Response to: Educators Evaluate Learning Benefits of iPad & The Algebra Project: Robert Moses

The article - Educators Evaluate Learning Benefits of iPad discusses the adoption of iPads and iOS devices into school systems in Texas, Chicago, and Virginia.  In Virginia, the iPads are being used in 4th, 7th, and 9th grade classrooms as a 1-to-1 computing tool. The article mentions that the verdict is still out but that teachers and students are both supportive of continuing use of the new devices. It then goes on to discuss overcoming challenges with iOS and the lack of a file structure on an iPad.  Finally, the article discusses the use of the iPad when evaluating teachers in the classroom and utilizing an electronic rubric. I think utilizing the iPad as method for evaluation is an excellent use of the iPad, but the current software seems to need further development as it requires internet access and still requires a desktop or laptop computer for some of the evaluation. This process should be completely independent of an additional device and using a desktop or laptop almost negates the benefit using the iPad at all.

The PBS NOW video gives a look into Robert Moses' The Algebra Project which applies a civil rights view to education. Moses uses The Algebra Project to empower students both in and outsides of the classroom. In the classroom, students learn through engaging activities which relate real world problems to course material. Students further their understanding of material by teaching others while simultaneously providing an opportunity for leadership in the classroom.  Outside of the classroom students have been encouraged to take ownership of their school and education; leaving no rule or policy unchallenged. The students have taken their issues to court, fighting for funds the school district did not receive. Although unsuccessful, the students have learned that while policies are important, they are not set in stone.

References:

Quillen, I. (2011). Educators evaluate learning benefits of ipad. 4(3), 38,40-41. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2011/06/15/03mobile.h04.html

Pbs now [Web]. (2007). Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/328/video.html

The Internet

In some ways, actually in almost every way, writing about this article is laughable. The reality is that when I begin teaching as a secondary educator the era of pre-internet children will have graduated some six or seven years earlier? This however is the nature of published work about technology which in this case, became quickly dated. The author, Enrique Galindo, of Mathematics Teaching and Learning Supported by the Internet identifies five categories for incorporating technology in the classroom - resources, access to data, collaborative projects, video, and authoring.

The first and most relevant category Galindo identifies is resources. This category is particularly useful to secondary teachers entering the classroom for the first time as well as current teachers looking to improve their classroom experience. He highlights three subcategories including professional information, interactive resources, and curriculum materials which he provides specific examples of. For me the take-away was that the internet provides easy access to information which was previously not readily available to the general public. Everything else is simply a result of the availability of this information. One interesting note are the applets mentioned under interactive resources. The advantage of these web-based interactive applets is free access and lack of need for locally installed software. These applets which seem dated now, I would guess have served as the predecessors for many iOS apps which are changing learning in the classroom today.

The next three categories - access to data, collaborative projects, and video all fall under newly available resources in my opinion.  The internet has allowed the general public access to these tools which are really resources. Access to data seems simple and obvious in my opinion. The ease of communicating and reaching a larger and broader audience is as simple as creating a survey on free site and sending it to multiple list-serves. This task previously would have required polling or mailing hundreds/thousands of letters can now be performed by someone with very minimal computer/programming knowledge. Collaborative projects can now utilize video chat, email, and various forms of multimedia communication only available as a result of the internet. Currently I'm participating in a letter writing project (LWP) with high school student in Ohio, providing tasks and eliciting feedback on task generation without ever having met the students or spoken with them outside of electronic communication. This is the electronic age we live in. Video in my opinion falls to the common knowledge, although in 2005 at the time this was published may have been cutting edge, wonder what he would have said if I told him in seven years we'd be watching the Olympics in London live on our cell phones?

Originally I had grouped authoring into the resources category above, but then decided to take it a step further and fill in the blanks since the article was published. Galindo touches on the ability to publish ones work and elicit criticism and feedback, as well as provide examples of lesson plans for specific topics which was great at the time. One thing Galindo was not able to discuss, because it wasn't possible at the time of publication, is the authoring, creation, and widespread distribution of applications for mobile devices including the iPad. The internet has completely changed since Galindo wrote this article seven years ago, there's no way he could have imagined the possibilities of iOS and applications like Educreations and The Khan Academy. The internet is in transition from being THE resource to simple being the parent of the new "internet" - applications and mobile content.

Finally, he identifies six principles to determine if technology is appropriate for a mathematics exercise.  I believe these six principles are still relevant, possibly the only part of this publication that doesn't seem so in the face obvious.

References:

Galindo, E. (2005). Mathematics teaching and learning supported by the internet. In W. J. Masalski (Ed.), Technology supported mathematics learning environments (67th ed., pp. 241-261). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.

iPads in the Classroom (Ode to Apple)

It seems appropriate I have the opportunity to blog on the impact of iPads in the classroom the day of the iPhone 5 launch, or most likely "The New iPhone".  The iPhone served as the platform the iPad was built from and aside from size the iPad is really just a big iPhone.  I guess an alternate, and probably more appropriate, title for this blog post is: Super-sized iPhones in the Classroom.

The impact of Apple in the classroom and on the entire technology industry has been one of dominance and superiority; forcing many previously impressive companies to close their doors (i.e. Kodak).  Apple has not only set the standard for tablet and touch devices, but also completely changed the way we view and access content; content that was only available in now dust covered library encyclopedias, is available anywhere on any device at the touch of a finger (previously click of a button).

Even more impressive is how the digital age has changed the way students learn.  I would argue that this change is in response to the accessibility of these devices to students at a young age; the number of whom have known a time "pre-internet" is decreasing rapidly.  The number of rich and engaging apps that have been developed to address this change in learning style is a testament to the influence of these devices both in the classroom and out.  I will go as far as to say: The reason for the shift in learning style, that is from pen and paper to multimedia experiences, is a direct result of Apple products providing universal access to existing and new content (i.e. print, video, photographs, news, etc.).

