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Before this course began, I primarily used digital information and communication technology for planning, presentation, and research. I used daily PowerPoints to combine diverse media into appealing, smoothly flowing presentations, reducing down-time in the classroom. I used interactive hypertext and audio versions of literature to augment in-class reading. Still, this could be classified as doing the same old things—posting text on the board, playing recorded texts, showing films and still images, recording class notes—in a new way (Thornburg, 2004). I found ways to use the computer linked LCD projector and PowerPoint to do different things, but the technologies I was using were more appropriate for teacher-centered instruction and had limited potential to facilitate the sort of project-based, student-centered, constructivist learning that best prepares students for the twenty-first century workplace (Laureate, 2008).
The Web 2.0 technology introduced in this course is much better suited for creating a constructivist learning environment where students take charge of their own learning through authentic, project-based assignments that reach a larger audience beyond the classroom (Chao & Parker, 2007; Kuriloff, 2000; Richardson, 2006 ). Traditional class writing assignments often feel artificial and lack the appeal of publishing to a wider audience. Blogs allow students to break through classroom walls and enter the real world of online publishing, where anyone might notice, read, and respond to their work. Similarly, wikis allow students to reach a wider audience, but they have the added benefit of fostering collaborative creation (Friedman & Heafner, 2008; Richardson, 2006). Students can simultaneously contribute to and edit a group wiki, seeing the updates and changes on their site in real time. Teachers can see the History, Discussion, and Recent Changes to a wiki in order to assess individual involvement in the wiki’s creation. The applications for these sites are limited only by the imaginations of the users, which means that, for student users, the applications are simply endless. Another powerful web publishing tool we used in this course is podcasting. The technology for recording, editing, and posting audio online has given amateur, and some professional, broadcasters the opportunity to reach broad and niche audiences that may be ignored or inadequately served by mainstream broadcast media. Would be musicians, DJs, dramatists, talk-show hosts, reporters, and authors, many of whom are our students, can produce their own “radio shows” in a medium that is sophisticated, user friendly, and compatible with most popular digital devices. The skills involved in English class assignments requiring students to build blogs, wikis, and podcasts are in keeping with the recommendations of school curriculum, The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (n.d.), the National Council of Teachers of English (2009), and the International Society for Technology in Education (2008) (MSDE, 2009).
Another powerful web tool for the classroom is the use of Real Simple Syndication (RSS) aggregators, which allow scholars, teachers, and everyone else to subscribe to Web content from trusted sources and sites that interest them without having to manually visit these sites to check for updates (Richardson, 2006). This is like having a research assistant who tirelessly combs through websites looking for content you might want to read—a real windfall for scholars of every sort. I will certainly incorporate an RSS tutorial into future research lessons. Some of the best tutorials can be found on YouTube, a site that allows users to post their own videos. My students have enjoyed YouTube videos based on the literature they are reading that were created by students in other schools. I hope that I will soon have access to the resources to allow my students to produce and post their own.
These technologies have already affected my classroom instruction in other exciting ways. My AP English Language and Composition class has begun work on their class wiki. Unfortunately, as of today, the site we were using, wikispaces.com, has been blocked by our school system. Nevertheless, my students are gamely developing content for the site using traditional word processing, which I suppose must be posted by those who have access at home, while I continue to petition the school system to change their filtration policy. Fortunately, there is ample evidence to support the argument that wikis and other Web 2.0 applications are valuable classroom resources. Kevin R. Parker and Joseph T. Chao (2007), for example, point out that “wikis in particular actively involve learners in their own construction of knowledge” (p. 57). Peshe Kuriloff, director of the Mellon Writing Project even goes so far as to say, “If John Dewey were alive today, he’d be a webhead” (p. 1).
Although these Web 2.0 technologies are exciting and can potentially revolutionize my teaching practice in the short term, a more lasting and significant effect of this course derives from its emphasis on constructivist and project-based learning (Laureate, 2008). Rather than presenting these Web tools as ends unto themselves, the course demonstrates how these tools are a means to help teachers facilitate the sort of active learning described by Dewey and Vygotsky (Laureate, 2008).
This shift from traditional, teacher-centered instruction to student-centered, constructivist learning was previously inhibited by the limited information, collaboration, and publishing resources available in the traditional classroom. With the advent of the Internet, and “Read/Write” web tools in particular, teachers have the opportunity to become facilitators of students’ self-directed learning (Friedman & Heafner, 2008; Kuriloff, 2000; Richardson, 2006; Chao & Parker, 2007). Instead of focusing on rote learning of isolated facts, teachers can better prepare students for the workplace of the future by giving them tools and training to expertly take charge of their own learning. Because of the variety, and varying credibility, of online sources that are published by online authors, often with little or no editorial intervention, students are forced to develop the evaluative skills that they will need to make informed decisions throughout their lives. No longer can students simply trust the printed word. They must now develop the cognitive skills necessary to discriminate between trash and treasure, making them better citizens, and better consumers of information and the products promoted by the ubiquitous advertisements that bombard them every day. This course provides guidance for teachers to convert their classrooms into the sort of “Learning Societies” Bernie Trilling (2005) expects will define the twenty-first century workplace (p. 1).
