Week #4: The Generational Digital Divide

This week our class had a discussion centered around the generational gaps with technology and the digital age. What really stood out to me was the fact that it seemed like bit of a contentious relationship between generations. Personally, I like to think that technology is something that bridges that gap between generations and gives us the tools we need to relate to each other.

This week we were asked to reflect on a number of different questions in our blogs.

Do schools really need to change? If so, in what ways?

I think that this is a question that has a yes and no answer. I think that the education that my sons are getting is great, they have teachers that are engaging them in conversations, having them think critically and using aspects of technology in their learning environments. There are great educators out there that are still making an impact on student learning. I do think, however, that as educators we need to evolve. when I say this I mean we need to do what we want our students to do, get out of our comfort zones and integrate more technology and digital leaning styles. we have a limited amount of tech tools in our school, but we do have laptops that can access a number of educational programs. We have programs that we can be utilizing to manage our work loads, programs such as Google Suits, in which students can write, create presentations, work with different programs that it has to offer. Google Classroom for instance is an interesting way to collect student work in one space as well as creating and assigning work for students, in a forum that is more manageable to students than their lockers and binders. Utilizing these assistive technologies could help with productivity and help alleviate the workload on teachers and students. Our world is changing and we need to equip our students with the tools they will need in the future through their ed experience. Christiaan Henny makes a great point right at the end of his article stating, “Though the future of education seems remote, the teacher and educational institution are vital to academic performance.”

What sort of world are we preparing students for?

The world that our students are going to be working in is going to be enhanced with technological tools that they will need to embrace for their success. In Future Work Skills 2020, in a section entitled, New Media Ecology, it is said that, “New media is placing new demands on attention and cognition. It is enabling new platforms for creating online identity while at the same time requiring people to engage in activities such as online personal reputation and identity management. It is enabling new ways for groups to come together and collaborate, bringing in new levels of transparency to our work and personal lives.” Our world is constantly becoming more and more technology driven and we need to be able to equip our students with the skills they will need to navigate that world in a healthy manner.

What sort of education or education system will be needed to adequately prepare students for the world ahead?

This is an important question that we need to consider as educators. Classes and programs that are offered in post-secondary institutes are in online formats. Students will need to be properly equipped to problem solve and work in these highly independent formats. So not only will they have a need to be able to work on their own and utilize programs to do so, but they will need to have an idea as to how to interact with and navigate ed tech tools so they do not feel so overwhelmed with a) a new class and b) new technologies.

In Whats the future of education? Teachers respond the following quote really stuck out,

“Is teaching a dying profession? If not, then the classroom will change a lot. I don’t think schools will exist in the same format, with desks and chairs. Instead, learning will incorporate virtual reality and multiple perspectives. Students will learn how to negotiate issues and exchange ideas.” —Sharon Hadar, educator in Raanana, Israel

Is it possible to change our educational system, or is it more likely that the system will be replaced by other forms of education?

This is a tricky question! I do think that it is possible to change the educational system in many ways, but I do think that there will be different options through its evolution. I do think that there will be a blended aspect to the education system down the road. In an article by Bernard Marr he points out,

“Online learning makes education available to those even in remote areas as well as make it easy to share curriculum across borders. EdTech solutions can overcome many common barriers to a quality education.”

Educators roles will change to that of a facilitator of learning, which might be a bit of a step back from what they are used to. If this happens there is a major downside, which is creating relationships with students. In a society where we are already behind screens for a good chunk of time, we would be widening that gap and possibly stunting student ability  to socialize in meaningful ways.

 What does citizenship look like in this future reality?

This is a great question, especially with the previously mentioned generational divides that exist within the realm of technology. Citizens will have a greater understanding of different programs. There will be a number of different transferable skills based on what education has offered is students. Opportunities for future students to learn with and through improved technologies will be fantastic but I do worry about the possibility of the social aspect of education suffering, which is huge as we have to co exist with other humans. What happens when it’s not practiced? what will be the effects of an unsocial society? Sure people will be tech savvy and able…but human interaction is huge! This would be one fear I have for my kids….

