Course Reflection: Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society

The Walden course Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society has deepened my understanding of the true connection of 21st century skills and my students’ immediate futures by giving a foundation for how the change has occurred. I know that I must do different things, not just do things differently (Laureate Education, 2011). One of the best bricks I was able to add to the foundation of my philosophy on teaching, however, were the dispositions of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (Partnership, n.d.). I better understand the need for and will strive to incorporate more critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity in everything that I do, but I will fuse it with the basic building blocks of education, the three Rs of reading, writing, and arithmetic. In a time when standards and standardized testing must be met with success, I know that I must serve as a bridge to put that content into the hands of the students so that my classroom becomes more student-centered rather than teacher-centered, but that guiding them specifically will help them find the success and ties to their futures that they need. With the world becoming “flat” once again as the global playing field is leveled and more businesses and machines can compete, I must keep my students sharp and ready to compete (Friedman, 2005). This is what will truly lead to their achievement.

 My technology skills have definitely improved, but so have the reasons why I want to use technology. One of the most meaningful and successfully applied skills I learned was blogging. No longer simply an online journal, this technology allows teachers to connect, publish, and share ideas, and it allows students to practice digital citizenship in a controlled area where they are safe yet contributing to their own learning and that of others as they build a deeper sense of community. I learned some of the advantages of using a wiki and saw the need for scaffolding so that students were set up for success and willing to try new things. Through the use of the blog and wiki, I gathered new applications and ideas from my colleagues. I was also successful at creating a podcast, something I hope to be able to add to my students’ Blackboard page where they can access lessons and study aides. Incorporating these technological strategies, I will be able to continue to make my classroom more learner-centered. I use the term “learner” instead of “student” because I include myself as the teacher as a learner. Being able to tell students, “I’m not sure,” or “I don’t know; let’s figure it out together,” are key examples of 21st century learning and a shift in educational paradigms.

 For the first week of the course, I completed a checklist to assess myself on my skills and practices regarding integrating technology. One of my weakest areas at the beginning of the course was designing instructional activities requiring student collaboration to accomplish a joint task. This week in class, I had one of my proudest moments as a teacher. Instead of simply providing interesting background information on William Shakespeare to start our unit on Romeo and Juliet, I gave the students snippets or teasers about him through a scavenger hunt in the classroom. They were competing as a group against another period to see who get complete the task, help teammates, and finish in a faster time by using collaboration and observation skills. They then had the opportunity to choose a topic of interest to them out of six I provided, join with other people who were likewise interested, and put together a slide show that summarized what they learned about his background, influence, works, the Globe theater, the authorship question, and Elizabethan society. They each had roles within their groups including the gatherer, the technical supervisor, the creative contributor, the presenter, and the editor. All served as writers. They had one hour to produce seven slides, give credit to their sources–print and graphic—and be ready to present the next class. I heard comments such as “Is this a reliable source?” “How should I cite this? MLA?” “Do you like how this looks or should I add another image?” I was so excited for the ownership they took, the quality of the content, and the competitive edge the assignment had so that one group’s final project did not pale in comparison to others. Another area in which I have improved is providing a technology-rich classroom environment in which technology tools support student-centered instruction practices. I have attempted to turn the final quarter of the school year into a mini online course in some aspects for my English 10 students. While we study Julius Caesar in class, I will not be assigning any additional homework. Instead, they are choosing from a list of activities that are all due on May 5th and May 28th respectively. They choose what they want to do when, creating their own timeline and monitoring their learning by checking in with me at appropriate times for them. They are also preparing a final digital magazine that serves as a portfolio of their best work that demonstrates mastery of our standards. They like the creativity and the skills they can use including adding video, podcasts, and their Instagram photos.

 To set long-term goals, I need to understand where I am and what I want my mission to be as a classroom teacher, an educational professional, and a team member. My first goal is to be an impetus to other teachers in my department to start and then the school as we serve as mentors for each other to incorporate 21st century skills and supporting technology. Constantly adding new plans and keeping up with the latest technology and information will allow me to provide ideas that have made it through trial and error that can be seamlessly integrated to heighten student engagement and interest and begin to transfer our classrooms into more student-centered environments will make education more meaningful for all involved. My second goal is to continue to make stronger connections to the community. I will start with my own use of websites like Remind101.com that allows students and parents to sign up for an anonymous texting service for class information. I would like to create an open Twitter and Facebook account that allow me to post class information, specifically upcoming assignments but also photos and posts highlighting student success. A third goal would be to integrate blogging more on a professional level, keeping my own blog updated with current ideas and best practices, as well as creating a classroom blog where my students can interact more and share ideas and perspectives.

 I will continue to use my RSS feed that I now know how to set up and monitor to continue my learning and build an educational base to which I may return when I need to update skills or information. I will take advantage of every in-service I can. I will continue my coursework to strengthen skills and understanding of the impact 21st century thinking, skills, and technology have on the world around me.

 At the end of this course, am I more tech savvy? I think so. I know I was able to teach my English 9 and 10 students some things they did not know before, so I am at least keeping up with them. Am I more tech curious? Absolutely. Seeing how I can engage my digital natives and make them more in control of their learning makes me want to be a better, more relevant, connected teacher. I want to plug in and incorporate technology, but mostly I want to plug in and make a connection to my students. Technology seems to be the best way to do that in the 21st century.

 References

 Friedman, T. (2005, April 3). It's a flat world, after all. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/03/magazine/03DOMINANCE.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=It's%20a%20flat%20world,%20after%20all&st=cse

 Laureate Education, Inc. (2011). The Emergence of Educational Technology. [Video webcast] Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_2099082_1%26url%3D

 Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org/

Engage Me!

Podcast: Surveying My Digital Natives

The following is a podcast I created after surveying an English 9 and English 10 class about their technology usage. I asked students about their access to technology, how they use it most in school and socially, and what they would like to see more of in the classroom.