For the instructional activity component of EDTC 6536 I chose to demonstrate the use of Fathom. Fathom is a software program designed by Key Curriculum Press to help students analyze and explore data. The focus is primarily on mathematics, but also includes Sample documents for science, language arts and social science disciplines. Throughout the course we were shown that there are many different media that have changed the way that we look at teaching and also what students need to learn. Fathom helps to conceptualize the analysis of data in an interactive and engaging way that will help students aged eighth grade through college level.
Here is a link to a screencast addressing Fathom:

http://www.screencast.com/t/ZWUyYjVlZjAt

Kristin McLeod Fathom Instructional Handout

I entered this course feeling confident: confident that I teach in a district that is on the upswing of technology, confident that I am a recently graduated, technologically savvy young teacher; confident that I tackle technology challenges head on and look for ways to expand my classroom beyond the walls I stand in. I am leaving this class feeling challenged: challenged that I may not be doing all I can technologically, challenged to expand my thinking further and challenged to feel that I may not be as confident when I compare myself to the things that I could be doing.
In my classroom, I use a webpage with a homework calendar, update a Twitter account with assignments, collaborate with colleagues on OneNote and use ActivStudio flipcharts daily. Somehow, it is not enough for some students. Students are part of a culture in which information is at their fingertips and I need to keep up to challenge my students and keep them engaged. Brown and Adler (2002) state that it is unlikely that “the current methods of teaching and learning will suffice to prepare students for the lives that they will lead in the twenty-first century”. It is my duty then to change my methods of teaching and learning in order to prepare my students to be global citizens in this increasingly flat world. I feel that this course has prepared me for that task as an educator because my awareness of technology supporting collaborative environments between colleagues as well as parents and students has been raised. Twitter has allowed me to post homework assignments and test dates to send as reminders to my student and parent subscribers and I have also been able to use the message center located through Skyward to send parent tutorials and participation packets. Technology helps me to open the doors of my classroom to parents in a way that was not possible even five or ten years ago. I get parent emails and can communicate with parents via email rather than having to find time to set up an appointment in ever increasingly busy schedules. Students who forget the homework assignment can email me or check the Twitter notice and know what the homework is. I can scan and send documents to absent students or parents with questions. I have found that technology, though takes initial time, saves time and frustration in the long run. Students benefit as I then have more time to focus on building lessons and having more one on one freedom during work time. Merely using Smartboards makes it so that we no longer have the sign of a teacher (Vis a Vis on the side of the hand) and allows printing lessons for students and accommodating individual needs in the classroom. Technology takes away some of the trouble and puts the focus back on the student.
“Digital citizenship has become a priority for schools that see technology integration as a major teaching and learning strategy for preparing students to live and work in the 21st century”(Ribble, Bailey, Ross, 2004). Students in today’s classrooms are digital citizens as well as global citizens and we need to make sure that they have “the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to be prepared for college, for the workplace and for personal success” (LWSD Student Profile). This includes “being able to work independently and interdependently as a collaborative team member”. Teachers ask students to “use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others” (Washington State GLE Technology 1.2). In order for teachers to require students to have the skills to use technology in appropriate ways, the teacher must be able to model the skills in appropriate ways. I collaborate with colleagues via email and OneNote notebooks, with classmates via BlackBoard and Voicethread and with friends via social networking sites. My teaching methods need to follow the trends of the culture and the current trend is technology. I leave this course with the tools and the drive to challenge myself to expand further.

Resources:
Brown, J., & Adler, R. (2008). Minds on Fire: Open Education, the Long Tail, and Learning 2.0. EDUCAUSE Review,43(1), 16-20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32.

Lake Washington School District Student Profile (2008)

Ribble, M.S.; Bailey, G.D.; Ross, T.W. (2004). Digital citizenship: Addressing appropriate technology behavior. Learning and Leading with Technology, 32(1), 6-12.

Harris and Koehler’s (2009) article “Teacher’s Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge and Learning Activity Types” reminded me that planning goes beyond activity to activity. Although this is always the goal is to be doing comprehensive unit planning, aligning learning targets and planning for more than a day, this is not always accomplished without careful consideration and collaboration. “Effective planning for students’ learning is not merely an activity-by-activity endeavor, because curriculum-based units, projects, and sequences are much more than the sums of their respective parts”(p 412). Planning activities using a holistic process that will incorporate technology types that match the activity types in our classroom will both enhance and expand current curricular practices. Chosing activities for bells and whistles is not the appropropriate step. Technology for the sake of technology can hurt rather than help a lesson and it is important to seek to find activities that team well with the lesson goals.

