Month: July 2016

 

To the educator wary of technology, the idea of being transformed into a digital leader connected to a network of global leaders may appear very daunting if he or she merely uses Facebook or Twitter, as a resource for keeping in touch with relatives and close friends in a friendly and comfortable environment.  This is the platform that relaxes a person after a long day at work and after logging in and carefully searching for information that will entertain and diffuse the day’s activities, they are now ready to snuggle up with their “friends” and have a sense of total relaxation.  How can these be the chosen platforms when you now have to deal with students who need creativity and continuous focus on a new mode of learning?

Digital Leadership by Eric Sheninger (2014) states “I am a digital leader, connected not only to my school, but to a global network of educators that has evolved into my most treasured resource (p. xxxv). On the one hand we have a leader who is totally absorbed in a network of global interface and is consistently showing the world that this has transformed him into a leadership position of great value and esteem, because he has overcome all barriers and has entered the threshold where different minds meet to interact, collaborate, exchange views, and most importantly learn from each other.  On the other hand there are those who are having a difficult time envisaging the impact of technology on education even when it is clear that this is the preferred method of learning for our students, and the present method is outmoded and in dire need of change.

It is inevitable that social media will continue to improve by reaps and bounds as the needs of society expand and leaders in all sectors integrate this technology into their operations, and can show proof of how profitable, effective, and creative the use of these platforms can be.  For education, however, it is highly important that leaders know and understand what the gains are and how they will be achieved through determination and consistency.  It is obvious that the use of social media is not the enduring factor here, but the idea of changing to a brand new environment where students see themselves as agents of change and are equally expecting us to follow suit.

Let’s look at Facebook and Twitter as the vehicle that will drive student performance and greater knowledge, instead of taking an opposing view while hurting a new generation of social media enthusiasts, who are willing to engage in online interaction and collaboration to attain a global education for the 21st century.

 

References:

Sheninger, E (2014).  Digital Leadership.  Changing Paradigms for Changing Times. (1^st Edi.)Corwin, Thousand Oaks, CA. 91230

How do I make my reading and language arts class fun?  How do I help my students want to read and bring them up to a proficient standard?  This is what I have been thinking about for the last few months.  I want to introduce something different to my class, something that has not been done with this group of students.  Unfortunately, this new year the school I will be working at is an F school.  The scores are low and my students are struggling.  Technology is something that has not been incorporated with this group.  As I research on what to do in my class and what I can use to motivate my students where it’s just not me lecturing and making them read, I came across literacy and technology and the merging of the two.  The more research into technology I find that literacy and technology actually make sense.  When I think of literacy I think of pencil and paper, books, and read aloud but as I look further I see that new conceptions have changed the views of reading and writing.  There are so many different text formats that extend literacy into the internet, communicating using e-mail, texts, and chats, and the use of word processing programs (International Society for Technology in Education, 2007).  Even the electronic versions of stories can assist students with sound, speech, clicking on words to hear how they sound.  Interactive reading is more engaging and interactive.  Using technology to support writing in the classroom may reduce some difficulty for students that have fine motor skills, problems with penmanship.  Word processing can help with all of that and brainstorming, and editing any final drafts with ease.  This seems like a good idea and something for me to try in the classroom but for me bringing new literacies into a classroom is not an easy task because I do not feel prepared and not sure how to incorporate any of these things.

The Internet has changed the definition of literacy to include writers and readers of electronic texts not typically found in traditional forms of literacy.  We need to be able to communicate through video, hyperlinks, animated and digital pronunciations, to name a few of the new literacy instruction Karchmer (2001).  Once student’s have access to information and the ability to use the information effectively they will be able access more opportunities as they continue through school.  Being able to bring together literacy and instruction and internet technology will help better prepare students for the future.

References:

“Integrating Technology and Literacy.” Edutopia. N.p., 25 Mar. 2016. Web. 10 July 2016.         

“What Digital Literacy Looks Like in a Classroom.” Education Week Teacher. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 July 2016.H

Twitter.

“What is it?” and “Why should I use it?” are often the questions teachers ask first. This is quickly followed with, “I don’t have time for all that.” According to Twitter.com, “Twitter is a service for friends, family, and coworkers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent messages. People post Tweets, which may contain photos, videos, links and up to 140 characters of text.”

Here are #Three reasons why Twitter matters for teachers.

