July 2016 – Page 2

Engaged Learning is 21st Century Learning

When tasked with the assignment of creating a blog that deals with a Technology Issue, I immediately thought of classroom distractions, privacy, safety, cost, and lack of stakeholder support. However, as I researched further there were connections among concepts, which were interesting to me.

A large issue surrounding the integration of technology into the classroom is certainly teacher training because the implementation and achievement of student skills ultimately rests with the teacher. “As leaders, it is important to look at these skills and equip teachers with as much support as possible in order for them to succeed in this endeavor” (Garland, Tadeja 2013). On another note, some teachers may feel that technology integration will diminish student-teacher interaction, which in turn affects face-to-face communication for the 21st century marketplace. These two ideas led me to a solution, which is centered on student engagement.

That being said, effectively engaging students will require proper teacher training and a dynamic classroom environment that will foster technology integration, collaboration, teacher support, and much more. Take a look at the photo below where students are participating in a STEM project, they are engaged, actively learning, and had a teacher sponsor to support their discover

STEM

With teacher training and relationship building, there is much potential for a positive classroom community to be created. In order to do so effectively, students must feel valued and heard. They must feel as though they are challenged enough, but not placed in a realm of education that is “unattainable” for them. Students would be less likely to “give up” or ignoring the information being presented to them. This differentiation of education through technology integration is great! There are so many ways in which incorporating technology such as iPad, Smartboards, Twitter, and etc. will excite and promote engagement ultimately increasing student engagement and differentiation of instruction.

Below is a hyperlink to a prezi presentation created by Tashi Lockett and Jeanigh Jean-Baptiste, which shares some techniques that can be used to enhance student engagement within the classroom. Some ways presented are exploratory learning, peer collaboration, role playing, and higher order questioning.

https://prezi.com/zkhkhi61fusu/student-engagement-techniques-for-the-21st-century-learner/

As you explored the prezi, it is important to realize that within the multiple ways of engagement, a teachers role is to act as a facilitator and in doing so student-teacher interactions should actually increase. Students will feel as though they are in a safe environment to share their thoughts and ideas without judgement. In relation, Karen Wilkens who is an online business trainer and PhD student researching the effect of technology on relationships believes, “many writers who look at Computer Mediated Communication (CMC) feel that the ‘power’ relationship between student and teacher is being eroded and that the internet is creating an equal and more anonymous relationship” (Wilkens 2014).

In the prezi presentation there is a news broadcast film embedded. Here an educator is seen placing emphasis on the fact that during technology integration students are constantly problem solving, critical thinking, and discovering answers on their own. She believes that this makes students more interested in their learning as they personalize their educational endeavors.

Engaged learning can be assessed through the presentation of authentic tasks, projects, or investigations, observation, investigation, and much more (Jean-baptiste, Lockett 2014). Based on technology integration, any assessment MUST be done by allowing students an opportunity to apply what they know. Traditional forms of assessment should be avoided in order to support active and stimulating learning along the way.

After much research and analysis, I believe technology integration is a “game changer” for education and will continue to be so. Therefore, it is evermore important to properly train educators on how to use technology effectively. Once trained and implementation is in effect, teacher-student relationships will progress allowing for enhanced student engagement. It is clear that this all starts with the educational institution and teachers because they have a wonderful opportunity to positively prepare students for the 21st century global marketplace through the integration of technology.

“The most effective leaders are outstanding communicators with a high level of social intelligence; their capacity to connect people with other people, using technologies to collaborate and leveraging data to support their ideas, requires an ability to understand the bigger picture and to make appeals that are based on logic, data, and instinct” (NMC 2014).

Graduation

Works Cited:

Garland, V. E., & Tadeja, C. (2013). Educational leadership and technology: Preparing school administrators for a digital age. New York: Routledge.

Jean-baptiste, J., & Lockett, T. (2014, December 5). Student engagement techniques for the 21st century learner. Retrieved July 07, 2016, from https://prezi.com/zkhkhi61fusu/student-engagement-techniques-for-the-21st-century-learner/

NMC. (2014). NMC Horizon Report: 2014 K – 12 Edition Preview. Retrieved July 07, 2016, from http://cdn.nmc.org/media/2014-horizon-k12-preview.pdf

Wilkens, K. (2014, May). How new technologies affect student-teacher relationships. Retrieved July 06, 2016, from https://www.britishcouncil.org/voices-magazine/new-technologies-affect-student-teacher-relationships

