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Reflecting on #beyondlaptops
On April 19-20, 2012, I had the great opportunity to attend the Beyond Laptops conference at Yokohama International School in Yokohama, Japan. The conference was organized and facilitated by Kim Cofino and was attended by approximately 55 educators, administrators, tech directors/tech integrators, and curriculum coordinators from Asia. Great conversations occurred over the two days, and Kim did a fantastic job to facilitate the process so the diverse needs of the group could be best met. The most useful discussions for me where the ones where groups discussed and presented issues related to where they are at in the 1-1 technology implementation process (I’m currently at a school that’s been 1-1 for a while, but I’m going to a school that’s starting its 1-1 program in August); a Q & A panel with a group of YIS students, and a jig-sawed discussion about our expectations of each other (administrators, tech coaches/IT directors, curriculum coordinators, and teachers). From those discussions, here are my take-aways.
Image by Kim Cofino (Superkimbo) on Flickr
Balance between tech and non-tech
One of the students in the student panel Q & A stated that they still enjoy doing work that doesn’t involve technology and that we need to find a balance between tech and non-tech learning processes. In the same way that vinyl records still hold a much more warm and rich sound than their digital counterparts, we can’t ignore warm, effective learning processes that don’t necessarily need digital technology. Teachers that are resistant to technology for learning say that all essential learning processes can be done without technology. There is limited truth to that (they often don’t recognize how they world has changed and why we need to shift from the industrial model of education). So, we as future-oriented educators need to make informed choices as to what the best tool for the task is while keeping an eye on the future, developing skills with technology that will help build successful frames of mind and skills in students that will help them be successful in the technology-rich world in which we live.
Another student in the Q & A declared that she doesn’t want teachers to be replaced by technology since teachers bring the passion and that’s still important for learning. I think this was a very telling statement that regardless of what we can get technology to do, the face-to-face educator-learner relationship factor in learning will always be critical. Yes, our learning spaces can be transformed; our school day schedule can be transformed; we can better break down the walls of our classrooms and schools and interact more with other learners and experts globally; the amount of content and how we process and generate content in learning can be transformed, but the basic human interaction and connection that occurs between educator and learner can’t be outsourced to technology. Our human-ness begets this need.
Balance in Professional Development for teaching tech tools and developing transformed learning cultures
Image by ClayOgre via Open ClipArt Library
A substantial and important side discussion that occurred at the conference was about what should be emphasized at a PD conference like this. Most of us in the ed tech community frequently say these changes needed in education aren’t about the technology tools. They are about learning. But at ed tech conferences, tools are what seemed to be emphasized. More emphasis needs to be placed on developing the learning cultures that are essential to moving our educational systems forward and making them more relevant to today’s learners (Check out this passionate response by Jabiz Raisdana about this acculturation issue). I agree with this acculturation issue, but we can’t ignore discussions of what effective use of tools look like and even taking some time to share and up-skill people’s use of tools. I think the balance of these two elements is what needs to occur.
In rolling out or being in the early stages of a 1-1 technology program, the technology device(s) and apps tend to take front-and-center in PD and training. This is unavoidable since many teachers need the direct assistance in how to use technology tools effectively. At the same time, however, we need to be sure that PD in this context focuses on transforming the learning culture of the school. If schools don’t address this shift in learning cultures, real change won’t occur. Many teachers will just end up using the technology the same way they taught previously, doing things the old way through new technology (like distributing handouts electronically instead of on paper).
Image by Kim Cofino (Superkimbo) on Flickr
Student involvement
Kim had students from YIS involved in the discussions with the teachers on both days and had a special Q & A session with the students on the second day. I think it became very clear to all of us that having students directly involved in these discussions and decision-making processes about their education is absolutely essential. The students provided impressive and insightful comments and feedback in these discussions. In the Q & A, one of the students stated how their ideas and opinions should be just as important as administrators, teachers, parents, and board members. Kudos to the kids for advocating for themselves. They are right. And, I will work to ensure that students get more involved in these kinds of decision-making committees at schools in which I work.
Professional development
The changes and transformations that need to be made in education, including using technology tools effectively and transforming learning cultures, can’t occur without the majority of the members of an institution understanding the how and why. Getting people to this point requires professional development. Most international schools have technology integrators (or technology learning coaches, digital literacy specialists, or whatever you want to title the role). People in these roles, including myself, work tirelessly to assist colleagues and students in developing their effective use of technology for learning. However, this assistance can only go so far when it comes to subject or grade level specific aspects related to the curriculum. For example, my teaching background and experience is in the social sciences and humanities. So, when I work with colleagues in these departments, I do a much more thorough job in connecting the use of technology with learning objectives in the curriculum. When it comes to math, science, or even PE, that assistance weakens in making the connections with learning outcomes in the curriculum since I don’t have academic background or expertise in those areas.
