My GAME Plan - Part 3

Thomas L. Friedman points out in his article “It’s a Flat World, After All”, that “Globalization 3.0” is making the work environment much more technically savvy and today’s students will need to be able to anticipate future technical trends, prepare for them, then adapt quickly as they change. The flattening of our world is putting more emphasis on the individual, but that individual must collaborate with global partners. So students will need to learn how to synthesize information from a variety of sources and collaborate across cultures. Perhaps most importantly I think the challenge of overcoming the “quiet crisis” that Friedman discusses involves students understanding how social context affects technical innovation. Educators will need to make sure they are aligning themselves with career opportunities that benefit from these innovations. In an effort to understand this phenomenon, this week I’m focusing on my goal of expanding my knowledge of the “Model Digital-Age Work and Learning” NETS standard.  I want to gain a better understanding of how to connect my students’ technological skill development with their future career goals and society’s future career needs.

To do this I have been culling resources from the Chronicle of Higher Education’s website. I found an interesting article that relayed how industry professionals from Adobe are sharing innovative software with UNC, to help enhance their journalism and media curriculum and better prepare students for the workforce’s needs.  Many employers provide employees with innovative tools as they have the incentive to increase revenue by making the process of creating work product faster and cheaper. Students will need to be aware of the tools and trends of their trade to remain competitive.

I also read an article that gave me good insight to millenials and their learning needs. Tomorrow’s workforce will be constantly bombarded with information from around the globe and employees will need to be able to respond quickly and accurately. Having a solid understanding of how to blend today’s learners needs with tomorrow’s workforce needs is vital.

We as educators should expose students to the growing trends in technology and it’s impact on their intended careers. Lastly, we should give them the tools to mine resources that inform them on how to stay on top of these trends, so that the learning process goes beyond the classroom. To assist in this, my next step in focusing on this standard will be to find professional development opportunities.

Resources:

Friedman, Thomas L. (2005, April 3). It’s a Flat World, After All. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx

My GAME Plan - Part 2

Thus far I have not taken concrete steps towards fulfilling my GAME plan, however the three main resources I plan to use include the Sloan-C Consortium, Education Week, and the Chronicle of Higher Education websites. All contain resources that include links to educationally focused blogs as well as information on webinars and in-person seminars that could contribute to my personal and professional growth.

To deepen my knowledge of the “Model Digital-Age Work and Learning” NETS standard and to gain a better understanding of how to connect my students’ technological skill development with their future career goals and society’s future career needs, I would like to emphasize a collaborative approach in my lessons.  I feel the Chronicle of Higher Education site would be best suited for this as it will give me information on the latest social and political trends affecting higher academia. This is especially important for me as I tend to tutor high school students working toward attending college.  It will be vital to have a solid base in how to connect their academic needs, with college’s needs as they are shaped by future workforce needs.

To become proficient in the “Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments” standard and therefore create more media centric instruction, I would like to use the Education Week site. I want to gain a better understanding of cutting edge learning technologies and ways to make sure I am making a distinction between them and instructional technologies with my lesson planning. Although learning technologies support the learning process like instructional technologies, the key difference is that they are more student-centered. Learning technologies allow the student to be an active learner, engaging in and shaping their learning resources and thus the process (Laureate, 2010).  If I learn more of technologies like Pinterest, Prezi, or wikis, I can be better at supporting my curricular goals and helping students “acquire and refine their analysis and problem-solving skills as they work individually and in teams to find, process, and synthesize information” (Edutopia, 2008). Effective learning technologies allow students to cull and share information from a variety of sources, emphasize collaboration, and expand their knowledge base.

To expand my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology - the “Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership” standard - by keeping up date with technological innovations through professional development opportunities I would like to attend a webinar offered by Sloan – C.  I am especially interested in how to leverage the online classroom environment and they have many webinars focused on how to engage learners through internet-based classes.

Resources:

Edutopia Staff (2008). Why Integrate Technology into the Curriculum?: The Reasons Are Many. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/tech-integration.

Laureate Education Inc. (Producer). (2010). Technology: Instructional Tool vs. Learning Tool [Video]. United States: Laureate Education Inc.

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx

My GAME Plan

I believe in the talent and power that today’s youth hold. I want to help students and educators learn how to harness these talents to not only benefit themselves but also their communities, especially via traditional and new media. That is why I enrolled in Walden University’s, "Integrating Technology in the Classroom" program.  I am interested in eventually pursuing a PhD in Communication, specifically at American University, with a focus in media, technology, and culture.  I would like to research the affect of social media and other new media technologies on youth and their learning experiences. My goal is to eventually use my research to create media literacy programs that will empower youth to shape the media imagery that they so readily absorb. 

I would like to deepen my knowledge of the “Model Digital-Age Work and Learning” NETS standard to gain a better understanding of how to connect my students’ technological skill development with their future career goals and society’s future career needs.  It is no longer enough to educate for education’s sake. We must develop an adaptable future workforce that can compete with their global counterparts.  Because I tutor and therefore do not have extended periods of time with my students, like a traditional teacher, I believe the best way I can strengthen my students’ digital literacy skills is by teaching them the best ways to approach Internet research, so that they are able to acquire resources that can assist them with their school work when they are not in-session with me.

