Reflections on Implementation

Teachers are faced with new challenges every day.  From students' needs, to principals'/parents'/the state test's growing expectations, to the dwindling budget.  Yet another challenge that continues to grow, and has potential to become more and more pronounced, is language.  Not English, Spanish, German or French, but a new language that is universal, especially among those students that teachers try so desperately to reach.  Those students who are all "digital natives," and speak the language of technology.

These days, it is not uncommon that toddlers tap away at iPads, pre-teens follow stars on Twitter, and teens teach themselves HTML.  According to many experts, including Nicole Eva and Heather Nicholson (2011), the only way to reach these students is to "meet them on their turf."

Students live in this world, and speak the language.  But if teachers are not equipped with hardware, software, and iThings, where does one begin?

The ISTE NETS provides standards for both teachers and students, and is a valuable resource for all in the field of education.  Likewise, the American Association of School Librarians has standards for "The 21st Century Learner," that resembles some of the same ideas and focus of the ISTE NETS.  While these standards provide a guideline for introducing and consistently using technology, it also states the necessity of teaching proper internet etiquette.  Mashriqi Khalida uses her library to teach technology, and includes lessons on "cyber safety" to model and encourage the expected behaviors while online (2011).  As the saying goes, "With great power, comes great responsibility."  There is no question that the vast expanse of the internet offers great power, so it is of the utmost importance to teach responsibility.

Many teachers cringe when discussing technology tools, because in an already busy, stressful, full day, technology is just one more thing expected of them.  Something to remember, according to Khalida, is that it won't happen in one day - it takes time to build up technology by writing grants and asking for money from administration (2011).  The other point to take into consideration, is that technology has to be meaningful.  It can't be used "just to be used" (Eva & Nicholson, 2011).  Teachers must find valuable ways to integrate it, or students will not find value in the lesson or the technology.

Teachers will  find more ease in the implementation of technology if the librarians to step up and assume the role of guide and facilitator.  They should be well-versed in the standards from ISTE NETS and AASL, as well as what technology is available for different age ranges, what will lend itself to specific content areas, and what tools would be interesting to the students.

The librarian should make regular attempts to meet with grade levels or individual teachers, and request occasional speaking time at staff meetings.  The role of guide and facilitator will be welcomed by teachers if the librarian approaches it with an attitude of "There is so much to see.  Let me show you, and let me help you."  If the librarian can meet regularly with teachers, they will know the topics being taught, and he or she could easily bring ideas for presentations, group projects, online forums, or games to use along the way through a unit.  The librarian can no longer have the "Come see me if you need anything" policy.  Teachers either won't go seek help, or they want to, but don't have enough time.  The policy has to turn into, "I'm here, look what references I pulled for you, and I created a search engine for your online research.  How about we try to Skype with an expert next week?"

Eva & Nicholson point out, technology is "more engaging, more entertaining, and more interactive" (2011).  This is inherently true.  It can help teachers go deeper and, if used right, hit the higher order thinking skills that are so critical.  Beyond that, it is "a good way to connect with students...and, as such, may make them more open to receiving the message being taught" (Eva & Nicholson 2011).

This is where the classroom is headed, and the library has to be ahead of the curve.  It is a new, ever-changing role that might already be outdated tomorrow.  But was there ever a career more suited for someone with a constant thirst for new knowledge, and in this day in age, technology, than a librarian?


References:

Eva, N., & Nicholson, H. (2011). DO get technical! Using technology in library instruction. Canadian Journal of Library and Information Practice and Research,6(2). Retrieved from https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/perj/article/view/1515/2275

Khalida, M. (2011). Implementing technology and gaming lessons in a school library. Knowledge Quest, 40(1), 24-28. Retrieved from 

http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2063/ehost/detail?sid=eeb9c339-b868-46ed-8715-53a0c41a8fb2%40sessionmgr111&vid=1&hid=104&bdata=JnNjb3BlPXNpdGU%3d#db=tfh&AN=66835817

SLIS 5720 Diigo

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Class Projects

Class Projects:

Implementing Technology in the Classroom

Since my last post, I received a phone call from my Vice Principal, telling me that I would be moving from my "home" of 11 years in Kindergarten, and moving to a whole new world, Special Education.

