elearning

The Difference Between Teachers and Technology Experts

 Although many teachers now have grown-up in the technology age, many traditional or “old-school” teachers are still not feeling equipped to teach in the classroom of the 21^st century. Teachers that earned their certificates in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and even the 90’s may or may not feel prepared to operate and utilize today’s education equipment in the classroom. From the replacement of chalkboards with smart boards to the use of iPads in the classroom with apps for learning in English, Math, Science, and many other areas, the advances in technology are taking hold in today’s classrooms. The question remains how do we educate our teachers on how to use the technology?

What Needs to Change

Despite the fast-paced advances in the development of technology, technology can be used well if the teachers are first educated on how to take advantage of the resources that they have available to them. Teachers do not only need fancy apps and computer programs, but they also need proper training, as well as simple devices with easy to use features, affordable gadgets and programs, and ongoing support.

1. Include Teachers on the Decisions! – Teachers are not often included in the decision about what materials to purchase for their school and or how those materials will be utilized, but are expected to use them regardless. One of the biggest most common mistakes that increase the gap of comprehension between teachers and how to use their resources is that often teachers are simply handed a new program, device, gadget, or system, and are told to use it. Principals, executives, and other administrators make decisions about purchases but very rarely is teacher input included in the discussion. Open a dialogue about the needs of the educators before sliding the school board’s credit card across the machine.

2. Provide Proper Training – Instructions needs to be provided to groups and or individual instructors as needed through multiple sessions of training before each product or program is introduced to the student body. How can we expect teachers that were not trained in the 21^st century to understand how to implement programs and devices of the 21^st century, without proper training? Training requires patience, professional trainers, and can even require one on one attention. If we expect our teachers to implement unknown technologies we have to offer adequate time, training, and attention to each teacher who may have questions about the functions of a new program.

3. Purchase Simple Devices – Start from the understanding that not all teachers are automatically technology gurus. If a school, a university, or a community center is employing new technology in their programs and classrooms, they should not only talk to their educators and teachers before putting out the money for a complicated device, but also start with purchasing some basic programs, games, and apps that are easy to use. If a teacher is familiar and more comfortable with using a certain device, he or she will be more apt to use it, rather than leaving it on the shelf and collecting dust in the closet.

4. Use Affordable Programs and Devices – Although it is true that many new technologies and devices are outrageously expensive, some start-ups are offering free apps and other programs to gain publicity and market their company. Make use of free and or low-costs devices and apps to reduce the schools’ costs and minimize teacher out-of-pocket expense. After all, not all school districts will have access to equal funds for implementing technology of the 21^st century in the classroom.

5. Offer Ongoing Support – Lastly, after a new program or device is introduced to the classroom, and all the teachers have received training, don’t assume that the teachers understand 100% how to use the technology. Provide ongoing support, training, and continuing education regarding the new products. The process of learning must start with the teachers, in order for the students to also effectively learn! As teachers always provide ongoing feedback, exams, and reviews for students, even technology experts, administrators, and trainees need to remain available to teachers to listen to feedback and provide additional instruction after the initial use of a product.

With the advancing technology age, efforts need to be made by both teacher and technology experts to meet in the middle. Just like we cannot expect technology experts to automatically become amazing teachers, we cannot expect our teachers to be immediately knowledgeable about how to operate a Smart Board or how to manage a class of students with iPads. By including teachers in the discussion about materials they need for the classroom, offering training and ongoing support, and using both simple and affordable gadgets and programs, teachers and educators will feel that their voice is being heard, and will be more motivated to learn how to use the technology in the classroom to the benefit of their students.

The ultimate goal of any good teacher is not just to teach his or her content, but to mold young men and women who will be productive, contributing members of society who can solve problems and, hopefully, make the world a better place. It’s not always important that a student can, in isolation, recite the Pythagorean Theorem or a list of prepositions.  Instead, it’s important to use the tools and the knowledge learned in the classroom to positively impact the world around us.

