Category Archives: Educational Technology

Teach A Man To Fish…

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“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime…”
-From Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie’s novel, Mrs. Dymond (1885)

Adapted from a photo by Jerry "Woody"

Adapted From a Photo by Jerry “Woody”

These days I have been thinking about fish and technology. I started thinking about these things after reading a joke someone shared with me on Facebook:

Even though it is a joke, it got me thinking about all of the students and staff I have helped over the years with their technology problems (no, not all of them are quite like the examples above!). I was reminded that while a school’s technology department is there to help solve any immediate problems users within the organisation have (provide a fish), the ultimate goal is to help people become self sufficient users of technology (teach them to fish for themselves), which is why I started thinking about fish and technology. Of course, there are many factors to consider when teaching people to fish for themselves.

Zhao & Frank’s excellent article “Factors Affecting Technology Uses In Schools: An Ecological Perspective” discusses some of these factors required to help achieve this goal by comparing the spread of technology throughout an educational institution to the spread of zebra mussels throughout the Great Lake. Essentially they say that technology is best spread throughout a school by creating an atmosphere where technology is valued and people throughout the organization can learn from each other, especially in informal situations. If this is done well it is only natural that members of the community will become more self sufficient and learn to fish for themselves. One successful move our school made to create an atmosphere where staff and students can learn to fish from each other is to standardise our technology as much as possible so all users can easily learn together.

Another factor to help staff & students become more self sufficient is to install rules of engagement that require them to do their own research before seeking the technology department’s help. One of the best examples of this was outlined in a discussion earlier this month when I attended the #beyondlaptops conference. One of the participants employs a great method of encouraging students to help students fish for themselves, which she calls the Three Then Me method. Basically she will only help a student if they can tell her three previous methods of assistance they have employed themselves, such as consulting at least three different websites, asking a friend, etc. I employ a similar system in my classes but I really liked the catchy name she applied to it. This kind of system can easily be applied to staff as well as students and assist in all in becoming more independent.

Recently a teacher at our school, Bethany Shull, has worked with my team to help us develop another method of teaching staff and students to fish for themselves by introducing the idea of establishing a student run tech center to be run out of our office. She began working on this project for her COETAIL course, where her assignment was to identify a technological need in our school and work towards implementing a viable solution. She felt there was a need especially considering our school introduced a One to One laptop program this year for students in grades six to twelve. Her process makes for a very interesting read and can be found here.

Thanks to her research our school has a clear idea of how we want to use this tech centre to teach our students and staff to fish. A tech centre, if implemented properly, can go beyond simply assisting staff and students on immediate, individual tech problems by providing maximising time create resources such as tutorials and knowledge bases. This conversations between two schools who have already implemented student run tech centres provides some great ideas on helping staff and students become increasingly independent when solving their own tech problems:

Additional resources on this issue include:

1) Student-run Tech Support Programs Advance at the Speed of Technology – This article outlines the concept of scalable tech programs and how they can be tailored to the needs of each individual school.

2) When Students Run The Help Desk – This article outlines the implementation of one student run tech centre in Burlington High School in Burlington, MA.

I am excited to work with Ms. Shull and Mr. Thompson to successfully implement a student run tech centre at our school. If successful it should assist in our ongoing quest to teach our staff and students how to fish! I will keep you posted on how it goes.

What Do You Want Kids To Do With Technology?

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These days I have been thinking about technology integration and why technology should be used in the classroom, especially now that the school I currently work for has made the transition to a 1:1 school. From my perspective the teachers have embraced the idea of students using computers in the classroom and are really starting to explore how they can use technology to improve student learning. It has been impressive to watch a teaching staff work to integrate technology into their classroom practices. We are using Moodle as our LMS and the number of daily usage amongst teachers & students is very impressive:

