No single educator, even if teaching the same content or having identical Myers-Briggs letters, can be placed in the same box. Regis Jesuit has been a respite for me in allowing the opportunity of teaching in my strengths rather than a curriculum of conformity, yet as we technologically look ahead there are many movements to the “same box” - 1:1 classrooms (where every individual has access to technology at any moment and as the need arises) and Canvas.
This causes issues for the tech transitions happening in our school, and it can inspire a feeling that we are being forced to adopt things that either make life more complicated or just do not support learning. I will respond to these issues by offering a model of development in education for reflection.
Technology may offer us an alternative to the “sage on stage” model where a teacher’s vocation is one of knowledge transfer, to see our task as building knowledge sharing and eventually supporting the student to experience the joy of engaging in knowledge communities. I will consider these three points different models of teaching. Ultimately, the way you integrate technology - what you use and how you use it - will depend on what model you have adopted or will work to adopt.
Knowledge transfer is how most of us were formed. There are strengths to this, and from my experience in Germany this method gave me the best education I ever received. In this stage, technology can support effective learning as a note taking tool or content delivery device. From SmartBoards to PowerPoints to Canvas to iPad apps like Socrative, NearPod or Notability, next year will support this method.
Knowledge sharing may connote the dreaded, and often ineffective, group work scenario; or as we train and sustain accountability, it actually refers to collaborative learning with things like project-based learning. Integrating apps like GoogleDrive, Dropbox, Blogger, Explain Everything, Class Dojo -- with Canvas’ “Discussions” and the previous stage’s technologies -- into planning can support students seeing the classroom as a place to share knowledge rather than solely absorbing it.
The final stage, knowledge communities, embeds the previous stages with the goal of inspiring the spirit of self-learning in our students. This moves us beyond the personal choice of the student (which I had to do in Germany in order to survive) to nurturing this as a natural urge from within the student. Rather than a sage, the teacher now becomes a coach or consultant. The 1:1 environment acknowledges that knowledge is always available and centers on the questions, “how do students discern which knowledge is accurate and useful?” and “how does this student answer the problems posed to him/her creatively, competently, and faithfully?” Now iPads, mobile devices and technology in general allows, for instance, Twitter to become a place where my cohort evolves beyond the classroom to the larger community focused not on personal expression but intellectual and professional evolution. Our libraries provide mobile access to databases, online communities, and class room consultation to train these skills. The teacher then models the learning s/he requires, which demands some restructuring of curriculum to showcase students learning - the process as well as the product.
As teachers, we know an aspect of our vocation is to continually learn and, in doing so, rejuvenate our minds. The opportunity that technology presents for us next year can be overwhelming, but if we engage in this together as a community, I believe and hope it will be rewarding. Just the examples that I have seen in the Boys Division: Bob Bowers using his Camera app and AirServer to facilitate group reading and editing, Billy Willson using Notability to create homework reviews, Jeff Goldsmith, Jen Gray, and Bill Kehrman using discussions on Canvas to augment learning, Candace Busselmeier flipping her classroom with Explain Everything and other apps; these examples show me that there are a myriad of ways technology can support our teaching. I’ve even heard about Sarah Sherwood giving instruction to other teachers on how to use AirServer - each of us has more capacity than we think! Please know Kathy and I are here to support your use, at any level, of technology. Our goal is not to force technology, but to use it to assist the development of a creative and challenging learning environment that prepares our students for the world they will be entering.
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