“Reflection on Emerging Technologies”

The emerging technologies that have recently come onto the scene in our society hold great promise for use within the classroom. Specifically, tablets enable students to access vast information and means of communication while also interacting with other students in the physical classroom at the same time.

Most importantly, the benefit of new technology is the possibility to increase understanding of the content through new ways of interacting with the material and inventive forms of communication. For example, I envision the use of Social Media in connecting with a historical event such as the American Revolution. One group of students could take on the the personalities of the Revolutionaries (George Washington, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin), and the other would be the British (the King, members of Parliament, loyalists, etc). As we go through the events in the semester, the students could be tweeting as the historical figures, and then responding to each other. They will then be able to envision how the historical figures' views evolved and changed due to new events and other actor's words and actions.

Creative license will be given to the students, but the main occurrences need to be factually correct. Students will take ownership of their learning experience, and more deeply absorb the information leading to greater comprehension and retention. Technology is great, but we need to keep in mind that the new tools are just one part of the overall learning experience, and not the solution itself. It is our responsibilities as educators to equip our students with the strategies necessary to use the technology in the most effective way possible.

"Learning with Technology"

There have been some great inventions over the past century, and many have changed the rate of learning and absorption of knowledge. Computers and calculators are two that come to mind, enabling individual students to gain access to vast amounts of knowledge and do high level math that was previously impossible. However, often times as a culture we get bogged down in the details, rather than focusing on the "big picture". Using technology in the classroom as an example, we sometimes bounce from one new tool to another, and think that the new invention will revolutionize the way that students are taught. Tools are only useful if the person holding them knows how to use the instrument in the wider context of a specific goal. We need to remain focused on the goal of education: to equip students to critically think and analyze new concepts.

One of my favorite classes in graduate school was a business ethics course. The teacher handed out i-clicks at the very first class, as she talked about the reciprocal nature of ethics. I had never worked with an i-click, but they did not seem cutting edge, and seemed as advanced as a cordless phone. The teacher was commenting that as a stand-alone discipline, ethics have no power. They need a person to bring the theories and values to life. That is where the i-clicker came into the picture:

http://www.edudemic.com/classroom-technology/

The teacher turned on a video of two men in a room with a closed door, and one man explaining to the other about a stock tip that he had heard from a "inside source". The silent man then asked if this was public information yet, and was told "Don't worry about it...you are gonna get rich!". The teacher then put up a slide that asked what the questioning man should do:

-Inform the authorities
-Walk out of the room
-Tell the man to drop the subject
-Ask more questions
-Buy the stock

We quickly answered on our i-clicks, and the responses were then displayed. The class was empowered. We were able to engage with the material because we were able to voice our opinions; essentially we had become a part of the democratic process. Even more important, everyone had to participate, not just the people who enjoyed the spotlight or speaking in front of a group of people. A debate ensued as people began to dispute the results of the survey. Critical thinking had been sparked, and in part because of a small piece of technology called an i-click.

Flipped Classroom

People learn and internalize more when they are engaged and interested in a topic. The "Flipped Classroom" enables students to take control of their learning, and have more control over the subject matter. They will still have to cover the basics of any lesson, but they will be able to identify what areas they need more time on, and also what areas pique their interest, leading to further exploration. The goal of a teacher is not to "teach" a certain subject, but to inspire self-learning in a student. Furthermore, the teacher can then spend individual time with students on a segment of the lesson, thereby eliminating problem areas that can hinder absorption of the entire material.

The TED ED "Population Pyramids" (http://ed.ted.com/lessons/population-pyramids-powerful-predictors-of-the-future-kim-preshoff) was a fantastic example of how to start a conversation on a subject through a brief, but adequate, video introduction. It showed how a population pyramid is different for each country depending on the gender and age of it's populations for various age segments. This pyramid can be used to predict the future population, as well as be a record of the past. Pyramids can be used by both scientists and legislators to try to adequately govern and protect humankind. The video is followed by a "Think" section which checks comprehension and inspires some more exploration, which is complemented by the "Dig Deeper" tab. Finally, the students are empowered to offer their own feelings in the "Discuss" tab. I found the "Discuss" tab the most interesting, because it is where students really grow to love and appreciate learning. They become the author, rather than the reader. They get to express their views and their voice is not limited by the amount of time in class or the number of questions that they have already answered.

Overall I really liked this TED ED, and the idea of a "Flipped Classroom" in general. The only limitations I can see is that feedback from the teacher, and the discussion itself, is not in real time (presumably). Therefore, the students may get distracted from their thoughts or passion that was initially sparked. Also, if other students are not participating in the "Discuss" tab, they may lose out on hearing some great ideas from their classmates that they would be exposed to in the actual classroom.

Tim Cook is...

Hi everyone-


I am very excited to be in SASE 518 and to be creating my first blog.


My name is Tim Cook and I am currently in the MAT program, aiming to become a high school Social Studies teacher and hockey coach. I graduated from the University of Michigan in 2007 with a degree in history. I played four years of professional hockey in various places (Texas, Denmark, Florida, and Belfast) before entering the professional world 3 years ago. Teaching was always my end goal, but I wanted to experience the business world first. (I worked for Bloomberg LP, and the NY Islanders, from 2011-2014.)


I look forward to getting to know everyone and learning as much as possible over the semester!