Blog Post 3 - Leveraging Tools, Texts, and Talk in My Teaching Context

     Our world changes all the time, and it makes us a individuals learn nonstop. We learn from our peers, coworkers, parents and people in society. As teachers, we never stop learning. Today, technology changes constantly and affects our daily lives, in and out of the classroom. Throughout my years of being in the classroom, I have seen an increase in technology use and we as educators need make sure that if we are using technology it, it is for a meaningful reason and activity. Brining technology into a lesson does not guarantee engagement. “The persistent allure of technology as an easy remedy for educational issues of equity and achievement is intricately tied to naive assumptions about student interest and the possibility and desirability of "teacher-proof" (Scherer, 2012) classrooms.” (Garcia, 2013)       

    While I was student teaching, there were many classrooms that I stepped into that mainly used technology for instructional lessons and this post it made me think about if I was in that classroom, how can I turn this lesson that relied primarily on technology to go beyond the screens. One way that I would go beyond the screens but still implement the lesson would be the use of anchor charts. I have seen many teachers on social medias come up with very creative anchor charts that have been proven useful. These are not only helpful during the main lesson itself, but it is a good resource to have in the room that the student can refer to during the year.

    In the article it says that play allows a child to " engage as a character in their imagination with imaginary scenarios that can be made up on the spot without any right or wrong."(Coggin, p.3, 2014). One activity that I like to do with my pre-k class is make up a story. I will start the story off by saying “Once Upon a Time...” and then I will call on everyone to give me one sentence to build on the story. This activity allows the students to use their imagination and see how they can build off their peers. After the story is complete, I will read it as a complete story.  Children are inspired by being able to understand what is happening while   being engaged in the process of " literacy structures and sound effects" (Coggin, p.3, 2014).  

      We still need to address engagement and equity issues despite our efforts to move beyond technology and engage beyond screens. In the classroom, for example, we will need to ensure that the ideas and tools we implement are inclusive for all children and that those with disabilities are treated fairly. Some students benefit from technology making learning more accessible and successful, so we should consider students using technology to accomplish everyday tasks we teach them without it.

 

References

Philip, T., & Garcia, A. (2013). The Importance of Still Teaching the iGeneration: New Technologies and the Centrality of Pedagogy. Harvard Educational Review. https://www.proquest.com/docview/1399327199?accountid=8067&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals 

Coggin, Linda & Buchholz, Beth & Wessel Powell, Christy & Husbye, Nicholas & Wohlwend, Karen. (2014). Expanding Early childhood Literacy Curriculum through Play-Based Film-making and Popular Media.