Category: Uncategorized

Does Technology Make Students Smarter?

Throughout all of my time observing lessons in the third grade classroom at Hannah Gibbons, I have seen many benefits of the use of technology within the classroom. After observing many lessons within this classroom, I have seen the integration between the students, objects within the classroom, different resources, and technology that help make up distributed cognition. All of these aspects all come together to benefit the cognitive learning process. Integrating technology helps to increase the learning process and distributed cognition within the classroom.

While observing most of the lessons in my classroom, the students everyday, work on the computers in the back of the room on Moby Max. While some students take the time to really focus on the activities at hand, most students I have observed do not take advantage of the effects that this technology has on their education and growth in learning. As mentioned in another essay, some students rush through the work so they can be done quickly. Other students do not do the work at all and instead take advantage of the computer time by playing games and doing other things on the computers that do not pertain to what they should be doing. In this case, this technology time does not make students smarter but rather works as a play time for students. While the teacher can use these formative assessments as monitoring, she does not always take advantage of this tool and just lets the students get away with not working on what they are supposed to work on. I do however feel as if this technology could work as a scaffold to making students smarter but not actually make them smarter. I believe that technology can work to help students performance and activate their cognitive processes but not actually make them smarter especially in the case of the lessons I have observed. For example, the lesson with the point of view video definitely helped to increase cognition but was a scaffolding tool to reinforce what was already taught about the topic of point of view.

In addition, translation and offloading work again to connect information from the technological resource to the student. This does not necessarily make the students smarter but helps to connect information that needs to be learned. There are so many way technology can be used within the classroom and numerous times serve as a benefit and extension of learning for children. In my classroom, I feel as though technology can be integrated in a more useful way for the students to be engaged and learn and grow. For example, the teacher could make sure to monitor the students more while they are on the computers and collect papers about point of view to make sure the students are held accountable for paying attention to the video and getting something positive out of the technological experience. In addition there are many learning types that come in a cognitive learning classroom. This is important information to know about each student to then find technologies and other resources that can help each individual to create a classroom of effective distributed cognition. Overall, when presented with the question of does technology make students smaller, my first thought is no but rather that technology helps guide, reinforce, and connect children to different information. It is important to analyze and understand the effect of and the effects with technology that comes with different pedagogical approaches in the classroom.

Formative Assessment as a Monitoring Function

In classrooms, there are many types of formative assessments that can be done. For example, teachers can use worksheets, exit tickets, homework, and other different informal assessments. Connecting formative assessments as a monitoring function is a good way to give students direct feedback and see where a student is currently at in their learning process. According to Martin, “monitoring refers to the function of assessing the quality of the coordination between systems and providing this information as feedback” (94). For example, if a student is doing a worksheet and the teacher provides feedback on how the student is working and coordinating with the assignment. Formative assessments can be used as a monitoring function within the classroom to identify where students are at in their different work.

Within my classroom, as I have previously stated before, the students work on the computers on the Moby Max website. This use of technology is a formative assessment. On Moby Max, once the student has finished an assignment, the software sends the answers and work of the students to the teachers email. This includes, the answers the student put and the time taken on each assignment. With this, the teacher can monitor the answers that the students got right and wrong as well as how long the students are taking to work on the assignments. One lesson I observed, the teacher got notifications from Moby Max that a few students were done with the activities in a very short amount of time. The teacher was then able to check on the students to monitor their engagement with the technology. She noticed that the students did not take enough time on the activities and just put random answers to the questions to get through the assignment as quickly as they could. I believe that using Moby Max as a formative assessment and then connecting this to a monitoring function is a great technological tool that my cooperating teacher takes advantage of.

Another lesson I observed within my third grade classroom was an English about point of view. The students watched a video about point on view from the Flocabulary website. My cooperating teacher used this as a formative assessment with this video as a monitoring tool. After the video was played, the teacher used a questioning formative assessment tool to monitor the students knowledge and engagement from the video. This use of technology is an important monitoring tool and something that any teacher could incorporate into their lessons.

Formative assessment as a monitoring function helps describe distributed cognition because it helps students identify their strengths and weaknesses and targets areas that need work. Formative assessments being used as monitoring can help to individualize content and work based on different cognitive levels and knowledge that students currently have. Using technology especially is extremely beneficial and useful for teachers because the monitoring function from the formative assessment is directly sent to the teacher. 

Resource:

Martin, L. (2012). Connection, Translation, Off-Loading, and Monitoring: A Framework for Characterizing the Pedagogical Functions of Educational Technologies. Technology, Knowledge & Learning, 17(3), 87-107.

