Paper and Pencil in a Digital World

Changing Views on Technology  Image Credit - Ministry of Education Saint Lucia This course has come at a great time professionally, we are currently writing professional goals at school and I am focusing on revamping some classroom practices and how these can affect content pacing. One of the practices I am focusing on is the purposeful inclusion of technology. This class visited many topics that have led to deeper reflections on the ways and types of technology to include in the learning process. Overall, I am more hopeful and re-energized about looking at this integration.  I still struggle with allowing students to use their iPads during class because we have very limited control over them. This was the topic of a recent lunchtime conversation with colleagues from different departments; we want to use more tech while also limiting the distractions for the students and making our job more facilitating the learning instead of babysitting the technological use. Once this hurdl...

Let's see what Google Says The phrase "Google it" has become so common place today, rarely does a noun become a verb, but it has here. Googling for an answer has become second nature to most people with an internet capable device. Google can be used to search for more than just answers to questions, including searching for people. Searching for Myself, Not for Answers The first time I Googled my name was in college when we talked about digital footprints in one of my education classes. At that time the top results were for various doctors and a maritime historian. When I google searched myself again recently, those were still some of the top independent hits, however the third result was an article published by the school I work at, Fenwick, where I was mentioned and tagged on the article.  Image Credit: Author - Screenshot of Google Search I was actually pleased to see that I had not made a larger presence on the first page of results for my name, without adding addition...

Personality tests, Learning about yourself, and New insight; how these affect engagement in Professional Learning Networks.  I have always been intrigued by personality tests. I find it fascinating which questions are used and how the algorithm works to then generate information about personality. At times I feel like these questions have nothing to do the type of personality information given in the results, but the results always seem to be near what I would expect. I took three personality tests and will share the results and then connect these results to professional learning network engagement.  16 Personalities Test  According to this test I am an INTP Logician. Image Credit - Screenshot of Logician Explanation from 16 Personalities Test Image Credit - Screenshot of Results from 16 Personalities Test I think that the Logician fits me pretty well. For example, while I am very unlikely to start a conversation with someone I do not know (an introverted characteristic),...

As technology has become ubiquitous in many classrooms around the country accessibility has become a concern. In this instance, I am not taking about the digital divide  and physically being able to get to a device, which is in its own right a major issue that got highlighted during pandemic shut downs and hybrid learning requirements. Instead, the accessibility we are discussing is the ability of all individuals to find success in using the same device. Can the device adjust to the needs of the user?  The first accessibility feature I remember coming across was the ability to change font size on iPhones. We had just gotten my grandmother a new cell phone when she moved away from the flip phone and I was surprised when we could alter the font size to help her function better with the phone. As the phone was largely only for phone calls and texts the increase font size reduced a lot of potential frustration.   This year we have a new edition of the biology textbook w...

Educational research is helpful in understanding how students’, teachers’, and administrators’ usage and attitudes about many things, including technology, change overtime. When looking at how students identify the benefits of using technology longitudinally, I was surprised at how little the students’ views have changed since 2016. With the school shutdowns in March 2020 due to COVID and then the continued closures and hybrid learning happening throughout the 2020-2021 school year I expected to see larger changes from before to after that timeframe. Specifically, I thought being ‘in control of my learning’ would have increases more than 5%. Additionally, I would have expected ‘applying knowledge to practical problems’ using technology within learning to have increased, or at least stayed the same. Instead we see a small 4% decrease. I would be curios to see educators perspective on these same prompts as they pertain to students.  Image Credit: Project Tomorrow 2023 SpeakUp Resea...

Throughout the country you will see many different classrooms with a wide array of physical layouts, seating flexibility, technology, and other equipment. In this cornucopia of classrooms, a plethora of pedagogical practices can be observed; teachers and students working together in different ways to learn and discover. Walking through the halls yesterday I saw classes in the midst of lectures, discussions, science labs, independent student work, and a number of different styles of group work.  Active learning  is not new to classrooms, but like many things in education, terminology changes and evolves. Active learning strategies focus on moving students from passive individuals in the classroom to individuals engaged in a variety of activities. Active learning strategies are utilized in classes that have more of a  student centered learning  focus.  Image Credit: Arizona State University: Teach Online ** While there is debate on the actual retention percentage...