ISSH-Moodle-Use-Sept-March

I have noticed an increase in the number of conversations around the staff room on how to maximize the use of computers in the classroom, with Moodle being just one integration tool being discussed. It is in this context that I consider this image from 9 Wrong And 8 Right Ways Students Should Use Technology by Jeff Dunn:

kids-technology

I am not sure if this simple division of right and wrong is correct, but it is a good conversation starter. As usual when it comes to articles on education websites I find the comment section to be just as enlightening as the article itself. In the comment section underneath the article Rnarcio writes, “You are right in that technology is not an outcome, but it is far more than a tool. It is closer to becoming an appendage. There is always an excuse to put a tool down and do things manually. The longer we keep calling it a tool, the longer people will find a way to put that tool down.” I think this makes a lot of sense, although the thought of technology as another “appendage” might scare some people and create images of cyborg future.

When you consider how much our society’s reliance on technology is growing it is easy to see how technology integration is not just about using any old tool. These are not tools that are equal to using a pen or pencil. In fact, there is growing evidence that technology is transforming the way our brains work. It would be interesting to know if a similar transformation took place with the development centuries ago of pen and paper.

Not only are our brains being transformed, but also how we work is being transformed. I am a big believer in authentic learning and creating as much as possible opportunities for classroom activities that reflect what people do in their everyday lives. What do Scientists do? That is what should be done in Science class. What do Historians do? That is what should be done in History class. What do Mathematicians do? That is what should be done in Math class. I could go on but I hope you get the picture.

If you look at learning this way technology integration makes more sense. The activities on both the left and the right work together to provide a comprehensive modern education. Yes, Scientists raise awareness and start conversations, but they may do this through a presentation made using Prezi. Yes, Historians may change minds, but their method of doing so might be through creating a new learning app. Yes, Mathematicians might take action, but their form of action might start with producing and distributing a video.

Yes, computers are tools, but they are tools that are transforming who we are and what we do. It is only natural that how we teach and learn follows suit, and part of this is focusing on how to use the tools in a authentic way. As Taramaca says in the comment section “…I do think that learning to use the tools of language (including digital ones) should be an outcome as well.”

I agree with Rnarcio that simply classifying computers as tools makes it easier to ignore them or choose to use other tools, with teachers often choosing tools that are more familiar to them. Teachers need to embrace the idea that using these tools effectively in the classroom will maximize student learning and help them to prepare for the world they will work and live in. I think this is what Taramaca means when (he?she?) says in the comment section, “I do think that we should always have some “bigger” outcome in mind when we use digital tools.” It is important to teach modern “literacy” and digitial tools and thinking have altered what this means. As well, the pervasiveness of technology in society means that this can no longer be properly accomplished by isolating the skills to be taught in a forty minute per week class that competes for students’ attention with a number of other subjects.

However, integration is not easy, especially as the challenge becomes to balance a number of different smaller goals to accomplish the “bigger outcome”, including developing technology skills, learning content, etc. Teachers have to work together and have conversations to develop a plan that works for their school. Having a model to provide a framework for these conversations is helpful. One model is the SAMR model, an easy to understand model on technology integration:

I think it is only natural for the majority of teachers to begin the integration process at the Substitution level, but working together and understanding that it is important for learning in their classrooms to include both the left and the right lists.

For more information on the SAMR model go here and here.

Towards Educational Obsoletion

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We often hear of schools needing to change to meet 21st Century needs, but what does this mean? This post list 21 school related objects/processes/jobs that might go the way of the educational dodo bird. One thing is for sure, whether schools adopt these changes or not, technology will alter how education is delivered. Before that happens though, there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed. Schools need forward thinking administrators to address these issues and help avoid their school becoming educational dinosaurs, but also to ensure they are not just chasing shiny new educational objects.

3 Little Pigs Use the Net

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Wee

It has been awhile since I have used this blog because I have been so busy with my Master’s Course. But, it will become more active soon, especially in the new year when I take my final course in the program. At that time I will have to sharpen this up and finish turning it into my e-portfolio.

