Technology in the Classroom, How Far We Have Come!

Technology in the classroom is so much more that computers and SMARTboards. Technology has changed the landscape of the 21^st century classroom.

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When I went to school back in the mid seventies to late eighties, teachers used overhead projectors and a television with VCR. There were some computers (with cassettes and floppy discs) but very few of my teachers even knew how to turn them on. How the world has changed.

Now three decades later technology is everywhere you turn around and has made a significant change on the teacher’s landscape and tools of the trade. In my current placement I am in a third grade class. Our classroom has a computer, SMART board and a document station.Our students also have access to iPads and iPods. All of this technology has changed what and how students learn in school, but how does it engage, enhance and extend learning?

According to the article we read to kick off this blog: Engage Enhance, and Extend Learning! (by Liz Keren- Kolb) to engage a student means to allow them to focus on the assignment with less distraction; motivate them to start the learning process; cause a shift in the students behavior from passive to active learning.  Technology has done this for EC students. The use of technology such as Apple iPads and apps for autistic students helps them communicate like never before. They get the students that have historically been unresponsive or combative be intrigued and engaged.

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In the article “Using tablets to reach kids with autism”, from CNN, (April 10, 2104) the author, Heather Kelly, discusses how getting an iPad could help a child on the Autism Spectrum communicate with Tap to Talk. They will play games they never had patience/focus/attention for before like match games and puzzles. Without this technology, these students would not be engaged in the classroom.

Next is enhance. According to the article, Engage Enhance, and Extend Learning! (by Liz Keren- Kolb)  to enhance using technology is to let students develop a more sophisticated understanding of the content; creates a way to make it easier to understand the concepts or ideas; allows students to demonstrate their understanding in a way that they could not with traditional tools.

Today’s technology provides advances that used to be thought as science fiction and only in the movies. For example using Skype in the classroom , you can join these lessons in real-time and introduce your students to classrooms, experts and artists in other countries – without worrying about geographical, time or cost barriers.

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You can virtually travel anywhere in the world while remaining in the classroom. Skype is just one tool that allows teachers to enhance the learning experience for students. According to “8 Ways Technology Is Improving Education” by Sarah Kessler (November 22, 2010) there are several ways technology is improving education. One of her illustrations is being able to provide students better visitations and models.  Instead of just text and pictures or drawings, students can see real-time or create simulation. There are also better scientific tools to be used in the classroom to get more precise such as probes. All of these options provide students a variety of hands on experience.

Finally the last component is extending. The definition in the Keren-Kolb article is to allow students to learn outside their typical day and bridge their learning with everyday life experiences. I think this works very closely with enhance and I think in a nutshell this is why technology is so important in the classroom. Students in the 21st century classroom been raised on technology. Look in any mall or restaurant with small children and you will see at least one playing with a technology gadget (cell phone, iPod, tablet, or handheld gaming system). Students have been raised with technology and to not include it in their education would be a mistake.  By providing technology education in the classroom, the students are able to take that knowledge home and continue using it in their home life. For example introducing a student to writing a blog for class assignment can potentially lead the student either write a blog on another topic or read other peoples blogs.  

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References:

Kelly, H. (2014, April 14). Using tablets to reach kids with autism. Retrieved September 14, 2014. 

Kessler, S. (2010, November 22). 8 Ways Technology Is Improving Education. Retrieved September 14, 2014. 

Picture References:

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Reflection on the movie Finding Forrester

I had seen the movie Finding Forrester before, but it was definitely good to watch it again with a teaching perspective. I think one of the lines in the movie, unfortunately sums up many perspectives of inner city males, “Basketball scores are more respected than test scores”.

When Jamal was given an opportunity to attend a prestigious private school (Mailor) the school said it would not hurt if he joined the basketball team. On his way to the private school on the subway the scene was very awkward; Jamal was the only African American male on the train among a sea of white middle aged professionals. There were many racial aspects to the movie.

I thought the movie did a good job with having Jamal connect with the girl at school. Her background story was that her father had gotten elected to the board and changed the rules at Mailor that initially was an all-male school, so his daughter could attend. She and Jamal could connect and relate on being outsiders in the private “2-comma” boys club.

I liked the comment that Jamal made to William about how Mailor did not want him there because he was not a 2-comma kid. Jamal meant he did not come from a family worth over a million (or 2-commas in the number). That was another very authentic topic that is related to providing gifted programs. Gifted students are assumed to be from white affluent families. In one of the lines in the movie Professor Crawford stated that Jamal could not possibly have written his submission for the writing competition. Professor Crawford said that a basketball player from the Bronx could not be that good of a writer.

