The end of this semester also means the end of my academic career at St. John's (for the immediate future). Strangely enough, the lyrics from Adele's Academy Award winning theme song "Skyfall" come to mind:

"This is the end. Hold your breath and count to ten"

At this point, I am so appreciative of the opportunity I had to explore and use these new technology tools and strategies in the classroom. This truly is the end of one chapter but the beginning of another, one that has the potential to be a truly awarding experience teaching young minds how to think. Having these new tools is central to achieving this aim and I hope that WebQuests, movie-making, blogs. etc. will form a significant component of curriculum in the future. I for one will be actively incorporating these valuable tools into my lessons in order to enhance and improve instruction for the benefit of al students. It was a very rewarding and valuable experience and I will carry the lessons learned here with me into my teaching career and beyond.

Class 04/25/13:

We presented our movie on Childhood Obesity tonight and I believe it went very well. The first two groups had amazing projects chock full of interactive skits, pop culture references and ample amounts of differentiation which amplified the overall effectiveness and value of their movies. I was particularly drawn to the entry on teen pregnancy as it remains one of the most troubling, significant and immediate concerns of parents and teachers in this day and age.

Although our movie was more information-heavy and monotonous, we were able to supplement it with personal, real-life experiences to enhance the overall viability and effectiveness of our presentation. In this manner, we improved our movie's relevance and realized that some honest mistakes could actually be construed as light-hearted, comedic moments to break the constant seriousness and professional direction of the news report.

Class 04/18/13:

I was heartened to go over the instructions in more detail to prepare for the movie project. Our group has finalized plans to discuss childhood obesity and its effect on those people involved  as well as its impact on the US. Now the task is to collect the details and supporting information to round out the project and make it an effective and informative learning tool.

Class 04/04/13:

We began brainstorming for our group projects and I was happy to see the wide array of ideas that were being floated around.  If we have ample time and resources, I'm hopeful we can create an informative, interesting and insightful project that increases learning for as many in our audience as possible.

The Streamline
by Matthew Trimboli

 

          As we venture into the high-tech world of new technologies, it is always beneficial to consider what new tools and strategies will aid our efforts to enhance instruction and engage all learners.  For myself, the creation of teacher and classroom websites is a critical component in effectively integrating technology into the content and pedagogy of lessons due to its potential for improving learning and building relationships. 

 



 

          Teaching in an environment where even portable TVs and overhead projectors are not readily available, I relish the prospect of being able to create teacher and classroom websites to "streamline" the plethora of events, activities and communiques that comprise a full school year for most teachers.  To "streamline" teaching means to categorize and coordinate all of those processes into a centralized source, which the websites represent, while providing students and parents multiple conduits for locating and completing work, communicating with the teacher and remaining up to date with material. 

 



 

           Instead of wasting class time writing directions and expectations on the blackboard, I can post them all to the websites in advance so students can access them anytime.  Additionally, a website that is thoroughly and carefully designed will allow students to refer back to notes, lessons and assignments that they may have missed due to absence, field trips, extracurricular activities, etc.  At the same time, parents have access to a virtual mainframe that contains most of the assignments, materials and information their children are responsible for over the course of a school year.  When used in conjunction with regular communication, these websites are a powerful tool for developing and sustaining positive, proactive relationships between students, parents and teachers.  All parties have new opportunities for remaining in regular contact with each other, which translates into increased levels of trust, understanding and cooperation since they will all be equally informed about their respective work, expectations and responsibilities.  Such is the potential of classroom and teacher websites...

 

 

Three Questions:

 

1) As new technologies become more specialized and complex, will it be feasible and 

    advantageous for school districts to implement programs that promote the use of

    classroom and teacher websites?
 

2) How will we measure the projected benefits and drawbacks of using new tools such as

     these personal websites once they are widely implemented in schools?

 

3) Could education possibly become a completely virtual field in the future as learning
     and instruction increasingly transition into online formats?

Class 3/21/13:

I was pleased that we reviewed the procedures for composing webquests on Digication.  Unlike PowerPoint, this database is much more limited in the animation/visual/audio creativity department but compensates by allowing you to categorize information more easily into text, gallery, multimedia, etc. However, I acquired a number of good ideas for enhancing the initial draft which will hopefully improve its overall quality. Combined with images and other multimedia, it will hopefully lead to a more thorough, concise and interesting presentation.

