Technology in the Classroom

The article “The Instructional Power of Digital Games, Social Networking, Simulations and
How Teachers Can Leverage Them," really struck me on why incorporating technology into the classroom is so important in a way that I hadn't thought of before. The article mentions that utilizing technology in the classroom is so crucial because it provides a bridge between the way in which a child learns in school to the way in which they are engaged at home. I had known that there were many benefits to teachers using technology to reach their students (increased engagement, UDL, learning the tools of technology, etc.,) but hadn't really thought about matching the classroom to a student's life at home until now.

While this article, along with the others given in this week's readings, provided lots of useful information on the benefits of exposing students to the online world, I still struggle with the element of safety and responsibility when it comes to managing a class. Klopfer describes different classroom settings in which the students employ various digital pathways (games, social networking, etc.), as well as the necessity for collaboration; and Richardson lists valid reasons for why students benefit from online exposure (helps them develop and understanding of how it works, builds social skills), however there is little mention of actual classroom management during students' online work. I think it would be really interesting to see the process from beginning to end of how a teacher incorporates technology -- how he/she preps approaches the school, how he/she preps his/her students beforehand, how the students are trained to use the technology, how the teacher supervises during online/digital work, and how the work is monitored over time.

I would be very interested in potentially taking on some of the ideas from these articles, but it would be helpful to see how one goes about it.

Good Learning with Digital Games

I agree with Klopfer’s notion that the newest generation is “completely normalized by digital technologies.” I am currently in a kindergarten class and when students were asked what their favorite game was, they were all digital games, many of which I am not familiar with. Go figure!

One thing that concerns me about the use of digital games is the limited interaction it may generate among children. What I mean by this is while digital games may be highly engaging for students, teachers should be careful not to assign one student to one computer. I think it is counterproductive when a child is playing a computer game alone. In order for “good learning” to take place, there needs to be some sort of interaction among peers. Some of the many benefits may include; sharing ideas with one another, collaborating, problem-solving, developing social skills, etc. So when I read that Ross, the 7^th grade central subject teacher was introducing a digital game called Diplomacy to his classroom, I found it important to highlight that he either chose to assign two students per computer or play the game with the whole class through a projector. That way, there was always some sort of interaction taking place between the students.

Additionally, when would teachers use digital games in their classroom? I know that Jessica briefly mentioned last class that technology does not always have to be used at the end of curriculum, but how would that work with digital games? Just a thought.

Learning with Social Networking

Contrary to adult perceptions, while hanging out online, youth are picking up basic social and technological skills they need to fully participate in contemporary society... Youth could benefit from educators being more open to forms of experimentation and social exploration that are generally not characteristic of educational institutions. 

This quote from the findings of the Digital Youth  Project really resonated with me.  While writing my technological autobiography, I came to the conclusion that most of my learning about technology came through personal use. For example, despite hours of typing class at school, I only learned to type fluently when I started instant messaging with friends in high school.  Both the papers from the Digital Youth Project and the MIT Education Arcade really take this idea a step further pointing out that when youth use new technologies they not only learn technological skills they learn higher order thinking skills as well.

I was particularly interested in the MIT article's discussion of how social networking can support collective intelligence.  I am excited by the potential for social networks to allow peers to support each other's learning and increase intrinsic motivation.  It seems that social networks effectively utilized could be more than just the bait to draw in students' attention; they could actually foster new forms of collaboration.  I would love to experiment with one of the more controlled social networking sites they recommend to see how this works out for me in the classroom.

The Future of Digital Gaming

The article titled “The Instructional Power of Digital Games, Social Networking and Simulations” had a variety of resources and specific examples of how to incorporate different tools into classroom settings. It was helpful to read about the teachers who used these games and networks and the benefits and challenges to each of them. Additionally, the rationale for utilizing different technologies in the classroom helped me think about how I could apply these tools in different subject areas.

The part of the article that caught my attention the most was the question that addressed why these technologies aren’t used more in education. Although these tools and games promote deep problem solving skills, team work and critical thinking, among other things that all students should experience, there are many challenges to creating a school or classroom environment that is predominantly based around digital learning. One public school in New York City, Quest to Learn, seems to have been able to do just that. I wonder if many public schools will follow in this direction and/or how much resistance this school will face since its approach is quite different compared to other New York City schools.

It is clear that you need support from your stakeholders in order to make technology in schools a success. Of course, the issue of equity also comes to mind, as schools in lower income areas would likely not have the same access to these tools both in and out of the classroom. Again I wonder how schools will be able to spend so much time using different technology when the emphasis in public education across all grades seems to be on testing and data. I’m curious to see how the use of technology continues to change in public education across the country and I look forward to continuing to implement these new tools in my classroom.

---Robyn

Finding the Right Balance of Technology

I was interested to read the preliminary pages of the MacArthur Study in addition to viewing the responses posted on the “weblog.” Within my own personal experience as both a student and classroom teacher, I feel teachers have made the general attempt to incorporate different types of media into the curriculum. In light of web filters imposed by our respective IT departments, the challenge of using valid sites to teach learning concepts often results in dead ends and frustration. Granted, many of the sites should be blocked for the content, but how can we use certain technologies that do not “erect barriers of participation” if they are blocked and made inaccessible in the educational environment? In addition, I feel this article makes the implication that technology should become an integrated part of the students’ educational lives, but how can our educational communities support this notion when certain schools struggle to financially support these types of technology-based programs (both the technology as well as the teacher/administrator training)?