And that’s where Makerspaces come in! A Makerspace is a way to bring rote learning to life, to teach students to become lifelong learners, and to encourage problem-solving skills.

What is a Makerspace?

Makerspaces are “community centers with tools.” It is a physical location – in a school or, in a broader sense, in a community – where people gather to brainstorm, solve problems, and create art and technology. A good makerspace will have an expert (or teacher) available as a guide, monitor, and coach, but most of the time users (students) will get guidance, inspiration, and advice from their co-users.

Makerspaces are special because they are designed to promote self-directed learning and independence. In the classroom, makerspaces are used when a teacher presents a problem, challenge, or question, and the students hypothesize, experiment, create, and design to solve said problem. Students learn by creating, doing, and teaching along side their classmates.

These special areas, in an educational setting, are often equipped with computers and tablets, 3D and traditional printers, software, electronics, craft and hardware supplies, and tools. These are all useful and sometimes essential tools to teach students how to problem-solve in simulated real-world scenarios. However, these items are also extremely expensive, especially for a school that is trying to start their makerspace.

So how can schools create makerspaces without breaking the budget?

Makerspaces on a Tight Budget

Even though it’s nice to dream of a makerspace with fancy gadgets and expensive technology, the truth is that you truly can start a makerspace, even with a small or nonexistent budget. By following these five tips, you can start a Makerspace on literally any budget!

1. Spread the word

Tap into the community. Chances are, parents will be excited about innovation and hands-on experiences for their children, and they may have untapped resources they’d be willing to share with you. Maybe they’ll buy some of the things you want, or maybe they’ll suggest an alternative item that they would be willing to donate to your Makerspace. Or maybe they already have a lot of what you need and would be willing to loan or give it to your school or organization. Whatever the case, community support will go a long way in helping you procure the materials you need.

2. Look for – and ask for – donations

Legos, craft supplies, leftover construction materials, old and refurbished technology – there is so much out there that might be yours if you just ask the right people or advertise in the right spots. Keep your mind open to items you hadn’t considered. While you might not necessarily get a class set of iPads or tablets, you might find that someone has something else that could be just as beneficial to your students’ developing imaginations and your burgeoning Makerspace.

3. Utilize existing supplies and materials

Scavenge your school and the classrooms of your fellow teachers. Maybe the physics teachers have unused building sets, maybe the art teacher has supplies that they are willing to part with. Start small and gradually build up your reserves.

4. Take advantage of crowdfunding or teacher support sites

GoFundMe and Kickstarter are two popular crowdfunding sites, but for teachers there is truly no greater financial resource then DonorsChoose.org. At Donors Choose, teachers put up proposals and ideas for classroom supplies and activities, and benefactors choose the projects they wish to find, in part or in full. If you’re hoping to start a Makerspace, create a DonorsChoose project, and you may be pleasantly surprised by the funds you receive!

5. Recycle

Scavenge the items in your school that are going to be thrown away! Cardboard boxes are treasures for a Makerspace, and other items that may be perceived as garbage can be disassembled or repurposed by creative young imaginations.

Makerspaces are all about student exploration and creativity. And while it might be nice to have fancy technology and expensive accessories, what it comes down to is nurturing student independence and fostering problem-solving skills. Don’t let a lack of funds prevent you or your school from investing in strategies that will benefit your students. It might be tough to find a way to achieve your goals of creating a Makerspace in your school or district, but it will be worth it in the end.

For you visual learners, here is an great video that discusses how to develop a thriving makerspace.

Many new teachers fresh out of college and other pathways to teaching possess new ideas, but they have to prepare for any challenge in the classroom, especially regarding using technology. Edtech has greatly expanded what a classroom can accomplish, so new teachers have to acclimate to these technologies as quickly as possible. Here are some basic edtech options that teachers need to know when they first step into their own classrooms.

