The birth of the Internet has changed the way we think, learn and live. Prensky describe a "digital native" as one that was born after the birth in 1983 (Prensky, 2001). That leaves me as a "digital immigrant." As a digital immigrant, I have found that I struggle to learn what comes natural to my students. During this course, I have learned new skills and how to tie them to content and learning in my classroom.
Over the past eight weeks, I have developed my technology skills. I have learned how to create and integrate the use of wikis and blogs into my personal life. A wiki space is a great place to organize Christmas wish lists for those distant relatives. Blogs are a great place to communicate thoughts and schedules for church. I have worked to develop the art of collaboration with my classmates as we completed assignments for this course. I have been able to build a network of resources with other teachers from other parts of the country. As I completed this course, I realized that my students are missing some of the experiences that I have encountered for the past eight weeks. "It wasn't until I fully understood how these technologies can facilitate global connections and conversations around my own passions, how they could help me create powerful learning networks and communities, that I was able to see what needed to change in terms of my curriculum and my teaching" (Richardson, 2009). My growth in technology use has fostered my desire to give my students the same enriching experiences that I have encountered in my personal life.
I will continue to grow my knowledge of technology with the intent of increasing student achievement. "Learning is what most adults will do in the 21st Century" (Trilling, 2005). My students were born into a digital society and are ready to be engaged in a classroom in ways that they understand. "Our students today are all native speakers of the digital language of computers, video games and the Internet" (Prensky, 2001). I need to continue to be a lifelong learner of web 2.0 tools in the classroom. As I develop lessons for my students, I will collaborate with other teachers online, participate in webinars, and finish my master's degree to increase my knowledge and ease of these tools. As I prepare lessons, I will integrate these tools and link my content standards with those of NETS (Profiles for Technology (ICT) Literate Students)to engage my "native speakers" so they can master content.
Within two years from now, I would like my classroom to be transformed into a 21st Century classroom. One of my goals is to knock down the walls of my classroom. My students will no longer be limited to the knowledge of a paper textbook. The last step of the scientific method is to communicate results. They will share with an audience that is much larger than the classroom their thoughts and results about science labs using a class blog. The students will defend and challenge their ideas. The use of blogs will create an environment where the students can become experts in a particular topic (Richardson, 2009). Students will have a greater resource for building knowledge while fostering higher-order thinking.
The second goal is to empower my students in their own learning. My students will create and maintain a class wiki space. They will work collaboratively to decide the relevance and correctness of the information being posted. "It's a very democratic process of knowledge creation" (Richardson, 2009). Students will be practicing the art of collaboration and "constructionism" (Laureate Education, 2008). The wiki space will be the final project of their collaborative efforts.
As the trend of technology increases in the world, my classroom needs to catch up with the times. My students need to be prepared for the future work place where collaboration and shared projects are required. "The playing field is being leveled" (Friedman, 2005) and my students need to learn in a way that engages them so that they can grow to become productive and competitive members in the workplace.
References:
Friedman, T. (2005, April 3). It's a flat world, after all. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). 2008.Transforming the Classroom Part 1.[Motion picture]. Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society. Baltimore: Author
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants, part II: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon, 9(6).
Profiles for Technology (ICT) Literate Students
http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForStudents/
2007Standards/NETS-S_2007_Student_Profiles.pdf
Richardson, W. (2009). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Trilling, B. (2005). Towards learning societies and the global challenges for learning with ICT. TechForum. Retrieved from http://www.techlearning.com/techlearning/pdf/events/techforum/ny05/
Toward_Learning_Societies.pdf
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Technology Classroom Profile
I recently surveyed nine middle school students (four boys and five girls) in Nashville, TN. They answered questions regarding how technology impacts their lives. The results support Marc Prensky's, coined the term "Digital Native" and Dr. Dede's research. Please listen to the podcast (click on the word podcast)and consider what changes need to be made in a classroom to teach millennial learners.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). 2008. Millennial Learning Styles. [Motion Picture]. Understanding the Impact of Technology, Work, and Society. Baltimore: Author.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5). Database: Proquest Central Database. Accession Number:1074252411.
http://podcastmachine.com/podcasts/3005/episodes/13255
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). 2008. Millennial Learning Styles. [Motion Picture]. Understanding the Impact of Technology, Work, and Society. Baltimore: Author.