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Week #3: Digital Literacy for Dummies

This week we had the privilege of having Mary Beth Hertz guest lecture our EC&I class. This was an eye opening experience for myself as I learned quite a bit about some technology aspects and education that I probably would not have spent time on with my students. When we started the class Mary Beth talked about how she spends time with her students asking simple questions that quite frankly I would not have. I was completely blown away at how these questions absolutely should be covered, however. Questions such as: What is the internet? What is an IP? What are domains? What are cookies?

I get caught up in the fact that students, quite possibly, know more about the internet that I do, so there were some initial assumptions by myself that I need to address and adjust to within my learning environment. Addressing these initial important questions about the vast world that is the internet, is critical to the understanding and growth of students in a digital age.

Another aspect of the conversation that really struck a chord with me was a quote that Mary Beth references from Dayna Boyd, “Teens aren’t addicted to social media, they are addicted to each other.” I thought that this was oddly profound and made complete sense. What would happen if there weren’t many students on Snapchat, Instagram or Tik Tok? Thinking about this more I realized that this has happened with Facebook. Not many students are on Facebook or at least use it as much as the other outlets that they have. This very well could be simply because their friends and acquaintances are also not using it, so why bother? Social media is about connecting with others and updating with video’s, pictures, and text…if there is a vacancy of friends on those apps why use them? It’s the fear of missing out (here is a great article on FOMO) that has students, and adults, using these outlets. We want to be seen, noticed and liked as much as possible, validation is massive to students and social media outlets are where they get that validation and attention.

Schools are the perfect place for students to learn about social media tools and how to use them responsibly and efficiently. If our future generations can harness the skills to effectively balance and learn about the risks about using social media, then the future looks bright!

 

Week Two: It’s Rough coming up with a Major Project Outline!

This term I will be taking on the task of diving into a personal journey into media. My plan is to look at a couple social media outlets that students are finding relevant to their social and daily lives, such as Tik Tok, Snapchat, and Instagram. I would also like to take a look at the educational app Seesaw, this is an app that has predominantly been utilized in primary grades in the schools that I have worked in. Now that I have three kids of my own, two that are currently in school,  that are in grades ranging from K-4 I want to find out more about Seesaw and it’s capabilities and restrictions. Although I am not too sure which social media outlets I will explore, I know that I will be trying to tackle Seesaw, especially as its being use in one of my children’s classes and I really have a lack of understanding about its capabilities.

One of the difficult aspects to this major project is choosing which avenues to explore. I think the best route might be to take a look at a couple different educational tools and quite possibly one social media outlet. At this time I am still trying to figure out what this will concretely look like and how I am going to tackle it, but I am excited to start exploring the aspects, whether positive or negative, of the apps that I decide on.

My rough timeline will be to spend roughly three weeks with an application, looking at it as a tool through education, finding the pro’s and con’s, and how I have utilized it in my life through education in some regard. I will take a look through reviews, try to find new and innovative ways to utilize the app within the realm of my universe, professionally and personally. I will also take an in depth look at the Terms of Service.

This is my rough outline for my major project. Stay tuned to see what applications I will be using!

Week #2: Reading Reflection

The digital age that we are currently living in is difficult to navigate. There are so many people that are invested in their phones/devices and the information and applications that they can access from them. I have this problem, at times!

“In other words, a medium – this extension of our body or senses or mind – is anything from which a change emerges.” – Mark Federman

I thought that this quote by Mark Federman was really interesting. He is comparing our digital devices as an extension of our bodies and beings…and he is not wrong. We are so tuned into our lives online that it impacts our physical lives and relationships.  There needs to be a delicate balance between our two social lives, the virtual and the physical. Too often does the virtual one begin to over step and become eclipsing to the physical which can become dangerous and leave us more alone that we already thought we were.

This point is not to take away from the vast avenues we have at our fingertips. James Potter puts it best when he states:

“You don’t need to be a signed to a recording contract by a record company to distribute your songs. You can also be a journalist, a fiction writer, a photographer, a filmmaker, or even a video game designer as a hobby and make your messages easily available to millions of people, just like professional artists.” – James Potter

There is so much that we are able to do online for ourselves, we are producers, and the internet makes that possible. I like the vast expanse that is offered with internet access, but it can become consuming.