The movie’s climax was when Jamal’s future at Mailor was left up to his ability to will the basketball championship for the school and then the board could forgive his lying and allow him to continue attending on scholarship. They (the board and Professor Crawford)just want the best for the school. The game comes down to a final set of foul shots that Jamal needs to make to win the game, he looks at his girlfriend and then at Professor Crawford and misses the shot. I interpreted this as Jamal’s statement that he will not be their pawn, he did nothing wrong and did not want to give the school the easy way out to “forgive” him for indiscretions that he did not do.

This is the perfect time of year to discuss this topic also being the ending of March Madness. As a country we do not offer many gifted services to the urban inner city schools, we spend a lot of time and resources on sports and many young African American men think that it their only way out of the inner city and many times poverty If they are intellectual many do not see that as being an asset and try to hide their intellect like Jamal did in the movie.  With the current scandal at UNC with their student athletes either not being able to read or reading at a 4^th grade level. There are no colleges that would admit a student into their program that read at a 4^th grade level or less. We, as a country, need to work on the role models for our young. We need to make intelligence look glamorous and cool and just because a kid is a basketball protégé, give him a college scholarship. There are many intelligent basketball players that balance intelligence and athleticism.  We could then possibly see a shift in younger inner city kids to try to make the grade and the hoops instead of sacrificing the grades for the hoops. This then could begin to break the stereotypical image of an inner city African American athlete.

This movie also is a great starting point to talk about how to get academically gifted programs in to the city schools. Most people assume that inner city kids are average to low on the intelligence and testing scale. This image is reinforced by peers at the school, media, and celebrities in the movies. You very rarely hear about inner city schools achieving high scores on standardized tests or producing academically gifted students. If you hear positive stories coming from the inner city schools it is probably related to sports or art (music, acting). Finding Forrester breaks that stereotype and gets its audience to realize that intelligence is colorblind and does not care how much money you have. You may be extremely rich, but not have the intelligence or extremely poor and very intelligent. Unfortunately wealth and race will be the deciding factor on if your intelligence will be nurtured. We need to change that. Everyone that has the ability should have the opportunity. 

Picture References:
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http://pixabay.com/en/basketball-sports-teams-players-95607/

Reflection on the movie Girl Rising

The movie Girl Rising was very moving.  I knew that girls in developing countries did not always have opportunity for education, but I did not realize all of the hardships they endured to try to obtain this education. Being a mother this movie really touched me. My child is a daughter too, and while she was growing up I used to work two jobs to be sure she had all of the opportunities she could and be sure she got a college education.  So listening to Suma and Amina broke my heart. To hear the girls talk about the cruelty and abandonment they had to endure so young.

As far as seeing and connections between the girls in the movie and my class,  I guess I can see some like Wadley, determined to learn and Rusana, the artistic learner. I think I can see them in my students because the stories had happy endings and the girls were young, like my kindergarteners. I think it is hard to see young children in those dangerous and terrible conditions and then to imagine your students in those situations here in the United States is even more unthinkable.  Although I do believe that unfortunately I do not think American girls are immune to the tragedies of the young girls in the movie.

I think the movie is a must see for anyone working with girls. I think the stories will open issues that are unthinkable in our safe middle/ upper class neighborhoods. Similar to other topics we have studied this semester, knowledge and awareness of these hardships to be on the lookout for signs of human trafficking of young girls and mistreatment of girls.

The other topic the movie shed light on was sex trafficking and sexual abuse of girls under 15. There has been a lot of local media lately about sex trafficking. The movie shed light on some stats on sexual assault and sex trafficking of young girls. This epidemic is not limited to developing countries. Teachers and other adults that work with girls also need to be on the lookout for signs of these abuses.


 And to end on a positive note, the movie did have very inspirational stories, although some did not have the fairy tale good endings, the girls were still strong to share their stories. The determination of Wadley to attend the new school after the earthquake destroyed her brick and mortar school. Suma’s escape from a life destined to be a “salve girl” and then to use her new found freedom to help other girls escape their life of servitude. Ysmin’s story of her awful experience of being raped, told as s super hero story with her overcoming in the end, even though reality was not as happy. Azmara’s story of her brother defending her right to attend school and to not leave to become someone’s bride. Rusana’s very inspiration aspiring young artist story and her parents determination to ensure she and her sisters can continue to get an education. Senna , the young poet from Peru. Her story was heartbreaking also seeing how her family suffered and she used that suffering to fuel her ambition to succeed. Mariama was another very motivating young woman who is already realizing some of her dreams by being on the radio. Although she has suffered tragedy in her young life, she uses that pain to drive her to help other young girls. Finally Amina’s tragic story about being a girl born in Afghanistan was very encouraging. As she put it girls are not worthy their birthdates are not even recorded. Girls are destined to a lifetime of servitude. Amina however is going to night school, regardless of the risks, her goal is to become an educated woman and change things in her country so women are people and not just resources.


