Why Utilize Technology

In a world with 6 billion mobile subscriptions, it is imperative that we as educators continue to utilize the tools that our students and parents are. According to the infographic above, there is a skyrocketing rise in non-voice mobile usage. Scary? Maybe a little. Is it possible that people are becoming less sociable because of the ability to do every single thing on a mobile device without having to talk to anyone? I believe it could be. Therefore, as teachers we need to implement these technologies in the classroom to show students how these mobile products can be used appropriately to further their education and knowledge, furthering their college and career readiness.

Implementing Technology in the Classroom

     There are so many ways that a teacher can implement technology in the classroom. Whether it is for student engagement or simply making the teachers life easier with new tools for data collection, it is worth a try. I have personally used technology for both student engagement and to make data collection more efficient in my classroom. According to ISTE (2018), three ways that teachers can use technology effectively in the classroom is through personalized collaboration around research, by teaching students at the pace they learn best, and also by being able to check knowledge in real-time. 

     Allowing students to research information and share it with other students immediately encourages them to do better work to find a really interesting piece of information to share with their peers. For example, students could provide students research sites, or even infographics, and allow them a personalized space for students of similar research topics to collaborate immediately with each other. This could take place in school, or outside of school if needed because it is online. In the past I have had students research different animals and share information about their animal using a Schoology Discussion Board. The students enjoyed sharing their information and engaging in a discussion with their peers regarding their animals.

     Using technology, allows for students to be taught at the pace they learn best at. One way that this can be done is through the use of blended learning modules, or instructional videos that allows for teachers to pre-record lessons for their students to watch, and re-watch, at the pace they need to be successful. These lessons can be differentiated for individual students or groups of students to meet them at their level so that they can work to become proficient at the task given.

     Lastly, technology offers the ability for teachers to check knowledge in real time. I have personally used Kahoot.it and Plickers to check for students understanding where it provides me data, that can be exported, instantly when the question is asked. "Sometimes teachers want to know if their students understand the content and are retaining class material without the cumbersome task of administering and grading a quiz. (Brenner, 2018)" Using this type of technology allows for the teacher to continue on with the lesson without stopping if they see that students are understanding the information. Using Plickers, students hold up a QR Code in a certain direction to answer a multiple choice question that is presented on the board. As the teacher uses their device to scan the room they see instantly which students answered correctly, and which ones did not. This allows for the teacher to make instant decisions to increase student learning and knowledge retention.

Using Technology for Increased Efficiency

     With the load on teachers getting bigger and bigger, teachers everywhere are looking for  ways to make their lives easier. One example is one that you hear all the time, "Don't reinvent the wheel, just make it rounder." This means that use the resources that are available and already created to make your life easier. The one thing that is important to remember is to make sure that you tailor the resource to fit your needs in the classroom. Some ways that I have implemented technology into my classroom for me is in the area of parent communication, for data collection and behavior tracking, and the use of Google Drive.

     Using technology to promote parent communication is essential for every teacher. It seems like every year you need to make more and more parent contact. Then why not look for easier ways? One tool that I want to implement in my classroom is the use of Google Voice and Class Dojo. Class Dojo allows for students to see real time what students are up to in class, and how they are behaving that day, give the teacher is adding the information to be shared. Google Voice creates a different number but is still able to run through your smart phone. This gives you the ability to make parent phone calls, or text messages, at any time without having to stay in the school until 7:00 pm when that one parent is finally able to talk. This allows for parents to call or text you with information they feel is important, without waking you up in the middle of the night, since you can set Do Not Disturb times. This technology increases parent communication and will provide parents increased access to the teacher to share information. Another application is the Remind App, which allows for some of these tools as well (Donohue, 2018).

     I have been using Google Forms that I create for increased data collection. Using forms that I have created to record anecdotal notes on students during and after they complete work allows for all information and notes about a student to be added to a single database for ease of access to share with required parties. I have also used these forms for behavior tracking. This allows for me to filter the entries to a given student and have the ability to print the entries when a meeting is necessary. Also, as stated before, the ability to collect data using other applications and provide immediate feedback to students helps you make more informed decisions regarding the path of your instruction.