1.) To Find a Tribe

We all know teacher isolation exists and Twitter has made it possible for teachers all over the country to network. Gone are the days of strictly on- site PLCS; now thanks to Twitter anyone can follow and be followed by other educators all over the world. Seth Godin, author of Tribes: We Need You to Lead us defines tribes as, “A group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea. A group needs only two things to be a tribe; a shared interest and a way to communicate.” The Superintendent of Palm Beach County Schools (@supt_avossa) is an avid Twitter user often posting relevant information about the district and posting articles that are relevant to teachers. Following his lead, many high level district department heads have created accounts collaborating with staff through this network. Nearly every school now has a twitter account celebrating all the qualities that make the students and staff unique through posts. Many teachers follow other teachers at the same school to share the wonderful things that are happening in their classrooms that otherwise wouldn’t be accessible. For example, pictures of projects and the kids completing learning activities. This sharing of ideas helps teachers grow.

2.) For Professional Development

Speaking of growing, being able to connect to educators across the nation and globe has made the proverbial professional development more teacher directed. Interested in Kindergarten? Join #Kinderchat on Mondays at 9P.M ET to stay abreast and communicate with other Kindergarten professionals. Do you have a favorite author say Lucy Calkins? Follow her on Twitter and learn from her posts. Maybe you want to follow the Education Secretary, John King, to see what’s happening on a federal level in education. Follow @johnkingatED. The point? Surround yourself with the educators who inspire you and you can learn from. By doing this, teachers can create their own individualized PD Dream Team.

3.) To Chat and Share

Besides creating a profile and finding people to follow in order to see a newsfeed, twitter has the capability for professional dialogue to occur by using the hashtag (#). As touched on briefly, educators can join in or sit on the sidelines and read as the chats occur by typing # followed by the name of the chat they want to follow. Everyone who comments uses this same # and phrase to make following the conversation easier. The Twitter community is important for teachers because it gives them a cause beyond oneself and beyond the confines of the four corners of the classroom. It allows teachers as a whole to see other practices, techniques, and approaches thereby freeing them from limitations due to geography or expenses in attending conferences. Tweets often times contain videos, links, and images giving educators additional resources. Chatting and sharing can take place with a wireless network, twitter profile, and desire to reach out. This is important. Teachers with passion are teachers on twitter.

 

 

 

The U.S. is a nation encouraging students to own their learning. In order to do this, we must be educators who embrace professional growth, as well as take risks. Twitter is a platform that allows teachers to set up their tribes and build the knowledge base and professional contacts that will enable them to be better.

Works Cited

Twitter For Teachers | Scholastic.com. (n.d.). Retrieved July 10, 2016, from http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/twitter-teachers

Sztabnik, B. (2016, July 10). Take Control of Your Professional Development: How Every Teacher Can Find Their Tribe – Talks with Teachers. Retrieved July, 2016, from http://talkswithteachers.com/take-control-of-your-professionaldevelopment/

Most teachers may have heard something from their administration that sounds like this: “Technology! Technology! Incorporate technology into your classroom and with your students!” Technology in the classroom can often be described as computers, smartphones such as an iPhone, smart boards, tablets, or other devices. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) did a survey and found that students with more exposure to computers do better, on average, than those with little exposure to computers but the OECD warns against drawing conclusions based on that survey (Kesling, 2015). While the OECD says that student performance improves with technology use in moderation, they found that overexposure to computers and the Internet causes educational outcomes to decline (Kesling, 2015). They survey also found that while students who spent any time on the computer led to poorer performance on both written and digital tests and that students who used computers excessively were more likely to feel isolated or alone (Kesling, 2015).

Banning cell phones on school grounds is a relatively new concept as mentioned in Doward (2015), that as of 2001, no school banned cell phones, but that number had risen to 50% of schools had banned them by 2007 and 98% of schools did not allow cell phones as of 2012. The effect of banning cell phones from schools adds up to the equivalent of an extra week’s schooling over a pupil’s academic year, according to research from Louis-Philippe Beland and Richard Murphy, published by the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics (Doward, 2015). The ban had a greater positive impact on students with special education needs and those eligible for free school meals, while having no discernible effect on high achievers (Doward, 2015).

