Reflecting on Foundations of Educational Technology

As this course concludes, there are some key elements that really come to the forefront of my mind. Being exposed to new and interesting programs was a nice break from focusing on the programs we work with most often. Delving deeper into online ethics was definitely eye-opening, and it was nice to be reminded that our team's efforts are aligned with current research and trends.

With the integration of Google and the G Suite Apps for Education in D99, there are so many great programs readily available, it's difficult to spend time researching and experimenting with new ones. Having these different assignments and discussions has basically forced me (in the most positive way) to do just that- experiment. Practicing on my own and reading about classmates' experiences with other programs has opened my eyes to other potential ways to collaborate and create.

As students, we learned the importance of citing work and appropriate use of others' property; but somewhere along the way we tend to forget these principles as teachers. The ethical dilemmas regarding licensing and copyrights were great reminders that just because we use resources for educational purposes does not provide us free passes to whatever we like. Luckily, the Internet provides easy ways to determine the legality behind using the information found.

Finally, we (the team of Instructional Tech Resource Teachers and I) are always trying to provide the best and most recent methods of integrating technology into the classroom, both directly and indirectly. We remind teachers of their necessary role as a facilitator and that technology doesn't always create the best lesson. These same points are consistently reiterated throughout all of the blogs and research that we covered in this course. It's confirmation that our message is aligned with other professionals in the field of Ed Tech. Yay!

Reflecting on Trends in Technology

Including a research paper doesn't appear to be super exciting for a blog entry.  Often entries are much shorter, funny as a story unfolds, and include an experience regarding the subject of the post. In this case, I've included the paper because of how much the economy influences education and why it's important to modify the approach to education to reflect the needs of the workplace.

As I began to read the assignment requirements for this research paper, I must admit my reservations. It has been quite some time since I've written a research paper! Fortunately, the possible topics were of high interest to me and narrowing down the options became the tricky part. Technology is ever-changing and advancing to it was exciting to see where education is heading. The more I researched my topics of PBL and makerspaces, in particular, the more I found my research going back in time.

The main trend that I found consistent throughout history is that education reflects what is happening in the economy.  For example, during the agriculture age, emphasis was placed on farming techniques: fertilization, irrigation, crop movement, etc. Then when industry was king, skilled labor was highly valued and encouraged. Now that we're in a time where information is readily available, value is placed on being able to collaborate, problem solve, and think critically.

Education is now trending towards emphasizing those components to make a well-rounded learner. Real word situations and problem solving allows students to implement the higher level thinking that aligns to 21st Century skills. Because technology updates at such a rapid pace, it can be difficult for schools (especially in remote locations) to stay current. Educators need to also adapt their lessons to include these societal expectations. Taking on the facilitator role rather than 'sage on the stage' is where teachers should find themselves.

Reflecting on Word Clouds

Word Cloud Use in the Classroom: Some may find including this assignment in a post surprising. Integrating technology sounds like it should involve only robotics or creating websites. "Word clouds, big deal." In fact, the assignment was even surprising to me on two fronts: 1) it seemed very simple and 2) there are more uses in the classroom than I thought. When I began, I was thinking back to my when daughters used to make these in their earlier grades. They really enjoyed the process of making the word clouds, but they had no educational value to them. Though I used to help them, I didn't pay attention to the additional information and options on the websites.

Once I noticed the different image choices and vast color options, class assignment ideas began coming to me. I was very pleased with the word cloud I created for my own assignment, using the bright red stop sign to represent ethics in tech integration. The image really makes a statement with not even showing complete sentences or multiple images. Fortunately, the universal stop sign image is recognizable to everyone and goes well with the theme of ethical dilemmas.

The post provides suggestions for classroom use of word clouds, including a book review or a self-portrait. Selecting images that represent the message is definitely an important factor in the success of the word cloud. The drawbacks to incorporating word clouds are not providing legitimate rubrics for grading the assignment and overusing the activity. If students do not know that this is a real assignment and should be completed as such, they may just use a bunch of thoughtless words and create a random image. The message is then lost and meaningful expression useless. Finally, just as with everything, there can be too much of a good thing. Since this activity can be done quickly and is fun, it's possible to allow students to create word clouds too often. Variation should be incorporated to keep students engaged and excited.