     Google Drive allows for me to share instructional materials with other teachers  as well as the students of my class. It also allows for me to pull materials from other teachers or store things that I would like to keep, giving me access to them anywhere I have internet. This ability helps to minimize clutter in the classroom being that worksheets and other instructional activities can be kept on the Google Drive. These tools can be used to increase teacher efficiency and ultimately make the teachers life just a little easier in a possible stressful situation.

References

Unknown (2018). Retrieved from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTINFORMATIONANDCOMMUNICATIONANDTECHNOLOGIES/Resources/IC4D_Infographic-1.png

Brenner, L. (2018). 3 ways to increase student engagement in your classroom. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=590&category=Innovator-solutions&article=

Donohue, C. (2018). Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/tools/63615.htm

Overview of Makerspaces?

For a brief overview of what Makerspaces visit my infographic, and explore.

What’s with Makerspaces?

Have you had a corner of your classroom that you just don’t know what to do with? If you do have one of those blessed classrooms with extra space, create a maker space. These are spaces that allow students the opportunity to explore using hands-on learning paired with higher-order problem-solving to solve real-world problems (Horizon Report K-12). With recent pushes to focus on a growth mindset, makerspaces are the perfect tool for the classroom. These spaces show that failure is an important aspect of learning, which drives students to self-reflect and alter their processes. This important life, and academic, skill is taught through these makerspace areas. By providing your students tools and materials, and saying “Answer this question” your students will begin to tinker with different objects until they have solved the problem, they may just find multiple ways to solve the same problem. In a time when there are many things already designed, it is becoming crucial to be innovative and find new and better ways to do things, which is what makerspaces are molding our young students to be. In the last 100 years, the number of makerspaces have multiplied by 14, are you up to the challenge to create the next innovative space? See what drove Jamie Leben to create a space for people for people to be creative.

Structured vs. Unstructured

The thought of students coming into the classroom and doing whatever they want is absolutely horrifying. This is the debate of structured vs. unstructured makerspace environments. In a fairy tale world, all the students come into the classroom, sit in their assigned seat, and independently read their Accelerated Reading book until further directions are given, without ever having the urge to talk to another student about what they did the night before. Is this type of structure really a necessity? There is a time and place for that, just as there is a time and place to let kids be kids and explore the resources they are given in class to support the question being asked. By laying down the ground rules of how the class will operate before the students enter the makerspace, it is possible create clear expectations, and model desired behaviors. The unstructured that we are referring to Is that students can work together and collaborate to solve problems using a strategy that works best for them. Be willing to let the students be thoughtful and discover new methods of thinking.

Thoughtful Environment

By taking the time in the beginning to successfully design and build a useful makerspace in the classroom, the students will see the determination that is expected in this classroom. According to the Horizon Report (2017/2018), makerspaces design should, “be maximized to support more collaboration, self-directed learning, and active learning, and inquiry and creation.” While creating these types of spaces in the classroom, thinking about enabling students to continue to try even when the going gets tuff, which can be a difficult concept to teach kids of all ages. When students come into this type of environment, they need to know that they are free to design, create, and collaborate with other students. Have you ever observed children playing with Legos or Kinex? Are they always following the directions to build the next best thing? If car designers didn’t try new ways of designing automobiles, all the vehicles we see would look the same. If someone didn’t take risks in the design process, all the vehicles would look and drive the same. This is the exact basis that makerspaces are built upon. Provide your students the materials needed, sit back and see the amazing things they come up.

References:

Freeman, A., Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Davis, A., and Hall Giesinger, C. (2017). NMC/CoSN Horizon Report: 2017 K–12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium.

West-Puckett, S. (2018). ReMaking Education: Designing Classroom Makerspaces for Transformative Learning | Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/classroom-makerspaces-transformative-learning-stephanie-west-puckett