TechQuest Project Description

TechQuest Project Description

Someone teaching: Myself, developing staff resources for staff training
Someone learning: SmartBoard-equipped classroom teachers at Oak Valley
Subject matter: Smart operation, use, and implementation strategies
Setting: Oak Valley Middle School SmartBoard users

Background:
I am currently teaching 7th and 8th grade social studies at Oak Valley Middle School in the Huron Valley School district. At my school we divide seventh grade up into two teams of four teachers- one for each subject area. Behind our classrooms is a common space where we can send students back to work independently. When I was setting up my classroom for the first time I went back into this shared space and I found what I initially thought was a dry-erase board on legs. When I asked about it I found out that it was a SmartBoard (which I had never heard of). When I asked the three teachers on my team what it was, they explained to me that the school had purchased one for each team as part of an educational grant for the district. The math teacher explained that she used it for a graphing lesson with her students (about one week a year) and the language arts teacher said that she used it for diagramming sentences (one unit).

I started researching what a SmartBoard was and I found a ton of people online talking about how cool this thing was and how it made student-interaction and manipulation both fun and educational. I spoke with my team and asked if I could install the SmartBoard in my room on the condition that I would use it everyday for teaching. For nearly two years now I have been using a SmartBoard in my room and still each week I am discovering new things about it. When my team heard students talking about how cool the board was, they decided that they wanted one too. SmartBoard fever spread rapidly and somehow my administrators were able to acquire approximately fifteen boards for the school. While the materials are now available for many teachers in my school, training is entirely lacking. Everything I know about my SmartBoard has been learned through trial and error and independent exploration. My fellow teachers and I have received no training to date and I know of at least two teachers who have never even plugged in the SmartBoard and use it simply as an over-priced projection screen.


The Educational Need:
The educational need that my TechQuest will focus around is the need for effective teacher training in the basic operation, use, and implementation of SmartBoards in the classroom.

Justification:
While the technology is available, without effective training it becomes increasingly difficult to justify this rather sizable expenditure of funds. If I can develop a training plan for how to help my fellow teachers unlock the full potential of the boards in the classroom then we can become a more confident and informed staff. I believe that, with the appropriate training, we will be able to take the lead in our district in using educational technology in our classrooms. In addition, if the staff understands the tools that they have been given, they will be able to use them more creatively to enhance the learning of our students. While a hammer maybe a wonderful tool, if you don’t know what a nail is or how to use one the hammer is quite useless. With the proper training, I believe that this tool can be used for the crafting of high-quality educational instruction.

The Research:
Between speaking with m interactive whiteboard using colleagues, both within my school and in my SIG, the issue of inadequate or non-existent training is quite prevalent. In a 2009 report by Lois Cavucci (1) the author surveyed teachers about the barriers to implementing technology in their classrooms. From these surveys, two of the top five barriers highlighted by the respondents were a lack of training and lack of time to learn how to implement technology in their instruction. In a case study by Beth Coghlan (2) in 2004, the author identified for commonly noted barriers to technology integration: lack of tools, time, training, and support. Cathy Jones (3) also noted that, in order for teachers to effectively integrate technology in their teaching, they must feel confident and competent in the training and use of the technology. In addition, Jones (4) noted that simply having technology in the classroom does not lead to integration. Teachers need effective training in order for this investment to be effective. Shannon Cole (5) also discusses the widespread purchase and distribution of technology to classroom teachers with the reoccurring issue of teacher training getting in the way of effective use. In “Teacher adoption of interactive whiteboards,” Rosevear (6) notes that in order for interactive whiteboards to be used effectively and be truly integrated into the pedagogical practices of teachers, their must be an investment of time put into meaningful instruction and training.

The Plan:
Before the end of this school year I am planning to develop a face-to-face training tutorial and a supplemental electronic resource for the staff at my middle school. My tutorial will cover basic operation of the board, beginner strategies for incorporation of the board into daily classroom practices, and how to develop interactive resources using the Smart Notebook software. I am going to propose this to my administrator once I have the basic setup ready with the intention of some release time to provide hands-on training for the staff.



Resources:
1. Cavucci, L.. An analysis of barriers and possible solutions in integrating computer technology into middle school curriculum: Findings from a mixed-method approach. Ed.D. dissertation, Youngstown State University, United States -- Ohio. Retrieved April 6, 2010, from Dissertations & Theses: A&I.(Publication No. AAT 3357290).

2. Coghlan, Beth Ferguson (2004). Addressing the barriers to technology integration: A case study of a rural school. Ph.D. dissertation, Mississippi State University, United States -- Mississippi. Retrieved April 6, 2010, from Dissertations & Theses: A&I.(Publication No. AAT 3122177).

