set ups and routines. But, perhaps more influential than those classrooms, are the classrooms I saw through pictures and descriptions online through Pinterest, Blogs, and various educational websites.  These experiences of Web 2.0 allowed me to not only see and read about classrooms, but to comment and interact virtually with the teacher in that room as well as other educators who left comments! My grade partner and I wanted to do an author study about Laura Neumeroff, who wrote "If You Give a Mouse A Cookie."  Do you know the first thing we did after selecting the Common Core Standards we wanted to address...check Pinterest! There we got ideas from literally hundreds of teachers around the world instantly. Some offered pictures of finished bulletin boards, free downloadable templates for writing paper, free downloadable graphic organizers, etc. You can't ask for more collaboration than that! 

Web 2.0 has been invaluable to me as a beginning teacher in terms of ideas for classroom setup and management, individual remediation strategies and support, and until plan ideas. How great it is to be a part of such a wide-reaching education community! 

A few questions to share with the group: 

1. In my elementary school experience, learning how to touch-type was an important part of computer class; the speed and accuracy of your electronic writing capabilities were graded just like handwriting was! From my conversations with other educators, this type of instruction has largely been phased out and replaced with web quests and other interactive games during computer class. What has been your experience? Is this the right direction to head? 

2. Chapter 1 discusses technology as a way to "motivate and engage students," do you agree? Or with students of Generation M being so exposed to technology at home, does technology become the norm and loose it's engaging quality?