Another quote that resonated with me was from Potter again stating, “building the life that you want rather than letting the media build the life they want for you” (pg. 12). This is an important anecdote that has creeped me out from time to time. I have mentioned wanting new shoes or new items in different conversations, later in the day when scrolling though a social media outlet…there will be an advertisement for that same item I had previously mentioned. This has happened to me on a number of occasions. That and just the crazy amount of ads that pop up when playing a game or using social media.

One of the most impactful readings this week was a Ted Talk by Sherry Turkle. She talks about the implications of becoming overly invested in our devices. “Those little devices in our pockets are so psychologically powerful that they don’t only change what we do, they change who we are.” This is a powerful statement, she is not wrong. I have had friends that have been glued to their devices when we are spending time together. It impacted those relationships and began to isolate that person with out them realizing it. when this happens they are then on their phone even more, which leads to my next important quote from Sherry, “Being alone feels like a problem that needs to be solved.”. We as humans need to be okay with being alone and unplugged. It’s a balance that is necessary to our social health.

Nice to Meet Me?

Salutations! My name is Adam Williams and I am currently in my final graduate studies class towards completing my masters. I have had privilege of being in three classes facilitated by the REAL Alec Couros that I have found incredibly beneficial to my continuing quest to be a connected educator, as well as expanding my horizons within the realm of education technology.

I am currently in my eighth year of teaching grade seven and eight. This is an age group that is continually glued to their iDevices and ahead of the game when it comes to new apps or social media outlets. I find myself curious to dive into this world of new apps, like Uncle Travelling Matt from Fraggle Rock, but find it rather exhausting to try to keep up with the latest app trends…except for Pokemon Go and Mario Cart…both fantastic! It is a goal of mine to continue to engage with these new programs as I have kids of my own and I’d like to know what they are on, how it’s used, the consequences of using said apps (through terms and services), and how can it be relevant to a 37 year old male! My oldest is nine years old and will want to dive into the world of technology through his own device…when he is lucky enough and mature enough to use it responsibly!

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I do utilize a number of apps and social media outlets, myself. I find myself interested in wanting to know more and learn more about the digital world at our fingertips…as we speak I am currently watching a hockey game…ON MY PHONE!! I would have been a goner if iPhones were a thing in the late 90’s, early 2000’s in high school!

Needless to say, I am extremely excited to dive into this course and learn as much as I can!

 

Major Project Blog #4 -The Wrap-Up

Over the duration of EDL 820 I have found myself thoroughly much more reflective in nature than in past classes. Thinking about the different leadership styles that are at our disposal when we are in roles that grant us the fragile ability to lead is daunting. What everyone in a leadership position needs to remember is that we have tools at our disposal that we can use in every situation. I start with leadership because in order to effectively implement the change that my partner, Scott, and I would like to integrate into education we need to use different strategies throughout our process. Whether that is in creating tutorial videos for ed tech programs, creating a briefing that we will use to sell our ideas to the staff, division, and ministry as well as our customers, parents and students, there will need to be qualities in our leadership that will need to shine through and some that we will need to put in our back pocket and save for a job more suited to that style. This is the juggling act that I enjoy as a people person.

This project has vastly opened my eyes to the processes that one goes through in order to implement a change within a business. Identifying factors that are currently working in ed tech in education and what was lacking was very telling that there is a gap that needs to be bridged. If there is to be sufficient use of ed tech programs with staff, students and their parents why wouldn’t there be a training process in place for each program? At least when one is given the basic functions of a program they are able to create and explore within it further and create work that is transformative as opposed to simply utilizing these tools as substitutions. This is simply outlined by the SAMR model and is one reason we would like to see a change in ed technologies training. If our educators were properly trained and used these programs such as Google Suites and what it has to offer there will be a greater buy-in from staff members as well as the student population.

