As I said in a previous post, I think Kim Cofino describes it best when she talks about how two heads are better than one when the technology integrator and the teacher "combine their strengths, share responsibilities, and learn from each other" (Cofino, 2010). As Cofino says, you have to plant the seeds of technology usage and watch them grow slowly. We cannot rush in and expect teachers to change their ways overnight. There are many examples of successes and reasons to use technology, which can be shared with teachers.
Conrad Wolfram's Ted Talk is also very inspiring. He makes the claim very well that we need to use modern methods to teach modern students and give them real world tools. I think that showing this video to teachers may spark the idea that technology is necessary in education. His theory that students can learn better using computers is backed up by Marc Prensky's article on how digital citizens think, in which he talks about research in neurobiology that proves that stimulation of the brain while using computers and video games "actually changes brain structures and affects the way people think, and that these transformations go on throughout life" (Prensky, 2001). The premise of this article is that students are motivated by technology and find it easier to focus their attention when the material is in digital format. This theory is reiterated in this article on Classroom 2.0: Game Theory and Education.
Shaun McCusker illustrates Howard Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences in his recent Edudemic article where he cites a how a student created a song to show his understanding of a the ideas created by the Industrial Revolution. McCusker says that technology gives students "exciting and powerful tools" with which to create. Students can choose music, video, artistic and writing projects that are aided by using technology.
In the Edutopia article, World without Walls: Learning Well with Others, Will Richardson points our many examples of kids learning from others via the Internet, using Skype, etc. But he also makes the case for teachers to become connected and learn from each other. Showing teachers how sites such as Classroom 2.0, or Edutopia or Twitter can expand their knowledge on subjects from literacy to social studies as well as technology. Maybe by seeing how their personal learning networks inspire them, they will translate that to encouraging their students to use technology to learn. There are many other articles, videos and websites which we can use to sew the seeds of technology integration acceptance, slowly and one step at a time.
References:
Cofino, K. (2010, March 20). Creating a Culture of Collaboration Through Technology Integration | always learning.Kim Cofino. Retrieved October 4, 2013, from http://kimcofino.com/blog/2010/03/20/creating-a-culture-of-collaboration-through-technology-integration/
Cofino, K. (2008, October 12). Planting Seeds | always learning. Kim Cofino. Retrieved October 6, 2013, from http://kimcofino.com/blog/2008/10/12/planting-seeds/
Education "The times are a changing" - YouTube. (2009, September 30).YouTube. Retrieved October 6, 2013, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuyrP_HhWEg
McCusker, S. (2013, September 10). 4 Ways to Ensure Students Learn While Creating - Edudemic - Edudemic.Edudemic - Education Technology Tips For Students And Teachers. Retrieved September 29, 2013, from http://www.edudemic.com/learn-while-creating/
Prensky, M. (2001). Digital native, digital immigrants, Part 2: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon. MCB University Press, Vol. 9 No. 6, December 2001. Retrieved from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part2.pdf
Richardson, W. (2008, December 3). World Without Walls: Learning Well with Others | Edutopia. Edutopia | K-12 Education & Learning Innovations with Proven Strategies that Work. Retrieved October 6, 2013, from http://www.edutopia.org/collaboration-age-technology-will-richardson
Wolfram, C. (2010, July 1). Conrad Wolfram: Teaching kids real math with computers | Video on TED.com. TED: Ideas worth spreading. Retrieved October 2, 2013, from http://www.ted.com/talks/conrad_wolfram_teaching_kids_real_math_with_computers.html
Woodside, C. (2008, October 23). Game Theory and Education: The Great Merge - Classroom 2.0. Classroom 2.0. Retrieved October 6, 2013, from http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/649749:Topic:203702
Kids can do a fantastic job learning from and with each others. I used to make use of this, without technology, when I taught Montessori elementary. Kids can sometimes explain things better to other kids than adults can. The added benefit can be increased self confidence, in the "teaching" student because he was able to teach someone else how to do something, and also in the "learning" student, because he was able to master something new. Now add technology, and the ability to learn at a distance, and the learning opportunities become almost limitless. How much more sense does it make to learn a foreign language from a native speaker, or learn about another country from someone who lives there?
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of kids using any means possible to demonstrate their learning and understanding, but until there is change from the top down, kids will still be assessed on the basics. I'd hate to think we're preparing kids to be creative, problem solving, digital citizens and setting them up for failure if they happen to encounter an entrance exam that test them on the basics.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you Megan, that basics still need to be taught. Students still need to be able to write and read, but sometimes they need additional support. However assessing for knowledge of subjects like social studies or math, etc, can have alternative methods besides writing a 4 page report.
DeleteWe are working to change the way things are taught and assessed, and we should also push to change the way high stakes testing is done. It is already going digital. Maybe a bottom up approach, from teachers and parents would work as well. As James Popham said, the current way we test for achievement was created prior to WW2, and was meant to spread out scores to distribute jobs in the military. It is not necessarily current or relevant to what schools are supposed to be doing.
I just read in an article today that Arizona State University is doing a study to try and figure out how to make online learning as stimulating to the brain as Facebook is! This relates nicely to your comments about Prentsky and the brain. ASU Facebook Study .
ReplyDeleteInteresting. Sounds like they should look at how schools use Edmodo for social learning.
ReplyDeleteI was trying to find the article below when I was writing this post at home, which I had hanging up on my BB at work. It talks about using gaming theory in education: http://www.eschoolnews.com/2013/06/24/iste-keynote-gaming-has-huge-educational-potential/ It's interesting.