Using Technology in My Classroom
I wanted to share the article What Digital Literacy Looks Like in a Classroom from Education Week (@EducationWeek). This article connects to our readings in Chapter 1 of Blogs, Wikis, and Podcasts and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms by Will Richardson. In one way students are so use to technology because they were born with technology in their lives from day one but do our students know how to use technology safely and correctly. I am always struggling with the idea of how to use technology in my classroom effectively without just letting students play games on the iPads. The article talks about how we consider children to be born into technology as "digital natives" and their parents are "immigrants." My 3 year old cousin can slide the iPad and find his game and we say "Wow! He is great with technology." But my 60 year old mom can do the same thing and we do not say she is good with technology.
To become literate with technology students need to learn how to use technology safely and with common sense. Being literate in technology you also must be a good digital citizen and students need to learn how to use technology. My school's technology teacher is using the Common Sense Media curriculum that was discussed in the article and it made me realize that I need to become aware of what students are learning so I can use it in my classroom as well. Students are learning about using technology safely and not sharing information. Also, third graders learned about Creative Commons! This was very impressive to me.
To become literate with technology students need to learn how to use technology safely and with common sense. Being literate in technology you also must be a good digital citizen and students need to learn how to use technology. My school's technology teacher is using the Common Sense Media curriculum that was discussed in the article and it made me realize that I need to become aware of what students are learning so I can use it in my classroom as well. Students are learning about using technology safely and not sharing information. Also, third graders learned about Creative Commons! This was very impressive to me.
Read this definition from the New York Department of Education: Definition
This quote from the New York Department of Education really stood out to me that students need to be able to "find and evaluate information, connect and collaborate with others, produce and share original content." It's not just about turning on a computer or tablet and being able to find the app. Now, we need to focus on having our students use the tools and to work with other students either in your class or other classrooms. This article talks about using twitter in your classroom but I feel that blogs are great ways for students to connect and share their work. Parents can access blogs to see students work. I have seen some blogs in classrooms where they have a blogger a day who writes one thing that happened that day. I also saw Nicholas Provenzano at MACUL and he talked about how he does 20 time and students blog once a week. Here is a link to his blog The Nerdy Teacher. When he talked he said that once students had a purpose for writing they were so concerned about making sure their spelling and grammar was correct. This is why I want my students to blog so that they have a reason and purpose. They know that other people will read the blog and they have an audience. This is very powerful for students to know that their writing is meaningful.
Here is my PSA! Twitter is one of the best things for educators. I have been able to connect with so many people. I can ask a question and have a response to it in minutes for some of the best teachers in the country! I highly recommend looking into chats that are related to your fields.
Great people to follow on Twitter:
Nicholas Provenzano
Enhancing Digital Literacy. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2014, from http://schools.nyc.gov/community/innovation/ConnectedFoundations/EDL/default.htm
Crowley, B. (2014, October 29). What Digital Literacy Looks Like in a Classroom. Retrieved October 31, 2014, from http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2014/10/29/ctq_crowley_digitalliteracy.html
Enhancing Digital Literacy. (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2014, from http://schools.nyc.gov/community/innovation/ConnectedFoundations/EDL/default.htm
Crowley, B. (2014, October 29). What Digital Literacy Looks Like in a Classroom. Retrieved October 31, 2014, from http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2014/10/29/ctq_crowley_digitalliteracy.html
Hey Lacey,
ReplyDeleteGreat Blog Post! I wanted to expand on one of the comments you made in your post:
"To become literate with technology students need to learn how to use technology safely and with common sense. "
I totally agree with this, but how do we go about teaching this before damage is done? Blogging is a very open thing and can make a student who is new at sharing their ideas very vulnerable. Many time all it takes is one rude comment on a post and that student will shut down and not return to their blog. So how do we go about teaching students common sense before they hurt someone?
I think teaching them common sense needs to be taught before embarking on a huge journey as blogging. Students need to learn how to critique work properly before they are given the privilege of critiquing work online. There needs to be a set of standards created that students must meet before they are able to leave comments on fellow students blogs. I know there will always be risks involved with blogging, but I think we can minimize them if students are taught common sense before they are given a blogging account.
The quote from Lacey's original post also made me start thinking! "To become literate with technology student's need to learn how to use technology safely and with common sense" I agree with you Chris, that students must be given expectations and show they can use common sense before giving them a blog. This is hard to teach and I struggle with it constantly. Even just in my classroom I have students write comments and feedback about projects using sticky notes. Often the comments are either good job or something entirely rude and inappropriate. However, I have found that when I set the expectation about what the comment must include, the students rise to the occasion and often surprise me. This same idea need to be used to students when we teach that about online common sense. Students need to have clear expectations and know that there will be consequences if the expectations are not met.
