Educational Technology Research

Hi!

This week I looked at some studies regarding educational technology.  There is so much information out there regarding changes in communication and social networking, as well as, in digital literacy among our students.

One report I looked at was a collaboration between Blackboard and Project Tomorrow, Reflecting the Pulse of the School District: District Communication Professionals Navigating the Dynamics of Information and Engagement Management .  Basically, the report discusses the role of district communications professional and the responsibility they have for communicating to the community, especially parents.  Their role is to build trust and engage families and the community.  The report is based on feedback from 733 district communications professionals from 2015 through 2017.

Through the use of digital tools, the district communication professionals can now look to engaging those outside the school.  Based on the table below, district communication professionals are now looking to attract the parents of children too young to attend school.  Interest in this group has increased 14% over the course of this study.  It is the largest area of growth in all categories studied.

It makes sense, wanting to appeal to parents who will soon be looking into schools for the child.  They will get a feel for the school climate and learn what will be expected of their children and get them involved in the school community early.

Eleven years ago, my first official teaching position was part-time teaching computer skills to grades K through 8.  I did not assign homework because some students did not have computers, some were not allowed to go on the internet, and some did not even have access to internet.  Looking through the next report, I can say that the times have changed!

The graphs below are from a Common Sense Media report,Teaching Digital Citizens in Today's World.  This research study was a collaboration between Common Sense Education and Project Zero at Harvard Graduate School of Education.  Looking at the numbers above, the increase in kids having their own tablet from less than 1% to 42% in 6 years is staggering.  With that increase, you can also see the increase in time spent on mobile devices per day, which would include tablets and cell phones.  The report continues to break out different age groups and different types of media are kids are using.

As educators, we need to tap into these different technologies to keep our kids engaged.  If you get a chance, while I was looking at different reports, I found a webinar at EdWeb.Net, 50 Top Edtech Tools for the Classroom.  The presenter, from Common Sense Media, discusses web sites, mostly free, for use in the classroom.  As I was watching, I made a list of all the sites I was interested in visiting.  Check it out if you get a chance.

Also, if you didn't get the chance, visit The Beloit College Mindset List website that was under Additional Resources for this week.  The Mindset List For the Class of 2019 was pretty funny!

Side Note...

This week, I got my first ever 'like' on a comment I left on a Retweet!!  How exciting!

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Active Learning and the 21st Century Students

Active learning is a method of instruction where the student is actively participating in the lesson.  The student is no longer listening to teacher instruction, but, instead is actively involved in the instruction. 

This week, Fran and I looked at a blog called Greetings from Room 211.  The blog was set up in order for a student to communicate with his class while he was away shooting a movie.  In the blog, the student, Max, shared his experiences on a movie set in Canada.  His classmates and teachers read and responded to Max's posts and shared what was happening in school while he was away.  To take a look at our Padlet, click here.  The Greetings for Room 211 blog is an example of active learning.

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Reading excerpts of Tim Elmore's Generation iY in Emaze, two statements resonated with me.  The first was "Today's young people are described as epic: Experiential, Participatory, Image-rich and Connected."  With social media, YouTube, and FortNite, our students are always 'on'.  They are always experiencing something from following people on Facebook or Twitter to playing video games.  They are no longer just sitting on the couch watching TV.  They are actively participating in whatever medium of technology they choose.  These are our 21st Century students!  Teaching ELA, I tend to use videos whenever I can to get my students' attention.  I use Schoolhouse Rock for grammar lessons and I look for video clips that relate to whatever subject we're reading.  At breakfast, we go to Explore.org and watch live feeds of wildlife (Today was an osprey eating a fish and bears looking for salmon.)  

The second statement I found interesting was "Teachers must remember that a lecture isn't enough anymore.  For students today, almost everything comes instantly."  I realized that in this age of technology, our students are used to immediate gratification.  Students do not have to wait to look up an answer, they go to their phones and go to Internet.  Sometimes it's as easy as asking Siri or Alexa!  By designing lessons where students are involved with their learning is important.  

Through active learning, students are able to use the technology they are familiar with to find the answer.  With active learning, teachers are able to give students options as to how they want to learn, such as creating a blog, designing a PowerPoint, acting out a skit.  They are no longer listening to just me lecture.  They are learning by doing.  

I think active learning is so much easier when you are teaching science and social studies.  I am taking baby steps when it comes to active learning.  Last year, when we read folk tales, my students selected a folk tale and acted it out, creating costumes and scenery.  They were engaged and actively learning!  This week I am teaching types of sentences, subject and predicate.  I am not quite sure how to make this an active lesson, but I'm not giving up!  

Via Josh Loe

My Digital Map

Hi!  

