I would say my learners and I have some similar experiences and some new experiences as well. Growing up I had access to a computer at school and home with Internet; I can’t remember a time that I didn’t. However, during school the utilization of computers were not always effective. Most of my elementary school computer experiences revolved around Oregon Trail, Word, PowerPoint, and typing software. My students have the opportunity to have 1-1 laptops providing them constant access to information. Having their own laptops creates more opportunities to relay information in new and exciting formats. I can’t think of a single presentation in my K-12 career that was done with something other than a poster, a product, or a PowerPoint. My students are now using sites like glogster, wikispaces, ning, edmodo, e-portfolios, animoto, website creators, and wordle to share the information they have gathered.
My learners are Generation Z kiddos. I teach students from 5th grade to 8th graders, ranging in ages eight to fourteen. Students live in a small rural community with roughly 3,400 residents. Growing up I lived in a small town of 6,500 about 40 minutes South of where I teach. Like my students, almost all of the students I started preschool or kindergarten with I graduated with. The classes I teach range in 100-150 students per grade level, not much different from the numbers when I was in school. My students understand the concept of a smaller city, but have no idea what it would be like to be near a large city like Chicago. Most students have access to a computer at home, but not necessarily Internet or printers. We are in a unique location that keeps the atmosphere of small town living, but creates new issues such as some homes being “too far” in the country to get Internet access without having expensive cables placed in the ground.
My students either fall in the haves or the have nots categories. While talking with my students about how we can use apps in the classroom I found roughly 80% of the students have access to an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. I found that my students who have smartphones also have computers, internet, printers etc., while my students who do not have smartphones also do not have internet and printing access at home. My students have a clear digital divide when it comes to access outside of the classroom. Most of our classrooms have some version of an interactive whiteboard, writing slate, projector, voting devices, document camera or some combination of the items.
Unfortunately, the ISAT trap has caught us! My learners have been trained to function based on ISAT, bubble an answer and no more thinking required. They are not used to struggling through problems, having to use critical thinking skills, working with partners, and being able to communicate effectively. Students only know how to solve problems that have a clear answer, students expect everything they experience to have clearly labeled steps, they would rather work alone than deal with a partner, and they don’t understand that communication is more than talking and texting.
The good news is we are changing that in our school. We have the 1-1 laptop grant, we have engineering classes in middle school, and new reading strategies that emphasize reading skills and comprehension. We strive to make connections to everyday life with our students. I am in a unique class that allows me to give open-ended problems, criteria and constraints for design, discovery and hands on projects. My students still don’t want to struggle, but they are becoming more willing to go through the process. They leave my classroom with pride in their designs and creations, they feel like they are better at math and science, and they think they can solve problems more effectively. The truth is, they were capable of being good problem solvers all along but need the opportunity to find that out.
The methods that I have found to be effective with my students are teamwork activities, hands on activities and limiting the number of absorb-type activities. Teamwork activities encourage students to work as a team towards a common goal. They enjoy working towards one large goal and keep each other on task. One barrier of teamwork is meeting the needs of all the students. There are some challenges are difficult, I want to challenge my students but not overwhelm them. My students love doing hands on activities that let them do something and feel productive. Students have commented they enjoy my class because they don’t just sit and listen then do homework. Instead they get to create and try to solve a problem. I also find my students are less tolerant of letting me share information because they want to do something. There are very few days that I have to get them information, but when I do it is usually a large amount of information. I find that limiting the number of absorb-type activities really keep my students interested in the topic we are exploring. Absorb activities like me giving them vocabulary, supplying instruction before an activity, and or presentations of principles will burn them out if I try too many. (Horton, 2006) Instead, I have to balance presentations with activities so the students can get a little information and apply then return for more. (Horton, 2006)
I do not believe that comfort with technology and technology proficiency is the same thing. I see this every time I assign a PowerPoint to my students. I sit astonished at how painful listening to all the PowerPoint presentations are. I also get to enjoy the view, watching the back of my students’ head as they read from the board to me. Students know how to run PowerPoint, how to type information, know how to find a picture and drag it in, but they don’t know how to create an effective presentation, put only the important information (as opposed to every word) or save a picture and cite it. Our students and many adults have coping mechanisms for working with technology. People have found something that works ok, but don't continue to find out how technology should be used.
My students are currently using technology in their learning with almost all of the teachers, but they are not all learning with technology effectively. In my opinion, many teachers are not prepared to teach students using effective technology even though they are effective teachers. As David Perlmutter said, training is an obvious step to help close the technology gap between students and teachers. Teachers don’t have the education they need to be proficient in technology and pictures of the process doesn’t give a teacher thorough understanding. Just like the video You Can’t Be My Teacher, our kids are looking at how we are reacting to the new laptops. Students already know what teachers refuse to use the interactive whiteboards and technologies. They are already making assumptions that those teachers won’t let them use their laptops. The teachers are all good teachers, but don’t have the experience to use the technology. All teachers know when they are strong in their content their lessons are smoother, students understand more, and the students are more engaged. I believe learners who are comfortable with technology are more likely to become proficient if given the appropriate opportunities to learn or are self-motivated to find the training on their own.
Resources:
dcannelli (Poster). You can’t be my teacher [video]. (2009, October 25). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VSymMbMYHA&feature=youtu.be .
Horton, W. (2006). E-Learning by Design. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.
leemijeehoon (Poster). Honda ok factory ad [video]. (2006, October 29) Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9B9UD5Hlp4 .
Perlmutter, D. (2011, July). Bridging the generational tech gap. Retrieved August 7, 2011, from thechronicle.com: http://chronicle.com/article/Bridging-the-Generational-Tech/128304/
