I have greatly enjoyed this course and have learned a lot that I will take back to my school in the fall in my role as instructional coach. In additional to learning many different tools and resources for integrating technology, I have learned the importance of using technology in effective ways, not just for the sake of using it. In other words, technology integration is not something that should be done just for the sake of doing it but rather it should be done if it will truly have a positive impact on instruction and learning.
Through this course, I have learned to integrate technology in several key ways: through Internet based activities, use of video, social media, and the basic Google suite to name a few. In particular, I am looking forward to creating and sharing more interactive Google presentations for staff development and classroom instruction this year. I am also really excited about utilizing Flipgrid as a video tool to increase student engagement. While I consider literacy to be my main area of expertise, I am really trying to grow professionally in the realm of technology. This course has helped me to do that, and I look forward to continuing to continuing my own professional growth in future courses.
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Assistive technology (AT) improves the functional performance of an individual with a disability. From an educator standpoint, it allows students with disabilities to communicate, perform academic tasks, participate in social and extracurricular activities, move or travel around the school, use proper seating and positioning, and access materials. (IRIS Center, Vanderbilt University 2018)
While I was aware that Apple devices had several accessibility features, I did not realize the number of different features offered and how many different disabilities have been considered in these features. I am very impressed! From my research, it seems that Apple is continuously updating and improving these features as well. My iPhone runs on iOS 11.4.1 and features the following accessibility features for people with vision impairments alone: voice over, zoom, magnifier, display accommodations, speech, larger text, bold text, button shapes, increase contrast, reduce motion, and on/off labels. All of these accommodations make it possible for someone who is visually impaired to be able to use the iPhone to communicate, text, search the internet, etc. Voiceover is the most impressive feature in my opinion. Apple describes it as “a revolutionary screen reader that lets you know what’s happening on your iPhone even if you can’t see the screen.” It provides audio translation of anything you touch on your phone screen and also allows you to utilize apps through gesturing. I have a close friend who suffers from a vision impairment that gets progressively worse over time. He utilizes the magnifier, zoom, and larger text features almost every time he uses his iPhone. These features enable him to write and read text messages, read his emails, and search for things online as needed. I plan to ask him if he also uses Voiceover because it sounds so helpful and convenient. My iphone also includes the following features for hearing impaired users: MFi hearing devices (hearing aides), TTY accessibility (a separate Apple adaptor is required), LED flash for alerts, mono audio (ensures that both ears receive all sounds while wearing a headset), closed captioning or subtitles, hearing aid compatibility with certain types of hearing aids, and phone noise cancellation, which reduces the ambient noise on phone calls when the iphone is being held to the user’s ear. A combination of these accessibility features make it possible for hearing impaired users to hold conversations on the iphone, ,listen to recorded or live audio content, listen to music, hear emergency alerts, and many other tasks for which iphone users utilize their devices. In addition to accessibility features specifically geared towards vision and hearing impairments, my iphone includes the following additional features, which could also benefit users with certain types of impairments: Assistive Touch, which enables users to use the iphone if they have any trouble touching the screen or if they use an adaptive accessory; and Touch Accommodations, which allow users with difficulty touching their device screens to change how the screen will respond to touch. To conclude this blog entry, I’d like to share this quote from Mary Pat Radabaugh, Director of IBM National Support Center for Persons with Disabilities: “For most people technology makes things easier. For people with disabilities, however, technology makes things possible. In some cases, especially in the workplace, technology becomes the great equalizer and provides the person with a disability a level playing field on which to compete.” I believe that this quote can be applied to the school setting as much as it can be applied to the workplace. As educators, we need to ensure that we are taking an active and informed role in providing students with disabilities with that level playing field that will allow them to be successful in school so that they may be successful in their future workplaces as well. Sources: http://aem.cast.org/navigating/assistive-technology.html#.W2S4cdVKjIV https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/at/cresource/q1/p01/#content There are a few key potential obstacles that I can identify when it comes to integrating technology into the content areas. For this blog post, I will focus on the special areas of music/art/PE.
