Reflection of EDUC-67101: Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society

Upon reflection of my latest course taken through Walden University, I realize that I have gained a wealth of new knowledge and skills that will assist me in preparing my students for the 21st century workplace. Blogs, wikis, and podcasts are all extremely accessible and meaningful resources that can be used for collaboration, assessment, and communication purposes. I am eager to begin incorporating these various technological tools in my own classroom because I believe that my students will enjoy and benefit from these new web tools.

To begin, this particular course has helped me to develop my own technology skills in the classroom. While I have been keeping my own teacher’s weblog for quite some time and have also required my students to create their own blogs in the past, I did not make enough use of them to be considered a valuable learning tool. Now that I have revisited the idea of keeping a blog and have gathered numerous ideas for their use, I am convinced that blogs are excellent methods of communication that I would like to reinstate in my classes. In his book Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms, Will Richardson (2010) provides many interesting ways of incorporating blogs into lessons. For example, he suggests having students create their own blogs to “complete class writing assignments” and “express their opinions on topics you are studying in class” (p. 40). As a language arts teacher, I know there are countless interesting prompts I can post onto my blog to which students can respond on their own blogs. Additionally, I appreciate the opportunities for peer to peer communication that blogs allow. Some students are very shy and may be hesitant to participate in class. Blogs give all students a voice, and some students may be more comfortable sharing in this mode. Richardson (2010) writes that a blog gives these taciturn students “the opportunity to share in writing the ideas they may be too shy to speak” (p. 27). After gaining more experience with blogs through this course, I am excited to give them a second chance. In addition to blogs, I have learned much more about wikis and podcasts, two forms of technology I have never used before. I will admit that I felt somewhat anxious about using these tools because I believed that they would be very challenging and time-consuming. However, I now know that they are both relatively simple and even fun to use. Creating a podcast and contributing to a group wiki for this course have proven to me that I can absolutely make room for these types of technology in my curriculum, and fortunately, I also feel comfortable teaching my students how to utilize podcasts and wikis.

Furthermore, this course has expanded my own knowledge of the evolving teaching and learning process. According to Dr. David Thornburg, some important issues in the world of education today include the changing work environment, the fact that today’s students learn differently from students in the past, and the changing role of the teacher (Laureate Education, Inc.). Today’s changing work environment has an enormous impact on the teaching and learning process because students need to be prepared in new ways. In “The Changing Work Environment: Part 2,” Dr. Chris Dede discusses critical skills that our students will need for the future, including expert decision making skills and complex communication skills (Laureate Education, Inc.). Therefore, the teaching and learning process must change in order to address these components. In fact, there is an abundance of newer skills with which our students should be equipped by the time they graduate. These skills are called 21st century skills, and they include critical thinking, problem solving, social responsibility, leadership, and more. Of course, this changes the teaching and learning process because teachers now have more responsibility in the classroom. In addition to the basic curriculum, teachers must ensure that they are incorporating lessons and activities that teach these necessary skills. Luckily, The Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a national organization, has created a helpful website for educators to assist them in this endeavor. They believe that “U.S. schools must align classroom environments with real world environments” in order to prepare students “to successfully face rigorous higher education coursework, career challenges, and a globally competitive workforce” (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2011). In today’s workforce, these skills are particularly valuable because the job market is very competitive. Moreover, we are living in an era of globalization and outsourcing, and many jobs are being given to those overseas. Friedman (2005) writes, “Globalization 3.0 is not only going to be driven more by individuals but also by a much more diverse -- non-Western, nonwhite -- group of individuals. In Globalization 3.0, you are going to see every color of the human rainbow take part” (p. 2). To ensure that our students have a chance in the global workforce, we must begin preparing them now. Unfortunately, preparing our students for tomorrow is not as easy as it once was because young people learn differently from previous generations. While I had suspected that today’s students are different, this course’s resources verified the changes that have taken place in the way students learn. Marc Prensky (2001), informs us that digital natives, or today’s students, “are all ‘native speakers’ of the digital language of computers, video games and the Internet” while digital immigrants “were not born into the digital world but have, at some later point…become fascinated by and adopted many or most aspects of the new technology” (p.1). Because many of our schools’ digital natives are being taught by digital immigrants, there is a divide between the archaic teaching methods of the past, such as the reliance on lectures, and the innovative teaching styles of today, such as the use of various technologies. It is my belief that educators must adapt to the learning styles of today’s students by teaching what they want to learn, putting their excellent multi-tasking abilities to use, and including activities that hold their interest and challenge them to use technology in various ways.

