Program Learning Outcome 8

PLO 8 - Demonstrate the ability to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of learning and leadership

Support and leadership in the implementation of technology in the classroom are absolutely essential to success. Early on in my MATLT program, this was not something I understood or gave much thought to when I designed learning activities. I was focused solely on how technology could improve upon a lesson and engage students. In this redesign, for example, I have students creating a project using a podcast, instead of simply writing an essay. This is a dynamic and exciting assignment, yet I made the decision to do it without considering the supports and leadership necessary to make it a successful learning outcome. The redesign takes these aspects into consideration, and makes the original assignment more complete, granting it a greater chance at success. 

Supporting Learning and Leadership with Technology

Introduction

Using technology in the support of learning is a philosophy and approach that requires strong support and strong leadership. It isn’t enough to just implement the technology and tell students to use it. There must be active steps taken to determine things like who has access to the necessary technology, provide training and other supports, assessing effectiveness and student response, and implementing any changes to improve its use. In the classroom, this position of leadership and support is the role of the instructor, but it also a position held by administrators to support the teacher’s activities. Without support and leadership, successful change and technology integration would not be possible.

Original Activity: EDU 648 Podcast

This assignment was about incorporating technology. In this case, taking a straightforward essay, and making that essay into a podcast. This gives students an opportunity to be more creative, learn a new technology, and use devices such as their mobile phones or iPods in a classroom setting. This will immediately present to them as much more interesting than a pen and paper writing assignment could be. Assignment: Create a podcast discussing the powerful movements that transformed European society during the early modern era. Briefly describe the origin of each, and how it affected society as a whole. Feel free to be creative in how you do this. For example, you could set the podcast up as a series of interviews with fictional characters representative of the movements and the society of the time. Or, you could present the podcast as though you are a student of sociology and archeology, presenting your findings after studying the period in question. Your podcast must be at least three minutes in length, and no longer than five.

Students should be presented with the necessary resources to accomplish this task. Fortunately, the technology to do this is widely available, and easily accessible from any reasonably new computer, or even using a cell phone or iPod (the free Cinch app), or the internet (http://www.podomatic.com/). Many software solutions are available to make the process simple as well as fun. Students should be encouraged to post their podcast online, either via a blog, Facebook, or even a school intranet site. Sharing their work, either with the class or online “motivates students to do their best work – their most creative, planned, and precise work” (Scragg, 2008).

Podcasting is a technology particularly suited to the classroom. Both because it is readily available, and now widely known and understood, and because it offers students a way to be heard. Those who may be intimidated by speaking personally in front of the class, for example, will find it easier to record their voice privately and share it through technology. Teachers may find it difficult to motivate students to write, but by using another form of communication, they can encourage writing through multiple inspirations. Students will still need to write the content they are recording, but the form of the presentation will be their focus, not the dreaded essay. By publishing it online, they reach a potentially huge audience, another motivating factor. “One of the most basic and powerful ways to increase student motivation to write and communicate is to change student perceptions of audience” (Fryer, 2005). Students love social networking, sharing pieces of their lives with the global online world. Podcasting gives them the opportunity to share their academic achievements the same way, garnering feedback from potentially anyone, anywhere, and not just their instructor or classroom peers.

Podcasting also has the benefit of appealing to many of Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences. It could, through creative application, likely appeal to all of them. However, with this particular assignment, it easily appeals to linguistic intelligence, musical intelligence, bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, interpersonal intelligence, intrapersonal intelligence, and existential intelligence (State of the Art, 1997). That is six out of the nine different intelligences! That is incorporating many different learning styles into one assignment, undoubtedly a huge benefit to learning.

While there are other technologies that could easily be applied to this assignment, podcasting seemed the most natural choice. It takes students out of their traditional learning space, and puts a new spin on the sort of assignment many might otherwise find boring or difficult. It allows them the freedom to be as analytical, or creative with their responses as they like, and it appeals this generations’ mentality, which is very focused on social networking such as Facebook. Many of them may be unfamiliar with how to podcast, but by doing this assignment they will not only be learning about early modern European society, they will also be learning a new technology skill that they can utilize in the future, either for social applications, or academic, or business as they move from school into the job market. Preparing students for how to use technology in the world is just as important as teaching them a curriculum. It also lends itself to communication literacy (Fryer, 2005). Literacy has moved beyond simple words on a page, and now encompasses a much wider field. Students need to become proficient at not only reading and writing, but also communication styles such as e-mailing, blogging, and yes, podcasting.