I loved the table of the activity types for social studies that Harris and Koehler included and wish I could see one for mathematics and science. Resources that allow teachers to extend beyond the classroom walls and collaborate with others should be the focus of technology integration in the classroom. During the planning process the focus tend shifts to individual lessons rather than to creating a holistic unit and by having resources that guide us to enhanced and improved teaching practices with appropriate technological tool and activity matches teachers could look outside the classroom into the walls of others who have made lessons stronger themselves. If we take an approach in our departments and schools to work to develop technology solutions to problems we face in our practice then our practice will be strengthened. Teachers need to use technology in a way that utilizes and builds upon connections between the subjects being taught, pedagogical practices and beliefs and the technology being integrated.

href=”http://frank.mtsu.edu/~itconf/papers96/kimmins.html”>

Resources

Harris, J., Mishra, P. & Koehler’s, M. (2009) Teachers’ technological pedagogical content knowledge and learning activity types: Curriculum-based technology integration reframed. Journal of Research on Technology in Education. 41(4), 393-416.

Digital citizenship becomes an increasingly important issue as the shift moves from classroom sources to computer sources. “Digital Citizenship: Addressing appropriate technology behavior” (2004) by G.D. Bailey, M.S. Ribble, and T.W. Ross discusses the importance of teaching and modeling appropriate digital etiquette and behavior norms. I am often shocked at the number of students who rely solely upon technology and Google search engines for information and research. Students have not learned the alternatives and benefits to other forms of information. It has become increasingly easy for students to get their hands on information and material without actually learning it. Students can log on and find answers. They often will text or email answers to their friends thinking nothing of it. I think the most dangerous part of the digital age and becoming a digital citizen is the anonymity that can follow suit. Students will do things and say things to one another over a computer that they would not dare do in person. It is as if the computer or cell phone has become a screen blocking social etiquette and character traits that would be otherwise present.
Our school had an assembly about Internet safety that many students were silent during and finally saw the seriousness and implications of what happens in the technology realm. One thing that became shockingly clear was the message that once you put something out on the Internet it is always there. The delete button can never entirely delete and cheating via text messages is still cheating. Actions done through technology still have consequences. As the article says “Education is not the teaching of the three R’s. Education is the teaching of the overall citizenship, to learn to live together with fellow citizens, and above all to learn to obey the law.” We are educating future citizens to live productive lives and do meaningful work and without proper character education the lessons in reading, writing and arithmetic will be meaningless. Is modeling the best method to get character education messages across? Who should handle the situations in which students are not exercising appropriate digital citizenship?
Here are some commercials about Internet Safety
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT1GvPQG904
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbtajOvAU10

References:

Ribble, M.S.; Bailey, G.D.; Ross, T.W. (2004). Digital citizenship: Addressing appropriate technology behavior. Learning and Leading with Technology, 32(1), 6-12.

I think that one underlying theme prevalent in both the Resnick article and the article by Peppler and Kafai was the idea that media needs to allow students to create and design in order to learn. Learning is no longer about lecturing students, students need to be given a chance to experience and personalize their curricular experience. I see this daily in the mathematics curriculum, no longer do we give students notes and formula and a page of skills practice we now have curriculum that is designed to Discover Algebra and have math as a Connected and collaborative experience.

My only question is if technology of this nature is suited for the secondary classroom? Peppler and Kafai discuss using the technology in an informal computer club type setting and Resnick states that “too often, educational techologies are overly constrained”(p 2). Perhaps the constraint is due to curricular needs and perhaps due to the inherent nature of today’s educational system. I understand that we are looking for more creative and engaging outlets, however, I wonder how approproate this is when we are working on teaching building block and foundational skills. I full fledge agree with the Reggio Emilia approach, did quite a bit of research back in my undergraduate years as well as a major paper on Frederich Froebel. Reggio Emilia operates under the premise that students learn best in groups and are resourceful enough to come up with their own ideas for lessons and discovery. This mirrors the new direction of mathematics in that it is very inquiry based and students go through explorations and investigations with one another. Students learn through discussion and discovery rather than just being given the formula and skills practice. The problem I have with this is: what do you do when students make incorrect discoveries or when they overgeneralize the ideas? What do you do when the investigation does not work out as it should? I like the idea of play and creativity, but wonder if there are certain subjects that lend themselves better and more appropriately than others?