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5). Database: Proquest Central Database. Accession Number:1074252411.
http://podcastmachine.com/podcasts/3005/episodes/13255
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Review of "Partnership for 21st Century Skills"
A great divide exists between what a student experiences in a classroom and outside of school. An advancing technological society bombards our students daily with new ways of problem solving and communicating. Unfortunately, school systems have not kept pace with those changing times. Students still use a lot of textbooks, paper and pencils. Not to mention, most collaboration exist only among classmates in the room. As an initiative to help drive education into the 21st century, an organization "The Partnership for 21st Century Skills" has created a website to help promote collaboration in the hopes of building a bridge over the gap that currently exists. Overall, I was impressed by the site except for a few concerns and it made me realize that the need for 21st century skills will have implications in the classroom.
As I initially reviewed this site, I was impressed and able to understand the purpose of the site. The site is easy to navigate with a lot of information. Their mission statement, "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" (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2002) is clear. Their mission statement supports how "we need to build collaboration skills where the whole is more than the sums of the parts" (Laureate Education, 2008). We all need to act as a team for the benefit of students and the United States to compete in the 21st century. The availability of tools and resources to educators such as Route 21 and MILE Guide impressed me. "The goal of Route 21 is to provide and online interactive tool that demonstrates how 21st century skills can be supported through standards, professional development, assessments and curriculum and instruction" (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2002). Students, so often need real-life applications to learn concepts likewise educators could use real-life classroom applications to implement technology as Route 21 offers. "The MILE Guide toolset is designed to help educators and administrators measure the progress and helps districts determine where they are on the spectrum of ensuring students have the knowledge and skills required for success in today's world" (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2002). This provides a checklist for my classroom to help me set goals of where I would like to take my classroom in the 21st century.
As I dug deeper into the site and reviewed the participants of "The Partnership for 21st Century Skills," I was surprised and concerned that there is not mention of educators becoming member of this partnership. The membership extends to states, businesses and organizations. The lack of 21 century skills in the school system is "...a wicked problem that can only be understood by multiple people, each with a different perspective, each with a different expertise, coming together and intercommunicating not just to subdivide the problem, but actually to construct what the issues are, to speak each other's language and understand each other's perspective well enough that they can accomplish something together" (Laureate Education, 2008). The educators are on the front lines and are familiar with the operation of a classroom. They are the ones that engage with student learning on a daily basis. What looks good in black and white on paper does not always transfer well into a classroom. We are professionals in the field and should be included in the decision-making process of the implementation of 21st century skills in the classroom.
Upon looking further into the site, I read how this partnership provides seven strategies for 21st Century Skills Initiative. I am concerned with a part of their fourth strategy that links core knowledge with 21st century skills. It states, "Given the results that matter for students today, most academic standards are too low and do not reflect 21st century skills or content. Many states allow students to earn a high school diploma with eighth or tenth grade knowledge and skills (or less), in core subjects. Higher standards are essential" (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2002). No Child Left Behind (NCLB) holds all states accountable for student learning and progress in core subjects. The lack of progress or water-downed curriculum comes not from the mandate but from school systems, educators, or demographics. My severe learning-disabled students struggle to make the same amount of progress as my regular students. They make progress but at a slower rate and at a lower level. Equity of current material and technology is nonexistent across different demographics. Poorer school systems do not have current textbooks or resources to teach the material and the educators do the best the they can with the means provided. Some school systems may have more English Language Learners than others. The students may be strong in core knowledge but cannot read the test so the results are not accurate. I question whether "The Partnership for 21st Century Skills" considers these issues that educators face daily in the classroom.
The movement towards a 21st century classroom has implications for students and teachers. First, "...the 21st century skills model is consistent with the metrics and accountability emphasized in the No Child Left Behind Act(NCLB), and it can help us develop a broader vision of accountability as we evolve to meet this century's challenges" (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2002). When this movement succeeds, accountability will be even higher for teachers and students of not only core content but also 21st century skills. "As much as students need to learn academic content, they also need to know how to keep learning---and make effective and innovative use of what they know---throughout their lives" (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2002). In incorporating these new skills, teachers will need to learn a new way of teaching and students will experience a new way of learning. The students will gain the same core knowledge but in a different way than previously. The classroom will transfer into what a current workplace looks like.
"...in the modern world, in work, things are largely done by teams, and so in education, we need to think about preparing students intensively to collaborate" (Laureate Education, 2008). Educators, businesses, states and communities need to continue to collaborate to lessen the gap that exists between classrooms and society. Classrooms need to role model the technology-enhanced society that adults work in daily. "The playing field is being leveled" (Friedman, 2005) and if we want our nation to continue to be a leader, then we need to better prepare the next generations for what awaits them.
