As teachers we are constantly encouraged to incorporate more and more technology into our classrooms and lessons. This push is not without some footing. In the 21st century it is essential that we introduce new technology to our students in a positive way. Once you accept this as the new reality of our job you can begin to use the technology to your advantage. As teachers you have access to Learning Management Software, Free Websites, Web 2.0 tools, device operating systems and a host of other enhancements that all can play a role in your classroom. As a classroom teacher myself I was initially overwhelmed and wanted to expose my students to everything that was available to them, but my plan backfired and in the end my students mastered none of the technologies... so how do you decide which technology tools to use? St. John Vianney High School is a Google Apps environment a partnership with google to have access to the suite of Google Apps for Education that are available for free (if you meet certain criteria). This includes email service, google drive online storage, sites, and access to any other features that Google provides. I personally love this set up because I believe that Google has the right approach when developing technology. Their philosophy is to develop simple tools and give their customers the flexibility to use them in whatever situation they see fit. Now, Google may not be for you or your district but it is important to select a set of technology tools to use in your classroom or school. When I decide on technology I follow three simple rules: RULE 1: Always do what is best for your STUDENTS Many of these educational technology tools LOOK great and seem to serve the individual needs of all teachers, however when you really ask yourself if the technology will benefit the students you may find that more self-reflection is necessary. Using a certain tool in your class may look cool from the outside and teachers may walk by and say “wow! You are SOOO innovative!” But is to impress our co-workers really our mission as educators? Are the students benefiting from technology or is it for the benefit of the teacher? Always pick technology that benefits your student population... RULE 2: The technology must ENHANCE LEARNING not just replace it In the edtech world a new set of criteria has emerged to help guide teachers in how best to select technology and develop lessons around it. The SAMR Model provides a framework to evaluate your technology decisions and make changes when necessary. The four levels are: The lowest level of technology integration is SUBSTITUTION in which you are keeping the same lesson that you did on paper yet transferring it to a digital space. Example: instead of students taking in class written notes the students are now typing them. Besides allowing some students who may type faster than they write to feel more comfortable the technology did not improve the lesson at all. Where we want to get teachers and classrooms to is the MODIFICATION and REDEFINITION levels. At these levels students are learning new things because of the technology which they would not have been able to do without it. Example: Creating an online blog about a community problem that is shared with the world. These blogs are then shared with other classes throughout the city for comment, feedback, and possible implementation. Where previously a simple research paper on a community problem and solution would have worked has been ENHANCED to the REDEFINITION level through technology, learning that could not have been done without the tool. I always use the SAMR evaluation strategy when planning lessons and if I am not striving for the MODIFICATION level than I feel I am doing a disservice to my students. RULE 3: Become the master of some Tech tools NOT an amatuer of Many With so many tools available it may seem like you need to become familiar with as many as possible and implement them all. I would venture to say that is the wrong approach. As a teacher I do try out as many technology tools as I can and see if they follow the above two rules but when it comes to implementation in my class only a couple make the cut. As teachers if the number of technology tools is overwhelming to us...how do you think our students feel? Besides our class (which we all know is the most important!) they must also travel to 3-7 other classroom each day and deal with another teacher who is throwing 5-10 other technology tools at them. The whole process of school can be overwhelming. In my class I trained all my students in the effective use of “Google Drive” for writing assignments and research as well as weebly.com where my students maintain a class blog. These two tools have been drilled into them so many times that they are beginning to become the master of technology that I want them to be. I have also incorporated services like piktochart.com (infographic creation) and Lucidcharts.com (flow chart creation) but only on specific projects and in small amounts. In the end as part of the skills development aspect of my class I wanted my students to become masters of a couple of tools, not an amateur at dozens. The host of different technology tools that are available to use as teachers can be overwhelming that is why it is important to have a set of “firewalls” built in to our pedagogy to prevent “tech overload” for me those include:
0 Comments