DeleteThe sticky notes is a great idea. Do you allow the student, who's work is being critiqued, to see the comments before you proof them? Or do you proof them and take out the ones you know are no good?
DeleteChris,
DeleteAt first I make sure to proof the comments. After a few times, I allow the students to just exchange sticky notes. I make sure to remind them of the expectations before we do this every time. I usually don't have any issues after they get used to the expectations. Also, I randomly collect them first, so this keeps them accountable.
Kaitlyn,
DeleteI really like what you had to say about expectations. Just like in the physical classroom, teachers need to have high expectations for their students in the "digital classroom" as well. When blogging--or any other form on writing on the internet--students need to understand what they should and shouldn't post and the potential consequences if poor choices are made.
I think the sticky note idea is awesome! It would be a great scaffold for students before a more permanent form of comment like blogging. It is a great way to establish expectations and give students practice while the teacher has more immediate control over the situation before going online.
Kaitlyn,
DeleteI really like your sticky note idea and how Angela said it could be a scaffold for a blog. Have you thought about having students post their project and let the students reply and comment that way? When you said, "I have found that when I set the expectation about what the comment must include, the students rise to the occasion and often surprise me," I couldn't agree more. I had students post a video project and had the kids copy and paste a template for their response. Some of the templates said things like, "I really like..... can you explain your process?" or "This made me think of..... do you agree?" and having those prompts in place, really drove the discussions forward.
I was floored at the amount of discussion that was taking place on one students project. This is feedback and comments that the student may not normally get, and they are applying that feedback to their work. Our EDU 653 text has continued to make the uses of blogging very enticing, especially when it said, "...students are learning to read more critically, think about that reading more analytically, and write more clearly" (Richardson p. 20). Isn't that every common core language art standard in a nut shell?
Lacey, I completely agree with you about how important it is to be a good digital citizen. One of the first things I teach my students is, "Don't be mean behind the screen," and how you may mean something one way, but it is read in a completely different tone. I think it is important for students to realize that how they meant something may be taken completely different by their reader.
In elementary and middle school student should be using platforms that allow teachers to monitor comments. Once students are old enough they need to learn that if you post things on the internet you might not get the responses you want. Students need to use accountable talk to reply and give feedback. Nicholas Provenzano talked about how important it was for a student to learn that when they get a negative they will have to learn to deal with the comment. He taught one student to wait 24 hours before commenting back.
DeleteWhen translating this to the digital world, you could look at moderating comments on a blog post as well. Depending on the age level, you could slowly "take off the training wheels" and allow less moderated comments once the students have shown a level of maturity and meeting those high expectations. It also never hurts to demonstrate what "good comments" look like.
DeleteHello Lacey,
ReplyDeleteIt amazes me how a child can use technology better than my own parents. I too see funny things like my youngest son, who is 2 years old, using my tablet or smart phone with no help whereas I need to visit my parents and in-laws at least once a week because they cannot figure out how to use the the wifi printer! But, just because they can use the electronic does not show they how to use them correctly. For example, my youngest kids know how to access movies using the Netflix app. But on occasion, they click on a movie that is in no way appropriate for them. This also rings true with you tube and other game sites. As for Twitter, I am encouraged to see teachers using this type of technology to communicate with other teachers and parents. It is nice to keep everyone informed without having to sent a mass email or a printed classroom newsletter. (and provide a link to your classroom blog for more information)
Matt, knowing how to use a technology tool does not mean that a student actually understands the tool or its implications. For example, many of my students can use Google to look up information in a very simple manner, such as “how do I…..?” type of questions. Actually understanding how to search effectively using good refining techniques such as Boolean searches and using plus and minus symbols to restrict a search, however, is another matter. Most of them do not understand how to use the search tool effectively. Additionally, knowing how to review the found content for quality and validity is another critical thinking skill that does not come with knowing how to use the technology. Finally, many of the students have been taught about the ramifications of using technology inappropriately, but they really have not internalized that information into their way of thinking. I have students who have done plagiarism training but still do not completely comprehend that it is wrong to copy another’s work and use it in their own without attribution because of the share and collaborate culture in which they have grown up.
DeleteIn the Common Sense curriculum students learn about copyright in early elementary grades. This is a great thing but they also don't know how to type. I hadn't thought about the google search before this is something I will have to work on with my class when we write nonfiction.
DeleteI am not sure if you are the Lacey that teaches third grade like me or if it was another Lacey. Anyway, I wanted to comment on the idea of struggling with appropriately incorporating technology in my classroom. We do not have the iPads for all the students, but I do have four student computers. I struggle with making sure the websites or applications I am sending home or in the classroom are actually teaching my students something purposeful or are they just a bunch of games. This is such a fine line to cross because you want it be purposeful, but you want it to be “fun” or engaging or else the students will not use source.
