Pedagogy+and+Technology+Cycle

Pedagogy and Technology

Competency IIB of the CT State Teacher Technology Competencies states:

 * ===B. Create new learning environments and develop new roles of teacher and learner.===

www.sde.**ct**.gov/sde/lib/sde/pdf/dtl/**technology**/cttct.pdf
**SCENARIO** Ms. Robson teaches at a "laptop" magnet middle school. All her 6th grade students come to class with laptops which they keep with them all day and can take home. Ms Robson has decided that her students should document the history of their local area surrounding their school. The student learning outcomes include: knowledge of historical documentation; communinty awareness; interviewing skills; and writing skills and oral presentation skills. So she has created a lesson designed to obtain an "oral history" of their area. Each student has reviewed online biographies of community volunteers and officials, ( @http://www.cityofboston.gov/mayor/bio.asp) and selected a person to interview (including the mayor, the local historical society chair, the Chamber of Commerce president, and an elderly couple that has lived all their lives near the school). Ms. Robson has asked her students to draft interview questions using MS Word, exchange them for peer review with tracked changes with revisions and comments, until she approved each student's final copies. Final consensus is created by working on the smart board.( @http://lms.uconn.edu/webct/ContentPageServerServlet/sampleq.doc)

Ms. Robson asks students to digitally record their interviews so students can edit audio clips using iMovie into powerpoint presentations. Ms. Robson has scheduled a day for students to present their work and have it broadcast on public access cable for the community to view, with a compilation published on the class website and an associated podcast. Ms. Robson has arranged for their "sister school" in China to complete the same project and exchange presentations using iSight webcams and classroom projection.

**THOUGHTS**
 * ===Is Ms. Robson's lesson representative of novice, beginner, proficient or advanced example of a technology-based "learning environment" from your understanding of what is "good pedagogy."===

//This lesson is really ambitious with too many different tools where the teacher seems to be scratching the surface of many programs.// // As a teacher she should be intentionally focusing on one or two main aspects / uses for technology. When you break down her lesson // // there are two main components research and presentation. Rather than use so many different tools (Word, Smartboard, Garage Band, // // iMovie, PowerPoint, Cable broadcast, website, podcast, presentation with their sister school) focusing on one or two, rather than so many be // // sufficient for this age group. Ms. Robson's goals for the lesson are for her students to have knowledge of historical documentation, community //// awareness, interviewing skills, writing and oral presentation skills. None of these are technology goals. She is integrating the technology use as a //// tool to work towards the lesson's goals. // // Ms. Robson likely meets the expectations of her students, in her integration of technology. One of the digital resources for this challenge quotes, // “Students repeatedly told us that the quality of their Internet-based assignments was poor and uninspiring. They want to be assigned more—and more engaging—Internet activities that are relevant to their lives. Indeed, many students assert that this would significantly improve their attitude toward school and learning" (http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2002/The-Digital-Disconnect-The-widening-gap-between-Internetsavvy-students-and-their-schools/Summary-of-Findings.aspx?r=1)

The way the money was spent on the technology was great. The presentation of their findings is very important, not only to their understanding of interviewing, but so they know their hard work is being shown to others. The technology also allows the presentation to be professional and clean looking. These are all real world skills students in the 21st century need to have. It does not change teaching all that much. I think the students are accomplishing the same thing a student could have accomplished twenty years ago by different means. For example, students could read about various important local people in newspapers or ask around town to decide who to interview. They could write up interview questions and exchange them in class for handwritten review, and they could have written a script or recorded the interview’s sound (though video definitely produces a different effect). The two pieces that are more advanced uses of technology and therefore draw out new learning are the interactions with the Chinese class via webcam and the broadcasted final work. Interacting with a class from a foreign country live via webcam provides a unique learning experience about cultural differences and the broadcast work presents a unique incentive for the students to produce purposeful work they are truly proud of. Ms. Robson definitely adding many complex components to her big idea and would be well advised to simplify and streamline her unit, with the addition of things like internet searches and webquest activities, and the reduction in the amount and breadth of multiple technological facets (Word, Garage Band, iMovie, PowerPoint, iSight…). Ms. Robson seems like she is technologically savvy and her implementing this technology into the curriculum would seem to support her pedagogical beliefs There is a measurable goal/s that Ms. Robson has designed a working lesson around. Is there scientific proof? Well, Ms. Robson could collect data as her students navigate through the lesson. She could use data collected through the students interviews, working documents, revisions and final product. These aren't necessarily going to provide "scientific proof", with qualitative and quantitative data. Ms. Robson could also compare the data she collects from her students using technology, to a class who doesn't use it, but completes the same lesson. This is a real-world experience. That is one thing this group has not done is create an interactive map of the community. Maybe they can do that next and have little avatars move around the screen to explore different places and meet the different officials. The socialization that technology recommends is now becoming a different type of social. Now students can communicate through social networks and Skype or Facetime. Technology is making communication and socialization accessible to the masses. Ms. Robson has outlined the specific use of technology in this lesson through word, smartboard, powerpoint, and imovie. She appeared to plan so the potential hazards of open-ended technology that can present distractions, was avoided. As long as the people being interviewed know what the end product will be and give permission for their footage to be published I think they are okay. The students should credit all sources in a works cited. Additionally, having parent signed releases for videotaping and using video chat. Students should also understand how to appropriately communicate with others from different cultures. There may be sensitive material, not intentionally included in the lesson that could be offensive to the sister-school. For example, if there were some sort of historical event where the Chinese were persecuted in their area, or something similar.
 * ===Could the money be spent better than on technology in this classroom to further the education of the students?===
 * ===Is this use of technology changing teaching?.. learning?.. both?===
 * ===Is this application saving the teacher time and making her more productive or is it adding to the complexity of teaching and learning?===
 * ===In this instance of technology integration enhancing the teacher's domain understanding or pedagogical skill?===
 * ===Is there scientific proof that technology is "working" in this instance?===
 * ===Is technology in this instance preventing students from having a more authentic real-world (vs virtual world) experience?===
 * ===In this instance, is there a danger that students might become addicted to media and less social in real life?===
 * ===Is there an ethical, legal, or social concern with using technology in this instance?===