One of the main ideas, i reflected upon during my reading, was that equipping schools with technology and infrastructure should be determined by how the infrastructure and devices are going to be utilized to further the goal of educating students. As I have learned throughout MSET program, technology is not a magical solution to learning but rather a tool to enhance opportunities for learning to take place. I believe that many teachers utilize technology as a replacement, rather than enhancement to their lessons. I, myself, have been guilty but have learned to utilize SAMR, as an easy recall to evaluate whether or not to include technology into the lesson. Ultimately, throwing technology at a bad lesson, results in a bad lesson with technology!
Professional Development (PD) often leads to raised eyebrows and deep sighs among many of my colleagues. I believe that teachers realize the importance of PD and how valuable it can be given that there is thought about the adaptability, delivery, and timing, of the content. I consider these the three essential elements to beneficial PD. After reading Gura, I felt like he was reading my mind. PD needs to be delivered in different ways to give individuals the opportunity to access the information at a time that is most advantageous and with the preferred method of delivery. Honestly, 3;30pm on a Thursday is not the best time for almost every teacher, nor is 7:30am any morning. I access PD when I have time and can focus my attention to needed information. As a digital change agent, what can I do to support my colleagues with PD? I have found that I enjoy providing brief video tutorials on how to utilize an app. and how to incorporate that technology into the curriculum. If teachers don’t realize the “down the road” opportunities that technology can provide, many will continue to use it as a replacement for traditional pen and paper lessons.
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SAMR MODEL The SAMR Model resonates, with my teaching philosophy, because it provides a genuine road map on how to utilize technology in the classroom. The language, although simplistic, illustrates how to enhance basic use of technology to a higher level for students. The SAMR model can be easily identified and understood by educational staff at different levels of technology knowledge and integration. The realization that the use of technology as to only replace a traditional pencil and paper activity, doesn’t constitute integration. But what simple changes (functional improvements) could be made enhancing the the project? I believe that most educators have moved beyond the “S”, substitution of technology with no functional change in their classroom but are either stuck in augmenting or modifying lessons. The transformation of content, to lesson planning, and ultimately to modifying or redefining student tasks is not an easy process but SAMR to understand the functionality of process involved in transformation applying the use of technology. I believe that SAMR can impact the, previously held, ideals of how a lesson should look and be implemented. Realizing that technology is only once piece of puzzle, SAMR is an easily recognizable means of authentically applying technology to enhance what you want to the students to ultimately learn. The graphic above outlines the SAMR Model, exhibiting the concise thought parameters when incorporating technology into any given student task. The obvious question that I ask, “does technology enhance the student learning opportunity”, if the answer is no then I need to find a way of modifying the lesson to incorporate technology or to not use at technology at all. In my classroom, I have been asking myself this question frequently, after beginning my coursework and realize, their are situations where technology doesn’t deliver a better learning outcome, but I strive to find and test ways to utilize technology to enhance the learning opportunities for my student. How does technology improve teaching and learning in your school?
Technology allows for the content to be delivered digitally, rather than the traditional method of print or textbooks. The digital content allows for students to personalize it to their individual needs. Students are able to respond to questions digitally, allowing th teachers to differentiate instruction. An LMS allows for a system that circulates content information from teachers to students, providing needed feedback allowing teachers to adjust instruction as needed. Technology also provides the opportunity for real-world learning. Information is available from all corners of the world for expand student learning. Project based learning is more manageable with technology, limiting the amount of time and resources needed. The use of technology allows for teachers to use data driven instruction. Assessments and assignments can be adapted to tailor individual student instruction. A digital platform can also provide an opportunity for students to work in virtual groups. Lastly, a digital platform allows for more opportunity for student engagement. What are some areas in which this could be improved? I believe there are always opportunities to improve student-to-student communication and collaboration. As technology continues to expand on current ideals, the opportunities will increase for students to collaborate more in-depth, not only at school but at home as well. I think it is a great advantage to have an Learning Management System within your district. Our district has just started using an LMS and it has cut down on the time needed by students to utilize often utilized applications within the classroom. There also needs to be an increase PD opportunities for teachers to embrace new technology, so as to deliver meaningful instruction to their students. Technology is ever-changing and teachers should exploit their PLN to further their knowledge of effective and meaningful use of technology. How do you go about making decisions about what technology to use in your classroom or school? In the classroom, I start with the learning objective in the specific content area and determine if and how technology can enhance a students learning experience. If technology can provide resources and learning opportunities outside of the normal classroom setting, I then determine the best tool to effectively deliver the desired learning objective. As you progress through the teaching profession, you will begin to recognize tools that deliver the desired outcome. But sometimes you need to take a risk and try new forms of technology to determine their effectiveness, while realizing it my not provide the same effectiveness depending on the class or individual student. |
AuthorI currently teach 5th grade and am working on completing my Masters in Educational Technology. Archives
April 2020
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