The first and perhaps greatest obstacle is the lack of access to technology, usually due to limited funding and resources. “Funding for arts education is at an all-time low.” (Ellerson, 2010) While schools are working towards more and more access for students and teachers, most are not yet 1:1 or anywhere near 1:1. In my experience, most schools make general education classrooms the priority when it comes to ease of technology access. In my current school, for example, the music, art, and PE teachers have very little access to the iPad carts that “float” around the building. The regular classroom teachers sign these carts out so frequently that it is difficult for special area teachers to get their hands on it. Even our librarian does not always have the technology available that she needs to teach her library science lessons, as it needs to be shared with other staff in the building. The obvious solution to this problem is to create more opportunities for student and teacher technology access, perhaps by trying a BYOD program in the school or district and by easing restrictions as to what types of technology students are permitted to access at school. Another obstacle for integrating technology into art/music/PE is that these special area teachers typically only see each group of students once per week for approximately 45 minutes. During this short duration of time, they need to implement curriculum that will teach to all of the standards for that subject. These special area teachers often feel tremendous pressure to fit it all in, and as a result, they might feel that they do not have the time to integrate technology on a regular basis and/or they may feel that they do not have the time to invest in learning new technologies that could be integrated into their curriculum. This is a difficult obstacle for which to come up with a simple solution. Maybe classroom teachers could invite special area teachers into their rooms for some co-teaching opportunities so that they could work together to become comfortable with the technology while also learning from each-other’s areas of expertise in order to integrate art, music, and PE activities. Or vice versa, classroom teachers could push in to special area classes to do some co-teaching involving technology integration. Finally, classroom and special area teachers typically have very little or no time to plan collaboratively. This makes it difficult to plan cross curricular activities that integrate classroom content into art, music, or PE. Special area teachers may not feel that they have the necessary background knowledge on the topics/curriculum covered in the classroom, which might discourage them from integrating classroom topics into their content area. While classroom teachers often have opportunities for professional development and technology training, special area teachers are not always offered these same opportunities. Therefore, they may also feel that they do not have the necessary skills to effectively and confidently integrate technology into their teaching. The simple solution to this would be for schools to include special area teachers in more technology professional development, as technology integration should not be limited to general education classrooms. It would also be helpful to provide gen ed and special area teachers with some collaborative planning time, perhaps during a morning grade level meeting or once a month during a common planning period. These common planning meetings would also allow classroom teachers to develop a greater understanding of the arts, which would support Roblyer’s belief that, “Educators should continue learning how the music and the arts are positioned within broader curricular standards and state and/or federal policy legislation." (Roblyer, p. 464) Roblyer, M. D. Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching, 8th Edition. Pearson, 20180110. VitalBook file. The content area on which I am focusing my course work is Social Studies. Social Studies is a subject has the potential to be either incredibly engaging and interactive or to be incredibly dry and boring for students. This depends partly on the curriculum of course but predominantly on the teacher and his/her style of instruction, use of available resources, and use of technology.
When I was a student; Social Studies mostly consisted of teacher lectures, textbook reading, and film strip or video viewings. The teacher was the “sage on the stage” who delivered the information, and as students, we accepted it without question. Today, it is widely recognized that all informational sources represent a particular perspective, which may or may not be a completely accurate depiction of historical events. “All sources, even historically accurate ones, carry biases in the emphasis and selection of included content. Wise teachers should encourage students to read textbooks and other sources critically.” (Hughes, Roblyer 2019). When I was an elementary student, we did not have the many advantages that access to technology offers teachers and students today. We almost had no choice but to accept the printed word in the textbook and the teacher’s word as gospel because we did not have access to other sources that might state otherwise or show a different point of view. Today’s students have that choice and today’s teachers need to encourage students to read critically and to study multiple perspectives on any historical event. Social Studies was a subject that I generally viewed as extremely boring as a student, and I did not connect with much of the content in our elementary curriculum. However, if you ask me how I view Social Studies as a teacher/coach, I will tell you that it is one of my favorite subjects to teach. Technology gives teachers the ability to bring history to life for students. Rather than simply reading about events in a textbook, students can experience historical events through virtual tours, video and audio clips, images, studying primary source documents, and listening to experts. “...Teachers can use familiar objects, images, and sounds to represent distinct time periods and cultural traditions.” (Hughes, Roblyer 2019). These opportunities make the learning much more authentic and engaging for students than it was before the age of technology when Social Studies often had the potential to be a very boring subject. I have really enjoyed planning my American Revolution Social Studies unit for this course because of all of the interesting ways that the content and instruction can be enhanced via technology tools. While the American Revolution is already a fascinating topic in my opinion, the digital tools available for teaching and learning about the Revolution, or any other Social Studies, content makes it even more engaging. Roblyer, M.D., & Hughes, J. (2019). Integrating educational technology into teaching. United States of America: Pearson. My understanding of Acceptable Use Policies is that they are policy statements written and approved by the School Board that are shared with all students and parents in the school district. These statements clearly define what the school district has done on their end to keep students safe while online, and they also clearly define student responsibilities and expectations when using the Internet in school.
