Reflective Essay EDUC 6710

Reflective Essay

Sarah Arnold

Walden University

Kathryn Arnold

The Impact of Technology on Education, Work and Society EDUC: 6710

March 4, 2018

Reflective Essay

Today technology usage is abundant in our society.  Almost every person uses technology in some way throughout the course of their day.  They may use email, subscribe to a social media account, read or write a blog.  They may work remotely or use technology to collaborate with others over a distance.  It is important that today we are not only teaching students our educational content and including reading, writing and mathematics across the curriculum but that we are also imbuing them with 21st -century skills. These are the skills that they will need to be successful, not only in high education but in their post education lives.  The fundamentals of 21st -century skills can be summarized with the “four C’s, critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration” (Blair, 2012).  All of these skills must be learned in an environment rich with meaningful technology.

I have learned a remarkable amount about how to integrate more technology usage into my teaching in just a few short weeks.  Not only have I learned what different digital applications and tools are out there, I also learned how to begin weaving them into my lessons; not as an additional piece but as an integral part.  Before this class I viewed technology integration through a very narrow lens.  I have since learned that technology integration is so much more than the digitizing of assignments, use of email and occasional online assessment (Richardson, 2010).   I thought that using Google Classrooms to inform students of assignments and sending emails were the best ways to communicate.  I had never before thought that social media platforms, like Twitter, could be effectively used in the classroom.  Throughout this course I also learned about what social bookmarking, blogs, and podcasts were and how they could be integrated into my instructional practice.  I can honestly say that had I never taken this course I probably would have never been exposed to, and therefore never used any of these platforms in my teaching.  The possibilities for applying these tools seem limitless now.  Richardson (2015) has taught me not to be afraid of learning alongside my students and that together we can change the face of the classroom.  

            Throughout this course I have learned how the use of technology can make me a better teacher.  I had never before considered how technology could help me individualize my instruction to help all of the learners in my classes.  With this differentiation, not only will my lesson become richer and more meaningful, my students will gain important life skills necessary for success in the 21st century.  Thinking about technology as an integration opposed to an extra part of the lesson will allow me to enhance the learning of my students (Grunwald and Associates, 2010).  By using a variety of digital resources I will create more authentic and individualized learning experiences for all of my students (Tucker, 2014).  I have always been focused on the content that I am teaching and its importance outside of the classroom, but now I also think about how I am responsible for creating knowledgeable citizens who are ready to function successfully in the 21st century as adults.  The technology tools we have learned about throughout this course will allow be to bring new breadth and depth to my instruction, which will help to differentiate my lessons.  It will allow students to form their own connections, integrate their interests, and ultimately learn to be responsible for their own learning.  It is important that I step back from my role as the sole provider of information and allow my students to be the directors of their own knowledge, as I facilitate and guide them through the process.  It is important that I let go of the idea that there is one way to arrive at knowledge.  I must begin to provide a variety of ways for my students to learn and to demonstrate their learning, if my instruction is to become individualized (Luther & Pickering, 2015)

Next year I plan to use many of the tools we have learned about in my classroom.  Three of my favorites are Twitter, Diigo and blogging.  I can see how each of these will benefit my students learning.  Twitter will increase their interest and help them connect what we are learning to the outside world.  Diigo is a wonderful organizational tool that I will use to teach them how to organize their resources for research projects on an individual level and how to collaborate with each other to complete tasks (Gormley & McDermott, 2010).  One tool I plan on using from the first day of school onward however is my blog.  I love the idea of having students connecting with me and each other through this platform. I think that as they get used to using it, it will help them improve their writing as well as complete their assignments.  One thing I struggle with this year is getting my students to be more independent and not relying on me for everything. I hope that by having them learn to interact through a blog, they will begin to gain some measure of independence.  Also, the use of blogs can be beneficial to the improvement of student writing since students know they are writing for a larger audience than just their teacher (Laureate Education Inc, 2015a).  My research on blogs has also found that students who participate in blogs are more engaged in the lesson.  Having students respond online connects students who may be too reserved to participate in class (Ong & Cheung, 2013).   Also by allowing students the option of participating in the blog when it is best for them allows them to craft better responses, deepening their level of thought (Laureate, 2015a).  My biggest concern with using blogs, and any take home technology in my lessons is that I have students who either do not have the tools or the internet connection at home to participate.  There are three ways I can think of to get past this roadblock. One is by encouraging students to use our community libraries.  We are very lucky in this community that there are over a dozen community libraries to be found throughout the city.  They are easily accessible and centrally located in and between different neighborhoods.  Also our school library is open for extended time after school hours.  For students who still do not have the availability of using the library having flexible due date can also help them.  We have study periods built in to our schedules and this could be a time where students use school resources to participate in the blog.  A third but less favorable option could be for students to read a print out of the blog and write a written or typed response that I can upload and add to the online version.  Blogging is a useful tool for students to use in attainment of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Standards for Students (2016).  Trough participation in a blog, students will meet all of the ISTE Standards especially those of the Empowered Learner, Creative Communicator and Global Collaborator (ISTE Standards 1, 6, 7, 2016).  Using a blog in my teaching practice also allows me to meet all the ISTE Standards for Teachers (2017).  By blogging with my students I am designing and facilitating learning experiences that is supporting student learning and collaboration while modeling how to be a continuous learner and global citizen.  I will productively analyze and use the data collected from the blogs to help improve my instruction (ISTE Standards 1-7, 2017).  