Tools of

Transformation

by Matthew Trimboli

 

With the advent of new technologies, teachers are in a prime position to radically alter the means by which new knowledge is acquired and generated among students.  As a result, it is incumbent upon educators to design clear, appropriate instruction that seeks to meet current standards while also ensuring that real learning occurs.  Responsible, dedicated teachers will gradually assimilate those techniques, materials and tools that prove themselves to be truly beneficial to the learning process, while also remaining vigilant for bias and other defections in online materials that render them inappropriate for classroom use.  Games represent one such tool but most assuredly require evaluation on a case-by-case basis to determine the aforementioned qualities in order to determine their appropriateness for in-class use.

From my experience, computer and video games possess a trove of benefits for enhancing learning through their interactive, stream-lined approach, which engages students in accomplishing certain objectives through the use of intricate storylines. These stories motivate students to utilize not only memorization and recall, but deeper thinking skills such as analysis, summarization, strategizing, etc. to develop solutions to the numerous challenges encountered over the course of the game. Additionally, in many cases this approach fosters stealth learning (Maloy, Verbock-O’Loughlin, Edwards & Woolf, 2011, p.193) because the students are so immersed in the games they do not realize that they are acquiring new strategies and knowledge.

 

Math Blaster and Zoombinis Logical Journey are two of the programs mentioned by the text that I can personally attest to having a real value in providing effective, meaningful learning experiences.  Using them in my own childhood, I now realize how valuable they were in helping me understand different concepts and use deeper metacognitive skills to solve problems or challenges presented in the game.  In Math Blaster: The Search for Spot, the player must compete as Blasternaut in a race against time to rescue Spot, his robotic assistant, who has been kidnapped by the evil trash alien, a malevolent figure whose trademark is leaving a trail of garbage in his ship’s wake.  Utilizing concepts such as addition, subtraction, estimation, etc. to complete the assignments, players are able to practice and refine their basic math skills while also employing deeper thinking skills in order to solve certain equations.  The same holds true in the sequels Math Blaster: Secret of the Lost City and Reading Blaster: Invasion of the Word Snatchers and even expands upon the use of deeper thinking and comprehension skills.

 

 

The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis follows a similar format in that you have to help a group of displaced beings find a new home by traversing a number of perilous obstacles.However, whereas the Math Blaster games relied heavily on recall and memorization, the Zoombinis’ activities are all based on experimental, trial-and-error scenarios that require closer attention to specific patterns and details to solve them successfully.As a result, the Zoombinis’ is a far more attractive game for instilling the deeper metacognitive skills students’require in order to truly comprehend their learning.

Games offer a great benefit when utilized with clear objectives and appropriate content.  Avoiding the mindless violence and gore of such titles as Grand Theft Auto, Resident Evil, etc. is of paramount importance if we wish to avoid creating the opposite effect with our students.  If current research is to be believed, these types of games desensitize players and increase violence, aggression and rage among them, a troubling finding given their widespread use and popularity.  Consequently, it is incumbent upon parents and educators to instill the importance of utilizing positive and productive games that do not rely on death and destruction.

Three Questions:

1) What sources exist for locating more programs like Math Blaster and Zoombinis?

2) Does overexposure to computer/video games diminish childrens' imaginations?

3) How can we strike a balance between technology and tradition when learning?

Class 3/14/13:

The takeaway from this lesson is the plethora of multimedia and interactive resources available for use in the classroom by teachers and students.  As an ever-increasing amount of material becomes available, educators, especially social studies teachers, have more opportunities to provide students with meaningful activities and lessons that enhance and improve the value of their learning. Whether it be a virtual trip to Mount Rushmore or a 360 degree view of the Hagia Sophia, the possibilities are endless for revolutionizing education in the classroom and allowing students to see, hear and touch the subjects they are learning about. I am especially excited about the increasing abilities to share lesser known topics and material that the limitations of older methods and materials prevented. This is perhaps the greatest benefit of the emerging high technologies.

