Foundations of Educational Technology
EC&I 833 - Summary of Learning
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Author Archives: Ms. O
Artificial Intelligence
This week's presentation has honestly given me hope for education. Initially I was hoping that I would have been able to snag AI as my research topic, but I am very grateful that people who have far more experience with AI than myself were able to enlighten us on the topic.
My experiences thus far with AI have been relatively minimal. As a teacher, before this presentation, I had only really dabbled with Diffit and used it to create grade appropriate reading passages and comprehension questions. With Diffit, I still commonly print hard copies of reading material and tasks for students and grade paper copies, although I have used Google Form responses as well. At the grade level that I teach, I have only had a couple of students whom I suspected had used ChatGpt to generate writing. I was met with considerable backlash (from guardians) when I questioned them about it.
Since the AI presentation this past Monday, I have created accounts on three new platforms; ChapGPT, Magic School, and Curipod. I have begun playing around with, creating new content, and am excited to continue this exploration. I appreciate the option to choose complexity and create content that is specific to learning needs. This week I lead my first Curipod lesson with my grade 5/6s. The quality and quantity of the AI generated feedback for each student is not only individualized but is something that would have taken me as a teacher probably over twenty hours to provide. As teacher workload continues to increase and access to texts and resources seems to decrease, AI tools provide a means for teachers to lessen their workload and meet the complex needs of students. User friendly programs make utilizing AI as a tool in the classroom more feasible.
In Advantages and Disadvantages of AI in Education, Clugston points out that the presence of AI in education "calls for enthusiasm and caution" (2024). It became quickly apparent during our in-class polls during the AI presentation that we, collectively but also as individuals, have very mixed feelings about artificial intelligence. It was pointed out by the presenters that these mixed feelings have been a constant throughout history with the implementation of new technologies. The fact that we think critically about things isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I think more often than not this sort of fear or uncertainty is born of resistance to change. As with any type of new technology or tool, the focus should be on using it as a tool and developing a healthy relationship with it.
I don't think that AI can replace teachers, but will hopefully just continue to make our jobs easier and more effective. Teacher burnout is real and AI might be our saving grace.
Coding/Maker’s Space
As mentioned in the presentation, both coding and maker's spaces bring amazing opportunities for students in our classrooms. I work for Regina Public Schools and have booked and used a number of coding kits over the years; an assortment of bots, 3-D printers, Arduino boards, Scratch. There are experts available to come in to educate and guide teachers on how to use these devices in their classrooms (although the technology PD opportunities seem to have diminished over the years) and also opportunities for experts to come right into the classroom to teach the students about the programs and devices.
It has been three years since I have had 3-D printers in my classroom, so I should certainly book them again soon. Three years ago I was able to have two 3-D printers in my classroom for a one month period. One of the tech specialists from the school board came into my classroom for an afternoon to do an extended lessonswith my Grade 5/6s on how to use Tinkercad to design and print 3-d objects. All of the students began with a personalized nametag and got to spend the remainder of the month experimenting with the program and printing an array of objects. Not only were the students excited to experiment with the program and printers, their explorations and creations could be as simple or complicated as their knowledge and creativity allowed. As a result, the learning that took place was very personalized.
Using Ozobots, Arduino boards, programs such as Scratch in my classroom have also lead to many learning successes. Not sure that I would have been able to have had that success without my own PD training or support from tech experts. In each case, all students were able to develop code successfully and then had opportunities to challenge their learning and creativity on personal levels. Students who were focused on fitness were able to program their Arduino boards to act as a step counter, where others could program theirs to tell a story with pictures, or compose a melody. In my experience, these opportunities result in 100% student engagement and learning.
I do not believe that Coding/Maker's Space content should only be taught by 'technies' but I certainly believe that if educators are feeling hesitant because of their own knowledge base, they should certainly seek support from 'techies'. In my experience, there have always been students in my classroom who instantly take on the 'techie' role once these devices are in the classroom. Due to the reality of the worlds that kids have been born into and because most of them have been connected with digital technologies from a very young age, their knowledge base and natural instincts will most often times surpass even the experts. These students have opportunities to become leaders and 'classroom' experts. In my experience, these are often students who have not had the opportunity to take on leadership roles and act as experts in the classroom.
