Over the course of this term, I feel like I have gained a great deal of valuable information about the issues surrounding technology use in the classroom. Because I have taken EDST 422 (the other technology class in the EdF major), I wasn’t sure that I would gain much from this experience, however the individual project allowed me to really dive into a topic that I had not had the opportunity to explore before. This was one of the most useful and relevant projects I have done in quite a while through this program and I was extremely grateful that I was able to play such a major role in shaping how my project developed. I also did not have exposure to programs like excel and publisher prior to this course. I feel like the skills I gained from exploring these programs will be extremely useful to me as a future educator. In fact, I have already begun using these programs for things like making gradebooks for my FIG class. Overall, I think that this course helped me to grow as a future educator and contributed to my own understanding of the ways that technology can (or can not) be a useful tool in the classroom.
How I felt when I woke up Thursday morning in Eugene...
When I was younger, my family had no form of technology aside from televisions and radios. We did not have cellphones, internet, or a computer until I was around the age of ten or eleven. I don’t remember being exposed to these types of technologies in elementary school either. I was, however, fortunate enough to have two sets of grandparents that both had computers and internet in their homes.
Every time I would visit my grandparents I would play the new computer games my grandfather got for hours and hours. I remember some of my favorites being Clue Finders, Carmen Sandiego, and JumpStart. I feel that these games were really important to me gaining such a sense of curiosity about the world. The interest I had in the subject matter of these games was so strong that I was actually able to transfer that curiosity to the things I was learning in school. This curiosity and love of learning really helped me to succeed in school as a young child.
In middle school, we began taking typing classes where we would use programs like Mavis Beacon and other typing games to practice our typing skills. To this day I am still so thankful for that opportunity, as it has been incredibly useful in my academic career. I have seen how difficult it can be to write a paper when you are physically unable to put your thoughts on the computer fast enough. I think that this ability gave me an edge in middle school and has continued to help me throughout my academic career.
In high school we had even more exposure to computers as we had a few more classes such as STEM, and Computer Skills. We also had a computer lab that we were able to access before and after school. This was useful to me since we still did not have a computer at home during this time. I had a smartphone which I used for social networking, but I always either went to the computer lab or to my grandparent’s house when I needed to use a computer for school work.
The summer before I left for college I bought my own laptop, which was very exciting for me. My grandfather helped me set it up and learn how to use many of the features on it. Getting this laptop was so crucial to my academic success beyond high school. There are so many aspects of college life that only exist online such as registration, applying for scholarships, and communicating with faculty (via email). Without the background knowledge of how to utilize these online resources, I know that I would not have had the skills necessary to succeed in college.
I have actually been in this situation in the past with a FIG (Freshman Interest Group) student that I taught. This particular student added me on Facebook on the very first day of class. Being new to teaching and the position of an FA (FIG Assistant), I accepted her request thinking that it would be a great way to connect with the students outside of class. I began to feel strange about this almost immediately knowing that all of my personal posts were now out there and subject to judgment from my students. Thankfully I had a fairly G rated Facebook that had only contained slight bits of information about my political views and personal life. This was not the case, however for the student I befriended. They had every detail of their life on display for me and all of their friends to see. From weekend festivities to illicit activities- it was all there. For the most part I tried not to look at what they were posting so that I didn't develop a bias towards or against the student in class. I had already made the mistake of friending the student, so I wanted to try my best to avoid any future mistakes that could arise from the situation. However one day came that the student emailed me and told me that they were sick and needed to stay home from class. After class I logged onto Facebook to see that they had gone shopping with friends that day during our scheduled class time. While I was hurt that the student lied to me, I had to remember the duties I had as an FA and judge the situation based on what would be the least disruptive to the relationship the student and I had. I chose not to confront them and give them a makeup assignment as I would in any other situation. While pretending I didn't see the post was difficult at first, I knew that it was necessary to maintain the classroom community we had created. From that year on I have refused to befriend any of my FIG students until after the year is complete. This keeps my classroom environment a safe place where students can feel comfortable sharing or not sharing anything they want with me and their peers. I also have created Facebook groups since that year so that my students can use Facebook as a tool to communicate with others in the FIG in a space that allows them to keep their other information private.
My 2012 FIG (not from the year that I friended the student!)
While I am definitely an advocate of technology in the classroom, I have recently come to a new understanding about the ways that technology can actually hinder the development of a child's creative growth. Last year, I was fortunate enough to observe at a school that used a Waldorf curriculum- a pedagogy that excludes technology completely from the classroom. This was a difficult concept for me at first, but as I got to know the kids and started becoming involved in what they were learning, I could really see the benefit to this approach.
The students at this school spent their days learning how to create sustainable gardens (which also served as the primary food source for their cafeteria), hatch chicks and build chicken coops for the school (which also served as a source of eggs for their cafeteria), play stringed and wind instruments, and some sort of "hand work" (crocheting, knitting, felting, etc...). These skills were all the foundations upon which students learned everything else. For example, their math lesson was built into the chicken coop project as each student had to work together to precisely measure out each piece required to complete the coop; and their reading and grammar lesson was built in to their group work to create letters for community members informing them about their community garden. It was amazing to me how connected these students were not only to the academic skills they were gaining, but also to their sense of self and the community around them. I truly believe that this is something that is most effectively achieved through removing technology from the learning environment and allowing students a space to freely explore their own creativity.
I also did a survey of several students in my classroom to assess whether or not they were able to access and use technology at home. Almost all of the students said that they had access to multiple technological outlets at home and enjoyed their time being "unplugged" at school each day. I felt like this finding just further showed how important it is to give kids a space to just be kids and explore who they are and how they fit into this world. While I am still not sure if a classroom that is totally void of technology is right for my personal teaching pedagogy, I am definitely more cautious technology after my experience at the Waldorf school.