One of the greatest questions among educators is how to create lifelong learners of our students. These life-long learners are known as “intrinsically motivated learners” and like other intrinsically motivated people they want to learn more because they LIKE TO LEARN. Everyone is intrinsically motivated to do something with their life, for instance I enjoy riding my bike. While others might feel bored sitting on a metal contraption for 40 miles I enjoy the quiet, constant motion, and time to myself. I do not ride my bike to get anywhere or train for a cross country tour (although that would be cool!) I do it simply for the love of riding. Whether is be reading, playing video games, or competing in sports everyone is intrinsically motivated by their hobbies and interests. One of the goals of education is to harness that motivation for learning. With all this talk about convincing kids that they should ENJOY learning what are really doing to help them get their? Are we really providing the right environment to entice them to want to learn or are we just hoping they will want to while sitting quietly in rows? This brings up another type of motivation that sometimes has a bad reputation, extrinsic motivation. Extrinsic motivation is an outside force that moves you to complete a task. We are far more familiar with extrinsic motivation than intrinsic because it is much more abundant in the world and in our field of education. Extrinsic motivation is when to provide a reward or consequence in order to entice the appropriate reaction out of the student. A prevalent example of this would be the use of a set of standardized grading criteria in your classroom. Part of the reason (please do not hate me teachers) students want to do well in your classroom or school is because they WANT to earn that “A+” in your class. That grade leads to a higher Grade Point Average which could lead to more college enrollment choices and for many students more merit based scholarship money. When students enter the workforce in jobs they hopefully love doing they will also be working to earn money, an extrinsic motivator. From rewards programs provided by retail stores to deadlines for properly filing your taxes extrinsic motivation plays just as much of a key role in the lives of our students as intrinsic motivation. New educational philosophy and practice are starting to accept that extrinsic motivation may have a positive role in education. These newer ideas are starting to include this crucial aspect of our adult lives in education. These new ideas, such as gamification, are combining extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in the classroom in the hopes that students will find what interests them (in a classroom setting) and molding content learning around those interests. A perfect example of this marriage of motivations is the concept of Genius Hour. The idea that students use 20% of their class time to design their own projects based on what they are interested in. These projects are published, shared, and collaborated on showing the power of intrinsic motivation in the classroom. If you want to see some excellent examples of genius hour see Jillian Hoge’s Genius Hour blog post and what her students were able to create in just eight short classroom sessions. Another example is Gamification in which video game aspects such as progress tracking and reward systems help motivate students to dive deeper into content. As we move deeper into the digitally driven 21st century let us remember the power of BOTH intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. True educators know that no student learns in only one way. It is our job as educators to find what interests our students and use that information to create the connections between those ideas and the ideas we want them to master. Through the marriage of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation this is truly possible.
With the start of every new school year their is always the overwhelming feeling of optimism and hope for the new class and new group of young minds. For teachers, shortly after that first class period that feeling is often replaced with the smothering dread and anxiety about the AMOUNT of content that needs to be covered, that MUST be covered. As a history teacher I feel this more than most because parents, students, teachers, and even my boss has hard proof of how much content I was able to cover and missed by simply pointing to the last year or decade and covered and ask, “what about the rest?” I problem that other subjects can sometimes get around. This fear of content failure is a constant source of anxiety for teachers especially as we approach the end of the year and still have not covered X, Y, and Z. This fear is partly why many teachers plow headlong into their content on day one of classes. I used to start this way, hoping my proactive approach would lead to increased productivity (it did not) and decreased anxiety (it did not). So I switched to a new system and now I spend my first three days without even touching the textbook or the content inside...that is right, THREE WHOLE DAYS! The school I work at, St. John Vianney High School, has a two semester college prepatory schedule. This means that I see my students everyday for 90 minutes and at the end of the semester the students take their final exam. At the start of the new semester everyone has new classes and I have dozens of new students to start over with. In this system I have twice the opportunity to FREAK OUT about content, the schedule, and how I plan to cover 700 years of history in 81 days. I started my mindshift after reading the book “Teach Like a Pirate” by Dave Burgess. This book, written by a history teacher, explores a different way to teach. This new system asks teachers to engage their students through play, interactions, and fun. I HIGHLY recommend the book to all teachers as he explores how every subject can become more engaging to students. In the book he speaks about the power of the first 3 days of the new year and what could be done with those valuable hours. You could jump right into content, dragging your students with you hoping that they are ready to learn about weeks of break OR you could engage them as people. Dave Burgess suggested that you should get to know your students and allow them to get to know you. Then let them know your expectations and what they can expect out of the class. I took this to heart and transformed my class based on his model. Here is what I came up with: Day 1: Introductions and Expectations (remember 90 minute classes!)