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In terms of funding for a program such as the one Scott and I are proposing there might be little, as educators we would be on the clock already being paid a salary wage, no loss there. There are also programs online that have assisted us with the ability to create video tutorials for each of the programs. Screencast-O-Matic is a free program that will record the screen and what you are working on. It had a 15 minute limit per recording but that makes it easy to break training tutorials into manageable chunks if need be. The downfall to this program is the ability to edit, you can pause the recording then record again but you need to have your content well organized in order to execute this well. It is an idea that Scott and I used in our major project, and we have been happy with the results of the tutorials we have created with Screencast-O-Matic. Funding that might be spent on a project such as this could then possibly go towards more devices for schools so that they are able to get closer to a 2:1 or 1:1 ratio for students.

With proper training in place, we will also see a shift in the resisting population of educators. When there is competency with technology-based programs resistors will start to become change promotors and will engage in further learnings with new technologies that may be used in the classroom, this is where we would have an educational technology community of practice. This is where a Laissez-Faire approach will benefit both Scott and I. We would be able to let other leaders within the realm of the division host their own training and sharing groups for ed tech programs they have found and want to learn more about. With the different community of practices in place, staff will be furthering their competencies with other educational supportive programs and garnering a greater curiosity among colleagues from across the division.

Ultimately Scott and I have created the crucial beginnings of a program that could have a great impact on ed tech training. I like to think of it as that crucial first domino that is being knocked over to create proper training for ed tech programs that educators are able to utilize in their classrooms. Once this is done it creates a model for future training in newer technologies for teachers. It is difficult and stressful for teachers to use these programs when there is little to no training for them. In our eyes, this will be a great step in the right direction for education and technologies within it that will relieve teacher stress when trying to navigate them.

 

Major Project Blog #3 – And We’re Off!

Taking the first steps to begin final assignments is always the most challenging aspect for me. I always know what I want to do and how I need to execute it, but I always struggle with finding a starting line. For our major project, I had the same issue, and it was especially difficult because there are a number of different aspects of our project. We have a number of different aspects to the tech change that we want to instill, for the better, for our schools and the division. Ultimately evolving the understanding of certain board-certified programs for teachers, students, and parents so they are easier to understand and use. There are a number of different aspects of this process that we need to tackle.

Organizing where we are headed and how we get there… the first steps I struggle with. Luckily my partner Scott is pretty much a master when it comes to setting up a skeleton for projects such as this one, so that really helped me become stronger in an area I struggled with. Because we are looking at creating a training program for ed tech programs that are to be used on a regular to semi-regular basis we needed to come up with a blueprint for our project. What will it look like and how will it be delivered? We came to the consensus that there needed to be an initial presentation that will be put forward to the Ministry, Division, educators within the division and its parents. This presentation would cover most aspects to implementing new training such as a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis, engagement with each level of Education, engagement with change promotors and resistors, etc..

Our training will then be done with teachers with the assistance of tutorial videos for each program that teachers will have access to on a regular basis. These tutorials will take educators through the implemented programs and equip them with the knowledge they will need to effectively utilize them in their classrooms. The tutorials will give teachers the confidence they need to use the programs, they will be delivered as video’s so teachers can see what is going on, they can be paused, rewound, and will be accessible throughout the life of that technology. This will also give educators the opportunity to become experts with different programs and equip them with some troubleshooting capabilities that might normally take time away from teaching. When educators are properly equipped and trained with the tools that we are given to enhance our educational experiences, stress and workload are affected in a positive manner and we become more efficient at our jobs. In an article entitled, The Impact of In-Service Technology Training Programmes on Technology Teachers, Gumbo et. al state that, “The findings revealed that teachers overwhelmingly benefited from the training in terms of their knowledge and understanding of technology.” (pg. 30) This is massive in a profession where the workload can be overwhelming. Why wouldn’t an investment in proper technology training be implemented? 

With these realizations and the fact that front line workers in education, teachers and students, will benefit from proper training, we are quite confident that a training program such as the one we are proposing will be welcome and instill a confident competency among its users. This will also increase the use of programs that are certified from the School Board, and educators will feel more confident with the implementation of future tech programs.

Major Project Blog #2 – Targets and Assessment

As stated in my first major project blog, the area I want to impact in regards to education technology is that of proper training for teachers and students. I wanted to implement a training process that would see four modules in place throughout the year to help the school community gain greater expertise with the programs that are going to be utilized and implemented within the division.