Visions of the Future

by Matthew Joachim 

            During this week’s readings, two major ideas in particular caught my attention in Chapter 4.  In describing technology-using educators, the text asserts that they are those teachers who “explore technology by using it in the classroom while analyzing its role in schools and society” and “promotes change at the classroom, school building and system levels (Maloy, Verock-O’Loughlin, Edwards & Woolf, 2011, p 89).”  I wholeheartedly agree with the necessity of critically evaluating technology in order to improve instruction and assist students in realizing their full potential.  By doing so, we ensure that curriculum standards are being met while also engaging the individual strengths and interests of all students.  This is imperative for ensuring that a thorough and complete differentiation is taking place in our classrooms, allowing our students to learn through a plethora of mediums, experiences and materials.

 



 

 

            As a result, simply choosing resources for use in class are not enough for the successful integration of technology with pedagogy and content area knowledge.  Just as in writing, we must ask ourselves what, when, where, how and why we utilize such resources in order to ensure a truly effective lesson.  For example, showing students full movies or video clips without providing background and purpose diminishes the educational value of such tools.  Additionally, lack of reflection or analysis before, during or after the viewing further erodes value until we are left with time killers whose only purpose is to run out the clock until the students can move on to their next class.  In the same vein, when completing research papers, it is not enough to simply direct students to look up certain information or visit particular websites.  Teachers must provide a format so that students know where and how to locate information, evaluate it for accuracy, bias, relevance, etc. and develop their own arguments without plagiarizing others' work.  In this way, students hone their critical thinking abilities as they become more familiar with exploring multiple sources and points of view, helping mold their own opinions,  instead of mindlessly copying someone else’s work from the first hit they found on Google.

 



Old Long Island  Blog Image: Land's End
 

            For my Webquest, I hope to highlight the importance of providing students with carefully-planned purpose and direction when utilizing new technological resources.  The main focus will revolve around Long Island’s “Gold Coast” era, a relatively brief period in which the north shore of the island attained a legendary status in US history as the home of the American elite during the first decades of the 20^th century.  My aim is to help students understand how the great wealth and prosperity of the “Roaring 20s” helped give rise to the great estates that came into being during this period.  Consequently, the webquest will seek to highlight how the economics and culture of this decade are represented through these grand homes and their owners. 
 

Old Long Island  Blog Image: Killenworth

            Currently, most of the information about the estates and their owners can be found in large reference books that would be more suited for living room coffee tables than students’ desks.  As a result, it had traditionally been difficult to teach this lesson due to a lack of appropriate, readily-available materials.  But with the advent of the Internet and other online sources, I believe this lesson's time has come for use in the classroom.  Assisting me in this educational enterprise is Old Long Island, a historical blog “dedicated to the preservation Long Island’s ‘Gold Coast’ estates and other things old.”  Created and maintained by Zach, an architecture major at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, the blog draws its material from primary and secondary source materials such as pictures, brochures, blueprints, articles and the aforementioned reference books.  As a result, it has become a comprehensive source for information on Long Island’s “Gold Coast” and even garnered recognition from Newsday, the official newspaper of Long Island.  I can verify its accuracy and authenticity since I own most of its source materials and keep in regular contact with its author, who is a passionate student of architecture seeking to preserve and raise awareness of this fantastic yet forgotten period of Long Island history.  He updates the blog with new entries on a daily basis and has catalogued it so users can search for information by house, owner and/or architect.  Additionally, he provides links to other blogs and sites with similar content.  As a result, students will find that most of the information they need to complete the webquest is located on this blog.  For additional assistance, I will also provide links to the Wikipedia entries on selected homes and owners.  These entries are sourced with the same references utilized by Zach and complement students’ research.  Because of this, and combined with the fact that the "Gold Coast" is not a controversial or divisive topic, I feel that Wikipedia is warranted for use in this case.  Additionally, since I own many of the print materials that Old Long Island and Wikipedia reference, it only enhances the plethora of sources available for students’ use. We shall see how it fares…

Three Questions:

1) What are some other websites that we can use?

2) Are their any standardized lists of educational sites and resources we can use?

3) Is there a limit to technology's potential?