Locating New Ideas for the Classroom

One of the best resources of where to find ideas to integrate into any classroom would be TeachersPayTeachers. Many teachers use this site to share their ideas with other teachers for the sake of building a stable support system across the internet. It opens gateways to new ideas for teachers of all experience levels. Shared ideas include décor for the classroom, organizational tools, and standards-aligned activities that can be located with a simple search.

Managing Tasks

To-do lists do not quite cut it when it comes to managing all of the tasks that need to be completed when preparing and managing a classroom. For iOS users, 30/30 is a great app to help with managing those many tasks. It can mix personal and work items in a color-coded mode to differentiate types of tasks. For Android users, Tassky functions in much the same way.

 Dealing with Interactive Whiteboards

Many classrooms come equipped with hardware technology, too, like interactive whiteboards and learning how to use one can be rather difficult without some training. There are several tools available to become familiar with this type of technology and fast. Two examples are Flockdraw and Cosketch. Both of these tools allow for interaction using whiteboard software on any computer. It promotes collaboration, which is another skill that new teachers need to perfect as soon as possible.

Maintaining E-portfolios

A new type of tech that has become rather popular in the last few years is e-portfolios. Students learn through to and how to maintain these portfolios with tools related to Google Sites, Wikispaces, and WordPress classroom edition. They learn how to work on smaller assignments that build to a culminating project alongside learning how to collaborate with other students instead of just submitting assignments to teachers for approval or feedback. A new teacher should familiarize him or herself with these options as soon as possible to begin planning their classrooms around an e-portfolio early on. E-portfolios take a lot of planning and effort on the teacher’s part, so the sooner this process begins, the sooner it can be perfected and improved upon before it is rolled out to students.

New teachers can also take advantage of e-portfolios in another way. An e-portfolio provides a great solution to making lesson plans and units, too. Everything can be organized in a neat and efficient manner, too. The main benefit to using e-portfolios for lesson plans and units is how accessible they can be elsewhere. The days of backing everything up onto a USB thumb drive can end by using e-portfolios in this way. The essential key to not using USB thumb drives is they can be lost or broken much easier than a cloud storage option.

Conclusion

So many tools and apps exist in edtech nowadays that it can be difficult to figure out where to start learning what to use. Exploring these tools can be intimidating, too. Starting off by using these tools as early on in a career as possible will lead to learning how to incorporate other technology over the years, too. Therefore, new teachers need to work on preparing themselves for the evasion technology has made into education quickly to be ahead of the game.

Not all educators are won over by the bells and whistles that come with edtech.  Many teachers feel threatened by technologies that aim to “replace them,” and cannot keep up with the training and the push that comes from within the schooling system. According to eSparks Learning, teachers regardless of age or experience level harbor doubts about their ability to successfully use classroom technology.  So, if teacher’s skills and technology are to exist in harmony, there needs to be a balance. We need teachers’ talents and at the same time encourage them to start looking to the future.

The majority of today’s student population have never known the world without high-speed internet. It acts as a source of information, a place to socialize and now, a place for them to gain a formal education. Teachers need to see technology as another way to engage with their students and not as a replacement for their talents and their jobs. So, in hopes of finding a balance between technology and teaching, here are some ways to make sure there is a balance between teaching and technology.

Give Teachers Control

One way that this balance can be achieved is by teachers being in control of the technology that makes its way into the classroom. This ensures that technology compliments current teaching methodologies and does scare teachers into thinking that their talents are no longer valid. Schools and classrooms will not spiral out of control when we allow teachers the flexibility to take calculated risks.  Not every edtech product will work, and with so many dynamic variables in every classroom, teachers need to be in making the decisions when it comes to the technology that will best suit the needs of their teaching and their students’ needs.