Below is my digital map.  When putting this map together, I thought of all the different places I go on the Internet.  I started listing places I 'surf'.  Do they say that anymore?!?  I looked at the apps on my phone and the bookmarks on my laptop.  

Next, I started to plot the places I visit.  I discovered, I downloaded a lot of apps and saved a lot of bookmarks, maybe a website I wanted to check out or an app I wanted to use.  Going through the list, I realized I haven't used many of them.

Images via Google Image Search

Then, I started thinking what it means to be a visitor or a resident.  My initial thought when deciding whether I was a visitor or resident, I was thinking of how much time I spent on the site.  I was not thinking of a social presence.  After reviewing the video and blog again, I moved most of my sites/apps to the left.  I am an Internet visitor.  I like to stop by and look around.  I do not have much of a social presence.

The Professional-Visitor quadrant contains sites I use for school.  I go in, complete my task, and leave.  I plotted Edutopia and Reading A-Z in between Visitor and Resident because I will sometimes comment on an article I've read in Edutopia or leave messages for my students on Reading A-Z.  The Personal-Visitor quadrant are sites for personal use.  There is no socializing on these sites.

The Professional-Resident quadrant is where I am most social and probably because I have to be for work.  On these sites, I am communicating with staff on a daily basis, sometimes even weekends!  I'm on Teams almost daily or checking and responding to school e-mails.  In the Personal-Resident quadrant, the sites I've listed are sites that I socialize with friends and families.  I text a lot, but I mostly just 'like' things on Instagram, Twitter, and Facedbook.  I moved Twitter between Professional and Personal planning for the next assignment.

Looking at my Digital Map, I am pretty anti-social!  I am hoping this blog and this class will change that and I will become more social!!

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Resources:

Digital-Learning-Culture: Vistitors and Residents

Visitors and Residents Video

Trends in Ed Tech - Khan Academy

Trends in Educational Technology

Hi!

For trends in educational technology, I decided to research Khan Academy.

via Khan Academy

I've used it in the past, but did not know the history behind it.  Also, I haven't used it in a while, so I thought I would see what was new on the site.

Resources for teachers:

Khan Academy

Using Khan Academy

Salman Khan on CNN

All About Salman Khan

Sal Khan: Let's teach for mastery -- not test scores | TED Talk

Khan Academy: The man who wants to teach the world

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SAMR Model

Hi All!

One of the models I reviewed this week was the SAMR model created by Dr. Ruben Puentedura.  The SAMR model assists educators with the integration of technology into their classrooms.  Below are the four stages of the SAMR model:

via Showbie

The beginning of the model is the Substitution stage.  In the substitution stage, technology is replacing an aspect of the lesson only.  For example, when writing a narrative essay, a word processing program will be substituted for paper and pen.  The lesson is not being changed in any manner, it is only being enhanced.

The next stage is the Augmentation stage.  In the augmentation stage, technology is improving the lesson.  Looking at our narrative essay, besides using a word processing program, editing software is being used to make corrections and develop the essay.

These first two stages are considered enhancements.  Technology is enhancing the original assignment, but not transforming it.  These stages seem to still be lead by the teacher.

The third stage of the model is the Modification stage.  In the modification stage, technology is modifying or changing the assignment.  The assignment is transforming to a student led activity.  Our narrative essay is now going to now be completed in a blog or include an audio recording.  Teacher and student can leave comments and provide feedback via the blog.

The fourth and final stage is the Redefinition stage.  In this stage, the assignment transforms to an assignment that can only be completed with the use of technology.  Now, the narrative essay may become a video, where the student is videotaping and posting it online for others to view and comment.  Through the Redefinition stage, students are able to share their work globally, not only their teacher and classroom.  This is a student centered assignment, where students are deciding how to express their thoughts and ideas.

There is a great website regarding SAMR and Bloom's Taxonomy here.  It shows the correlation between SAMR and Bloom's Taxonomy.

I am currently bouncing between the Substitution and Augmentation stages.  I feel stifled because I do not have the skills to teach my students and I do not have the time to teach my students what I do know.  Having students create a PowerPoint to summarize a story we've read in class, adding pictures, video and audio would be so rewarding and engaging for them, but I feel like it would take time to teach them how to use PowerPoint that I do not have spare.

Previously, while I was teaching computer skills, I spent the month of September teaching Internet Safety.  We watched videos and read articles about the subject.  Afterward, I had my 7th and 8th grade students create public service announcements.  Some collected facts to report and others created skits.  I brought in my video camera and taped them and played them for my 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders.  I believe this was an activity in the Redefinition stage.  It was a student lead activity, where the students were creative and engaged!