Good day everyone! Below is the video of my summary of learning. Happy Holidays everyone and good luck in future endeavors!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yGXI9D2fgeTUBOoPJrLGG6FnqG8zmabG/view
Author Archives: eddypaslowski
AI and My Usage and Understandings
AI in education has seen a rocky introduction to put it mildly. A few years ago I was at an administration meeting and we had a presentation about all of the negative aspects of AI and how it was going to make teaching so much more difficult to assess work etc. Even then, I was wondering about how we could turn this around in our favor to help us in our schools. I’ll bet you it was not 3 months later that a division tech consultant came out to our school to provide professional development on how we could use AI to help us with our jobs. I started out just playing with AI, creating notes for a History class. It was impressive to say the least. I still do not use AI regular enough to know all of its capabilities, but I know enough to recognize there are and will be tremendous benefits in the areas of preparation and assessment in education. I have used it in time crunch situations to create assessment activities and information packages etc for several classes as well as specialized activities for neuro-diverse students.
The main benefit for me is saving me prep time. I am an administrator as well as teaching part of the time, so time is something that I rarely have an excessive amount of. If AI can save me a substantial chunk of time and still do a great job in an ethical manner, I have no problem using it.
The future of AI is a little hard to fathom in many regards. For students, I believe they need to be taught how to use it appropriately and still be able to develop problem solving skills. Getting students to the point of being able to use complex thought processes is always the end game and if we loose that, then there will be deeper issues. This will be a fine line, I believe. For teachers, there are so many factors and outside skills that they use every day that cannot be replaced, and so I think for now, teachers jobs are secure. From a world wide viewpoint, AI has tremendous potential to help with providing pathways to solving big picture problems. Helping with efficiency in so many areas will be a game changer. Of course there will be those that already use it in a negative manner, but hopefully the benefits outweigh the detriments.
The Importance of Coding in our Schools
Coding is not a new idea in an educational setting. I recall my grade 9 teacher trying his best to teach us how to design code to move a two dimensional rocket across the screen of the brand new Apple 2C computers in our computer lab. Mind you, this was roughly 1986/87 and even the teacher was totally overwhelmed by this prospect. However, the message was the same as today; students will need to know how to do this to be successful in the future.
As for myself, I was not very successful at moving that rocket as I recall, but the exposure to those opportunities helped me and continue to help me as an educator and administrator. I have not directly taught coding but I do realize the importance of these skills. As we saw in the presentation last week and in the readings provided, there are many ways to access and practice these skills. In schools that I have been in, I witnessed the progress our school robotics team made every year, as they designed and programmed their division entries. The kits were provided by the school division so no financial issues ever prevented a team being assembled. The students were of a variety of ages, with senior members teaching younger students and one staff member,( not non techy me), helping whenever a technical question needed to be answered. These were huge opportunities for students that wanted a club that was a little more focused on technology. They took this very seriously, and competitions were intense.
From those experiences, I know of at least one student who has gone on to be nearing completion of his Electrical Engineering degree at the University of Saskatchewan. A huge success story.
Currently, I have one staff member,( there are only a handful of us in total), that directly teaches coding in her classes. They use a version of educational Minecraft to engage students and work on Math skills as well. The resources are easy to find and students find them to be extremely engaging. She uses this approach starting in grade 5.
At my age, I am still learning about how to move that rocket across the screen, just with far better technology, and now by a grade 5 student that tells me ” That’s too simple Mr. P.!”
My Assistive Technology Experience
As someone who has only been in education for 7 plus years, and in small rural schools for the most part, I have had limited experience with assistive technology. The main exception to this came in my second year of teaching. I had taken a position in a small K-12 school teaching high school classes, and in grade 12 there was a student who needed the use of a wheelchair. This student was academically above average, but physically, needed the assistance of technology to help in the day to day life around the school.
The school had been equipped with a fully adapted washroom with everything needed to allow the student to use it independently. Ramps had been installed for easy access to the school and for up a step inside as well. The student had 2 modified lockers with lowered shelves for school supplies and belongings. They also had a couple of extended tools for reaching items that fell on the floor or could not be reached, say in the library. These are mostly technologies from the Establishment period, as we saw in the video from this week, The history of Assistive Technology Part 1.
As far as digital assistive technology, the only one I recall this student using was Speak to Text. This was not used often, but under extenuating circumstances.
As that school year came to a close, graduation brought up a new challenge; climbing the stairs to get on stage. We rented an electric portable lift, designed for this, and decorated it to match the ceremony colors. This technology would be from the Empowerment period.
