Post date: Nov 28, 2010 9:27:58 PM
1. What outcomes had you envisioned for this course? Did you achieve those outcomes? Did the actual course outcomes align with those that you envisioned?
Based on the title of the course, I had expected to get specific ways to implement technology in the classroom. I assumed I would study some educational theories and their relationships with technology, and achieve an understanding of some guiding principles for incorporating technology into classroom instruction.
I read the titles of all the articles and books before the course started. Some that really stood out were How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000), Social Networking Technologies in Education (McPheeters, 2009), The Impact of Education Technology on Student Achievement (Schacter, 1999), and Technology-Enriched Classrooms: Effects on Students of Low Socioeconomic Status (Page, 2002). I could tell from the titles that we would be covering much more than I had originally anticipated. The actual course outcomes were aligned with the expectations I had initially envisioned, and more. I learned about Universal Design Learning and got lots of insight about the future of K-12 education.
2. To the extent that you achived the outcomes, are they still relevant to the work that you do in your school? Why or why not?
The outcomes from EDLD5364 “Teaching with Technology” are still relevant to the work that I do in my current position as district technology director. I am responsible for ensuring that the technology vision of my district supports curriculum and the diverse needs of 21st century learners. This course gave me a jumping off point for offering suggestions for implementing technology in all areas of the curriculum at every grade level. Our district is able to offer students a variety of ways to access information, appealing to all brain networks. Teachers are able to offer student-friendly, ongoing assessment. To support teachers, we have implemented online communities of practice that provide “just in time” access to information. We encourage participation by “creat[ing] an environment of trust,” “eliminat[ing] confusion,” “mak[ing] learning interactive,” “hav[ing] teachers share what they are doing on a regular basis,” and “giv[ing] constructive feedback and support” (Solomon, & Schrum, 2007).
3. What outcomes did you not achieve? What prevented you from achieving them?
I learned a lot about what the future of education should look like, but I would like to learn more about how to get there. In their famous marketing book, Al Ries and Jack Trout recount the old story about a traveler asking a farmer for directions to a nearby town. After some prolonged thinking, the farmer finally replies, “You can’t get there from here” (Ries, & Trout, 1981). Of course, you can eventually arrive anywhere, but sometimes “getting there” requires more than just taking a couple of simple turns. It requires starting over. That’s where we are in education right now. Implementing 21st century schools like High Tech High requires starting over. We cannot just turn a current high school into something else. Of course, we also cannot just shut down public education while we destroy and recreate the whole system. The biggest barriers seem to be convincing stakeholders that a new system is necessary and worth the investment and that “standardization is a guarantee of low standards” (Papert, Edutopia.org, nd). An important part of driving this change will be showing teachers working examples of 21st century teaching, like the one we completed for this course.
4. Were you successful in completing the course assignments? If not, what prevented or discouraged you?
I was successful in the course assignments, but I did find myself discouraged. I was not able to study the readings as deeply as I like to, because of the tight schedule, especially during week 3. During that week, I was so anxious just to get things done, that I don’t think I put my heart into any of my personal assignments, even though I took a day off work to do so. One lesson I did not achieve was learning practical ways to implement the ideals of Universal Design Learning into daily activities. Some things were simple enough to implement, but the more complex lessons require more time than a typical teacher has to implement. And I never felt that I got a clear explanation of how it should look. For example, at the end of Chapter 6 in Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning, Rose & Meyer say “we can provide the best support by individualizing pathways to learning. Flexible methods and materials – the heart of the UDL framework and its implementation – make this feasible in the real world” (2002). The message is that technology makes tailoring education to specific learners possible. This is true, and I saw lots of examples of UDL in action. But making UDL modifications to every lesson, every day seems impossible. The lesson I have taken with me is to try to make learning more diverse every day.
5. What did you learn from this course: about yourself, your technology and leadership skills, and your attitudes?
I am not usually a fan of working in groups, even though I know it is a part of life. The reason I typically do not like it is that so often, groups are poorly led and contain members who lack vision. Our group did not have these problems. Everyone worked hard, had good ideas, and enthusiastically participated in our weekly meetings.
The main thing that this class reinforced for me is that I am good at seeing the “big picture.” That ability enabled me to find good teammates, create sites that logically housed the planning and final product for our group project, and, with the help of my partners, put together a meaningful solution for the scenario. This project also highlighted some weaknesses: I have a lot to learn about audio/video on the computer. Because of my experience as a yearbook adviser, I know plenty about working with digital print and photography. I know image file formats, I know programs, and I know publishing. I do not know how to use firewire, how to edit a movie, or how to embed an mp3 into a website. Luckily, I also know that there is no harm done in letting students work with a technology I am not familiar with.
References
Bransford, J.D., Brown, A.L., & Cocking, R.R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school
Edutopia.org. (nd). Project learning: An overview. Retrieved on December 9, 2009 from http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-overview
McPheeters, D. (2009, March). Social networking technologies in education. Tech and Learning. Retrieved November 14, 2009, fromhttp://www.techlearning.com/article/16250
Page, M.S. (2002). Technology-enriched classrooms: Effects on students of low socioeconomic status. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 34(4). Retrieved November 14, 2009 from the International Society of Education athttp://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=number_4_Summer_20021&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&ContentFileID=830
Ries, A., & Trout, J. (1981). Positioning: The battle for your mind. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal Design for Learning. Alecandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Available online at the Center for Applied Special Technology Web site. Retrieved on November 14, 2009, from http://www.cast.org/teaching everystudent/ideas/tes/
Schacter, J. (1999). The impact of education technology on student achievement: What the most current research has to say. Santa Monica, CA: Milken Exchange on Education Technology. Retrieved on November 14, 2009, fromhttp://www.mff.org/pubs/ME161.pdf.
Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, new schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education. (Expanded edition). Washington, D.C.: National Academ Press. Retrieved on November 14, 2009, fromhttp://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=6160&page=194