Final Reflection and Blog Posting on the impact of Technology - Module 7 Reflective essay
Cordell Wallace
Master of Science in Education, Walden University
EDUC-6710: Understanding the Impact of Technology on Education, Work, and Society
Professor Kathryn Arnold
March 6, 2021
Teachers are constantly learning from others and must be humble to acknowledge that we do not know everything. This course truly reflects the ideology of the meaning of being a life-long learner. Following instructions posted and adhering to deadlines is just part of learning. As part of the ISTE standards for educators, I continuously focused to “Advocate for equitable access to educational technology, digital content and learning opportunities to meet the diverse needs of all students” ( ISTE ,2018). The irony of taking this course, is that the goal for every teacher is to prepare the student for college and career readiness in the 21st century but I am also learning as I am teaching these same skills to my students. I am learning from my students who assisted me when I created my first Twitter page and blog page. I shared my Twitter page with several of my students whom encouraged me in trying new things and told me some of the additional features of Twitter and blogging. I see this as an invaluable tool for the future. Teaching mathematics to students upon which many have math anxiety or hatred towards the subject has helped me reevaluate how I teach. Teachers must “ demonstrates how to evaluate technology and media resources for quality, accuracy, and effectiveness to support the processes of content and skill development.” (Laureate Education, Inc. , 2015). Emphasizing collaboration is not just for students but adults as well. Though I have been collaborating with my colleagues at work , I have worked with my current classmates during the creative process as well. Using tools such as Diigo and RSS feeds and sharing ideas with one another also helped facilitate the area of trust and community among each other. We shared contact information to collaborate during our different work and personal hours via text and or email. Our students may not always be comfortable to collaborate using their personal information but they can collaborate through blogs like Twitter, and/or bookmarking tools such as Diigo. These tools do not have to be facilitate by the teacher during class time only but outside as well, This is a tool that I want to include more of in my professional career, In my math class, it has been a challenge to have students to communicate with one another especially when they do not know one another. The introverted and the extrovert learner can benefit from using these tools as there is not a requirement to physically speak face to face, though it would be the ideal goal. Richardson speaks on “ kids are using social networks to “explore interests and find information that goes beyond what they have access to at school or in their local community” (Ito et al., 2008). And in these “interest-based” interactions, they are connecting to peers and adults outside of their physical spaces, people who they don't know but with whom they share a passion.” (Richardson , 2010 pg 131). Allowing students to be in control of the learning more and options are additional approaches I will use in my profession career. One of these tools , I will use is the Flipped Classroom. The “advantages in a flipped classroom approach such as, increasing interactive periods in the classroom (Fulton, 2012), provide opportunities for discussion with their teachers that they may not get in a traditional approach, supporting teams working in discussion groups in class.” ( Sudarmika, P., Santyasa, I. W., & Divayana, D. G. H. , 2020). This also meets the ISTE standard for teachers in that I must “collaborate and co-learn with students to discover and use new digital resources and diagnose and troubleshoot technology issues. ( ISTE 2008). When I introduced my Wiki webpage to my class and asked instructed them to complete the lessons, practice, and podcasts for the lesson, I received feedback from them and adjusted my lesson accordingly. Using teacher created web pages in addition to the teaching tool environment of Google Meet and breakout rooms during class time students will be able to “use digital tools to broaden their perspectives and enrich their learning by collaborating with others and working effectively in teams locally and globally.” (ISTE 2016). As with all implementation of things that are new and considered “ out of the box” the use of tools such as Twitter and Blogs are out of the control of the school district. The school district can not control what a student or teacher posts on these platforms. One way to address this concern is to create a space or contract for the student and parent to sign in order to facilitate an environment of safety. The use of the site would be used for educational purposes only and would need the approval of administration as well as the means of grading a student is generally confined by both the district and the content team. If given the opportunity, many can be convinced that using these tools will be beneficial to all involved.
One of my SMART Goals for my mathematics course within two years is to create a wiki web page that all students will be able to create Wiki pages pertaining to one of the major topics studied within my course. Utilizing the same methods that I used in this course by the end of May of the next following school year, eighty percent of my students will create a wiki page pertaining to a topic that they are interested in Mathematics and how it is relevant to society today. In order for students to gain skills to be ready for tomorrow’s society and workplace students will work together in groups not exceeding four student. They will be given formative tasks on each aspect or stages of creating a web page. They will research and cite all of their findings and create videos to demonstrate their knowledge of understanding. As part of their summative assessment students must include their findings and have parents or guardians to subscribe to their collective page and make comments. The blog post and commentary area created by the student can be used to assess and self assess their levels of success.
My second SMART Goal is to create a curriculum of modifiable sources exclusively used for Algebra 2. In my school there is a high level of SPED and 505 students within my school community. By September of 2022, 70 percent of material taught in the Algebra 2 content area for the first and second marking period will have digitally based modified notes and formative assessment. This will be accomplished with the collaborative efforts of the entire special educations department and mathematics department. To accomplish this goal , the departments must set time aside to analyze the curriculum and assessments associated with them, Many teachers are still in the dark about modified material outside of differentiated instruction. After creating a unit together as a team, members of the team will implement the lesson within the classroom and document the results, Upon the review of its effectiveness , teachers will adjust accordingly. Students must have the necessary tools to be successful and effective note taking along with peer to peer discourse will hold the future of the success of the student and teacher.
References:
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2016). Standards for students. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2008). Standards for teachers. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/standards-for-teachers
Laureate Education Inc retrieved from https://class.content.laureate.net/2565b7a77954cee53d16c82a78cc0726.pdf
Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Sudarmika, P., Santyasa, I. W., & Divayana, D. G. H. (2020). Comparison between Group Discussion Flipped Classroom and Lecture on Student Achievement and Student Characters. International Journal of Instruction, 13(3), 171–186.
Walden University retrieved https://www.waldenu.edu/why-walden/social-change
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