1.     Immerse yourself in the digital world

 

If you are unfamiliar with a language, most will say the only way to understand and become fluent fully is by complete immersion. If you want to be fluent in Spanish, you will at some point need to study abroad and fully immerse yourself within that language. This is no different from the digital world and its language. “Teachers require a real understanding of 21st century digital culture.” (The 21st Century Fluency Project, n.d.) As an educator, if you understand this technological world and the tools within it, you must immerse yourself. As the authors of the article advise you, “Take time to explore the online world.” (The 21st Century Fluency Project, n.d.) The article then gives 17 examples of how you can go online and learn and explore these new tools, better understand technology, how it works, and the potential it has within the classroom.

 

2.     Discovery Learning and Content Relevance

 

Keeping discovery learning alive in the classroom is necessary to keep lessons engaging to digital children. The authors suggest that educators fight the urge to tell the whole story, this is because “The problem with telling is that it takes away from the excitement of discovery out of learning.” (The 21st Century Fluency Project, n.d.) It reduces student motivation to see what is next, where the puzzle comes together, and there is no need for them to pursue information because they are already given the answer. Therefore, the authors call for an emphasis on discovery learning (The 21st Century Fluency Project, n.d.). Allow the students to go out and get the information to solve problems or piece the story together; this teaches them to become independent thinkers, rather than just repeating and remembering what a teacher told them. Teachers must encourage students to become independent and creative thinkers. We do not wish for them to always look to others for answers, “Our job is to make sure they don’t need us by the time they graduate from our schools.” (The 21st Century Fluency Project, n.d.) Content relevance is also key in reaching these young minds. Edgar Dale’s Learning Cone is mentioned in the article and shows that students retain information that is more relevant to their world (The 21st Century Fluency Project, n.d.). It is noted that the content must be relevant to the student and not just the teacher. Why would a student be interested in learning about something their teacher would like?

 

3.     Allow students to use new age tools

 

These technological tools are developing as we speak, and as educators, we must consider these innovations when they are such a central part of the students' lives. The authors discuss a range of times the education system refused to allow new tools into their classrooms because of ridiculous and outdated fears. Cell phones, social networks, educational video games are all in the same position as those tools of the past that are now beneficial to us in education today. School districts are even placing outright bans on these devices that play significant roles in students' lives. Rather than banning these, we should be using them to help reach our students and allow them to be used in the classroom for a better education. The tools are with us; we have to use them correctly.

 

2 Sides

 

1.     When looking at the examples of past tools and technologies being boycotted from schools, it makes me wonder how much of that is taking place now. Are these schools fearful of a changing world? It seemed like they were fearful that their students would not have the necessary skills to live, not taking the changing world into consideration. The idea of not wanting store-bought ink because you should know how to make your own is odd to someone in 2021. I feel that early on, the bans on these tools were made without any efforts made to understand them because it happened so fast. Smartphones seemed to come out of nowhere, and schools didn’t have the time to look into them, and now that rule has stuck. However, these discussions will hopefully open up the door of conversation and allow for schools to begin to research the topic.

2.     On the other hand, I do see the problem with some technology in the school. Most of the concerns are about distractions, and this is based on personal experience. Smartphones were a major distraction for me in the classroom; from looking at social media, texting, and taking pictures, I was always distracted. That was when phones weren’t allowed in my school as well, so I wonder how big of a distraction will it be if students no longer have to hide it. Perhaps if students are engaged with their devices in class, they will not be tempted or able to use them in distracting manners? That is a question I do not have the answer to. As stated before, hopefully, with these discussions occurring, we will get a better understanding of how these tools affect the classroom.

1 Question

 

1.     At what point do you limit the students abilities to use these tools in the classroom? With smart devices giving students so much information at their fingertips, how do you ensure that they are seeking answers and thinking as an individual rather than getting the answers from these tools that you suggest we allow for them to use?

