Technology Takeover: A Classroom Enhancer or Distraction?
1. A Clear Focus on Students
Kids are the complete heart and soul of teaching. It is important to form relationships with your students so that you are in the best position to help them moving forward. As a teacher we need to ask ourselves if we have shown the students we care which can include knowing their passions and or interests. The students are the most important thing when it comes to teaching so it is vital that you eliminate all other distractions of the outside world.
2. Effective PedagogyThe more active that we make the reading experience the more students will comprehend and remember (Muhtaris & Ziemke, 13). You can use technology to help the students practice, apply, and think critically about what they are learning.
3. A Strategic Use of Technology
We can use technology to enhance autonomy, agency, growth, curiosity, and joy! Some of us like to use the "old way" of doing things such as having students meet face-to-face in literature circles which is totally fine, but we can pair that with technology to go even farther. For example students can meet face-to-face in the literature circles but then take it digitally between the meetings to have deeper discussions.
4. Student Independence
Technology enables students to learn more about topics that they care about, and develop strategies and new skills on their own. This helps the teacher put the learning back into the students hands so that they can take a step back from the front of the room to offer the students more choices to help them succeed to the best of their ability. This can be through visual aids such as videos, charts, and pictures.
5. A Commitment to Collaboration
Collaboration with one another builds off of student independence and enables the students to learn real world skills that will benefit them in the future. Collaboration helps the students to learn to be flexible in their thinking and to take in different perspectives. It is vital to have in a classroom because it creates a heightened sense of purpose which builds leadership and decision making. Students can use technology to collaborate and provide feedback to work that they have created online.6. Both Creation and Consumption
Consumption actually informs the creation and allows for the students to use technology to enhance their understanding and in return create something from their learning. If a student is able to read an article on a news site, or listen to an interesting podcast, or even watch a short video describing a topic, they are then able to form connections between themselves, the world, and even whats going on at their school. It is important to utilize technology to build up background knowledge and information on topics that they are learning about so that they can utilize, and process it to make something great.
7. A Student Focused Physical Environment
While a classroom set up might seem like something that is easy to come up with, it actually takes a lot of thought process and careful consideration. It is important for students to have a comfortable place that supports their learning. Something that I never really thought of is physically sitting in my students seats to see if everything that they need is readily accessible. I love this idea because it is crucial that we create an environment where all of the students needs are met so that they can learn to the best if their abilities. Involving the students in the classroom layout may help you recognize issues that you might not have factored in prior to creating a layout. Additionally, this would be a fun classroom activity to do and can boost classroom moral and enforces collaboration.Video Connection
As you can see, technology has played a huge role in the development of education. Due to COVID-19, we are solely dependent on technology to reach the needs of our students. The TedTalk below called "Redefining Learning and Teaching Using Technology" is an excellent video that stresses the importance of integrating technology into a classroom and brings up valuable points and applications that can be used to further enhance student learning.
The link below provides different and unique ways we can incorporate technology in the classroom to have our students more engaged.
The two links below provide some of the great benefits of using technology in the classroom.
https://www.teachhub.com/benefits-technology-classroom
https://www.waldenu.edu/programs/education/resource/top-five-benefits-of-technology-in-the-classroom
Hi Liz, great job on your blog post! Your title caught my attention right away. It's so important for teachers to utilize technology to their advantage, ensuring that students are responsibly using the resources available to them. Your incorporation of the seven different technological classroom structures provides a guide for all teachers to effectively apply your research. #1 stood out most to me - the students are the center of all learning, especially when technology is involved. Teachers can use technology to help our students grow and learn based off of their personal interests! Staying true to #1 can assure that technology is a classroom enhancer, rather than a distraction.
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ReplyDeleteAwesome post! I really like the title especially, it perfectly embodies the rest of your post and the idea of technology in the classroom. I enjoyed the breakdown of the sections from the first chapter of the text. You touch on many key points especially how you focus on the first aspect of students coming first in the classroom. I also really enjoyed the video you placed at the end of your post. It wraps many of your thoughts up and has a great message. During our current time we are definitely being tested in regards to how to use technology to not just reach our students but successfully help them learn. You post really brings attention to our current world situation.
Good Morning LIz! I can totally relate to your title- TECHNOLOGY has TAKEN OVER MY LIFE! I am currently teaching my first graders using google classroom. This form of technology was all new to me as of March 10th- but I have since grown to see the benefits- especially in the current situation. In your blog you touched on showing students that we care about their interests and passion. I agree with that statement. One way that parents and students have told me helps to solidify this relationship even during distance learning, is by showing them parts of my out-of-school life. I have shared pictures of my dogs, what my home "office" looks like, and my weekend activities. This transparency will also help to encourage students to open up in return. Another point you made was the strategic use of technology versus the face to face interactions. One experience I had, while covering a 6th grade class was watching groups of students meeting to discuss a common project and each had their laptops out were were concurrently working on a google document (this was last year- before I really had ever used any google docs). I was blown away listening to the conversations happening, and then all 4 students adding to the document at the same time. These are just some ways that can see technology is an enhancer rather than a distraction!
