On the first day of school my principal asked a question, “What do you think of when you hear technology in education?” I thought about this for a moment, listened to what answers my colleagues gave, and then raised my hand. “Technology is a tool to enhance the curriculum.”
In other words, curriculum drives the instruction and technology is just a tool to get us there. Many people think technology needs to be a separate course or something we teach in addition to the heavily loaded curriculum plate we serve daily. Someone once asked me how I teach my students to use the variety of tools we use and access. The answer is pretty simple as the students teach themselves, I just create the experience.
They are empowered to use technology to show off their learning, engaged in activities, and are in control of their decision making process throughout the learning experiences created. I have learned more from my students about using different tools than I would have had I stood in the front of the room instructing.
I have shared a big secret with my fifth grade students. Using technology as a tool is like a small fish in a big pond. There are much bigger learning outcomes happening than how to use Google Drive, Twitter, Blogger,Sway, or Padlet. It can be used as a tool to create Depth of Knowledge levels 3 and 4 experiences for learners.
Students have discovered the power of collaborative learning through using Padlet and the Google Drive. They have worked with students from our own class in MA to students in Michigan on various projects including the Global Read Aloud. These tools teach students good digital citizenship skills and what it means to be living in a global connected world.
Twitter has provided an authentic audience for student work and access to experts when I cannot answer students’ questions (Yes, I admit to them I am not the expert of everything). Blogger has been a way for students to write and reflect, using higher level thinking skills to share ideas about Wonderopolis. The blogs are then tweeted to the universe, and students wait patiently to see what happens. They are amazed at the retweets, replies, favorites, and comments they are getting. One parent even told me her daughter’s confidence has been building due to these blogs.
Sway provides a medium for students to present and share work globally, breaking down the walls of the classroom. They are currently reading from their science books, creating a news report about their chosen topic, and collaborating with a team to make a short news report to share with audiences about their topic. Communication through writing, reading, video, and the web gives students valuable life skills.
Teachers need to start thinking about how their lessons would evolve with the integration of technology. What doors open for students when they change the tool used to create? What do we really want our students to know and be able to do for the future?
Thinking back to my principal’s question on the first day of school and what I have learned after a few months of experimenting with various tools is this: Technology teaches students to be global citizens, to collaborate and connect with others, to communicate using various methods, to create for an authentic audience, and to make decisions. Students are engaged in their own learning process, asking bigger questions, advocating for things, and taking risks with their thinking. I am learning with my students. In fact when my niece asked me the other day if I was really a teacher I told her “No.” Her mouth dropped. I smiled and said, “I am a learner.” A teacher stands in front of the room and instructs. I sit with my students and learn. That is the truth behind Technology Door #1.
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