Getting My Feet Wet in the Digital Stream

      I have mixed feelings about the use of technology in the classroom. On the one hand, I can see the value of using technology to relate to modern students. I can also recognize that presenting information through a variety of different means can broaden the teaching practice and help address the difference in learning styles amongst students. However, I do have some concerns about incorporating technology into the classroom. The majority of students are already spending a ton of time “plugged in,” and I worry about the consequences that this may have in terms of attention span and the need for intense stimulation. I also have environmental concerns regarding technology and wonder about the long term health impacts of prolonged exposure to certain technologies. I know some of this may come off as paranoid, but I also feel that there are many ways that students could be better served by their teachers without focusing on bringing more technology into the classroom.

     While it is impossible to deny that the technological leaps and bounds of the last decade or so have increased our ability to connect and share on many levels, I also feel that much of the quality of information and communication has tended to degrade over time. When you look at the language used in many blogs, tweets and texts, it isn't hard to see why each generation seems to have a progressively tenuous grasp on the fundamentals of English language such as grammar and spelling. If these are the forums in which we are conducting most of our written communication, it seems that this decline will only increase.

     There is also the issue that studies have shown that many people learn better if they are writing with a pen and paper. This is particularly true of foreign language learning (article supporting this theory: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022066303011255 ,) but also applies to general language learning. This phenomenon was studied and explained by Dr. Virginia Berniger who wrote that

A keyboard doesn’t allow a child to have the same opportunity to engage the hand while forming letters—on a keyboard a letter is selected by pressing a key and is not formed [...] Brain imaging studies with adults have shown an advantage for forming letters over selecting or viewing letters. We need more research to figure out how forming letters by a pen and selecting them by pressing a key may engage our thinking brains differently. (http://www.futurity.org/society-culture/for-kids-pens-mightier-than-keyboard/#more-4909 )

Additionally, pen and paper writing reduces reliance on spell check and grammar check features and encourages children to apply the conventions of writing themselves. Beyond concerns about written language, there is also the issue of the quality of information accessed online, the vast majority of which does not benefit from peer-review or fact-checking. Even popular sources such as Wikipedia are simply not reliable.

     This being said, I do not feel that technology has no place in the classroom. There are many instances in which it could be useful. In particular, I think that some of the options for exploring oracy through technology are very interesting. Allowing kids to record themselves might help them to feel more at ease with using language than speaking up in class, and that is definitely an advantage. I love the idea of recording story ideas to use as a stepping stone in the writing process of very young children. There is so much creativity to be tapped there and being able to record some of those ideas before students are at the point of being able to write them down themselves seems like a wonderful thing.

     The options for podcasts are nearly endless, but I particularly like the idea of allowing kids to interview others. I think that this could be a excellent opportunity for children to connect with the larger community and that there is tons of potential for a project such as the one described in Constructing Meaning in which the students in rural Nova Scotia documented the history of their community in a project which extended across multiple school years, creating their own historical archive. I also think that it has potential for mentorship programs throughout schools. For example, older students in a school could create a recording for the Kindergarten kids entering school in which they address issues they struggled with in their early education, offer advice or talk about things that they have learned over the years.

     All in all, I do see potential for technology to aid learning in the classroom, but I cannot escape the nagging concerns that have regarding our societal reliance on technology. As much I personally love tapping into these resources, I cannot help but wonder at the fact that though we may have access to resources beyond the wildest dreams of people a few generations ago, we are increasingly losing our grasp on the fundamentals of language and critical thinking. My hope is that, as a teacher, I will be able to strike a balance between accepting the realities of modern communication while not allowing the more traditional aspects of language learning to fall by the wayside.

p.s.

My long-time favourite podcast:

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives

Nautilus adrift in the sea of talk

     In studying to become a teacher, I have often found the thought of being in the classroom to be a bit overwhelming. The responsibility and complex web of theory surrounding the role of the teacher can be intimidating. With this in mind, it is possible to see the Integrated Resource Package (IRP) as being disheartening for new teachers. After all, it is theory-heavy and emphasizes the fundamental importance of ELA learning in the early years, and how difficult it can be for a student to recover from an early deficiency in this area. However, I see the IRP as providing more help to beginning teachers than hindrance. Despite everything we stand to learn in our time at UVic and in our practicums, as new teachers we will be starting our careers with so much to learn about being effective and inspiring in the classroom, and the IRP provides a clear and thorough foundation on which to build our teaching practice.