Technology Impacting the Classroom: Digital Books

With technology being embraced in classrooms all over the world, students are gaining accessing to endless supplies of educational materials ranging from e-textbooks to digital fiction and non-fiction books. I’ve utilized MyOn (www.myon.com), a website that provides an unlimited amount of digital books to students and expands your classroom library. This program monitors and tracks their growth and provides additional literacy tools to supplement their learning. With digital books gaining popularity, e-textbooks are the tools of the future. There are many benefits to e-textbooks versus the traditional hardcopy, a book that no longer grabs the attention of today’s learners. With students moving towards a digital future, many schools are integrating individual laptops or ipads for student use to access online material. According to The New York Times article, In a Digital Future, Textbooks are History; like so many others, a high school branched out into the digital world of learning by providing students with computers to complete classwork, homework, and preview class content in the form of podcasts. With technology integrated into the classroom, students are learning the same material but in a different way, a way that keeps their interest in a technological savvy environment. In order to move to a fully digital classroom, the question arises, are schools able to afford the quantity of laptops, ipads, kindles, etc. that will be needed to incorporate digital books into the classroom? This is a valid concern and one that is often thought about and discussed. As an educational leader is it crucial to determine whether the benefits outweigh the negatives. With incorporating e-textbooks into the already established curriculum and with the technology in place, schools are able to provide this resource on demand. As teachers, we are often faced with a shortage of textbooks with reasons ranging from new students, lost textbooks, etc. When the need for new textbook surface, an e-text can simply be purchased without the wait time of delivery. With this environmentally friendly resource, e-text often incorporate links to online websites such as YouTube or other multi-media resources to contribute to an unlimited supply of knowledge. Digital e-textbooks also provide text-to-speech functions that support struggling readers, readers with dyslexia, or the visually impaired. The number of teachers using technology in their classroom is growing at an exponential rate. The percentage of K-12 classrooms with Internet access has increased from 51% in 1998 to 98% in 2012.

In this video, you will learn about how digital textbooks influence student learning in the classroom. http://bcove.me/06btxqq6

Sources:

http://www.securedgenetworks.com/blog/9-Benefits-of-e-Books-That-Make-Them-Valuable-Classroom-Technology

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/education/09textbook.html

The Impact of Technology in the Classroom

In today’s society implementing technology in the classroom has become the norm, even at the elementary level. According to Janelle Cox, as we sail through the 21st century, technology in the classroom is becoming more and more predominant. In many schools, tablets are replacing books which enable students to research just about anything. At first, I was reluctant to placing so much emphasis on incorporating technology into daily instruction as it is required at my school, but the results have been amazing. According to a study that was conducted by IT Trade Association, 75 percent of educators feel that technology has a positive impact on the learning process. The use of technology has caused teachers to change their teaching style. The adoption of technology has also changed the way in which students learn. This new method of education has created a learning environment that has allowed all involved to think outside of the box.
Students seem to enjoy the use of technology so much because it makes learning fun. My students are assigned a particular day of the week to work on the computers during independent work time. The use of technology has increased the reading levels of many of the majority of my students. The are excited to take a test on the computer after reading a book. Laptop cart day is one that they look forward to each week because this allows the entire class to work on the computers as a group.
A study conducted by Corp TIA’s showed that 9 out of 10 students believe that technology in the classroom would prepare them for the digital future. According to Janelle Cox, these 21st Century skills are essential to be successful in this day and age. The increased uses of technology in society mean that jobs that may not have had a digital component in the past may have one now. Students being familiar with the use of technology from a young age will prove beneficial in their future. Many of them are more technologically than their teachers, which is a plus.
Technology seems to be changing every minute. As educators, it is important that we keep up with the times to keep our students prepared for this ever-changing world that we live in. State Assessments are now being taken through the use of technology, each year the state has been adding a grade level. Last year school year the 4th-grade students had the experience of taking both the Reading and Math FSA on the computer. The year started out a little challenging but after working on the computers with fidelity through out the year, the result was positive. One benefit of using technology to assess the FSA was that the scores were back much sooner than they had been in previous years.
Integrating technology into the classroom has its benefits; I believe that traditional learning processes are just as essential and should be used as well.
Source: Benefits of Technology in the Classroom-TeachHUB. (n.d) Retrieved from http://www.teachhub.com/benefits-technology-classroom

Is Palm Beach County Ready for i-Ready?

I-ready is an adaptive computer program that assesses students and provides them with individualized instruction on their current level of ability. Teachers have access to a wide variety of reports ranging from standards mastery reports, growth reports, skill reports and parent reports. In addition, teachers can print scripted lessons for each student AND for each skill they are currently working on. Teachers can also use the program to group their students to form small group instruction. Once the students are grouped by ability and/or need, the lessons are provided with one click of the mouse.
I-ready’s adaptive nature is based on a theory developed by Georg Rasch in 1960. By using the Rasch Equation, it is possible to calculate the probability of success that a student of a certain ability would have with an item of a certain difficulty. In addition, i-ready meets the rigor of the Common Core Standards in an engaging, high-interest manner. The students earn tokens that can be used in the virtual game room as they successfully complete lessons. The recommended usage of i-ready is thirty minutes per day per student.
With an adaptive computer program that offers so much to teachers and students, it hard to imagine how utilization could not improve student performance. Perhaps that is the opinion of the School District of Palm Beach County because they purchased this program for every elementary school in the district for the 2016-2017 school year for the hefty price tag of six million dollars. However, as with everything, the program will only be as effective as the fidelity of implementation.
The four schools I support used this program last year. I have yet to see another program that is in better alignment with the demands of our new standards. In addition, I have never seen a program that offers more resources to teachers. Along with all of the benefits of this program, I have also observed a number of teachers who do not realize the contributions this program can make to their instruction. Some teachers use this program simply as a tool to keep their students busy. They do not pull the reports nor track their students’ progress. Some teachers want to devote more time to the program, but simply do not have the time to dive into the different facets of the program. Other teachers just roll their eyes when you mention i-ready because it is one more thing added to their “to-do” list.
I do, however, have one teacher who took on i-ready with enthusiasm and 100% effort. She taught her 18 Kindergarten students to alert her whenever they saw the word “congratulations” on their screen. She realized that each time the students successfully completed a lesson, they received the “congratulations” screen. I loved watching their little faces excitedly raise their hand when they experienced success. She then tracked their progress (see chart below) and added lessons to their account that she felt they needed. In addition, she printed the suggested lesson plans for each student to use while she conferred with her Kindergarteners. As a result of her innovate use of this new program, 17/18 of her students were reading on or above grade-level by the end of the year. That is not easy when you consider the high-demands placed on our Kindergarten students (in case you are not familiar with our little ones – the days of playing in the kitchen center in Kindergarten are over). By incorporating the four Cs of creativity, communication, critical thinking, and collaboration, this teacher promotes twenty-first-century pedagogy all day long! In fact, she has created a classroom of super readers!

