I began my teaching career in 1995 when “you’ve got mail” and “surfing the worldwide web” were rather new and exciting phrases. I’ve never been the person who had to run out and get the latest tech gadget and my first cell phone was acquired because I was driving across country by myself, and I thought it would be a wise safety precaution. Basically, I used technology for my own purposes where and when it suited me, but I wasn’t an enthusiast. So it isn’t surprising that over the two decades I’ve been teaching, I have managed to maintain basic proficiency in the use of technology, especially when it was a tool that made my work quicker or easier. I didn’t feel a strong calling to bring technology into the classroom to use with my students and for their benefit. As you can probably guess, I had never built a website. I hadn’t even made my own videos! My cell phone was a phone, for Pete’s sake! So, when I look back on my journey through the Innovative Learning program that began only eleven months ago, I am proud of my growth. And here's where I want to go.
3 Comments
My first round of action research results showed that my students knew the importance of reading and felt that they should be reading well, but they didn't see themselves as successful readers. Further, increased reading volume didn't necessarily correspond to better reading comprehension. Put simply, if they don’t like it, they don’t do it. Increasing the amount of unsuccessful reading does not bring successful reading. My students needed their reading to bring them meaning, engagement, confidence, and yes, pleasure. For the second semester of the program I set out to develop a capstone project that would use 21st century learning innovations and technology to “hook” my students on reading. If more reading didn't lead to better reading... what is a solution? Originally my idea was that I could create a “reset” button”. Create that one positive experience with reading that might be a seed. I wanted to bring my readers enjoyment and motivation, especially those who had already experienced frustration and perceived failure. I had an idea, but I was, quite honestly, lacking some enthusiasm for it. I didn’t feel I had come up with a good solution yet. Near the beginning of the third semester, quite accidentally, the content of one of the 703 classes intrigued me. Marshall McLuhan presented the history of and the possible future of man’s communication, collaboration, “village making”, and literacy. I began to see that throughout mankind’s history and evolution, reading has not always existed. Technology brought about reading as we know it now. And technology could also do away with reading as we know it. Certainly, at the very least, the digital age will change reading. Somewhere in the middle of his theories, I found my enthusiasm for an approach to the next step in my capstone project. It was also when I stumbled across the transliteracy theorists. Basically, they propose that we should try to foster students who are transliterate, who have the “ability to read, write and interact across a range of platforms, tools and media from signing and orality through handwriting, print, TV, radio and film, to digital social networks.” (Thomas, S. with Joseph, C., Laccetti, J., Mason, B., Mills, S., Perril, S., and Pullinger, K. Transliteracy: Crossing divides, First Monday, Volume 12 Number 12 – 3 December 2007) For several weeks I viewed my ELA instruction through the lens of transliteracy. My lessons exposed the students to "reading" through text, audio, video, and multimedia. One important tool for me was the district-adopted ELA curriculum, StudySync. It has a robust digital component that incorporates visual and audio text, videos, peer modeling, peer collaboration and review, and 21st century learning tools. The results show that my students have one foot planted in each world - traditional reading and transliterate reading. A majority of my middle school students report that a real book is still their favorite way to read. At the beginning of my eight week exposure to a digital platform for reading and reading instruction, 52% of my students reported hating or disliking the multi-media, online reading program and only 14% liked or loved it. After months of exposure, the results were almost completely reversed: 10% of the students hated/dislike it and 57% like/loved it. Sixty-seven percent of the students reported that they felt they gained the best understanding of their reading when they read the text with audio and/or audio and visual highlighted tracking. Over half the students, 53%, report that the background information and skill videos are helpful or extremely helpful. One student said, "Three things that I like about the digital StudySync program are that I can listen and read to the text in the book other than just reading it wondering how to pronounce it, also it is very accessible because you have the book but if you like reading online you can sign into StudySync. The third thing I like about StudySync is that there are helpful videos that help understand the lesson." In the end, overall, 71% of the middle school prefer a digital platform for Language Arts.
My school site does not have its own technology mission statement. On our website, we are described as a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) school. A link to the NVUSD BYOD policy is provided. NVUSD BYOD policy We follow the District’s technology mission statement, one would assume. This is the first year that we have been given enough Chromebooks to sign out to students who do not have their own devices for the school year. We do not have Smartboards, our projectors are wired, and even then, each classroom has one projector shared among 4 teachers. Last school year we each received laptops in December. As a small site with a small budget, we face challenges to upgrade our technology.
