The first book I am reading is Alan November's book (the title of this post). Now, often when we read books we tend to skim the preface and introduction in favor of getting to the "meat" of the text. If you end up reading this book I highly suggest you don't follow this pattern. Through the preface November shows you the paradigm through which he views education and technology. The most powerful part for me came with his statement that the easy part is getting technology into the classroom. Rather the difficult part is to realize that the use of modern technology is about "reshaping the relationship between teachers and students" in order to "shift... control from the school system to the learner." That is a very powerful statement and I think points to our general underlying uneasiness about technology in the classroom. A sense of control (I think) is necessary to a general sense of well being when you are in a classroom. Nothing strikes more fear into the heart of a teacher than the statement "things are out of control". As such we are tentative with lessons, activities and systems that might destabilize our current status quo. Children and teenagers can be quixotic, and I personally worry what my students would come up with if I asked them to create something to demonstrate their learning (and good grief what would the rubric look like? lol). But I think November speaks to this very sentiment a few paragraphs later when he quotes another teacher:"we have succeeded in teaching our students how to be taught, and what we need to do is teach them how to learn". (see what I mean about not skipping the preface?) Some of our student's learned dependence is our fault. We want them to follow guidelines of assignments and directions in class. While there are many good reasons for both of these, neither exactly encourage "out of the box" thinking. With the technology available today, so many things are possible, it is hard to walk the line between the need for order and the need for creative freedom. Currently I have no answers and struggle with this line myself (often erring on the side of order). How about the rest of the class?
In the introduction, November introduces Shoshana Zuboff's (a Harvard Business professor) view on why sometimes the incorporation of technology is successful and other times it produces little to no growth. The crux is whether the technology is automating or informating the system. Automating refers to "bolting" technology on top of current processes and procedures. This (according to the author) results in little growth. I think this is currently our approach to technology in education. How many times have you asked yourself, "how could I do this, but with technology?" I am uncomfortable with my own answer to this question (Answer: A lot). An example of this is how I frequently have my students create a table of values in Excel and use the program to create a line graph. While they are preforming a skill, this is not a lesson that promotes critical thinking or any true collaboration or communication. The technology is not enhancing the lesson and helping the students gain greater insight or meaning from the lesson as is. Instead they are just creating a graph more quickly (and in many cases more neatly) than if they had done it with pencil and graph paper. November describes it well when he writes, "students can use the computer as a $1000 pencil with which to write a five paragraph essay for a grade."
The opposing process is informating, where the technology not only changes the product or process but also the "flow and control" of information. In the previous example of the Excel graphs, students could be using that skill in the context of a larger project or presentation. Maybe the data is informing some issue that they want to inform the public about or take a stand on. As an alternative program we are often forgotten, marginialized or maligned through misconceptions about what it means to be "alternative". This is something that our students feel deeply about. The excel graph could be used as part of a research project into what other alternative programs do and how it related to their success. The students could work together to create a presentation on why the program is important to them and how it could be made better. This would be a positive use of skills and could be used to present to the faculty of the program, the mainstream high school or even administrators. Students would feel empowered and would be using a digital tool as part of a larger process.
While the previous example was a positive spin on how informating could be incorporated, there is also the possibility of students remaining uninformed about digital citizenship and abusing the tools at their fingertips. November has no illusions that this is a possibility and references companies and universities who learned the hard way that the shift can result in "chaos and even disaster". The problem he places before teachers is the same many investors face: we can stay with the "safe" way and see minimal growth for the investment or we can take the risky way and see either a huge gain or a huge failure. Give any board of education that choice, and they will always go for the safe route. As employees who have to answer to said board, I think it make our choice that much more difficult to navigate. We have a responsibility to our learners to prepare them for the workplace and life where there are few multiple choice questions, but to do it in a safe and responsible way that keeps both them and our districts from harm.
I have found this book so far an interesting mix of challenge and information and hope others are reading it too.
Empowering Students with Technology
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6 comments:
I have not read this text, but it sound really interesting. I agree with the idea of shifting control to the learners, but like you, I too, am afraid of losing control to my students and technology and am anxious anytime I try using new technology in my class room. I wish I was more confident and that my school would offer more professional development on how teachers could effectively and appropriately incorporate technology into the classroom, but it is just not available. I agree with your points. With the technology we have today, so many things are possible, and I know I should be using it to enhance my instruction. I know my students would be more engaged. I cannot help feeling, however, that with all the benefits technology has to offer, there are also the negatives. The students know a lot more about the newer technology than I do. I hate to admit it, but I am anxious about not being the expert in the classroom. I cannot even figure out how they keep getting on to facebook to update their statuses while they should be typing in the computer lab.
