Classroom Technology

In gaining a better understanding of technology and its possible use in curriculum, I decided to do an analysis of different tools, and how I might implement them into teaching history. One such tool, which I utilized in the preparation of this blog, is Google docs. Google docs is a tool for collaboratively sharing information via the web among a group of people, or storing information that may be useful for deadlines on a project. [1] As my technology class peers placed different websites on Google docs, and their uses in teaching implementation, I was able to narrow my search to a few sites that I would feel comfortable using in my own classroom. Because a user is able to create a document on Google docs that could be specific (spreadsheets, article documents and presentations) I would not have a problem using it in the classroom as well. It allows for exchange of information between students and teachers and also allows the students to spend more time creating rather than searching for information. Google docs can be edited and organized according to topic, students name or any other matter of importance to the students or the group they are collaboratively working with.

Another site I would use in my classroom would be a bookmarking site such as Diigo.[2] Diigo is similar to Google docs in that it has a sharing potential with bookmarking websites. A student or group of students would share websites for a group project that would be useful or may decide to keep the bookmark to themselves if they are working on a project alone. This site is easy to use as it contains headings for each saved item and has the capabilities to highlight, recommend sites and information as well as a watch list to keep track of sites bookmarked for currency. I will implement the use of Diigo by sharing reliable web sources with my students and teach my students how to verify the reliability of a web site before sharing with others.

A Wiki space (www.wikispaces.com) is another useful tool for teachers and students to work on collaboratively. A wiki page could be created with different information that is readily available to my students. I would use a wiki page as a working syllabus for my students to view and collaboratively discuss different assignments and questions posted throughout a semester. Some teachers write a syllabus for their students and expect to get through everything according to the assigned date, leaving no room for illnesses and school closings. I believe that a wiki page would be useful in that it can be changed to continue on a topic or answer further questions a teacher may not get to in the classroom.[3] Both Google docs and wiki spaces are easy to use and the information is readily available under topics or subtopics leaving little use for speculation and need for understanding. With that said, I would like to delve further into three basic reliable research websites I would feel comfortable in using for my secondary history class.

One website I would approve my students to use in my secondary history classroom is Flickr. Flickr is a website that allows people to share pictures which my students could use for a cover page on a subject matter or on a PowerPoint presentation. There are several pictures I have seen on Flickr that look authentic to the time period such as Civil War reenactment photos. Students could use these to explain the dress and battles in order to give their audience a visual of a time in history which declared freedom for the slaves and government bipartisanship. This website is easy to use, although one must sign up for a free Yahoo account and password.[4] The students may have to get permission to use pictures for assignments, however requesting them should not be a problem and the site meets the Federal Trade Commission’s Privacy Initiatives (COPPA) by allowing students to create blocked password and personal information from online predators.[5]

Historical websites are posted all over the web. I would provide my students a list of reliable websites which may assist them with their learning. One such website is the Historical Thinking Matters website (www.historicalthinkingmatters.org) which is a helpful tool for teachers and students.[6] This website allows students after creating a password to view video’s explaining a historical event. Although the historical event may not be one that the teacher is reviewing in the classroom at the moment, the website teaches students how to think historically (critical thinking) and use primary and secondary sources in order to write an exemplary paper or presentation. The website gives a question pertaining to the topic on a video. The student will be allowed to look at different artifacts for further investigation on the question. The student can then answer the question and send it to his/her teacher via e-mail for review. The teacher can analyze if the student understands how to use primary and secondary sources or more review is in order. The students can go to the website many times to practice and implement their critical thinking skills.

Two other websites that I find useful for historical research are the Smithsonian History Explorer website (www.historyexplorer.americanhistory.si.edu) and The History Channel website (www.history.com).[7] [8] Both are easy to use and follow for students. There is no need to log in or give any personal information. Both have a search toolbar to write specific time periods searching for and the information on these sites is reliable and useful for writing research papers. The websites do not have pop up advertisements to lure students away from it which can also lead them to child predators.

In reviewing all of the information gathered by my peers and myself, I have come to the conclusion that there are infinite uses to technology in the classroom. I am sure that the websites and tools that I may use one day may change over time due to new websites and tools being created. Therefore it is important for a teacher to check the validity of online materials and provide an update to students. I will be creating and using my own website to store all of the information, websites, blogs, wiki’s and alerts for use in my historical curriculum so that my students will find it easier to check for any changes. I will also, make sure that any website I use will meet the Federal Trade Commission Standards in protecting the identity of my students. [9]

The Parkland School District is on its way to fully integrating technology into the curriculum. They are teaching their students math via computers, and have also placed parent friendly technologies to use in order for parents to obtain their kids academic information. [1] However, while they have not yet completely done away with books, it seems that they may be well on their way to doing so.