As discussed in class presentation, coding and maker's spaces are highly aligned with constructivist models in education. Providing students with these opportunities enhances their ability to problem solve, navigate challenges, and gain experience with programs and devices which they may not otherwise be able to get their hands on. I believe it to be the educator's duty to provide these experiences in the classroom.
Assistive Tech – Helping us Help Ourselves
Assistive Technology has played an ever increasing role in my classroom over the course of my teaching career. As every individual has such unique challenges in learning about, interpreting, and interacting with the world around them, there are countless reasons for assistive technologies in our world. I appreciated the attention that the presenters brought to the history of assistive technologies, referring to examples such as braille, reading glasses, artificial limbs, and wheel chairs. This focus really shed light on how assistive technologies have been meeting needs and improving the quality of life for people for a very long time. For the purpose of this blog post, I will be referring to digital technologies used in the classroom to enhance student learning.
As the foundational philosophies backing assistive technologies are heavily rooted in social justice and human rights, there is no wonder why the resulting impacts have been so positive in our classrooms and society in general. I guess the most remarkable thing about assistive tech is it's ability to empower individuals with disabilities to have equal access and opportunities in life. As mentioned in the presentation, this idea is at the forefront of the Rehabilitation Act (1973 - present). I would say that as technologies have advanced, the usage has become less obvious for the user and as a result draws less attention to them in many cases. One example would be reading glasses; I think about in my youth how there were only a couple of styles of glasses (mostly not very fashionable and definitely not 'cool') and now kids have so many options for glasses and even contact lenses. This is just one example of the empowerment born of a technology that has become developed and accepted by mainstream culture.
I have witnessed the positive impacts of assistive technologies in the classroom over the years. Students who have assistive technology built into their learning program are often able to independently find successes with day to day tasks and gain confidence in themselves as learners. Additionally, learning becomes so much more individualized and it is less obvious that students may be working on something 'different' than the other students, which is a very common concern for kids. The educational theories supporting assistive technologies have predominantly constructivist ideals and support inclusion. There are a wealth of options for adaptations geared towards different disabilities and learning needs. When hands on manipulatives aren't available in the classroom, there are often free online platforms when students can experiment with manipulatives, whether it be for math, or science experiments. Assistive technologies in the classroom lead to a broader learner perspective.
While the benefits are undeniable, there are some setbacks to using assistive tech in the classroom. For one, accessibility is a frequent challenge. For example in my school we currently have an entire laptop cart which are out of commission and have been sent away to the board office to be 'fixed' so lessons and unit which require the use of technology to enhance students learning are falling by the wayside. A part of inaccessibility is the cost of some assistive technologies. I would deem Mathletics to be a very useful resource and assistive technology, not only to students who are struggling in math, but also for students who benefit from enrichment. However, it has extremely difficult in the past years to get funding to pay for the yearly subscription in my classroom. Finally, there are often specific assistive technologies which are required for certain students and teachers haven't received proper training on how to implement or help guide students in their learning.
The reality is that while many assistive technologies were invented to aid a 'disability' in some way, assistive technologies can be used by anyone. If you think about it, anyone with a smartphone in their back pocket is using assistive technology. The number of tasks that we go about on a daily basis with the assistance of our smartphones are likely too numerous to mention. As assistive technologies become more normalized as a part of everyday life, and for people with and without disabilities, there is bound to be advancements with inclusion, accountability, and realizations around self awareness with regards to paying attention to our own learning and life needs.
Social Media
Social Media has undoubtedly had far reaching effects on every aspect of our existences, as individuals and as a society. There are so many benefits and yet so many negatives resulting from the social media empire.
I grew up in a world pre-internet, pre-social media and like so many generations that came even before me, have the belief that my reality served as a 'better' reality. I do not wish for a second that I had access to social media as a child and especially teen because I can see the pressure that it perpetuates and it's hard to fathom having to navigate all the stresses of social media combined with the already existing anxieties of navigating adolescence.