I have two strategies to ensure that I continue to grow and adapt to the changing technology that defines the workplace. First, I must always maintain my focus on the timeless core competencies that will allow me and my students to successfully adapt to the perpetual change that defines our time. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills’ A Report and Mile Guide for 21st Century Skills suggests that teaching students to build on prior knowledge, incorporate it into and modify existing conceptual frameworks, and conduct self-analysis to guide self-teaching, can prepare them to adapt to technological and other changes. This is also the fundamental strategy that teachers must use to guide their own professional development. This is what I do when I try to understand a new device or application. Much of my professional development in this vein has not been deliberately aimed at improving as a teacher. I learned many of the computer skills I use in the classroom by upgrading my computer hardware and software to play the latest video games. The key is to stay curious and embrace change. The second strategy I can use to maintain the currency of my repertoire of learning, teaching, and leadership skills is to continue my formal professional development through courses like this one. As a lifelong student, I am conditioned to learn well under the pressure of a class commitment. This course took me out of my comfort zone, into my zone of proximal development, providing the support necessary to help me develop new skills and understandings. I find this combination of motivation and support very helpful. Continued coursework also keeps me aware of current theory, and research supporting or questioning established theory, regarding best practices, and reminds me of the practices that work for me as a learner, while helping me maintain empathy with my students. Being a student as well as a teacher helps me practice what I preach.
My goals for transforming my classroom environment are manifold, but two important goals are emphasized by this course. The first is technological. I would like to have at least one computer, online, with reasonably unrestricted Internet access, for every two students in each class. Computer and Internet access are essential if I am to take advantage of the Web 2.0 tools that are making the realization of my second goal more possible than it has heretofore been. My second goal is the reason for my first. I would like to use these digital information and communication tools, along with a variety of other strategies, to create a classroom environment and curriculum that truly supports collaborative and pragmatic constructivist learning, where I set up experiences through which my students can work together to build their own understanding (Sutinen, 2008).
REFERENCES
Chao, J. & Parker, K. (2007). Wiki as a teaching tool. Interdisciplinary Journal of Knowledge and Learning objects, 3, 57-72. Retrieved October 29, 2009 from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/pdf?vid=6&hid=4&sid=5bc9ae1c-58ba-46f7-a52b-957df6fdb4a1%40sessionmgr11
Friedman, A. & Heafner, T. (2008) Wikis and constructivism in secondary social studies: Fostering a deeper understanding. Computers in the Schools, 25 (3/4), 288-302. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/pdf?vid=10&hid=9&sid=ccdcbe30-77be-4dd2-b1ae-3a0252c8855a%40sessionmgr4
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2008). NETS for teachers 2008. Retrieved October 20, 2009 from http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS_for_Teachers_2008.htm
Kuriloff, P, (2000). If John Dewey were alive today, he'd be a webhead. Chronicle of Higher Education, 46 (34). Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=4&sid=5bc9ae1c-58ba-46f7-a52b-957df6fdb4a1%40sessionmgr11&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=ehh&AN=3017343
Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2008). Understanding the impact of technology on education, work, and society. Baltimore: Author.
Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). (2009). CLG toolkit: English. School Improvement in Maryland. Retrieved October 15, 2009 from http://www.bcpss.org/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). (2009). NCTE / IRA standards for the English language arts. National Council of Teachers of English. Retrieved September 16, 2009, from http://www.ncte.org/standards
Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (n.d.). A report and mile guide for 21st century skills. Washington DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/images/stories/otherdocs/p21up_Report.pdf
Richardson, W. (2006). Blogs, wikis, podcasts, and other powerful web tools for classrooms (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Sutinen, Ari. (2008). Constructivism and education: Education and an interpretive transformational process. Studies in Philosophy & Education. 27 (1), 1-14. Retrieved October 29, 2009 from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/pdf?vid=6&hid=4&sid=5bc9ae1c-58ba-46f7-a52b-957df6fdb4a1%40sessionmgr11
Thornburg, D. (2004). Technology and education: Expectations, not options. (Executive Briefing No. 401). Retrieved from http://www.tcpdpodcast.org/briefings/expectations.pdf
Trilling, B. (2005). Towards learning societies and the global challenges for learning with ICT. TechForum. Retrieved from http://www.techlearning.com/techlearning/pdf/events/techforum/ny05/Toward_Learning_Societies.pdf