Technology Is Not Always the Answer

Another way that the tech and teaching balance can be met is by not believing that technology is the solution to every problem. With thousands of edtech products on the market, teachers are being told that a computer can “do it better.” While technology can help bridge gaps in content, it cannot solve problems more personal teaching problems around behavioral issues, student engagement and psychological problems that come into play. Teaching is more than just relaying content, and teachers’ talents and intuition are sometimes the best answers.

Catering to Learning Styles

Educators have always found it difficult to cater to all learning styles. As one person, it is hard to teach content at different levels in one lesson. Technology is allowing non-English speaking students and those with physical/learning disabilities to achieve comparable results to their peers.  Teachers need let their egos take a back seat and the benefits of personalized learning slide in. By balancing natural ability with the malleability of technology and you get a balance that works in everyone’s interest.

New vs. Old

Novelty is always scary and with every innovation comes training and manuals.  Information Today Inc recently put out a great article on the problems that new technology brings and why teachers are so untrusting and unhappy to learn. This is again, due to an imbalance in the technology vs. teaching problem. Educators should not be introduced to every new shiny gizmo but be given a chance to grow into the innovation. Teachers need to be allowed to find a balance between doing what they have done and incorporating the new with the old.

Overall, the most important aspect that feeds into all the above points is the control that is afforded to teachers. Every classroom is different, and teachers need to be in the driving seat when it comes to making a choice, implementation and ultimate success of the technology. Teachers should not fear that technology will take their place but that they can use it to supplement their weaknesses and elevate their talents.

Personalized learning is becoming a big part of the 21^st century classroom. It’s a new approach to teaching and learning that involves less teacher talking and more input from students, and it’s changing the way students are learning around the world.

The idea behind personalized learning is simple. Students guide their own learning, going at their own pace and, in some cases, making their own decisions about what to learn. Ideally, in a classroom using personalized learning, students choose what they’re interested in and teachers fit the curriculum and standards to the students’ interests.

This type of learning completely reverses the traditional structure of the classroom. Instead of the teacher being the center of attention and leader of the classroom, the students are in the spotlight. Personalized learning gives students a voice and allows them to take ownership of their education.

For teachers who want to bring more personalized learning into their own classrooms, it can seem intimidating. Giving up control of the classroom can be scary. Teachers might wonder, will the students really get engaged? Will they learn everything they need to know for the tests at the end of the year? Will I completely lose control over my classroom?

Personalized learning doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. Teachers can start by talking a little less and letting students have more of a voice. Allowing students to make some choices in the classroom can have a powerful effect.

Teachers can give students different options for presenting evidence of what they’ve learned. One way to go about this is to directly give students the standards they need to know and ask them to present proof that they’ve mastered the standard. Another option is to give students choices, such as writing an essay versus creating a visual representation of their learning.

Teachers can take another route and give students different options for how they learn material. This requires a little more preparation, but teachers can allow students to choose between reading and watching a video, for example. Again, this allows students to have more choices and feel that they have a voice in the classroom.

Simple changes like these are easy for teachers to make, and they empower students. When students have just a little bit of choice in the classroom, they begin to get invested in their learning.

Personalized learning also improves student and teacher relationships. In the traditional classroom, teachers are often fighting for power. In traditional classrooms, teachers have to demand that students sit down, stop talking, and look at the teacher. This automatically creates a kind of power dynamic that can cause problems. Teachers are essentially telling students, “I am more important than you.”

When teachers give students a voice, they’re telling students, “You are important.” They are giving students control over what and how they learn. Students often respond positively to this change in the power dynamic. Students who are given choices feel valued and respected. As a result, they are actually less likely to cause problems for teachers. When teachers stop demanding that students sit down, be quiet, and respect them, students are more likely to do all three of those things.

For teachers who are looking for a way to get students engaged and excited about what they’re learning, personalized learning is the way to go. Teachers who talk less and give students a voice in the classroom are empowering students and allowing them to take ownership of, and truly enjoy, their education.

Have you seen teachers talking less in the classroom? How can teachers use the power of personalized learning to give students a voice? Tell us what you think.