What are the leadership challenges to technology integration?

In our third and final leadership module with Dr. Camille Rutherford my class focused on those factors that inhibit tech integration in classrooms and discussed the ways in which we can meet these challenges and provide support of the intersection between technology and pedagogy.

After reading several articles about tech and education we collaboratively brainstormed potential solutions and also participated in a mock debate scenario where we professional dialogued about tech and its place in the classroom. Together we discussed the ways that we need to use our leadership skills to meet the challenges of tech integration.

While there are a variety of different kinds of factors that inhibit the successful implementation of tech in schools, these difficulties fall primarily into two categories, what I call, a lack of and a fear of. In terms of a lack, many schools experience little funding for appropriate technology. Financing tech integration can thus become a challenge to developing a useful 21^st century classroom. There is also a lack of training that often accompanies the introduction of new technology in schools, so that while the tools might exist and be present staff might not have the proper instruction or tech support that they need. In terms of fear, people naturally have a tendency to be afraid of the unknown and that which they do not have a great deal of experience with. Not everyone is a ‘digital native’ and many find the use of technology intimidating or uncomfortable. Technology also opens up the possibilities of greater information access, making some worry about issues of privacy. How can we, as 21^st century leaders, deal with these challenges and allow technology to be seen as a useful resource rather than something inaccessible or feared?

I would suggest that part of the reason why funding is an issue is because many are afraid of change and do not thoroughly understand why tech can be so useful in a learning environment. If we, as educators, can show those that provide funding how tech can be successfully incorporated into the classroom and why it has a positive impact on learning schools might have greater access to the tools that they need. We need to demonstrate how technology allows us to differentiate instruction for our students, accommodate their different learning styles and encourage them to think outside of the box in new and innovative ways.

Even if funding remains an issue there are ways that we can bring tech into the classroom without having a great deal of financial resources. In our workshop with Camille we discussed how many people are under the impression that you need to have the latest and greatest in terms of tech tools in the classroom, but this is simply not the case. A five year old iPod still successfully plays music and older computers still allow students to access basic programming like Microsoft word and Paint. There are tons of activities students can do with a basic word processor, including printing out fonts in different sizes and colours and making them into creative poems. As Ed Tech leaders, we need to bring in as much technology as we can into the classroom. Ask friends and family to donate old cameras they have sitting in drawers and organize tech charity drives. Explore cupboards in your school and bring out those old computers that have been tossed aside because they aren’t the newest on the market. Make a computer lab in your classroom and create a media center with the technology you do have.

In terms of calming people’s fears about technology, we need to ensure as tech leaders and educators that we aren’t aggressively pushing tech in a way that is only going to feed fear rather than squash it. We need to offer our peers and colleagues training and assistance without demanding their participation. Let’s show our colleagues how tech can be useful and wait for them to ask to be shown how to use the tools. We also need to ensure that we provide the opportunity for teachers to play with technology and discover its use value for themselves. We need to have PD opportunities where we can meet and voice our concerns and have fruitful discussions about the 21^st century classroom and what it can and should look like.

Issues of privacy and information storage (cloud systems, online info/photo databases, etc) need to be addressed. How do we use tech successfully whilst protecting our right to have private lives? Much of the resolution of this issue lays in training, that is, teaching people how to best navigate online tech resources in a way where they are getting the most out of their experience without jeopardizing their own privacy. How can we be smart about the ways in which we use tech tools? It is our job, as Ed tech leaders to provide training in this regard and help people make online decisions that work best for themselves and their own needs in the classroom.

As leaders we need to ensure that educators feel comfortable with the use of technology of, for and as pedagogy. We need to ensure that those factors that inhibit tech integration are collaboratively unpacked and addressed so that the 21^st century classroom can flourish without a lack of and fear of.  

Online Translation Manual – Elementary Applications

Prior to attending teacher’s college I did Anglo-Saxon translation work in both my undergrad and Master’s program. The following is a refereed online publication I wrote which is still in use in the Old English course at McMaster as an online teaching tool to help students learn how to translate old texts. I was fortunate to be able to present this learning object at a conference in Lausanne, Switzerland in 2007, which has been a highlight of my educational career: http://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/~beowulf/manual/index.php

While I am now working in the primary/junior field of education, the experience of writing and creating a learning tool of my own imagination has been foundational in my development as a teacher. I love creating learning objects, particular ones that involve the use and integration of technology. The Ed Tech program at Brock has given me a new range of tech experiences and skills that I will incorporate in my own classroom and teaching. I will continue to make learning objects and have had the opportunity this past year to create a collaborative Math Blog with my peers and also several instructional videos about how to use specific tech tools (all of which can be found on this blog).

One of my favourite aspects of teaching is the creativity involved with creating learning objects and lesson plans and critically thinking about how to best communicate and reach students. When I was planning the translation manual, for example, I had to determine how to most effectively communicate different kinds of grammar and inflections, giving my students the opportunity to play and practice the language themselves. I am excited to teach Language Arts and incorporate similar strategies and approaches in the classroom with a younger audience.

While the translation website is primarily intended for adults, there is an opportunity here for both myself and others to show elementary students what the English language used to look like and where are current syntax comes from. There is a section of the website called “Image Riddles” that is more child-friendly and can be used in a Language Arts or Social Studies context to teach junior students about different historical cultures. In grade 6, for example, when you discuss the Vikings and exploration you could incorporate a brief discussion of the Anglo-Saxons and their influence as well, perhaps having the students write their own image riddles about what they are learning in the classroom. While early medieval history is not specifically covered in the Ontario Curriculum there is an opportunity to show students how medieval history is not just about that specific period of time where there were knights, feudal relationships and the Crusades, giving them greater historical breadth and understanding. I am continually grateful for my past experiences in the realm of History and English and am excited about the ways in which I can use these ideas to enrich learning in my own classroom. I want to encourage my students to be invested in language and history and use these subjects as ways to investigate and navigate their own daily experiences.

