I was able to explain that by utilizing a variety tools such as, YouTube, iGo account with Google Drive, multitude of math websites, aforementioned online media and collaboration sites I was able to justify how diverse my class is. For some reason I spent the rest of my day and into this morning worrying that maybe I am forcing my students to spend to much time in front of screens, and that I may be doing a disservice to my students because we are focusing to much of our time online and using technology.
As an educator I know I am doing my job, I also feel that having a strong understanding of how to navigate and comprehend the online world is going to be essential for my students as they grow up in a technological world.
As I develop my blended classroom I continue to add in more and more modes of technology that my students can utilize. I guess as its stands right now I am feeling confused and frustrated as it comes to this issue of diversification within my classroom. By making the shift to an online classroom for most of my subjects I am noticing an increase in productivity from all my students, especially the ones who were completely reluctant to do any written work. Don't get me wrong there is still a lot of managing, and check ins required if not more so from pencil and paper work, because the disruptions and now "silent but deadly", and those incidences easily contribute to a conversation about being a good citizen and what the difference between a good real life citizen and a good digital citizen look like, and how closely those concepts are now related.
So I guess my opinion is that yes creating a blended classroom and utilizing the technology that our board encourages us to use as much as possible is what I need to be doing and it is good that I am doing as much as I am.
As I develop my blended classroom I continue to add in more and more modes of technology that my students can utilize. I guess as its stands right now I am feeling confused and frustrated as it comes to this issue of diversification within my classroom. By making the shift to an online classroom for most of my subjects I am noticing an increase in productivity from all my students, especially the ones who were completely reluctant to do any written work. Don't get me wrong there is still a lot of managing, and check ins required if not more so from pencil and paper work, because the disruptions and now "silent but deadly", and those incidences easily contribute to a conversation about being a good citizen and what the difference between a good real life citizen and a good digital citizen look like, and how closely those concepts are now related.
So I guess my opinion is that yes creating a blended classroom and utilizing the technology that our board encourages us to use as much as possible is what I need to be doing and it is good that I am doing as much as I am.
First off, kudos for struggling through all the challenges you're meeting in your teaching. This is a huge shift and I think you should be proud of yourself and your students that you're finding ways to make it work.
ReplyDeleteI have a question for you. "Diverse enough" for what? What exactly is the goal you are trying to meet. I'd say, if things are working right now, then it is a good time to take stock of how things are working, how they aren't. Tech is not always the solution and if you are getting new problems, then maybe you need to look for diversity in other ways. Tech just to use tech is usually a bigger problem. I know you're dealing with pressure from a board, not to mention being responsible to students and parents. But if learning is happening well, then you're doing well.
Thanks for the comment Kirsten. By diverse enough, the individual was meaning is there enough changes in the style of learning going on. As in do they have ample opportunity to explore and try a variety of things. I responded quickly and defensively. After thinking it through, I truly believe that yes there is enough diversity within the blended classroom (while transitioning to a paperless or as close to as possible) approach. The amount of tools out there and variety of differentiation tools needed are at our fingertips. Thanks for the positive words.
DeleteHi Kyle,
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you have put some meaningful reflection towards your teaching practice. We have been discussing the idea of providing teachers with many diverse options for using technology in the classroom. It was mentioned that while diversity is good, too much choice can be paralyzing for some people. When faced with too many options for performing a task, people can be slow to choose an option to use.
I would agree with that Dean. As part of the learning process I am in an experimental phase when it comes to using what types of sites, apps, and other online tools. I try to use sites that I am aware of and understand then teach them to my students. As the learning either develops or flops then I change as needed. I am in a state of constant change that is allowing me not to give the students too many options but keeping the changes coming. I do see the challenges of giving students to much choice and nothing gets done, but I feel I am conscious of that and try to keep the choices diverse but sparse depending on the lesson or focus.
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