The reading and videos
this week really spoke to me on a personal level. Each article or chapter read
and video viewed seemed to be illustrating the same thing: that learning
environments infused with technology are ideal for reaching all learners.
Incorporating technology and adaptive technologies into a classroom provides
the greatest opportunity for learners to connect with knowledge, collaborate to
create understanding, and connect with content in real, meaningful, and
personal ways. Furthermore, engaging students in project-based learning
activities connected to a purpose allows learners opportunities to take
ownership of their learning. These opportunities mimic the real world. Stanford
Professor Linda Darling-Hammond states it is critical to educate the whole
child socially and emotionally to prepare them to be functioning adults. Adults
function in "contexts where we work in groups on hard problems that need
creative solutions that require problem solving." (Darling-Hammond, 2007)
Unless children are given freedom to experiment and learn social and emotional
resilience in a cooperative, compassionate and caring atmosphere such as a
school, they are unlikely to acquire the resiliency necessary for a complex
world. Seymour Papert, Director of the Epistemology and Learning Group at
Massachusetts Institute of Technology argues that experiential, purposeful
learning is nothing new and educational theorists such as John Dewey and Jean
Piaget made the case for project-based learning in the 19th century. (Papert,
nd) With knowledge technologies removing limitations on access to content, it
stands to reason that Dewey's activity derived understanding and Piaget's
communication constructed, interactive cognitive development model should be
the basis of pedagogy in the digital age. Technology integration "puts
kids in a position to learn what they need," (Papert, nd) and in the
process construct meaning, acquire valuable life skills, and develop
resiliency.
Video of my students engaged in project-based learning.
One
of the reasons these videos spoke to me is that I witness the power of
integrated technology on a daily basis. I am very fortunate to be able to
facilitate learning in a 1:1 environment. When I received a grant two years ago
to incorporate tablet technology into my classroom, I knew that simply passing
out tablets and instructing students to launch an app to practice a certain
skill was simply replacing a 19th century tool with a 21st century tool. I had
to commit to a wholesale change in the way teaching and learning happens in my
room. Project-based learning became the vehicle to transport me into a new
reality. I now strive to turn everything we have to do to meet standards into a
project-based opportunity. Often, the students are the ones actually devising
the learning plans; I just provide them with the goal and outcome, and step
back and see what they can come up with to meet the goal or objective. Vicki
Davis said it best when she comments that "so many teachers think they
need to know everything." (Davis, nd) I realized that I don't need to know
everything, just enough to know how to set up the situation, and when to get
out of the way. And let the learners connect with content, collaborate, problem
solve, and create real, meaningful, deep knowledge and acquire the skills
necessary for an increasingly complex world.
Darling-Hammond, L. Edutopia.org (Producer) (December 10, 2007). The Collaborative Classroom: An Interview with Linda Darling-Hammond. [video] Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/linda-darling-hammond-sel-video
Papert, S. Edutopia.org (Producer) (nd). Project Learning: An Overview. [video] Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/project-based-learning-overview
Davis, V. Edutopia.org. (Producer) (nd). Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts. [video] Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/digital-generation-teachers-vicki-davis
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