References:
Friedman, T. (2005, April 3). It's a flat world, after all. The New York Times. Retrieved November 16, 2009, from http::query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F06E7D815
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). 2008. Skills for the 21st Century [Motion picture].
Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society. Baltimore: Author.
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2002). Retrieved from http:www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php
As I initially reviewed this site, I was impressed and able to understand the purpose of the site. The site is easy to navigate with a lot of information. Their mission statement, "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" (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2002) is clear. Their mission statement supports how "we need to build collaboration skills where the whole is more than the sums of the parts" (Laureate Education, 2008). We all need to act as a team for the benefit of students and the United States to compete in the 21st century. The availability of tools and resources to educators such as Route 21 and MILE Guide impressed me. "The goal of Route 21 is to provide and online interactive tool that demonstrates how 21st century skills can be supported through standards, professional development, assessments and curriculum and instruction" (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2002). Students, so often need real-life applications to learn concepts likewise educators could use real-life classroom applications to implement technology as Route 21 offers. "The MILE Guide toolset is designed to help educators and administrators measure the progress and helps districts determine where they are on the spectrum of ensuring students have the knowledge and skills required for success in today's world" (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2002). This provides a checklist for my classroom to help me set goals of where I would like to take my classroom in the 21st century.
As I dug deeper into the site and reviewed the participants of "The Partnership for 21st Century Skills," I was surprised and concerned that there is not mention of educators becoming member of this partnership. The membership extends to states, businesses and organizations. The lack of 21 century skills in the school system is "...a wicked problem that can only be understood by multiple people, each with a different perspective, each with a different expertise, coming together and intercommunicating not just to subdivide the problem, but actually to construct what the issues are, to speak each other's language and understand each other's perspective well enough that they can accomplish something together" (Laureate Education, 2008). The educators are on the front lines and are familiar with the operation of a classroom. They are the ones that engage with student learning on a daily basis. What looks good in black and white on paper does not always transfer well into a classroom. We are professionals in the field and should be included in the decision-making process of the implementation of 21st century skills in the classroom.
Upon looking further into the site, I read how this partnership provides seven strategies for 21st Century Skills Initiative. I am concerned with a part of their fourth strategy that links core knowledge with 21st century skills. It states, "Given the results that matter for students today, most academic standards are too low and do not reflect 21st century skills or content. Many states allow students to earn a high school diploma with eighth or tenth grade knowledge and skills (or less), in core subjects. Higher standards are essential" (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2002). No Child Left Behind (NCLB) holds all states accountable for student learning and progress in core subjects. The lack of progress or water-downed curriculum comes not from the mandate but from school systems, educators, or demographics. My severe learning-disabled students struggle to make the same amount of progress as my regular students. They make progress but at a slower rate and at a lower level. Equity of current material and technology is nonexistent across different demographics. Poorer school systems do not have current textbooks or resources to teach the material and the educators do the best the they can with the means provided. Some school systems may have more English Language Learners than others. The students may be strong in core knowledge but cannot read the test so the results are not accurate. I question whether "The Partnership for 21st Century Skills" considers these issues that educators face daily in the classroom.
The movement towards a 21st century classroom has implications for students and teachers. First, "...the 21st century skills model is consistent with the metrics and accountability emphasized in the No Child Left Behind Act(NCLB), and it can help us develop a broader vision of accountability as we evolve to meet this century's challenges" (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2002). When this movement succeeds, accountability will be even higher for teachers and students of not only core content but also 21st century skills. "As much as students need to learn academic content, they also need to know how to keep learning---and make effective and innovative use of what they know---throughout their lives" (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2002). In incorporating these new skills, teachers will need to learn a new way of teaching and students will experience a new way of learning. The students will gain the same core knowledge but in a different way than previously. The classroom will transfer into what a current workplace looks like.
"...in the modern world, in work, things are largely done by teams, and so in education, we need to think about preparing students intensively to collaborate" (Laureate Education, 2008). Educators, businesses, states and communities need to continue to collaborate to lessen the gap that exists between classrooms and society. Classrooms need to role model the technology-enhanced society that adults work in daily. "The playing field is being leveled" (Friedman, 2005) and if we want our nation to continue to be a leader, then we need to better prepare the next generations for what awaits them.
References:
Friedman, T. (2005, April 3). It's a flat world, after all. The New York Times. Retrieved November 16, 2009, from http::query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F06E7D815
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). 2008. Skills for the 21st Century [Motion picture].
Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society. Baltimore: Author.
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2002). Retrieved from http:www.21stcenturyskills.org/index.php
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Blogging in Science Class
Alvin Toffler's Wave Theory refers to different eras in which there has been a paradigm shift in society. In Toffler's third wave, he refers to society being in an "informational" age (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). We use technology to research information and work more independently of each other. Society is growing into a fourth wave that Dr. Thornburg refers to as a communication era. This era links unlimited information and collaboration by using technology (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008).
In my sixth-grade, science classroom, I would like to better prepare my students to be successful in society's growing fourth era. I would have students write in a blog about an issue that is relevant to them and to society. For example, the town is considering developing a large piece of land for housing, retail and a new movie theatre. I would have the students write in a blog about their position as to whether or not this is a good idea. I would have them consider the ecosystem, pollution, economics and housing needs. They would learn how to use appropriate language to fit this situation while supporting their opinions using course content and facts. They would respond to each other's blogs and that would allow them an opportunity to explore and debate other ideas. Students would be collaborating just like adults collaborate in the work force.
"Creativity is the cornerstone of education" (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). This blog would be appropriate for this lesson because it "links Piaget's cognitive constructivism learning theory and Vygotsky's social constructivism learning theory" (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). Previously, students may have just researched information using the Internet and written a report. A blog provides a place where students can express supported thoughts and ideas with many other students and receive immediate feedback. It creates an entire new level of learning that has not been available previously.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society [Motion picture]. Teacher as professional. Baltimore.
In my sixth-grade, science classroom, I would like to better prepare my students to be successful in society's growing fourth era. I would have students write in a blog about an issue that is relevant to them and to society. For example, the town is considering developing a large piece of land for housing, retail and a new movie theatre. I would have the students write in a blog about their position as to whether or not this is a good idea. I would have them consider the ecosystem, pollution, economics and housing needs. They would learn how to use appropriate language to fit this situation while supporting their opinions using course content and facts. They would respond to each other's blogs and that would allow them an opportunity to explore and debate other ideas. Students would be collaborating just like adults collaborate in the work force.
"Creativity is the cornerstone of education" (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). This blog would be appropriate for this lesson because it "links Piaget's cognitive constructivism learning theory and Vygotsky's social constructivism learning theory" (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008). Previously, students may have just researched information using the Internet and written a report. A blog provides a place where students can express supported thoughts and ideas with many other students and receive immediate feedback. It creates an entire new level of learning that has not been available previously.
Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008). Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society [Motion picture]. Teacher as professional. Baltimore.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Digital Learning in Middle School
Seven years ago, the middle school that I teach at in Tennessee was awarded a technology grant. The grant provided my school with several laptops, projectors, digital cameras, Active Boards etc. Along with the equipment we participated in a three-year training program to learn how to integrate technology into our classrooms. Since then, I have been actively seeking new ways to accomplish this task in my math and science classes. During the last few years, I have been actively training other teachers in my school in new ways to approach learning through digital means and manage classrooms using technology. Currently my goal is to earn my master's degree in educational technology so that I can continue to support digital learning in my classroom and help other educators venture into a new an exciting way to approach teaching. I hope to use this blog to reach other educators like myself who want to share ideas in hopes of building a classroom of fun and learning.
In Warlick's blog, "2cents", he took a survey and asked, "Is a teacher, who is not using technology (computer, internet, etc.), doing his or her job?" Out of 107 replies, 13 voted yes and 94 voted no. (Warlick, 2009). Our students are being born into a digital society. They download pictures from their cell phones to Facebook, download music to their IPODS, create PowerPoint, and so much more. Our students are living in a different environment than 20 years ago. As educators, do you feel that we need to change our teaching styles to incorporate the digital society that our children are living in?
Warlick, David Technology and Teaching. 2 Cents Worth. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/?p=1800
In Warlick's blog, "2cents", he took a survey and asked, "Is a teacher, who is not using technology (computer, internet, etc.), doing his or her job?" Out of 107 replies, 13 voted yes and 94 voted no. (Warlick, 2009). Our students are being born into a digital society. They download pictures from their cell phones to Facebook, download music to their IPODS, create PowerPoint, and so much more. Our students are living in a different environment than 20 years ago. As educators, do you feel that we need to change our teaching styles to incorporate the digital society that our children are living in?
Warlick, David Technology and Teaching. 2 Cents Worth. Retrieved July 22, 2009, from http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/?p=1800
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