This is a perfect opportunity for technology to ease the burden. The first innovations need to consider that the system needs to evolve, not on the backs of students and teachers who are always asked to do more, but with the assistance of technology. Even simple advancements, such as, moving staff meetings and parent teacher conferences to digital conferencing platforms, like Zoom, can help ease this burden. But the conversation is ongoing, and we must always ask: What advancement is needed to curriculum and pedagogy to respect both teachers and students' time while creating an environment of 21st century education? How can we forge skills that transfer outside of the classroom, and allow our students to realize that learning is an ongoing process that doesn’t only exist in their classrooms? How can technology make education more manageable for students and teachers? I look forward to working to find these answers throughout my masters program.
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When I was 16, I received a bass guitar for my birthday. I was certain I would become a “certified funk machine”. That dream faded as I stumbled through lessons provided by a book. Even simple tasks such as fretting the instrument led to questions that I had no easy way to get answered. I had no family who played, and while some friends did, I was embarrassed to ask, “Wait, how do you hold the strings?”. As this predated YouTube, video lessons were expensive and inaccessible to a 16 year old. What separates 1996 David from 2021 David, aside from some missing/grey hair, is the technologies that we have access to. Those early challenges are a Google search away. We now prioritize YouTube over those yellow “For Dummies” books that were once such a staple of the past. With this in mind, I selected some basic bass guitar skills for my Networked Learning Project and “Operation Certified Funk Machine” was on. You can see my progress over the past 4 weeks below: My progress is ongoing, but the power of a digital learning network was felt. Considering How People Learn, my network learning community inadvertently considered my preconceived ideas and was student centered (Bransford, et al, 2000). Without actively participating in the forums, I found assistance for people with similar background knowledge. After a brief search of the subreddit /r/basslessons I found comments tailored to the specific needs of users. Replies were patient and featured follow-up and leading questions as they helped their “students'' find answers. This community, or “affinity space”, was built around individualized instruction of the bass guitar, sharing of ideas, and the theme of progress (Gee, 2017). Traditional education spaces should recognize the power of community based learning. Educators are not the only keepers of knowledge and new technologies allow us to metaphorically open the doors of our classroom easier than ever. While this is exciting and leads to a democratization of information and skills, it also brings up questions of accessibility. Technology can continue to be a barrier for students with learning disabilities. However, consideration of students’ needs and proper accommodations can provide equity for students of all learning styles and abilities (Macy, et al., 2018). Accessibility can also be a challenge for students who have economic disadvantages. While the United States is privileged with its access to technology, there are still several pockets where internet access is underdeveloped (Molinari, 2011). For digital learning to be functional, we must bridge these accessibility gaps just like skill gaps. Another concern is accountability. Who is responsible for ensuring that the information being shared is correct? These affinity spaces can be overwhelmed with misinformation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, roughly 30% of U.S. adults believed COVID-19 was created as a bioweapon. (Romer & Jamieson, 2020). While adopting the concepts of these open digital affinity spaces, we must understand that without proper monitoring they can devolve into the support of false or dangerous ideas. I hate to sound cynical, but one of our texts about learning for CEP 810 was published in 2000. 2000 is before most of the platforms that we now consider “old” technology even existed. Youtube didn’t exist, Google was two. 2000 is so long ago that I’ll bet there was a “Bransford, et all For Dummies” knocking around the halls of MSU. Despite that, we still have educators and schools failing to recognize the importance of skills and knowledge that students bring to the classroom (Bransford, et al, 2000). We still need to adopt some basic ideas about learning, and technology could be the way forward. By merging our content and pedagogical experience with technology, educators can see the importance of technology in education (Mishra & Koehler, 2006). They can then recognize what knowledge their students bring to class and take the risk of learning from their students about technology, sure, but also about pedagogy. We need to accept that books don’t always provide the easiest answers and that maybe 16 year old David may have actually become a “certified funk machine” if he had the power of a digital network, that with a bit of work, we can provide to all of our students. References:
Bransford, J., Brown, A.L. & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience and school. National Academy Press. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309070368. Gee, J.P. (2017). Affinity Spaces and 21st Century Learning. Educational Technology, 57(2), 27-31. http://www.jstor.org.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/stable/44430520. McGregor, D. (2021, October 16). Network Learning Project - CEP 810 [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/f5Brv3sRTSM Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological pedagogical content knowledge: A framework for teacher knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054. Molinari, A. (2011, August). Let’s bridge the digital divide!i [Video]. TEDxSanMigueldeAllende https://www.ted.com/talks/aleph_molinari_let_s_bridge_the_digital_divide Romer, D., & Jamieson, K. H. (2020). Conspiracy theories as barriers to controlling the spread of covid-19 in the U.S. Social Science & Medicine, 263, 113356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113356 Incorporating technology into a meaningful way requires a combination of our knowledge of content, pedagogy, and how to combine those with technology. This integration may also require some “repurposing of technology”, which means using unconventional platforms for pedagogical purposes. (Mishra & Koehler, 2009). Prior to reading about TPACK, my department and I drafted a lesson plan in which our students were to produce a podcast. This came after years of using episodes of This American Life in the classroom as supplements. Additionally, the podcast medium was exploding in access and popularity. What started as an extension of talk radio, the pinnacle of uncool, was now becoming a part of the lives of people both young and old. We conceptualized the lesson to happen after we listened to season 1 of Serial. We use Serial as a text that leads into a discussion about our role as a juror and contemporary issues within the justice system. Despite having a clear thematic focus for Serial, we wanted to open the podcast to any of their hobbies and interests. We assumed they would have more enthusiasm for the lesson if they could talk about the things that they love. While we were using the technology as an element of buy-in, we also saw this as an opportunity for our students to understand the creative process, connect it with writing fundamentals, and consider the ramifications