The idea that came out of the conference is that of a Tech Pilot or Pioneer group. At least one person from every subject area/department and grade level would join this team. This team would then go on a retreat early in the school year with technology learning coaches/curriculum coordinators to develop their understanding of essential technology learning tools and new learning culture ideas. These people would then be the first level of support for their immediate subject area/department and grade level colleagues. Technology learning coaches/curriculum coordinators would continue in their roles and provide continued assistance throughout the year. The full Pilot/Pioneer team would surely meet throughout the year to debrief and continue learning together. This model is supported by recent data collected at my school where a substantial percentage of colleagues said they preferred to learn from a colleague who has used a tool before. This makes sense since there is a more intimate curriculum connection between these subject area/department and grade level colleagues. For this model to work, however, it needs to be clear to the community of who all is involved, and the goals and expectations of all members of the professional learning community need to be clearly delineated.
Social Media and Digital Citizenship
YIS was finishing its Digital Citizenship (DC) Week during the conference. The Beyond Laptops participants were invited to attend the end of week assembly where students summarized all of their learning about DC over the year. It was great to see the students talking soundly about these important issues that face us every day as we navigate through our digital worlds. The use of social media came up often during the conference, as well. During the Q & A with the students, quite a few comments were made about social media. One student said that blocking social media only causes anger and rebellion. Another student stated that social media makes it very easy to share resources with each other. Another student even stated that using Facebook and having an open network at school helped her to learn how to manage distractions that can come from such mediums. I think all of these comments show the importance and emotion that surrounds these great tools that help us to communicate and collaborate. Yes, they can be problematic for some students, but that’s where we as educators come through and develop Digital Citizenship awareness to help students understand how to navigate their digital landscapes effectively. Moreover, schools and educators need to harness the power of social media themselves as ways to reach out and connect with both their immediate local and extended global communities. Schools and teachers need to model this effective use, not block it and deny its existence.
Overall, it was great conference with great conversations. A lot of work still needs to be done so that technology is being used effectively for learning and so that more relevant learning cultures are developed and sustained in our schools. As Dana Watts stated in one of the break out meetings, everyone just needs to Suck It Up to ensure these things happen! The #beyondlaptops Twitter back-channel feed can be seen here.
Rigor Redefined in IB Psychology
IB Psychology is one of those courses that can be approached in a very traditional manner where the teacher is the sage-on-the-stage and the students are passive receivers of the teacher’s “fountain of knowledge.” To supplement this approach the teacher surely administers exams, assigns essays and research papers, probably does some demonstrations and activities, and facilitates some discussions. This approach has produced students that have a good base knowledge and have a proficient understanding of the subject area, which allows them to do well on the standardized, end-of-course exam. This approach doesn’t sit well enough with me, however. As I say in my educational philosophy, I just don’t endeavor to do things better, I endeavor to do better things. Thus, one of my goals as an IB Psychology teacher is to redefine the rigorous approach so that the students not only have a good base knowledge and have a proficient understanding of the subject’s content in order to do well on the end-of-course exam, but they also come away with the skills and frames of mind needed to be successful in today’s fast paced, constantly changing, and technology rich world.
I started rethinking my teaching approach years back when I started to study and voraciously read blogs, white papers, reports, and books, and have conversations with like-minded colleagues on 21st century learning skills, technology integration, and the transformations needed to make education more relevant. One of the reports I read called Rigor Redefined by Tony Wagner was a big influence to my current teaching approach. After delineating the seven essential skills that matter most for life and success in the 21st century, Wagner gives examples of Advanced Placement classes he visited where he experienced rote and unengaged learning that is mostly teaching to the test. He referred to experiencing classes that are not like this as “rare.”
I think students learn best by doing. This goes for a psychology class, as well. Rather than being passive absorbers and regurgitators of information, I want kids to be active creators of relevant content and research while simultaneously developing the essential skills delineated by Wagner and others. I facilitate this process in more of a guide-on-the-side manner as opposed to the sage-on-the-stage approach mentioned earlier. Cognitively, I base my approach on the revised version of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Instead of focusing lessons and assessment on only Remembering and Understanding, which is what you often see in the traditional psychology classroom, I shift these lower levels of the pyramid to formative assessment and personalized learning processes. Students can acquire this information mostly outside of class and I can check their understanding through conversations and other technology-based means. In class, I focus on the top parts of the pyramid (Creating, Evaluating, Analyzing, Applying) within the project-based learning activities and the summative, authentic assessments I facilitate. Fortunately, IB learning outcomes incorporate command terms that directly expect the students to think critically in-line with the top parts of the pyramid (these command terms are: Analyze, Examine Discuss, Evaluate, To What Extent), so with my coaching and guidance, students start practicing these thinking skills from the beginning of the course since they have to. Creating is the only one the IB leaves out, so I give students opportunities to create as often as I can. Lastly, communication, collaboration, global awareness, and digital citizenship are equally emphasized and assessed along with the content elements of the projects and assessments.