ReplyDeleteHi Liz! I enjoyed reading your blog. As Sharlene said, technology has taken over my life too. I am currently teaching Kindergarteners virtually and it can be a challenge to say the least. Which leads me to the statistic you referenced at the beginning of your blog that 98% of US homes with children under the age of eight have access to a mobile device, and 74% of lower-income houses surveyed have access to high-speed internet (Muhtaris & Ziemke, 2020). I agree that this number is high but with weeks and weeks of virtual learning I am still struggling trying to make sure all my students are participating. Yes, children are great at navigating through ipads and apps, but it has been a challenge helping parents log in to their child's google account all of the usernames and passwords for the websites we have been learning. Thinking ahead, I think next year I will spend more time practicing logging in and out of devices so they are a little more independent with it. (HOPEFULLY, THIS IS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN!) I couldn't agree more with the number one of the seven different technological structures. Even more, so know having a connection and bond with your students is so important. Before every live lesson on Zoom I set some time to share news and just connect with the class. They are just so excited to see you and their classmates. Thank goodness for all these platforms. Without all this technology today I am not sure how much teaching would be going on.
ReplyDeleteHi Liz! I loved reading your blog post, I thought you did an awesome job! I completely agree that when technology is utilized properly it has the ability to completely transform learning. Since we were children, education has changed drastically due to technology. This can be looked at in many different lights but there are so many positives to focus on! I thought it was very topical to discuss how technology has been crucial during the time of COVID-19. Online learning has become the new norm. Though this has not been by choice, teachers across the world have been forced to adapt and they have really risen to the challenge. I was fascinated by the statistic that you stated, “Today 98% of US homes with children under the age of eight have access to a mobile device, and 74% of lower income houses surveyed have access to high speed internet.” This was much higher than I expected but very fortunate during this time!
ReplyDeleteHey Liz! I thought you created a great blog. Your title really caught my eye and made me excited to continue reading. I definitely agree that technology has the power to transform and enhance classroom learning. Like you said, it must be used properly in order to produce that result. It is critical for teachers to use technology to the students advantage and to make sure they are using it properly. Something that stood out to me was when you said, "I think that this pandemic has pushed us teachers to recognize at an accelerated rate how useful, and innovative technology truly is and can be used in the classroom." I definitely agree with this statement during the times we are in now. Technology has become such a huge part of teacher and students lives due to the current state of the world. Even though these aren't the most ideal times, students are learning through ways they have never done before. Overall, your blog really shows the importance of technology which goes very well with the current situation of the world.
ReplyDeleteHi Liz, you did a great job on a creating something that hits so close to home for all of us. Growing up, technology was all the new big thing. Computers, laptops, dial-up aim, were all the craze for the kids in the 90's. This leads me to my first point, "98% of US homes have mobile devices and 74% of low-income have high speed internet." Before school closed due to the pandemic, I had asked my 23 students, "who has a device at home that they can do work on, that is not a phone," every single student raised their hand. I was in shock! I know that this is not a big group out of the 670+ students in the entire school, but that poll alone showed the truth of that statistic. Technology is growing rapidly and ever evolving. Another key point that you touched upon was the "Strategic Use of Technology" in the classroom. Many teachers are comfortable with the "old way" of teaching, which is a great way, however, it is important to incorporate using technology often. During a normal school year, my third grade students would be extremely comfortable with the ins and outs of Google Apps. BUT, I also provide them with pencil and paper so they have the ability to hand write and staples a hand drawn cover on top. The balance between the two are essential for supporting children in becoming successful and "career-ready."
ReplyDeleteHi Liz – really awesome job on your Blog! Right from the start your Blog title pulled me in, I was curious to see what side you were going to take whether if technology is an enhancer or distraction in the classroom. Over the years, we have definitely seen the growth of technology through our lives, and how much it has changed in the school system. This year, especially in the past 2 months, we have really seen how technology has allowed schools to test the uses of it for the purposes of distance learning. The statistics you have included about the percentage of homes in the US who have access to a device is what really allowed for distance learning to be so affective, but it truly isn’t the same learning that students would be getting in the typical classroom. Like you mentioned, if this pandemic happened 10 to 20 years ago, we wouldn’t have the support from technology to even let the continuation of education in the homes to happen! Out of the seven different structures in which technology can be used to enhance classroom performance, the one that caught my eye the most was student independence. Through technology, and with the help of schools having enough laptops or iPads for each student, it allows for students to be independent with the technology that they have. They can research things that interest themselves as an individual and even work on websites alone. Being independent also allows students to learn and grow on technology from such a young age. I know as a future educator, I will be taking advantage of all these awesome platforms to enhance my students learning!
