In my school placement, and more specifically in my classroom placement, I have access to technology. But, what is technology? What is the etymology of the word technology? If you look at the Greek word roots techn (techne: art or craft) and ology (logos: word; and legein, meaning to talk or discourse), the word literally means talking about (having a discourse about, or more loosely, studying) the way that something is crafted or gained (or achieved). Thus, maybe we should think about technology in our placements as the things in our classroom and school (and beyond) that will enable both teachers and students to craft learning opportunities so that something meaningful can be gained or achieved.
Fire is technology. Agriculture is technology. They are some of the earliest forms. Many things are forms of technology, but in our classroom at Thurston, these include wireless connection to the Internet, a desktop, personal laptops, thirty-six Chromebooks for student use, LCD projector, overhead projector, TV connected to a central media hub, and several more traditional modes of technology, such as a Whiteboard (well, this is an updated version of the blackboard, or chalkboard), pencils, markers, dictionaries, textbooks, several other books and the bookshelves on which they rest, lights, HVAC, and on and on. I even acquired a Logitech Wireless Presenter R400 recently in order to provide a smoother process for delivering PowerPoint and Prezi presentations. But, throughout the school, there are fewer opportunities for students and teachers to interact with some of these same technologies: There are a couple of computer labs; there is limited software for students to use; some teachers have LCD projectors, overhead projectors, and/or other tools that many others do not; and there is a District website and an online system that teachers, students, and parents can access for a combination of uses and communication possibilities.
For me, the question that I have recently considered is, Which technology is useful for a particular teaching moment? In addition, How should I expect students to interact with a certain technology? This past Tuesday, after I finished teaching a full lesson, I felt like Icarus. That is, in his descent, not ascent. I felt as if I had crashed and burned, so to speak. (Well, technically, Icarus fell into a sea and drowned.) It probably was not as bad as I originally thought. The students were compliant. They worked, somewhat productively, with the Chromebooks. It was, after all, the AP class. Nevertheless, I expected more of them as well as me, given my past teaching experiences. Don't get me wrong! This is not an indictment of the students or even wholly of myself. But, making a decision to let some students to continue to work on a QuickWrite or Stop-and-Jot while trying to Share Out was probably not "best [or better] practice." My intention was to give students more opportunity to write, given the time constraints of losing some time due to the added FLEX period to the Tuesday schedule. Simply put, I probably should have had them shut their Chromebooks, regardless of whether they had all finished or not. Then again, during my most recent teaching experience prior to starting this program, I was at a school where all students had a laptop and were allowed to use them during class, if the teacher permitted. I made them close their laptops at certain times, and yet I did not do so now. And yet, there were elements of the lesson that could have been tweaked and relied less upon the use of technology.
Who knows? Maybe I'm a bit rusty, so to speak. Nevertheless, my point is that knowing your students, having protocols for using different technologies, and knowing when and how to use certain technologies (or learning by trial and error sometimes, even if research would suggest when and how to use certain technologies) is important. That said, I have seen my mentor use the Chromebooks in an efficient manner. I have also had the opportunity to observe Rory effectively include them (in conjunction with a SMART Board, iPad, and stylus) in his class instruction. And, Rory has modeled that for us in EDUC 504. In addition, today, my mentor conducted the AP class without using the Chromebooks until the last fifteen minutes or so when students worked in small groups and were permitted, not required, to use Chromebooks. Up until that point in the class, there was a good Share Out that built upon what I had begun in my lesson on Tuesday, what my mentor continued with them yesterday based on what I had done in class as well as my own "Exit Ticket" that I shared with them via email last night, and what he had done with them earlier in the class. But, what the small groups were able to do with textbooks, notes, additional sources, and Chromebooks did not amount to much--well, as much as we, my mentor and I, had expected from the students. But, it was a starting point. So, what I have also learned, or have been reminded of, is that what we plan for a lesson (with or without technology, be it newer or more traditional) might not always work accordingly.