I think as adults we have a better means to decipher and navigate social challenges, but even then there are pressures and constructs put in place by social media which affect our well-being through comparing and measuring personal successes. But yet, I am on social media. I appreciate the benefits of staying connected with people from my past that I am no longer living near or who are no longer in my close circle. I enjoy the choice and empowerment that comes with choosing who I follow and what fills my scrolling time. There's a degree of freedom associated with the power that comes from getting to make those decisions; who to follow, who to unfollow, who to block. But there is also a level of awareness that needs to come to play in recognizing how what/who we are viewing is affecting our overall psyche and well-being, and that is not always obvious. There is also evidence now that suggests how highly addictive social media has become, in such way that our brains respond in similar ways as it would to a physical or chemical addiction.
I have been a teacher in the grade 4-6 age bracket for the past decade. This is typically a time when students begin experimenting and dappling in social media platforms, even though they don't yet meet most of the age requirements outlined by the platform. I have yet to see it have a positive effect on a student in this age group, yet without it they quickly become isolated from their friend groups or start to miss out on interactions.
It is a very tricky subject to navigate as a parent and as a teacher. The best hope is that we can educate our children on digital well-being and help them to develop positive habits early on which will transfer to adulthood.
Assessment Technologies
For several decades, technological assessments have changed how we administer content and gather information. The use and evolution of assessment technologies in education have resulted in dynamic growth, innovation, and adaptations. As with any type of assessment, the choice of and the implementation of the assessment technology should always have purpose and should support the relevant learning outcome and pedagogical approach in an accurate way. It is also important to include a variety of formative and summative assessment to obtain a broad picture of student's learning and understanding.
As discussed in the presentation, there are specific steps to follow for that planning and delivery of an assessment technology. Dr. Erik Voss stresses the importance of being aware of technological knowledge of yourself as a teacher and your students when planning assessment. Pedagogy and assessment should be viewed as a combined entity and it is important that pedagogy should always drive technology and the decisions that we are making with technology. The integration and usage of technology assessment should always have purpose. As long as we are teaching from a well-rounded pedagogical approach and considering the different learning styles and needs of our students in our assessment practices, we should still be able to gather and provide a variety of assessments through the use of assessment technologies.
It is true that many assessment technologies are modeled around behaviourist approaches. Technology assessments can provide instant feedback and reinforcements which are in alignment with behaviourist ideals. This type of feedback is something that in my experience, many students crave and look for. Many online assessment tools involve some sort of gamification or e-platform that usually involve behaviourist strategies. While there is certainly a place for these types of digital assessments in our classrooms it is important to not solely rely on assessments that support behaviourist methods and ideals.
We can do this by ensuring that our assessments are varied, and this can certainly be done through assessment technologies. We just need to be creative with how and what we are assessing, whether that is using AI to generate rubrics or content specific to learner needs, to observing how students are interacting with others using different platforms to problem solve and navigate specific tasks. This can also be done through online portfolios and collections of student work. When students are also given options to explore a variety of platforms and genres, they can then make decisions to showcase certain work or pieces that demonstrate the highest level of understanding or work that they are proud of.
Online Learning
I am currently an in-person classroom teacher in an elementary school classroom, although I have had several opportunities during the covid pandemic to teach remotely. I would have to say that after transferring to a new school during the pandemic, and at a time where everyone was required to wear masks full time (even outside), no contact, no group work, all students in forward facing tables; moving to online learning came as a welcome relief! It was a relief to finally see my students faces for the first time after having taught them for half of a year. It was a relief to have everyone in a space where they didn't feel fearful and paranoid of spreading germs. It was a relief that students could meet and interact in groups to share ideas. Now that we are mask free (for the most part) I am grateful to be back in the classroom face to face with my students.
