Cycle of Learning and EdTech

This week, I wanted to focus on option 3.  I do so because I think that the content of this course and my own conception of the learning cycle meet in this option. 

I am of the class of thought that a lot of schools are missing the chance at true learning.  I think that so many schools focus on rote memorization and regurgitation, which Sheninger points out, comes from a bygone age of industrialization and don’t spend very much time at all on things that are important today like how to collaborate, use of technology, research, and critical thinking.

I am really grateful to this course for opening my eyes to see how tech can really open up learning and make it portable (as in handheld devices).  I have been thoroughly impressed with the new understandings I have about Google apps; which I have used in the past; but never considered their fuller applications in education. 

EdTech leaders should use the Google App Suite for the learning cycle.  We must empower kids learn to be resourceful by having them to research projects.  We also can teach them that the first attempt is not always the best, and you can always go back to the drawing board and rethink what you’ve created. 

By allowing for guided research, kids construct their knowledge.  They can use a Google Docs to do this, just as we are in this class.  In that same vein, students then collaborate on work and share the Doc with peers and with their teacher who gives feedback in the form of stories, experiences, critique, and more resources to check into.

Teachers can have kids review the feedback then share their takeaways to make sure that A) there are no gaps in knowledge, B) there are no misconceptions, and C) that the enduring understanding is grasped solidly.  Doing this also allows for a culture that normalizes error and one that gets better too (just like in the real world!).

Lastly, the final project can be posted for peer review.  Teachers can create rubrics for students to do an observation and critique. This builds even more critical thinking skills and stimulates learning. After all – everyone loves to give an opinion and sound smart!

That’s all for now – buenas noches!

References

Lemov, D. (2010). Teach like a champion: 49 techniques that put students on the path to college. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Sheninger, E. C. (2014). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times.

EDUC 638 - DB 3 - Sheninger's Six Elements

My experience with Sheninger’s six elements that drive change is a continuous linear event that I have experienced past, present, and future. 

Sheninger says that connectedness matters (Sheninger, 2014) as his first point.  This is the point that I most readily identify with as something recently learned and that I am still learning. I had used Twitter and Facebook for personal gain in years previous, but I had never realized their full potential.  I still don’t. 

In this course, I have really come to appreciate Twitter more than any other social media site because of the worlds it has helped me connect to.  I went from completely ignorant of EdTech resources, methods, and applications to someone who has already written a real proposal to my school to enhance and support learning next year in my classroom!  The connectedness matters greatly.

I think this is in contention for the most important element that Sheninger mentions.  The Bible says “where there is no vision, the people will perish” (Proverbs 29:18). The same can be said about any program or organization.  As leaders, we have to cast vision and do so constantly so that our peers remain aligned as we work towards a common vision.

I see the elements of value and embracement as being very closely linked.  The frontiersman had to understand the value of the wagon for moving his family across such a vast country in order to embrace its use.  I’m sure there was some degree of selling; but there is a point, like Sheninger says, where it becomes less about the selling points and more about the true value of the idea. That’s when embracement happens.  School leaders strive to invite staff into a place of embracement with EdTech.

Once EdTech has been embraced, there has to be a significant amount of user support and professional development.  We can’t expect to hand someone Adobe Photoshop and expect them to turn out professional flyers the same day!  We have to take the time and money to invest in making sure those who are going to use the technology know how to do so well.

My District is very small.  As I said, I have already written a proposal at least for my Spanish class for next year.  I am meeting with my principal and instructional coach soon to discuss it. I am hoping to inform them in a way that begins to move them towards embracing EdTech.  I don’t think they even have it on their RADARS yet!  This is step one in the six elements for me.

I think data would support my claim that EdTech will improve student learning.  My plan is to keep data on the same quizzes and tests and compare those score to my kids this year that didn’t have EdTech.  Doing so would be a very basic form of data collection that would support the continued use of EdTech in class.

Reference

God, F.; God, S.; and God, H.S. (Before the Foundations of the Earth) The Holy Bible .

Sheninger, Eric. (2014). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.