I used to associate the word “technology” with only computers and smartphones. I now know that technology is any tool that helps us to mediate between ourselves and the world. Whenever humans want to change, automate or improve a process, technology has existed as a solution. Technology changes over time--sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly. The introduction of new technology always has various social and cognitive consequences. Our students are digital natives; they are a part of the App Generation. Their identities and interactions have been greatly influenced by modern technology. We can now readily consume much more information than before--this creates its own set of consequences.
Classroom technology used correctly makes learning happen; books, Chromebooks, pencils, chalkboards, web-based apps, and recording devices are all examples of tools that my students use to learn and show learning. When selecting the best tools to use, the possibilities and constraints of the tools must be considered alongside the requirements of the educational goals. This is key to remember when balancing the numerous educational apps and implementing technology in the classroom. Fewer things, implemented better is far more important than using ALL of the latest GoogleAppleMicrosoft ed-tech apps.
At our first class of EDIT 780, I typed these notes about what educators need to know to be designers:
Identify the “real” design problem(s)
Consider and invent possibilities as well as recognize and embrace constraints
Understand the integrate the 4 Ps (principles, processes, patterns, and paraphernalia)
I knew that “to design” meant to create something and I could recognize design in my own world, but I did not consider the purpose of design or what it meant to design for a classroom context.
Design is the process of creating for a specific purpose; it is about being intentional in the development of a process or a product. I really connected with H.A. Herbert Simon’s definition of design: “changing existing situations into preferred ones” (1996). I was initially drawn to DDLS because I wanted to become a better educator. I can now recognize problems within my own practice, articulate “real” design problems, and engage in the design process to develop a solution. Through the development of several design documents, I have learned to invent possibilities and embrace constraints. While I am still a novice designer, I can use feedback on my Fall 2019 work to improve future efforts.
Design is also the process of creating for a specific audience. An educator’s customers are his or her students. My work in the DDLS program is the application of what I am learning to meet the specific learning needs and educational goals of my student population.
References
Herbert Simon, H.A. The sciences of the artificial, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, USA, 1996
During the first month of EDIT 780, I considered the purpose of education in society. A school is a safe environment where students can engage in authentic meaning-making before doing so in the real world. A modern educator must design learning experiences beyond the memorization and regurgitation of content. Future ready students will not solely take notes and tests in a classroom for the rest of their lives, so why should that be their sole type of life preparation? A good teacher designer takes this into account and leverages technology to connect his or her students with the world beyond the classroom.
With the use of technology in classrooms comes the need to teach good information using skills, which future ready learners will use beyond PK-12 walls. Knowing how to find good information on the web, being cognizant of fair use, and having Net Smarts are all best practices for “living what you learn” in life after school.
As PK-12 educators, we often forget what it is like to have been a student with a life outside of school. I have been humbled by my first full semester as a full-time-job-holding MEd graduate student. I experienced a significant learning curve about simultaneously living and learning; I had to be very intentional about how to structure my evenings and weekends around my coursework. The best organizational strategy I implemented was to create weekly learning schedules--thanks to EDIT 784 Topic 1, “Intro to Online Learning”--to manage weekly learning goals and assignment deadlines.
I also learned that I enjoy learning by doing. One of the best parts of the DDLS concentration is that I am learning about teaching and learning strategies that I can immediately use in my own classroom. From the principles (DDLS design principles), processes (SPDs & ABCS, affordance analysis, etc.), patterns (PechaKucha, WebQuest, Burma Shave), and paraphernalia (everything else), I have already used bits and pieces in my own instructional practices.
Finally, I learned that I learn best by collaborating and interacting. I experienced meaning making through forming plans and creating products with peers, talking about knowledge, and giving feedback. While I was skeptical of some of the patterns--peep my Vygotsky poetry--I did have fun learning and creating during this semester. Maya Angelou’s quote about how “people will never forget how you made them feel” is the takeaway message here. Learning experiences that creates positive vibes are more likely to cause learning to actually occur. Being silly and constructing knowledge together is a far more powerful learning experience than taking a multiple choice final exam on the principles of design.
My efforts and products during Fall 2019 have helped me to connect my “doing” practices (planning, teaching, assessing) to my students’ “doing” practices (learning and showing learning). I have made my design thinking visible by considering multiple lessons via the design document lens [Teachers as Designers Principle]. I have ventured beyond considering how I teach content to considering how I will prepare my students to meet the ever-changing demands of their futures [Ends Principle]. I recognize that students construct meaningful knowledge by using carefully chosen tools [Means Principle] in the context of an authentic community [Knowledge Principle]. Learning is social, based on exposure to multiple narratives and roles; through “playful” activities and decisions, we internalize behaviors and understanding [Learning Principle]. Finally, as exemplified by this Portfolio, students making their own meaning is the best way to measure whether learning has occurred [Students as Designers Principle].