I do not believe the sole use of a computer can target every student’s intelligence. Although the computer requires a student to type and kinesthetically interact in some way, one cannot take the mobility that a text book could have. Students with Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence need to move and handle objects in order to learn. [2]A student with ADD/ADHD (many of whom may be Bodily-kinesthetic learners) may have trouble sitting and typing for long periods of time, or might be over stimulated by the computer lights, sounds and various colors. [3]The student may need to get up and move around while reading or interact with others (learning cooperatively) in order to make sense of what they are learning.

Another intelligence which may be affected by the sole use of computers in the classroom is interpersonal intelligence (the ability to analyze and respond to others motivations, moods and desires) which one is not able to accomplish without interpersonal relationships. [4] Inclusion is done specifically to include all students in the classroom with their peers, in a least restrictive environment (LRE).[5] Least restrictive is not a student that is stuck behind a computer most of the class period. In a society where full inclusion is eminent, teachers need to focus on the big picture when teaching varied audience and provide differentiated instruction.[6] I am not saying that computers should not be used in the classroom. I am simply saying that a teacher needs to be informed of his/her students needs and know how they learn best. Instruction needs to change according to the students, and not simply what is easiest for the instructor.

I will be addressing this issue further in my next blog, where I will analyze different ideas for effective student centered teaching with the use of technology.

Just how the African proverb, “It takes a village to raise a child”, rings true, so does the idea that it takes collaborating teachers, counselors and principals, to effectively teach them. What exactly does this mean and entail? It means teachers need a way to share ideas with each other in order to help students learn and retain the information being taught.

Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Illinois was the first to put this idea into action. The school’s main focus was on teacher collaboration which won a U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon for four consecutive years. The school allows for time (35 minutes a week) for teacher collaboration. Teachers have time to focus on the students and their learning once they have collaborative ideas for teaching. This concentration may be the reason that coincidentally 96 percent of their students go on to college. [1]

What can we learn from this? We know that if teachers collaborate, they will be able to modify instruction to make learning more effective for students. [2] However, what if the school district or teachers are “not there yet” when it comes to collaborating ideas? Well, it seems that we are forced into going at it solo.

This is where the 21^st Century Education mindset sets in. A teacher that is knowledgeable about computers will have the upper hand. He/she will know that blogs are used to contact other people who may have information one needs. Hence one might join a teaching blog that may have readily printable materials for ones discipline as well as other useful information for teaching effectively. [3] A teacher may join a news site regarding his/her discipline which will give alerts to changing ideas and new discoveries of interest. [4]

Further a teacher may put together a wiki page as well as a bookmarking site that may hold all the information gathered and is available to the students for their viewing. [5] Students may also utilize this site to collaborate with each other regarding the material on the site.

The most important thing in order for collaboration to work is that the teacher is tech savvy. [6]Once a teacher gets over that main hurdle, teaching students to use the system is easier. As of now, there are teachers who rely on the school tech departments to save or find a document. The extent of their knowledge may be PowerPoint, outlines or printing tools off the web. Teachers need to learn if not teach themselves about 21^st Century learning. With the use of computers, smart boards, power point presentations etc., a teacher, once he/she knows the students intelligences, can modify a lesson plan accordingly to each individual students needs. With the use of a computer as the main source for information and documentation, there is more time spent on teaching the students and less prep time (http://kmsamistad5.wikispaces.com).

According to Dr. Wesch, professor of Anthropology at Kansas State University, teachers should give his/her students the opportunity to take charge of their learning. [1] The idea Wesch puts forward is for teachers to have websites that are linked to classmates and other students around the world studying the same material. Links to such a system (RSS) can give students updates on material used for research. [2] For example, attorneys get alerts through Lexis or Westlaw (two legal based databases) on overturned cases leading them to take a different route in finding precedents for motions or other filing documents. In a constant changing world where one minute a prescription drug is put forward Pfizer as good for you, and another minute it could kill you, updated information is vital. [3] Just as easily, a student could be writing a paper on a topic that could be old news from one day to the next. When a student puts a lot of time and effort into a research paper, we as teachers need to let them know the pertinence of being up to date on things. That is what the job market is all about today. In the working world, competition is fierce where if one is not up to date, the guy that is (on the ball) would be the next one to get a raise or promotion.

