To learn, unlearn, and relearn that is the question

Our educational system in the United States is out of date and not preparing students to enter the world as adults ready to succeed. A need to transform our system to not only shift what needs to be learned to meet today’s needs, but also how students are allowed to learn is necessary. David Edwards points out. “Our kids learn within a system of education devised for a world that increasingly does not exist. We “learn,” and after this we “do.” We go to school and then we go to work.This approach does not map very well to personal and professional success in America today.” (Edwards, 2014). Technology has changed our world at an amazing pace over the past few years, and holding on to traditions within education will ultimately leave our students unprepared thereby taxing our country’s economy.

Alvin Toffler once said, “The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” To obtain this goal, ““we need to shift our instructional approach to a 21st-century learning environment that will provide our students with the most in-demand skills; those that can’t be easily outsourced, automated, or turned into software: creativity, lateral thinking, and problem solving dealing with nonroutine cognitive tasks.” (Crockett, p.32, 2011) Instead of the four R’s, though important, our new focus must change to the four C’s, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and creativity. These will help propel our students into a successful entry into our ever changing world.

Prior to beginning the technology integration program at Walden University, I had begun to begin the process of changing some of my own pedagogical thinking about the role of the teacher. Now beginning my third course, I am eager to continue to learn how such a transformation will look like within my classroom. In considering the ideas within the readings cited, one of the first hurdles is going to be teaching students how to unlearn what they have been led to believe is how they are to learn. Their understanding of what school looks like and how they should act to be successful, may be a challenge that must be unlearned in order for them to be able to relearn new ideas on how they can learn independently. Then it will be important to follow what J. Voogt’s thoughts, “It is important to stress that technology literacy and fluency are embedded, that is, the use of technology should be seen within specific real-life contexts (Lankshear & Knobel, 2006). To understand such processes we have to look at different contexts where literacy is practiced and given meaning, and how new technologies are changing the nature and processes of meaning-making.” (Voogt, p. 408, 2013)

To be able to help students reshape their thinking about what school and learning looks like in a 21st century classroom, there will be some challenges. Allowing students to learn on their own, without giving them instructions will confuse them and have them disoriented at first. I have changed my science lessons into a project based approach already. Students have been given the freedom to choose the topics that they find most interesting to study on their own or in groups. As they have started the process, it is very hard not to step in and give them direction. They are only scratching the surface of knowledge in their topics of interest. I have been working to provide them with real experiences, such as rock identification kits, or magnets and electricity kits, to explore with on their own. As they work throughout the year, to change their mindset, I will have to celebrate their failures. This will help them to understand that not everything they set out to learn will have a positive outcome. Then I can guide them towards relearning how to research topics with more success.

“Our long-term education goals for the 21st-century learner are: problem solving, creativity, analytic thinking, collaboration, communication, and ethics, action, and accountability.” (Crockett, p.85, 2011) Teaching the skill of learning, unlearning, and relearning, will help meet these long-term goals with our students. As I have pointed out, it will not be an easy task. Not only must students mindsets be changed, but those of their parents, colleagues, administration, and on up to the political arena. I firmly believe, that by making the transformation, students will be able to achieve at a much higher level on the outdated assessments they will have to continue to take, because they will have problem solving and critical thinking skills which will propel them to a deeper understanding. In time, others will see the value of making the change and there may come a time in which new measures of success may be considered that align with these new skills.

References

Crockett, L., Jukes, I., & Churches, A. (2011). Literacy is not enough: 21st–century fluencies for the digital age. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin. IBooks.

Edwards, D. (2014, October 17). American Schools are Training Kids for a World That Doesn’t Exist. Wired Magazine. Retrieved October 25, 2016, from https://www.wired.com/2014/10/on-learning-by-doing/

Voogt, J., Erstad, O., Dede, C., & Mishra, P. (2013). Challenges to learning and schooling in the digital networked world of the 21st century. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 29(5), 403–413. Retrieved from Walden University Library. October 24, 2016.

Technology, the Powerful Learning Tool

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The use of technology in the classroom can take two paths that make it either a simple tool, or a powerful learning device.  Each has a direct correlation as to the style of teacher that embraces technology.  The teacher that uses the model of teacher led direct instruction, uses technology as a means to help them deliver standards to their students.  They may utilize a computer connected to a projector and interactive white board, to highlight points with a PowerPoint they want their students to master.  Some may consider technology as a way to make their jobs easier, by using technology to administer and score student assessments, or simply as a way to obtain lessons from others that have shared their work.  Dr. Michael Orey points out that teacher centered strategies such as lectures are the worst for student learning, and that technology can make it even worse.  (Laureate, 2015I) Over the years of sitting in on professional development classes, I have sat on many lectures on various topics that I never learned a thing from.  Presenters many times use PowerPoints with screens full of writing that they have memorized, or simply read to you. These lead to the brain shutting down and your attention is drawn to other thoughts.  Since brain research has given us a more information about how we learn, we now understand that what has been debated for centuries is true.