How can individual leaders make a difference?

After discussing what it means to be a 21^st century educator and the ways in which we create 21^st century classrooms in our first leadership module with Dr. Camille Rutherford, my cohort participated in a second module that focused on how individual leaders can make a difference in the world of education. In order to begin a conversation about leadership and its relationship to learning we began by reading articles in leadership research which, in part, discussed the different kinds of leadership including transformational, moral, participative, managerial, postmodern, interpersonal and situational. Prior to this reading and our class discussions I was not aware of the variety of approaches to leadership and the different ways in which it is both interpreted and practiced. Part of our culminative task at the end of our workshop was to determine which leadership style most reflects our personal teaching philosophy and how we are going to implement this kind of leadership in our own classrooms. I am most aligned with the Moral Leadership approach that focuses on ethics, values, equity and justice. I believe it is a leader’s responsibility to bring people together and forge strong relationships that are based on cooperation, commitment and inclusivity. Leadership, for me, leads to teamwork and the cooperative building of positive communities in which to work and live; it is not about ego and the charismatic personality of one person with a group of automated, uncritical followers. As a result of my musings on leadership in this workshop I have developed a mission statement that articulates what I feel is most important about leadership and how I will actively practice it as an elementary educator:

As an Ed Tech Teacher Leader I seek to transform the lives of my students by creating a safe and inclusive space that nurtures curiosity and encourages exploration. The purpose of education is to create active and engaged global citizens and critical thinkers that are empathetic and invested in social justice.  I will use technology to facilitate new an innovative ways of communicating and creating meaningful ideas and shared visions. I will be determined and hopeful, collaborative and compassionate and I will take risks.

What are your thoughts on leadership? What kind of leader do you strive to be?

SMART Seasons Resource

I made this series of four interactive SMART activities as part of my tech class at Brock and have had the opportunity to use it in my first placement in a grade one class. My students were enthused about participating and really enjoyed working through the problems together. The lesson allows students to actively learn about science whilst engaging in language and mathematics. It is available for download on the SMART Exchange website.

Math Tech For Teachers

Online Tools for Teaching Math is a learning resource created collaboratively by myself, Michelle Stasiuk, Vicky Heritage and Brittany Evans. While it was initially designed for the purpose of a manipulatives workshop that we presented in class, the blog format that we chose can be used by any teacher to teach any subject/topic. 

The website is divided into a series of pages with separate examples of rich learning problems that can be found online. We used the comment section after each blog post to have our peers discuss their thoughts about the activities provided. The presentation was very successful and our peers found it useful. I hope you do too! 

Be sure to check out how each problem links to Curriculum Expectations and also the great list of additional resources: http://mathtech4teachers.blogspot.com/

What Does the 21st Century Classroom Look Like?

As part of my Ed Tech training at Brock, I have recently completed a series of course modules with Dr. Camille Rutherford that focus specifically on the relationship between 21st century learning and leadership. In these workshops my peers and I have read a variety of academic articles and journals on what educational innovation means and how this will impact our teaching.

In our first module we focused specifically on what the 21st century classroom should look like from a variety of perspectives, that is, academic, technical, cultural and physical. Camille divided the class into four groups and assigned each group a different perspective from which to generate ideas. Each group posted their thoughts and contributions on a shared Google doc, resulting in a rich collaborative learning experience. Together we started to brainstorm what 21st century learning means to us and how it should be facilitated. From an academic perspective our class decided that 21st century learning needs to be challenging, differentiated, inquiry-based and involve both creative and critical thinking skills. In terms of technology, it should involve a variety of new tools, including but not limited to SMART boards, Front Row systems, IPads/IPods, blogs and LiveScribes. We also discussed that while these ‘techy tools’ facilitate learning in new ways, they are not the be and end all of education. 21st century learning is not about the tools itself, but rather about how we approach education in imaginative and creative ways. Culturally, for example, we discussed how innovative learning means creating a safe and comfortable environment for our students, a kind of “culture of care”. We need to make spaces that are founded on community, curiosity and the celebration of diversity. And how can these positive feelings be achieved in the classroom? What does this physical space look like? We came up with ideas that involve moveable tables that facilitate collaborative learning, open spaces with lots of light, decentralized rooms whereby the teacher is not the ‘sage on the stage’ at the front of the class. Others pointed to the possibilities of outdoor learning and the importance of field trips.

I was extremely impressed with the unique and creative ideas that my peers came up with and the way in which we were able to use a shared Google doc to collaborate. Prior to this year, I have never participated in this kind of instant collaborative learning. The fact that it’s possible for all of my peers to simultaneously create one document is fantastic, and while we happened to be in the same physical space as one another during this module, this work could have easily been done from the privacy of our homes, with shared discussions taking place over Skype, Google Hangout or an Elluminate session. I realized as we were creating the doc that we were participating in a new kind of 21st century learning that I couldn’t have imagined ten years ago. This process of collaborative creation is the heart of future education; this is what the 21st century classroom looks like.

Check out this video we watched in preparation for class. Speaks volumes about what needs to be done for our kids:

Embedding a pencast in your Blog

As an extension to our presentation at the Ed Tech Showcase, Krystal Kay and I have created a video on how to embed a pencast into a blog once it has been created. Let us know if you have any questions!