I think from the perspective of an English or History or Elementary teacher, networked classrooms sound like a lot of fun. Chapter 3 gave lots of examples of teachers who were excelling at creating networked classrooms, but they were all either History or English. What I'm frustrated with is that they seem to lend themselves to subjects whose focus is on flexible ideas and not so much the sort of factual information or traditional science practices I work with on a daily basis. For example, one of our very first units is on Cells... I don't see a whole lot of blogging, Skyping, etc. going on over the golgi apparatus.
The chapter also started off with the section titled "What Changes," and said that the change starts with us. I'm going to be honest in saying that, I don't know if I want to be the type of teacher that they described. I think this is another instance where subjects that focus on flexible ideas have a one up, but the book described finding other resources, educators, experts to teach the content, and even to collaborate with them. I think this is appropriate in an English classroom for sure. But is this really appropriate for Science? What I'm picturing may not be what the authors had in mind, but essentially I would find resources from other educators and experts to help them learn the content or they would find it. I feel like this is a lazy approach on my part to just let the students teach themselves. What I am there for then? To teach them to teach themselves is not what I had envisioned for my career as a teacher. I love Biology, I want to teach them Biology. I want to go find the resources that will enhance the curriculum and then present it to them in the classroom (in various ways) because that's my job: to be an expert in the content. I think I still feel most comfortable as the "sage on the stage," but I do see the value in teaching students how to gather resources, I would just prefer that I've done my part first.
There is a paragraph in that first section that talks about the culture changing in a networked classroom. In this culture, "teachers and students become co-learners as well as co-teachers" (Richardson &Mancabelli, 2011, p.61) and the process of gathering information described is kind of intriguing. It describes students as "scribes" that gather resources, and information and organize it on a blog so that essentially the blog becomes a substitute for a textbook. I think I could work with this idea in the Science classroom. I think this could easily become an assignment where students are required to create a "study blog" for the unit that includes resources and information that would be beneficial for them for upcoming unit tests. I am already planning on having a Twitter assignment in my classroom where they find information relevant to each unit and tweet about what they've found. I think this could be a good way to bring all that information together while allowing me to learn more from what they've gathered and them to learn more from each other as well.
The book presented seven different characteristics of networked classrooms, and I think these really serve to help you move up in the SAMR model. They are using technology to work collaboratively and create and share in ways that are innovative instead of just replacing paper with a keyboard. The characteristics were mostly things I'd heard before when discussing using technology in the classroom except for the last characteristic. I think the last characteristic of having authentic assessment is another area that I find to be a struggle. They talk about how "students are doing real work for real purposes for real audiences" (Richardson & Mancabelli, 2011, p.63). That statement kind of offended me a little. In the science field, getting down the factual information is not pointless. If you want to advance, then you have to have that background. And if I want my students to succeed on their EOC, we've got to get down the factual information. But I guess it does make sense when you think about how only maybe 25% of your students are going to continue using this information. There are lots of real problems to be tackled in the field of science, and I want my students to be able to do that. I want them to be able to be networked with other classrooms while we tackle a global water crisis or something similar. What I need is more time. I think a lot of my frustration from this chapter is that these projects sound amazing, but they would be a little more challenging to work into science, and the time is not there, at least not yet.
I really like these authors in that they try to make sure your fears are alleviated at the end of each chapter. They reminded us to start with ourselves, start small, realize we might fail, show the kids how to do this, and remember the goal (Richardson & Mancabelli, 2011). Despite all my negative thoughts toward this chapter, these reminders do help. I don't have to build Rome in a day, and I'll probably screw up some buildings along the way, but it's alright.
So, to end on a positive note, here's what I'm thinking as far as what transitioning to a networked classroom will look like for me. I think I'm going to start with the Twitter project where kids are gathering resources and tweeting on each unit. At least once, I'll have them create a study blog where they gather resources to help prepare them for the unit exam, and maybe just maybe by the end of the year, we can tackle a real problem and network with other classrooms. (The end of the year is really the only time available at least as I'm starting out and getting the hang of networking) .
The following is are some resources I looked over that would guide students in using Twitter. This first one talks about ways to use Twitter for research. There is a way that an alert (called a Twilert) can be placed on their phones to update them when specific keywords are used!The second article talks about the power of a hashtag. I would use a hashtag to help organize their resources that they post (especially for grading purposes).
