Five Times Each

During my conversations with high school students who are considering teaching careers, I asked them to look at digital products and reflect on the value that technology added to the work.  Repeatedly, I had students tell me that the student whose work I was displaying would have learned more by doing a handwritten product because students remember what they write by hand.  This was stated with absolute certainty.   I believe I cracked a joke that I must not be learning anything these days because I never write anything by hand anymore.  But it was repeated just as adamantly in each session.  It makes me wonder a couple of things.  When students use computers are they only copying and pasting?  If we change the kind of work they do and our expectations for their writing so that their writing actually involved thought, then surely that would change the perception on the students on the value of digital writing.  And it isn't that I hate writing by hand but it makes me think of old spelling homework and copying my spelling words 5 times each...or my chemistry teacher who made us do complicated outlines of our chapters...or my government teacher who would read off his notes while we would dutifully copy every word that came out of his mouth.  None of these examples are stellar memories of learning for me. I remember them more as moments of torturous boredom.  Would technology have added value to these learning scenarios?  Not at all.  Is there something about the brain that connects memory with  the hand movement of holding a pen to paper and writing.  I don't know.  I do know that I didn't learn any chemistry and the government I learned didn't come from my great note taking skills. 

Looking to the Future

Hmm...need to figure out a writing schedule...

Friday, I was invited to present at our district's Virginia's Teachers for Tomorrow Symposium. The city's future teachers (as declared by enrollment in the course) gathered for the day and attended various sessions on topics such as Classroom Management, Interview Skills, a panel discussion with district leaders, and a keynote by our district's teacher of the year. And of course my session.

I was asked to talk about Innovative Technology in the Classroom. I ended up changing my focus to be less on innovation and more on the concept of transformative use of technology. We looked at some examples of student work and talked about whether the technology added value to the learning which led to interesting questions of what was the learning...what was the goal of the activity...what could have been done to improve the activity...it started to sound like some of the professional development work I do with in-service teachers.

I started with having them imagine what big essential questions I might want to address in my session and I guided them to the question of whether technology is necessary in today's classrooms. And that is where I had my surprise. And the same thing happened to me each time. Four times. Did I mention that I repeated this session four times? 40 to 50 teenagers in back to back session four times. Dizzying but exhilarating.

I actually used this picture in my presentation but didn't expect to find that when we discussed the necessity of technology in education that I would have high school students who would agree and say no. We voted first using a response system so I know that I had more than one student who said no.



When I probed and asked for the reasons for voting the way they did. I received all the reasons you would expect for the yes votes- preparing students for the future, it is the way students learn, it keeps students engaged, it helps students work more efficiently, etc. But the students who voted no were equally adamant. One said that they are so tied to their phones and iPods outside of school that they want a break when they come to school. They just want to interact with their teachers and other students. Another told me that technology is hard and she hates it. She said even if she was assigned a project like a Glog, she would probably still do a non-technology alternative. I had several students talk about how they disliked technology because it was difficult. I tried to probe that a bit, thinking that might be indicating that their teachers needed more support so they in turn could provide their students more support. I asked if it would make a difference if they could have more support and help so they didn't run into so many issues and difficulties. And they pretty much said no. They just didn't like it.

And I literally wanted to just sit down and take a timeout during my session and think. I don't expect all students to love technology. And I am not even completely sure how I am defining technology but I would think that all of them would see the necessity of it in schools because it is part of their daily lives and certainly and undeniably part of their future lives. So what has happened? Has the technology use that they have experienced been such that they don't see the value? One did say that she has learned how to do things from her friends and her parents and not in school. If we are not using technology in ways that really add value to learning and are authentic and meaninful, then students will eliminate technology as something not necessary and are actually burdensome. My hope is that these future teachers will see better examples of technology use or have some other kind of intervention to change their thinking.

I had another surprising revelation that led to a connection about our technology use in the classroom that I am pondering and will write about later.

Photo Credit: No Technology In Brighton, by Sammy0716

Specialized Person in Computerism

I have had several blogs over the years and have been unable to sustain any of them which pains me because I have taught teachers to blog, promoted blogging as an instructional tool and a personal learning tool for years. So...I am making another attempt and will attempt a little more discipline and focus. Time will tell.

As for my inagural post, I was recently asked by a friend to share my Teacher of the Year essay. He teaches students in the Virginia's Teachers for Tomorrow program and asks his students to write about their philosophy of education. I was a Teacher of the Year some time ago, andreading it now, it seems like my focus wandered. It does make me smile to remember my teaching days so I thought it would be a good first blog post.

My Teacher of the Year Essay (1998)
In Russian, the word for teach is the same as the word for learn or understand. The duality of meanings implied with that one word intrigues me, and in it, I find the basis for my educational practices and beliefs. Through teaching, I learn about myself as well as the world around me. On my own path of learning, I find myself teaching and sharing my discoveries and beliefs with colleagues. I find that each day is a collaboration with students, peers, parents, and administrators, and in my role as a teacher, I can learn from them all.

So strong is my belief that my students possess a wealth of opinions and experiences from which I can benefit, that when faced with the task of describing my educational philosophy, I turned to my students. In my students' description of my teaching style, it was a validation to note that what I perceive as the foundation of my educational philosophy emerge from their comments.

Meeting individual needs is the cornerstone of my teaching. Challenging the brightest, aiding those who struggle, and inspiring those unmotivated is my goal each day. Most every student noted my interest in technology which developed primarily because I have found no other tool so motivating and so suited to meeting individual needs and interests. So while as one student notes that I am a "specialized person in computerism," my motive has always been to find the most effective means of reaching all my students. While students are unaware of the hours spent researching new strategies as well as collecting student data for analysis and planning, their comments reveal an appreciation for the diverse methods used such as cooperative groups, flexible groups, individualized vocabulary and reading instruction, and student-driven projects.

While my students certainly mentioned instructional strategies they enjoyed, many of their comments were related to my personality. Yes, I do "smile a lot," "laugh a lot," "teach with enthusiasm," and have a good sense of humor," but most importantly, my students recognize that I "love to be a teacher" because I "care about people." One of my students wrote that I gave her "reasons to learn," and as a teacher, if I can find the reasons and the strategies that will enable each of my students to learn, I can consider myself an outstanding teacher.