Salt and Pepper,
Batman and Robin,
Education and Technology...
By Sonja Brooks
Like salt and pepper, peanut butter and jelly, reading and writing, Abbott and Costello, Batman and Robin; some things just go together. Add education and technology to the list. As I began the Masters in the Art of Educational Technology (MAET) program at Michigan State University in May 2010, I knew education and technology were connected. I was using technology in my classroom and I was enjoying it. I saw the benefits of student learning through technology and I wanted to explore it further. This is the reason I chose to begin the MAET program. As early as my first courses in the program, CEP 810 with Susan Way and CEP 811 with Nancy Ayers, my perspective on educational technology began to immediately evolve. I began to see the difference from what I was currently doing in my classroom to what was possible. I wasn’t using available technology to its fullest extent to create meaningful experiences for the students. And so I realized that although I knew education and technology went well together, my perspective on this bond needed an adjustment.
Starting out in the MAET program I was already familiar with using computers. I explored on my own to figure out how to use programs. I relied on basic knowledge gained from talking with peers and through trial and error. In quoting lyrics from The Avett Brothers, “When I was young I knew most everything...” Well, when I was young in technology I thought I knew everything I needed to know about the basic Microsoft Applications and building a simple web page. The first courses I took through the MAET program were the Certificate Courses; CEP 810: Teaching for Understanding with Computers (Susan Way), CEP 811: Adapting Innovative technologies to Education (Nancy Ayers), and CEP 812: Applying Educational Technology to Problems of Practice (Susan Wright), showed me differently. Like all things in life, when you think you know most everything, you need open your mind to learning and be prepared for a humbling experience.
The Certificate Courses were the first experiences I had in critical thinking about technology use. Before these courses, it never occurred to me that critical thinking was... well.. critical here. One of the first assignments for CEP 810 was to outline a personal plan for technology. At this point in the program this assignment proved difficult. I began to realize my scope of technology was minimal. The successive assignments opened my eyes to what I was missing out on, what my students were missing out on. Though all of the assignments in these courses were significant building blocks to learning and understanding technology use in terms of education, I want to focus on three major assignments for CEP 811 and CEP 812. They exhibit what was learned in each course as a product I can take away to use with my students.
Using Familiar Applications in New Ways
PowerPoint is a computer application I started using in 1998, my sophomore year of high school. I was self taught. I used it over the years for numerous projects and presentation, each time becoming more fluent with its features. Knowing the features helped in creating a PowerPoint coined a StAIR for CEP 811. A StAIR is a way to use PowerPoint as an interactive learning tool for students. The StAIR includes a mini lesson the child can navigate on their own, intermixed with questions the student will answer along the way. This project challenged me to use many features of PowerPoint I had never used before including recording personalized audio, linking to slides within the presentation, and linking to external websites. It was extremely rewarding to experience using a familiar application such as PowerPoint in a completely new manner. The greatest reward came when I used it in my classroom. My StAIR was created to help the students with the concept of counting money. The students enjoyed the extension on math with technology immensely. They often ask to do it over and over again.
Traversing the Web With Young Learners
Using the Internet as a learning tool with first grade students can be an intimidating thought. There is so much information out there to protect the children from. Teachers are entrusted to protect and care for their students. On the other hand, there is a wealth of information and resources out there for students to learn from positively and as teachers we are entrusted to teach our students and prepare them for life after schooling. In CEP 811, I created a WebQuest for first graders. I learned about previewing websites thoroughly. I also learned how to create my own website so children could safely navigate the links in a controlled environment without worrying what they might stumble on. The WebQuest I created is called The Greedy King. In this WebQuest, students learn about the importance of Needs and Wants/Goods and Services in a safe, exploratory, fun way. I have used the WebQuest in my classroom each year since I created it. Each time the children have not only enjoyed the learning experience, but after assessing the objectives, they have internalized the information as well.