Translation and the Representation of Ideas and Offloading at Hannah Gibbons

With distributed cognition also come the translation of information and ideas between not only people but between people and technology. Martin (2012) explains how, “The function of connection, whether technologically enhanced or not, always involves some translation of information” (Martin 92). Students connect to different aspects of the classroom through the translation of information. With translation and technology comes some confusion on if the translation is actually being translated or only connecting students to the information.

Within my third grade classroom at Hannah Gibbons, I feel as though I have not seen true translation within the classroom. During a math lesson I observed, the students were allowed to work with a partner to use a limited amount of chrome books that were in the classroom to look up definitions of math vocabulary. The students worked to create a whole book containing math vocabulary and used technology to find the definitions. I would want to say this would be a use of translation however, the students already have a sense of what the definitions would be through the work in their math lesson so I feel as though this use of technology would be only connecting students to the information. While the use of the technology may not be translation, I do think it could be a sense of offloading because the teacher is not teaching the exact definitions, rather having the technology be used to teach the vocabulary to the students. Martin describes offloading as “one of the chief uses of technology to perform tasks that are tedious, difficult, error-prone, or time-consuming” (94). Teaching a plethora of math vocabulary takes a lot of time out of a lesson and can be a tedious task for a teacher to teach on their own. My cooperating teacher off loads this task onto the technology for the children to use. Since the information is not completely transformed from the computer onto the paper, the students are not doing a full on translation of the material. The vocabulary is pre-translated so they can put it onto their papers.

In terms distributed cognition, translation and off-loading are both representational media that individuals can use. These two can both offer individual change and individual learning become more likely.

Resource:

Martin, L. (2012). Connection, Translation, Off-Loading, and Monitoring: A Framework for Characterizing the Pedagogical Functions of Educational Technologies. Technology, Knowledge & Learning, 17(3), 87-107.

Effects of and Effects with Technology at Hannah Gibbons

Technology use within the classroom has been a very prominent theme in our time as educators. It is extremely important to be aware of the effects that come with and of technology. While observing in my third grade classroom at Hannah Gibbons, I have observed a plethora of lessons. Throughout these lessons, there has been an integration of technology within the lessons. Before diving into what the lessons pertained and the integration of technology, it is also important to note that distributed cognition can be used as a tool within the classroom with the help from technology.

Distributed cognition can be defined as cognition and knowledge that are not confined to an individual. Every individual has their own set of knowledge and ways to go about learning. Martin (2012) suggests that cognitive functioning is distributed amongst several people and resources. Therefore, cognition is not bound to one person or learning type. The use of technology within the classroom can help serve as a tool to distribute cognition across the classroom.

There are two effects of technology that we can focus on when observing lessons integrating technology. One is effects of technology which has the purpose of fading away the technology to result in the students learning information without the need of the technology that was used. Effects with technology serve the purpose of using the technology as a guide and scaffold in the learning process that will not be faded away. For example, in our schooling, google docs is an effect with technology because it is something that we will use constantly and we will not fade it away.

In my personal experience at Hannah Gibbons elementary school, I have observed both effects with and effects of technology within the classroom. The use of technology within the classroom is used as an aide to learning and helps keep the students engaged during the process. In one particular lesson, the students were put into centers for English Language Arts. One of the centers had the students working on the computers in the back of the classroom. The students were to go on Moby Max and do the different ELA components available to them on this website. In terms of distributed cognition, this website allow students to do individualized work based on what the children need in their learning process. The students can work on phonics, reading stories, vocabulary, writing workshop, and many other topics in the ELA area. This process of using Moby Max in a center would serve as an effects of technology because the purpose is for the students to learn the material to then have it faded away once they have mastered and learned the different subjects. These technologies are used in a “tool-like” way which helps sustain learning (Salomon and Perkins 77). Salomon and Perkins would argue that this type of technologies make us smarter due to the affordances of cognitive support that a site like Moby Max brings. The article suggest that, “Working with certain technologies makes us smarter, at least in the sense that it leads to smarter performance” (Salomon and Perkins 75). Working with Moby Max helps students performance by working on focusing and being strategic when using the computers. Students distributed cognition is then shown after working on the computers with the different pieces of knowledge that they picked up when working with the technology.

An effect with technology that I observed within the same lesson would be the use of the smart board/projector to show what the students were doing at each different center. This would be effects with technology because the technology is presented at the beginning of the lesson to guide the students in where to go and what to do at each center. The technology would not be faded out because the students can use it as a reference if they need a reminder on what to do at their centers. Removing this technology may serve as a drop in the student’s cognitive competence therefore, making it hard for them to learn and know what to do at each center. Without the use of the technology to explain each center, the students would just sit mindlessly without direction.

