Collaborative Technology

There are many things to consider when determining what type of collaborative technology

to use with my students.  The overarching question I try to answer when discovering any

new or new to me tech options is; Will my students actually be able to do this?  This

question relies heavily on the devices, wifi capabilities, and apps available to them, but

also includes considerations for their varying academic needs and abilities, the

appropriateness of the tech for the specific lesson, and students' knowledge of how to use

the tech in a meaningful way.

Once I have determined we have adequate devices, and students are capable of

maneuvering the sites they are using for the collaborative lesson, it is necessary to step

back and consider if this type of collaboration is really enhancing their learning or just

substituting something they were already doing.  If the lesson is simply substituting

something they are already doing it may not be worth my students time to learn a different

system to do the same work. If however, the lesson will be improving the lesson by

allowing students to collaborate with others they may not already be able to work

with, or to learn from their peers in a way they were not able to without the use of this

technology, it may be a great time to use this tech for a collaborative lesson.

When considering tech opportunities for collaboration in my classroom, I also must

consider how this lesson will reach each one of my students and their different needs.  

In other words, what accommodations or extensions will I be able to provide through this

tool to meet each student where they are and use the tool to help move them forward.

Another thing I consider before introducing collaborative technology opportunities is

considering what direct instruction is necessary prior to or during the lesson to make

it successful.  Often students need instruction on how to make constructive comments

and how to provide meaningful feedback. Lessons on norms and expectations for each

tool are certainly necessary to ensure students are educated on how to be good digital

citizens through the use of collaborative technology.

When teachers are using technology to collaborate, many of the same things must be

taken into consideration.  Things such as ease of use, sharing capabilities, and the

applicable nature of the ideas being shared to different grade levels must all be included

in the decision about what tools are appropriate.  Google provides many useful tools for collaboration with other teachers. With this tool, sharing documents, resources, and

lesson plans can be done quickly and easily. Working together to build collaborative

lesson plans or to brainstorm outside of face to face plan times is also simplified by the

use of collaborative tools such as google docs.  

Student Motivation

Helping students learn and become better everyday is why we teach students today. An

example presented in Blended illustrated what this could look like by likening knowledge

to a pitcher of water and students brains to a waiting empty bowl. (Horn & Staker, 2015)  

It is a beautiful image thinking about those minds ready to accept a pour of knowledge,

however, reality is not so clear cut. What do we do if we have the pitcher, but the bowl

is turned upside down? Students who are not motivated to turn their bowl right side up

to gain knowledge will simply shed the carefully prepared lessons.  So how can educators

today compete with and thrive through the many forces competing with our students’

attention? How can we ignite the spark that inspires our students to flip their bowl over

and seek knowledge to fill it? This is the task facing teachers to inspire our students to

seek out learning, and to find ways to connect with their individual needs.

 

Maybe not, but technology has opened many avenues of exploring ways to improve the use of classroom time and engage students in their learning. According to Horn & Staker, student motivation ranks at the top of challenges teachers face in the classroom (2015).  Students have many things competing for their time and attention, and while they will find time for the things most important to them, if they do not assign value to a classroom task, it is very unlikely to result in quality learning.

Our job becomes to motivate students seek learning, and to use our class time to mentor, and foster this learning.  In other words, to help them find joy and have success in learning. This all begins with understanding who our students are as individuals and as individual learners.  In this way instruction can be personalized for each student. This can be a tremendous challenge when faced with large class sizes or other obstacles that students may bring into the classroom.  Student needs such as adequate sleep, food, or family concerns must be addressed before students will be able to enter a learning environment with their bowl turned right side up ready to receive knowledge.

Fortunately, the technologies of today make it much easier to manage the many needs of the individuals in a classroom.  The blended learning environment allows students to experience personalized ways of learning at their own individual pace.  Empowering students to be able to seek out knowledge in ways that are meaningful to them, truly helps student motivation in the classroom.  I am looking forward to exploring how to implement PBL’s in a blended setting. These student driven units can be great motivators, and the excitement behind them often drives more inquiry beyond the project.  This also shifts the role of the teacher, no longer is it up to use to simply deliver content, our students have that at their fingertips daily. It becomes now an opportunity to mentor our students and guide them on a path that will help them fill their bowl with knowledge each time they enter our classroom and after as lifelong learners.

Horn, Michael B., author. (2015). Blended : using disruptive innovation to improve schools. San Francisco, CA :Jossey-Bass,

Learning Management Systems

The use of Google Apps in my classroom has been incredibly helpful.  There are so many

different ways to take advantage of the many capabilities of Google, and I love exploring

new ways to use the Apps with my students.  The thing I think I appreciate the most about

Google products is how it is accessible from most devices, and it lends itself to sharing and

collaboration.  I often move between using my Ipad and MacBook and really appreciate how

seamlessly I am able to maneuver Google Apps through these, while my students can

access the same tools and materials on their Chromebooks.  The ease of Google Apps

Docs and Slides makes it very easy for my students to learn quickly, and the sharing

capabilities really increase the collaboration and learning possibilities for my students.

I do not currently use an LMS in my classroom, however, I think our classroom

website, which is a Google site, performs several of the same functions as an LMS.  I use

our classroom site to post calendars, announcements, and links to frequently used sites.

