I had the opportunity to attend a similar Grassroots Google presentation by Pete Pasque during professional development for the Ann Arbor school district prior to the beginning of the school year. And, just like last time, I was blown away by the opportunities presented and was confronted with the sheer amount of things I just want to try out in my future classroom.
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| Basically I was like this |
As an English teacher who's conscious of the environment, I would love nothing more than to conduct a majority of my student's writing online via a platform like Google Docs. I have already used Google Docs in a variety of settings throughout college, and can see the benefit of being able to comment directly on a student's paper and for student's to be able to use these tools in collaborative projects with their classmates. Not only can students work on something during the school day, but they can also access the same work on their computers at home or elsewhere. I like it all even more when I consider that each of my students could create their own Google Site in which to display the very best of their work throughout high school. I don't think art and design students should be the only ones who are encouraged to maintain an online portfolio of work. It would be a great platform for teachers to consider when attempting to write letters of recommendation, and can serve as a mini library of growth for each student as they become better writers over the years. When I think back to my collection of papers from high school, my best papers were filed away in a folder in the office until I graduated and now I'm not even sure where that folder is. These sites would be available to expand and grow with the student even after high school.
However, the more I scheme and plan about all the cool stuff I could implement with my students, my mentor teacher brought me back to reality with his twenty-ish years of teaching experience.
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| He basically looked like this |
He was of the opinion that this whole Grassroots Google extravaganza sounded great as well, but until we have something like a one-to-one technology ratio for our students, how will this be completely equal for all students? Some students don't have access to computers at home, and sometimes the media center doesn't have great hours for extra homework time. Even Pete mentioned that a generous handful of kids tend to stay after-school to use the computers available for their online work (which is great that the school accommodates this, however, this isn't always the case). The kids at my placement aren't allowed to whip out their cell phones in class yet, so some things might just have to wait in terms of other technology being used in the classroom. However, I had a really interesting discussion with the media specialist at my placement the other day and she believes education is on the cusp of accepting all sorts of new technology including cell phones in classrooms and more one-to-one technology. I agree with her, mostly because I'm hopeful that schools will adjust some of their policies in light of the increasing amounts of technology at the hands of our students. It is a dawn of a new technological era in education isn't it?
What my MT at Huron does is have students type their essays out on Google Docs in class, using a class set of laptops that teachers can check out. Most schools also have computer labs, so making an online portfolio (great point about using these for rec letters) could be done if the computer work happened in class. If students needed to work on essays at home, they could print them out! And teachers could still access the Google Docs to comment after the students went home.
ReplyDeleteI too was naively excited about the educational possibilities of technology - along with the environmental bonus. But as you pointed out, computer access is unequal. Furthermore, we can't forget that as enticing as doing things virtually instead of on boring old paper can be, the glean will wear off. We'll still have to sell writing to kids and teach them how to be thoughtful and fluent - no amount of technology that I can think of can do that!
Great post and cute layout, Kelsey. Looking forward to reading more of your thoughts! :)
Kelsey, I too agree with the potential of using technology in the classroom sounds great and all, but there are still many issues to address as well. My classes at my placement are currently trying a "flipped classroom" curriculum where students watch lectures and take notes at home and do homework in class, but there has already been several issues with technology. Students tried to use their phones to watch the lessons but the videos don't load, and they come to class using that as their reason for not doing their work (even though when I ask them if they have a computer, they said they do). Students also said the videos or lessons wouldn't load on their computers. There are a couple of students at my school who don't own suitable computers or don't have internet at home either, but fortunately my placement school has enough netbooks (one-to-one ratio) for students to sign out for the semester and take home with them, and we can preload lessons or put the lessons on a flash drive. But what do we do when a student says their computer died? Or what do we do if a student says their power went out, or if the file was corrupt? Sure we can trust the student and that student can watch the lesson in class, but that would put him or her further behind. I can see the potential that technology has to offer, but there are still a lot of issues that need to be resolved before we can maximize its use.
ReplyDeleteKelsey,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this post because it made me look at Pete's presentation in a new light. After hearing his comments, I too was so excited about the ways to incorporate google docs and other online platforms into my classroom. However, I do not see this happening at my school for quite some time and I think your mentor teacher pointed out why. We are not at the point yet where a one-to-one policy exists in every school. As Jonathan pointed out, how can we expect students to utilize this technology in their learning if they don't have access to it outside of school? And what happens if that school does not have the resources for every student? I realize that Pete pointed out that many students stay after school to use computers, but can we really expect this of every student? I think this is something I should talk to my mentor teacher about, as well. As a 30 year veteran of Detroit Public Schools, I am interested to hear how she views this "new technological era in education".
Kelsey,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this! You wrote about having students turn in their assignments via GoogleDocs awhile ago now, but I feel like I can better read and think about your questions now that we've had more time in the field to consider firsthand the feasability and constraints of this practice! I was also very excited by Pete's presentation, especially at the prospect of students having an organized portfolio of their work that they have enduring access to! When I presented the idea to my MT, her reaction was very similar to your MT's. She struggles with the idea of student access, as well as the mess that is her inbox when 120 students begin sharing their files with her. As the year has progressed, I have come to realize that paper is often easier, but does that mean we shouldn't try to push for something better, even if it involves a learning curve and reorganization? I appreciate that you talked about the cusp of technological change we seem to be hanging on. It will be interesting to see how these concerns and difficulties are addressed, as we try to help our students learn content and learn how to be increasingly independent in their organization and growth! I would be interested to hear if your thoughts about this topic have changed or developed as the school year has progressed!
Thanks again for posting!