Teaching
and Technology
With new technology changing the
way we teach it is easy to be swept up by the excitement and transformation as
an educator in today’s society. As new software is more readily available and
implemented into classrooms, teachers need to be aware of the concerns for
safety, planning, and professional development. As a fourth grade teacher I
have had my fair share of new software, safety concerns, and troubleshooting.
Sometimes issues arise because there is a lack of professional development or
lack of planning when new hardware and software are introduced. Other issues
are caused by technology difficulties and happen in the middle of a lesson. I
can count on one hand the number of technology rich lessons that were executed
without a glitch. It is crucial to surround yourself with experts and
professional learning communities (PLC) that can further your knowledge of
technology. It is also really important to have a positive attitude towards
technology integration.
Technology
Integration
As teachers implement more
technology into their curriculum it is important to remember to be the guide or
facilitator of technology rather than a lecturer (Ramasubbu, 2017). When we
talk about educational technology we must think through our resources and
student learning first. What hardware is available and what software is best. With
open-source software and cloud computing we cannot ignore the safety of our
students. It is also important to consider prior knowledge of technology before
teaching students new information about technology. For example in a small
study conducted by Edwards, Nolan, Henderson, Mantilla, Plowman, and Skouteris
(2018) they found that it is important to survey elementary students’
understanding of technology before teaching about concepts like safety and
cyber bullying. This can be important to fill in gaps in student understanding
when it comes to technology use and safety. In order to be prepared and
efficient with technology schools should take inventory on what they have and
create a diversely represented technology committee to plan. A well-represented
committee is essential for making solid decisions that positively effect the
school technology integration and plan. At my school we have a technology
planning committee with teachers, librarians, administration, guidance teachers
and special area teachers on it to bring a diverse input in technology
discussion. One important topic we discuss is technology safety.
Technology
Safety
It
is evident at my school that we have safeguards in place to help keep our
students safe and our teachers protected. Your school district should have
policies and a framework in place to protect you as a teacher and your students
from harm when using the Internet. In a class of twenty-five students and
twenty-five chromebooks it hard to have all monitors visible to the teacher.
School districts adopt accessible use polices and must follow the guidelines. You
cannot guarantee the absolute safety of every child because no filter or firewall
can solve every issue but educating our students can be the most powerful tool
to keep him or her safe (McLeod, 2012, p. 56). At the end of the day are we not
suppose to teach our students valuable skills and better prepare our students
for the future. Most likely students will use technology in their future
careers and it is vital that students can navigate the Internet safely. Teachers
must teach their students digital literacy and safety and research shows that
education is more beneficial than fear. Creating a positive atmosphere for
technology proves to be more helpful than putting the fear of technology in
students. A recent study by Family Online Safety Institute found that 78% of
parents who see technology as positive resource and teach their children to
view it as positive resource saw success in online activity and safety (Mark,
2017, p. 62). The best time to teach Internet safety is at the beginning of the
school year with school rules and classroom expectations. In my classroom I use
a number of visuals to teach online safety. I introduce online safety with a
Flocabulary video and we create an anchor chart together on how to stay safe on
the web. Then students receive a hardcopy handout called “Internet Safety Tips”
to glue into their journals. Knowledge is power and the only way to help our
students is to give them the understanding and tools to protect themselves
online. Every student and parent signs a consent form at the beginning of the
year to promise safe and respectful academic integrity and Internet safety. New
sites are added daily to the Internet and one can never be too safe when
surfing the web. Safeguards must be put to use when student safety is at risk. The
biggest risk in implementing technology is the safety and emotional health that
can easily be influenced or damaged online (Berson, 2003, p.106). It is
imperative for other professionals to speak with the staff, students, and
parents at your school about the importance of online safety and severity of
cyber bullying. Students also need a safe place to talk through safety concerns
and how to appropriately handle online safety harms. It is also very important
for parents and schools to partner up and teach students online adequate and
warning signs. Epstein’s (1987) student influence model is a great visual to
show how important framework and community collaboration is for a student
academically, emotionally, and socially (Mark, 2017, p. 65). It really takes
the whole community to effectively teach and raise a child. With that being
said teacher professional development has to be at the forefront of a school.
Teachers need appropriate training on technology, safety, and troubleshooting
technology.
Professional Development
The final point to consider is
teacher professional development. With new technology, hardware and software
teachers have to keep up with how to organize and plan for technology use in
their classrooms. We expect our students to be critical thinkers, to
collaborate, communicate effectively, and be creative in their learning through
the use of technology. That means we, as teachers also have to be savvy with
technology in a way that models and exhibits the expectations we wish to see in
our students. This requires us to transform learning and adopt framework that
can help us effectively implement technology in our classrooms. The
Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition (SAMR) model allows
for four stages of technology integration. When it comes to teacher
professional development on integrating technology SAMR is the perfect place to
start. As personalized learning is established in schools, teachers must learn
the process of implementing technology and what software or hardware to use. It
is helpful to have a framework to evaluate and classify the use of technology
in the classroom (Romrell et al, 2014, p.4). After completing study on teacher
professional development in the area of technology, Arikan, Fernie, and Kantor
(2017) found that a constructivist approach to teaching teachers how to
effectively work with technology is beneficial for student learning (p.1844).
As teachers become more proficient with technology and more confident they are
more likely to implement technology in positive ways to their students.
Conclusion
There are many ways to approach
online learning and technology integration. The main points for teachers to
consider is what they already have around them in the area of hardware and
software, the way they teach technology safety, and what professional
development is offered by their district. There are many wonderful websites,
blogs, and professional learning communities online for teachers to be a part
of and learn from. Try to be encouraging to colleagues, be a producer rather
than a consumer online, and continue to learn to grow in this profession.
References
ASCD. (2019).
Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/archived-issues.aspx
Berson, M. J. 1,2. berson@tempest.
coedu. usf. ed., & Berson, I. R. 2,3,4. berson@mirage. fmhi. usf. ed.
(2003). Lessons Learned About Schools and Their Responsibility to Foster Safety
Online. Journal of School Violence, 2(1), 105–117.
https://doi.org/10.1300/J202v02n01_06
Edwards,
S. suzy. edwards@acu. edu. a., Nolan, A., Henderson, M., Mantilla, A., Plowman,
L., & Skouteris, H. (2018). Young children’s everyday concepts of the Internet:
A platform for cyber‐safety education in the early years. British
Journal of Educational Technology, 49(1), 45–55. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12529
Mark,
L. K. 1. lmark@hawaii. ed., & Nguyen, T. T. T. 1. nguyen@hawaii. ed.
(2017). An Invitation to Internet Safety and Ethics: School and family
collaboration. Journal of Invitational Theory & Practice, 23,
62–75. Retrieved from
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=eue&AN=130781963&site=ehost-live
McLeod,
S. (2012). 27 Talking Points about Internet Safety. Tech & Learning, 33(4),
54–56. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=sso&db=eue&AN=84446474&site=ehost-live
Ramasubbu,
S. (2017, December 07). Of Teachers and Educational Technology. Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/of-teachers-and-education_b_6337410
Romrell,
D., Kidder, L. C. ., & Wood, E. (2014). The SAMR Model as a Framework for
Evaluating mLearning. Online Learning, 18(2), 1–15.
https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v18i2.435
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