Next, while I have always agreed with the philosophy that a classroom should be learner-centered, I have certainly gained new ideas about how to maintain this type of learning environment. The teacher should not be the focus of the classroom. It is difficult to avoid this mentality as our students are often used to it as well, but the attempt must be made to keep the focus on students, whether they are working individually or in groups. I think that a teacher should fulfill a facilitator-like role. Students should be doing the work on their own, with a teacher available for guidance and support. Incorporating activities such as class discussions, groups projects, debates, blogs, wikis, web quests, and podcasts put more responsibility on the students’ shoulders. Requiring students to complete the work themselves and adhere to deadlines teaches responsibility and helps to preserve a rigorous, challenging work environment. Additionally, students learn better when they are completing work on their own. For example, asking students to complete a web quest assignment about WWII, complete with photographs; film clips; and timelines; will surely teach them more about the event than sitting behind a desk; listening to a teacher’s lecture; and taking notes would teach them. Another learner-centered activity is the utilization of a wiki. Through wikis, students can collaborate on an assignment and communicate in a fresh way. In “Spotlight on Technology: Collaboration through Wikis,” teacher Jeff Houston demonstrates how teachers can guide students through the learning process and interact with students in an unobtrusive manner that keeps the focus on students. Also, “more companies are using social computing tools to aid collaboration and to foster innovation and growth” (Tapscott & Williams, 2007). Therefore, learner-centered activities, such as the wiki, are proven to be effective ways of preparing students for their futures.

While I believe that I learned many valuable things in this course, I know that my own education is far from over. I may now know how to integrate blogs, wikis, and podcasts in my classroom, but there are many other types of technology I have yet to discover. I will continue to expand my knowledge of learning, teaching, and technology by continuing my coursework through Walden University. I will take advantage of the professional learning opportunities that my school has to offer and continue to read scholarly journals that focus on the teaching of language arts. When new forms of technology that can be used in the classroom are brought to my attention, I will do my best to learn about them so that I can share my knowledge with my students. Additionally, I will listen to my students about the content they wish to learn and make sure that they are finding accurate, reliable information on their quests for knowledge.

This course has inspired me to set two goals for transforming my classroom environment in the near future. My first goal is to incorporate a technological component into each unit of the curriculum. For example, during the Shakespeare unit, I could have my students collaborate on a wiki as part of a group assignment based on social offenses found in Romeo and Juliet. During our reading of The Odyssey, students can create podcasts that describe how their own virtues compare to those of Odysseus. And as for blogs, I can require students to post in response to topics that are relevant to each text that we read together. Unfortunately, in my goal to integrate more technology, I could potentially run into problems with Internet access at my school. There is little that I can do to overcome these issues, but I must do my best to remain optimistic and not relinquish my plans to prepare my students to be technologically proficient. Of course, as 87% of today’s students have Internet access in their homes and the rest may use the computers available after school, I can also require Internet-related work to be completed outside of class (Laureate Education, Inc.). Next, my second goal is to remain open-minded and be willing to evolve along with my students. If my students are 21st century learners, then I want to be a 21st century teacher. I plan to create exciting lesson plans that engage my students and hold their interest. I also plan to teach my students as many 21st century skills as possible, so that they become responsible, intelligent, empathetic, well-rounded individuals who are very successful in the workplace of tomorrow. I do not foresee any obstacles that could stand in the way of this goal. As long as I continue to teach the curriculum, I believe that my inclusion of these skills would be supported by my colleagues and administrators.

After revisiting the checklist from Week 1, I have found a few of my answers to be changed. Specifically, one statement reads “Provide students with multiple and varied opportunities for using technology tools and resources to support the learning.” In the beginning of the course, I selected “Sometimes” as my answer, but now, in regard to my plans for the upcoming school year, I would select “Often” because I am now equipped with more options for technology inclusion in my classroom. Furthermore, another statement reads “Promote the development of leadership and technology skills in my students and colleagues.” Again, I chose “Sometimes” as my answer a few weeks ago, but now I would choose “Often.” I feel comfortable teaching blogs, wikis, and podcasts not just to my students, but to my colleagues, as well. Having knowledge of these newer technological tools makes me feel empowered and confident because I could easily help my colleagues learn how to use these tools so that they can also enhance their own instruction.

Overall, I believe it is clear that this course has helped me to become a more effective educator who is equipped to prepare digital natives for the 21st century workplace. I cannot wait to begin improving my unit plans with all of the ideas I have gained in this course!

References

Friedman, T. (2005, April 3). It's a flat world, after all. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/03/magazine/03DOMINANCE.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=It's%20a%20flat%20world,%20after%20all&st=cse

Laureate Education, Inc (2010). Spotlight on Technology: Collaboration Through Wikis” [Video]. (Available from Walden University).