As a teacher, I have noticed the growth of technology in my school as we have classroom iPad carts that can be used by a whole class so they don’t need to go to a computer lab and the amount of students who have cell phones has grown vastly. Now, it’s unusually to find a student who doesn’t have a cell phone. With these articles, I agree that technology can be a hindrance on students’ academic growth. As Doward (2015) mentioned, special education needs and free lunch students had the biggest impact as these students, in my experience, are often the first students to withdrawal or lose interest in class or with an assignment and the first thing some of these students want to do is reach for their phones, usually to play games. I also agree with the research stated in Kesling (2015) that students who use computers excessively often felt isolated or alone, as I have witnessed this at my school as well. From what I have noticed, these students often are socially awkward, not very physically active, and lose interest in most things around them except when dealing with computers. These students often have a difficult time finding and keeping friends, or if they have friends the friends are usually other students who use the computer excessively, and these students are sometimes treated as social outcasts by their peers.

 

 

 

 

References:

Doward, J. (2015, May 16). Schools that ban mobile phones see better academic results.Retrieved July 09, 2016, from https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/may/16/schools-mobile-phones-academic-results

Kesling, B. (2015, September 15). Technology in Classrooms Doesn’t Always Boost Education Results, OECD Says. Retrieved July 09, 2016, from http://www.wsj.com/articles/technology-in-classrooms-doesnt-always-boost-education-results-oecd-says-1442343420

Throughout the course of history, we have constantly seen examples of younger generations look to set themselves apart from the generations prior. Examples of this could include younger drivers having easier access to cars, students being able to access materials at faster rate than there parents, or even something as simple as pulling through a drive-threw to obtain a quick bite to eat. While there are essentially unlimited examples of these changes, we are currently living in a time where generational gaps can either be greatly reduced…or significantly widen the gap. In a study conducted by Pew Research Center in 2014, they found that 64% of American adults owned a smart phone, while a staggering 90% owned some sort of mobile telephone. The Data Center at Kids count calculated that the number of individuals over the age of 18 in the US was roughly 245,273,438 in the year 2014, meaning that each adult had one phone, there would have been 220,746,094.2 cell phones in the United States. As expected, the percentage of cell phone users decreases as the users age increases. However, Pew Research Center discovered that 74% of adults above the age of 65 used a cell phone; the age range of 50-64 saw 88% using cellular devices; and 18-49 had an astonishing 97.5%!

These statistics bring me to the issue at hand, is technology, more specifically cell phones, hindering or helping the generation gap? In a society that has become almost reliant on having the world at our finger tips, I believe that if used correctly, technology can actually close the generation gap significantly. With this, we will be able to keep in contact with older distant relatives more effectively and not simply be restrained to our elders using out dated corded phones or phones that cannot be operated outside a given distance from the receiver. There will be a significant amount of frustration on the part of the younger generations however. It seems like everyday some new update is available, new program is released or a new social media site is created. Another study conducted by the Pew Research Center found the 48% of individuals over the age of 65 used the social media giant Facebook! That number in my opinion is astonishing, considering I am not sure how many younger users want to be friends with their parents let alone grandparents. Having to constantly teach the older generations about the new trends, tricks and trades of an industry that realistically hasn’t even neared its peak will be a frustrating task. Having to explain what emoji’s are, how to add filters to Instagram, or even something as simple as updating a status will cause many headaches. We all have seen that one middle-aged women in the middle of the grocery store trying to shop, talk on the phone, and watch her children at the same time, it creates headaches for everybody around the situation.

In my professional career as a teacher, I have found myself to be somewhat behind on the latest apps, trends or ways to maneuver around frequent issues that seem to partner technology. Being 23 and a high school teacher should put me in a relatively sound position in being able to identify with the technological changes/ fix any problems that have occured in my classroom. There have been countless times where I had to ask students to help in setting up a new program, formatting the Smartboard, or even finding a way to clear a jam in the printer. Technology is rapidly tightening its grip on education and those teachers whom are a part of older, more traditional generations will eventually be stuck behind the eightball. The teaching profession is essentially one generation passing their knowledge down to another, so why can that not work in reverse to close that ever present generation gap?

The generation gap is something that will always exist because the youth of any society will constantly be introduced to new ideas or ways of thinking/solving problems. However, technology can limit the size of that gap by requiring parents/grandparents to ask the youth for help; Which actually creates a sense of community among the different generations. The youth are so used to being reliant on their elders for help, a turn of the tables will be much appreciated!

In short, when grandma comments something “embarrassing” on one of your Facebook posts, don’t get mad, she’s just trying to keep in touch and keep up with the times!