I had requested the change, in light of budget cuts and knowing there would be many changes in our school in order to rearrange teachers to fill empty positions left by retirees and refugees to other careers. (Sad, but true.)  It won't be easy to leave what has defined me for so long, but I'm taking the opportunity to focus on my excitement for what's next in my professional development.

Immediately, I began thinking of capitalizing on ways to implement technologies I have learned about in grad school.  In just two semesters I have been introduced to so many options that I was previously blind to - I stayed in my little kindergarten bubble.  There are infinite directions to go from here, but I plan to jump right in, and the article, Do Web 2.0 Right, by Daniel Light, gave me great insight as to some things to consider when beginning.

According to Light (2011), there are three crucial elements to keep in mind:

1. Instituting daily practice
2. Carefully considering the audience
3. Teaching and enforcing appropriate behavior

Possibly a no-brainer, the way to ensure that your students are gaining what they need to gain from Web 2.0 tools is to make sure they are using them daily, rather than only on special occasions, like for specific projects.  Light says students may use the tools in a different manner that adults, like their parents use them, or in a different way each day, but the most successful classrooms used them every day.

The audience is a significant consideration especially in middle school or high school students, but every child will be nervous to publish something to the public.  A private blog only shared between the student and the teacher will ease the anxiety about sharing one's work with the entire class.  Some assignments can be collaborative and shared among the group, or Light suggests choosing selected work, approved by the student, to display in a more open forum, but not every assignment should be expected to be published for the world to see.

As we have seen in the ISTE NETS, we have an obligation to model and enforce appropriate behavior, and this will always be the expectation.  Light's third element revisits the idea that we as teachers will show students how to comment, critique, and applaud constructively, while being respectful of fellow classmates' feelings.

In light of my new job assignment for next year, I would like to begin with a journal-like blog, that will be private, as Light suggested.  I will have my students (that are age-appropriate to be honing their writing skills) to use this daily to discuss their day, thoughts on class content, or questions with me.  I would like it to be open conversation between us, with no pressure of classmates' eyes on their feelings or writing.

I also plan to create search engines with both relevant and irrelevant results, so that my students will feel as if they are using real-world search tools while having to do a little bit of sifting to determine which results are beneficial.  I could embed my search engines to a class blog or webpage, so that they will have somewhere safe to access information even if I am not in the room with them.

The whole year will be a learning experience for me, but with transition catapulting me forward, I hope to use this change as an opportunity to jump in and use some of the great technology available, and even to share ideas with other teachers.

Reference:

Light, D. (2011). Do web 2.0 right. Learning and Leading with Technology, 38(5), 10-12.

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Handheld and Ready for the Classroom

Reading articles regarding technology in the classroom are both daunting and exhilarating for me.  On one hand, it's extremely hard to acquire technology equipment, because our budget is in crisis, and that makes it difficult to implement because we are so limited in what we have.  On the other hand, I realize there is an easier, more obvious solution to this technology gap:  handheld devices.

I read two articles, the first, Log on Education: Handheld Devices are Ready At Hand (Soloway, Norris, Blumenfeld, Fishman, Krajcik & Marx, 2001), confirmed that if the only technology we have is in "a computer lab down the hallway and up the stairs, teachers will consider them irrelevant to learning and teaching" (Soloway et. al, 2001).  Teachers and students are far less likely to utilize it daily, or see the value in it.  Because schools barely meet minimum expectations of computers to students ratios, we can hardly find evidence to prove their worth.  This is exactly the situation I'm in.  Except our computer lab is thankfully only down the hall - no stairs, yay us!  

Enter, article two: iPod Implementation in the Early Grades.  In 2012, Stephanie Hinshaw Hatten, a technology instructional specialist, incorporated iPod touches in elementary classrooms and wrote about her experience.  After reading her article, I did a face palm.  Technology is expensive, yes, but the second grade teachers at my school wrote a grant to receive iPods (a set for half of each class), and they use them constantly.  I guess, because I teach kindergarten, or maybe because I didn't think I'd be lucky enough to receive the grant, I dismissed the idea.

The eye opener for me, was how simple this can be.

1.  "It's quality, not quantity that matters" (Hinshaw Hatten, 2012).  We need to push technology, but it doesn't have to be with every single lesson.  Use it right, rather than use it just to use it.