I also recognize the importance of creating a teaching environment that supports more individualized instruction and one that gives students more agency in curriculum development. Encouraging collaboration and two-way instruction is necessary for them to not only build up 21^st Century skills, but also empower them so that they embrace the idea that they have influence in increasing their learning capacity. Another standard I would like to become proficient in is “Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments”. I would like to be able to create more media centric instruction, and become more knowledgeable on how other tutors and tutoring companies are making use of technology. 

I foresee obstacles to the former being students’ access to technology and my limited budget for tools and software. I am an independent consultant and from time to time work with a company. So I do not have access to financial resources to purchase equipment. To overcome this I will research free online tools that are available, meet students in libraries that have free access to computers, and when I do work with a company present them with ideas on how to make their instruction more technology focused so that they invest in the programs that I need. For the latter, I foresee other tutors or companies not wanting to share their best practices, as we are technically competitors.  My solution will be to continue writing and promoting the blog I have created through this course and encouraging educators to share their tips anonymously so that the learning environment is broadened for all to share.

I would like to expand my knowledge of learning, teaching, and leading with technology - the “Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership” standard - by keeping up date with technological innovations through professional development opportunities. Due to my job as a Media Producer, I have access to conferences and training courses offered by Sloan C and NMC whose sole focus is the intersection of education and technology.  To achieve proficiency in this area I will mine both online and printed resources such as Education Week and the Chronicle of Higher Education to keep me connected to with policies that affect technological innovation in education, especially in higher and advanced education. I tend to work with high school students so it will be important for me to keep abreast of changes in the college environment, so that my instruction is adequately preparing them for it.

Overall, I am committed to being less teacher-centered and more learner-centered.  I would like to create a learning environment where my students can articulate their learning goals, so that the foundation is set for two-way knowledge sharing.

Resources:

International Society for Technology in Education. (2008). National education standards for teachers (NETS-T). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/Libraries/PDFs/NETS_for_Teachers_2008_EN.sflb.ashx

Voice Thread, Digital Natives, and Technological Challenges

For the past few months, I have been observing and volunteering with an 11th and 12th grade English class at the Luke C. Moore Academy in Southeast DC. A good friend is a teacher, and as I do not have a dedicated class of my own, I thought it would be fun to see just how a typical public school is making use of technology, and whether or not teachers are able to prepare students for the future workforce.

My observation provided insight to a profound disconnect between today’s classrooms and tomorrow’s work environment. The class was more equipped than most. My friend had consistent access to her own laptop, printer, television with a DVD and VCR player, and a projector. Still it was clear that the students were not as technologically savvy as necessary.

First, there was limited access to basic tools. My friend had to reserve the laptops used for their writing assignments days in advance, and even then, there were not enough for each student. So those who did not get one opted to take a nap instead. Those who were completing their assignments had to be instructed to email them to the teacher, as the students were not equipped with flash drives, nor were the laptops set up to save information. When you compare this to tomorrow’s work environment, there is a huge gap. Most employers will be willing to provide employees with innovative tools as they have the incentive to increase revenue by making the process of creating work product faster and cheaper. What is the public school system’s incentive?

Second, I observed that the skills being taught were very basic in nature. Granted this is an alternative school for students who have struggled in the past, their assignment to write a story only emphasized the need for basic reading, writing, and analysis of information. Tomorrow’s workforce will be constantly bombarded with information from around the globe and employees will need to be able to respond quickly and accurately. Yet these students were still struggling with basics of in-person instruction. Many had difficulties logging into the system and then emailing their teacher.

So for my volunteer work, I wanted to help them blend technology with their subject matter. I decided to conduct a small media project called "six word stories", where I had them act as production groups creating short videos based on these stories. I am a media producer and at the core of being a good producer is having the skill to tell a story creatively and in many cases, succinctly. Add to that the need to utilize technology, as good producers must be able to merge all of these skill sets to captivate audiences. The goal was for them to learn how to convey something compelling in a very short amount of time.

Each group was made up of four people: a producer, editor, audio person, and camera person. Their duties were as follows:

· producer -- determine what the six word story will be

· audio person -- choose one or two songs to accompany the piece

· camera person -- choose the images

· editor -- work with me to determine how to package the visual and audio elements

While working with them, I picked their brains about how they viewed the use of technology both inside and outside of the classroom and the challenges they faced regarding its use. They represent the new generation of "digital natives", youths who have grown up entirely within a digital world and thus base their learning style and needs on it. According to Marc Prensky, inventor of the term, today's learners "are used to receiving information really fast," "like to parallel process and multitask," "prefer their graphics before their text" and essentially will thrive better in an academic environment that bases its methodology on these elements.

Check out my video podcast to see a few digital natives discuss technology and the challenges they face with its integration in the classroom. Then take a look at their six word story videos via my VoiceThread account.