3. Jones, Cathy Areu. (2001, October). When teachers' computer literacy doesn't go far enough. The Education Digest, 67(2), 57-61. Retrieved April 6, 2010, from Research Library Core. (Document ID: 82213210).

4. Jones, Cathy Areu. (2001, May). Tech support: Preparing teachers to use technology. Principal Leadership, 1(9), 35-39. Retrieved April 6, 2010, from Education Module. (Document ID: 73997752).

5. Cole, Shannon L. (2000). Technology has found its way into our schools...now what? TechTrends, 44(6), 23. Retrieved April 6, 2010, from Sciences Module. (Document ID: 65223254).

6. Rosevear, J.. Teacher adoption of interactive whiteboards: A case study. Ed.D. dissertation, George Fox University, United States -- Oregon. Retrieved April 6, 2010, from Dissertations & Theses: A&I.(Publication No. AAT 3388209).

Final Reflections

After completing my second educational technology course through MSU’s MATC program, I think that it is important to reflect on why I saw technology as being an important part of education. As teachers we spend everyday of our school lives living among the digital natives. No matter how hard we try we can never be one of them and as such we are faced with a choice. Do we try to “civilize them” by immersing them in our world of text books and lectures or do we “go native” and immerse ourselves in their world of digital interaction? While the “colonial” track may give us absolute control and certainty, the natives will have a difficult time feeling connected to our foreign ways and will remain somewhat remote. If however we “go native” we risk losing control and stepping out of our comfort zone. It is only through going native however that we can truly connect with our students at their level and in their comfort zone and as such, despite the risk and our own reservations, I believe that we must dive in and adapt to the rapidly changing world around us.

By using technology in the classroom we as teachers can make lessons that are more interactive, student-centered, and powerful than we could in the past. It is however important to realize that we must never use technology for the sake of technology and it must always be used in a way that makes it a powerful learning tool rather than a gimmick or novelty. When reviewing some of the web-based tech out their, it was easy to see that many well intentioned immigrants have created resources attempting to connect with the natives. If these tools however are not designed properly, they can serve to further distance us from the natives and highlight our inherent “otherness.” When used well, technology provides us as digital immigrants the chance to connect with students through a medium that they are comfortable with and present knowledge in a way that allows us to reach more students multiple intelligences with visual, auditory, tactile, and interactive educational tools.

Through this course and CEP 810 I feel that I have grown a great deal both in technical skills and knowledge. I have learned how to build my own website, WebQuests, and resources that support student growth and understanding. Sometimes the challenge of incorporating technology into my classroom in a meaningful way can be a bit overwhelming, but by breaking down this challenge into its individual components I was able to understand not only the how but also the why of technology integration. While I have raised my comfort level as a digital immigrant I still remain a stranger in a strange land and must constantly push myself to study the resources available to me and figure out new strategies for connecting with the natives in meaningful and powerful ways.

Online Experiences

Before I start, I think it is important to mention that I teach 7th and 8th grade Social Studies. The reason I mention this is because I believe certain online experiences require a maturity level and mindset that comes at a later age for many students. One of the online experiences that I think can be the most powerful and successful with my students is a learning management system such as Moodle, BlackBoard, or Angel. Using and LMS, I could share videos and articles with the students, carry on threaded discussion groups, and allow for interactive collaboration among my students. In addition, this experience would help to prepare my students for a hybrid format of classroom that they will likely experience in high school and college. LMS's provide a wonderful opportunity for active, student-centered learning, but only when designed well by an instructor.

One of the online experiences that I do not think is appropriate for my student group is an asynchronous learning format. The reason I say this is that, developmentally, many of my students are not at a maturity level yet where they could responsibly manage their own learning on their own time table. I know from talking with my colleagues who have taken asynchronous format courses at the MA level, even they have a hard time staying motivated and focused on pacing. While I see the merit of students not learning a topic until they are motivated to learn it, in a classroom setting this would interrupt the basic operation of the classroom and make it quite difficult to have discussions and work together as a community.

Google Presenter

Google Presenter

Google Presenter allows for collaboration in the creation and editing process of creating a PowerPoint style presentation.

My Experience
Up until this point in my teaching career I have never used Google Docs in class or in my personal experience. As I started working with Google Presenter I was very excited as I started to observe the possible applications of this technology in my classroom. For anyone who has ever used PowerPoint, Presenter is a rather easy transition. In addition to creating new documents in Presenter you can also easily upload PowerPoint presentations and then combine, edit, or change the document online. Rather than having to e-mail the presentation back and forth up to ten people can simultaneously edit and design the presentation. In addition the help section provides excellent supporting information and there is a great Common Craft show about Google Documents on this site.