ReplyDeleteHi Liz, Great blog post! I really liked how you included outside sources with material relevant to the reading. It is really interesting how many different ways technology can be used to teach. I think this is a great time to be exploring all of these different options. I liked that one of the links you provided went more into depth about different ways you can use technology to be creative while learning. I think most of the time people think of videos and PowerPoints when they first think of using technology in school. I liked that this source also shared that digital learning should be fun and its ok to include game like learning. I always found digital field trips super interesting so that is another thing I would be looking into more after reading your blog. Lastly, I enjoyed watching the video that you included. I think he makes a lot of good points that we should expand the ways we use technology in the classroom and stop teaching students about the same things they already know. From reading your blog I know that learning to use various types of technology now as an educator is even more important than ever before.
ReplyDeleteHi Liz! I really enjoyed your blog post. I was captivated by your title right away and wanted to learn what you had to say. This is such a huge topic whether or not technology is a good thing for classrooms to have and use with their students. When I was in elementary school, technology was new and only used as an accessory when able to. Now in schools, technology is used constantly for tons of different lessons whether it is developing projects, using educational programs, or even completing online assignments. In terms of this year, I like how you even had statistics regarding technology and learning. It is crazy that 98% of children under 8 years old have access to a mobile device and 74% of lower income homes have access to internet. With the pandemic, it truly does help for families to have this. Without it, students would not be able to get an education from home. In addition, this pandemic made the world realize how important technology is and how far we have come. It is crazy how schools now rely on students using their computers to complete assignments daily at home. In your blog, it is even interesting how there are seven different structures in which technology can be used to enhance classroom performance. I did not realize all of the various ways technology has in schools and how it can be so beneficial. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteHey Liz! I really liked reading your blog post. The way you structured your thoughts made it really easy to follow the flow of the post. I also really loved the TedTalk you included at the end. I remember watching this in the past for one of my classes and I don't think I really understood the whole point of what he was trying to say. However, now with COVID-19 and everything being switched to online learning, this video really resonates. I think that in the future teacher's will be more prepared for digital/distance learning. It is even more essential now than it was when we were going to school because so much of our daily lives relies on being savvy with technology. Your post really inspired me to research and find kid-friendly technologies that can enhance their learning and ways to incorporate them that make everything seem natural instead of awkward and new
ReplyDeleteHi Liz! I think you made a very powerful statement when you said technology enables students to learn more about what they care about. That is such a great statement, because we want our students to enjoy their classroom environment along with the learning experience and content that goes into it. The more engaged our students are the more they can challenge themselves and giving them the freedom to be independent while facilitating creates such a high ceiling for success. Awesome post!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this blog and obviously this topic is in the forefront of not only national discussion , but has now become day to day educational discussions. My father , a very prominent financial advisor, called me today , and actually said, Kell, I was able to have an hour and a half, uninterrupted ,discussion with 2 of my clients in California. He then continued to say, I am getting used to this at home working. In the same breath, the same 69 year old said, I really miss seeing my clients, I miss going to my office and I miss the day to day interactions that made my career so personal and special. These clients , he speaks of, have known me since I was born, they dropped off birthday gifts, my dad and brother used to go to his store for their suits. I remember coming home from Cape Cod and sitting outside with my mom and sister and having an ice cream while we waited for my dad to drop a gift off to his friends.. aka ...clients. I wonder , if our world becomes too digitialy inclined, will we lose these relationships? Or is a crucial pivot we must all take as as societey , I miss my students. I miss seeing them, and interacting with them on a very personal way each day. I agree technology has to become a big part of moving forward in all aspects and I do believe this quarantine has helped catapult us in a positive way, so we are not so scared of it( us old folks!!) At the same time, I think part of me is scared of losing the very personal ties that existed before technology became so big. I really like how your blog tied into the importance of technology and I think the critical term was , used in the correct format. This blog really got me thinking.
ReplyDeleteHi Liz! Great job, as most others are saying, I too was totally captivated by the title of your blog post. I like how you touched upon how technology is so important, especially now in the time of COVID. I also loved learned about the seven ways technology can enhance a classroom, it was structured well and your explanations were very informative. I love TED Talks, this was a great resource to add. Thanks for a great post!
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