ReplyDeleteAs I am reading chapter two in our text about Weblogs, I started reading it with a chip on my shoulder of this is a useless chapter. I found guidelines that can help guide me to picking website and applications that will help my students. When I stumbled on the subchapter called The Pedagogy of Weblogs on page twenty six and twenty seven. I found five good reasons that ate that chip off my shoulder. The five reasons are to motivate students, collaborate, reflection, different lying styles, enhance development if a subject and build on their ideas. These are all great “buzz words” that caught my attention. These are great words that I should use when I am finding things to incorporate in my classroom. Yes, they work for weblogs, but they also should be a guide I use to find things that will help my students.
After reading these “buzz words” it makes me feel a little better when I am looking for websites and applications in my classroom.
Natalie
Sounds like a good subject to blog about Natalie! Sometimes "having fun" can also involve what I like to call "accidental" learning. Depending on the games/websites being used, if the pedagogical background behind it is sound, you may be surprised at what your students pick up. Engaging students who otherwise would be "checked out" is another strong reason to examine those five reasons. I'd really like to see you explore this more in a full blog post (unless something more interesting comes up).
DeleteHey Lacey...something else came to mind when I was thinking about your post. It is a must, to teach students how to use common sense when posting comments on a blog....but how do we go about teaching students to not take legitimate comments that might not agree with their post, personally? It seems that a lot of students today don't know how to handle criticism and might shy away at the first negative comment on their post. I don't hear about this issue being addressed a lot and wanted to know if you had any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteGreat read Lacey! I really like the part about The Nerdy Teacher blog, talking of giving students a purpose in their writing and the unintended positive effects on grammar and punctuation usage. As teachers of writing, we're always talking about writing for an audience, whether it be a narrative, opinion, or persuasive; we always talk of writing to the author's audience.
ReplyDeleteUntil blogging, the only audience for students were their immediate peers of the classroom, their own teacher, and their family (for the most part). Their audience was fairly small and generally those they know well.
Now, blogs offer a worldwide audience. When students write on their blog, they have peers their own age, of which they've never met. It seems this is enough of a motivator to make a smart first impression on new audience members of their writing, which brings students to use correct grammar, spelling and punctuation.
A couple of my co-workers came back from MACUL this past year with the 20% Time idea, they must have seen Nicholas Provenzano there too. They were super excited about trying out the 20% Time idea in their ELA classes and they implemented it the same year. Their students were very excited about the 20% Time idea, especially since they could go in nearly any direction with ideas. The teachers had their students post on their own project blog at least once per week, reflecting on their progress. I think they also required students to post responses to other student blogs, in a similar way to what we're doing here in EDU653.
ReplyDeleteThe students I also had in my class, shared with me that having to post to their blog each week made them feel more accountable for their progress. With such an extended project, it's very easy for students to procrastinate. My students told me that because of how "public" their blog progress posts were, they felt pressure to continue making forward progress during the entire 20% Time project.
Thanks for sharing the Education Week article too!
Hey Lacey,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog post and in particular the article you chose to share with the class. I agree that it is hard to find appropriate things/assignments for students to complete while using a device such as the iPad. I have a room of 1-1 iPads and often am questioning myself on how I can incorporate them more in the classroom without just using them for the purpose of Apps. I think it is much harder to incorporate them with younger students where you are asking for more complex tasks and higher expectations.
Our technology teacher does a great job with incorporating Common Sense Media curriculum. Unfortunately, my kids will not take her class until the 3rd marking period starts due to how our specials schedule is set up. After reading about the importance of understanding how to use technology appropriately I am going to suggest to my principal that next year my class should take technology in the first two marking periods because they are constantly using their iPads and should be taught how to use them the right way earlier in the year.
As I was reading our book I also noted that using technology correctly in the classroom can allow for my students to collaborate more and will allow for student lead type of lessons. I find this important because a large portion of our evaluation deals with student collaboration and student led activities. I think the key for establishing a blog in a lower elementary classroom will be to start very small with students posting just key points that stuck with them during a lesson.
Thanks for sharing!
Great post Lacey. Personally, I think I've been in denial about the issue of teaching students to be good digital citizens until I had kids of my own. My two daughters are still too young (2.5 and 1) to operate any technology on their own, but as a parent, I have come to grips that protecting my daughters from harm in this day and age is quite different from the way that my parents protected me. What I mean by that is through technology, we always have a connection to the external world. A world that's outside of our control. The information that is exchanged through that connection is a two-way street, and we are constantly bringing the outside world into our homes. That scares me because I know that the internet can be an ugly place. I know that there are people out there who are not good digital citizens and that has an effect on all of us. That's why I am now a much stronger advocate for teaching digital citizenship at an early age.
ReplyDelete