of publication in public spaces. While podcasts can be educational, we wanted to repurpose the technology to provide a platform for students to “write”. We saw the value in outlining, organization, and presentation and felt that podcasts were the perfect opportunity to extend conversations that would normally happen with essay writing to this new technology. Having enrolled in gradschool and read several articles on technology and its integration into technology, I was taken by Renee Hobbs’ list of the 5 core competencies as fundamental literary practices and how they apply to the podcast lesson. These five core competencies include: access, analysis, creation, reflection, and action. The first, access, appears to be well-developed. Students do use technology for self-expressions, they have choice, and they are respected on their journey through research and creation. Most topics are welcome, and technology drives decisions. The second, analysis, is also present. The students are their own guide for the creation and recording process. They are pushed to obtain a diversity of voices, move outside the walls of the school, and tap into an aspect of their lives that makes them “feel alive”. Next, we have creation, which does see them considering their audience. They are to publish and share their work, incorporate creative sound effects, performance, etc. Creativity within the limitation of audio is always a challenge, and always a conversation between the students and I. However, the last two elements, reflection and action, are less developed. Yes, they do reflect on their audience and how to present their ideas, but often their topics are not connected to bigger ideas beyond their personal connections. Some additional guidance could get the students thinking beyond their personal experiences with their topic, and to how others engage in the same content. Even my example could benefit from this and help to ignite that conversation. We begin with conversations that tap into the idea of action, but often their podcasts do not. Again, much like reflection, they often analyze their topic through their life experience and personal lens only. This framework does ask a lot of young people, and while I can be critical of their lack of understanding of the outside world and “big” issues, I remember myself as a self centered young person. 21st Century learning requires so much of a global perspective, but we must start that process of understanding at a young age. I look forward to revising the lesson to have a more mindful conversation about how the student’s topics can be connected to the broader world around them. I often say that English class is the most important because it is all about teaching empathy, and modeling that with this assignment is the first step to getting them to think more broadly about education both in, and outside, of the classroom. References:
Hobbs, R. (2011). Digital and media literacy: Connecting culture and classroom. Corwin/Sage. McGregor, D. (2021, March 6). Welcome to the Harvest Phase (No. 1) [Audio Podcast]. The Harvest Phase https://anchor.fm/david-mcgregor9/episodes/Welcome-to-the-Harvest-Phase-erd13b Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. (2009, May). Too cool for school? No way! Using the TPACK framework: You can have your hot tools and teach with them, too. Learning and Leading with Technology, 36(7), 14-18.
I continue my basic lessons by going to the /r/basslessons subreddit. Subreddits have the potential to be “affinity spaces” where “newbies and masters and everyone else share common space” with the intention of sharing their knowledge and techniques (Gee, 2004). While this subreddit wasn’t the most active that I have seen, with some searching I found valuable resources. It is clear that had I chosen to be an active participant in the community, and not sit back lurking for content, I would have gotten the help that I needed in a way more tailored to my needs. After the basic plucking, I began practicing the most complicated portion, the verse. While I am no McCartney, this process has continued to illustrate the importance of these networks in promoting learning. It is foolish to believe that the classroom is the only place where learning is happening, when in just a few weeks I have found the answers to all of my questions a simple Google search away. The next step is to integrate these digital networks into our class. As I continue to learn "Come Together," I am not only going to continue to be befuddled by Paul McCartney’s genius, but why those of us in public education spaces refuse to adopt these digital learning platforms and guide our students to the power of self directed learning. References:
Gee, J.P. (2004). Situated language and learning : A critique of traditional schooling. ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.proxy2.cl.msu.edu Howcast. (2011, December 8). Basic Plucking Technique | Bass Guitar [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/AA7PMAkj2f4 McGregor. D. (2021, October 10). NLP - Verse [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/-kc4KLxKVSA With the way technology is changing overnight, it is no surprise that 21st century learning is an ongoing conversation. During my research, it became clear the pursuit of soft skills is important. These skills, which can be hard to assess for educators, include empathy, leadership skills, time management, tech literacy, etc. Despite numerous perspectives presented in How Do You Define 21st-Century Learning? by Elizabeth Rich, a shift to lessons that promote the importance of skills and their uses in the real world outside the classroom seem to be a unified message. I discuss some of my experience and findings with 21st century learning in my video below: I want to continue to focus on real world collaboration and opening up the walls of my classes. Looking at the model outlined in Episode 62 of the Cult of Pedagogy podcast, I would like to continue to promote soft skills, that I am not the “sage”, but a “guide”, that their prior knowledge matters, and their personal interests are important to the learning process. Like Bransford, et al addressed in How People Learn, we still have to ensure that we consider the context of students, their preconceived ideas about learning, foundational knowledge, and access to the tools needed to ensure an equitable learning environment. If my work in my masters courses have reinforced anything, it is that I often assume the Sage on the Stage mentality. I like to talk, explain, and push students to think deeper, but when they don’t, I tell them. I am eager to continue to attempt to turn over the reins of my class. I want to let students guide the conversation and understand the material, not because it's a task to be completed, but because they are genuinely interested and see the real world benefits. References:
Bransford, J., Brown, A.L. & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience and school. National Academy Press. http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?isbn=0309070368 Gonzalez. J. (Host) (2017, February) 62: 21st Century Learning at the Apollo School [Audio podcast episode]. The Cult of Pedagogy Podcast https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/apollo-personalized-learning/ McGregor, D. (2021, October 3). @1st Century Learning [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/Ny0bbV5YY6E Rich, E. (2010, October 11). How Do You Define 21st-Century Learning?. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/how-do-you-define-21st-century-learning/2010/10 |
David McGregorI am an English teacher and cat lover from Genesee County, Michigan who is eager to learn new things. Archives
August 2022
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