I agree that many of our students have learned dependence, especially the students with learning disabilities. For so long teachers have guided students every step of the way, we have “taught them how to be taught. We have taught them how to take a test; we have not taught them how to apply their learning to typical life scenarios. These children have not be asked or required to think on their own, to develop their own strategies, or to persevere when tasks are rigorous. All too often my students say, “I don’t get it. I don’t know what to do.” When I ask what steps they have taken to solve the problem or what strategies they have used, they say none. I send them back to their desk to work and the majority of the time they are able to solve the problem independently after they have given it a sufficient amount of thought. In the past, we have always answered the children’s questions immediately when they inquire. Students receiving special education don’t even have to ask for assistance, guidance is provided even before the child attempts at solving the problem or answering the question. All students can achieve! Teachers must differentiate for learning styles and abilities, so that children can be independently successful.
I like the comparison November’s writes, "Students can use the computer as a $1000 pencil with which to write a five paragraph essay for a grade." I find it particularly intriguing because this is what so many teachers will use technology for, including myself. I am eager to learn ways in which I can begin to use the “informating process.”
This book sounds very interesting. I did not buy it, however maybe I will. I did order a “Flipped Classroom” book which I am excited to read and share!
I agree that many of our students have learned dependence, especially the students with learning disabilities. For so long teachers have guided students every step of the way, we have “taught them how to be taught. We have taught them how to take a test; we have not taught them how to apply their learning to typical life scenarios. These children have not be asked or required to think on their own, to develop their own strategies, or to persevere when tasks are rigorous. All too often my students say, “I don’t get it. I don’t know what to do.” When I ask what steps they have taken to solve the problem or what strategies they have used, they say none. I send them back to their desk to work and the majority of the time they are able to solve the problem independently after they have given it a sufficient amount of thought. In the past, we have always answered the children’s questions immediately when they inquire. Students receiving special education don’t even have to ask for assistance, guidance is provided even before the child attempts at solving the problem or answering the question. All students can achieve! Teachers must differentiate for learning styles and abilities, so that children can be independently successful.
I like the comparison November’s writes, "Students can use the computer as a $1000 pencil with which to write a five paragraph essay for a grade." I find it particularly intriguing because this is what so many teachers will use technology for, including myself. I am eager to learn ways in which I can begin to use the “informating process.”
This book sounds very interesting. I did not buy it, however maybe I will. I did order a “Flipped Classroom” book which I am excited to read and share!
Nicole- I agree with you regarding professional deveopment. I would feel more comfortable using technology and implementing it withn the classroom if I knew more about effective ways to use it. My school principal even agreed to pay for PD-but when I looked online both SERC and CREC don't really offer much- with the exception of IPAD training. Woking at a High School- just like you I also have similar problems with students knowing more about technology than I do- it makes me nervous! Our computer lab has a system that allows the teacher (from his/her computer) to view what all of the other computers within the lab are currenty doing- I use this when having student do research/type, and makes me feel more confident that I know what is going on around me, as we all know- monitoring 20 plus students on computers can be challenging. Overall I would really like to learn about any professional development opportunites available-- specifically those that incorporate technology and reading comprehension.
I completely agree with the above comments and although I am not reading November's book at the moment a quote Pam mentioned really stood out to me. We (teachers) need to teach students how to learn. In my opinion this may be the most important 21st Century skill students will need. We cannot prepare students with the answers, we must teach students how to find the answers themselves. When it comes to technology I think this is the the big questions many teachers have; how can I effectively have my students use technology to solve problems. If most of the jobs our current students will have during their lifetime do not exist yet then it seems that a shift in education is underway in which the system prepares students for inquiry and adapting to the changing future, I think the days of knowing what students will encounter in their lifetime are probably gone.
This is exciting stuff- finally we may be given an opportunity to flip the classroom in a way that will give our students ownership of their learning. I am enthusiastic about learning how to create the rubric and structure the classroom to facilitate this process. However, I’m not sure the district in which I teach is nearly as excited about a new direction of education that requires a renewed commitment to professional development and a willingness to supply the access to new technology that my students need. On a good day my classroom has ten working computers that are at least seven years old. We have filtering software that locks my students (and me) out of many legitimate sites. It takes almost ten minutes to load the software and log into a student account. Today as I walked in the door, I was told we had no access to computers. How can I use technology if I can’t depend on it? I know that many of you have even less access to new technology than I do, but I am serious when I say that my district talks the talk but chooses not to walk the walk to fund the kind of technology that will make a difference.
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