Laureate Education, Inc (2010). The Changing Work Environment, Parts 1 and 2 [Video].

(Available from Walden University).

Prensky, M. (2001a). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5).

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd

ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Tapscott, D., & Williams, A. (2007, March 26). The wiki workplace. Businessweek.com.

Retrievedfrom http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/mar2007/id20070326237620.htm?chan=search

The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills. (2011). The partnership for 21^st century skills [Website].

Retrieved from http://www.p21.org.

Adventures in Podcasting

Podcast #1: Profiling the Students of Today

I think most teachers today would agree that our profession is becoming more challenging with each passing year due to the technologically-evolved student populations in our classrooms. The majority of our students are what Marc Prensky (2001) refers to as “digital natives” or “‘native speakers’ of the digital language of computers, video games and the Internet” while many of today’s teachers are considered to be “digital immigrants” who “were not born into the digital world but have, at some later point…become fascinated by and adopted many or most aspects of the new technology” (p.1). In an effort to learn more about these digital natives, I interviewed a young man who is soon to be a junior in high school. I asked him an assortment of questions relating to his digital abilities and interests, and while I did not have access to any other students his age, I believe that his responses seem typical for his age and grade level.

Furthermore, I have created a podcast based on my questions and the student’s answers. While I had never produced a podcast before and felt somewhat apprehensive about the process, I wanted to gain some experience with this type of technology so that I can begin utilizing it in my classroom next year. In regard to the use of podcasting in the classroom, Will Richardson (2010) writes, “Before you get your students podcasting, I would urge you to try it out first…I think you need to experience what you are asking your students to do—not only so you can support their technical use, but also so you understand what Web publishing really feels like” (p. 117). Thankfully, I found podcasting to be extremely simple and can imagine my students having a lot of fun creating podcasts for our class. After creating my very first podcast, I now have a better understanding of both podcasting and the average day in the life of a digital native.

References

Prensky, M. (2001a). Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon, 9(5).

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Teaching for Tomorrow: A Review of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills website

Due to the current global economy, the learning of 21st-century skills has become a significant focus in today’s educational setting. Fortunately, there are resources designed to aid educators in the teaching of these essential skills. One such resource is the website of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, or P21. Upon reviewing the website, I found it to be an excellent source for teachers who recognize the need to address 21st century skills in their classrooms.

According to the organization’s mission statement, the group’s goal is to “serve as a catalyst to position 21st century readiness at the center of US K12 education by building collaborative partnerships among education, business, community and government leaders” (Partnership for 21st Century Skills, 2011). It is for this reason that such high-profile companies as Apple Computer, Inc., Microsoft Corporation, and AOL Time Warner Foundation were instrumental in establishing P21. More specifically, P21 aims to “align classroom environments with real world environments by fusing the 3Rs and 4Cs” (P21, 2011). The 3Rs refer to the academic subjects and content areas that are already addressed in schools, such as English; science; and the arts; while the 4Cs include critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity (P21, 2011). To bring all of these areas together would prepare students to be effective citizens in the future.

One reason why I found the website to be a terrific discovery is due to the numerous resources that are accessible on the site. For example, under the State Initiatives tab, one can find separate pages dedicated to the sixteen U.S. states that have adopted plans to “ensure 21st century readiness for every student” (P21, 2011). I was pleased to find that the state in which I live, New Jersey, is one of the states that has committed itself to this endeavor. Upon selecting ‘New Jersey,’ I was redirected to another website. This site, titled Route 21, includes an abundance of information referring to 21st century skills, state standards, professional development, and more. However, I was surprised to find that this particular site does not seem to be updated. Based on the language used and dates given in the text, I do not believe the information has been updated in quite some time. While the site was published in 2007, I could not find a date for the most recent site update. In addition to state initiatives, one can click on the Tools & Resources heading to find separate pages for educators, policymakers, and parents, among others. By clicking on the Educators link, I discovered a 21st Century Skills English Map, which was designed with the National Council of Teachers of English. While I am a member of the NCTE, I was surprised when I stumbled upon this map because I had never seen it before. The map, which focuses on the 4th, 8th, and 12th grades, seems to be a great source; not only does it give definitions of each skill to be taught, but it also provides sample students outcomes and examples of lessons to use in order to teach these skills. I will absolutely be using this map during my curriculum planning in the future.

While there is a plethora of information available on the P21 website, I did not come across any information with which I disagree. However, one area that I believe is lacking is the page for Parents and Communities underneath the Tools & Resources heading. If these 21st century skills are truly as valuable as we educators are led to believe, then our students need to be practicing them in all areas of life, not just in the school setting. I would have liked to have read information for parents about what they can be doing to support these ideas and teach these crucial skills in the home so that our students are given as many opportunities for success as possible.

