Teaching with Technology: Reflecting on my Module 5 triggering question

ISTE Standard 5: Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

Teachers continuously improve their professional practice, model lifelong learning and exhibit leadership in their school and professional communities by promoting and demonstrating the effective use of digital tools and resources.

a. Participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to improve student learning.

b. Exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others.

c. Evaluate and reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to make effective use of existing and emerging digital tools and resources in support of student learning.

d. Contribute to the effectiveness, vitality and self-renewal of the teaching profession and of their school and community.

How can I best promote technology to my colleagues who might be techno-phobic?

I ask myself why I would want teachers to use more technology in their classrooms. We’re a busy bunch, after all, and one more item on the plate isn’t necessarily going to make us better teachers. I enjoy using technology, and I like to share that enjoyment with my students. If another teacher doesn’t enjoy using technology, then that person isn’t going to be an effective user in the classroom.

Yet many of my techno-phobic colleagues use Facebook. They interact socially with friends, family, and colleagues. They share how their day went, pass along photos of great-looking meals, and even share recipe videos of how those meals were put together. Why not do the same for teaching? Carpenter writes that “social media facilitates participation, challenges hierarchies, and helps build professional networks that support teacher collaboration and autonomy” (2016). He advocates the use of social media as a teacher-directed professional development tool. Sites such as Twitter, Pinterest, and Edmodo offer opportunities for teachers to do for their professional growth what they already do for their personal growth. What’s encouraging is that many teachers are already taking advantage of this, and on their own time. “In an era of intense demands on educators, ... teachers are willing to give up their personal time to participate in this unremunerated professional learning” (Carpenter, 2016).

Using technology to advance one’s professional development makes sense, but technology itself won’t make us better teachers. Good learning comes from good teaching, and the medium used doesn’t necessarily matter. De Bruyckere, Kirschner, and Hulshof dispel the myth that technology is causing a revolution in the classroom in their article “Technology in Education: What Teachers Should Know” (2016). They propose that “the medium seldom influences teaching, learning, and education, nor is it likely that one single medium will ever be the best one for all students” (De Bruyckere, Kirschner, and Hulshof, 2016). Having a SmartBoard in your classroom won’t make you a better teacher if all you do is use it as a projector screen. But employing it to engage students and interact with material can have pedagogical benefits. “Effective instructional methods can improve learning outcomes across different media, whereas using hand-held instructional media may increase students’ willingness to continue to engage in learning” (De Bruyckere, Kirschner, and Hulshof, 2016).

When used appropriately, technology has tremendous benefits for students. An East Los Angeles teacher, Enrique Legaspi, uses Twitter to engage his students in his middle school social studies class. The same type of work students would do in a classroom discussion review of World War I, for example, can be done through Twitter - by all students, not just a few. “A lot of them, what it did help them with was finding their voice, because I do have many students that do not participate in my class discussions or share what’s on their mind,” Legaspi told CNN’s Dan Simon (2011). He uses Twitter to increase participation, but he can also differentiate his instruction based on that participation. That’s the pedagogy at work.

Results like Legaspi’s should be shared, as should the benefits of using social media to improve professional development. As more positive examples of the uses of technology become apparent, my techno-phobic colleagues will come around. As long as they are interested in the future of their profession, they’ll find advantages in adapting technology for their own purposes.

References

De Bruyckere, P., Kirschner, P. A., and Hulshof, C. D. (2016, Spring). Technology in Education: What Teachers Should Know. American Educator, Spring 2016. Retrieved on November 29th from http://www.aft.org/ae/spring2016/debruyckere-kirschner-and-hulshof

Carpenter, J.P. (2016). Teachers at the Wheel. Educational Leadership, 73(8), 30-35. Retrieved on December 4th from http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.spu.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=ddfb82c3-1236-4a42-9b56-3125c4ec2c56%40sessionmgr106&vid=0&hid=125&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWlwJnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=EJ1100630&db=eric

Simon, D. (Reporter). (June 9, 2011). Twitter has place in classroom. Retrieved on December 4th from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2w9CnaeaiAE