Here is an excellent article on the project-based approach in relation to mathematics: http://www.nctm.org/eresources/view_media.asp?article_id=817

Resources:
Resnick, M. (2007). All I really need to know (about creative thinking) I learned (by studying how children learn) in kindergarten. Creativity and Cognition. New York, NY: ACM, 2007.

Peppler, K.A., & Kafai, Y.B. (2007). From SuperGoo to Scratch: Exploring creative digital media production in informal learning. Learning, Media, and Technology, special issue: Media education goes digital, June, 2007.

Peggy Ertmer’s article “Teacher Pedagogical Beliefs” challenged me, as a teacher to look at some of my beliefs and how they shape my uses of technology. “According to Zhao the further a new practice is from existing practice, the less likiely it will be implemented successfully. Given this, instructional technologists might consider introducing technology as a tool to accomplish what is already valued”(p 31). If I look at the values I hold closest in my heart: communication, bridging understandings and lifelong learning and look at current practices: parent newletters, emailed notes, tutorial notes. I can use what I am doing and expand it to further learning in and out of the classroom. What do we do when we are on departments that do not have the same values? Given that collaboration is something I value I see how OneNote and other sharing tools would be helpful, but if you are in a group in which they do not like to share work or worry about others “stealing their ideas” than the values are not matching and technology would hinder and not help that.

I think most of us buy in to the idea that technology can enhance instruction but using technology involves changing current practices and involves changing familiar practices. If we can change thinking to reflect the idea that technology is enhancing not replacing practices I think that it will be easier to make the shift. I have seen how the ActivBoard puts teachers with their back to the classroom, something we got away from with AverVision and other projection tools. Technology goes through waves of themes and we need to look at how the technology can help what we already are doing in the classroom and with our teaching styles.

How do you utilize technology on a department in which fundamental beliefs on technology vary greatly? How do we determine our own core beliefs on technology?

Ertmer, P.A. (2005). Teacher pedagogical beliefs: the final frontier in our quest for technology integration? Educational Technology Research and Development, 53(4), 25-39.

http://pdfserve.informaworld.com/996133__751267195.pdf

I think that many of my concerns regarding Wikis and other online collaboration tools were voiced well in Ruth & Houghton’s article “The wiki way of learning”. While I may agree in the power of using technology to enhance educational lessons and also that we teach in a society rich with instant gratification and exciting tools, I do not agree that replacing some of the traditional methods is always a good thing. We live in a competitive society and relying on Wikis and other collaboration tools involves changing and challenging traditional values that have been built culturally over time. The epistemology found on page 148 listing characteristics may not be entirely realistic. Changing societal views is a long and ongoing process and until we live in a world that sees collaboration as valuable for creation of projects, the tools will continue to be in formation.
Some career paths are better at collaboration, for instance one of my friends works for a software development company and they are constantly in communication about how to make their product better. With teaching, the goal is always that we share what is working in our classrooms with one another in hopes to replicate the same results. We are using programs such as OneNote to help create common assessments and seek to do what works best for students, however some things are our products that we hold near and dear and we fear others will “steal our work”. Until we have a shift from individualized and competitive traits the tools will not work appropriately. The goal is to open up our careers and our worlds to one another and Wikis and other tools are a great way to do this, if we let them.
Can we effectively challenge core assumptions? Can we move from a competitive core through technological tools? Can our society shift from self as learner to learning through others?

Part of the big goal in Lake Washington is that teachers are proficient in technology.  We get technology stipends through providing evidence of this proficiency.  Last year the focus was around ActivStudio flipcharts and embedding multimedia into these presentations.  Focus has now shifted to collaboration through OneNote.  In all, it is apparent that using these tools can help enhance classroom lessons.  As I sit in meetings and classes where we are taught technology it is clear the divide of users and non-users.  Many users are proficient in what they are doing and are working at an entirely different level than others who do not know how to make a basic flipchart let alone start putting sound and video into one.  The divide can be bridged by doing exactly what our proficiency measurement asks us to: collaborate.  Working others and having avenues to share techniques and technology that has benefited the classroom will improve skills and bridge the distance between users and non-users.  

