The infusion of technology in our society is having a profound effect on every aspect of our lives. It is virtually impossible to find a corner that is not influenced by the use of it, and yet we continue to remain prejudiced towards its presence in the classroom. Instead of taking advantage of the students’ technological connections, “…schools have decided that all the light that surrounds kids – that is, their electronic connections to the world – is somehow detrimental to their education” (Prensky, 2008, p. 42). My own education about various ways to use these tools in the classroom has changed my perspective on the role of the teacher. Teachers should no longer remain instructors or providers of information. Instead, they should “…take on the roles of explainer, context provider, meaning maker, and evaluator/coach” (Prensky, 2008, p. 45). Richardson says that “by inviting students to become active participants in the design of their own learning, we [can] teach them how to be active participants in their lives and future careers” (2009, p. 133).
Before January, I had certainly heard of blogs, had looked at a couple of them, had even know someone who wrote her own. I had also subscribed to a couple of podcasts that I listened to on my iPod while walking. I must admit, though, that I had no idea what a wiki was…didn’t even realize that Wikipedia was an on-going, collaborative creation. Eight weeks later, I have started my own blog, participated (though weakly) in the shared construction of a wiki, and recorded my own podcast that I posted to my blog. While these may sound like small feats to someone tech-savvy, one must realize that I came into this course a digitally-illiterate individual. I was resistant to admit that the classroom needed to be changed and the curriculum adapted. My perspective is far different now and I find myself looking for ways to utilize these tools of the 21st century into my classes. I am now getting my students into the computer lab at school at least once a week to ensure they spend time on the computer doing more than just social networking. Instead of sitting at their desks writing, I am making sure they are utilizing the tools of the computer and learning how to navigate their way through a document. According to Dr. Thornburg, this is only “doing the same thing differently”, but it does allow students exposure to the skills they will need (2004).
Aside from just doing the same work in a different format, I am also adjusting what I am having my students do. In the past, I have had my students respond in writing to a prompt and turn in their papers for a grade. I was the only audience, and that was simply for the grade I would hand down. Now, I am posting the prompt online through a threaded discussion and not only having the students respond to my post, but also to one of their peers. They must also search online for information and sources to back up, or support, their responses. This creates a new genre that Richardson says “…could be called ‘connective writing,’ a form that forces those who do it to read carefully and critically, that demands clarity and cogency in its construction, that is done for a wide audience, and that links to the sources of the ideas expressed” (2009, p. 28). He goes on to say that this connective writing “…requires critical thinking skills as [students] consider their audience and clarify the purpose of the writing (2009, p. 29). I believe my students will gain expertise not only in their literacy skills, but in their ability to “navigate the World Wide Web, locate information, evaluate it critically, synthesize it and communicate it – all skills that are becoming vital to success in this century’s economy and workforce” (Miners & Pascopella, 2007, p.27).
Besides these adaptations to my classroom instruction, I also plan to integrate the use of a wiki as a way for my students to collaborate on a project. In the past I have had my students create a scrapbook based on a character from a novel we read in class. This year I would like to put the students into groups and have them create the scrapbook using a wiki, a venue that “allows [them] to work together on a single piece of writing or a body of work” (November, 2008, p. 90). Because I am still hesitant about using a wiki, this project will be an experimental one, but one I hope to learn from and gain knowledge in. I am, however, reassured by Richardson who states that, as teachers, “…we can’t pretend to know everything any more….” Instead, we must become “…true collaborators….and begin to see [ourselves] more as learners alongside [our] students” (2009, p. 136). If I wait until I am an expert in using these tools, they may never get integrated into my curriculum. By learning with my students, I am also modeling a lifelong learner, something I wish for each of them to become. One more goal I have for my classroom is to begin more communication with my students and their parents through a page I have created on our school website. It is simple called “Mrs. Eidson’s page” as it was set up by the school’s webmaster, and right now only has links to the Student Discussion Forums, a blog I am starting about the novel we are currently reading, and a calendar, but I would like to begin using it to post podcasts created by me for assignments, or by students for projects they have done. I would also like to utilize email for students to submit work, and to communicate more effectively with students who are absent or have questions about assignments. I am already doing this with parents, but have not used this with students. To implement this, my students must have an email address, something I have requested them to have available in the near future.