As technology advances,the benefits will only be as effective as its implementation. I hope that the School District of Palm Beach County takes the time to help teachers understand the “why” behind this program and really embraces the necessary change that we need to occur. I fear that rushed implementation will lead to the improper usage of this valuable program. After I have seen how i-ready can help students make the necessary advances to compete in a global society, we owe it to them to take the time and make our classrooms ready for i-ready.

Technology in Education today

Technology Issue Blog Week 2

In the educational world today technology has been considered to be the most important tool that both students and teachers have access to. Students today and young people period are technologically savvy but are not necessarily using it the correct way. You see students daily walking around with al sorts of technology such as Ipads, smart phones, tablets, etc.… The use of this technology comes natural to this generation of students that there is no need to instruct them on how to use it. I have noticed how technology has changed drastically from when I was in high school that is almost 20 years ago when the big thing with technology, which was word processing. Now you have classes where they cover touch-typing plus the entire Microsoft office suite, coding and an industry certification test.

A major issue I see with technology is not getting the actual technology itself but developing the teachers to enable them on how to teach students and use technology successfully. School districts are making good investments with technology but are but are putting them in classrooms with teachers who are ill prepared and not able to understand the technology in which they have access too. Right now at my school there is plenty of unused brand new technological equipment not being used because some teachers do not want to take the time to try learn the equipment or even fit it into their curriculum.

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

The Importance of Technology in Education

Education is an ever changing world. From chalkboards, to white boards, to SmartBoards, to Apple TVs and iPads, technology is completely changing the way that students are learning in our society. As a teacher, it is important to promote diversity within the classroom. With that in mind, it is extremely important that teachers utilize an array of technology with their students, in order to obtain the highest learning possible.

According to Ashley Wainwright, technology in the classroom has proven itself time and again. In her article entitled, 8 Studies Show iPads in the Classroom Improve Education, she points out that students of all ages are benefiting from iPads in the classroom. One study in Texas showed that students who utilize iPads were 49% more likely to score a proficiency rating versus the traditional classroom. Another such example from Wainwright’s article shows students in California who have used technology within the classroom have raised their mathematics standardized test scores by 20% compared to classes only utilizing traditional textbooks. More importantly, according to Wainwright’s source, Open Colleges, 81% of teachers and 86% of students across the country feel that iPad tablets can help students study more efficiently than normal means.

On a broad scale, Public Schools in the U.S. are now spending more than $8 billion annually on digital content, including hardware and software. Additionally, according to Benjamin Herold’s source of EdTech Strategies, for the first time ever in the 2015-2016 school year, computer based standardized assessments will outnumber the traditional pencil and paper tests. Not only does this trend speak volumes about where our education system is headed, but it also leads to a new type of teaching pattern called “blended learning”, which combines an appropriate amount of teacher based learning with technology based instruction. Proponents of the standardized testing trend explain that technology based assessments save cost, are easy to administer, and easy to obtain valuable feedback on student growth (Herold, 2015).

Overall, I think that iPads and other such technology are a necessity in our current world. Students need to be able to use their phones and tablets for things other than social media and emailing. Teachers that can provide structured lessons on various educational based applications and software programs can open doors and better prepare students for the future. Hopefully, as we evolve even more, we can create an appropriate equilibrium between technology and face-to-face interactions so that we can provide a well-rounded education for all students in our diverse culture.

Please follow the link below to a short video provided by edutopic.org on the importance of education, as well as a look into the 21st century classroom and student: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d59eG1_Tt-Q

Works Cited
1. Herold, B (2015). Technology in Education: An Overview. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/issues/technology-in-education/

2. Wainwright, A. 8 Studies Show iPads in the Classroom Improve Education. Retrieved from http://www.securedgenetworks.com/blog/8-Studies-Show-iPads-in-the-Classroom-Improve-Education