 

Duggan, M. (2015). The Demographics of Social Media Users. Retrieved July 10, 2016, from http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/08/19/the-demographics-of-social-media-users

Mobile Technology Fact Sheet. (2013). Retrieved July 10, 2016, from http://www.pewinternet.org/fact-sheets/mobile-technology-fact-sheet/

Total population by child and adult populations | KIDS COUNT Data Center. (n.d.). Retrieved July 10, 2016, from http://datacenter.kidscount.org/data/tables/99-total-population-by-child-and-adult#detailed/1/any/false/869,36,868,867,133/39,40,41/416,417

When most people think of bullying, they envision the schoolyard thug verbally or physically threatening hapless victims on the playground or on the school bus (Kowalski, 2008). With our new found dependency on technology, there is no escaping its use in the realm of education; there is no escaping its misuse neither. Cyberbullying has become a very controversial issue within schools recently. In one US study of 3767 middle-school children, 18% reported being targets of cyber bullying within the previous 2 months, and 11% said they had cyber bullied someone at least once within the previous 2 months (Kowalski, 2008). Whether it be secret blog pages about a certain individual or harassment through various social media outlets, the phenomenon of cyberbullying is a force to be reckoned with for every school leader.

What makes cyberbullying different from traditional bullying is the arena in which they are individually executed. Traditional bullying takes place on school ground the majority of the time; incidents off school grounds have occurred as well. Cyberbullying is more damaging in that it can happen from anywhere at any time. Furthermore, cyberbullying provides the aggressor with a sense of anonymity; many people would be more empowered to say something behind a screen than face-to-face. This anonymity, thought, makes it more of a hassle for school leaders to effectively mediate bullying incidents.

One of the difficulties in treating children who have been cyber bullied is that they are reluctant to tell others about their victimization (Kowalski, 2008). Because of this reluctance, school leaders as well as parents, should look for any changes in their student’s/child’s behavior. Any signs of anxiety, depression, social isolation, or nervousness when approaching technology are indications that the child is suffering from bullying, be it traditional or cyber. In approaching a case of cyberbullying, it isn’t wise for leaders to take the conflict resolution approach because it gives the impression that both parties are at fault. The perpetrator needs to be made aware of their wrongdoing, and be held accountable for their actions; the victim needs to be empowered and assured that they are not at fault for the situation.

Cyberbullying is a major issue in the realm of education today. Evolving from school grounds to social media, this form of bullying can create more damaging effects than its traditional counterpart. It’s very important that school leaders address issues of bullying from a place that empowers the victim and holds the perpetrator accountable. In doing so, the school leader will begin to create a culture of empowerment and intolerance for such harmful acts of bullying; fostering a school culture where acceptance reigns, and the use of technology is for educational and positive social interactions.

Works Cited

Kowalski, R. M., PhD. (2008). Cyber bullying: Recognizing and treating victim                   and aggressor. Psychiatric Times, 25(11), 45-47. Retrieved from https://lynn-            lang.student.lynn.edu/login?url=http://lynn-                                                                     lang.student.lynn.edu:2955/docview/204637335?accountid=36334

 

 

 

 

 

Using technology in the classroom proves to be very beneficial to students. The Internet provides a plethora of resources that can be easily accessed. Schools are unable to always provide the most up-to-date material because funding is not always available; the Internet allows students to access these resources on any device with online capability. Through the implementation of the internet in daily lessons, students are encouraged to research and read information written by multiple authors. Students have the freedom to explore the web and use online programs to complete their work; this gives them some control over their learning. The Internet has been successfully implemented into classrooms over the years and shall continue to be utilized for many years to come.
Due to budget restrictions, some schools have difficulty retrieving updated materials to provide for their students. The great thing about the Internet is that it is regularly updated with the most recent information. Online information can be viewed in multiple formats including: online libraries, textbooks, articles, audio material, and videos. With Internet access, information can be accessed at any time and in any location. This allows students to begin working on his/her work in the classroom but has the ability to finish the work anywhere on his/her wireless device. Luckily, there are many public places offering access to free internet if the student is not able to connect at home.
If the use of electronics in the classroom is handled properly, the Internet can enhance a lesson rather than cause distraction. With use of the Internet, students have the capability to interact with the content rather than simply read and review the information. Different online programs such as Prezi and Emaze allow students to create visual presentations in “real-time.” This means that the educator can log in and monitor the students progress while he/she is actively working. Other online programs such as Kahoot and Socrative allow teachers to create exit tickets, student polls, and have them participate in content speed races to view student progress and understanding. It is critical that a teacher actively track his/her student’s internet access during class time.
The use of the Internet gives students a sense of control. As all students learn differently: it is very important to give them options of projects and assignments in which they can choose from. Allowing students to pick which topic and online program they want to use keeps them interested in the lesson content. Students who use the internet to complete work are more likely to remain engaged. Information on the internet is quickly and easily accessed; this is great for students who find it difficult to remain focused.
Why not let the students use the resources available to them? It is a constant battle to keep students engaged and off of their mobile devices. We should allow them to use their devices for a greater purpose while monitoring and tracking their content understanding. According to Teach-nology.com, “Teaching is ultimately a sharing of information and knowledge and all the available technology is a tool for facilitating communication. So, technology is an incredibly powerful teacher’s aid.” With rules and expectations set in place, the use of the Internet will only continue to benefit our students and help to expand their knowledge.

