Part Deux: Rebooting Digital Natives

The other week I lamented about the lack of technological "know how" demonstrated by my students when starting to integrate Google Drive into class along with Google Forms on top of Moodle. The frustrations experienced were based upon the assumption that students would have a better background then they did.

Reflecting upon where to go after this initial experience, I went back to the drawing board as the first problem based learning project was introduced this week. By ensuring that I better model and demonstrate the technological tools that are being pushed in class, it is hoped that students will become more comfortable using technology for academic purposes.
Thus this project will have students use Google Ed Apps for writing their annotated bibliographies and writing their argumentative paper, and building a site that will host their pieces of propaganda. In terms of research students will utilize the databases that are subscribed to through our library.
Despite the recalibration of how this was delivered there were still frustrations from my perspective in getting students to effectively use Google Ed Apps and perform formal research instead of simply "googling" it. My oft-repeated mantra is that this is a new experience for most of these students and that we are on a journey towards where they need to be at the end of the year. Having students solve "low hurdle" problems is part of this frustration, where if there isn't an answer/solution immediately then they give up.
After this initial first week, I am looking forward to seeing what they have come our first conferences this week and how this project continues to unfold.

Rebooting Digital Natives

The past few weeks I have been starting to further integrate technology into my classes of freshmen and sophomores in Social Studies as I have navigated what has been at my disposal in my new building. Most interesting to me has been the students' learning curve when it comes to accessing information on the internet, simple Google searches has been the general response provided when asking them about how they conduct research.

This didn't surprise me as much as how foreign these students were to how Google Drive aka Docs worked. As I had each class work on a collaborative document using Drive, the students were "amazed" by how we could type at the same time on the same document! Multiple students asked what they had to do to save this document so that they could work on it at home later/have a copy of it...
As I explained the concept of the cloud, many students were still perplexed about using a collaborative document and how to access the hyperlinks that were provided in the template that was provided to them. I have realized that I need to check for understanding on how to use some forms of technology that I had mistakingly assumed students knew how to use. Thus I will be looking to reboot my digital natives!

Changes...

“Fear, uncertainty and discomfort are your compasses toward growth.”

I am four weeks into a new teaching assignment away from the comforts of the past six years that I have enjoyed. In leaving the “nest”, I have reflected about where I have come as an educator since I took my second teaching position and helped to open a brand new school and establish some of the “traditions” associated with my former building. The individual that writes this today is much more polished, serious, and dedicated to his profession than in 2006. Having had the opportunity to develop as a teacher, work with great educators in other content areas and pursue a graduate degree the individual I am today has evolved greatly.

The decision to leave my old school and district is another post for a different day, the focus of this is to think about the past six weeks total (two for orientation, four with students).

The paradigm shift in beginning a new teaching job was culture shock to begin with, my orientation process was beneficial, but left me questioning my decision to leave the warm, familiarities of my last job. To steal an often mocked line from one of my last administrators, I had to learn about the new school’s “system and processes”. This introduction was overwhelming and challenging as my first thoughts:

1. Try to remember all of this!
2. Don’t screw it up!!
3. Don’t get fired in the first week!!!

The new environment appeared much more rigid and it worried me that I might now be able to “experiment” the way that my former “hetero-teaching partner for life” Michael and I had. Having enjoyed carte blanche to now being the “new guy”, I was concerned about making sure the waves I cause aren’t tsunamis that put me behind the proverbial eight-ball.

My reservations were put to rest once I was able to get into the classroom and work with students. There have been challenges though in the first four weeks from getting used to a new schedule (alternating block from straight block), sharing and having more than one classroom, and not having the same access to a wired classroom as before.

The new schedule is wonderful, not having to sprint through classes day to day has left me more relaxed and feeling prepared, teaching 5 of 8 classes over the course of two days is more manageable than 3 of 4 everyday. I feel better prepared to meet with my students and that my lessons are more thorough and complete.

The sharing of a new classroom and not being around the teachers from all content areas has been different. Working with multiple Social Studies teachers on a daily basis is great for discussions for content, but I do miss the cross-curricular conversations and ideas that develop from working in the academy model. With fewer wired machines at my disposal on a daily basis I am working on becoming better at having students use their own personal devices, while working within the parameters of the school policy regarding such use. The challenge is having students buy into what is/isn’t acceptable use and to have them model the right amount of etiquette.

Overall, the new building has been great and I am truly enjoying the opportunity. Working with new people and students though awkward at first is the same as any other situation, it takes time for all to adjust. The diverse population of the student body is a welcomed change from the homogenous one that I previously worked in.

Where do I go from here? The first challenge I have to continue pushing the envelope as an educator and find creative ways to create the student-centered learning environment that I had worked in the past year and a half.

Change is difficult, but as Michael and I have told our students numerous times, “if you aren’t uncomfortable then something is wrong”.