After reading multiple articles about AUP’s and viewing several different samples, I believe it is vitally important for AUP’s to be written in firm, student-friendly language and to include clear consequences if the AUP is not followed. Scholastic.com outlines many possible elements that an AUP can include. Out of all the elements listed, I believe every AUP should include the following components (identified by Scholastic) at a minimum:
The following is a summary of the board-approved Accept Use Policy in my current school district. Each individual school has their own student-friendly spin on this policy. Failure to comply with School Board Policy 815 and Regulation 815A will result in disciplinary action.
Violation of any part of this policy may result in consequences ranging from confiscation and loss of privileges, to detention, suspension, and referral to the Board of School Directors for possible expulsion. Violations of this policy are addressed in District Regulation 237A. Here is a short and sweet summary of an AUP from the Newport-Mesa Unified School District in California that I appreciate for it’s firm language and clarity: Your school has rules for acceptable behavior. Likewise, there are correct procedures and rules that govern the use of the information networks. If you don't follow these guidelines, you may lose your privileges to access the information highway. (Educationworld.com) I think it is great when school districts can turn something dry and boring like an AUP into something creative and fun! The Business Software Alliance, which is a nonprofit educational resource, developed a creative, pirate-themed AUP, which I love. It is composed of four main components listed below, but you can access the full AUP here.
The last example AUP that I really liked in my research is from Boston Public Schools. It is student-friendly and begins each statement with the same phrase: “I am responsible for…” Teachers and students worked together to create the AUP and then high school students put together separate video podcasts (by grade level clusters) to share with all students. Here is a link to the AUP podcast created for grades 3-5. When I return to school in August, I plan to revise the student-friendly version of our district AUP to make it more engaging and applicable for our students. I will also share some of the resources examined during this module with the teachers so that they can teach the necessary and appropriate lessons in their classrooms that will support the AUP. Sources: Hosokawa, H. Student-Centered Acceptable Use Policy. Retrieved from https://tech.ed.gov/stories/student-centered-acceptable-use-policy/ Why Have a Technology Policy in Your School or Library? http://www.scholastic.com/librarians/tech/techpolicy.htm Snyder, Melanie G. Pirates of the Classroom: Simple guidelines for motivating your students to become responsible cybercitizens. Retrieved from: http://www.scholastic.com/librarians/tech/pirates.htm Getting Started on the Internet: Developing an Acceptable Use Policy. http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr093.shtml There are so many relative advantages to utilizing the Google basic suite in educational settings but perhaps the most beneficial of all is the ability to easily share and collaborate on documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.
It doesn’t feel like long ago that I was creating documents, emailing them to colleagues or students so that they could view them, revise, save, email back to me, and the cycle would often continue multiple times until we had a finished collaborative product. It was inconvenient and certainly not time efficient. The Google suite allows teachers and students to create and share collaborative documents in a manner that is efficient and productive...and of course, it automatically saves all changes and updates so teachers and students never have to worry about saving or losing their work! In my current role as an instructional coach, I use Google Docs and Google Sheets on a regular basis in order to share and collaborate with teachers on shared schedules, lesson plans, data analysis, meeting agendas, etc. It allows me to effectively collaborate with multiple teachers at one time without having to schedule frequent face to face meetings. The teachers appreciate the efficiency of the process, and it certainly makes my job easier! We also utilize shared Google Sheets to track and analyze student data so that we can use this data to plan appropriate instruction. Now that I am learning more about the capabilities of Google Sheets through this course, I hope to use it for in-depth data analysis next school year. Google Slides is the main tool I use almost every time I do a professional development presentation, but I was not aware of all of the interactive elements available before taking this course. I’m looking forward to impressing teachers with much more interactive and engaging presentations in the fall! Classroom teachers can use the Google Suite in similar ways to increase collaboration among students and to share out class lessons and presentations for students to view additional times. Teachers can also use Google Docs and Slides to create flipped learning opportunities for students. One of my coaching goals next year is to offer more flipped professional development opportunities, and the GSuite is one of the main ways I plan to accomplish this. The trends, challenges, and developments identified in the 2017 Horizon Report will certainly impact how, when, and to what extent school districts and educational institutions integrate technology into their curriculum and teaching.