 

 

Reference

 

The 21st Century Fluency Project. (n.d.). Understanding Digital Kids ll: Strategies for Engaging the Digital Generation. 21stcenturyfluency.Com. Retrieved March 24, 2021, from https://courses.mvnu.edu/pluginfile.php/454007/mod_resource/content/1/21st_Fluency_Project%20%281%29%20%281%29.pdf

 

1.     What is wrong with the current blended learning

 

The current idea of blended learning does not offer anything different from traditional learning. This meaning that Traditional classroom strategies are only being digitized in order to disguise itself as blended learning. However, there is no blend at all, just one teaching style and concept that is being put online. As Holland states, "When blended learning is equated with digital workflow, students remain consumers of teacher-directed content instead of becoming creators of knowledge within a context that they can actively control." (Holland, 2017) Rather than doing traditional teacher-based activities, the students can benefit greatly from a variety of approaches that blended learning can bring. This is an issue for the students because teachers are not applying the full potential of blended learning; therefore, the students' education suffers.

 

2.     What blended learning should bring to the table

 

True blended learning should not just offer the traditional classroom in an online setting but offer the students more control over their own education. Allow the students to learn at their own pace, with their own curiosity leading them, and give them a break from the traditional structure that they will see for the rest of any given school day. Giving the students this break with true blended learning will create more engaged students due to the fact that their learning is in their own hands. Giving them the control for this brief period of time rather than the all-knowing teacher allows for a more personalized education that fits their specific needs and offers them a better education in the process. However, to achieve true blended learning is in the teacher's hands. Holland writes, "In a recent blog post, In a recent blog post, Will Richardson raised the point that educators do not 'give' agency to students through choice or technology or even blended learning. Instead, students acquire it when teachers "create the conditions under which agency can flourish." (Holland, 2017) Educators must strive to achieve true blended learning in their classrooms, rather than simply taking the traditional classroom online.

 

3.     Ways to incorporate blended learning

 

The author gives many examples used by real-world teachers to incorporate blended learning into their classrooms. These examples vary from education level from as early as kindergarten through teaching business classes in college. An example given is kindergartners using iPads and watching a screencast their teacher had made (Holland, 2017). This allowed students to work independently at their own pace while using the videos to help them complete tasks. There is another example of a high school social studies teacher that used blended learning to give students a choice in the way they receive the content knowledge (Holland, 2017). This yet again allows for students to learn at their own pace, but it also allows them to learn and take in the information in the way that best suits them. Lastly, in the business class example, the teacher used a screencast to present the information to the class while she would circle the room assisting students who need guidance on the subject (Holland, 2017). These are all great examples of how you can incorporate true blended learning into your own classroom.

 

 

2 Sides

 

1.     Pros of blended learning

 

Blended learning no doubt has its place in the 21st-century classroom. It offers a more engaging and personalized form of education that can meet every student's needs. Students can choose how to consume content, learn at their own pace, and have the freedom to explore these content areas that are being taught. It allows for the benefits of traditional lessons and modern technology to create a learning environment that meets the needs of students today. As long as teachers are ensuring that they are incorporating a true blended learning environment into their classroom, I cannot currently see any wrongdoing.

 

2.     Cons of blended learning

 

The only con I can currently think of in terms of blended learning is financial problems with under-resourced school districts. Some examples given required every kindergartner to have access to an Ipad, but what if the teacher teaches in a district that cannot afford these resources? The incorporation of technology into traditional classrooms can be expensive, and some teachers or districts may not be able to afford these luxuries. That is where my questions for the author comes from. The concern that teachers and students in underprivileged areas will not be able to benefit from true blended learning, as the author of the article puts it. With that being said, I understand there are some ways a teacher may incorporate true blended learning with only a computer and a projector, and most teachers have these tools; this is just a singular issue that comes to mind.

 

1 question

 

What strategies and tactics would you advise teachers in under resourced schools to use in order to incorporate true blended learning?