Since I’ve been working in a dual role the last four years as both an IB teacher and a technology learning coach, I’ve endeavored to use in my own classes and help other teachers understand how to use technology effectively to transform the learning process. As with any risk-taking situation, there have been both successful and unsuccessful moments. But, the key thing is to make thoughtful attempts and always reflect on the process. We need to model risk-taking so that students see that informed risk-taking is a good thing, and to make mistakes in the process is ok as long as we reflect and work to improve on it. I continue to emphasize this approach with technology in my teaching. One of my professional goals this year is: Continue to design and refine technology-based learning activities in IB Psychology that have students effectively communicating, collaborating, critically thinking, and creating with the required content. Thus, I will continue to work on using technology as a critical tool in redefining the rigorous process in my IB Psychology classes.
In my IB Psychology class, here are some examples of transformed approaches I have taken:
- Students develop primary psychological research skills beyond the Internal Assessment requirement. When studying qualitative research methodology, I have the Higher Level (HL) students carry out a qualitative research study that is relevant to the school community. Based on a topic I define, they create the research question and work collaboratively to gather the qualitative data (through interviews, observations, or case studies). In the process they are expected to apply the relevant concepts that the IB learning outcomes for this HL topic dictate. And, they actually do an Inductive Content Analysis of their data. This is better than just having the students read and regurgitate about qualitative methodology. The students declared that they understood the concepts better from doing the process. Further to this, when we study the sociocultural level of analysis in the first semester of the second year, I have the students create and design a cross-cultural research study in order to more deeply understand the additional issues cross-cultural researchers need to keep in mind when they design a cross-cultural research study. Again, this creation, application, and analysis process deepens their understanding and makes the learning process more rigorous and engaging in an authentic way.
- Students reflect upon all major assessments and projects. This meta-cognitive process is essential so they learn about their learning and recognize both their successes and failures and improve on both situations in the future.
- Through out the course of the two years, I build independent learning skills with the students. They learn what is expected for each of the command terms; they learn how to find reliable and relevant sources, and they learn how to effectively organize their written responses. In the second year, I have them independently research, read, and respond to certain learning outcomes, i.e. there is no direct instruction on those outcomes in class. The students post their responses on the class blog, and I give them feedback in that digital environment. This is especially important for the HL students since they need to cover about 66 learning outcomes over the two years, and there just isn’t enough time to cover all of those directly in class.
- I build projects that integrate technology in a meaningful way. I have students create videos, podcasts, and photostories. In some instances these are published to add to the knowledge base of the world. The students blog often and use online collaborative tools like Google Docs, Shambles Pad, and Wikispaces. I would have them use social media like Facebook and Twitter, as well, but those are blocked here in China, unfortunately. I also have them do presentations often where they are expected to think about the slide design and the means in which they engage the audience through an effective mix of facts and storytelling. In these types of projects, I expect students to practice ethical use of information and media (audio, images, video) by using Creative Commons licensed media or by creating all the media themselves. These elements are assessed along with the content expected by the learning outcome.
- Students often collaborate in many contexts to build their understanding of the learning outcomes. They do collaborative processes both in-person and with technology tools like wikis, Google Docs, chat platforms, the class blog, and others. How well they collaborate is usually assessed along with the content about which they are collaborating.
- Through their developing research and information literacy skills, I frequently have the students choose the content they want to use to respond to the learning outcomes. Many IB Psychology learning outcomes are open-ended, allowing for various concepts and research studies to be used. When they can choose what interests them in responding to some of the outcomes, they are more engaged and more apt to remember the needed content for those outcomes.
Of course, I do administer IB exam styles quizzes and tests under timed conditions two to three times a semester so students practice this skill so they can be as successful as they can be on the end-of-course exam. At the moment, the final scores they earn for IB are still important for their university admission process. But, I don’t approach the course as teaching to the exam. There are more important skills and learning processes the students need to develop for life in the 21st century than being good test takers. There will be more approaches and adaptations of these above processes as I continue my journey to redefine rigor in teaching IB courses. I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas, as well!