I find it extremely important that factual information should be within students grasp. The student can then concentrate on being creative with the presentation of the facts. [4] As a paralegal for ten years, I have learned a thing or two about the importance of information documentation. My idea that continues from my previous post is that of teachers working collaboratively. It is important for teachers to work with each other on teaching today’s students. The students are required to know certain information and No Child Left Behind is not going to let up on teaching to the test scenario any time soon. [5]

With that said, what can teachers do to assist the students in learning and retention? I believe the school system should be able to purchase software with the capabilities to bring up information based on key words. I was informed (although I have not found any new material) that some of the schools have a central database for information. However, I do not believe they are using it for curriculum as of yet. Many seasoned teachers have lesson plans as well as hand outs pertaining to differing subjects. What if we scan documents into a main system for our students to utilize? My idea would work two-fold in that it would cut down on school spending for copy needs and allow the students to pull up a document/s for use on a variety of assignments. Whether it is a document showing a sample experiment, contrasting historian’s views on what caused the civil war…the list could go on. [6]

The following is a chart showing results of central database software that may be used, coupled with teacher documentation collaboration:

* Note the chart above Processing, Review and Evaluation. These are the key factors needed for students to produce any given assignment (Bloom’s Taxonomy). [7]

Now, imagine if this system were in our schools. How much paper would we save and how much easier would it be for both teachers and students if we used this system. Surely, we can all say goodbye to taking time to copy documents and the students could view documents that they continuously lose. There is virtually no excuse for handing an assignment late or not at all. Not only would this system work well, it is based on reliable information for students to use in any given project. It is sometimes difficult to decipher what information on the web is reliable unless teachers specify. Also, this system could be used to link a teacher or a student to other reliable web sources in a particular field, much like the alerts Dr. Wesch gets on his webpage regarding anything new in anthropology. This kind of system would allow the students to concentrate on creativity (Production) within their assignments instead of all of the factual jargon (Processed, Reviewed and Evaluated material are readily available).

There are other uses for this summation documentation system as well. Due to No Child Left Behind, it is only a matter of time before full inclusion in the classroom is required. [8] Teachers have to review IEP’s and adjust lesson plans accordingly. How great would it be if these students had access to support documents to assist them with learning? They can also take ownership of their own IEP Goals and be successful students with little use of an itinerant department and paraprofessionals.

Therefore, to answer the question I posed in the title of this Blog, How far should a teacher go in teaching his/her curriculum with the use of computers? As far as they feel is necessary because the the possibilities are endless…

As I reviewed the articles regarding education of the 21st century, I noticed there was much comparison with China. The Chinese have a different, stricter culture than that of the United States. Although the Chinese culture has been influenced by the western world in recent times, they still put a lot of emphasis on tradition, and demand respect from the youth. [1] This is something that was lost within the U.S. culture somewhere along the way since the 1980′s; the decade children began to be coddled and spoiled. The idea that “everyone is a winner and gets a trophy” is a very unrealistic approach to life. In the 60 Minutes story “The Millenials are Coming” [2] there is an expectation of these spoiled brats to continue to get what they want. The only reason employers bent over backwards at that time was “due to an economy where there were more jobs than young people to fill them”.

I do not believe that teachers should bend over backwards in the same manner as employers do. If teachers do this then student expectations will be unreasonably high and the attitude will continue to be cyclical in nature. As teachers, we need to take the behavioral, social cognitive, information processing, cognitive constructivist and social constructivist approach to learning. [3] This type of teaching covers all the facets students are already using to collaborate with each other and also defines different ways in which students process information. I believe in having a basic syllabus for any given subject that mirrors what state standards require. Once a teacher is able to identify the learning styles of his/her students, then the teacher can create lesson plans accordingly.[4]  I believe in a teacher obtaining a website, similar to that of Michael Wesch’s example, where students can readily discuss the topic being studied, and cooperatively learn using web tools for discovery. [5]

As a history teacher, having a system as does Dr. Wesch would greatly enhance learning. History books are written by historians, however they are written according to one historian’s opinion. The internet can give my students access to differing opinions on what caused the Civil War for example and allow students to post their own opinions based on their findings. Hence, the students could enter into a cyber-debate with each other.