In my kitchen I have a plaque that reads “Never enough thyme” and it seems like in all of our classrooms we need one hanging that reads “Never enough time”.  We keep bringing it up time, time, time.  I think that it may not just be time, but rather time management.  We can take time to make copies at the copy machine or learn to use the technology to project the worksheet instead of endless copies.  We can take time to have the parent meetings in our classrooms as a child falls behind or find ways to scan and send notes and assignments to help support parents at home.  I get far fewer emails of “What was the assignment” now that I put up a twitter to what I expect.  My question that I still have regarding this is when will we stop using the excuse of not enough time and start using the time to learn the strategies that save us time in the long run?

Article citation: Bogle, M. (March 2008) Bridging the Divide: Facilitating the Exploration of Emerging Technologies that Support Innovative Teaching and Learning.

Friedman’s book “The World is Flat” was the subject of my undergraduate graduation ceremony and a book that I have looked into greatly.  Friedman cites 10 forces causing the flattening factor of the globalization process.  Three of these are technology heavy: Netscape broadened the Internet as a communication medium, Uploading opened up the possibility of collaboration on projects and In-forming via Google and other search engines has made it impossibly easy to look into others.  Friedman wants us all to learn how to learn.  We need to be able to both compete and collaborate with others and technology makes this easier. 

Teaching in the secondary realm I am struck by the focus shift in education.  In elementary school students are taught to work together and have more of a collaborative nature at heart.  Secondary teaching shift to focus on individual grades and college preparation and has more of a competitive spirit.  As we are looking at the readings and discussions the focus is collaboration and technology will help bring back that nature lost from secondary education. 

Technology tools give teachers a participatory medium that is ideal for supporting multiple modes of learning.  It gives us the ability to support and expand various aspects of learning.  Web 2.0 is a new kind of participatory media that extends education beyond the classroom walls.  Web 2.0 makes it so that technology can coexist and extend the traditional classroom.  Friedman talks about flattening the world in terms of leveling the playing field in the economic realm.  Using technology to open up our classrooms levels the playing field in the academic realm.

Article cited 

Brown, J., & Adler, R. (2008). Minds on Fire: Open Education, the Long Tail, and Learning 2.0. EDUCAUSE Review, 43(1), 16-20,    22,  24, 26, 28, 30, 32.

The strongest aspect and summarization statement that I would take from this article is the idea that technology can take us from isolation to interconnectedness.  The fact that through a two to three paragraph voice thread I feel more connected to the students in this course attests to the fact that VoiceThreads and other tools which personalize the experience can inspire deeper level conversations than the usual Discussion Board postings do.  I have started to use a Twitter account with homework assignments http://twitter.com/MsKMcLeod for my parents, but I could see using this tool to talk through math problems that I anticipate students having.  As I see a list of 183 absent students I am struck by the power this tool could have to make the classroom lesson summarized for students who are not able to attend class that day for illness or prearranged absences.  All in all, I am seeing the way that my classroom is able to be opened to the outside and also how to open the outside world and help students engage in the lessons from beyond the classroom.  Utilizing audio tools is a great way to remove the misunderstandings in a text driven format.  Reading a person’s comment takes away the tone and intent of the message at times and in the social setting this impacts relationships, in the academic setting it impacts comprehension. 

I also felt inspired by the same quote that Melissa cited regarding our role as a teacher to provide a learning environment that moves beyond the classroom walls.  I took from that same paragraph the idea that I am teaching in a classroom where students are “eager to communicate in virtual environments”.  Students are willing to communicate, but are so used to doing so in formats that are not part of the traditional classroom.  As a teacher of mathematics it can be difficult to engage students in a way that is motivating and also helps enhance the lesson.  It is easy to teach students in a way that is exciting to them and use technology for the sake of technology, but the true test is using technology in a way that will work to help lessons and reach the learning targets in a stronger way. 

My first question is in how to use tools like this without having the technology provided?  For instance, I am working on getting a microphone and also, there may be families and students without the tools that I have in the classroom readily available.  Another question that I have is how to ensure that we are not overusing technology and are enhancing rather than hindering our lessons.  An article I found interesting and addressing my concerns is linked here: http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/43/ef/0d.pdf