Student Background Knowledge
In order for students to use this application in the classroom they need to have a basic understanding of how to upload files and a basic knowledge of PowerPoint.

Sharing
Using Presenter up to 10 people can collaborate on a single presentation at any given time. The final product may be downloaded, shared via the internet, or printed out.

Teaching Social Studies with Google Presenter
There have been many times in my own classroom that I have had students collaborate when developing a presentation for my class. Before I learned about Google Presenter students had to e-mail their project back and forth with one student acting as editor and being responsible for putting their project together. Now I can have all members of a group work in a truly collaborative fashion with all students taking responsibility for their final product.

Student Collaboration
By teaching students how to collaborate using Google Presenter they could more evenly share the responsibility for their final product and truly take ownership of their project.

Teacher Considerations
In order for students to work with Google Presenter they must be able to setup their own Google account and then give their fellow group members access to their shared document. In addition, the teacher needs to make sure that they are also added to the user list so that they can edit/change/interact with the document. While the initial setup may take a moment, the payoff is student collaboration and cooperation makes it well worth our time.

Google Earth

Google Earth is an amazingly powerful tool that combines satellite images, maps, and photographed street views to knit together an interactive and customizable globe. Since the original Google Earth was released in 2005 each generation has added additional features, updated, higher-resolution images, and aesthetic changes. One of the amazing things about this application is the incredible degree of flexibility that it allows for. Whether you want to search for a satellite image of your home or create complex educational tours with an audio guide this application allows users of nearly every level to explore the world at greater detail than any map or globe. For this review I am using Google Earth 5. With this program it is easy to search for both places or landmarks and as you zoom in or out it displays not only the absolute locations of the places you are looking at, but also lets you know when the satellite image was originally taken. You can also turn various layers on or off with the click of the mouse. As such, it becomes a nearly limitlessly customizable tool for exploring the world. As a social studies teacher I was particularly intrigued by the Global Awareness layer, which allows you to view where various non-profits are working around the world, what global issues they are dealing with and brief articles explaining what they are doing within regions. One of the greatest features of this application however is just how user-friendly the whole thing is.

As a classroom application Earth can be used for an amazing variety of activities. In order to use Google Earth students need to have an internet-connected computer with permissions to download the necessary software. From there the skill needed to maneuver through the program differs a great deal depending on what they are expected to do. Using this program you can create virtual tours with audio narration to walk through various sites using street view or earth view. This could be particularly helpful for teaching about global issues, historical events and movements, geography, or about various nations on earth. In order to use this application in the classroom students would have to be shown how to use the program and given some initial guidance before freeing them up to explore. Using this program they could create virtual tours with audio commentary or even explore the ocean, sky, the moon, or mars. Given the speed with which this program has expanded it seems that the applications and flexibility of this program will continue to grow. Google Earth is an amazing free application for students to explore the world (and universe) around them.

Blogs in Education

Blogs can be a wonderful resource for collaborative, student-based learning. Whether used for working on an assignment, carrying on a discussion, or continuing a dialogue from class Blogs allow students to communicate with one another in a different way. One aspect that is particularly great about Blogs is the opportunity that they offer for students who may have a difficult time speaking up in class to share their voice with the group. If a students struggles with articulation on the fly Blogs allow them to stop, think, and respond to the situation they are face with in a less threatening setting. While Blogs may be helpful for collaborative lessons there are some downsides. First and foremost we cannot always assume that students have internet access at home. I know that while my school is in a predominantly middle class area I have several students who either do not have internet access or have lost it sporadically due to parental unemployment. In addition, while Blogs can be wonderfully for collaboration they may not be appropriate for larger projects that require hands-on creation of a final product. As a social studies teacher I could see myself using Blogs for homework reflection discussions and Q&A about current assignments or issues. While I do not personally feel comfortable using Blogs on a regular basis I my classroom I can see the potential uses of Blogs as teaching and learning resources.

Wiki Wiki Wild

This week we had to both edit our schools Wikipedia entry and create our own Wiki. On My schools Wikipedia entry I was surprised by how little info there was on it. While it had been updated previously to include our new assistant principal it did not have a picture or our schools new mission statement. I added a picture that I took for our school website that has our school mascot super-imposed on the image. I also updated our schools mission statement and edited out some of the unnecessary content.

For my own Wiki I have had very little experience creating/editing Wiki's so I made a pretty basic page that you can checkout here.