Assistive technology takes many forms and serves so many vital purposes in our goals of inclusion. They are constantly evolving and growing to help our students have access to everything they deserve.
Digital Assessment Practices: Where are we at?
This past week my group looked at assessment technologies that are becoming more and more prevalent in education. This was also an interesting way to look and reflect on my own assessment practices. Are we just crunching numbers and looking at data on a spreadsheet or are we actually using what we collect in a meaningful way; to help find ways to teach students?
As an administrator, I have to assess data all of the time to ensure my students are getting the best education possible, but there are times where the data does not tell the whole story and I believe this is the same with teachers and students. There is only so much that digital assessment can tell us. We still need to talk with students to see if there understandings go deeper than what is on the page or screen. Some students struggle to use technology but can orally express their knowledge successfully. Classroom settings can cause anxiety as well, so accommodating some students with one on one or quiet areas to work can foster learning for some.
My point is that tools like Kahoot and Socrative are just that; wonderful tools to assist in the assessment of students. They are merely one aspect of assessment, or one tool in the toolbox. Some teachers may become too reliant on this one tool and that is maybe the case for many of the different tools in this regard.
Being balanced in your practices is something that any teacher has ran into. The key is recognizing this and always evolving in this respect.
Short Sighted Returns With Long Term Implications
I grew up in a time where knowledge seemed “concrete”. There were computer rooms but the www. age would not arrive until the year after I finished high school. We did not know what was coming around the corner as far as computer technology, except that it was going to change everything. Some people scoffed at the idea; blew it off as another “fad” like big hair and Venetian sun glasses. As the years progressed, however, we could see that this was not the case. I am not sure, though, how many experts believed that it would get to where we are today. I am not saying that the web and the information that we can find is not great, but the algorithms, data collection and ways this is used for profit are not always ethical or healthy especially for youth.
The Social Dilemma is a documentary that I used in a class a few years ago. It was shocking to me and to some students to learn about how our smartphones were collecting so much personal data for profit. As a class, we did an experiment to validate what we watched, and after we had a specific conversation about a product and did one search on our phones, we monitored how many of us had related pop ups in our phones for the upcoming weekend. The results startled all of us. Nearly 100% of us were targeted with adds for that specific product. Since then, I am wary about my cell phone.
Social media is another aspect that seems great, and in many ways it is, however, as we have learned, there are drawbacks to its use as well. I have noticed , as many of you probably have as well, that students are not gaining many of the social skills that older generations had. Online bullying and the results of that are rocketing. My family has not been immune to these negative impacts, as we had a young relative attempt to take her own life last year. This is not isolated, and some regulations will eventually be developed, but until then it will be up to individuals to find that balance.
I am older. The issues with being massively connected to social media, or tech in general, are not hard for me to handle. I do have one social media account but I check it maybe once or twice a week, and I never post anything other than a “Happy Birthday” or ” my condolences” once in a while. I constantly fall behind on emails and texts, even miss most phone calls, because I do not like carrying my phone. My opinion is, if you need to talk to me that bad, come find me, or call my office and someone will track me down. The people around me know this and adjust. My wife hates it, but , that’s me. I feel optimistic, however, that we will find how to balance all of this in our lives. The right tools just need to be in place as we head into Web 3.0 and 4.0.
Distance and Online Learning; Tools For the Right Time and Place
As many of us in this class know, COVID accelerated the rate at which many of us integrated online teaching into our careers. There was a mad scramble to create an efficient, EFFECTIVE way to help our students continue to receive an education during a very uncertain period of our lives. There were mistakes made; trial and error, and plenty of frustration for teachers, parents and students. This class helps us to reflect back on the technologies that worked well, and maybe the odd one that frustrated us.
I was a little luckier than some, since in the year previous to the pandemic, I had been given the opportunity to attend PD on technology for educational use. I spent time at a Google Summit in Saskatoon that introduced me to Google Classroom. After that week, I was convinced that this was the way to make education more accessible, and I worked for weeks to set up my online classrooms. They were always evolving, and still are. I have continued to use them in the right situations and I found it depended on the group of students that I would be teaching.
I also added other technologies to my classroom. Kahoot was an app that I tried and I occasionally used it over the years. This year, however, there has been less of an opportunity with the new cell phone policy in place in Saskatchewan. We can use some of these technologies with Chrome books, however, not every classroom has access to that technology either. This is one disadvantage some schools have when it comes to online use of technology.