Solving Problems of Practice with Technology
Teachers are constantly troubleshooting. They see a need in their classroom and they need to come up with a way to solve the problem, teach the struggling child, help their class understand an objective by presenting it in another way. CEP 812 forced me to think critically about a problem of practice in my classroom and how I could solve that problem through use of meaningful technology. I was challenged to look at programs I was familiar with in new ways. I was also challenged to research new programs. The problem of practice I tackled was using the writing process with first grade students. The writing process is arduous for most young writers. They tend to get overwhelmed at the thought of everything that lay before them. Using technology I was able to develop an answer to this problem of practice that I have struggled for years to teach budding authors. Technology gave me another way to present the concept that made sense to my students and captivated even my most struggling writers.
Technology for the Learners Sake
Understanding how our students learn and matching our pedagogy to best practices is key in instructing students. CEP 800, Learning in School and Other Settings (Nick Sheltrown), took us on a historical journey through the ideas of numerous philosophers and educational theorists. Studying their philosophies in relationship to their own time and then fast forwarding to their relationship to present day technology and a step further into thinking critically about the future gave a well rounded perspective on best practices of today and a look at how they may evolve. This course challenged us to think outside the box as we put ourselves in the place of these theorist inferring how they might view the technology of current times. During this course I interviewed three of my first grade students about reading; what they read; when they read why they read; how they learn to read. In all my years of teaching I had never before sat down to interview students in depth quite like this. The information was turned into a podcast giving a soundbite “snapshot” of the minds of these young learners.
After having studied in depth how to understand my students learning process, we were presented with a best practice in using technology with education coined TPACK, Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge. TPACK put technology into perspective with the pedagogy and content I was teaching in my classroom. It showed me where each of these important factors intersected and where I may be lacking. TPACK gave me important insight I will use when planning lessons to make certain the technology I bring into my classroom isn’t merely there for technologies sake. The purpose of technology in the classroom is for learning. If it doesn’t intersect with pedagogy and content in a way that is meaningful for student learning then it isn’t a proper use of technology.
After having studied in depth how to understand my students learning process, we were presented with a best practice in using technology with education coined TPACK, Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge. TPACK put technology into perspective with the pedagogy and content I was teaching in my classroom. It showed me where each of these important factors intersected and where I may be lacking. TPACK gave me important insight I will use when planning lessons to make certain the technology I bring into my classroom isn’t merely there for technologies sake. The purpose of technology in the classroom is for learning. If it doesn’t intersect with pedagogy and content in a way that is meaningful for student learning then it isn’t a proper use of technology.
Reflection
Just as assessments tell us what a student has learned and where our teaching needs to take them next, self assessment of my time in the MAET program has been extremely beneficial. As in assessing one of my own students, assessing and reflecting on my work in this program has reminded me of what I learned, helped me put all the pieces together, and has given me insight on where I am headed next. During CEP 807, The MAET Capstone Course, I was asked to reflect on my original goals. Participating in this showed me just how far I had come in the world of understanding and using educational technology. In another assignment I was asked to look to the future. Again, this valuable assignment showed me just how much I had grown in this field. I realized growth as an educator, student, communicator, leader, and individual. The portfolio I created with my new found knowledge is a showcase I am proud of for my achievements and creations over the past year.
In drafting this synthesis of my time spent soaking up information in the MAET program like a sponge on overload, I didn’t find it difficult to find courses that had significant impact on my learning. Rather, I found it difficult to choose between every course in the program as they ALL had significant impact on my learning in one way or another. The courses were well designed, course materials were valuable, and instructors were very knowledgeable and challenging. Together the courses, one by one… and at times two by two… helped me evolve as a learner and educator. Each presented a new perspective on multiple aspects of education and technology. The MAET program has led me to become a critical thinker in the world of technology and the learning doesn’t end here. Technology is ever changing, and rapidly I might add! There are new realizations waiting around every corner. Like Lucy and Ricky, Adam and Eve, cookies and milk; education and technology will forever go together for me as a learner and educator.