Class 2/21/13:

The discussion focused on the use of Wikipedia in the classroom and whether it is an appropriate tool.  For myself, the role of "casual observer" also applies here because Wikipedia, like most things, possesses a number of strengths and weaknesses.  The biggest problem I anticipate is the ability of anonymous users to add their own opinions and views to entries regardless of factual truth or objectivity. For example, the case of the former assistant to Robert Kennedy who found himself falsely connected with the assassinations of both JFK and RFK on Wikipedia is extremely problematic especially since this information was allowed to remain on the database until he became aware of it.  Topics that generate extreme controversy such as politics & government are the most susceptible to this kind of manipulation.   Opponents will attempt to pass off their views as "truth" and continually strive to forward their agendas regardless of objectivity or the facts.

On the flip side, Wikipedia is also a virtual airport, or in this case "infoport," where data from around the world arrives and departs in the continual renewal and improving of the material contained on the database.  Consequently, it offers a plethora of opportunities since it allows educators to find many separate sources discussing the same topics in the same place. As a result, it is incumbent upon educators to teach students how to not only effectively utilize the site, but also discern the quality and credibility of the sources from which the Wikipedia entries are composed.  This will require some individual lessons in order to be effectively taught, instilled and reinforced.

There’s a Place for Us

by Matthew Joachim

 

After reading Chapter 5, we have received a thorough overview of the policies and procedures for researching and evaluating Internet information.  As a result, it is our responsibility as educators to ensure that our students are capable of accessing and assessing new information when it is encountered.  For myself,  this can be successfully achieved through the use of highly-organized, carefully-planned lessons which incorporate specific websites and search engines that directly address learning objectives.  Additionally, when all of these tools and strategies are skillfully employed during instruction, it creates truly valuable learning experiences that integrate the three domains of knowledge while also providing differentiated instruction for all learners.

 

 

Consequently, I found myself drawn to Table 5.1, the list of specialized search engines and databases, on page 120.  These resources are valuable tools when designing lessons because they allow students and teachers to narrow searches for information relevant to the topics being covered in class.  For example, the Library of Congress American Memory seems like an extremely valuable tool for providing students with primary source documents for reading and writing assignments on US history.  It is oftentimes difficult to find history materials from a single, comprehensive source which makes the format of this database all the more attractive.  Compiling all relevant content area knowledge into a single database provides an extremely valuable advantage for teachers since they now have resources dedicated to their specific subjects.

 

 

Aside from the Library of Congress, numerous other organizations have introduced their own online databases for use in the classroom.  Among them, the History Channel, National Geographic and the Discovery Channel are perhaps the most prominent.  All three have been staples of educational reading and television for decades, helping teachers validate their credibility and reliability.  Additionally, their online databases are merely more innovative and interactive versions of the material presented through traditional forms of media.  They contain lessons, graphics, videos, assessments, etc. to help incorporate multiple forms of learning through the integration of technology.  Combined with traditional modes of instruction, these databases have great potential for transforming history lessons into engaging, relevant experiences for students on a daily basis.  As a result, teachers are able to provide more effective and meaningful instruction through sources students will not only enjoy but also recognize from their own lives.

 

Three Questions:
 

1)      Given the wide availability of new databases such as those mentioned above, what are the prospects for   future development of search engines/databases created and administered by the DOE or individual school districts?
 

2)      Who determines objectivity when dealing with issues that evoke a variety of different view and opinions such as politics?
 

3)      Since all three of the aforementioned databases strive for accuracy, isn’t it possible that technology can be manipulated to forward popular if incorrect beliefs?

 

 

Class 2/14/13:

Lesson Idea:

What were the lives of wealthy people like in the 1920s?

Reflection:

During this class, we explored the three major theories influencing modern education. Among them, constructivism is the most fascinating.  Given its emphasis on the individual, constructivism succeeds in breaking the old notions that all students must learn in the same ways. By allowing educators to focus on students' individual needs, especially strengths and weaknesses, instruction can be modified and enhanced to provide greater opportunities for meaningful learning experiences for students. Additionally, it improves the quality of teaching by helping educators become more attentive, reflective and innovative as they tailor instruction to provide the most effective instruction for the largest group of learners.

