Classroom Management with 1:1 Technology

This is a fascinating subject that has already come up multiple times in my conversations with teachers - just this week!

I really appreciate the positive approach both of these writers (Heitin & The Bearded Teacher) take to technology, because I have heard many people reacting negatively to the increasing amount of technology in the classroom.  I think that the benefits of technology in the classroom outweigh these difficulties, but I don't think that this lessens the importance of addressing and acknowledging the classroom management issues.

Although I know that this is difficult, I would feel much better in a 1:1 classroom with something like Hapara, as mentioned by Heitin, enabling me to view my students' screens.  I think with iPads this would be less necessary (as mentioned by Heitin) because it's easier to see the screens with a quick walk around the room, but I think it would be very important in a classroom with laptops.

The other technique that I really appreciated in both pieces was the emphasis on student responsibility.  I think this is important for classroom management in general, but particularly in this medium that is so comfortable and familiar to many students outside of school.  It is crucial to remind students of the differences between how they can interact with technology in school and at home.  However, I agree with both writers that students interact with technology more professionally, and are more accountable for their actions and choices, when they are entrusted with responsibility.

On a related note, while I do think that not having cell phones in the classroom can be easier for classroom management, I agree with The Bearded Teacher's approach for when there is technology in the classroom.  If there is technology in the classroom, I think students should be able to use it to its fullest.  Why stop students from using Instagram?  Instead, students should be allowed to use it, while also using it for educational purposes.  Again - making students accountable is key.             

Analysis of Another Education Blog

I have chosen to analyze the blog, A Dixie Diary.  I actually hadn't originally included it in my PLN on Feedly, but I came across a piece written by the "Dixie Diarist" on Edutopia (which is in my PLN on Feedly).  I found the piece (entitled "What Teaching Teaches the Teacher") engaging, so I went to A Dixie Diary to learn more.

The Dixie Diarist is a Special Education teacher in Georgia.  He came to the teaching profession later in life and chronicled his first year of teaching very thoroughly on his blog (there he calls it his "Rookie Year").  He has done a lot outside of the immediate realm of teaching, including writing, comedy, art, and more.  His teaching has been specifically in the field of History in a Special Education setting (he teaches at a specialized school).

His posts are very engaging, in part because they are all written with a very humorous style.  They are mostly about the teaching profession and primarily focus on: words of wisdom, empathy, and anecdotes.  The relaxed style could lead one to question the credibility of the author, until one reads further and realizes that this style belies the serious and deep nature of the content of the blog.  The piece on Edutopia is slightly more formal and polished, which also supports the credibility of the author.

The use of technology is very limited.  He does briefly discuss using technology in his post "Why you teach.  Or not."  He explains that he used technology as a way to engage students.  For example, he would have a movie playing when the students were walking in each period.  This would begin the class very engaged and focused (without the standard beginning of the period issues) and then they would stop the video until tomorrow and begin class.  This is an interesting use of technology, but I'm skeptical about what would happen after the video was stopped - would the students really remain focused?

I do think some of the tips the Dixie Diarist offers are helpful.  For example, in a post written on one of his first days as a teacher he explains his principal's response to a policy he set up for his classroom.  The policy was that students would receive an automatic F if they didn't have a writing utensil on the day of a quiz or test.  The principal took issue with this policy and pointed out that if he needed a pencil, she would just hand him one without penalizing him.  I like the idea of stepping outside of the situation and thinking about it as two adults.  Obviously this cannot always work, but it's a good perspective to keep in mind when creating policies.

I also think it was very interesting to see how willing he was to explain his logic and admit its weaknesses.  We will all make mistakes when teaching (even some that may seem very obvious in retrospect) so it's nice to see that we are not alone in this.

When should technology be used as a learning tool?

With Technology

• Cross-cultural/international collaboration
• Simulations of scientific phenomena
• Connecting to current culture (social media)

Without Technology

• Hands-on activities (learning by doing)
• Labs
• Particularly those that are inquiry-based - technology encourages one to search for the "correct" answers immediately
• Theatre/Dance/Music performances and activities
• Field Trips
• P.E.

I've put very few items in each category because I have a hard time saying "X should never be done with technology" (or vice versa).  I think most things can be done well either with or without technology, with a few exceptions (the items I have posted above).  However, there are even exceptions within the items I chose to post.  

For example, cross-cultural/international collaboration usually lends itself to technology use because without technology it wouldn't be possible.  However, if it were possible to do it without technology, perhaps with a cross-cultural group within the school, this could be even more beneficial.  Similarly, the hands-on activities are best without technology the majority of the time.  However, some labs need technology tools (or even simulations) in order to be most effective, along with hands-on learning.  

I think what it comes down to is not a black and white statement of "this should be done with technology and this should not."  It is important to think consciously and not using technology blindly, but instead considering its impact on the lesson.  

For example, improv is a situation that at first I would say should never be taught with technology.  If a teacher wants to teach improv to a group of students, an online tutorial about improv would not be very useful.  However, technology could be used to show students successful improv groups around the country or the students could use technology themselves to create their own filmed skits.

Technology should be used to achieve the learning objective.  If the learning objective is clear and this is the case, technology will support and not hinder learning.      

Non-Denominational Winter Gift Giver Survey - (A Little Early)

Using a "Technology Rubric"

The "Skyping Science" activity from Idea Bank is a perfect example of a Collaborative-Communicate activity from my group's Technology Rubric.  Collaboration, which is key to this activity, is a type of teaching and learning that we chose to focus on with our rubric.  Communicate is one of the verbs we chose to highlight because we believe it plays an especially key role in the sciences and that technology can have a significant impact on this area.

In the "Skyping Science" activity technology plays a crucial role; it enables students on opposite sides of world to not only communicate, but collaborate in real time!  This is truly awe-inspiring and clearly had a positive impact on the students involved.  Students in China and Chicago collaborated on a physics lab using Skype.  There were two key goals behind this activity: first, that students had an opportunity to collaborate and learn from someone in another country, and second to show students that physics is an international language.  As we pointed out with our Technology Rubric, communication (particularly global communication) plays a key role in science because it is an international study.  This activity does a great job of demonstrating this to students by having them experience it themselves!

There are, unsurprisingly, several weaknesses to this activity (as there are to most uses of technology).  First, there is the time difference.  It is difficult for students to collaborate in real time, considering the time difference between China and Chicago.  This meant that it was planned very specifically for two sessions throughout the year.  Also, it involved students either logging on at home or returning to school in the evening, which presents its own potential difficulties.  Another potential weakness is the reliance on technology, particularly a strong Internet connection.  As Held points out, in order for this to work all of the computers must be able to simultaneously video call, which is asking a lot of the Internet connection.  A strong technology staff is a must.

While I understand why only two sessions were set up for the year, I feel that the students could get so much more from this activity if the connection was more continuous.  Perhaps this could take the form of class blogs that let the students stay up to date on each other throughout the year between Skype-Labs.  It could also take the form of lab journals that are published online, so they can share their findings or areas of confusion throughout the year.