Shake Up Learning: Ch. 2: Technology Has Changed the Way We Learn

Technology permeates my daily life. I currently don’t have a smart phone, but even without one, I can still check Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, E-mail, etc. Technology fascinates me, yet overwhelms me. I love learning about tech, but sometimes I just need a break. I didn’t realize how nice it was to disconnect until my smart phone broke. Having a phone that can’t access the internet actually feels freeing. Technology can make so many things quicker and easier, but I do realize the benefits of using it sparingly. My professional life hasn’t changed too drastically due to technology, considering that I am entering only my 5th year teaching. I started in a district that had 1:1 MacBooks and iPads, then moved to 1:1 Chromebooks. I can definitely say that I have a preference, but that’s for another time. The changes there were minor. Students could still perform the same tasks, just on a different machine. I foresee that things will continue to change, but I have always been adaptable when it comes to technology.

In order to make a lesson into something that will prepare students for the future, I have to consider the task that I am asking them to do. Regardless, the standards are set in stone for the time being. If I can insert the learning targets into an activity that fits into the context of my students’ lives, I can do a much better job of reaching them. Similarly, if I can put the learning targets into the context of a future career or skill they need (such as trying something new without any guidance), then my students can learn valuable abilities such as learning to problem-solve. If students are given all instructions word-for-word, chances are, there will be some that don’t read them anyway. Last year I started something new. I gave my students a new tool at the beginning of the year, knowing that we would be using it all year, and I didn’t give them any instruction. I simply gave them a task to do. Some failed miserably. Some succeeded. All were not graded. Starting with low-risk activities such as this give students an opportunity to try something and fail without fearing for their grade in the class. Long story short, in order to prepare students for the future, I have to let them loose. Set them free. Have them try something that they have never tried before without any hand-holding. We can’t teach students how to do everything, because there is too much and it changes every day. The best I can do is teach students how to figure things out on their own. I’ll be there to support them, but they are capable of doing a lot more than they let themselves believe.

I suppose I could spend hours on reddit, twitter, etc. to learn the new "vocabulary" of this generation, but often it just takes showing a little bit of interest, such as talking to students before class starts or taking a few minutes to ask them how their day is going, even (gasp) in the middle of class. Stop to watch a YouTube video that a student is watching during class. Ask them about it. Show some interest, build some rapport, and lead that student back into the task at hand. Who knows, maybe the students might be less likely to get off task later, and I will have learned something in the process.

I barely remember learning before the 21st century. I was 9 when Y2K came around. 21st Century Learning has been my entire life, and shouldn’t be set aside as something “new.” As Kasey said, it’s been 18 years. It’s time to accept technology as a part of what we do, and just start calling it “learning.”

There is a place for memorization, but not a sole focus on memorization. Luckily, the new Social Studies standards for Wisconsin reflect this. There is more emphasis on the skills that historians (or simply, informed citizens) need to know how to do, versus what date this significant event happened. One thing that I really struggle with is citation. It changes every year. I teach my students the importance of citation and why we give credit to those who provide information for us. I teach them the important information to look for (author, title, etc.). Then I teach them how to use citation machines and how to know if your citation looks correct. Memorization of citation formats is absolutely unnecessary in my opinion, though citing sources is absolutely necessary.

Both of these things (balancing the needs of the “system” and preparing students for the future) can happen simultaneously. One way to prepare students for the big test is to help them get accustomed to the way that it will work, and to ease their fears. Practicing protocols can make standardized test tasks become muscle memory. The best part is, the practice does not always have to apply to the content. Simply practicing the skill is useful. In my gamified class, I intend on using questions that are similar to those on standardized tests as an incentive for students to gain XP (experience points). They will be optional, and some will be based on pop culture rather than content. I am willing to give up a couple minutes every week for something that can help students ease test anxiety. This practice will be minor, but will hopefully help. This way I can spend more time working on preparing my students for the future, rather than spending all of my time trying to convince students to do boring homework that looks like a standardized test.