Day 2: Desert Island Survival Day!
Day 3: “Sector 6” Introduction and Sigil Design
Over the course of these three days I have the opportunity to speak A LOT with each of my new students and they get to know me on a personal level. When we do start content on day four (content day one) we have a rapport to build off, a set of expectations, and a common goal in mind. This is now the third semester I have conducted this system and I can say that the relationships I have built over these days pay dividends when we get deep into the heart of the content. So, consider this for your future...would you rather spend a little bit of your time building a relationship with your students that you can expand upon for the whole class OR shove a few more days of raw content at them?
For me those relationships are crucial even if I miss a few decades of history later in the course! As a fourth year teacher I am starting to get a hang of how this whole teaching and learning thing really works. At first things like objectives, scaffolding, and student voice were just buzzwords that I heard but never REALLY knew what they meant. But after seeing how a real classroom works and how learning takes place now I know, now I understand how movement and competition in boys helps them learn complex ideas. I now understand that in order to understand complex ideas sometimes you have to start small and simple. I even understand the idea of sandwiching new material (no not that!) The idea that when teaching material it is best to review previous related material, introduce new material, and then finish with a review of the new material again. These ideas, concepts, and buzzwords all mean something and if you can understand these basic laws of education than you can begin to get creative with HOW you scaffold your content for maximum impact. As a history teacher I have tough job, I have to make a subject that traditionally people hate into a fun learning environment that draws diverse students in and pushes them to think deeply. This past month I have begun to develop a new way to make this happen, a way to incorporate deep thinking, core concepts of my class, competition, collaboration, and even fun into a history class. The idea is a game, the Nation Building Game (forgive me I am still workshopping the title). I am big believer in the relatively new educational concept known as “Gamification.” A concept that I have written about in the past and defined as incorporating video game elements into the classroom consisting of four elements: Competition, Collaboration, Constant Tracking of Progress, and Constant Reward. In my constant effort to make my class better I try my best to incorporate these concepts into everyday life at my school. I have even developed a complex badge and reward system for my class that students can collect throughout the semester, a game known as “sector 6.” This idea of gamification is at the core of what I believe in as an educator. The idea that we must stop fighting growing societal norms and instead embrace what our students do in their personal lives and use it to our advantage. When researching more gamification content I came across a Ted Talk by John Hunter a fourth grade teacher who developed a Geo-political world peace simulation for his students. The Ted Talk explains it all but essentially his class is divided into nations and those nations must put aside their differences and solve a set of real world problems that they inherit. These problems include pollution, global warming, water rights, land disputes, and even terrorism. After watching the Ted Talk 10 times I became consumed by the possibilities in my classroom. I teach modern world history which if you want to boil it down to a simple objective my students explore how the modern nation state was formed including the creation of individual rights, as well as how industrialization and imperialism led to the great wars of the 20th century. A hefty lesson for any 15-16 year old to understand but my students are great and have yet to disappoint me. After listening to John Hunter for the fourth time I realized how applicable his game could be to my classroom. With some modifications I could have my students create their own nations, develop individual societies, industrialize, conquer new territory, make war (or conduct diplomacy), and end up in roughly the same situation as the REAL WORLD is in now! At this moment I could introduce many of the problems currently plaguing the world and see how my students handle those situations.