In the meantime, I am posting the latest task I have completed for my ETEC565 course. I had to choose a Web 2.0 application and use it to create a digital story. I chose Prezi and used it to create 3 Little Pigs Use the Net. This will be used in my grade 6 class as an introduction to their Presentation authoring unit, where they will have to make a similar story on Internet safety, but also add a bit more content than what I did (this was done deliberately to help students recognize the need to ensure their are appropriate facts contained in their own stories).

Without further ado, enjoy the story: http://prezi.com/bcarmj72_vpy/3-little-pigs-use-the-net/

An Open Letter To Educators

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This is a very interesting video, regardless of whether you agree with Mr. Brown or not. Do you agree with him or not?

Here is Mikeleh’s equally interesting response:

And Thunderf00t’s:

Personally, I think if we combined what all three of these gentlemen are saying into one complete picture we would be onto something. Facts and knowledge are not cheap and useless, and people who have them rolling around somewhere up in their heads are valuable and important, but the fact is the tree of knowledge is growing rapidly and it is impossible for most people to know all of it. So, while we should always be trying to acquire more, the Internet provides us access, among other tools such as the always valuable “book”, to other information we don’t yet possess. We can get a brief idea of this knowledge through sites like Wikipedia, or use other sources to gain a deeper understanding. The trick for educators is emphasizing to students how to access information and how to evaluate it properly. For me, some knowledge is valuable and I would like to own it in the form of a book, or a map, etc. In a case like that I will gladly purchase it, and for other information the value is less so I will be satisfied with using the Internet (which is not free because I have to buy a computer, pay for access, etc.).

I agree with Thunderf00t’s reasoning for educational institutions and their importance in knowledge transfer, but Dan also makes a point about the need for creativity and engagement. A happy medium between the two is necessary.

My Philosophy of Education

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For my Master`s class on the Foundations of Educational Technology I was asked to write my own personal philosophy of educational technology and create a concept map to illustrate it. Here it is:

My philosophy is rooted in the idea education of technology focuses on the purpose, values, and learning theory associated with technology. It is based on the concept that education of technology is a continual process and literate technology users constantly strive for currency. Learners are exposed to all sides of the technological equation to gain a full appreciation and understanding of their technology enriched world. This means people learn skills, knowledge and attitudes about, with and for technology by looking at technology through critical as well as consenting points of view.

Education of technology has many purposes including organization and efficiency. In a world concentrated with technology it motivates and engages learners to become literate in technology and media. Learners hone their own skills, knowledge and attitude towards technology. Education of technology strives to give learners a voice in their world by providing opportunities for equal representation and offering solutions on issues affecting people’s everyday lives. It instills in learners a sense of responsibility and understanding of technology usage in areas such as politics, health, environment and community. It builds social networks and community for learners, not walls of isolation, allowing learners to develop a balance in their lives between technology and other interests. Learners come to know what technology can do for them and tailor it to suit their lives positively. It effectively allows for understanding of the continuity of change through technology that society undergoes and the place learners are on that continuum.

Education of technology involves examining values of learning through and about technology. Education is a lifelong pursuit and a key value is learners constantly evaluate their own assumptions and beliefs about technology. Learners understand that technological change is inevitable and do their best to keep up to date with necessary trends. They value the need to develop their own internal systems of evaluation and dissemination of technology and information. Important values of technology include independence and adaptation as well as a belief that technology and media understanding are essential to literacy. They value efficiency by asking, “is there a better, more cost effective way to do things?” In this sense learners understand convenience and usage must be balanced for best practice. They understand that technology is part of a wider system that is governed by the rules of nature. Balance between technology and all other pursuits is also a key value. Effective technology users value openness and understand that education, not banishment, is important.

In pursuit of their purposes and values learners constantly build upon previous technological and non technological skills and knowledge. To help with this process learners use facilitators to guide them. Technology users alternate between the roles of facilitator and learner as they continue their own education of technology. This process is in a constant state of repetition as technology advances and the need to build new skills and knowledge arises.

WehrleC_ETEC511_PhiloshophyOfEdTech - What are the key components of my philosophy of education