My field placement at Ann Arbor's Skyline High School has been every bit of eye opening to the possibilities of public schooling I forgot existed since graduating from Birmingham's Seaholm High School six years ago. In many ways, the two schools are very similar. However, technology has changed quite a bit in just over half a decade. Having spent the past year in Detroit, at one of the lowest performing schools in the state, Skyline has indeed been quite the contrast and, occasionally, surprise. Not the least of which has been the computer inventory available to all students. I'm told they have some kind of deal with Apple.
When I was in high school, we had to reserve a computer lab weeks in advance or go to the library and share computers with other classmates. I think we may have had a laptop cart, but it obviously was not memorable. Skyline has no fewer than half a dozen carts of 30+ Macbook computers that teachers can sign up for on a Google doc online as late as the day of (if any are still available). My mentor teacher reserves a cart at least once a week for various projects and classroom activities. Today, she has the world history students finishing a PowerPoint presentation about Hinduism and Buddhism, and the US history students are analyzing primary sources and arguing for one side or another in a debate about workers rights in the progressive era.
But wait, there's more!
Skyline also uses Power School to input and display grades and attendance records online. Students and parents frequently check this resource from home, which has already led to several discussions with students pinpointing what they need to improve on and how they can. My mentor teacher also employs a texting service through which she reminds students and parents about upcoming assignments or special notes. All teachers are equipped with overhead projectors and laptops of their own, as well as a high-tech audio system that plays over the overhead speakers. They can reserve an "ELMO" wand that uses a camera to display paper on the LCD projector (my MT uses this often). Students also have access to computer labs and a comprehensive digital library in the media center. The possibilities are seemingly endless to a teaching novice like myself!
The results of my technology investigation were not altogether shocking given the obvious affluence and prestige of the Ann Arbor Public Schools. However, the discussion we had in class on October 2nd was a bit enlightening to just how fortunate Skyline is. I have not too quickly forgotten my own past experiences, but seeing technology used in the classroom is now just commonplace at this point in my placement. Yet the responses of many of my classmates suggest that I am the exception to the rule. Many observed that using technology at their schools, even when available, is simply not practical. This is very unfortunate to hear because many of the tools they described are not cheap. Schools should invest in technology, but with advancements coming every few months (weeks? minutes?) it is often not a practical use of the budget for struggling districts. Maybe Apple would help them out in exchange for some free advertising...
Posted from my Macbook Pro.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Tech Tools Not In Use
While our ED504 class meets only every so often, we have already seen two different presentations on technology tools and their potential applications to the classroom. I am somewhat ashamed to admit, albeit in hindsight, that I did not give these tools a proper consideration before determining they were of no use to me. Maybe it was the result of being in class from 5-8 after a long day of teaching at the end of a long week of being a student and the anticipation of the weekend looming. Perhaps it was that I was missing my beloved Tigers get, though unexpectedly to me at the time, obliterated by the pesky Orioles of Baltimore. I now reflect that, perhaps as my curriculum maps take shape in the future, I will find ways to use these tools. I briefly describe them here.
The first tool that was presented was the website "padlet." My classmates began their presentation with an introductory video that served as a tutorial for using the website. Immediately, I compared the tool to a blog with a lot of fancy bells and whistles. It reminded me somewhat of Blendspace, as well. Teachers can upload materials, links, or use it as a forum for students to post responses. I think that using this tool, instead of others that do similar things, is really dependent on personal preference. If a teacher regularly uses or wants to use these activities and resources in his or her class, then padlet is a fine vehicle for doing so. So far I am simply not one of those teachers. If I want students to respond to a poll, I'll send them a Google Form. If I want them to see some resources, I'll organize them into a slide so that I don't have to reserve technology for them to use themselves. If I want to post links, I'll share a Google Doc with them or make it available on my teacher site. I think that giving students access to something like padlet invites too many opportunities for distraction and inappropriate responses. Padlet, at first glance, was not for me.