As an instructional coach, one of the trends that continues to influence my work with teachers is Redesigning Learning Spaces. Many teachers still have the very traditional classroom setup of desks in rows and the whiteboard/Smartboard at the front of the room. The Horizon Report states that, “Formal learning environments require an upgrade to reflect the 21st century practices taking place within them.” I have worked with teachers on designing classrooms that foster more collaborative and innovative instructional approaches. This might include grouping desks into clusters, the use of various size tables, a large group meeting area defined by a carpet, and various spaces around the room where students can spread out with their digital devices. In my experience, I have found that the room setup can directly impact the level of student success with curriculum and technology. The fourth grade Social Studies unit I am designing for this course focuses on the American Revolution, and students will use a variety of digital tools to enhance their knowledge and develop their critical thinking skills related to this important time period in American history. In designing the ideal learning space for implementation of this unit, I will take into account that, “Active learning spaces have the characteristics of being mobile, flexible, and connected- they value tables, stations, and hubs over rigid structures.” I want students to share, reflect, debate, and discuss the content they are learning and issues that arise as they study different perspectives on various aspects of the American Revolution. Another trend discussed in the Horizon Report that is essential in both the professional development work I do with teachers and the American Revolution unit I am planning is that of Deeper Learning Approaches. These approaches are defined as, “mastery of content that engages students in critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and self-directed learning.” They advocate for more student-centered learning and student-led inquiry. In my coaching of teachers, I have found this to be challenging for some, as teachers more often like to be the keeper and main distributor of the knowledge, and this approach encourages them to be more of the “guide on the side.” I admit that this is hard for me sometimes as well, but I have worked really hard to increase the amount of self-directed learning experiences my students and teachers have on a regular basis. While my American Revolution unit does, thus far, provide critical thinking and collaborative learning opportunities, I do think that I can deepen the level of self-directed learning across the unit as I continue to develop it this semester. Freeman, A., Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Davis, A., and Hall Giesinger, C. (2017). NMC/CoSN Horizon Report: 2017 K–12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. The goal of educational technology in the teaching and learning environment is to prepare students for the global and digital world they will one day lead. Society is changing at a more rapid pace than ever before, and it is our responsibility, as educators, to prepare our students for their futures as effectively as possible. Effective use, application, and creation via technology is paramount to our students future success. “For student performance to approximate student potential, students need access to a constantly evolving array of technological tools and activities that demand problem-solving, decision-making, teamwork, and innovation.” (Blair, 2012)
Technology in the classroom should not be used to replace instruction but rather to enhance and strengthen instruction, engagement, and opportunity. “If you can do this lesson without technology, that’s great...but if you can do it better with technology, then that’s why you use it.” (Bellows YouTube, 2012) Educators must teach students to not only receive information but to actively seek information, and to create and author original content that has the potential to impact others and to impact society. It is not enough to use technology only for research. Students need to learn how to curate information, distinguishing between reliable and non credible sources. They need to learn that technology is a medium for exploring their interests, expressing their ideas and opinions, and learning from the ideas and opinions of others. Technology gives students the opportunity to collaborate with others outside of the classroom walls, enabling them to communicate with counterparts across the world, thus enhancing their social consciousness. Perhaps, most importantly they need to learn that technology gives them the ability to create and put something new out there in the world that has not been created or seen before. While aspects of several different learning theories support the need for technology integration in the classroom, John Dewey’s Social Activism Theory most closely aligns with my vision and mission statement. Dewey believed that “social consciousness was the ultimate aim of all education.” (Roblyer, 2019) Technology that is effectively and consistently integrated in the classroom will help students to build this social consciousness through the collaborative experiences outlined in the previous paragraph, which, in turn, will help students to learn more about themselves, their society, and their world. Students who know more about themselves, their society, and their world will be better prepared to impact and positively change the world in the future...and I believe this should be the ultimate goal of all educators--to create individuals who will one day make a positive impact on the world. References: Blair, N. (2012). Technology integration for the new 21st century learner. Principal,Jan/Feb, 8-13. Edutopia. “An Introduction to Technology Integration.” Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 12 December 2012. Web. 2 June 2018. Roblyer, M.D. (2019). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (8ed). New York, NY: Pearson Education, Inc. |
AuthorI am currently a part-time student in the EdTech Masters Program at Boise State University. This blog will share my responses, ideas, and experiences in Ed Tech 541 and beyond. Archives
August 2018
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