Consequently, constructivism in its purest form will unavoidably lead to the deconstruction of large, generalized and nationalized curriculums and the adoption of more individualized, local ones addressing the needs of students as individuals.

On the Edge of a New Frontier

by Matthew Joachim

As the snow begins to fall, I cannot help but think of how the countless number of tiny, individual snowflakes reminds me of each individual student all teachers will encounter over the course of their careers.  As they fall to earth, the flakes combine to form a fresh, white blanket of snow which will cover everything for the next few days.  This coming together is most like our classrooms, where students gather together each day to learn the same material and carry that knowledge with them as they progress through life.  However, the blanket is only possible due to the combination of these individual flakes, just as our students retain their individuality when in the communal environments represented by their classes.

After our first class discussion about the threefold integration of content area, pedagogical and technological knowledge into teaching, I am far more confident that the traditional methods which have served education well will be retained and enhanced by the arrival of high technologies such as SmartBoards, mini laptops, i-pads, etc.  Additionally, I am absolutely relieved that the integration of technology does not mean the elimination of content and pedagogy from education.  Consequently, I am much more comfortable when discussions about the future of technology in education arise.

One of the greatest assets technology holds is the ability to provide authentic assessments in greater frequency and of higher quality.  As stated by the text, “Not surprisingly, new teachers are unaware or unsure of the different ways they might assess students’ learning.  Three factors strongly influence how teachers think about assessments: personal experiences, standardized testing and teacher tests” (Maloy, Verock-O’Loughlin, Edwards & Wolf, 2011, p. 67-70).  For me, the first two factors have had the greatest impact on inhibiting the creation of more effective assessments.  From my own childhood, I am used to only considering tests and quizzes as indicators of academic progress.  At the same time, I also feel handicapped by the strict adhesion to only the content that will be covered on state tests.  As a result, I find many of my lessons start off strong with engaging motivational and do now activities, but seem to lose their edge when the time comes for assessment.  Additionally, relying on tests and quizzes forces teachers to assess all students based on a single, one-time standard, one whose results could be skewed for different students by any number of outside forces.  It is difficult because so many teachers have the ability and willingness to design the activities described by the text, but fail to do so because they are unsure whether they constitute authentic assessments of student learning.

Town Hall Meeting Module from iCivics

However, as time goes on, I increasingly see the value in utilizing performance assessments, which “measure what someone actually does in a certain activity, assessing performance within the context of that activity” (p. 76).  It is important to consider these alternatives in addition to or in place of standardized, norm- or criterion-referenced tests because they evaluate each student’s individual performance, identifying and assessing their unique strengths, weakness and preferences.  This helps teachers gain a fuller understanding of students’ individual needs and allows them to design instruction to meet those needs.

Take the iCivics online program.  Designed by former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the program is an interactive, multisensory approach that allows students to engage in the various functions of US civil government through simulated experiences.  This program allows teachers to take the pages and pages of complicated text which traditionally formed the basis of civics instruction and provide real-world applications so students gain an accurate picture of how our government functions while engaging in various processes themselves including town hall meetings, elections, debates, campaigns, petitions, etc.  What online world maps did to revitalize geography instruction, iCivics promises to do for politics and government.  Such an extensive and interactive program will surely provide numerous authentic performance assessments that ascertain student learning far more efficiently and effectively over the course of its use than a single quiz or test.

Traditional assessments such as the aforementioned tests fall short in that they treat all students like a fresh blanket of snow, thinking of them as one, monolithic whole which must act, think and perform in a particular manner.  However, performance assessments and the technology that makes them possible, such as programs like iCivics, recognize and cultivate the individuality of each student.  In this manner, they seek to engage the individual in order to, where appropriate, best tailor instruction towards particular strengths and preferences.  Additionally, these technologically-integrated assessments provide the essential content area knowledge required for learning and are delivered through carefully constructed and executed pedagogical strategies, bringing full circle the integration of the three domains of knowledge.


Three Questions:

1. What are some other kinds of technology that will help us create more performance
     assessments?

2. Should teacher preparation programs be altered to focus more on the creation of alternative

    assessments?

3. How does the class feel about the use of rubrics to evaluate student work?

Class 2/7/13:


Who are we designing for?

We are designing for those generations that will succeed us in the stewardship of our planet as well as unborn generations to come. 