There are sure to be challenges whenever adopting something new into the classroom. Students may need to access the technology to complete their assignment in different ways. One might prefer using a class computer, while another is more comfortable creating their assignment with their mobile phone. As a teacher, it is important to be able to help all students access the information and technology. It is sure to need multiple classes to complete, which takes up valuable class time. It will be important to have a clear plan and guide, with steps and time allocated for each. However, the benefits of engaging, motivating, and learning far outweigh the challenges associated with this assignment.

Activity Redesign: 697

When I created this activity, I was very focused on how accessible and fun students would find podcasting, as opposed to more traditional essay writing. I did have the understanding that necessary resources would need to be provided to the students, and that one advantage of this technology approach was the wide accessibility of the any ways students could accomplish the assignment. These are both excellent things to keep in mind from a leadership perspective, however, my redesign would focus on other things as well. For example, while students could choose many different technology devices to use (computers, mobile phones, tablets, etc), what supports and training would they have in how to accomplish this? My original assignment sort of assumes they will figure it out via the provided resources or their own familiarity, however it would be much improved if I provided a class lesson on how to accomplish the podcast, allowing students the chance to try the process in a group setting where they could seek support from both myself and their peers. Those who struggled with the necessary steps could get their questions answered and the support they needed before trying to do the assignment on their own.

Additionally, my original assignment assumes that all students will have access to devices to allow them to accomplish the podcast, but this may not be the case. A good way of solving this would be to identify those who don’t readily have available technology to create a podcast, and either provide them with a classroom computer or other device to do so, or perhaps pair students up to accomplish their podcasts as collaborative efforts.

Also in support of leadership in technology, I should assess and evaluate the effectiveness of the activity, both while it is happening, and after the assignment is completed. It would give valuable feedback for future improvements, or redesign.

Challenges

This assignment was challenging for me on a number of levels. Many of my previously designed assignments have already been redesigned, or did not provide a complete enough picture for me to use to take a new approach here. However, I did eventually decide on one that seemed both complete enough to look at for a redesign effort, and one that could definitely use some improvement from a support and leadership perspective. As with the previous redesigns, I feel that all of my previous learning activities could benefit from a second look like this, focusing on one or more of the learning outcome principles. In this case, no matter how great the learning opportunity might seem by incorporating technology, without the necessary leadership and support, it is far less likely to be effective and successful.

Conclusion

An instructor’s role goes so far beyond simply communicating necessary information. In today’s classroom, we are innovators and change leaders, taking education to a place it has never had the opportunity to go before. The classrooms we attended did not differ much from those of our parents or grandparents, but we have the opportunity to make our lesson plans and learning activities truly innovative and exciting.  However, this requires the necessary leadership and supports as well as choosing the right technology for the right learning activity and group of students. One of the best things teachers can do to aid in this is to communicate with one another and offer support and collaboration on successful technology implementation.

References

Fryer, W. (2005). Classroom Audio Podcasting. Tools for the TEKS: Integrating Technology in the Classroom. Retrieved from http://www.wtvi.com/teks/05_06_articles/classroom-audio-podcasting.html.

Scragg, S. (2008). Using Podcasts in the Classroom. EdTechie: Resources for Teachers. Retrieved from http://edtechie.wordpress.com/2008/03/14/by-sandy-scragg/.

State of the Art (Producer). (1997). Big thinkers: Howard Gardner on multiple intelligences [Video file]. Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/multiple-intelligences-howard-gardner-video.

Program Learning Outcome 6 & 7

      PLO 6 - Evaluate technology resources to facilitate effective assessment and evaluation

      PLO 7 - Utilize technology to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings

 Assessment and evaluation were one of the pieces to teaching and learning with technology that I had no concept of before I entered into the MATLT program. I understood from a distant, basic level that of course, evaluation and assessment are valuable tools. I had no understanding of what that really meant, or all of the parts and pieces that went into them. Going back and looking at one of my early assignments that was supposed to include a section that discussed these concepts was an enlightening experience. In my original assignment, I didn't even touch on the ideas of how to perform an assessment, collect and analyze data, interpret results, communicate findings, or use those findings to improve the activity. Looking at that same assignment with these learning outcomes in mind allowed me to completely redraft that section, and look at the lesson I had created with fresh eyes. Assessment and evaluation are necessary pieces to the success of any learning program.