I also use it as a central location for students to find lesson materials, links to

assessments, and additional resources.  I love how Google Sites makes it simple to keep

our classroom and learning materials organized and accessible at school and at home.

While our district is moving in the direction of Canvas for those teachers who were utilizing

Blackboard, I think I would prefer to use Google Classroom as our class LMS.  I really

like how the Google products work so well together and do not create extra work for

my students or myself converting projects to different formats. Another advantage to

Google Classroom is how it may help my students stay organized, no paper means

no lost work or missing calendars. I would also love to see how I could use this tool to

improve the quality and speed of the feedback they receive from their assignments.  One

disadvantage I noticed while researching this tool was that there could be some

issues with editing assignments. It looks like once assignments are shared with

students, they are able to edit them. This could be an advantage when edited

intentionally, but may create problems if students are unfamiliar with the

program or unintentionally change something they did not mean to change.

Overall, I am looking forward to trying out an LMS with my class in the future. I think it

is a great way to encourage good communication with students and their parents,

while also increasing the organization of my students learning.  I hope this tool proves

to also be useful in providing more opportunities for more personalized learning in

my classroom. I think this could be a way to help my students learn at their own pace,

while providing a way for me to manage my students and monitor their learning.

Digital Learning

I think creating any lesson begins first with considering exactly what goals we are trying
to accomplish with our students.  While it can be very easy to integrate technology for
technology’s sake, truly examining the reason for the lesson and how each specific
digital tool can help to accomplish this goal should be the focus when determining
what digital tools are appropriate. The next thing to consider is the availability, and
cost of these tools to use them in your classroom.  While some tools may be very
useful, the expense of using them in a district and school as large as the one I teach in
can be a large obstacle to overcome. Fortunately, students in my district are one to one
with Chromebooks, and we have a limited number of Ipads for students to share. While
this takes the guesswork out of determining what devices to use in my classroom, it does
leave room for careful consideration of how to best meet my students' needs with my
available resources.  

One of the first ways I could see using technology to enhance student learning in my
classroom is through the creation of a Wiki. I think the Wiki is a powerful tool in PBL
to help students access information in a safe and effective setting, as well as creating
an engaging setting for them to collaborate and share their knowledge with their
teachers, parents, and peers.  (Cennamo, 2014).

ISTE NETS-T Standard 4.b focuses on meeting learners where they are and creating
strategies that are centered on how they learn. (Cennamo, 2014) I think the use of a
class website to provide opportunities for personalized learning, access to resources,
and communication with parents is a great way to personalize learning for each
students’ needs, and to gather necessary data to guide further instruction.  

One of the technological tools I would like to further explore in my third grade classroom
is the use of a class blog to collaborate and share ideas.  I think this could be a very
valuable tool to share our learning with our classmates and families, as well as to
connect with students outside of our school to expand our learning.

While I am fortunate to work in a district where my students and I are given many
opportunities to use different types of technology, there are some things to
consider when determining how to best meet the needs of my students through
the use of technology in my classroom.  While we have adequate devices, the
infrastructure is not always able to meet the needs of my learners. This really
illustrates the need for flexibility and a backup plan in any lesson, be it digital or
otherwise.

Cennamo, K., Ross, J. D., Ertmer, P. A., & International Society for Technology in Education. (2014).
        Technology integration for meaningful classroom use: A standards-based approach.

Digital Citizenship

Educating students about digital citizenship begins as soon as they have

access to technological devices.  While student safety and digital citizenship

concerns first present themselves in my district at the Kindergarten level,

most students in my school have had access to devices prior to entering

Kindergarten.  For this reason, I think teaching our kids about digital

citizenship begins at a very early age.

As their online activities and exposure change as they grow, their instruction

on Digital Citizenship should continue to evolve. With the many amazing

opportunities afforded by providing technology in the classroom, students,

teachers, and administrators also need to consider potential areas for the

technology to be misused.  This is not only to ensure the technology is being

used to further learning goals, but also to protect students from dangers they

may encounter online. Parents play a huge role in helping students develop

their digital citizenship skills.  Not only are they helping their children navigate

technology from an early age, they are also tasked with monitoring and mentoring

their children as technology use increases. Because so much technology is used

beyond the four walls of the classroom, it is also important for teachers and

parents to communicate with each other regarding technology use, and how

they are helping students learn the skills to be responsible digital citizens. In

my school, we utilize Common Sense Media to teach students about digital

citizenship in a grade level appropriate format.

Common Sense Media for Education

This instruction extends beyond the classroom in notes sent home to families
to encourage conversation, and to educate parents about how their students
is learning about using technology appropriately and safely.  The article by
Heather Wolpert-Gawron, The Importance of Internet Safety seems to explain
the importance of teaching students how to be safe online in a way parents are
already familiar with. With technology providing opportunities that may open our
children to risks, it is necessary for parents to be included in the education of
how we will protect the safety of our students when they are online both in the
classroom and at home.

The support of families and continued discussions both at home and at school
all help our students to create a safe online presence that enhances learning
and helps them become great digital citizens.The video included in the lesson,
as seen below, discusses how students are using technology in a way
that now helps them share who they are in the world.  When it describes
“The power of building a digital footprint,” I think it conveys to students the importance
of making sure the footprint they create is being used well.  By focusing on the
power each student holds to share their voice with the world, I think students
become engaged in learning how they can participate and create this part of their
identity in a way they are proud of.