What are you designing?

I am designing materials and techniques that I have found in my own experiences to be the most successful in engaging and maintaining student interest in new concepts, ideas and material.  As a result, I seek to ensure that the most meaningful and effective instruction takes place so that real learning occurs for these students and their schematic knowledge of the world expands. Consequently, I hope to help them learn as much as possible about the world around them as well as how to critically engage, reflect and comprehend it.

What is the final product of your design?

Interactive, innovative lessons that draw upon the strengths and preferences of each individual student in order to best help them succeed in their studies.

Take-Away 2/7/13:

Technology has a central role to play in the continual evolution and renewal of education given the numerous benefits it possesses for enhancing instruction for all learners. Consequently, it is important that we as educators embrace new ideas and techniques where appropriate, but also remain mindful that technology is not a replacement for content and pedagogical knowledge. Rather it is a co-partner in the endless drive to provide ever more effective instruction and meaningful learning. The 3-way Venn diagram was extremely helpful in visualizing this emerging reality and a welcome relief for those of us "casual observers" still hesitant to full include or embrace technology.

When Enough is Never Enough

by Matthew Joachim
 

Reading through the first two chapters of our text, I was heartened by the renewed push for the active inclusion and implementation of new technologies into classrooms across the country.  The possibilities for enhancing and modifying instruction for the benefit of learners are limitless.  This is especially welcome news as we strive to differentiate instruction to meet the learning styles and needs of all students in order to provide the most effective instruction.
 

However, I was somewhat unnerved by the collusion of constructivism, particularly its assertion that "there is no reality except as constructed by the individual," and the new efforts to revolutionize education with new technologies.  Attempting to create our own truths and realities is a dangerous concept because it leaves society vulnerable to the most powerful factions imposing their own beliefs without any reference point to refute false information or room for opposing views.  For example, while we can debate whether the American colonists were heroes or rebels, or both, we cannot deny the historical fact that a revolution did occur in which the 13 Colonies broke away from England and formed a new republic based upon the principles of the Declaration of Independence.

This development, combined with the authors' citation of "a persistent pattern of boredom and alienation (Maloy, Verock O'Loughlin, Edwards & Woolf, 2011, p. 10)" among students were identified as the motivations for overturning established educational practices and principles and seem more like an effort to dumb down the populace by encouraging attention deficient behaviors rather than helping them acquire new knowledge by striving through concentration, focus and self-control.  Let me explain.
 

  

 All generations think and act differently than their predecessors.  Our parents' beliefs and ideas are surely not the same as ours, just as our children's will be different as well.  Every generation is also accompanied by new and different technology.  Those of us born in the late 1980s and early 1990s were privileged to enjoy many of the innovations cited in this book for transforming education such as television, computers, cell phones, etc. yet our traditional instruction with chalkboards, worksheets and tests did not detract or inhibit our learning.  Additionally, we arrived when many of these inventions were already a few decades old and still learned just as well as our parents and grandparents.  In fact, my own elementary and high school education was defined by these so-called "failed practices" cited by the textbook such as desks arranged in rows, students mostly listening, taking notes or completing worksheets, etc. and yet here I sit blogging before you in the last semester of a master's degree just two years after the completion of a bachelor's.
 

My point is not to brag, but to understand why this current generation of students is so special as to warrant a complete overhaul of principles and practices that have stood the test of time and been utilized for hundreds if not thousands of years.  They are already bombarded and distracted by a never-ending flow of texts, advertisements, shows, movies, games, etc. and require a refuge from the informational overflow.  As illustrated by the PBS documentary, although browsing Google stimulated more brain activity, reading a book was considered healthier due to the "less is more" idea of being able to focus more clearly and thoroughly on a single matter rather than diluting our attention with many matters at once, more commonly known as "multi-tasking."  School should be a place where students come to slow down, refocus and realize that life in the real world is much different than the digital one they are exposed to for hours on end each day.  We should not water down our approach because they need our experience in order to learn and grow to prepare for life in the real world.  Rather, we should set the bar higher to help them achieve their best and overcome the negative tendencies such as laziness that plague all adolescents.