     I was surprised by how much I enjoyed reading the IRP. I find it apt that it spirals around on itself, touching on the same points and coming back to the same learning outcomes, because this structure reflects the interdependence of the different aspects of ELA (speaking and listening, reading and viewing, and writing and representing). None of the six can stand alone and all must extend across the curriculum, coming together at points and then separating out again, gradually spiralling towards a holistic understanding and mastery of the language arts. This also reflects the nature of the lifelong learner, which I like to think of as being like a nautilus shell, which begins small and at a fixed point, but grows over time with each compartment a little bigger than the rest but always interconnected and circling back on itself.

     The IRP supports this vision by encouraging growth and gradual independence of students with the goal of the lifelong learner and provides a structure for both teaching and assessment which works toward this end. As it states: “Students who can monitor their learning, assess their strengths and weaknesses, and set goals for improvement become independent, lifelong learners.” (IRP pg.17) It also serves to remind us that this intention should not be reserved for our students alone, but that self-reflection and self-assessment, as well as a lifetime of learning, are qualities a good teacher should maintain throughout their career. In fact, one could easily substitute the 'teachers' for 'students' in that sentence, and arrive at a statement which is equally valid.

     With this in mind, I see the IRP as an important resource in the continued learning and development of a teacher. I don't harbour any illusions about how difficult the first few years of a teaching career will be, and I doubt that many, if any, students graduate from school feeling that they know everything that it takes to be an inspiring and successful teacher and are completely ready to get out into the classroom. While this is somewhat daunting, I am comforted by the fact that no one seems to expect teachers to spring fully formed from their respective academic institutions like Athena from Zeus' head. The concept of the teacher as learner, when coupled with the structure and guidance of the IRP, makes this transition seem less intimidating.

     Having a strong and stable foundation such as the IRP to draw upon allows for confidence in lesson planning and gives a teacher's personal strengths and creativity a framework to rest upon. In many ways, the IRP and the Prescribed Learning Outcomes (PLOs) are like a skeleton that teachers individually flesh-out and dress up with what they bring personally to their teaching practice. They may seem strict and confining, but in reality they allow for a great deal of flexibility and innovation in lesson planning. However, while they allow for individuality, they also help balance out any personal biases that we may bring into our practice by reminding us of the importance of all aspects of the language arts. Having PLOs which are clearly stated ensures that we are covering all our bases in the ELA curriculum.

     The flexibility and adaptability required of today's teachers speaks to the increasing diversity of the students themselves, which presents both challenges and opportunities for teachers. One such opportunity arises from cultural and social diversity of the modern classroom. A major focus of the language arts is to construct meaning in regards to the world in which we live, and increased exposure to diverse cultures can only aid in this goal. If, as the National Association for the Education of Young Learners proposes, children are “active learners, drawing on direct physical and social experiences as well as culturally transmitted knowledge to construct their own understandings of the world around them,” (IRP pg. 30) then the diversity of today's classrooms can only serve to broaden their horizons. Giving students a chance to share their personal culture and experiences with one another not only builds their communication and language skills, can also lead to a more balanced, enlightened and respectful populace.

     The additional heterogeneity of learning style and rate in the classroom necessitates a creative approach to lesson planning which accommodates all learners. Government policy is such that all PLOs and Suggested Achievement Indicators are designed to be within reach of all levels of learner and the IRP outlines the “voice and choice” (IRP pg. 26) approach to language learning whereby students are encouraged to be active participants in their education. By giving students agency in their learning and choices in learning material, we can strive to create an engaging and inclusive classroom which caters to the needs of all students.

     Indeed, the shift away from the teacher as the sole and irrefutable source of knowledge in education has allowed for the inclusion of the students themselves in the teaching process and views them as valuable resources. In our readings on oracy in Constructing Meaning, we learned that children “do not learn language in isolation” and that the “sounds, meanings, and grammatical principles they learn are embedded in the social-interactive framework of the child's world.” (CM pg. 41) By considering the role of the teacher more as developer than supervisor, teachers can structure opportunities for students to learn from each other and develop knowledge on their own. Also, by applying the principle of assessment as learning and including students in the assessment process we can give students agency in their own learning and prepare them to construct meaning independently. As the IRP maintains, “a literacy of thoughtfulness is primarily a process of making meaning (not just receiving it) and negotiating it with others (not just thinking alone). It is fundamentally constructive.” (IRP pg. 17)

    An approach to teaching which views children not as vessels to be filled, but rather as seeds to be fostered, is one of the most meaningful to me in becoming a teacher. I look forward to striving to cultivate the potential of my future students, and the personal growth which should follow naturally from this role.