Assessment and Evaluation: Learning Activity

Introduction

Assessment and evaluation are vital to the success of any learning activity. Not only do they allow teachers to identify weak areas that may need improvement, they can also highlight a program or activity’s success. Assessment results should help administrators as they plan for future programs, just as they should guide teachers in designing lesson plans. Teachers can more easily identify which instructional approaches might need to be modified to meet the needs of all students. To better measure student knowledge, assessments and evaluations should be given in varying formats, and just like the learning activity, be designed to accommodate multiple learning styles. Goals and objectives should be made clear, both for the students’ activity, and for the assessment. Not all assessments and evaluations are designed to measure the same aspect of a program or activity. It is also important to remember, even while the assessment is happening, students are still learning and internalizing information.

Original Activity: EDU 649 Learning Activity

In English and writing classes, one of the learning objectives is to learn the necessary parts and pieces that make up a story. These are called story elements, and include setting, conflict, plot, theme, character, and point of view. Often when learning these elements, students will study them in various reading assignments. This learning activity will focus on teaching these elements to literature or creative writing classes, Grades 8-10, in a cooperative learning and presentation activity that should take at least three classes to complete. The learning objective: Given iPads and mind mapping software, students in groups of four will brainstorm story elements to write their own short story. They will then write a summary of the story, which they will share with the class in a short, three minute presentation. Those observing each presentation will be asked to identify the story elements of each of the other groups.

Description of Instructional Methods:

The two methods selected for this learning activity were cooperative learning, and presentation. In cooperative learning, students are placed into groups, with each student assigned individual tasks that are inter-dependent on the project being completed as a whole (Newby, Stepich, Lehman, Russell, & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, 2011). Sometimes in group activities, only one or two people in the group end up doing most of the work, but in cooperative learning “such problems can be avoided by ensuring that each student’s success is dependent on everyone in the group completing assigned tasks” (Walker, 1996). The teacher must make sure that there is accountability. In presentation, “content can be presented verbally by the teacher or a student and the “audience” listens and takes notes” (Newby, Stepich, Lehman, Russell, & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, 2011). Both of these active learning methods have different approaches, and offer a different learning perspective for the activity.

Evaluation of Instructional Methods Selection:

Students will be divided into groups of four. Each member of the group will be given a different story element to create. One will be given setting, or the time and place. Another will be given plot, or the basic sequence of events to happen in the story. Another will be given conflict, which can be either internal or external, and the fourth will be given character, to create the story’s main character. They will need to work together to make these elements work together. For instance, having the time and place be America in the old west, and having the main character be an astronaut might be a difficult mix. However, this can also lead to an extremely creative story!

While brainstorming these elements, the group will mind map them using the software Mindmeister on the iPad. After each individual has created their element, the group will work together to decide on the final two: theme and point of view, and then they will write a summary of their story using all of these elements. These parts of the activity will each take a class period.

Next comes the presentation. Each group will need to decide how they will present their story. Some might choose to act it out, like a play, others will simply read their story, while others may add visual aids. As each group presents, the rest of the class will take notes, and each student will identify each of the story elements in each group’s story. These notes will be turned in and evaluated by the teacher.

Activity Redesign: 697

Even though the original design for this activity contains a section on evaluation, I don’t think I really had a handle on what that meant at the time. My “evaluation” contains more pieces of the learning activity, and doesn’t really do anything to evaluate or assess the effectiveness of the instructional methods. To properly evaluate this activity, I would first design a logic model. A logic model is designed to show a clear progression as to how a particular activity will meet the planned learning goals and objectives. It maps out inputs (who), resources, activities, outputs (resulting from the activities), and outcomes (changes accomplished by the activity) (McDavid, Huse & Hawthorn, 2013). In this case, the logic model would work as follows:

Inputs: the students, grades 8-10, and the teacher

Resources: a textbook containing several short stories, and either a handout or website providing students with the necessary information and definition of story elements. In this case, there will also be technology resources, an iPad and mindmeister.com.

Activities: Discussions between the teacher and students on the story elements; discussions on multiple short stories identifying story elements; training and supports provided to the students on using both the iPad and mindmeister.

Outputs: Students will be comfortable using the iPad and mindmeister. They will be comfortable with identifying the story elements, and thus better able to design their own during the activity.

Outcome: Students will end the activity with a working knowledge of story elements, how to identify them, and how to apply them in creating their own work.