Trends in Technology

Trends in Technology:

→


How Learning Experiences Impact 21st Century Skills

Nichole Blass

Bryan Snyder, Instructor

EEND675B - Fnd of Educ Technology

June 14, 2017

“Name an adult who can sit still for 90 minutes and listen to somebody drone on. If an adult can’t learn that way, how in the world can kids learn that way? (Schaffhauser, 2017) This statement by David Ross, CEO of the Partnership for 21st Century Learning, is the premise for why the classroom experience is being dramatically altered in the 21st Century. Education as a form of systematic instruction is not unique; people throughout time have received formal and informal instruction whether through oral traditions or hours spent sitting behind a school desk. I feel, currently, the most influential trend in education is the lesson experience within the classroom. We will look at a few examples of specific ways the 21st Century classroom experience is modernizing to meet the needs of the 21st Century workforce.

History shows that how populations are educated reflect what is necessary in the workforce and/or society at that time. In an agrarian society, education was based on the skills needed to successfully farm and trade. Benjamin Franklin, referring to the Pennsylvania youth, suggested, “While they are reading natural history, might not a little gardening, planting, grafting, inoculating be taught and practiced, and now and then excursions made to the neighboring plantations of the best farms, their methods observed and reasoned upon for the information of youth, the improvement of agriculture being useful to all and skill in it no disparagement to any?” (Davis 1911). Society then moved to an industrial period that relied heavily on people learning a specific task or set of skills required in different industries, or preparing the masses to be good, orderly citizens. The nation was witnessing the “advent of machine production and its accompanying specialization of occupation” (Koos, 1927). It could be said that by 1890 “national concerns about international economic competition” (Spring, 1990) and the demands of “advancing technology” (Krug, 1964) began to influence the design of the blueprints being used to shape the foundations of the newly emerging model of education.

The economy is undergoing a significant change again. There is widespread agreement that we have been and continue to be moving from an industrial to an information economy. Key aspects of the new economy include: the globalization of the economy, the demise of the mass-production economy, a privileging of information technology, an increase in the skills required to be successful, and an emphasis on the service dimensions of the marketplace (Murphy 2013).  The goal is no longer maintenance of the organizational structure but rather the development of human resources (Fullan & Ballew, 2002; Tichy & Cardwell, 2004).

            With this change in society and the economy, the kind of education students receive should be changing also. Long gone are the days of rote memorization, studying lengthy textbooks, and listening to the teacher spew facts in a classroom vacuum. With the technology available at their fingertips, whether school provided or not, students can research facts on their own almost instantly. While textbooks were the main source of information for students for hundreds of years, first in the form of clay tablets then progressing to texts on CD-rom, no longer is information itself power; rather, power is gained from the ability to access the right information quickly. Electronic media are a commonplace and comfortable part of academic life for most of today’s students (Bierman 2006).

            Research has shown that "the way people learn is to have “real-life engaging experiences." Active learning has gotten a new lease, and under the umbrella of active learning falls project, challenged, and problem-based learning often utilizing makerspaces to accomplish the projected outcomes. Ross clarified that this concept of active learning is a "rebranding" of project-based learning, which, he added, used to be called "experiential learning." All of these spring from the idea that students want to do something more than simply listen to the teacher, and tech can play a role in making that happen. Active learning has to be relevant to the student and include activities "anchored in the real world and anchored in significant content, whether it's Common Core or Next Generation Science Standards”(Schaffhauser, 2017). Active learning and the pedagogical frameworks that support this trend, like SAMR and the Framework for 21st Century Learning, guide educators and educational leaders to create and implement learning experiences that prepare learners for future endeavors in the workplace both domestically and globally.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills identified three types of skills needed for success in the workplace: learning skills, literacy skills, and life skills.  Learning skills are presented as the 4C’s: Creativity, Collaboration, Communication and Critical Thinking (P21). According to contributors to Thoughtful Learning, “To hold information-age jobs, students need to think deeply about issues, solve problems creatively, work in teams, communicate clearly in many media, learn ever-changing technologies, and deal with a flood of information. The rapid changes in our world require students to be flexible, to take the initiative and lead when necessary, and to produce something new and useful” (2016).