In this construction, competition, and collaboration the lessons learned from the past semester will be reinforced and new insights reached as the students struggle with many of the decisions that world leaders faced throughout the last 600 years. My hope is that through this game these students can become independent thinkers who use the past a guide on how to solve the problems of their future. I am no-where near ready to release the game to my class but my self-imposed deadline of Fall 2016 will be my guide. Check back to see how the game is coming and what elements will be a part of it! Ask my parents or my siblings about me as a kid and the same nickname will always come up. I am not proud of it and have fought hard my entire adult life to break from it….but its true. I AM a tyrant and I AM uptight! Although I despise these names and wish to see to them washed from my history I have also accepted them and realize they have played a key role in getting me to the place I am today. I AM uptight when it comes to my content, its structure, and the lessons I hope my students gain from the history of our past. I AM a tyrant to my students about proper dress and proper actions of my students while they are at school. For most people the personality I have built at St. John Vianney High School has become a positive influence on my students who may not have been challenged by a teacher like me. Despite the hard line I take with my students conduct and the rigidity at which I approach my content I do have a softer side as well, something I hope my students will see. That is why this year I am attempting a new approach with my students that looks to build a personal relationship with them and show them how I truly feel.
I have begun to do a little research on a concept that does not seem to fit with the high school environment I have trained to exist in - Thank you notes. That is right, messages of affirmation and thanks to those who are doing a good job. When I look at my students (all male sophomores who are outwardly growing into men who feel no pain) I really do not think of people who would expect and enjoy those tiny messages but when I thought about it more my big question was, what’s the worst that could happen?” The results of the first semester were significant. First, lets debunk a myth our students attempt to perpetuate. Our male students DO have feelings and DO CARE what you think so any little thing (positive or negative) that you say or do will have an impact even if it is not visible. Even adult men still desire and appreciate affirmation from colleagues and superiors. As a student teacher four years ago I received a note from a student (sophomore whose name was Claire) which said simply, “I think you are a really good teacher, please keep going!” A note that I still keep in my desk today. In my first month of my first year of full time teaching I received a note from my principal welcoming me and letting me know he hired me for a reason, because he believed in me. And then very recently (the reason for this post) I received an email from my current principal calling me his HERO. Each one of these notes I keep close to me for those days when the world seems to be crashing down. So if a full grown man can be impacted by a simple note why can't a high school student? I had some amazing results when I tried this out last semester. In all I wrote probably 25 notes during the semester each to a different student. They related to recent work the student had done that really impressed me or a certain action I witnessed that I wanted to further encourage. From those notes I got back several emails from students thanking me for the kind words, I got a story from a parent who put the note on their fridge and a mom who gave me a hug in appreciation. One mom who spoke to another teacher stated that it made her son cry because it was so nice. She said, “no one had ever said anything nice about him like that before...it meant a lot.” It crushed me to think that no other teacher had ever said anything that nice to him...EVER? Now I really do not know what I wrote in each note or what circumstances drove me to select THAT student THAT day but those students may keep those notes for years or at least their week is a little bit better because of a note that took me 5 minutes to write. It is important to show our students that we are human and to remember that they themselves are also human. Despite the fact that many of them are developing personalities that hide their true feelings under layers of hardened mass it is important to recognize their humanity and through that reach them on a deeper level that maybe later we can use to educate. During the 21st century technology revolution schools have a very difficult decision to make. They must decide what role technology will play in their school as well as what course of adaptation they will take. It is easy to say from an outsiders perspective that giving each student a device will give students the ability to use technology in education, but is that the right strategy? A few strategies have come to prominence during these turbulent times that need to be discussed. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) BYOD is based on the idea that in the United States each student has access to a basic computing device and that some school systems do not have the resources to supply each student with a device as well as the technology support for hundreds of those devices. In the United States 55% of citizens own a smartphone and 42% own a tablet device (Pew Research). This adoption technique asks that each student purchase and bring their own device to school. These devices have to meet certain requirements and may even be from a list of brands that has been school approved. The role of the school is to provide technical support while on campus as well as Wireless access and security to the students who are part of the BYOD program. There are some strengths and weaknesses to the BYOD system including: Strengths:
1:1 Device Adoption The 1:1 system is a much more involved system of adoption. In this system the school district is seen to go “ALL-IN” and adopt a single device for each student in the school system. The school system then purchases the devices and loans the device to the student for the year (1 student: 1 device). These devices are pre-loaded with applications that the student will need for the year as well as software for security. These devices are serviced by the school system most likely by a dedicated technology specialist in the building. The devices are owned by the school system who has a contract with the device manufacturer for regular maintenance and updates on a regular basis. This system also has its costs and benefits: Strengths:
Teacher Deployed System The teacher deployed system is the combination of the two previous systems that does not require a school system to adopt a single device or rely on students to properly maintain their own devices. The teacher deployed system has a school system build mobile computer carts that can be “signed out” by teachers for periods of time. These computer carts might be multiple carts of the same device or may be multiple types of devices each with its own cart. There will not be enough computers for each student to be working at the same time but enough for a large percentage of teachers to be connected at the same time. This may 1 device for every 2-5 students. In addition each department within the school system makes a recommendation as to which device works best for their subject area. Much like the other systems this strategy has its own strengths and weaknesses: Strengths:
Each system has its own strengths and weaknesses and it is the job of an effective school administrator as well as a trusted technology committee to come up with the system that is right for their situation. Only through the successful integration of technology into our 21st century classrooms will our students be prepared for their tech driven lives outside of the classroom.