In my experience there are some limitations to the use of online learning, other than the fact that parts of the province where Wi-Fi is limited. The fact is that many students do not do well in an asynchronous class. Even during Covid, I set up online scheduled meetings for my classes, taught with the use of technology, and still had a low level of success. Our provincial online learning program, the Sask DLC , offers students a wide variety of classes, but since it began a couple of years ago, only 70% of the students I signed up for classes successfully completed their courses. Students that need direct, one on one, instruction are not successful.
The Rise of Productivity Suites
This is an interesting topic since, as I am a little older than most students, I can vividly remember the beginnings of technology like Office and how groundbreaking it was at the time. In my old career, when these came out or when Microsoft Word was being widely used, the efficiency was amazing as opposed to old ways of information processing.
In education, if teachers and students are taught how to properly use these tools, the same efficiency can be achieved. I , myself, predominantly use Google products such as Slides, Google Meet and lately I have explored some of the uses for Canva as well. In our Overview of Productivity Software video this week, we had a chance to see how many of these tools have evolved since the 1980’s. Many of these tools are useful in the teaching setting, but they are also useful for students to gain an understanding of what is used outside of school as well. Companies want employees that can handle many types of software and know the appropriate time to use them. This is where it is vital, as educators, that we do not drop the ball here. We can provide the guidance students need in this area.
The possibilities are endless as technology grows exponentially with the next generation just beginning to emerge for educators; AI. If we learn how to us AI ethically, we can open up so much more in not only education, but for students as they head into the workforce. Guidelines and policies will have to be put in place, but the reality is, whether we like it or not, AI is here and I don’t see it going away. Pandora’s Box may have been opened.
My Evolving Teaching Philosophies
Over a career, most educators evolve with what works at the time, the subject they teach and the group of students that they teach to. The first word my father-in-law told me to remember when I told him I was going into Education, was “adaptability”. This came from a retired ex-teacher, with 35 years of experience. By the time I reached university as a TC or teacher canditate, I knew how valuable that advice was. This was where I realized the value of students needing to buy in to what we are trying to teach in order for it to be effective teaching. In my opinion, my strongest belief is in the constructionist philosophy. I enjoy designing inquiry projects that allow students to go in directions that interest them. This, I find, not only helps with engagement, but also goes a long way to helping students reach complex thought, where they can express to me what they have learned in a wide variety of ways.
This does not mean that there are not aspects of my teaching that do not represent other philosophies. Any teacher of math or science knows that there are times for lectures, formulas , and equations that have to taught in this objectivist view.
The point I am trying to make is that each teacher probably has one main view and then likely has areas of their teaching in which other philosophies are more prevalent.
As we head into more new technology every month, it seems, this may alter some teacher’s views on how students learn and therefore how we teach. AI is a perfect example, Constructivists, like myself, see this tech as an opportunity to see how students use it if they are taught how to properly. This is similar to when computers came into schools. Now, they are invaluable.
My Understanding Of Ed. Tech.
When I first thought about educational technology, I naturally came up with things like chromebooks, Smartboards, and computer labs. My second level of thinking then went to Google Classroom, which I have used in my teaching practise for several years and other related technologies. I also think of things like alternate seating, fidgets, and noise cancelling headsets as technology that help the learning process.This is where I sort of stopped, until I read the readings for this week. It never dawned on me that the chalk board was innovative for the time and made learning easier for students to learn, or for that matter, how written language was a major leap in education.
In today’s society, I believe most people think of educational technology as computers, cell phones,( which are now a hot topic), and online speakers that come into the classroom as a few examples. This is becoming more contraversial as the trend in education, it seems, is to be going back to basics. All you hear about is ” Why are we not teaching the 3 R’s instead of all of this other stuff?” This is the divide in education. Even if we know that technology can help students, as we read this week, there is a tradeoff. Where we gain in one area, students will loose in another.
As a person who joined education a little later in life than most, I have had to change my thoughts on technology a little more drastically than most. I went to school in the 1970’s and 80’s, so I can recall the first computers that came into school. For me, it was the Commodore 64, moving a white dot across the t.v. screen. Everyone was in awe. Then we shifted to high school and the Apple 2C and the programming we had to design to get a two dimesional rocket to go across their own monitor. The internet was introduced just as I graduated, and th it exponential growth to where we are now. I had to grow with it and quickly if I was going to become an educator just a few short years ago. Now with AI and all that this could bring us, we are set for more massive growth. Maybe soon, teachers themselves will become outdated, just like the Commodore 64?