With distributed cognition and the effects that come from technology it is important to remember that each student has different learning types that come with the distribution of cognition within the classroom. Using technologies such as, Moby Max, helps students to be individualized with their learning and use the resources best fit for their knowledge and growth. Using technology as a way to make us smarter might just mean that the use of technology helps us to make smarter decisions in our learning process and that technology makes us smarter by supporting real and sustained learning.

Resources:

Martin, L. (2012). Connection, Translation, Off-Loading, and Monitoring: A Framework for Characterizing the Pedagogical Functions of Educational Technologies. Technology, Knowledge & Learning, 17(3), 87-107.

Salomon, G. & Perkins, D. (2005)”Do Technologies Make Us Smarter? Intellectual Amplification With, Of and Through Technology.” In: Robert Sternberg and David Preiss (Eds.).Intelligence and Technology: The Impact of Tools on the Nature and Development of Human Abilities. Mahwah, NJ : Lawrence Erlbaum and Associates, Publishers. pp. 71-86.

 

Classroom Technologies at Hannah Gibbons

In my third grade classroom at Hannah Gibbons students are using hardware technologies such as, desk top computers and mini laptops are used for assessments. I have observed students using this hardware for learning activities as well as research. For example, the students in my classroom are doing a STEM project where they are building leprechaun traps. The students were encouraged to go on the computer and search different ideas they could do to create these traps. Software that the students use in my classroom is called Moby Max. Moby Max works to help struggling learners quickly catch up to grade level and close learning gaps for all your students. There are all subject listed for K-8 learning. The students have a login to get into their specific account and this is the software that the students use daily on the computers.

In my classroom, there is not a lot of use of the software and hardware. The only time the students use these different tools is during centers. Four to five students are on the computers at a time working on Moby Max. The students get to pick what subject they want to work on. I could see this software impeding on the learning of the children in my classroom because I usually find them playing random games rather than doing educational activities on the application. When the students are working on Moby Max the students learning is being facilitated by different activities to enhance what they learning.

My cooperating teacher uses a desktop computer at her desk. She also uses a smart board to put different images on the screen to show the students. For papers and documents that are not on the computer, she uses a document camera to show images on the screen. The hardwares used by my cooperating teacher are mainly used to show images, problems, and other classroom tools. Software my cooperating teacher uses include, go-noodle, flocabulary, and other apps on the computer. There is also software that goes with the document camera that is on the desktop of the computer. This is used when my cooperating teacher wants to put math problems on the screen from the book or wants to show a printed off copy of a worksheet. During my observation I also used a mini laptop to help take assessments for my cooperating teacher. This software had the students read for one minute and I could track when the students had a miscue or did not know a word.

I believe that the hardware and software that my teacher uses is to facilitate learning within the classroom. The go-noodle and flocabulary softwares are used during snack time to give the students a chance to take a break and relax. Some of the other softwares are used for assessment purposes and for logistics within the classroom. Having the document camera and smart board help facilitate learning with giving visual representations of the problems. I do think that some hardware can impede learning when the system is down and they can not access their different softwares. This has happened during my observations and it was hard for my cooperating teacher to adjust and fix the situation to facilitate learning.

 

Blog Post 5- Access to Technology: Hannah Gibbons

After talking with my cooperating teacher, I learned a lot of information about the technology at Hannah Gibbons. This school is considered a S.T.E.M school, so the students have technology incorporated into their daily schedules. In terms of who is in charge of the technologies available to advance the learning of students, the curriculum technology integration specialist is, Craig Kitson. He is in charge of pretty much all of the technology maintenance and security personnel. Mr. Kitson is who knows handles the curriculum in the school and instruction within Hannah Gibbons. He takes care of the technology sources in the school. In addition, Andrea Jenkins is the library media specialist at Hannah Gibbons. She works with the students in the library and comes into classrooms to help with research and working with technology. She also teacher the media special at Hannah Gibbons.

There are computers in almost every class. The classroom I am in has four desktop computers in the room that students use every day. In addition, the school has a media lab with numerous computers that are available for the students. This lab is has about twenty computers, enough for a classroom to be in for a lesson. This lab is located near the front of the school by the gym and the library. In terms of the library, the students have access to computers here as well. The computers are placed in a circle in the library. When I took students to the library to read, all they wanted to do was go on the computers. They said that they were not allowed to go on Youtube or put on music while they are using computers. There are only certain things the students are allowed to do while on the computers. While observing and talking to m cooperating teacher, the school does not provide a set of laptops, chrome books, or Ipads for the students.

The computers that the students can use are readily available and accessible for the students whenever they want to use them. Teachers gain access onto their computers by logging on with a username and password. Students gain access in the same way however, the students use the same username and password based on class. This is just to get on the computers. The students have different log in information when it comes to using the different sites when on the internet. It terms of reserving computers, if a teacher wants to do a whole class activity on computers, then they would need to reserve the computer lab with the front office and Mr. Kitson. There are no required purchases by families that any of the teachers mentioned however, I know that the students have access to the different sites that they use in school at home.

