What hasn't changed

I have to say that I was both encouraged and discouraged by Marc Prensky's article "Listen to the Natives" printed in Educational Technology. In his article Prensky juxtaposes the technological competence of 21st century students whom he refers to as “digital natives” with the technological incompetence of 21st century teachers, who are “digital immigrants.” He observes that while our students speak the digital language fluently, as teachers we are struggling to master the digital language. Even those of us who master the digital language, we will always have an “accent” that exposes our pre-digital upbringing. According to Prensky, this difference calls for a major makeover of the educational methods of teachers. His article includes several ideas of how educational can be changed to appeal to and serve our “digital natives.” Using “gameplay” to teach so that kids are both involved and can progress at their own pace, allowing students to self-select groups to work on in projects, and incorporating programming training and 21st century subjects into the curriculum are among his suggestions for how to reform education to make it relevant and effective.
Though I see the benefit to these reforms and hope to integrated technology into my educational methods, I think it important to remember that you can be a good teacher without them. Prensky argues that students' fluency in the digital language has rendered teachers' expertise virtually obsolete. Students can access information anytime and anywhere in an instant through the web and they are more versed in the ability to use technological and the information obtained through them than teachers will ever be. It is true that students have access to more information now than when I was growing up and they certainly have a different relationship to technology. It is at this point that I get discouraged. I am overwhelmed by the responsibility to learn the digital language and by the fact that I will always have an accent. I am also discouraged by the relative futility of the knowledge that I have worked hard to hone and that I am passionate about sharing with students.
However, then I remember that the key characteristic of a good teacher hasn't changed. Prensky concludes that because students need teachers less for knowledge with the dawning of the age of technology what is needed from teachers is “empathy and guidance.” Is this any different than fifty years ago? Perhaps teachers played a more pivotal role in the dissemination of knowledge and in teaching skills, but what made a teacher great then is the same thing that makes a teacher great now-caring for students. Caring for students includes taking interest in their lives, validating their opinions and input, asking for their input on things including teaching and assessment methods, and allowing them to shine when they know more than you do. I would add humility to Prensky's list of essential characteristics of good teachers. It takes humility to ask a student to teach a skill in which he is more proficient or a piece of knowledge of which she has a better grasp. It takes humility to ask for honest input on your teaching and assessment methods. It takes humility to laugh at your apparent pre-digital “accent.” Finally, it takes humility to invite the students to work with you rather than for you in the classroom because you become in many ways a fellow learner rather than the teacher. With this kind of honesty, humility, and transparency you win the hearts of your students and are able to motivate them to learn and to engage them in learning. I am encouraged to know that though many things have changed in the field of education, the pivotal role of the teacher in caring for students and directing them has not. This I can do by the grace of God.

Counter-powerpointlessness

Sadly, I knew what the author meant by powerpointlessness before I even read the article. Powerpointlessness is when the product (power point presentation) takes precedence over the process (the actual research, analysis, and human presentation) that the PowerPoint should represent. In her article “Scoring Power Points,” Jamie McKenzie states that individuals should spend 80% of their effort dedicated to completing a project on research and analysis and only 20% of their effort on the PowerPoint presentation communicating this information (McKenzie, 2000). However, she observes that in most cases the opposite is true. A disproportional amount of effort is spent on the PowerPoint presentation over the research and analysis of information. The result is that PowerPoint presentations lack depth because there is no content to be communicated through them. They are shallow, uninformative, and uninteresting. This is powerpointlessness.

I have witnessed powerpointlessness in many college courses. Professors would read through a series of slides restating what students already learned in their reading. While professors did this, students copied the contents of the slides word for word. In these moments there was no discussion, no analysis of the information presented, no cultivation of learning. I hated these classes and often stopped attending them as I could obtain the information presented in class through completing the assigned reading. My reading of the material often taught me more than the powerpoint presentations because I thought about the reading, analyzed the information presented, and I pursued deeper knowledge of the topics in which I was interested.

There are five general antidotes to powerpointlessness: 1)Design artfully 2) Deliver dramatically 3)Emphasize logic and ideas 4) Offer exemplars 5) Provide rubrics. The accessibility of pre-processed images and text through the web lends itself to abuse. It is tempting to simply use what is readily available rather than investing time and thought into the design and delivery of the our presentation. The result is cookie-cutter presentations that are uninteresting and often shallow. A picture speaks a thousand words. So much information and emotion can be conveyed with a few strategically chosen and placed images. Genuine interest in conveyed more readily through one's own art or at least self-chosen art rather than clipart. Nothing in the presentation can replace the human connection. It is important to know your audience when preparing the presentation and then also to constantly be evaluating them as you present. Observe the audiences response and respond to their responses.