I rely heavily in my classroom on Google suites and make sure that all students are connect through both google classroom as well as Edsby to find digital copies of all of their units. Parents at my current school are active on Edsby and regularly use it to look at students assignments an print worksheets at home if needed. I have found this to be particularly useful as I commonly have students leaving for long periods of time, either on vacation or returning to their homeland for extended visits. This allows them to keep up with what we are doing in the classroom. Having all units available online keeps students and families accountable for their learning.
I found the section of the presentation on commercialization interesting as I thought about the different platforms that were at one time free and then came at a cost. Or tools such as Edpuzzle which I use regularly but am limited with the free version. There are certain online learning tools such as Mathletics that I find myself fighting for endlessly to obtain student accounts. This resource is expensive to purchase yearly subscriptions and since it is not supported division wide we have to seek parents council support to get class subscriptions. It is frustrating because after using both hard copy and online Mathletics for years, I have seen the benefits to students learning and progress in mathematics at an elementary level but yet it is so hard to obtain due to the price.
As a student I appreciate the option to have online courses available to me through this masters program. As a teacher, I am happy to know that we could successfully go back online with students at a moments notice, but in-person learning at an elementary level is crucial to child development. As a parent of an elementary and high school student, I am beyond thankful that they are back face-to-face with their peers and teachers, up and about and out of the house daily!
Productivity Tools Saves
Utilizing and teaching digital literacy and balance in our classrooms is essential now. Productivity suites, such as google workplace are free tools which provide a wealth of applications for users to explore and use as tools to guide, organize, and expand their own learning and online presence. I have witnessed several students over the years gain accessibility and confidence with grade level content with the help of productivity tools. Students who are reading and writing below grade level can use tools such as google read/write to comprehend material, as well as get their ideas out. Productivity tools offer students the opportunity to gain insight into themselves as learners, expand their learning, and make the most out of learning opportunities. There is often a new interest in tasks which were once met with reluctance.
Skinner's theory supports the use of technology and productivity tools that in many cases, students are able to work and develop knowledge at their own pace or in a manner that is suitable to their learning needs. Dewey's focus on 'learners as guides' is greatly supported by the use of productivity tools in our classrooms. There are countless opportunities now where we give students 'something to do' and through the use of productivity tools they navigate their own way, often resulting in alternate end results. This is a valuable way for students to learn problem solving, discover things about themselves as learners, and also sheds light on the notion that there are many different realities, methods, and end goals. This sort of practical application of knowledge provides a more realistic learning process to navigating challenges in life.
Siemen's ideas in connectivism bring light to the opportunities and growth born of online connection through finding like-minded people regardless of where in the world you are situated. A person who at one time had to wait years and possibly even decades to find people who experienced a shared reality, now have the opportunity to find potential connections earlier on in life through online connections. Obviously this can have positive effects on a person's well-being, but on the flip side there can be equally devastating impacts in the name of 'hate'. While some online interactions are potentially unavoidable, students also need to be taught what to focus on and what to avoid.
As with any type of digital usage comes the responsibility to find a healthy balance. Productivity tools serve as an important means to organize, aid, and enhance our work and lifestyle, however complete reliance can be a dangerous crutch.
Tribrid Beliefs = Tribrid Practice
There is something that excites me about philosophy and origins of thought, considering perspectives, and reflecting on how my own ideals and practice is represented in comparison. I remember a quiz that I took during one of my first masters classes, meant to determine which historic teaching philosophies best aligned with our own. It was apparent then and still accurate now, that I represent a dichotomy of philosophical theories in my planning, values, and application in my practice.