After chatting with a colleague Scott, we decided that we would work together on this project as we both had similar ideas for the major project. We came together and went over each of our proposals and came up with a more focused and detailed idea for our project that not only includes staff and student modules but includes parents as well. From here we decided to focus on the programs PowerSchool, Gradebook, and myBlueprint. These programs are used regularly throughout the school year and are utilized by all three parties involved with the exception of myBlueprint. There is also a push from the Board office for educators to use these programs throughout the school year.

We got off to an incredible start creating target areas for training:

1. PD at the beginning of the year, a slide show tutorial presentation,
2. Condensed presentations for parents
3. Training for Google Suite programs to be used in the classroom
4. Utilizing these programs with students
5. Another introduction for educators to other subject-specific programs
6. And finally, a reflective target to set goals for the following year.   

We felt that if we had these six targets it would set up a solid foundation for training and understanding for these programs, as well as those that may be used in the future. Scott and I were on a roll.  And then it happened, the unthinkable…We became stumped, our brains working overtime, two fathers with a lack of sleep had a real struggle with the assessment aspect of the project.

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Personal and External assessments, how to measure success in an area, how do we know it’s working, how do we obtain data to measure said success? This took a lot of pondering, the type Winnie the Pooh does! 

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Personal assessment was a difficult package to unwrap for us. Trying to find different ways to measure the success of the different modules was a challenge. When we look at the success of programs we look for the concrete data, the analytic numbers that will show success, so we had to try to find different avenues in order to tell whether the targets would be successful. We did finally come up with some different ways to assess the success of the targets such as a decrease in e-mails and questions from staff and parents. When there is a reduction in the number of questions being asked about programs and how to properly utilize them, that alone is a measure of success in the delivery of training of the program. Another area that we thought would be measurable in personal assessment was the increased buy-in from staff to use technology. This is an area in which there has been resistance within the building I currently work, and it’s simply because of the lack of training with new programs.

External assessment we found a bit easier. When looking at the specific programs we were targetting, such as myBlueprint and PowerSchool, administrators can go into these programs and monitor student progress as well as parent usage. With access to program data in which you can check student progress, you get a greater understanding as to where students are at and what you may need to work on moving forward to harbour success in students lacking in the usage and completion of the educational technology.

Once Scott and I had wrapped our heads around our understanding we felt like we had created a solid plan for our major project. Proper technology training for everyone involved in education will create an environment where the educator can become an effective facilitator of learning, students will become more familiar with Board initiated programs, and parents will be able to effectively navigate and utilize PowerSchool. With these goals in mind and the targets we have set I believe there will be an improvement in teacher competency, student growth, and parent engagement.

Major Project Blog #1: An Ed Tech Training Idea

For the first part of our major project, we were asked to create a proposal about an area in which we would like to influence in educational technology. There are many different things that could be done differently and more efficiently within education technology, but the one aspect that could be focused on the most is that educator training with new technology. It wasn’t too difficult a task to choose an area within technology and education to start thinking about what changes could be made. The biggest aspect that is missing is proper and efficient training on new technologies that we are to utilize to enhance everyone’s educational experience.  

With new technological tools being created and integrated into our school systems each year it is important that divisions are making wise choices as to what programs they will be implementing to meet the needs of their teachers, students and parents. This is a great way to move forward in education, but there is one key aspect that is missing when we get these tools and that aspect is the lack of proper training for staff to successfully integrate the technology into their lessons.

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My proposal for a change in educational technology training is a four module structure that includes students in three aspects of the training process so they along with their educators can become experts with the technology.

Module One – Teacher training in a PD session at the beginning of the year.

Module Two – Session in class with students and teacher setting up accounts and exploring new technology and what it has to offer and how it functions.

Module Three – Teacher and students utilize the programs and ask any clarifying questions they may have about the program.

Module Four – Reflection for teacher and students that gives them the ability to provide feedback on the new technology.

These modules would all be completed with an expert from the division.

