This was an interesting week for me, both in the readings and my life and trying to connect the two. As much of the readings were about leadership and ways to foster technology in the classrooms, which is being supported by those in leadership roles, it got me thinking about the two very different functions I serve as part of the Graduate School of Education. First, in my work as co-director of the Center for Literacy Development, a huge component is onsite professional development. We hire consultants to go into schools to provide workshops and coaching opportunities to teachers. Technology, specifically the use of Smart Boards and creating classroom websites, are two topics that are requested often. It is interesting to hear the feedback from the presenters and how different the levels of interest can be when the school leaders are there and those who are absent. It always seems to be a more positive experience for the consultants and teachers involved when they see and feel the support of their leaders. I can remember a few occasions when the consultants were with a group of teachers that had no clue why they were there. Often times, saying they were given a smart board or required to have a class wiki but given no direction. The best experiences have been where we construct a PD plan where teachers work with consultants in their own classrooms, consultants observe and then they co-teach for the most effective results. Doing this with technology would be great to produce effective learners of technology (the teachers, that is....)
When I wear my other GSE "hat," I am teaching an undergraduate level course. There are 7 sections of the same course, Introduction to Education. The students who take this course are about to apply to the GSE. One of the GSE professor's took the course "under her wing" in order to make the 7 sections as consistent as possible. The assignments and resources are the same but it is up to each instructor to individualize their own course. Taken this class (Intro to Digital Tools) simultaneously with teaching Intro to Education, as well as being a part of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills at my previous position, I am always looking for ways to incorporate technology and promote critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity. I find that the less I lecture (hardly ever) , the more the students are involved in their readings and other class materials. When they work collaboratively in text discussions, they capitalize on theirs' and their classmates' prior experiences and knowledge which enhance the experience all around. I also began to incorporate online chat rooms where the students post and respond much like we do in this class and other EdD classes. I have grouped them according to what they have an interest in teaching so it seems to be paying off. By creating a community of learners where their learning is made public and highly accountable, I find that they are much more effective at connecting to the readings, which is evident in their assignments.
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ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this post. One of the most powerful yet simple things you do is group students according to interests (although I imagine sometimes that it is harder than it sounds). There is so much power in doing this. Often times I see in class or in an online discussion that it is getting the discussion rolling that is the greatest challenge, this is true form middle school to college. By grouping students who share interests, there seems to be a natural starting point or springboard to the discussion. In addition, I feel this would help to get students to “connect” as students and as people. This personal connection to each other will lead, hopefully, to a personal or at least greater connection to the material. Well done!
ReplyDeleteMmmm...Michelle I think you may have been Blog Bombed. Not sure I understand the first response to your post. I think the consultants are really important. We are implementing the use of Smartboards this year and I know a lot of our teachers have utilized the consultants when they come to the building. We are beginning to use technology more effectively at our school but we still have a long way to go. I made the suggestion to my principal that we should video some of the consultant sessions for teachers who are unable to get to school early and post it on the school site. I got the, "Hey, that's a great idea." response but there has been no follow up on it unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteAs I read the second part of your post (the "That" section), I was remembering the lesson I taught to the undergrads for our Educating Teachers class. I asked them to write a response to what they learned in class that night. They were allowed to use any form: poetry, narratives, limericks, etc. I was surprised that one group tweeted their learning to one another and effectively to everyone who reads their tweets. I mention this because I think it might be an interesting way to create headlines from articles your students read or discussions/presentations they do in class.
Having recently taken the course in question, I agree with your mode of transmitting the information. In my class, we discussed the readings as a class, which worked in the beginning of the year. However, by about mid way through, it was obvious to see that many of us had stopped doing the readings because the same few people raised their hand to comment. If my professor would have used an online forum type situation to discuss and share opinions about the readings, more students would have completed them, and we would have gotten a lot more out of our classmates' opinions and experiences.
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