In the 16 years that I have spent teaching in the public school system, I would say that some of my beliefs have shifted slightly over time, but more so the theoretical application represented through my beliefs alters based on my students and their needs. Only since I have started taking masters classes have I realized that I certainly draw on and include aspects of behaviourism, cognitivism, and constructivism in my teaching practice and would say that the three areas are needed and are relatively balanced in my classroom but might fluctuate from year to year based on the students. I have always and continue today to teach 'old-school' drill and practice methods all the way to student driven inquiry projects. I firmly believe that there is importance in the inclusion of all areas and that practices centered in behaviourism and cognitivism provide essential skills and organizational tools necessary for finding success with constructivist models. This is at least true for the grade levels that I teach in middle elementary
Behaviourism represents the innate human desire for reward, and regardless of your level of ambition and self-motivation, seeking external reinforcement is something that I don't think we ever entirely grow out of. Therefore, it can result in great success especially in terms of developing positive habits that will likely aid us as we journey through life. With growth and maturity, comes the realization that hard-work and 'doing the right thing' will increase your chances of success. While I believe these sorts of methods to be necessary building blocks for character development and work ethic, solely relying on behaviourist approaches negates the responsibility we have to personal well-being because we are constantly relying on an outside source for approval. In life, the expectation for reward is not a realistic expectation and people are taken out of the moment because they are continuously seeking an end point. This mindset has likely perpetuated a high degree of mental health problems in our society; not being able to access or live up to a unattainable prescription of 'what life should be'.
Cognitivism provides us with the framework and organizational tools necessary to navigate and organize our thinking and our lives. In elementary school grades, using tools like graphic organizers is crucial to their learning. Ultimately the goal is that eventually those organizers just translate into a persons mental ability to organize information, emotions, data etc. resulting in our ability to problem solve and take steps to plan and take action. With the notions suggested in Bloom's hierarchy of learning the importance of delving into some higher order thinking, analyzing, and interpreting information aids us in our ability to handle and organize information and knowledge.
While abilities born of the constructivist approaches are equally important to a person's learning and life experience, the tools, habits, and organization instilled by the aforementioned approaches are essential to finding success in this realm. There is opportunity here to reach one's highest potential, not only as a learner but in the freedom to pursue and live an enriched and fulfilled life. When students are given the opportunity to explore concepts from an inquiry standpoint, the learning and engagement which takes place is not comparable to anything learned through rote memorization or lecture. The self motivation and problem solving which they encounter through this process is the most accurate to the challenges confronted in life and provide the learner with a means to explore and get to know themselves as learners and develop self-motivation.
Until now, my experiences have lead me to believe that not only does each learning theory inform the next, but that they are all essential to the learning process.
What is technology?
On pondering 'what is technology' a common instinctual association is with the digital realm, even though technology spans the existence of humanity and digital technology is but a fragment of the human experience. Regardless of how we understand its' definition, our usage of and reliance on the tools designed to aid in our interactions with our worlds remains at the heart of our relationship with the world around us. In this sense, contemporary technology has not swayed much from it's origins, in that it continues to represent the tools designed and used by humanity to aid in day to day tasks. It just so happens that many of the tools designed and used over time are now accessible through a singular device: the smartphone.
I remember well the introduction of the World Wide Web during my grade 12 year. Honestly, the piercing sound of the dial-up connection as my family desk top computer gained access to this new phenomenon actually creeped me out at the time. I come from a generation of kids that played in the streets until dark, didn't where bike helmets, and used rotary land lines to call up friends, and so there is a large part of my value system which is still greatly influenced by the reality that shaped me. As a result, I believe that kids nowadays (including my own) spend far to much time on devices and that developing a healthy media balance is beyond their scope of understanding, partially because we as adults don't even have a handle on our own.
From an educational standpoint, I have witnessed the benefits of using digital technology in the classroom. I believe that using digital technology and teaching students about digital citizenship should be a priority in our schools simply because of it's inevitability in our lives. The social responsibility that we now have within the digital landscape is far reaching and requires new ways of responding to and interacting with the things around us because it is on record. Teaching students about their digital footprint and the ways that the decisions that they make online can have lasting effects on their identity is an overwhelming but necessary concept to explore.
Like any tool, digital technology should be taught and used to aid in or enhance our awareness and understanding and as it continues to grow and evolve, so will our relationship with it. It is important that our ability to problem solve and think creatively is not lost, and thinking critically about the wealth of information that we are faced with is more important now than ever before. Digital technology is here to stay and our responsibility as educators to help students navigate their responsibility and place within their changing world does not come with a 'one size fits all' criteria. Students must be taught to consider their relationship with digital technology and the impact that it has on their relationship with themselves and others in the material world.