The second tool demonstrated by my peers was "audacity." I have some familiarity with the program from my days attempting to become an amateur DJ. That week really flew by, and I haven't used the tool since. I'm assuming a lot has changed with its capabilities and user-friendliness, but my first glance from using the tool in class does not support my assumption. It's interface is still, to me, both busy and boring at the same time. I don't know how else to describe it. I also don't like that I would need to download it on to my computer, which is already pressed for space. But I'm just one guy. Our practice with it was admittedly entertaining, and my classmates raised some excellent points for how it could be used in a classroom. Most interesting to me was the possibility of recording a lesson for students who are absent. An audio file would certainly take up much less space than a video of a lesson, so there is some intrigue to that. I have only ever known teachers to compile a packet of missed work, so that was my own inclination. However, audacity may have its place in that regard. I will keep an open mind.
I don't know whether I will ever find myself in a position where I want to use these tools, but at least I now know they exist. I use technology every day, but my tendencies in the classroom are to put up images and directions on a slide to enhance discussion. I have liked many other uses of technology I have seen used in this program and the class, specifically, and I think it is highly likely I employ some of those. Specifically, many professors have used polls for do-nows and been able to quickly evaluate and discuss the responses. I have really enjoyed these. Maybe I am just a simple man, or perhaps I am resistant to doing things differently than I learned them, but I was not initially persuaded to put these other tech tools to use.
The first tool that was presented was the website "padlet." My classmates began their presentation with an introductory video that served as a tutorial for using the website. Immediately, I compared the tool to a blog with a lot of fancy bells and whistles. It reminded me somewhat of Blendspace, as well. Teachers can upload materials, links, or use it as a forum for students to post responses. I think that using this tool, instead of others that do similar things, is really dependent on personal preference. If a teacher regularly uses or wants to use these activities and resources in his or her class, then padlet is a fine vehicle for doing so. So far I am simply not one of those teachers. If I want students to respond to a poll, I'll send them a Google Form. If I want them to see some resources, I'll organize them into a slide so that I don't have to reserve technology for them to use themselves. If I want to post links, I'll share a Google Doc with them or make it available on my teacher site. I think that giving students access to something like padlet invites too many opportunities for distraction and inappropriate responses. Padlet, at first glance, was not for me.
The second tool demonstrated by my peers was "audacity." I have some familiarity with the program from my days attempting to become an amateur DJ. That week really flew by, and I haven't used the tool since. I'm assuming a lot has changed with its capabilities and user-friendliness, but my first glance from using the tool in class does not support my assumption. It's interface is still, to me, both busy and boring at the same time. I don't know how else to describe it. I also don't like that I would need to download it on to my computer, which is already pressed for space. But I'm just one guy. Our practice with it was admittedly entertaining, and my classmates raised some excellent points for how it could be used in a classroom. Most interesting to me was the possibility of recording a lesson for students who are absent. An audio file would certainly take up much less space than a video of a lesson, so there is some intrigue to that. I have only ever known teachers to compile a packet of missed work, so that was my own inclination. However, audacity may have its place in that regard. I will keep an open mind.
I don't know whether I will ever find myself in a position where I want to use these tools, but at least I now know they exist. I use technology every day, but my tendencies in the classroom are to put up images and directions on a slide to enhance discussion. I have liked many other uses of technology I have seen used in this program and the class, specifically, and I think it is highly likely I employ some of those. Specifically, many professors have used polls for do-nows and been able to quickly evaluate and discuss the responses. I have really enjoyed these. Maybe I am just a simple man, or perhaps I am resistant to doing things differently than I learned them, but I was not initially persuaded to put these other tech tools to use.
"Wait, People Gonna SEE This?!"
Recently, Dave Theune spoke to our class about a successful teaching practice he has recently begun using in his classroom to increase student performance. The secret: make them perform. It seems almost too obvious, but the reality is that most student performance is measured by a rather unconventional type of "performance", in which the only audience is the teacher or machine that judges the answers. This hardly necessitates the students perform anything. Theune is part english teacher, part drama teacher, so the idea came quite naturally to him. In recent years, he has invited parents to come into the classroom and witness their children demonstrate what they have learned. The response, he says, has been overwhelmingly positive.
