A decade ago laptops, iPhones, and Smart Boards in the classroom might have seemed like science fiction. But technology has migrated from the isolated applications of scientists and engineers into the sphere of education.
First came computer labs and the internet. Now, students bring personal devices and communicate wirelessly. This phenomenon has transformed the face of learning in Alberta classrooms and around the world.
Tablets like the iPad shown here are gaining in popularity.
Technology in the School System
25 years of teaching at Bev Facey High School means that Gerald Chung has watched technology’s tendrils extend into the classroom—and flourish. He received his Masters Degree in Instructional Technology from the University of Alberta in 2002 and was one of three teachers recently recognized for the SMART Technologies Innovative Use of Technology Award. As a teacher of Computer Science, Marketing, and Networking, Chung uses technology in every class.
“We have access to technology all the time,” he says. “Even in marketing. We make blogs, logos, and web pages for sample businesses.”
His computer science students rebuild computers, learn programming and design games.
Chung was also involved in a pilot project where textbooks were shared electronically-though he notes that about half of students preferred ‘old-school’ hard copies.
“Technology is a huge part of learning, but it’s important to not be behind a computer all the time. We want kids to be well rounded. We still need social skills.” “Technology means kids can find answers to almost anything. They can respond instantly in class-even anonymously, which makes them more likely to respond.”
Laptop Learning
Melissa Kerr was another of the three teachers to win the Award – in part because of her participation in the ‘Emerge One-to-One Laptop Learning Program’ at Lakeland Ridge School.
“The purpose of this three year research grant was to examine how having access to technology – in our case student laptops – would affect overall teaching and learning. We selected our grade seven group of students to have school laptops they would have access to at school and home and followed them until the end of grade nine.”
Kerr, a junior high science teacher at the time and now Assistant Principal at A.L. Horton Elementary, noticed a shift in her teaching to a more student-focused approach.
“My classes were no longer limited to a 45 minute period; my students could access, discuss, and reflect on their learning virtually at any moment.”
With this host of evolving technologies, how do teachers keep up?
That’s where the Faculty of Education’s EdTech Services, opened February 1st 2012, comes in. Dedicated to supporting staff and students with technology needs, Ed Tech helps future teachers prepare to use technology in the field.
Dr. Janet Welch, Assistant Dean of Information Technology and Computing in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta
Sometimes technologies evoke fear-whether technical difficulties or steep learning curves. Dr. Janet Welch, Assistant Dean of Information Technology and Computing, provides some insight.
“There absolutely is both a hesitancy and fear for some,” says Welch. “I do not expect this will ever go away for some students, staff, and faculty members. We therefore focus on strategically integrating technology in areas where people are willing. One of the trends we’ve seen over the last few years is that students are pressuring us to advance with technology. That’s a good thing!”
Welch notes graduates often feel concerned that they’re not ready to use technology already in place within schools.
“Our goal is to help them advance their skill set enough to be ahead of the K to 12 system. This means that the standards adopted in K to 12 must become standard in our programs. It’s not enough for our faculty to use these tools; we must give students opportunities to become familiar with the devices.” EdTech Services opened a ‘Learning Commons’ where students can test a variety of educational technology.
Field Trip
To learn how these technologies work in the classroom, I decided to visit Michael A. Kostek School. Technology Lead Jeremy Brooks, currently doing his Masters of Education in Technology, helped fill me in.
MAK has 60 Netbooks, 30 laptops, 23 computers, two Kindergarten iPads, SMART Boards, and cameras.
Jeremy Brooks – currently doing a MEd in Technology
Brooks shows me a SMART Board in his grade 5 classroom, demonstrating how the touch screen responds to pointing, electronic erasers and pens, and allows users to access multimedia. Other tools Brooks uses are Google Docs, Prezi, and Glogster.
“With Google Docs, kids can collaborate, plus I can watch them work from my computer. I can comment, they can correct their errors, and I get a message when the correction is complete,” says Brooks.
Brooks is part of ‘Technology Without Borders,’ a partnership of 13 schools who meet regularly to share information. Teachers spread the word back to their schools and the web widens.
Brooks impresses that “good teaching trumps everything. A good lesson should stand on its own, but technology gives kids more avenues to pursue and potentially lights a spark in kids that might not respond to traditional methods.”
Student Appeal
Technology spreads fast – and in grade six Sara-Joy Phillips’ case, it spread to her dad’s workplace.
“My dad was doing a presentation on Prezi for work, so I helped him add text, pictures, and arrows to make it more interesting. After the presentation, everyone asked him about Prezi, not the presentation.”
Phillips likes using Prezi and Google Docs in class, and is currently using Prezi for a social project to compile her life story.
But Catherine Adams, Assistant Professor, Secondary Education at the University of Alberta, impresses that technology, though helpful, shouldn’t be adopted ‘just because’.
Adams’ research investigates the use of technology in schools. She is currently looking at changes in teacher practices when a new technology arrives in class.
“I look at how technology shapes the decisions teachers make, and how it changes the atmosphere,” she says.
She points out that rather than assuming all technology is helpful, teachers and administrators should think critically about how it will affect teaching practices and student learning.
“Technology enhances things, but at the same time it might atrophy something else,” she warns, using the example of calculators. Though they allow higher-order thinking, but they can also cause mathematic memory to fade.
“We have seen no evidence that young children are benefiting in the dramatic ways that manufacturers seem to imagine,” she adds.
Though technology can be helpful, Adams makes the point that teachers must ensure the basics are in place-such as keyboarding and digital literacy.
“I feel it’s important for teachers to connect with children in ‘the everyday’ – that good teachers are good regardless of the technologies they use. That is what education is all about. They do need technology tools to do the work they do; what worries me is the pressure to use technology in the classroom.”
Perhaps the pluses of technology are summed up best by Kerr.
“The greatest technology that transformed my teaching was the use of student laptops. I was able to go far deeper than any textbook, which allowed for true enrichment in my lessons. Students had the opportunity to investigate ideas further and get a deep understanding of concepts.”
Guide to Technology Referenced Above:
Google Docs
This application lets you save documents online, work in real time, and collaborate from separate locations. From anywhere in the world!
Prezi
Allows you to compile information on a blank canvas and then group concepts together and zoom in and out to keep the audience interested. Videos, internet links, and photos can be uploaded, and it can be saved online for multiple access.
School Zone
This is familiar to all teachers in the system. It allows teachers, parents, and students to connect to homework assignments, resource links, and Google Docs, simplifying the communication process and keeping everyone in the loop.
Tablet
A mobile computer (ex. iPad, Transformer, Playbook) with touch-screen technology. Can be used for writing, research, and even art and is good for tactile learners.
SMART Board
Imagine a giant iPad used by an entire classroom. An image from a computer is projected from the ceiling onto a touch-screen board. Teachers and students can write on the board with electronic pens, erase with erasers, point on word documents and hand-write or print on documents. Pulling in video, photos and internet links is easy, and entire lesson plans can be both created and accessed. Teachers can personalize lessons with themes and photos, and if a kid accidentally draws on the board, a shot of hairspray removes the damage.
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