I'm writing this as I read the article - slightly behind.
Not all teachers that I work with are "ready" - some do not have smart phones and some will NOT use quasi social networking sites like Edmodo for teaching.
Teachers also become bogged down with beliefs like: "What if the internet crashes?" I can never remember/find my passwords, I have lost my passwords, the computers keep crashing, my computer has gone nuts, .I can't get the internet to work, I can't find that email you sent me, I never got that email you sent me, my IWB won't work so I stick posters on it with blu tack.......all obstacles put up because they don't believe it is their job to know how to troubleshoot. It leads me to wonder if teachers of the past used to stand there with a blunt pencil and say.....this sharpening is taking time away from learning.
However! I am thinking that I can use this report to showcase that more and more teachers are valuing the use of digital tools in learning and teaching
The change in parent interaction with schools via technology is rapid.
Some parents are yet to grasp the value of technology within learning, despite a 10 year campaign in our community to change mindsets. It is clear to me that as teachers and leaders we need to communicate more effectively with students and parents about the value of technology and gaming in learning.
Another point that came up was the low effect size (0.37 within John Hattie's work) of computer aided instruction - my only thought is that teachers need to change how they teach to improve the impact of technology within learning. To achieve this teachers also need support and professional development in the identification of high quality digital content and instructional approaches.
Urban parent's support for mobile learning is greater than rural, but teacher concerns about use are the same.
The need for teacher accountability on the use of technology within instruction naturally increases - p15
Effectiveness of the technology being used is too dependent on individual teacher skills. p 16
All tiers of the education community must value innovation
I think I want to be a Librarian Media Specialist...........
Hi Angela, it is easy to get bogged down in the negativity and some of our colleagues use this s a reason not to persist, or not to even try in the first place. My question to them always is: what is YOUR reason for teaching? What drives you? Once someone revisits their Moral Purpose (their reason for being a teacher) then surely exploring digital technologies, trying, taking risks, modelling being a learner is a natural extension. I think sometimes when we put the technology as the cart before the horse (the learning) our colleagues can baulk at this - but when we start from an emphasis on the learning, they really don't have anywhere to go.... (doesn't mean they all change though). You're right, we need to change the way we TEACH - and if tech has a place in how we teach differently, then let's incorporate it. And this is something we explore further throughout the course.
ReplyDeleteHi Nikki, I take your point - we are a small staff, so one person's responses have a greater impact on how we move forward with digital learning. Change management looks like it will be a large part of this. I guess I struggle with understanding the fear factor for some people. Look forward to working on this through the course.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to what Nikki said Angela, we cannot keep quoting the past to justify what we do in the present unless little has changed. With respect to digital technologies much has changed. For example, in quoting Hattie's low effect size for "computer aided instruction" you would get little argument from any of the course mentors or facilitators. In my school we are using digital technologies to routinely provide formative feedback to students, that parents can also see and engage with in a three-way communication between the teacher, the student and themselves. No more waiting for parent-teacher evenings or hoping your child brings home teacher feedback on assignments etc.. Now it is all online available 24/7 the moment the teacher provides it along with lesson plans for the day and much more. What is the effect size of feedback? Digital technologies enables feedback to be easily delivered more routinely and to a wider audience that ever before. Hattie's work largely predated such possibilities. Note how digital technologies are categorised in his otherwise excellent work. In this week's viewing, this is what Heppell is saying.
ReplyDeleteHi Angela, I agree with you as sometimes it's hard (if you are comfortable with change) to grasp why others are so resistant. But that's one of the key leadership requirements :). Soem say "learn to love your employees" even when they push back. We will talk a lot about this throughout the course so hopefully it will help.
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