Reflections on Textbook Reading for Dr. Bell's class

OK, so I have been away from blogging for awhile, but I thought that I would start again as I am taking a Technology and Leadership class with Dr. Bell. For my first post back I am going to do my reflection on Part Two: Technology-Powered Classrooms from my textbook. The book we are using in class is: educational Technology for School Leaders, edited by Lynne Schrum.

What I have chosen to do is a bulleted list of what I thought were good points from each chapter with my comments as an indented bullet. I have also summarized my thoughts about the section at the very end.

Ch. 5: Understanding youth and digital media

• Students expect teachers to guide them to the information, not dictate the answers.
• I like this thought because it was something that I tried to do with my students. I always told them that I passed the 6^th grade the first time and I expected them to do the same. That included learning how to find the answers for themselves.
• 3 questions that must be addressed:
• What does learning look like in the 21^st century?
• What does literacy look like in the 21^st century?
• What is knowledge in the 21^st century?
• Great powerful questions that should lead our teaching, but often do not because rote memory tests are a favored way to assess learning now.
• It is so important to shift our view of learning and teaching, but unless we want to be a “tall poppy” as a previous chapter stated it can feel as if we are battling sylas and caribda trying to make changes that take independent learning and/ or technology in new directions in the classroom.
• New Media: With all of the different types of media available now and how quickly it changes, I thought that the definition was a good one.
• I did not like the idea that Christo Sims presents that youth use text messages as a safe way to expose themselves and define themselves and that it should be looked on as a form of communication that allows others to fail. I can understand about it being a safe place to learn and grow, but students are not just confining texts to their phones, but using them in daily life without seeming to understand that there are places that it is appropriate and places it is not.
• I liked that the authors of this chapter made a point to share that teachers do not need to throw themselves at every new technology, but that they should work toward incorporating ones into their teaching that will lead students to being engaged in their learning.

Chapter 6: “Short”

• I really liked that this chapter was filled with actual lessons that I can use with my students.
• The “literacy autobiography” was a great one that I would love to use with my students as a way to help them understand how much reading and writing they actually do. By expanding the project to include other forms of media, I would get a great understand of who my students are and they can really see how different media has formed them as students.
• I have to admit that the non-linear reading assignment confused me. I am not sure how this technique is helpful to younger students who may not understand that there are different techniques that we use when reading different types of media.
• I loved the idea of doing a multi-genre/media text assignment. I this that is a great way to get students to respond to all different forms of media and to think independently. Often students turn to their teachers for answers when they are unsure, but this way they must think about their subjects as they are creating the multi-media assignments.
• I loved having my students watch and analyze films. I always thought that was a great way to make connections between different texts. I used to use an old black and white western to show how we use visual clues to show ideas, such as who the good guy and bad guy are. The idea of using silent films never occurred to me, but I would love to try that.
• The bulletin board for genre lists is a great idea that I would love to figure out how to do in the library. I will need to work on this for next year, as I plan on labeling my books with their genres, so lists would be great.
• I thought that this chapter was great as it gave lots of tables of questions to consider, project ideas, and information on different technology programs to use.
• I like the idea that students are using technology as a community building idea. I have started a Shelfari group for my book club at spring break which I am hoping with add to our community of readers.
• I am concerned about letting my students out into such an open global environment because of safety concerns that I can not control.

Chapter 7: why use web 2.0 tools with ELLS

• ELLs can be a challenge to work with as they are more conversant in social language then academic and struggle with reading and writing even though they are able to speak with a great deal of fluency.
• Using web 2.0 tools can make learners active participants in lessons and language development, but I disagree that with the idea that this always happens. I see how my own ELL students use the computer and often is seems to that they skip the learning portions of the educational programs for the games.
• The writer of the chapter suggested that students who use web 2.0 tools to develop their language skills are taking more risks because the learning is in their control. I do not really agree with this, I know that some students may be taking risks, but most seem to be passive participants who will wait for others to lead before they respond.
• I am also not very clear on how the technology builds language skills because while the tools themselves are forgiving of mistakes, I did not see anywhere that the students’ errors were corrected or that they learned from them.
• I understand that the internet and many web 2.0 tools are fun, but if they are not used correctly, they do not enhance learning. My students are more motivated when they use technology, but they dislike it when they need to follow rules, directions, or do anything that is not related fun and games.
• The connection between web 2.0 and TESOL standards was interesting. I had not seen the standards before, so being able to read them and understand what my students are supposed to learn was great.
• I was concerned about the section on safety concerns and the web. It seemed to me that the author felt that any fears that people have are unfounded and the product of media hype. To that is a great disservice to readers, as we know that there are predators and bullies online who would have no problem using an ELLs language skills against them

Chapter 8: Assessment in the partnership pedagogy

• Most assessments done in schools are for ranking. That type of assessment is what is most common and understandable to people.
• The definitions of summative (single score on an assignment with no feedback) and formative (assessment with feedback for improvement) are good ones, and helpful to me as my school is moving to standards base grading and we are trying to understand what constitutes each type of assessment.
• The other assessments that were listed were interesting to learn about and ones that I will be introducing to my teachers.
• I think that the author did a good job of addressing the fears that are connected with assessing students, but I finished the session and felt that he was not taking the concerns of others seriously. As the author, states some of the skills learned will not be tested, but I think a bigger fear is that students will not be able to connect what and how they have learned material with how it is tested. I see this often with my students who spend a great deal of time learning on educational software that is interactive and colorful. They often have troubles translating the knowledge that they have gained to regular pencil and paper question and answer learning.
• The idea of assessing teachers is a good one, but I felt that the author could have done a better job of defining how to assess a teacher who is using the partnering technique.
• I have the same concern with assessing administrators and parents. I think it is important to know how committed they are to the teaching/learning style, but really how can assessment be done.

I liked this chunk of material better than the first, but I still had concerns about some of the material presented that I hope would have been addressed if I read the whole work. I like that this book just presents a chapter of the work because it allows me to get a good overview of the material available, I wonder if the editors should have looked a little closer at what was presented in each chapter to insure that the reader is not left with incomplete information.