When I began teaching, I was the center of attention! The students would listen as I spoke, follow along as I modeled problems and rarely question the information that I present to them. With a incredible increase in the availability of devises and the increase in accessibility to online resources, there is a need to shift the focal point from the teacher in a central role, to the teacher as a facilitator.
I believe that creating a network where the students are able to communicate with professionals and other students from all over the globe is a wonderful resource! Students can connect with doctors and lawyer and even celebrities in some cases to learn more about their lives and educational backgrounds. This type of connection is an amazing way for students to individualize their education and get engaged in their learning. Having a networked classroom could be a great way to get resources, but I still feel that their is a need for some direct instruction in the science classroom, especially when it comes to laboratory activities. I would love for students to reach out to their peers and professionals to get ideas for laboratory activities that we could perform in the classroom.
Being new to the idea of a networked classroom, I do have some concerns. If students are allowed to create their own networks, how can we ensure that their information is correct and that their contacts are in fact who they claim to be? As a high school teacher, I will see 150+ students a day! I struggle with wanting to let go and allow them to take control, while keeping them on task and safe from cyber attacks. It can also be a challenge to determine which of the students are actually contributing to the learning networks and which ones are acting as bystanders. It would be tough in the beginning especially with the amount of students that I see in a day.
The strategy that I would take to begin to turn my classroom into a networked classroom, would be to start with a list of approved connections to set down a baseline to model the type of connections that I would expect them to make. I also would start doing this process with only one of my classes until I can get a firm grasp on how to help the students as they progress. I likely would set a somewhat flexible limit to the amount of connections that they make in a given amount of time in the beginning to allow me to keep a better watch over the connections that they are making to ensure their safety. One article that I came across while trying to determine ways to create a networked classroom is from Educators Technology. This provided me with a list of apps and Web 2.0 tools that the students and I can use to make videos, share images or even send messages. I found this very helpful as I try to envision what a network classroom may look like. I also enjoyed reading this article that conveniently has already had the main points highlighted to help me better understand what a networked classroom is.
References:
Richardson, W., & Mancabelli, R. (2011). Personal learning networks: Using the power of connections to transform education. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Penuel, W., Roschelle, J., & Abrahamson, L. (04, February). Research on Classroom Networks for Whole-Class Activities. IEEE International Workshop on Wireless and Mobile Technologies in Education (WMTE'05), 50-56. doi:10.1109/wmte.2005.56
Re: “As a high school teacher, I will see 150+ students a day! I struggle with wanting to let go and allow them to take control, while keeping them on task and safe from cyber attacks. It can also be a challenge to determine which of the students are actually contributing to the learning networks and which ones are acting as bystanders. It would be tough in the beginning especially with the amount of students that I see in a day.”
ReplyDeleteAlicia,
I have a similar fear. While I do not see 150+ students a day, I do see 75+. Through investigating and exploring networked classrooms and honestly incorporating technology as a whole, this has been a real concern of mine. I am very excited about all the possibilities and outcomes this new direction in education is going, but I find it a struggle to grasp how to effectively and responsibly do it with so many students. The activities and resources I find seem to be well suited for a classroom that is self-contained. I realize this is probably not true, that there are many classroom teachers out there who make a networked classroom work that are in a similar situation as you and I. I plan to use my newly established PLN, specifically Twitter chat, to reach out to fellow educators and pick their brains about how they incorporate it successfully. I have truly been inspired and impressed by what I have already gained from participating in these chats.
Another concern I have is the age of my students. It seems as if all the Web 2.0 tools I get excited about, I can’t use because of the age of my students. I have asked our district to compile a list of approved tools elementary students are able to use. Until then, I find it a bit stressful and overwhelming trying to decide which tool to use. It’s hard to justify spending so much time learning a tool just to find out I can’t use it!