The only information I was given about the firewall is that there are some sites blocked that students cannot access. For example, students are not able to access Youtube at school or go on all of the sites that they google. The students also explained how they are not allowed to listen to music while at school but do not know if all music sites are blocked. Teachers and their username information allow them to transcend the firewall and access all sites on their computers. During my observations I talked to my cooperating teacher a lot, my students within my third grade classroom, and was told to contact Mr. Kitson who had the most and best information about the access to technology within the school.

Even though Hannah Gibbons is considered a STEM school, a few teachers I talked to, expressed that some of the principles of STEM are not always seen within the classrooms. There is however, access to technology in every classroom and in a few other locations in the school. My cooperating teacher incorporates technology into her everyday teaching whether it be through videos, the document camera, or putting worksheets up from the internet. Within my classroom and observations, I have yet to see group work around technology and witness the access to technology being fully incorporated into the classroom setting where the students are able to manipulate their resources on their own.

Blog Post 4- Hannah Gibbons and Digital Storytelling

This semester for my field observations, I was given the opportunity to observe at Hannah Gibbons school which is part of the Cleveland Metropolitan school district. I am observing in a third grade classroom where I get to interact with the students, teach a math lesson, and observe a variety of different subjects. With the digital age we are currently in, I was intrigued to observe an elementary school and see how technology is incorporated in the classroom. With this school being located in a neighborhood with a lower socioeconomic status, I was also interested in seeing the resources that are available for the students.

Technology is such a crucial part of society that is has become an essential aspect in children’s learning. The students each day get computer time in the classroom room to work on a website called “MobyMax.” This educational tool is to be used on computers to help close the learning gap that may be present among individual students. The goal of the site is to help struggling learners quickly catch up to grade level and close learning gaps for all students. Each subject is represented and there is adaptive differentiation to benefit each child and their individual needs. While observing the children on the computers, I could tell that they could maneuver around the computer very well. Students did not need to ask for help when signing in or getting to the appropriate page they needed to be. I think this accurately shows the way children are integrated in the society of technology. The school also has a computer lab where the students have media special once a week. This special usually instructs students on how to use school databases, educational websites, and allows the children to explore the computer to learn all it has to offer. I think this special is an important way to give children the opportunity to learn through being hands on with the computer. Lastly, my cooperating teacher uses technology in the classroom by showing “go noodle” videos during the student’s break. I have yet to see any digital storytelling and literacy within the classroom. I think this would be a very beneficial tool to use in the third grade classroom to help these student use their critical thinking skills and be creative. In the article, The Effect of Digital Storytelling in Improving the Third Graders’ Writing Skills, the author describes how third graders writing skills are extremely benefited the incorporation of digital storytelling in the classroom. The article explains how, “Students can make a story of the experiences on their cultures and histories by forming a composition with digital storytelling. Thus, digital storytelling has a significant potential to construct literacy identities within the context of home, society and school (Foley, 2013; Vasudevan et al., 2010).” (Yamac 60). This would be an important lesson my third graders could use in the classroom to increase their literacy skills by being creative, using their interests, and collaborating with their classmates to create a digital story.

In terms of social media, I observed on a day when the class was having a lesson about if young children should have access to social media. The students in the classroom were advocates of social media accounts to connect with others who may live far away and to share parts of their life with others. It was interesting to me to hear this conversation because when talking to the students one on one, they expressed to me that they did not have social media accounts. In a way, I can see social media as a way of digital storytelling. Students can share their interests and stories through these social media gateways to represent to others. However, I strongly believe that it would be far more beneficial to use digital storytelling in the classroom with teacher supervision and scaffolding.

During one of my observations, I worked with different groups of students on the carpet. After we were done with what we needed to do, I asked the group of students what their technology experience was like outside of the classroom. In some cases, the students ranted to me about “Fortnite” and “NBA2K” depicting that they had access to different video-gaming consoles. A vast majority of the students however, explained that they did not have access to computers or wifi outside of the classroom. Many of them explained how they would go to the library to use the computers after school. This made me feel unsettled because of the way technology is such a fundamental part of society.

I strongly believe that digital storytelling is a pedagogical approach that should be incorporated into the classroom. However, I feel as though Hannah Gibbons is not given the opportunity and resources they would need to incorporate such curriculum into their classrooms. In addition, I feel as if just allowing the students to go on the computers to learn is not the most efficient way to increase learning and development. Technology must be integrated in a way that will be hands on and allow for creativity, collaboration, growth, and development.