The logic model gives us clear areas to observe and assess the activity, evaluating the effectiveness of student learning. Are there enough provided resources? Do the resources and activities provide the students with the necessary tools to complete the learning goals and objectives? How can they be improved? By breaking the learning activity down into the logic model, not only can a more complete evaluation occur, but the teacher can better design how to implement assessments and evaluations for each student, in each area. For example, in trying to evaluate the success of the outcomes, the teacher needs to observe all students using the iPad or mindmeister, but since this is a cooperative activity, it is possible that some groups will assign tasks in such a way that only one or two students actually use either of these. The teacher may need to redesign the activity to allow all students to have opportunities to use the technology.

Assessment and evaluation are not just about the outcomes, or learning objectives. They are about the entire activity, from beginning to end.

Challenges

The most challenging aspect of this redesign was remembering the various parts to the logic model, and how it fits with evaluation and assessment. Once I briefly re-familiarized myself with it, I felt confident going into my redesign. When I first designed this activity, I remember really struggling with the evaluation portion. I had no real concept at that time for what exactly entailed evaluation and assessment. The class which studied this in detail came late in the MATLT program, and was in itself, challenging. However, I am extremely grateful to have taken it, since I now feel much more confident in my evaluation abilities. I was able to take this learning activity, and break it down successfully into a logic model that allowed me to see weak areas I missed during the first design.

Conclusion

Evaluation and assessment are integral pieces to education as a whole, and particularly in the design and implementation of learning programs, or learning activities. In this case, I thought it would be fun to design something that allowed students to be creative. However, I didn’t take into account things like resources, activities, and outputs. I didn’t have an understanding for them when I sat down to create the lesson. I feel that having an understanding for how assessment and evaluation work allows me to create better and more complete learning activities that have a greater chance of success, with a wider range of students. I can see if I am lacking in one area or another, or if I am meeting the needs of the students.

References

McDavid, J.C., Huse, I., & Hawthorn, L.L. (2013). Program evaluation & performance measurement: An introduction to practice (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Newby, T. J., Stepich, D. A., Lehman, J. D., Russell, J. D., & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. (2011). Educational technology for teaching and learning (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Walker, A. (1996). Cooperative Learning in the College Classroom. Family Relations. 45(3). pp. 327-335. Retrieved from JSTOR database July 16th, 2012.

 

Program Learning Outcome 5

PLO 5 - Exemplify ethical practices of technology usage

Ethics is one of the most important aspects of implementing technology in the classroom. In today's world, the ethics of technology are constantly evolving as how we use technology evolves. We post much of our lives online, via social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. This trend is only going to continue, and students today can only benefit from learning to think proactively about the ethical questions surrounding their technological lives. Ethics in technology use is not just a question of how the teacher utilizes technology in education, but also of sharing that outlook and awareness with students for their own futures. With that in mind, I chose to focus on a blogging activity I had designed, and redesign it with a focus toward the ethical implications of educational practice:

Ethical Practices of Technology Use: Blog Redesign

Introduction

In recent years, technology has literally changed our society on a fundamental level. The very basis of how we communicate has diversified and grown into something entirely new in the just the last two decades. Not long ago, communicating with another person over long distances required either the transport of a written letter, usually taking days, or a phone call. Now, with a few clicks of a mouse, or swiping a touch screen, or using a mobile device, we send our thoughts and feelings in an instant to not just one person, but as many as we want, or even millions more than we intend. The change has come so rapidly, that the ethical rules to this online culture are still catching up in many ways. When I was growing up, it was not uncommon to keep a journal, an actual bound book, filled with events taking place in my life, written down by me. Most often, journals were meant to be kept private. We shared them only with our very best friends, or nosiest younger sisters. Today, people write their journals online, for the whole world to see, often without a second thought as to who might be reading it, how long it will be available, or what kind of copyright issues may arise. But teachers implementing the use of this technology in the classroom have a responsibility to keep ethical practices at the forefront  of both their application of it, and their students’. In many ways, teachers are not just teaching students the learning activity, and the technology tool being used to support it, but also a basic set of ethics that will stay with them throughout their lives.

