When I was young, my mother once accused me of having a long conversation with a chair that she felt she couldn't interrupt. It wasn't the first time I was caught having a conversation with an unclear audience, and tragically won't be my last. For my research project website, however, I want to make sure that I have made sure to think carefully about my audience. My original thoughts regarding this entire process were narrowly focused in on the impact of computer programming instruction on student's development of their critical thinking skills. This resulted in my focus on encouraging and empowering teachers to incorporate true computer science training in their classes. This was a clear and specific audience; I wanted to reach out to all teachers, not merely those tasked with teaching technology to their students in the computer lab. But like all journeys, the line on this one was far from straight, and I suddenly found myself turning my entire class into an elaborate game. In order to spark interest, enjoyment and make the class more creative, I took those everyday ordinary computer science lessons, and made them all part of a game in which students begin as candidates for a new space program, that takes them through training until they become astronauts exploring deep space. This shift, has made it easier for me to shift the topic and titles of my project in such way that ore educators might be draw in to consider this approach. I am hoping that this thoughtful approach to my school year will lead to students enjoying learning in much they same way they might enjoy playing a game. This is, of course, a work in progress. I also hope to make clear to educators the differences between a classroom that employs games (gamified) and a class that IS a game (gamificiaton). It might seem like a small distinction, but the planning and thought processes are quite divergent. My hope is to craft my website in such a way that a curious educator could just glance it in interest, but then almost immediately think, "Wait, this doesn't look to difficult." Yet, more than encouraging teachers to consider gamification, I would love to inspire educators to begin to see their classroom, as something that can shift, grow and change. It does not have to follow traditional rules or expectations any more than it has to have desks and seats in neat little rows. I would love for teachers to begin to look around the room and ask, "What if I changed everything?" It is an interesting idea and even more so, to see how shifting the "norms" of the classroom impacts students. As one of my young students told an administrator the other day, "It is like they are tricking you into learning things."
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GottfriedIt is a little difficult for me to consider Lisa Gottfried's blog without factoring in all the things I know about her. She and I both are part of the original Digital Innovator's program with Napa Learns. We've spent many hours together trying to determine the best ways to inspire teachers to embrace innovation and bring technology into the classroom. This is what I know about her without even reading her entries; she is brilliant. This is not an exaggeration or rhetoric. She is one of the most intelligent, thoughtful people I have ever met, so it is no surprise that her blog is exemplary. Her presentation on all aspects of her project is thoughtful and clear. I could turn to any section and understand not only her thought process, but also the implications, examples and impact of the project as a whole. I really enjoyed when she included entries from her students as a deep look inside how everything can play out with actual students. I loved this thought that she penned, " How do we harness the power of blogging to get students jobs, create authentic writing tasks, and strengthen our learning community? " The idea that contained within the heart of her project was the idea of empowering students not just for now, but also for the future. Her target audience, teachers, were addressed at every turn. Her clarity of focus on demonstrating the ways that student blogging can enhance their learning and empower them for their own futures was clear within each page of her blog. She kept her main audience in front of her and it showed even in her choices for the student work she showcased. She was making a strong, and persuasive argument for the implementation of blogging in the classroom. DearbornAnn Dearborn's research project was also a close look at blogging in the classroom. Her project involved the use of blogs to encourage and improve student responses with their own and one another's reading. Her audience, like Gottfried, was teachers, and encouraged consideration for the use of this technique in more classrooms. Again her writing was tuned into her main audience - educators. Her reasons and research for the use of blogs within the classroom was clear, and she showed her thought process as she developed her thinking towards this technological integration within a reading classroom. I loved this question that she asked, " How could I make home reading more engaging for my students?" because it is one that many teachers ask themselves. The push to increase engagement and excitement with reading is the pot at the end of the rainbow that all teachers seek. SaslowAlexander Saslow's Build-a -Unit Toolbox is a project with science teachers at it's heart. His clear enlargements, and strong voice, compel you to understand that this toolbox will not only benefit science teachers, like himself, but all educators who desire to have a logical, streamlined and efficient method of planning lessons to support students. Saslow's title implies that he is reaching out to science teachers, but a more accurate description would be that he is speaking to all teachers and administrators who want their students to benefit from thoughtful connection between the never-ending world of standards and the everyday classroom. He makes this clear when he says, "This is the reason for this project - to make the standards accessible for ALL teachers." In all cases, it is not just the stated audience that comes across but rather that every aspect of their project is geared toward a specific goal - to enhance learning for students and to bring clarity and efficiency to the classroom. Toward this end, all three of these projects focus on speaking to teachers, but the result of their efforts is to benefit students. A willingness to be open to change has led to teaching experiences in all grade levels Kindergarten through 12th. This exposure to students of all ages has solidified my firm conviction that everyone has a right to a quality education that will empower them to share their voice, thoughts and innovations. I've spent the last three years immersed in technology education, and believe that for many students from many backgrounds technology is empowered self-expression. Learning higher maths skills, and computer script languages, as well as coding has taught me the infinite possibilities of embracing growth mindset. I am now determined to encourage my students to develop their digital skills, embracing a growth mindset and empowering their future. My original driving question or hook was: Is the Hour of Code a Waste of Time? I really wanted to create something that would cause people to look twice, and draw them in, but more importantly, I wanted to cause educators and administrators to take a closer look at the power of computer science education. My initial research focused on the impact learning to code had on elementary school students' critical thinking skills. Since that time, I have been able to dive even deeper into an innovative classroom structure, and have created an entirely gamified version of my class. Students now level up by completing tasks and earn badges as they learn. One of the greatest lessons that I have learned in the last few years is the incredible power of developing a growth mindset. I have applied this to my own digital learning, which has resulted in a transformed classroom. I am hoping to be able to include some of these new ideas into my capstone project. I am still confident that developing true computer science skills not only empowers all students, but can be a powerful weapon in the war against the damaging effects of poverty, but can see even beyond that. Developing an openness to learning new things not only empowers students but also those who teach them. Being able to infuse students experience with design thinking process will allow them to explore new skills.
I am not so focused on the individual type of digital experience students receive, as long as it is an authentic one, but rather want to focus on the idea that exposing students to real digital learning provides them with the skill set and tools to create, design and build their own future. The Hour of Code is only the beginning. Our cohort is one of my favorite things about this entire experience. I am surrounded by intelligent, creative educators who I respect and admire. Each person is unique but brings so much to the group. I know that they will continue to support me by pushing me to think deeply about our assignments. Each time I think that I have expressed all that I can about a topic, I talk to a someone in our cohort, or read their blog enteries and realize that I need to go back, and think some more, and write some more. It really is the best situation for learning, and one that I hope my students get to experience. We already have some great norms - in the ways that we respect and support each other. We all show tremendous respect for one another's time - as a group we are on time, and when doing individual projects, I never had an issue meeting up with my partner or group whether in person or online. We also show tremendous respect. No one has ever called anyone out publically on any issues. If there has been an error or misspelling on my part, I've been told privately - which I greatly appreicate. Respect is a crucial norm when working together and supporting one another. I hope that my cohort memebers feel that I am respectful of their time, ideas and capstone. |
AuthorJen has been teaching school for awhile now. She's learned some stuff, but she's got tons more to learn. Archives
October 2017
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