I mean that in the more traditional sense. One of the things that I found very interesting about David’s presentation is his examination of the traditional classroom. He noted that students are constantly “plugged in” to technology and we admonish it, yet when we get them into the classroom we are educating what looks to be thirty drones, not students. Kids are bored, exhausted, literally sleeping, and not absorbing anything. We are not connecting because we’re not playing the same game. The term “get on my level” comes to mind. I think it’s fascinating and exciting that we are finally entering into this conversation now. It prompts me to think in different ways, and more specifically, about how the classroom is arranged, and where and how the learning takes place (in a more physical sense). Desks don’t have to be in rows and they also don’t have to permanently be in a circle either. They can move. If you think they are too loud, buy tennis balls, cut a slit in them and stick them on the bottom of the desk legs to prevent them from making noise or scratching the floor. Then, I challenge myself to move. ; simply to move my student’s desk more. I also challenge myself to have them sit on the floor. Arrange a lesson, even if it involves writing….around sitting down on the floor. Have them sit on top of their desks. Have them stand. Have them move. Then, I challenge myself to move outside of the classroom more physically. There is a park nearby that could aid countless learning activities if they are well-planned.
Widen the Audience:
Technology lends to the idea of widening the audience in a very obvious way. We can now instantaneously reach millions and billions of people in countless countries at any time (and at the same time). But what if we widened the audience, not only for the students, but for the teachers as well? What if I started interacting with more teacher-based learning sites and blogs and programs that lend to my development as a professional? I think that ties in very well with the notion of Creative Commons and the sharing of ideas and developments and thoughts, and I think it gets at WHY we all want to be teachers at the very start of our careers, for the benefit of the students (no matter if they are in your classroom or across the world).
Break the Box:
Finally, I am interested in break the traditional box that says technology really lends to the Sciences and not as much to Humanities. I teach in both realms and I really struggle with moving beyond the PowerPoint and the Video Clip (and even that can sometimes be a challenge) in Literature and English. I want to push myself to see how I can get outside of that Passive-Learning mind frame for the Humanities and really get our hands dirty in the classroom. I feel like this is easy to do when you are teaching Earth Science, but what about Figurative Language and Poetry? Aren’t the themes within this subject area so broad that they connect us across cultural and religious boundaries? Why can’t I connect with the themes through technology? Can’t I find a way to thread the two together? I think I very well can, and it just will take that push to make it happen.
Some great thoughts here, Mary. As an English teacher, I also wrestle with the question of how to make greater use of technology to move things forward in the humanities. I have a difficult time picturing whether it will actually amount to a different way of doing things, or just be the same thing presented via different media.
ReplyDeleteOn a different note, things may not be as passive in the humanities as they appear. For children who have a tendency to be self-learners, there is still nothing more engaging than a book. In addition, I find that my students will take part very intensely in discussions about literature. Where I struggle to keep them focused is on the nuts and bolts of language - grammar - and perhaps technology can make that more interesting.
I found the Voice Thread this week to bea great tool and something that I think my English students could use.
I love your idea of movement within the physical space of classroom. If kids aren't usually still why do we then expect them to be in the classroom? I think there is a concern that while we are making these connections as teachers the students might not get the point. Is that even a concern? Or is the "third place" as David puts it, a real place? A real "space" where students balance learning and socializing between home and school. Mary you are on to something for sure but your later issue plays a role within your first idea as well. Moving around and getting involved in hands on activities seems to make more sense for the sciences rather than humanities. There is a challenge in getting students out of their seats and taking a "hands-on" approach to writing and literary themes. But I think theres is a certain level of kinesthetics that takes place by simply being at a key board or walking to a computer lab. Yes it may seem a bit of a stretch but as David reminded us, incorporating a wide variety of technologies should take place in the course of a school day not necessarily in the course of a single class. So maybe powerpoint in English yes, but hands on technologies is science is a nice variation in the school day. None the less your innovative ways of thinking is will lend a hand to change regardless or how it's done in each class.
ReplyDeleteMary,
ReplyDeleteI like the big picture strategies you chose to reflect upon. Moving, literally changing perspective, is a great strategy and I liked your ideas about being more flexible and consistent in shaking up your classroom arrangement. This low tech strategy has enormous potential to invigorate teaching and learning on a regular basis. I think Web 2.0 is all about widening the audience, but also providing an authentic audience. So many Web 2.o tools allow students to publish to a wider audience, in turn providing an actual audience outside of the classroom that can inform their writing, thinking - learning! Finally, thinking outside the box can be challenging to our comfort zones, but is so important in stretching ourselves as educators. The more you do it, the easier (though no more comfortable) it becomes and the reward of student enthusiasm and learning makes it all worthwhile.
Aimee