Managing Classroom Technology: Level Two

Annie Murphy Paul, author of Freedom, digital distraction and control published in Digital/Edu, divides teacher control of classroom technology into three areas.  Control by authority, control through technology, and self control of students are her categories.

I self assess myself to fall into the category of control by technology.  Students are given identities and passwords for the class moodle and a class assessment website on the first day of school. They create a symbaloo and Mendeley to help organize their research.

Students type classwork into Microsoft Word and print poetry or writing to turn in on a daily basis.  They have a routine schedule to follow with vocabulary video quizzes on Prism (moodle) to be completed every Friday.  They pace themselves and may access the moodle or the class assessment website on their phones, if necessary.

Shoals Jr./Sr. High School does not have an official 1:1 set up yet.  Students lose computer access depending on the infraction or the number of times they are written up for the misuse of resources (video games, cell phone texting, etc.).  I loved Paul's example of the "procrastination shame spiral" which all of us have fallen to at some point in time.  It is difficult for teenagers to stop minimizing the word processing screen if they think they can better their score on a video game, but it is imperative to their grade point average that they maintain self-control.

Control by technology works well for my students who love to learn.  It is great for the students who live to write and who can't wait to see what the new assignment challenge is.  These students would sign up for English even if it was not a required course.

But what about the student who hates English?  Those who would rather be outside changing the oil in the truck?  What about the unmotivated student who is there because his/her probation officer mandates it?  Not all students want to learn educational technology!  Not all want to do internet research or writing assignments!

Self control will only work under the most perfect circumstances.  If a scientist thinks he/she is about to make a breakthrough discovery that will have a profound effect on mankind, he/she may not be distracted.  If an author is finishing the last chapter revision on a book, he/she wants no interruptions. If a software developer is about to fix a glitch in a new program, he/she wants no questions.

But, most of the time people are doing mundane work tasks that may become tedious or boring.  A quick check of e-mail, a short stop at Twitter, ordering a book in Amazon, or a routine scan of Facebook can break the monotony and no one ever plans to stay off task for more than five minutes.  So, if there is a deadline tomorrow and he/she has been exploring the net off-task for four hours, where is the self-control?

I do not expect to see a day when each and every one of my students in each of my classes has mastered self control on the internet.  I would be a hypocrite if I said I do it myself.  It's 10 p.m. and I've been grading English essays for three hours, what can a quick five minute check of Pinterest do except lift my sprits?  Anyone who says they are never diverted from their primary task online is "stretching the truth", as Mark Twain used to say.  Self control is something to place on a bucket list, but it may take a lifetime to reach.

Organizing Curated Resources

Creative writing is an important part of my class.  I write many examples of poems or short stories which I share with students to model the assignments.  My non-digital resource is a notebook of printed pages.  My digital resource is a folder in Harmony marked English 10 and a backup of the writing posted in the notes tab on Facebook.  This gives me three places to locate the resource when lesson planning.

I use many video clips from you tube or Ted and have saved several in favorites.  I also post some of the most beloved clips to my Facebook wall to locate quickly.

Pinterest is a relatively new sharing website for me.  I have developed folders in which I share pictures, videoclip links, and online lesson plans.  I also have a Professional Development folder and folders for my friends identified by their names.  I pin ideas I want to share in their folders.  This is a great way to organize and collect digital resources.

Students as Stakeholders in 1:1 Technology

If I ask you about technology, you may immediately think of fun toys you use to entertain yourselves - games on your latest i-phone, x-box, or Chromebook.  The song you just downloaded from i-Tunes.  The video from the Homecoming Dance your BFF posted on Facebook.  But, 1:1 technology in the classroom is a huge change in what we define as education.

Communication, collaboration, and comprehension are the three C's of learning objectives in technology integration.

Online technology allows you to communicate worldwide in a number of seconds.  Posting on Facebook not only immediately reaches your friend group, but can be seen by anyone who has access to Facebook whether they are in your friend group or not.  They may snark into your web identity to read what you post and learn more about you than you intend.

It is the responsibility of the school to make sure that your use of the internet for classroom content is safe and that the classroom forums you use are secure. Harmony, My Big Campus, Prism, and other educational formats allow password protected forums and databases. 

It is the responsibility of the student to practice good digital citizenship.  You must remember that what you post online can be googled and read by others.  Pictures or comments could be used to determine awards, scholarships, or even future jobs.

Google Drive+ and Google Docs allow you to discuss and collaborate with others.  As classrooms integrate lessons to provide 21st Century learning skills, students will work on authentic real world projects collaborating online to create meaningful projects.

It is the responsibility of the students to practice good computer etiquette.  Bullying or name calling online is not part of the collaborative process.  Students must learn to work together online in Google Doc discussions or in adding assigned parts of a group project which will become a classroom presentation.  Four students may divide a presentation into parts with each student uploading a part of the presentation into the final product.

Students must comprehend how to use software and how to search for information.  1:1 computer programs will include many different software programs depending on what the classroom curriculum covers.  Math programs will be integrated into classes which use math concepts.  Research software will help students store digital content they have researched as well as assist them in citing the material in bibliographies.  You will receive a list of software programs that we will be using in English 10 and a list of programs in which you may store digital materials for later writing projects.

It is the responsibility of the student to use class time wisely and remain on the websites or software programs assigned.  Minimizing the assigned pages to play video games, writing e-mail, or texting are not wise uses of class time and could result in the suspension of internet use if repeated violations are reported. 

Authentic assessment of digital projects produced will evaluate comprehension of concepts and standards studied.  Comprehension may also include online tests, quizzes, constructive written response, surveys, research paper, or essays.

You are the ambassadors of the 1:1 technology integration project.  The projects you create will be on display at a Parent and Community Open House.  You may write newspaper articles or blog about your digital journey to encourage other teenagers to explore what you have learned during the semester.

Problem Solving: Seeking AHA Moments!

Problem solving is the most important 21^st Century Skill that I hope my students retain for the future.  21^st Century teachers spend less time creating presentations and more time crafting powerful learning activities in which students collaborate and think for themselves.  Student assessment shows that material is covered with more depth and retention the first time around, saving time and energy in the long run. Students use higher level thinking skills and by doing so experience those awesome aha moments in education that every teacher dreams about seeing. By allowing my students to explore and design, I show that I believe in their abilities and validate each student’s contribution to the class. Students work harder when they are actively engaged in a project and believe that someone has high expectations for their work.

In technology-infused discovery activities, Internet research, virtual manipulatives, and multimedia resources allow students to explore unanswered questions. For example, sophomores will learn to use Monterey to help organize their research and annotate articles as they work on a topic of their choice.  The online software program will replace notecards, notebooks, and copy machine folders of research, and help students access what they are studying in a more timely manner.  

Creating the presentation will provide a choice of multi-media programs:  Animoto, i-Movie, cell phone videoes, digital pictures, screenshots of graphs and drawings, music clips, clips of interviews or aha moments that students discovered while doing the research are just a few possibilities.  

Students may also use online programs for creating citations and bibliographies.

Discovery activities give students real-world, problem-solving experience and ownership. Problem solving active learning allows them to bring their observations into the subsequent lesson, discussion, or creation activity as prior knowledge.

Class assessment of student presentations and projects created, self assessments by individual or group members, and teacher assessments of what the student(s) accomplished through the project can be a positive learning experience.  Students may see what weak areas they need to improve in the next problem solving activity.  They may also bask in the spotlight created by the success of what they have accomplished.