On a cold morning in early December 41 sophomore students gathered around a table of light breakfast before the journey ahead. They had all been prepped for this day for a few weeks now and after the long wait it was finally here. A few weeks before I had talked about this amazing museum not to far from their homes in Saint Louis Missouri. Only four hours away was the World War I museum at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City. The Liberty Memorial is a large park and memorial to the Veterans and fallen of WW1 from the Kansas City area that was finished in 1926. Since its opening the museum has become more and more of a National symbol of the "The Great War". In 2004 a museum opened underneath the memorial in a subterranean space. This museum houses thousands of artifacts from The Great War including exhibits about specific topics and a research wing. The expansive museum is staffed by volunteers who give guided tours of the facility and can answer any questions about the museum or the war itself. As a student of the University of Missouri-Kansas City I had visited the museum several times and spent hours looking at all the small pieces that made up The Great War. I remember being shocked and amazed at the expansive collection and the personal stories that were being told. I vowed that one day I would take my classes to experience those same feelings. In the fall of 2014 I had an opportunity to do just that. I called up the museum and was amazed at how easy it was to set up a group tour for my class. After I had everything set up I sold it to my classes. As any teacher will tell you students are always willing to get out of the traditional classroom environment for a whole day regardless of what it entails. I knew this, but still I was overwhelmed with the enthusiastic response from my students. Due to limited funds I could only take a maximum of 45 students and I told them I would take first come/ first serve. This challenge led to a mad rush to see who could turn it in first (I had students run out to their parents cars after school to have it signed and returned it before I left the same day!) This unexpected response made me very excited about the trip. Over the course of two weeks I received 41 permission slips to go on the trip. The trip itself would be an exhausting endeavor, leaving at 7:30am to take a four hour bus ride to Kansas City, spend four hours touring, and ending with another four hour trip back to Saint Louis, expected arrival time -- 8:30pm! The pictures below show much of the museum and the experiences by my students that day but for the most part the day can be characterized by smiles and hurried gestures for me to come see or explain some artifact that my students had found. In order to help organize and archive the event the trip embraced technology instead of rejected it. Students were encouraged to use smart phones to help research any questions they had, as well as social media such as "twitter" to compose tweets and take pictures of the day. The collection of photographs and experiences (see below) are something that would not be possible without technology and buy-in from many people. Technology helped the students review the large amount of information they were exposed to over the course of the day. A VERY long day for the students and the four faculty members who accompanied me but definitely a day that these students will remember forever, and as teachers is that not what we are supposed to do? Create experience that make a life-long impression? Do you really think that students are going to remember sitting in their desk and say to themselves, "gee wiz I am so happy we are sitting quietly today! WOO-HOO!" The days I remember from school were days of laughter, excitement, and innovation. So if you want to help your students connect with your content and create some excitement for those topics that you love so dearly explore the concept of letting your students explore and even maybe taking them on a trip. The WW1 Museum and Liberty memorial are very welcoming to class and school groups. Click here for more information - Educators & Students Page
|
Brandon LewisMy name is Brandon Lewis and I am a high school history teacher in St. Louis Missouri. I practice the art of teaching at St. John Vianney High School. Archives
March 2016
Categories
All
|