As I consider how I can influence the 21st century use of technology at my site, I think the biggest role I can play is to share personally with my fellow teachers how I have learned to use the few resources that I have. If a teacher and a student have internet access, the world is literally at your fingertips. Teachers have choices how they plan their lessons and deliver content. In the Innovative Learning program, I’ve explored many new tools and resources. One tool that I think would be very useful for the Independent Studies setting is the flipped classroom approach with the use of mini lessons delivered by teacher-created videos with interactive features added with the use of EdPuzzle. Screencastomatic and Nearpod would also be simple, effective tools for our teachers. I’ve always loved the notion that enthusiasm is contagious, and I’m a big believer that teachers get most of their best ideas by begging, borrowing, and stealing them from other teachers. In our PLC meetings, I could share my newfound strategies and hope that others benefit. The audience for my capstone project will be fellow ELA teachers. This represents a shift as my capstone has developed. Originally I had thought my audience would be a mixture of students and teachers. As I’ve honed my project to include the theory of transliteracy, I’ve decided that my capstone includes elements so theoretical that it is most appropriate to explore with other educators. For me, exploring transliteracy is truly a question for developing in my innovative teaching. In other words, it is so far on the edge of my comfort zone that I have not landed in a place where I am ready to stand behind it fully and espouse it as the best new practice. I would feel uncomfortable having students be an audience to the capstone project in that regard, but I would feel it is appropriate to bring my fellow teachers along on this journey.
In the Learn More section, therefore, I will need to include some definitions, background, and research on transliteracy. I would like to include some of the video of Marshall McLuhan that we as a cohort explored for our 702 course. A box to stand on. The goal of the graduate program of education at Touro University is “to promote social justice by serving the community and larger society through the preparation and continuous support of professional educators to meet the needs of a constantly changing, challenging, and diverse student population.” When I first joined the Innovative Learning program, my understanding of the overall program did not take such a large, deep scope. I came with the desire to challenge my own thinking around the uses of technology and new teaching & learning strategies. I had realized that I had become too comfortable with my repertoire of pedagogical tools, classroom management routines, and teaching strategies. I was using a quickly stagnating “bag of tricks” and needed to stretch my comfort zone. I purposefully, and a bit fearfully, chose an area of study that I knew would push on my current biases. As well, over the years I had noticed an increasing need to address the needs of a changing population. In this regard, my goals and the T.U. program goals were already aligned. My observation has been that students are coming to us with heightened anxiety, a range of special learning needs, and from a diversity of cultures that increases through time. I have always felt that justice demands that each child receives what is due to him. Not the same treatment - but what is particularly needed to address specific needs. It is the distinction between equal education and equitable education. That goal is a philosophical underpinning. The very practical part of me knows that I need to walk away with concrete activities that I can use in my classroom so all of the deep thinking around innovative learning is not just an academic pursuit that will be shoved aside in the fast paced day of a classroom. Authenticity. As I’m wading through the process of reflecting on the content of the courses and creating my own capstone, I am constantly aware of my tendency to hold on to what I already know. I fully realize I come from a conservative family background, a traditional teaching past, and have a temperament that doesn’t like to take risks or be involved in conflict. Pushing the comfort zone is not simple. I can also find myself hyperfocusing on one idea and following it down a path I later question. Often I just don’t know where to start and sit there spinning my wheels in mud without driving anywhere! I also realize that I am an interrupter (middle child of 7 - it’s a bad, learned habit of survival in that pack of siblings) and can talk too much during class. What I desire from my cohort buddies is that they offer their honest thoughts and that they feel free to “bust me” when I’m too closed minded, narrowly focused, frozen with uncertainty, or need to listen more and talk less. Knowing the group already, I trust their intelligence, kindness, and ability to do all of the above with a sense of humor. An encouraging word. One thing I hope to do for my cohort is to offer encouragement throughout the process. We’re all full time teachers/coaches and we lead full, busy lives. It often helps to hear the good things about our projects, blogs, and teaching dilemmas. I can offer some insights based on 20+ years in the trenches. My experience doesn’t make me a better teacher than anyone else, but it’s given me a whole host of failures and successes to draw upon to help others. |
Nancy JaminetArchives
December 2017
Categories |