Confucius and Socrates, powerfully influential sages, insisted that their students must work out what they learn by themselves, with some guidance. (Snyder, 2015) Throughout this course we have read about a variety of learning styles, and considered how we can transform our own teaching to become facilitators of learning.  Students will learn more if they play an active role in their learning and create an artifact demonstrating it. Technology has given students a variety of methods to not only learn about topics, but also create the very artifacts that demonstrate their knowledge.  With guidance and careful questioning, a teacher can use constructivist methods which lead to more student engagement and a greater understanding of topics.

Technology has been considered as a possible replacement of the teacher in the classroom.  Ninety-three years ago, Thomas Edison wrote: “I believe that the motion picture is destined to revolutionize our educational system and that, in a few years, it will supplant, largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks. I should say that on the average we get only about two percent efficiency out of textbooks as they are written today.” (Snyder, 2015)  Critics today claim that as new technologies develop, teachers will no longer be necessary in the future.  However, there will always be a need to have the personal connection between the student and the teacher in order to bring out the best in each individual.  Students learn with a variety of modalities and a skilled teacher can adapt learning opportunities for each of those differences.

So, how do you utilize technologies powerful learning capabilities for your students?  First and foremost, you have to create an atmosphere in your class that creates, teaches, and instills a love of learning within each of your students.  This can be challenging in today’s climate of producing results from our students through standardized testing.  However, in experiencing my own success in taking students who have averages in the lowest levels, to averages higher than state levels, the key is in working to not just focus on the “Three R’s” of learning, reading, writing, and arithmetic.    It comes from moving into teaching the 21st century skills, as well. the “Four C’s” of learning, creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration.  Transforming and becoming a facilitator of learning becomes the challenge that teachers must strive to accomplish in their classes.- Technology becomes the means in which, as a teacher, you can make that transformation.  There are many examples one could implement to turn learning over to the students.

  1. Interactive Collaboration – Google Docs or Hangouts, Skype, and others offer students platforms to collaborate with not only students in the class, but around the globe.
  2. Gathering Feedback – Whether formative or summative assessing, teachers can utilize technologies such as Google Forms, Kahoot, Plickers or Socrative to collect data. Students could also use these and others to collect data from surveys for projects they are working on.
  3. Embedding Questions in Videos – Services such as Playposit or Edpuzzle.com can help teachers and students present new topics with videos, while checking for understanding.
  4. Active Learning – Teachers can move towards student-centered learning by shifting teaching theories and introducing Project Based Learning or Inquiry Learning which can utilize technology in both the research and demonstration of learning by students.
  5. Social Learning –  Powerful learning can take place when we interact and learn from others around us.  Many times teachers rely on one another to find lessons that others have used to borrow and bring into our own class. We fail to allow students to do the same, even though they are extremely social in nature.  Allowing students the opportunities to learn how to use sites such as Twitter or Facebook, along with a multitude of others, for learning can enhance their learning experience.
  6. Student-Created Presentations – One of the easiest to begin with is having students create their own presentations of that which they have learned.  Using programs such as Google Slides, PowerPoint, Keynote, and others, are great tools that use many skills such as critical thinking.  Taking time to teach what makes effective presentations is essential to student success.

The skills students will learn while completing either their own learning guided by their interests, or those that the teacher has initiated but given students control of learning the topic, will enable them to utilize those skills in many other aspects of their lives.  Student learning will be far greater, and prepare them for real life skills that will carry them throughout their adult lives.

References

Ferriter, B. (2013, July 11). Technology is a Tool, NOT a Learning Outcome. Retrieved October 11, 2016, from http://www.teachingquality.org/content/blogs/bill-ferriter/technology-tool-not-learning-outcome

Laureate Education (Producer). (2015l). Technology: Instructional tool vs. learning tool [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Snyder, A. (2015, May 8). Technology as a Learning Tool. Retrieved October 11, 20116, from http://phlashmob.com/2015/05/technology-as-a-learning-tool/

Peer Editing Student Writing – Voicethread

My plan is to use this Voicethread this week to help teach how to Peer Edit other’s writing, and assess their understanding of what is covered in the brief lesson.

References

Opening Peer Edit Picture: https://farm7.staticflickr.com/6133/5933961403_fe9d5120a7_z.jpg

Frame 1 Peer Editing Steps Picture:  http://image.slidesharecdn.com/peereditingtutorial-091104004619-phpapp01/95/peer-editing-tutorial-4-728.jpg

Frame 3 Suggestion Box Picture: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_O4ZzhRdo84M/TSMtUHATQfI/AAAAAAAACk0/m9z-Vd4SLpI/s400/suggestion_box.gif

Frame 4 Red Correction Paper Picture: http://www.nyiniyu.com/test/quickcmslite24/files/images/proofreading.jpg

Frame 5 Peanuts Be Kind to Others Picture: http://www.lovethispic.com/uploaded_images/159172-Be-Kind-To-Others.png

Frame 6 Anais Nin Quote Picture: https://lifeofafemalebibliophile.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/wonder-ful-2.jpg