Teachers’ roles are necessary to create and present their students with the active lesson experiences that include opportunities to develop the skills mentioned. A great example of this kind of lesson experience is through the use of a makerspace (Schaffhauser, 2017). A makerspace is a collaborative work space inside a school, library or separate public/private facility for making, learning, exploring and sharing that uses high tech to no tech tools. For example, they may include 3D printers, laser cutters, sewing machines, robot kits, cardboard, Legos and art supplies. It’s more of the maker mindset of creating something out of nothing and exploring your own interests that’s at the core of a makerspace.  These spaces are also helping to prepare those who need the critical 21st Century skills in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).  They provide hands on learning, help with critical thinking skills and even boost self-confidence. Some of the skills that are learned in a makerspace pertain to electronics, 3d printing, 3D modeling, coding, robotics and even woodworking (2017).

One of the challenges educators face when preparing experiential lessons is space to conduct the lesson.  Is the classroom an acceptable location to accomplish the goals set forth in the lesson? Does the space have the required resources available? Depending on the size of the classroom and number of students/desks, it may be too small of a space to have multiple activities simultaneously. One solution is to only use a small area of the room or a rolling cart that can be moved from room to room.  Many schools utilize the Media Center to house their makerspaces allowing the whole school access the different activities and resources.

Another challenge is expense.  Funding for even the basic necessities of education can prove to be a challenge. Additional resources to create a meaningful makerspace can quickly become expensive. Though costs of technology is reducing, things like 3D printers and CAD-CAM machines are very expensive.  Even extra art materials or Legos add additional costs to budgets. Grants and donations are a feasible option to overcome the potential cost barrier.  A few grants available for these active learning endeavors include NEA Foundation Student Achievement Grants , ING Unsung Heroes Program, and AIAA Foundation Classroom Grant Program.

How students learn has a decided impact on what they learn. Teaching and learning environments matter. Many students learn more when schoolwork is connected to their interests, to real-world problems, and to the worlds of work and college. Experiences outside the classroom, variation in the school day, and the ability to use technology and other hands-on tools engage students in learning—and help them discover new interests and passions. Instructional strategies that foster higher-order thinking and personalize learning to meet students’ specific needs are critical as well (Bray, Green, & Kay, 2010). We are currently at a very unique period in time as the transformation from an industrial to information economy is happening in front of our eyes. As the landscape of society changes economically, politically, and socially, education must adapt to provide future generations opportunities to be successful within that landscape. Active learning opportunities, particularly through the use of a makerspace, allows teachers and students to incorporate collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, and communication which have been identified as the learning skills necessary to be successful in college and the workplace (2016).

Works Cited

Bierman, P., Massey, C., & Manduca, C. (2006). Reconsidering the textbook. Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union, 87(31), 306-306.

Bray, J. B., Green, K. A., & Kay, K. (2010, October). Up to the Challenge: The Role of Career and Technical Education and 21st Century Skills in College and Career Readiness (Rep.). Retrieved June 14, 2017, from Partnership for 21st Century Skills website: http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/CTE_Oct2010.pdf

Davis, B. (1911). Agricultural Education: Agricultural Societies. The Elementary School Teacher,11(5), 266-274. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/993137

Fullan, M., & Ballew, A. C. (2001). Leading in a culture of change. San Francisco, CA: JosseyBass.

Grants for Teachers. (n.d.). Retrieved June 14, 2017, from https://teach.com/what/grants-for-teachers/#top

ISTE Connects. (2017, March 23). 11 hot edtech trends to watch. Retrieved June 10, 2017, from https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=865&category=ISTE-Connects-blog&article=11 edtech trends to watch in 2017

Koos, L. (1927). The American secondary school. Boston: Ginn.

Krug, E. A. (1964). The shaping of the American high school. New York: Harper & Row.