Wikipedia says that learning is acquiring new knowledge, behaviors, skills, values, or preferences (Learning- Wikipedia, 2010), while another source claims that it is any improvement in behavior, information, knowledge, understanding, attitude, values or skills (Ali, 2007). If these hold true, then learning has been at the forefront of activity in my life these past eight weeks. Even without these definitions to back me up, I can attest that I have learned more (and enjoyed it!) during the current course than any other schooling I have participated in. Who knew that by embracing the very components that our schools are working so hard at resisting, we could open up a portal for our students to connect to school, the educational system, and actual learning.
Jane Eidson
7th grade Language Arts
References
Ali, S. (2007). Dictionary of education: Language of teaching and learning. -: Authorhouse.
Learning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved February 28, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learning
Miners, Z., & Pascopella, A. (2007). The new literacies. District administration, 43(10), 26–34.
Used by permission. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
November, A. (2008). Web literacy for educators. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Copyright 2008 by Sage Publications, Inc. Used by permission of Sage. Retrieved January 13, 2010.
Prensky, M. (2008, March). Turning on the lights. Educational Leadership, 65(6), 40–45.
Database:Academic Search Premier database. Accession Number: 31926035. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
Richardson, W. (2008). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (Second Ed ed.). California: Corwin Press Inc.,U.S..
Thornburg, D. (2004). Technology and education: Expectations, not options. (Executive Briefing No. 401). Retrieved January 12, 2010, from http://www.tcpdpodcast.org/briefings/expectations.pdf.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Our Digital Natives are Restless
I just found out that I'm an immigrant...a digital immigrant, that is. But if the truth be told, I am probably more of a digital illiterate than anything else. That's okay...I am in an TSL class now, so I will someday be speaking the language with the natives, though I will probably always have an accent that will give me away. Oh, the TSL stands for Technology as a Second Language.
This wouldn't be such a problem if I weren't facing a room full of digital natives every day that were restless. Prensky (2001) has coined these terms because our students today have grown up in a world full of technology; they have been playing video games since they were toddlers; most have never had to talk on a phone that was attached to a wall with a cord connecting them to it. The internet has always been there for them and they have had a student ID and password that allowed them to log-on to the internet at school since they were in first grade. They are digital natives and adapt to technology with an ease that I will never know. That leaves me feeling like an immigrant with no language skills trying to teach the native children how to read and write in their own language. Scary thought!
Because I am taking the initiative to learn what I can about the available technology and how to incorporate it into my classroom, my students are going to have an advantage over many others. This will take time and a lot of trial and error, but every little step we take will mean a gain in my expertise and a gain in their preparation for the world they are getting ready to face.
Before I could really begin, though, I needed to find out where my students were in regards to availability and usage of this technology. I chose three students at random to interview, asking about the time they spent utilizing the different formats, their comfort with internet research, and the availability in their own homes and school. These were seventh grade students, two in my own classes, and one in another school in my town. Please listen to the podcast to get a general idea of what these students have available, and how they use these tools.
Reference
Marc Prensky. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6. Retrieved February 7, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1074252411).
This wouldn't be such a problem if I weren't facing a room full of digital natives every day that were restless. Prensky (2001) has coined these terms because our students today have grown up in a world full of technology; they have been playing video games since they were toddlers; most have never had to talk on a phone that was attached to a wall with a cord connecting them to it. The internet has always been there for them and they have had a student ID and password that allowed them to log-on to the internet at school since they were in first grade. They are digital natives and adapt to technology with an ease that I will never know. That leaves me feeling like an immigrant with no language skills trying to teach the native children how to read and write in their own language. Scary thought!
Because I am taking the initiative to learn what I can about the available technology and how to incorporate it into my classroom, my students are going to have an advantage over many others. This will take time and a lot of trial and error, but every little step we take will mean a gain in my expertise and a gain in their preparation for the world they are getting ready to face.
Before I could really begin, though, I needed to find out where my students were in regards to availability and usage of this technology. I chose three students at random to interview, asking about the time they spent utilizing the different formats, their comfort with internet research, and the availability in their own homes and school. These were seventh grade students, two in my own classes, and one in another school in my town. Please listen to the podcast to get a general idea of what these students have available, and how they use these tools.
Reference
Marc Prensky. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants Part 1. On the Horizon, 9(5), 1-6. Retrieved February 7, 2010, from ProQuest Education Journals. (Document ID: 1074252411).
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