On the surface, there are some concerns with introducing a perhaps "less academic" type of performance into the classroom. Teachers have been using papers and tests for years, seemingly for a reason. But one of Theune's secret is that he still uses those type of "traditional" academic assessment. He distinguishes his practice by merely creating a tangible audience to whom the student must present their work. For example, one of the events open to parents is a reading of the students' essays for one of his english classes. It is a simple addition to the practice of writing the paper, but now students know someone else will be hearing what they have to say. Perhaps they value the opinions of their parents more than that of the ominous red pen, but Theune has seen vast improvement in student motivation and quality of work when this element is added.
Shortly after he spoke to our ED504 class, I filmed myself teaching for ED511. After I checked to make sure no students had any objections to being recorded, I started rolling the camera. A group of football players, who rarely seem to prioritize world history and would much rather put their heads on the desk, sits at the front of the classroom. I placed the camera, merely for convenience and sound quality, right in front of them on the teacher's desk. When the camera came on, one student in the group shot up in his seat and immediately asked, "Wait, people gonna SEE this? Like, your professor gonna know what I did today in class?" I stifled a chuckle and replied, "I guess they will. Is that alright?" The student, who's teammates had now also taken an interest in my answer, said, "I just gotta be really good today, then. Can you cut the first part where I had my head down?"
When students have an audience, they want to do well. While my evidence is merely anecdotal, Theune reiterated this claim vehemently. He says he has only had a handful of students in three years of this practice who have chosen NOT to perform (the option is given explicitly to all). Teenagers, if I remember correctly, seem to like attention. It makes sense that my trio of tired jocks volunteered infinitely more answers the day I was filming than they otherwise have (which would be, for maths sake, approximately five to zero). It also makes sense that I have tried to make this blog post a good one because my peers will be reading this (hi, friends). Classroom performance doesn't require a stage or a spotlight, but sometimes students do.
Line?
On the surface, there are some concerns with introducing a perhaps "less academic" type of performance into the classroom. Teachers have been using papers and tests for years, seemingly for a reason. But one of Theune's secret is that he still uses those type of "traditional" academic assessment. He distinguishes his practice by merely creating a tangible audience to whom the student must present their work. For example, one of the events open to parents is a reading of the students' essays for one of his english classes. It is a simple addition to the practice of writing the paper, but now students know someone else will be hearing what they have to say. Perhaps they value the opinions of their parents more than that of the ominous red pen, but Theune has seen vast improvement in student motivation and quality of work when this element is added.
Shortly after he spoke to our ED504 class, I filmed myself teaching for ED511. After I checked to make sure no students had any objections to being recorded, I started rolling the camera. A group of football players, who rarely seem to prioritize world history and would much rather put their heads on the desk, sits at the front of the classroom. I placed the camera, merely for convenience and sound quality, right in front of them on the teacher's desk. When the camera came on, one student in the group shot up in his seat and immediately asked, "Wait, people gonna SEE this? Like, your professor gonna know what I did today in class?" I stifled a chuckle and replied, "I guess they will. Is that alright?" The student, who's teammates had now also taken an interest in my answer, said, "I just gotta be really good today, then. Can you cut the first part where I had my head down?"
When students have an audience, they want to do well. While my evidence is merely anecdotal, Theune reiterated this claim vehemently. He says he has only had a handful of students in three years of this practice who have chosen NOT to perform (the option is given explicitly to all). Teenagers, if I remember correctly, seem to like attention. It makes sense that my trio of tired jocks volunteered infinitely more answers the day I was filming than they otherwise have (which would be, for maths sake, approximately five to zero). It also makes sense that I have tried to make this blog post a good one because my peers will be reading this (hi, friends). Classroom performance doesn't require a stage or a spotlight, but sometimes students do.
Line?
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