The success of these devices can be  attributed to one characteristic: Intuitiveness.  No other company or manufacturer has been able to create an environment where a user can simply pick up a device and begin using it. There is no need for a user manual or tutorial, the touch interface and iOS have replaced and far surpassed these antiquated information exchange mediums.

Apples stronghold in technology market will continue to drive and shape the 21st century classroom.

Technology, an aid...not a distraction

These days, it seems like when you walk into a store to buy a new computer (does anyone still do this?), by the time the sales associate is finished talking to you and has rung up your "new" computer, it's out of date.  How often do you purchase a new piece of technology, receive it, and automatically have to update the software for the device because a new version was released between assembly and the time it arrived at your front door?  As a society, we are currently experiencing a time where technology is changing faster than standard shipping; if you as an educator are not on the cutting edge you're already behind.

As an educator the challenge arises choosing which technology has the greatest potential to improve the classroom experience for students while minimizing the risk of a technology distraction. The challenge of incorporating technology with learning, and not learning about technology is summarized in the article Research on Technology Tools and Application in Mathematics Learning and Teaching (Olive, 2010).  A topic highlighted in the article is the current generation of students learning through new media. Examples of these new media include web-based gaming environments and face-to-face learning.  No longer is the teacher centered classroom structure appropriate, nor the antiquated technology that once defined these classrooms (i.e. overheads and chalkboards). A staggering statistic is presented:

Perhaps one powerful reason for why almost a third of the students entering the high schools in this country "drop out" before completing their high school diploma (Gonzalez, 2010) is that education in many schools is presented in the same way it was in the 19th and 20th centuries. The educational process in school bares little resemblance to how people learn outside of school.  (Olive, 2010, p. 3)

Conrad Wolfram spoke to this issue in his TED presentation, noting that before computers students were required to learn the processes computers now perform for them. This change in class structure is driven by new technology that can aid students to learn mathematics, by allowing them to focus on the what, where, and why's rather than mindless process/procedure calculations.

An excellent example of integrating technology into the classroom is the utilization of The Geometer's Sketchpad (GSP 5) in the Dynamic Number Project, which allowed a Georgia teacher to work with her fourth grade students to explore equivalent fractions. The teacher was able to divide a number line so that her students could struggle through the example together, creating a connection between how the number line was divided and the equivalent fraction they were trying to match. The technology seamlessly integrated into the lesson without hindering the activity or flow of the class.

It is evident that technology will be the most influential resource a mathematics teacher has in their toolbox, however a teacher has to determine when to utilize available technology and when to simply put it away.

References:

Gonzalez, J. (2010). High-school dropout rate is cited as a key barrier to Obama's college- completion goal. The Chronicle, May 25, 2010. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/High-School-Dropout-Rate-Is/65669/ August 26, 2010. 

Olive, J. (2010, September) Research on technology tools and applications in mathematics learning and teaching. WISDOM planning conference, Laramie, Wyoming. Retrieved from https://scholar.vt.edu/portal/site/6a5f90e1-3890-433f-96d3-a328653961a6/page/7417837e-a31d-4862-8538-dd66223dcd79

Wolfram, C. (Performer) (2010). Conrad wolfram: Teaching kids real math with computers [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/conrad_wolfram_teaching_kids_real_math_with_computers.html

Response to: Learning and Knowledge in the 21st Century

As a student and soon to be educator of the twenty-first century it's difficult for me to comprehend learning, or teaching for that matter, in a non-Constructivism and Contemporary learning atmosphere.  There are very few instances I can recall where "learning" was the result of repetition and memorization. In fact, only three: memorization of state capitals, multiplication tables, and foreign language in high school.

The article touches on society driving curriculum in school, or in other words as the nation developed from agricultural to industrial to information societies so too did the curriculum needed to support such societies. A result of an evolving curriculum is the way students learn new material.  

No longer are students learning in single flow lecture style classroom, in it's place is a rich and vibrant dialogue provoking students to arrive at their own conclusions about new material. Teachers now guide students through questioning and engaging activities or the shift from "teacher-centered to student-centered"classrooms (Niess, Lee & Kadjer, 2008, p. 35).  I can attest, see the examples listed above, that the memorization and regurgitation were not effective at creating retained knowledge. One interesting note is that although many secondary classrooms have adapted to become student-centered, many universities still embrace a teacher-centered classroom.  My experience as an undergraduate in mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech supports this statement as many professors employed the velcro approach. The velcro approach is simply lecturing and throwing out information and seeing what "sticks" instead of engaging students in a dialogue. 

Additionally, the article discusses different educational psychologists theories on learning including Behaviorists, Cognitive Psychologists, and Constructivism and Contemporary views on learning. Personally I found the behaviorist view to be dated and difficult to believe (i.e. that response is simply the result of stimulus),  this aligns with my statement above about memorization and regurgitation as "behaviorists assert that behavior is shaped and strengthened through reinforcement, or practice promoting the desired behavior"(Niess, Lee, & Kajder, 2008, p. 41). The view of learning described as Constructivism and Contemporary "emphasizes an active role of the learner in building understanding and making sense of information" (Woolfolk-Hoy, 2004, p. 323). I agree with this view on learning and believe it is necessary to create an engaging and creative classroom environment.

References:

Niess, M., Lee, J., & Kajder, S. (2008). Guiding learning with technology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Woolfolk-Hoy, A. (2004). Educational psychology. (9th ed., p. 323). Allyn & Bacon.