2.  "Having different app folders for various reading [or math] groups is one way to ensure the iPod touches are differentiated for diverse learners" (Hinshaw Hatten, 2012).  (Fill in your bingo cards for differentiated instruction!)  Isn't this what we're all after?  Getting to every child where they are, and taking them not only to where they need to be, but hopefully beyond is our ultimate goal.

3.  "The technology motivated and engaged students" (Hinshaw Hatten, 2012). Of course it does!  She also advised not to use the devices as punishments or rewards.  Every student uses them, and they rise to the level of responsibility that is expected.

So, where do I go from here?  Although I'm reading this article for grad school, the fact is, I AM a kindergarten teacher, and this is doable for me.  They only had three per classroom.  THREE!  I already use my mini laptops in rotations with other learning centers, I can handle somehow getting THREE iPods, surely, to add to the rotation!  

As for thinking toward the future, when I'm in the role of librarian, I see many possibilities for the use of handheld devices.  It would be great to purchase iPods or iPads for checkout, whether for the year like other AV equipment, or for the day.  They could replace old listening centers and give students a chance to hear books read to them. Many elementary students also come to the library when they are sick or injured, and cannot participate in recess or PE, and could use the devices for learning activities, reading, or possibly continuing a project in class.  If internet is accessible on the device, students could use them to post to class wikis, author blogs, to create projects in text, photo, or video, and who knows what else!  They could access library catalog while walking the shelves and locate all materials in one sweep, or they could access the databases for articles online, and save to a file or print what they need.

This would give teachers and librarians a chance to get together for suggestions of apps, training, and to brainstorm the best use of the devices to reach their fullest potential.  The only way to know how far we could go with these devices, is for everyone to offer input and push the boundaries.

I think I'm going to go write a grant now....

References:

Soloway, E., Norris, C., Blumenfeld, P., Fishman, B., Krajcik, J., & Marx, R. (2001). Log on education: Handheld devices are ready-at-hand. Communications of the ACM, 44(6), 15-20.

Hinshaw Hatten, S. (2012). iPod implementation in the early grades. Learning & Leading with Technology, 39(7), 30-31.

Me vs. Technology

When I tell people I am getting my Masters in Library Science, (after they look at me with I'm not sure is pity or confusion), they ALWAYS say, "I had no idea you have to have a Masters to be a Librarian."

They 1) only know what they see: shelving and circulating books, which is like the iceberg analogy... and 2) they assume the Dewey Decimal System is all there is to know to work in the library.

This is where I get excited.  They have no idea how COOL it is to be a librarian these days.  We're like, the cutting edge of awesome, right?  We're exploring the frontier of technology in our libraries (or I will be in a few years, hopefully), and bringing all of it to our students.

Right now I teach Kindergarten.  I use mini laptops and show my kids different educational websites.  I am not tooting my horn, exactly, am I?  I know I could do more, but to be honest, I have way too many priorities and I want all of them to be first.  Competing for that first place spot already is academics, behavior, socialization, respect, responsibility, and on a good day I also help them realize when they ACTUALLY need to go to the nurse vs. when they really don't, and the difference between reporting necessary information to me vs. "they bother me and I want them in trouble" (aka: tattling).

Technology is a goal, but I admit, my plate is perpetually overflowing, and I find it difficult to do much more than using the laptops, incorporating my Elmo, and hoping that the grant we got for smartboards in every classroom gets to me soon.  This is why I can't wait to get into the library, where I will not only be expected to use and model these technology tools, but I can stretch my tired lazy muscles and explore more and more, bringing the library to my students, and in turn, hopefully bringing the students to my library.

The ISTE-NETS use wording such as, Inspire, Create, Model, Design, Develop.  There are opportunities everywhere online these days with Web 2.0 tools that can bridge the gap between kids and those of us who want nothing more than to excite them about learning or reading.  I plan to Model this by having a plethora of tools on my library website, such as, a blog, wikis, Wallwisher, TeacherTube, twitter, etc.  This is only a few, and I KNOW there will more by the time I'm actually in my own library.  My main goal is to open their eyes to all the avenues to create, research, converse, and learn through the library and to what/whom it can connect them.

The expectation is huge.  But I accept the challenge.