What is a Makerspace? Is it a Hackerspace or a Makerspace? (2017, March 14). Retrieved June 14, 2017, from https://www.makerspaces.com/what-is-a-makerspace/

Murphy, J. (2013) Schooling in the Post-Industrial World: The North Star for Leadership, Vanderbilt University

Schaffhauser, D. (2017, January 12). What's Hot: 9 Major Ed Tech Trends for 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017, from https://thejournal.com/Articles/2017/01/12/Whats-Hot-9-Major-Ed-Tech-Trends-for-2017.aspx?Page=2

Spring, J. (1990). The American school 1642-1990: Varieties of historical interpretation of the foundations and developments of American education (2nd ed.). New York: Longman.

Tichy, N. M., & Cardwell, N. (2004). The cycle of leadership: How great leaders teach their companies to win. New York, NY: Harper Business

What are 21st century skills? (2016, October 03). Retrieved June 14, 2017, from https://k12.thoughtfullearning.com/FAQ/what-are-21st-century-skills

Dual Purpose Word Clouds- Learning Tool and Fun

Utilization of Word Clouds in the Classroom

Teachers are often trying to find ways to engage students through unique activities.  One of the easy ways to do that is by implementing word clouds into a lesson.  Below are three different ways word clouds can be used in the classroom.

1. Make a self-portrait- At the beginning of the year, students can create a word cloud using words that are attributes of themselves.  They can use a person silhouette as the image they’re filling with text.  

2. Comparison Activity- Because the word cloud creates a strong visual depending on how it’s designed, students can utilize them as a way of comparing two things. For example: comparing two types of governments.  The student would create two word clouds, side by side, comparing leadership, voting styles (if any), location, law making, etc.

3. Make a book cover- Students can create a word cloud as a book cover following the reading of a book.  If the whole class or reading group read the same book, this assignment can showcase the students’ interpretation of the book through their word clouds.  The students can also choose this option to showcase a book they read individually.

Ethical Dilemmas

A teacher photocopies an article for every student in the class. I'm sure we've all been that teacher, regardless of how many years you've been in the classroom. While this approach limits the Internet Safety issue, it certainly doesn't integrate technology, incorporate student choice or differentiation. The purpose of the photocopies should be addressed with the teacher. I'm sure the response would be the same for most teachers, "I'm making copies for the class so they have their own copy to follow along and do their assignment." While this is innocent enough on the surface, it's bordering on illegal, depending on what laws, if any, protect the text. The teacher should be reminded of the example they're setting for their students.  You can't expect to discipline students for plagiarism and the like while doing the same with your lesson materials. If acceptable use is not obvious within the source, the teacher should be able to research quickly online what the policy is for the material. I will discuss below the benefits to using technology in this example below.

     One of the many benefits to integrating technology is the ability to create a paperless environment. As we discussed in the first class, standing in line at the copy machine isn't an effective use of the limited time teachers have. So making copies for 30+ students is an unnecessary drain on time and paper when you have the ability to provide a link or embed an article into a Schoology lesson or Google Classroom. Just as you would need to credit the author of the article you want to make copies of, online sources should receive the same citation process. In the article Plagiarism in the Internet Age, authors Howard and Davies generate 4 keys ways to help prevent plagiarism using online sources:

• Discuss intellectual property and what it means to "own" a text.
• Discuss how to evaluate both online and print-based sources (for example, comparing the quality and reliability of a Web site created by an amateur with the reliability of a peer-reviewed scholarly article).
• Guide students through the hard work of engaging with and understanding their sources, so students don't conclude that creating a technically perfect bibliography is enough.
• Acknowledge that teaching students how to write from sources involves more than telling students that copying is a crime and handing them a pile of source citation cards.

     In order for students to be agents of their learning, we often espouse student choice.  Giving students control promotes excitement as well as ownership.  Assuming the class has established procedures in place, teachers are not losing control in their class but rather facilitating the lessons. Forcing all of the students to read the same articles, is definitely not student choice nor differentiation. One of the D99 resources, Achieve 3000, is a great substitute for this scenario.  Not only does it offer the benefits mentioned, but these articles/texts have been vetted for acceptable use.  Teachers do not need to worry about copyright infringement, which is always a good thing! 

Howard, Rebecca Moore, and Laura J. Davies. "Plagiarism in the Internet Age." Literacy 2.0 66.6 (2009): 64-67. Web