I’ve always considered myself tech savvy, from being the only person in my dorm room freshman year to have a computer to being the go-to guy in the building when the computer screen goes blank. I’ve never had any formal kind of training; technology seems to come easy to me. Much of it has to do with an innate curiosity and a basic understanding of how to avoid breaking things. My wife even claims I have the ability to fix computer problems just by standing over her shoulder. My superpower, I guess.
That ability only takes me so far. For example, I know how to connect my iPad to my projector at school. But for what purpose? "Cool, the teacher has an iPad," a student might say, "but that doesn’t help me write my essay." I can use technology myself, but prior to this program I never effectively used technology to improve student learning. Having students use computers to type a paper doesn’t count, in my mind; that task is so commonplace and ubiquitous that it doesn’t seem to count as a use of technology. What I needed two years ago was training in how to use technology to enhance student learning, design digital learning experiences, model digital citizenship, and become the technology leader I always felt I should be - all skills that were one of the objectives of EDU 6433, Teaching with Technology.
Looking back, I see three large takeaways from the class that I have directly applied to my practice. The first and perhaps simplest takeaway has been my expanded use of Twitter as a professional learning network. I had long used my personal Twitter account as a means to share my imperfect commentary on Seattle Seahawks games and to keep up with various news stories. From Dr. Wicks I learned that Twitter could be used in a similar fashion as an educational tool. This fits my needs as an adult learner in that using Twitter is self-directed, relies on collaboration, and is relevancy-oriented (Zepeda, 2012). I follow a wide variety of educators, from those who teach AP English Language & Composition as I do to those who are active in union issues. From those networks I have branched out, following a variety of teachers with concerns about racial and social justice, writing and literacy, and rhetoric education. I have participated in online chat sessions, and I have gathered numerous teaching ideas that I have implemented directly into my practice. For example, several teachers had ideas in the weeks leading up to the AP exam for specific exam prep, and those ideas helped me prepare my students for the test. The ability to tap into the knowledge of my peers greatly enhances the diversity of my instruction.
Another large takeaway was my beginning to use blogs with students. For my action research project I sought ways to provide feedback to students, and I quickly focused on peer review. [Influences on Student Revision Practices] One idea that came out of the research was to have students blog and then require them to read other students’ blogs and provide constructive feedback. The assignment has proved popular, enabling students to write for an authentic audience and flex their voice as a writer. Blogs and other webtools enable students to use a larger platform "to engage in collaborative creation of content and sharing of information across time zones and cultures" (de Ramirez, 2013, p. 7). I intend to double my usage next year, especially if I can incorporate it into my district’s use of Google Classroom.
My final takeaway was an enhancement of my fake news unit. The technology component of this was small; students were given an article of questionable veracity and required to conduct some research to evaluate the article on a set of criteria (E.S.C.A.P.E., n.d.). The task required students to be digital detectives, and it correlated to the research they would soon be doing for their research paper. Technology became a tool as they learned more about digital citizenship. The assignment meets two of the standards set forth by the International Society for Technology in Education, namely that students use technology to actively demonstrate competency in their own learning goals, and that students recognize their rights and responsibilities to live, learn, and work in today's digital world in a way that's safe, legal, and ethical (International Society for Technology in Education, 2018).
The past two years have shown me more ways to use technology to enhance student learning than I had seen in my first 13 years of teaching. I feel more comfortable around technology, not just as a user, but as a proctor facilitating the use by my students. Incorporating technology needs to have a larger purpose, and I have an opportunity to use technology to help students become more productive digital citizens as they move forward with their education. Gleason and Van Gillern (2018) note that secondary educators like myself must "help students their students develop skills that enhance students' ability to identify problems, create persuasive media, and strategically distribute this media to their peers and communities" (p. 210). I intend to keep my mind and eyes open for opportunities to continue this type of discovery.
References
de Ramirez, L. L. (2013). Communicating with the world: Connecting the language classroom to a global audience using web 2.0 tools. Learning Languages, 18(2), 6-7.E.S.C.A.P.E. Junk News. (n.d.). NewseumEd. Retrieved from https://newseumed.org/activity/e-s-c-a-p-e-junk-news-mlbp/
Gleason, B., and van Gillern, S. (2018). Digital citizenship with social media: Participatory practices of teaching and learning in secondary education. Educational Technology & Society, 21(1), 200-212.
International Society for Technology in Education. (2018). ISTE standards for students. ISTE. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students
Zepeda, S. J. (2012). Professional development: What works. New York: Routledge.
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