I also agree with you about starting with one class. I believe this transformation in our classrooms needs to be gradual. More for our sake than our students. We have read that in order for a networked classroom to be successful, we as teachers need to be comfortable with our own connections and abilities. I think this would be a great way to ensure this happens. Not to mention, I think it would make implementing something much more manageable and therefore create a more positive outcome. Once we experience success and have it under control, it will be much easier to do it with the rest of our classes. That will be my goal this year; I will start with my homeroom class and go from there. I keep having to remind myself to take baby steps, otherwise I get easily overwhelmed. I’m very interested and excited about this change in education, but I need to remember to keep a good balance and keep it slow. I'm glad we have the support of each other as we go through this shift in education.
Alicia,
ReplyDelete"The strategy that I would take to begin to turn my classroom into a networked classroom, would be to start with a list of approved connections to set down a baseline to model the type of connections that I would expect them to make."
I could not agree with your feelings outlined above. It scares me to be asked to trust that all of my students would be an effective, safe personal learning network. I think your approach would be something similar to what I imagine. Baby steps! Just as a networked classroom is new to us, it is new to our students, as well. We will need to limit how much we implement in the beginning to ensure that our plans are successful and manageable. As a teacher, I feel like I need to have some sort of assessment piece that shows my students are grasping the information they need to be successful on state mandated tests.
Some of my concerns with spending too much time dabbling with a networked classrooms, is meeting the curriculum that district requires. Would it be fabulous if teaching wasn't all about testing? A networked classroom sounds lovely, but meeting the requirements of our pacing guide is always weighing on the back of my mind. Great blog!
Alicia,
ReplyDeleteYou brought up some concerns I hadn't fully considered. It will be very hard to make sure that the sources that our students are getting their information from are accurate. I really liked your idea of just giving them a few pre-approved connections to start with.
I also really liked the idea of starting with just one class.The grading process could be very overwhelming if you were to try this with all of your classes. I think one of the frustrating things about technology is that we have to start by assuming that our students don't know how to use the tool in question, so then we have to start with just teaching appropriate and effective use. It would be cool if there were an intro. to technology course that all the students had to take so that they would be ready to use technology in specific subjects.
I liked that you would use the personal learning networks to get lab ideas. Good solid lab activities can be really tricky to find, but if you have 30 people working on it, it would be much faster and you would probably get better results.
Alicia,
ReplyDeleteI agree that I am struggling to let go of total control of my classroom. I was very comfortable with the idea that I have been the source of information for my students and now I am encouraging them to go elsewhere for information. I like your idea of starting slowly with only one class at first and giving them a list of approved sources. I think that is an excellent way to start to explore using PLNs with our classes and it will limit problems if it is in only one class. I think a great way for me to start would be with my AP class. I only have one section and its a smaller class. These students are very motivated so I could get my feet wet with an eager class and work of the issues as I expand PLNs to my other classes.
RE: “there is a need to shift the focal point from the teacher in a central role, to the teacher as a facilitator.”
ReplyDeleteAlicia,
Yes! In the Digital Age, teachers are expected to assume the role of co-learner and utilize a "meddler in the middle" approach. The sage on the stage model is rapidly disappearing. Conveying content used to focus of education. Content knowledge is now available with a simple Google search. Expect to see less emphasis on content and more emphasis on learning how to learn and creating life-long learners in future classrooms.
You raise some valid questions that educators are still trying to answer. The questions keep changing as the web continues to change. Education is still very focused on answering questions about how to get the most out of Web 2.0 and many educators don’t realize that the Web has progressed to Web 3.0 and Web 4.0 and is swiftly moving to Web 5.0. Read this article for a glimpse at changes to the Web that have already arrived and those on the horizon.
https://flatworldbusiness.wordpress.com/flat-education/previously/web-1-0-vs-web-2-0-vs-web-3-0-a-bird-eye-on-the-definition/
It is truly mind-boggling when we understand how quickly change is taking place in today's world. As educators, we need to step up our game!
Happy learning!
Dr. Dell