As with any good essay or book, the ideas presented must follow a logical order or sequence. People learn best when they assimilate the new information into preformed categories, adding new knowledge to old knowledge. Arrange the presentation in such a way that it mirrors how knowledge would be obtained and assimilated in nature. Group ideas and make connections between ideas for the audience who might be unable to do so on their own. Keep in mind that the presentation is a whole. The individual slides need to reflect and be united by the main thought you are trying to convey.

As with any assignment, exemplars and rubrics that clearly communicate the objective of an assignment and the teachers expectations guide students in successfully completing the assignment. it is helpful to students to see what a finished product that represents what you expect from them. The easiest and most effective way to provide an exemplar is to model the behavior on a regular basis to your students. Use powerpoint as a tool to effectively communicate both content and emotion to your students on a regular basis and they will know what you expect of them. Providing them with a rubric is another simple way to ensure students know exactly what to do.

Thinking about critical thinking

In the past several years critical and creative thinking skills have received a lot of attention in the educational field. There are three reasons for this. First, they are essential to success in our fast-paced, always-changing world (Cotton). Today's technology has created a world in which new information is constantly being created, discovered and instantly dispersed globally to anyone connected to the web. Given this ever-changing body of knowledge, it is crucial for students to possess higher-order thinking skills such as problem-solving and evaluating. For students to be successful and responsible world citizens they must know how to access, evaluate, and apply information. Secondly, students in the U.S.A. typically have scored low on critical thinking, problem-solving, and creative thinking skills (Cotton). Educators are now attempting to change this, which has placed these skills center stage. Lastly, research has shown that these skills can be enhanced through education (Cotton).

According to Benjamin Bloom there are six levels of cognition ranging from most basic to most challenging. They are the following: knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation (Jackson). Analysis, synthesis, and evaluation are considered higher-order thinking skills or critical and creative thinking skills. Jackson recommends some computer programs and possible projects that help develop these skills. Using Eye Witness and American Memory students can research a time period or particular trend, gathering a variety of information about it. They can then organize their research into subcategories using Think Tank. This requires analysis and categorization. Using the Biography Channel students can research several biographies of individuals in the same line of business and then create a mock biography of a fictional individual in the same line of business. This requires both that the students analyze the information they find and that they are able to transfer it to synthesize a mock biography. This gives them practice in synthesizing information. Finally, kids can review novels using Kidsbookshelf, create surveys at zoomerang, and participate in debates about controversial scientific topics on WISE. All of these programs and projects give them practice in evaluating information.

In addition to providing kids with opportunities to practice these individual higher-order thinking skills, there are also programs dedicated to teaching critical thinking skills. Programs like HOTS (Higher Order Thinking Skills), ICE (Institute for Creative Education), and KIDS (Kids Interest Discovery Study) kits are all example of programs designed to teach kids critical and creative thinking skills. Many of them incorporate technology.

So how can technology be used to teach higher-order thinking skills? There are computer programs that are specifically designed to teach thinking skills, but more importantly there are tools that students can use in the process of thinking critically and creatively. Many programs aren't designed to teach these skills, but provide an opportunity for kids to use these thinking skills by creating a survey or graphing the results of a survey, researching controversial subjects and deciding where they stand on the subject, and providing evaluation of sites they have visited or books they have read.

Me

Although I created this blog to complete an assignment for my educational technology class, I actually think I might enjoy blogging outside of class assignments. As the title indicates this first post will be about me. You already know that I created this blog to complete an assignment. What you don't know is that I am a graduate student at Trinity Graduate School in Deerfield, IL. I am completing an accelerated teaching certification and masters program. As I mentioned above I'm currently in a class entitled Educational Technology. I have been dreading this class because I am computer illiterate. Email, typing, and conducting research pretty much sum up my computer proficiency. So it is with much excitement and anxiety that I embark on my journey to become computer savvy. I hope that this class will equip me to use computer software to be a more creative, organized teacher. I also hope to be acquainted with software and computer peripherals that can be used as educational tools. I think this will be a difficult, but very rewarding class for me. I have so much to learn.

O.k. back to my profile. I am currently employed as a preschool teacher at Preschool "U" and as a sales associate at Bath and Body Works. My preschool job and my grad school studies absorb much of my time and energy. In my spare time I love to run, read, and hang out with family and friends. I am a Christian and I attend a Crossway Community Church. The teaching and fellowship that I experience at this church are a huge blessing to me. It is really great!

Why do I want to be a teacher? I love to learn. The world and life is fascinating! There is so much to learn and experience. I want to share my love for learning with others. I also love to teach. I love to encourage people and as a teacher I get to encourage students on their journey to self-discovery and on their exploration of the world around them. I also get to help them master basic skills that as adults we take for granted such as reading and writing. Last but not least, I love kids. They are curious, energetic, and loving. Teaching is a very rewarding job.