Original Activity: EDU 651 Blog

Using Edublogs, I created a blog designed to support a specific learning activity in my classroom, specifically, writing a short story. The blog can be found here: http://paintwithwords.edublogs.org/. This is a pretty large undertaking, even for a high school class of students. This idea behind the blog was that it would be specific to a particular creative writing class. Students in this class would have several assignments, culminating into a final project writing their own short story. The blog existed to give them recourses and supports outside of the classroom, engaging them in discussions with other classmates and the teacher, and giving them a forum to access with questions or critical thinking applications at any time. For example, if a student had a question pertaining to one of their assignments, they could post it as a comment on the blog, eliciting response from not just the teacher, but also fellow classmates. They may even find the answer to their question posted on the weblog, or they might have a thought to share that could help another student with their project. “Research shows that blogging in its truest form has a great deal of potentially positive impact on students” (Richardson, 2010). This is the goal, to engage and impact students, even when they are not in the classroom. It should also be noted that parents, too, can access the blog and get a better idea of what activities their child is working on for that class. They can see the comments as well, and get a sense of the interaction their child is having with other students, and with the teacher.

Ultimately, the blog could also grow over time, extending from one class of students to the next, giving future students access to the resources provided by previous classes. In many ways, the blog becomes a database of knowledge revolving in this case, around creative writing, and short story writing. Students can utilize it as much or as little as they want. Some may not feel it necessary at all as they complete their project, while others may find it helps keep them on track.

Activity Redesign: 697

When I created this activity, I was very focused on the many ways a blog can encourage learning and engage students. It did not occur to me so early in the program to be concerned with ethical practices. However, it should have. There are several ethical aspects to blogging online for a classroom, with copyright, access, and privacy chief among them. It is important to remember when blogging, not to steal someone else’s work. For example, this blog is meant to hold several posts depicting helpful articles on short story writing. However, it would be a violation of copyright for me to post someone else’s article on short story writing without their permission and crediting them. Similarly, the images or graphics I use should either be royalty free, such as clipart, or my own photos. “There is no specific number of words, lines, or notes that may safely be taken without permission. Acknowledging the source of the copyrighted material does not substitute for obtaining permission” (U. S. Copyright Office, 2012). It is important that this be made clear to students, as well. Understanding the definition of plagiarism, and what copyright means, particularly online, will be vital not just to their academic lives, but to everything they ever do online.

Access is another concern with implementing a classroom blog. While we live in a very convenient technological age, it is important to consider that not all students may have easy access to the internet. Families may not have home computers, tablets, or mobile phones capable of surfing online. These items are often expensive, and some school districts are low income. However, allowances for this can be made by making sure students know how and where to access the blog, either at school, or a local library. This is also why the blog should not necessarily be required reading, however, but form a supportive role in the activity.

Privacy is another huge ethical concern in online blogging. Students need to understand that what they put online is visible by many people: their classmates, their parents, and their teacher. It may also be visible by others who have nothing to do with the class. “The possible violation of learner privacy seems to be a constant ethical concern faced by professional technologists in design and training situations” (Lin, 2007). They should be careful what information they post, and what they say to others.

Keeping all of these ethical practices in mind, the blog can still be an integral part to supporting learning, and providing a valuable resource to students, parents, and the teacher. It is very clear that a technology activity such as this should always consider the ethical practices, in addition to the positive input it can give to learning. The ethics of technology practices need to be clearly communicated to all involved at the beginning of the activity.

Challenges

At first, I really struggled with what to do for this assignment. I was unclear how to redesign an activity to address ethics. However then I realized it wasn’t so much about redesigning the project, but about rethinking important aspects I had failed to previously consider. Ethical concerns such as copyright, access, and privacy are all things students will need to consider many times in their life, if they continue to use online media and participate in activities like blogging, Facebook, and Twitter. Even e-mail has a strong ethical aspect. The lessons communicated to them in this activity will prove just as invaluable to their future as the lesson itself will to their education. Once I understood this, it was easy to pick an activity, and apply the most important ethical practices to it.

Conclusion

The culture of communication has changed radically in the last twenty years. Right now, education is going through a similar radical change, largely due to the same technologies. As teachers implement these technology tools more and more into their curriculum and classrooms, it becomes ever more imperative to keep ethical practices at the forefront of awareness. Teachers need to clearly communicate the expectations and ethical responsibilities of students, parents, and themselves, so everyone is clear on what is acceptable and what the dangers are. These are invaluable lessons, useful across an ever expanding spectrum, as people keep more and more of their lives online.

References

Lin, H. (2007). The ethics of instructional technology: issues and coping strategies experienced by professional technologists in design and training situations in higher education. Educational Technology Research and Development, 55, 411-437. Retrieved from http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/ed690mb/ethics.pdf

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms (3^rd Edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

U.S. Copyright Office. (2012). Fair use. Retrieved from http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html