 Picture References:
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A Couple of Engagement Factors That May Cause Distraction from Learning

There are seven factors that can potentially cause distraction from learning for children from poor families. I have seen the first two in my classroom experiences. The first is regarding health and nutrition. The illustration from class was that low birth weight could lead to the lack of brain development. Low birth weight is generally due to poor nutrition or pre-natal care of the mother.  Poor families are less likely to exercise, have access to regular healthcare, or be able to afford recommended prescriptions or other interventions. According to a study of two neuroscientists, intelligence is linked to health (Gray & Thompson, 2004). Health- related factors can affect attention, reasoning, learning, and memory.

Good nutrition is essential for children to develop both physically and mentally. Children who grow up in poor families are exposed to food with lower nutritional value. This can adversely affect them even in the womb (Antonow – Schlorke et al., 2011). Also, poor nutrition at breakfast can affect children’s brain development (Taki et al., 2010). Missing breakfast is widespread among intercity youth, and it negatively affects students’ academic progress by negatively affecting perception and increasing absenteeism (Basch, 2011).

When students have poor nutrition and limited or non-existent healthcare, its harder for them to listen, concentrate, and learn. Children are prone to ear infections.  If the children suffering form ear infections have limited access to healthcare, they will be more likely to suffer from complications from them, resulting with hearing difficulty, making it difficult to follow directions and understanding the teacher. This can lead to trouble learning to read and other basic learning foundation skills. Students lacking proper nutrition may also appear lethargic or restless.

In the class I am currently in there are signs of poor nutrition. Many of the students receive free or reduced breakfast and lunch. I personally have not witnessed the complications of hearing loss, but understand the importance of hearing screenings. If a poor student suffers from hearing (or vision ) loss in kindergarten they probably do not realize it, because that is how it has always been. In my class I will be sure to have all students screened for hearing (and vision) if they are struggling. I have seen many examples of the lethargic or restless students. In my classroom, I will get the students moving doing slow stretching while taking deep breaths (similar to yoga) to get their metabolism a kick start and hopefully level them out by increasing their oxygenation.  As far as access to healthcare, hopefully the country is moving in the right direction now and we will see a change in our schools.

The other factor I see a lot in the class I am working with is the lack of vocabulary.  The more words a person knows the more likely they will be successful. Children raised in low- income homes usually have a smaller vocabulary than middle-class children do, which increases the risk for poor academic performance. Children from low-income families hear, on average, 13 million words by age 4. In middle-class families, children hear about 26 million words during that same time period. In upper-income families, they hear a staggering  46 million words by age 4, three times as many as their lower income counterparts (Hart & Risley, 1995). A child’s vocabulary is their key to the world around them.

Children need words to express their needs and ask questions to learn more. Students form low–income families are less likely to know the words a teacher uses in class or the words that appear in reading material. When students don’t understand the vocabulary in class, they don’t want to read. Also as a result of the frustration of not understanding the class materials, students don’t want to look stupid in front of their peers and won’t participate in class. This may ultimately lead to the students dropping out of school.

In the class I work with, I see this often. I’m in a kindergarten class, so I see the frustration starting. I also see the great divide through out the school year of the students that are grasping the concepts of the alphabet, letter sounds and sight words, and the students that a struggling and can’t quite put it all together.  If students do not have the foundations of the alphabet and the ability to read sight words and basic reading strategies by the end of the school year, they will be more likely to continue to fall behind in the higher grades.  One positive observation is that in kindergarten they are not yet concerned with peer pressure or getting embarrassed by asking a “stupid” question, they ask all kinds of questions and try to answer questions, even if they have no idea what the answer is. They are not yet afraid to be wrong, if only we could keep that innocence a little longer so they would continue to try. They do get frustrated and give up sometimes.  I think encouraging struggling students is probably one of the most difficult parts of being a teacher, because you may be the only one encouraging, with no support form peers or home.  When I get my classroom my goal will be to promote vocabulary every chance I can. I will tag everything (that doesn’t move) in the classroom as we learn the words so students can begin to decipher the letters and make meaning of the combinations.  The only way to combat lack of vocabulary is with MORE vocabulary.

References:

Antonow-Schlorke, I., Schwab, M., Cox, L.A>, Lic, C., Stuchlika, K., Wittea, O.w., et al. (2011). Vulnerability of the fetal primate brain to moderate reduction in maternal global nutrient availability. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United states of America, 108(7), 3011 – 3016.

Basch, C.E.(2011). Breakfast and the achievement gap among urban minority youth. Journal of School Health, 81(10), 635-640.

Gray, J.R.< & Thompson, P.M.(2004). Neurobiology of intelligence. Discovery Medicine, 4(22), 157 – 162.

Hart, B., &Risley, T.R.(1995). Meaningful difference in the everyday experience of young American children. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

Taki, Y., Hashizume, H., Sassa, Y., Takeuchi, H., Asano, M., Asano, K., et al.(2010). Breakfast staple types affect brain grey matter volume and cognitive function in healthy children. PLoS One, 5(12), e15213.