There would definitely be some wrinkles that would need to be ironed out, but with the active support of an expert visiting the school and engaging with the teachers and student body with new technologies, there would be an increased level of engagement from each party. Teachers would be more apt to utilize new technologies within their classrooms and feel confident in doing so. This will also alleviate the stress of the learning leader on a staff when a number of colleagues are constantly coming for assistance and questions about new technology.

It was fairly simple to choose an area I would have liked to influence, technology is an important aspect in education. What would be difficult about this is the fact that the school division has a lack of funding that they would need to start this program up and keep it running efficiently. There would need to be a good number of experts on the technology that would be able to coordinate visits to each school, 3 times, throughout the year. It would be a good investment that would harbour confidence, curiosity and eagerness among staff to utilize technology in the class.

There are many avenues that could be explored within technology training, but I believe that the most effective way to train is to include all of the parties that will be utilizing it (Staff, students and parents). Through this, there should be a greater willingness to use programs from staff and a higher engagement from the students as well. and one of the most important aspects that is missed when introducing technology, in my experience, has been the feedback piece. How do you know how well a program is working without staff and student feedback? Is it easy to use? further questioning creates greater expertise! 

I know that this is an area that will not change soon but in a perfect world we can ask clarifying questions and get a quick response, we can become experts with great human support resources to help train us and students to utilize the different programs we are given properly and successfully.    

Unit 6: To Infinity and Beyond

In this weeks post, we were asked to share some ed-tech stories from around the world and how they are working. I have chosen to look at the ever-evolving virtual reality and augmented reality technologies and how they are working to enhance educational experiences for students and teachers.

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are quickly becoming technological tools that are being implemented into classrooms across the world to help with student engagement and learning. With these tools, education is becoming more experiential for all students. Textbook learning has become or always was, stagnant and boring for most students. With the implementation of some VR and AR programs education is beginning to evolve into a more engaging and hands-on tech-based learning experience for students who have the privilege to use these tools.

So, what is virtual reality and augmented reality?

“Virtual reality is an artificial environment that is created with software and presented to the user in such a way that the user suspends belief and accepts it as a real environment”

Augmented reality is when we look through a lens, for instance, our phone screens, there is an element that is being added to the reality we know. It is altering or enhancing what is available to us in terms of educational experiences, entertainment, productivity, etc.    

With these new technologies at teachers disposal, they are able to enhance their curriculum with students being able to experience historical landmarks, going into space or share experiences of residential schools. In Manitoba, there has been a program created to take users on a journey through the experiences of residential schools. They visit rooms in virtual buildings and are told about survivors experiences. This has major pedagogical value within our education system and would also enhance engagement from students that are participating. We hear the stories sometimes and do our best to pass on this knowledge, but with a tool that can assist in the education of horrible events that have happened within our country with survivors stories, it would be invaluable

In Nova Scotia classrooms are utilizing VR for science curriculum looking at the human bodies. The tools that they are using to make this possible are their iPhones and a cardboard VR headset. These headsets can be quite cheap, around $10-$20 per set. Funding can be an issue, but it is in most aspects of education so this might be a cheap way to get around having to buy top of the line materials to supplement learning with. There is also the issue of devices to run the applications from, not every student has one, but every class I have taught there have been approximately 50% of the student population that have had them. Sharing is caring when partnered up and that is the way I could see VR working within our school systems. It is not perfect, but I liken it to computers per student ratios at times within schools, sometimes there are not enough and that’s when small group work starts to flourish.

AR is much the same when it comes to tools but is quite a bit different than VR. Programs that alter reality behind screens and enables users to experience their work coming to life, such as an art project, It can give life to something that students might find rather boring. The following video is a good example of what AR technology is capable of.

As technology becomes more prominent within our daily lives and societies it is important that education is paving the way for success within these realms. Not only will there be a greater student engagement level but student achievement would climb as well. Utilizing new tools is incredibly important in education and when utilizing AR and VR we can enhance experiential learning to new heights and students would appreciate that. The biggest thing educators have to remember when implementing these new programs and technologies it the fact that their needs to be a reason/context to the exploration and utilization of these tools. If that is not the case any tech advancement, when used improperly, is bound to fail. Using AR and VR properly with guidance and outcomes will enhance the education and engagement of many students.