Written by: Alexandria Vicente

Works Cited:

Advantages of Using Technology in the Classroom – Boundless Open Textbook. (n.d.). Retrieved July 09, 2016, from https://www.boundless.com/education/textbooks/boundless-education-textbook/technology-in-the-classroom-6/edtech-25/advantages-of-using-technology-in-the-classroom-77-13007/

It was not long ago when all the teachers returned back to preschool week after a relaxing summer only to find out we all had Interactive White Boards installed in our classrooms. “Huh?” “Yay!” “Wait, a what?” “I can’t wait to use it, I have read and heard so much great things about using them in the classroom” “Is anyone going to answer my question?” “Yes!! New toys.” “Don’t we already have whiteboard in our classrooms?” As you can imagine, not all of us knew exactly what an interactive whiteboard was. No one was asked to demonstrate how to use one. No one was asked if they could share their thoughts or their experience using interactive whiteboards in the past. No one was asked anything about this new gadget. We were all just told they were in our rooms, the box that came with the remote control and whatever other tools we needed would also be in our classrooms on our desks and finally every teacher is expected to comply and be sure to use these whiteboards while teaching. “Great, I assume we will be trained on these new gadgets this week as one of our many other pointless PD’s we are forced to sit through” is what I thought. Imagine my disappointment when this Professional Development never came.

 

I find that one of the biggest issues of technology in education is hands down, lack of professional development, well, at least for me it is. Growing up, my parents didn’t have much and when my mom found a dinosaur of a computer at a yard sale one Saturday morning and brought it home it sat there for MONTHS without use since we didn’t have any internet at home to even use the thing. My siblings and I would use those AOL cd’s for free dial up internet but we only had access to AOL chatrooms with our friends. I say this to show that during those times, I was not previewed to technology as much as this current generation was so I was never really tech savvy. Of course throughout the years with more use of computers at school (google searches and Microsoft Word), I learned more on how to use computers but I still was no expert. Of course if someone showed me how to do something I was able to in time, do it on my own, there were things I figured out little by little too but I have always learned best from example. If I see you do it, I can do it too! How was I supposed to use this interactive whiteboard if no one was going to teach me how to use it? How am I to incorporate this gadget into my classroom lessons if I am not properly trained on how to use it? We already have so many PD’s on pointless things sometimes but at that moment I wished so badly for someone, anyone to conduct a PD on this topic so I am not found not using it during a walkthrough. I was completely stressed out the beginning of my second year teaching. “Professional development has to be relevant to teachers, contain numerous choices, and be hands-on. More often than not, this can be done with teacher leaders present in all buildings” (Sheninger, Eric 2014). Even if the district didn’t offer professional developments on how to use an interactive whiteboard in the classroom, this was the perfect time to bring out those teacher leaders who have experience to share. Those who were so excited about this new gadget because they had used them before and swore by it could’ve been of great use to staff members who knew nothing of it! Teachers need training to use technology effectively. Professional development is critical. The choice of medium will depend greatly upon the number of learners reached over the life of a course. (Garland, Tadeja 2013).

Effective School leaders cannot expect a positive outcome or a change in student achievement without the proper steps in rolling out something new with technology. Yes, technology can change a lot within a school in regards to student achievement, but, without the proper trainings, the vision will never get done.

 

 

Sources

https://thejournal.com/articles/2013/06/04/6-technology-challenges-facing-education.aspx

 

Sheninger, Eric C. (2014-01-14). Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times (p. 59)

 

Garland, Virginia E.; Chester Tadeja (2013-01-04). Educational Leadership and Technology: Preparing School Administrators for a Digital Age (p. 993).