References
Richardson, W., & Mancabelli, R. (2011). Personal learning networks: Using the power of connections to transform education. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
April,
ReplyDeleteAs a science teacher, I had some of the same concerns. In my physics classes, it would be great for students to connect with people who actually use physics principles in their career, but I worry about problem solving when it comes to homework questions, especially those that would be seen on the AP Exam. It would be great for them to connect with others to help them come to the correct answer and explain it differently then I can, but very strict measures would have to be taken to ensure that are learning how to solve the problem and not just mimicking others solutions. That being said, they could still do this without being in a networked classroom. That is just one of the biggest challenges that I see as we enter into a new age of technology. I also agree in the time aspect, this would have to be a long process that develops from year to year, not begin new at the beginning of each course.
April,
ReplyDeleteI completely understand your frustrations and I also think your "plan of attack" is GREAT! Don't be so hard on yourself, as you were saying, I think some subjects (and grades) are going to be easier than others to incorporate this change. I am having some of the same fears dealing with elementary age students. Should I really be introducing K-6 students to Twitter and blogging in the library? What about the rules of being 13 and over?? None of my students qualify. Great post!
April,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your concerns. In science there are facts they must know and laws they must know. There isn't much wiggle room but with social studies or English one can analyze and give opinions. However, with math and science it is factual. Some areas in science have more flexibility, but not all. I agree the best way to use networking is to have others teach, but that is my job to teach. However, I think as with everything, networking in our classes is not the silver bullet. I think there are appropriate times to use Plns and of course appropriate times to use other methods. I think it is adding to our tool box for in our classrooms.
April,
ReplyDeleteI understand your concerns! I had some of the same concerns when thinking about how to use this with elementary age students. Yes, I would love for them to connect with authors or other students reading the same book as them and have a "book talk", but that's a lot to teach 8 year olds (especially when at the beginning of the year they often don't know how to use a device for educational purposes at all!).
I really like your idea of the Twitter assignment of having students find resources relevant to a topic. Once your first class does this, it would be really cool (if you have them use a certain hashtag specifically for your class) to see the collection of resources and helpful "study guides" that your current students come up with for the future students of your class.
I also couldn't agree more about needing more time! I feel like our district is very fast-paced and there are certain things I have to squeeze into each quarter for my students to be successful on their Quarterly Assessments (probably similar to your EOC's). Add to that the amount of time I spend assessing and benchmarking and testing, and I've run out of time to teach technology related skills!
Great post!
“I noticed that the first part of this blog is a little negative... sorry.”
ReplyDeleteApril,
No need to apologize! Your comments tell me you are thinking deeply about the ideas that you are encountering. The new ideas are confusing to you based on your experiences. This is a very good thing! A state of confusion or disequilibrium indicates that learning is about to happen. Learners naturally attempt to resolve confusion. When confusion is resolved, learning has occurred. Embrace the confusion and be open to new ideas that help you gain new understandings.
“That statement kind of offended me a little. In the science field, getting down the factual information is not pointless. If you want to advance, then you have to have that background. ”
This is a very valid point. Neuroscience indicates that new learning "hooks" to old learning. It stands to reason that prior knowledge about the topic being studied is often considered the strongest predictor of student success. We often encounter students who are lacking in prior knowledge and in order to ensure their success we strive to assist them in building background knowledge. Background knowledge often consist of factual information and topic specific vocabulary that allows the learner to communicate about and understand the basics of the topic. However, in the Digital Age, that information doesn’t need to come from the teacher during classroom time and if it does, it not is probably not the best use of class time. I still see a need for minimal direct instruction, but why should digital learners listen to a lecture delivered by a teacher when they can access countless YouTube videos on virtually any topic and read countless web pages created experts in the field? Would your students be better served if you use a flipped model and delivered the background knowledge via video outside of class time? Not all of your students will need the background knowledge. Can you use technology to differentiate instruction for the more advanced learners? Would using class time to engage students in problem/project based activities help students to think and learn like a scientist? Can you guide students in evaluating web content for accuracy? I teach an undergraduate edtech class in which I ask the learners to evaluate science-related web content and select the most factual, valid content. Each time I teach the course, several students indicate that a page on the “endangered tree octopus” is more factual than the webpage that addresses sea cucumbers! The ability to evaluate web content is a necessary skill for today’s learners.
“ What I am there for then?”
I do understand your comfort level with being the sage on the stage. I, too, am still very comfortable being the sage, but I understand that is no longer what my students need from me so I kicked myself off the stage. Every teacher will have a different answer to the “Why am I in the classroom?” question. I encourage you to find your own answer. My answer is to no longer play the expert role. My job is to find the most efficient ways to help my students learn, to teach them how to learn, to encourage them to question what they read and hear, to teach them to ask question that help them further their understanding, and help them to make real world connections that will help them solve real world problems.
Keep questioning what you are reading and learning and continually ask yourself how the new ideas will best serve your students. You may reject some of the ideas, but try them on for size first. Baby steps are fine!
Happy learning!
Dr. Dell