After reviewing the Partnership for 21st Century Skills website and gleaning many sources of related information, I can confidently say that I will be accessing this site again in the future, and I highly recommend it to others who are interested in incorporating these skills into their own courses. After reading the organization’s mission statement and inspiration behind this initiative, it would be nearly impossible for one to ignore the positive concepts and possible outcomes that would result from integrating these skills into the curriculum. Contemporary teachers might have more on their plates in regard to the additional skills they are now expected to teach, but to ignore the significance of these skills in our future societies would be doing our students and our communities a disservice. If we truly care about preparing our students to be the best citizens that they can be, then we simply must utilize resources such as the one described here to assist us in our goals.

References

The Partnership for 21^st Century Skills. (2011). The partnership for 21^st century skills [Website]. Retrieved from http://www.p21.org.

Blogging in the English Classroom

This past school year, I taught 9^th grade world literature classes for both College Prep A and College Prep B level students. Typically, I teach freshman students. Because my high school includes 9^th-12^th grade level students, I consider it my responsibility to help ease the transition of my students into the larger, often more stressful high school environment and prepare them for the next few years of required English courses. I have found Weblogs to be a great technological tool for my classroom, although I would like to incorporate more use of them in the future.

One advantage I have discovered in using a class blog is that of a homework reminder for my students. For the past few years, I have kept a weekly blog to write down the homework assignment for each night. Although the weekly homework is written on the board in front of the room and we review the homework together each day, of course there are students who forget to write it down in their school-provided planners or forget these agenda books in their lockers at the end of the school day. Therefore, all students need to do is access my blog to help them remember what is required. It is also very beneficial for parents who wish to know whether their children have work to complete at home. As the parents of freshman students, it is often difficult for them to know when it is time to allow their kids to be fully responsible for work that is either completed or unfinished. Some 9^th grade students do not need any assistance from parents while others still require a great amount of guidance and homework supervision.

In addition to homework, I post a very brief overview of the lesson or activities to be completed each day. Therefore, when students are absent, they may visit the blog to review what was missed. If they have the necessary materials at home with them, they will know what needs to be done so that they do not fall behind in class. Again, parents may also find this beneficial when they are checking due dates and assessing student progress toward the completion of a paper or project. I agree with the author of Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms when he writes that “having a place to publish the course curriculum, syllabus, class rules, homework assignments, rubrics, handouts, and presentations makes a Weblog a powerful course management tool” (Richardson, 2010, p. 21). While I plan to continue managing a class blog in the future, I would like to expand my use of Weblogs by requiring my students to create their own Weblogs for different purposes.

Two years ago, I assigned my students to create their own blogs as another means of classroom participation. In addition to sharing their thoughts and questions about the texts we were reading during class discussions, students also posted comments and responses to prompts I gave them through the class blog. This opened the doors for a different kind of interaction between classmates. Instead of just handing in an assignment for the teacher to read, students were able to read and comment on each other’s work. This idea appealed to me because as a major advocate of classroom participation, I am always looking for more opportunities for student involvement. I know that some students are not willing to participate due to shyness and introverted personalities, so I thought that participating on a blog would help alleviate some fears and anxiety. Similarly, Richardson (2010) believes that a blog “supports different learning styles” and that students “take ownership of the space” which “can lead to a greater sense of participation” (p. 27). However, I did not assign my students enough prompts to make the blogs truly worthwhile. In the future, I would work harder to give the blog a more significant role in the curriculum.

Another aspect of blogs that intrigues me is the opportunity it affords for working with a larger community. Students take more pride in their work when it is viewed by a larger audience. Therefore, I would like to enable my students to share their work with an extended community by posting it on their blogs. For example, during the Shakespeare unit, students write their own sonnets or create a comic strip to summarize Act 3. If they knew that they would posting their work to the blog upon completion, students might put more effort into their work since many more people would have the chance to view and comment on their projects. Moreover, my students can actually work with students from a different environment altogether. In Web Literacy for Educators, Alan November (2008) suggests that teachers use blogs to “create a forum for collaboration with other students” through the use of “online projects with students around the world” (p. 84). This exciting endeavor would certainly enrich my students’ learning experience and open their eyes to a world of possibilities that would be nonexistent without the Internet.

Overall, I believe that the use of Weblogs enhances the experiences of students in the classroom in addition to the quality of work produced. I am eager to discover new uses of Weblogs and to incorporate them into a language arts classroom in various ways.

References

November, A. (2008). Web literacy for educators. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.