 

 

Reference

Holland, B. (2017, February 22). Are We Innovating, or Just Digitizing Traditional Teaching? Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/are-we-innovating-or-just-digitizing-traditional-teaching-beth-holland

 

1.)   Benefits of using laptops and computerized devices

 

Laptops and computerized devices are important forms of assistive technology. Whether it be a laptop or a device like an iPad, children who need the assistance can benefit from these devices. Word processors on these devices can assist students in finishing school work in a more organized and error-free way (Young and MacCormack, 2018). There are many other ways these devices can assist students who are struggling. For example, using these devices can also benefit students who have handwriting difficulties, by taking notes on the device, which improves the quality of notes (Young and MacCormack, 2018). These devices are so versatile because you can use them in many different ways to meet the needs of many students. These devices are also accessible and lightweight which benefits the student because the device can go with them wherever they go (Young and MacCormack, 2018). However, these devices can be distracting. It is important for teachers to be trained on how to bring this assistive technology into the classroom to negate the distraction (Young and MacCormack, 2018). With proper integration teachers and students can unlock the full beneficial potential that resides within these tools.

 

2.)   Pitfalls in assistive technology application

 

There are many things that teachers should watch out for when integrating assistive technology into their classroom. One of those being that the studies being done on this technology cannot come out faster than the technological innovation of these devices, which means that there is little knowledge on how new technologies actually affect learn (Young and MacCormack, 2018). This leads teachers to rely on the innovators claims rather than how if truly affects learning. Assistive technology is also not easily affordable for schools or students due to things like lack of funding (Young and MacCormack, 2018). This can lead to a difficulty in implementation of these devices. A lack of teacher training is also cited as an issue with assistive technology which can lead to a poor implementation or utilization of the devices (Young and MacCormack, 2018). It is important that teachers are trained and understand how to implement this technology. With that being said, technology alone does not support learning alone, rather, it is the technology supported by and assisting a quality lesson (Young and MacCormack, 2018). The technology does not make the lesson, it just assists it.

 

3.)   Importance of staff training

 

As mentioned in the previous two points, staff training is extremely important when bringing assistive technology into the classroom. The authors of the article quote a study that says, “nearly three-quarters of respondents indicated that improved staff training and knowledge were the most important actions that could be taken to promote technology use.” (Young and MacCormack, 2018) This shows how far teacher training can improve the benefits that technology brings to the classroom. Providing proper training can ensure that insecurities or stresses of bringing technology in will no longer be an issue. Some of the insecurities I speak of are that teachers may feel overwhelmed by the pressure of having to understand these new tools or teachers just flat out feel that they lack the proper knowledge to utilize it to its fullest potential (Young and MacCormack, 2018). Eliminating these insecurities and ensuring that teachers know how to properly implement and utilize this technology to its fullest potential is of the upmost importance with assistive technology. With the proper training these tools can benefit students and allow them to achieve more than they thought possible.

 

2 Sides

 

1.)   Assistive technology is no doubt a great thing to bring into the classroom. It offers so many benefits in so many ways to students who are struggling and need it the most. Laptops and tablets alone offer such a variety of assistance that they can be used with almost any child who needs the help. Because these devices are so versatile and can offer help when used correctly I can see no reason as to why they should not be used in the classroom. The emphasis is however put on properly using these devices to ensure the best results for each child.

 

2.)   I appreciate how honest the authors were when discussing the considerations of using assistive technology in the classroom. The main concern when bringing technology into the classroom is always distraction and the authors tackled that question as well. They acknowledged that it is and can be an issue within classrooms. Teachers must be properly trained in order to effectively implement these devices and keep students on track. My only question is this, how many teachers are actually getting the proper training to do this? If training is single handedly the most important thing and negates a lot of the issues that arise with assistive technology, how are we ensuring that all teachers are properly trained? This is what led me to my question for the authors.

 

1 question

 

How do we ensure that our staff, including ourselves, are getting the proper, quality training that will help us effectively use this technology?