As we have discussed in class, I really do view teachers as being responsible members of our youths’ journey through and involvement within this digital age. Whether we as educators act as supporters or resisters of the available technologies, our students’ lives are nonetheless influenced by the learning and social networking opportunities that exist within the realm of technology. I agree with the line in the study that makes educators question the traditional goal of most educational programs: “Rather than assuming that education is primarily about preparing for jobs and careers, what would it mean to think of it as a process guiding youths’ participation in public life more generally?” Technology should not be the end-all-be-all in our lives, but I feel technology can contribute to a “balanced” lifestyle that enables us to actively explore individual/group learning opportunities in addition to maintaining communication with others. Finding that balance and modeling the reflection process are two essential components towards making these parts of our lives and our students’ lives meaningful.

The article focusing on digital games, social networking, and simulations offers specific examples of educators using these various technologies to compliment their respective lessons. Particularly for Hal and Kali (two 12^th grade Physics teachers), simulation-based tools such as STARLOGO TNG allow the students to gain a conceptual understanding of the scientific/mathematical principles. In addition, the program engages students in critical thinking and problem solving by having them program their own simulations; the learning naturally becomes more about the process than the product. When deciding which types of digital games to compliment the curriculum, I refer to Bloom’s Taxonomy and try to select or design games that engage my students and provide opportunities to “create” using their prior knowledge of the concept.

The Benefits of Game-Based Instruction

I thought the article entitled “The Instructional Power of Digital Games, Social Networking, Simulations and How Teachers Can Leverage Them contained some very interesting insights on using games in the classroom. I agree with the idea of using games in instruction because I think it makes the content more engaging for students, allowing them to maintain their attention and retain the information. However, I never thought of the possibility of having an entire school that is centered around teaching students through game based methods. It is definitely an interesting idea and I agree with a lot of the points that the article made.

For example, in reflecting on my own teaching I realize that I try to integrate games as much as possible and even make activities that aren’t really games appear as games because I believe that this will make students more excited about the material. For example, in my reading group the other day I told the students we would be playing “the Buzz Game,” where whenever I would pointed a “buzzing” wand at one of my students, he or he would pick a card. The cards contained the reading questions that I would typically ask during a lesson and if the student got it correct he or she would earn chips.

Even though this may have not been the most exciting game, my students really enjoyed it and they were much more engaged in this activity than they usually are during our typical discussion- based reading group. This makes me think that having a school that uses a game designed instruction would be really effective, as students would feel more excited about the material, making them more apt to participate.

In addition, like the article mentioned there are many other benefits to using games in instruction. While playing games students not only practice the skills connected to the content, but they gain experience using social skills like, negotiation, compromise, collaboration, and perspective taking. I also feel that educational games often allows for children to engage in more authentic –based learning methods, applying their knowledge, rather than just memorizing information. In my opinion, education is all about the experiences which our students engage in, so if it is possible to integrate games and technology into instruction, two things that are very appealing to students, then we should, as it will allow them to become more excited about their learning and practice using real-world social skills.

Virtual Field Trips

Bob Coulter’s article entitled “What’s it like where you live?” offers very useful ideas for not only creating a meaningful, standards-based curriculum, but also for enhancing the value of such a curriculum with the use of technology. One of the messages that most resonates with me is this: “The key is for inquiry to drive the technology implementation and not vice versa, despite pressures to integrate technology into the classroom.” Since I have very little experience with curriculum planning, I have so far not been able to incorporate technology in very meaningful ways in the few lessons I have planned. I tend to fall into one of two ends on the spectrum: I either plan a lesson and then add on some form of technology as an “extra/bonus” to the regular curriculum, or I find some website or software that looks interesting and then try to plan a lesson entirely around that, which can be limiting. I have not yet mastered the art of integrating technology in a seamless and productive way.

In my student teaching setting, the emphasis is on interdisciplinary teaching. I am currently working on a Social Studies and Science unit that combines teaching about U.S. Westward Expansion and U.S. geography (landforms). So far, I have thought of a few hands-on activities and field trips to make this unit meaningful, interactive, and engaging for the students. However, after reading Coulter’s article, I am now even more excited about what I am planning because his tips have opened my mind to more possibilities. The way Coulter describes virtual field trips has me realize that the use of technology in the classroom literally leaves us with the “world at our fingertips.” We are no longer limited to field trips that are within a reasonable geographic distance. After reading this article, I, for the first time, explored Google Earth with the intention of incorporating it into this unit of study. I am sure my students will be just as engaged as I was (or hopefully more) when doing things such as exploring the Missouri River that Lewis & Clark had to cross on their expedition, or zooming in and seeing the geographical features of the land that people crossed when traveling on the Oregon Trail. In this way, I can continue to plan an interdisciplinary (Social Studies and Science) unit, keep it grounded in the standards, AND make the content come alive for students. Coulter describes this purposeful usage of technology best with these words: “In my experience, it is only in the context of rich experiential background that technology use is appropriate for elementary students.”