Students are now immersed in technology more than ever before (Richardson, 2010).  In order to make sure that we as educators remain relevant, we need to ensure student learning is more closely aligned to their lifestyle (Tucker, 2014).   In order to transform my classroom into one where students leave ready to meet the needs of the 21st century I will need to adjust my practice.  One goal I have for this is that by the year 2020, I will integrate a variety of meaningful technology resources into at least 50% of my instruction so that my students are better prepared for success in the 21st century.  It is also important that I am teaching more than my content through my lessons.  My students need to be prepared for success in the 21st century by being proficient in the four C’s of modern learning (Blair, 2013).  ISTE Standards for Students (2016) state that today's students must be empowered to learn and that learning needs to be centered on them as curators of knowledge. This leads me to my next goal for teaching and that is by the year 2020 I will incorporate some or all of the four C’s of critical thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication into my lessons.  This will be demonstrated by having at least 50% of assessments and assignments be completed through performance tasks and collaborative efforts as opposed to traditional style or teacher lead learning and tests as assessments.  One way I plan to achieve both of these goals is through the use of blended learning and choice boards. Blended learning will allow me to infuse student learning with technology and allow for student choice in different elements of their learning.  Blended learning will allow all of the students in my classroom to take more control over their education.  It will also shift most of the focus off of me as their teacher and allow me to act as a facilitator, guiding them in the learning process.

            Based on what I have learned throughout my courses at Walden thus far, I have realized that I am not doing enough to support all of the different learners in my classes, nor am I preparing them with the skills they need to be successful in the 21st century.  I would like to find ways to address this issue and ensure all of my students have the skill necessary to be successful in life.  I think that by applying more technological tools and supports I will be able to individualize my instruction in a manner that not only incorporates my students’ diverse academic needs but their different learning styles and interests as well.  Also this will expose them to a variety of different types of Web 2.0 technology, a skill they will need to have in the future.  My students should be immersed in the technology that they will be required to use in their future academic and professional careers (Raths, 2013).   As my specialization for my Masters in Education is the Integration of Technology in the classroom, it makes sense that technology would be the platform used to meet the needs of my diverse population.  

As a teacher it is important to always remember that we are responsible for teaching students the skills they will need in order to be successful in the technology rich future (Laureate, 2015b).  Our students future employers are looking for candidates who are able to; collaborate, communicate effectively, are skilled in different social media platforms, and are able to effectively navigate through a variety of different technological resources (Laureate, 2015c).  We are doing our students a grave disservice if we fail to prepare them for this. Employers are looking for workers who can compete on a global scale, who can adapt and think critically, workers who can be an integral part of a team and make valuable contributions in the workplace (Crew, 2011).  When we put students in charge of their own learning and teacher them how to learn we have begun to prepare them for this future.  By teaching students how to learn and exposing them to a wide variety of technological tools we are preparing them for success in a future that may include technology that has not even been invented yet.   

References

Blair, N. (2012). Today's students need educators to re-envision the role of technology in the classroom. Retrieved March 1, 2018 from http://www.naesp.org/principal-januaryfebruary2012-technology/technology-integration-new-21st-Century-learner

Crew, R. (2011). Keep students competitive: Using targeted communication to drive student success in a global economy. Retrieved January 30, 2017 from http://www.slideshare.net/BlackboardK12/blackboard-connect-webinar-driving-student-success-in-a-global-economy-with-dr-rudy-crew

Gina ONG May Yeun1, g., & Wing Sum CHEUNG2, w. (2013). What students like and dislike about blogs: A two case study. New Horizons in education, 61(2), 93-100

Gormley, K.A., & McDermott, P. (2010). How Social Bookmarking Can Help the 21sr Century Teacher. Language and Literacy Spectrum, 205-14

Grunwald and Associates. (2010). Educators, technology and 21st Century skills: Dispelling five myths. Retrieved February 28, 2018 from http:// http://www.grunwald.com/pdfs/Educators_Technology_21stCenturySkills_GRUNWALD-WALDEN_Report.pdf

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2016). Standards for students. Retrieved February 27, 2018 from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students2016

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2017). Standards for educators. Retrieved February 27, 2018 from http://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators

Laureate Education (Producer). (2015a). Spotlight on technology: Blogging in the classroom [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2015b). The changing role of the classroom teacher: Part 1 [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Laureate Education (Producer). (2015c). The changing work environment [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Luther, F. D., & Pickering, J. (2015). Using Web 2.0 learning environments to address diversity: A diversity-education example. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 81(3), 28–34.

Raths, D. (2013). Social studies. T.H.E. Journal, 40(1), 36-30. Retrieved March 1, 2018 from http://thejournal.com/research/2013/01/magazine_january.aspx?tc=page0

Richardson, W. (2010). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Richardson, W. (2015). From master teacher to master learner. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

Tucker, S. Y. (2014). Transforming pedagogies: Integrating 21st century skills and Web 2.0 technology. Turkish Online Journal of Distance Education, 15(1), 166–173.