 

Reference:

 

Young, G., & MacCormack, J. (2018, May 4). Assistive Technology for Students with Learning Disabilities. LD@school. https://www.ldatschool.ca/assistive-technology/

 

1.)   What kinds of citizens do we want to foster?

One of the main questions within the article is this, what kind of citizens are required for this day in age? There are three types of citizens discussed in the article “Digital Citizenship in the Curriculum,” the first one being a personally responsible citizen (Krutka & Carpenter, 2017). Personally responsible citizens are ones that ac in a responsible manner, meaning, people who will do the right thing to benefit their community. Participatory citizens is the next type of citizen one would want to foster in the 21^st century. Participatory citizens are those who organize efforts that will benefit their community. Lastly is justice oriented citizens who will fight for equality and justice for all around them. All of these together create people who are looking out for one another and actively looking to benefit their communities.

 

2.)   How to foster these digital citizens

Next question is how do we foster the types of citizens that are required for today? For personally responsible digital citizens you must teach them to understand how to find and spot reliable and unreliable sources. This is to ensure that they are responsible voters in the future in an age where there is a lot of unreliable sources online. Participatory digital citizens must be provided spaces to participate in democratic discussion online. Creating class twitter accounts allows for students to participate in these dialogs with their classmates (Krutka & Carpenter, 2017). This is a great example of how to bring social media into the classroom to benefit your students. Lastly is justice oriented digital citizens, these citizens must be able to identify injustice and oppression and form solutions that can oppose them. Hashtags are a great tool for these digital citizens to come together and discuss ideas.

 

3.)   How to incorporate it within your class

There is an example of how this can be implemented within the article itself. The teachers has fifth grade students investigate homelessness by researching across many media platforms. They then discuss how the message is different based on the media form and look into the credibility of the source. Then the students discuss all of the views and stories to create their own news program or article that will be put on social media (Krutka & Carpenter, 2017). Students must learn how to properly dissect all of the information that they face daily, organize into educated action, and recognize injustice.

 

 

2 Points

 

1.)   As we have seen in this course, social media can be used effectively in teaching strategies. If used and integrated correctly it can offer an engaging and relatable lesson to students, which will in turn promote retention and learning. The question of the test in Madison, Wisconsin is whether it is too great a distraction from learning. This is a justifiable question, however, social media can still be taught within classrooms. The way that this can be accomplished is with mock social media apps that allow for discussion and collaboration without the outright distractions of social media. Being on your phone during a lesson unless instructed to is already a distraction from your lesson, but teachers usually do not allow this to begin with. If you use social media in a well contained effective manner it can have beneficial results to a lesson. The ideas within the article is one that I agree with. I like the idea of teaching kids to find credible sources and not be misled by fake or misleading articles online. I feel that now more than ever this alone is important.

 

2.)   In the case that the test mentioned at the beginning is mentioning, if social media is a distraction, teachers can still use technology to teach students and they can still be taught how to find reliable sources. This social media ban in my eyes does not affect these teachings. If teachers are in fact negating their duty to teach reliable sourcing then that is not the fault of the ban, but a fault of the teacher themselves and can be handled accordingly based on their required standards. In mention of the results of the test, what were they? Why were the test results not looked into before writing the article? I’m not suggesting an outright ban of social media is the right thing to do but I am genuinely curious as to if the results of the test accomplished their goal. No results were shown on the article that they sourced it from but I would be interested to see its effectiveness. If it was successful, we must have the conversation, while if it is ineffective, we can dismiss it entirely and show that they are not as much of a distraction as thought.

 

1 Question

 

What were the results of the test in Madison? Why did the authors not look into the test and use its results within the article? 

 

Reference:

 

Krutka, D., & Carpenter, J. (2017). Digital Citizenship in the Curriculum. Educational Leadership: Journal of the Department of Supervision and Curriculum Development, 73(5), 50–55. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/322653353_Digital_Citizenship_in_the_Curriculum