Reflection on Teacher Leadership Standard 12: Teaching with Technology

Standard 12: Evaluate and use technology for teaching and learning

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.

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