 

 
 

Working in Coney Island and elsewhere, I have seen firsthand the problem of allowing technology to control the classroom as Prensky and the text seem to advocate.  All of my classes are classified as “low-functioning” and I learned early on that all the technology in the world will not focus certain classes without a strong teacher to monitor, refocus and control the situation with a well-prepared lesson.  When you are dealing with a society that is already attention deficient, it seems counterproductive and even irresponsible to encourage and reinforce those behaviors that cause such distractions.  Why would you pour more oil on an already raging fire?  It is completely puzzling to me why the text would cite students' boredom as the proof that education needs a revolution.  Forgive me, but who are the experts and professionals that have studied and practiced for years to become effective educators and who are the young, malleable and immature minds requiring structure, order and consistency?  That in no way means that we ignore our students' suggestions and preferences when designing instruction, but I would ask anyone my age or older to imagine what school would be like if their adolescent self had been able to control it and what our own feelings were at the time.  They were most likely not too different from those of our students today.  
 

What we need is a fusion of the “legacy” and “future” contents cited by Prensky in which the best practices of the teacher-and student-centered approaches are included.  At the same time, we should retain the simplicity and calmness of the natural world as called for by Lang to help us appreciate the beauty and wonder of the real world without all of its electronics, networks and digitization.  This balanced approach is the surest way to ensuring that effective and appropriate instruction takes place for the benefit of all learners while also incorporating technology as a central component of learning.
 

Three Questions:

1) Why is there such a push to gratify student wishes in the classroom through technology when

     they are already inundated with numerous distractions throughout the day?

 

2) How will technology provide superior instruction if our students do not even have the basic

     concepts of reading, writing and arithmetic?

3) Do traditional methods still have a place in the classroom of the future or will they be

     completely eliminated?

 

 

 

 

The Best of Both Worlds?
by Matthew Joachim

 

New teachers always have a tremendous opportunity to finally put into practice the various strategies and techniques they have spent years internalizing and testing. Consequently, a plethora of possiblities can now be employed and explored in order to ascertain the best practices for learning and instruction.  

 

Having been in education for over 10 years, I've seen the best of both worlds with regards to technology in education.  Some classrooms were technologically advanced with the regular use of SmartBoards, mini laptops, etc. while others were completely devoid of even the basic overhead projector.  However, in both environments technology did not make or break the success of student learning.  Rather, its utilization by the teacher and employment among students were key to whether it made any difference at all.  Too often, YouTube videos and laptops would be used as time killers and babysitters for students, eliminating any sort of learning about either the content or technology.  Additionally, for many students classified as "low functioning," the new tools were used to provide distractions for them while teachers attempted to conduct lessons for the rest of the class.  We already have a major problem maintaining students' attention regardless of what motivations are used and sometimes technology only exacerbates the problem.

 

 

As a result, my experiences place me firmly in the camp of "casual observers" as described by our text (Maloy, Verock-O'Loughlin, Edwards & Woolf, 2011).  I am more than willing to consider new tools and innovations, but will only move to employ them once their educational value has been clearly demonstrated.  Additionally, if I should ever invent any new forms of digital learning, my first move would be to repeatedly test the new strategies, techniques or programs in order to ascertain their effectiveness with student thinking and learning.

 

In Coney Island, I am in the unique position of having classrooms lacking any sort of electronic or digital technology.  Honestly, it has been difficult re-adapting to such traditional modes of teaching after having had the benefit of SmartBoards, PowerPoints, online videos, etc. for so long.  Having taught in both types of classrooms, I will be the first to acknowledge that online notes, such as PowerPoint presentations, are vastly superior to those written in chalk on a blackboard.  The visual and interactive supplements, time saved and greater clarity are huge benefits for covering a lesson in 40 minutes.  As a result, when the new SmartBoards begin to arrive either at the end of the year or next year, I know that I will be a leader in adapting them for use and assisting other educators in learning to use them.  However, their purpose will still remain conveying new knowledge to the young, inquiring minds that inhabit the classrooms each day.

 

In the fast-paced, interconnected and digitized world of 2013, all this is done in order to preserve the proven methods of the past while integrating the promising ones of the future. This is how I plan to begin incorporating the best of both worlds into learning and instruction.