"Technology Integration Plan"

Increasing student's understanding of alternative narratives and personal experiences throughout history.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1KHltY8qu8q6d7g4mqBiImcgSmRJid3vYLGywnf35fiA/edit#gid=0


History is so interesting because of its impact on the "truth". Every government, or even group of people for that matter, has attempted to rewrite history in their favor. Because human beings have such imperfect memories, the documentation of what and how events occurred is key if we are going to continue advancing as a species. Otherwise, as the old adage goes, we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of our past. Historians have a responsibility to mankind, similar to doctors, lawyers, or mechanics, in looking for the unbiased and true accounting of events, and then documenting those happenings for the rest of humanity to review and understand. 

The above rationale was the impetus for my lesson plan on "The Common Man's History" for 11th grade Social Studies. We as educators need to instill in our charges the importance of critical thinking, analysis, synthesis, collaboration, and communication. Even more vital is the need for independence. This is especially true in what we examine from our past, as well as emphasize to be part of our national discourse. Free thinkers developed the ideas that we founded our nation upon. They created progressive programs such as social security, and helped solve polio. College dropouts were the creators of the machine that I am currently writing these words with, and enabled me to post this so that others can review and evaluate. But this autonomy needs to be instilled in the next generation; or else we will slide into conformity and stagnation. 

Along with an eye towards independence, educators need to be cognizant of curriculum standards that have served us well in the past and present. Content standard are what enable us to stay centered on the goals of our teaching process. They bring us back to a focus on the reason for establishing schools in the first place. For my Technology Integration Plan I focused on the impact of immigrants on our nation, urbanization that has accompanied the migration of peoples, and the legal standards and worker protections that we value in business practices. 

In addition, we need to embrace technology instead of running from the fear that change can arouse. Like it or not our young people are more and more reliant on digital technology, both in their personal life and in the classroom. If we can change with the times we will be able to harness these developments, instead of fighting a losing battle. That being said, the technology itself is not the goal. It is simply another tool in our arsenal in fighting ignorance. For my Integration Plan I kept it relatively simple in terms of equipment, but I hold the teacher responsible for guiding the use of these tools to create high level learning experiences. The Internet, computers, scanners, videos, microphones, and electronic whiteboards can be utilized in the lesson plan, but they are not the be all-end all. If we do not have a certain tool, then the teacher needs to adapt and re-focus on the goal of the exercise. The most crucial apparatus has always been, and always will be, our minds. 

The content standards mentioned above can be accompanied by technology specific standards, such as ISTE, officially known as "International Society for Technology in Education Technology Standards for Students (ISTE*S)". For my Integration Plan I highlighted these 5 ISTE standards:
ISTE 1: Creativity and innovation.  
ISTE 2: Communication and Collaboration  
ISTE 3: Research and information fluency  
ISTE 4: Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making and  
ISTE 5: Digital Citizenship

Being a teacher is a big responsibility. The success of each and everyone of our students is our duty. Whether we are drawing on the wall of the cave, speaking to a group of students in the Greek sophist school, reading books by candlelight in Italian monasteries, or utilizing an electronic smart-board....we owe it to those who came before us and those who will hopefully come after to educate to the best of our ability. Through adequate knowledge of, as well as instruction in use, modern technology, we can fulfill our obligation.

"Padlet Unit Plan"

11th grade Social Studies: The Common Man's History

http://padlet.com/cooktimo/commonman

I have always be intrigued by the untold stories of the masses who actually built America into what it is today. Who were they? What did they do and how did they do it? Are the societal structures that put people into separate classes a bi-product of capitalism, or are they a deliberate construct of those at the top of the social ladder to horde wealth and power?

History is often confused as a linear process with deliberate decisions made by very smart and old white men. But it is much more diverse and interesting than that. Through analyzing some of the more unknown roles and characters in our nation's history, students will be able to identify and connect with citizens who may have been their ancestors or even family members. History is the greatest "reality TV" show ever....because it is actually real!!

I used the internet to find sources, and was able to follow the breadcrumbs of some of the websites on my padlet page in order to get to other quality sources.

"Supporting Instruction with Technology"

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1e7UzkDxoBXnxGQSsevTjG57vu6IZR2z4lOJLl9_ybZw/edit#gid=0


I chose "Backstairs at Brucemore: Life as Servants in early 20th century America" because of the lack of focus on the middle and lower classes in the history content area. We, humans and educators in particular, consistently base our lesson plans around the 1% of the population that was (often) the wealthiest and most powerful part of society, and had the biggest individual contributions to shaping society as it exists today. However, the masses play a huge part in history, either through supporting a leader or organization, or by shaping the culture that facilitates a political structure. The distinct nature of books such as Zinn's "A People's History of the United States" illustrates the need for more narratives about the common man to be a part of our student's curriculum.

"Brucemore" does a good job, albeit traditional, of directing the use of technology within teaching strategies to satisfy the curriculum requirements in NJ. For example, bulletin boards and displays for projects are all mentioned in the activity directives. A step further by the teacher enables the use of the lesson plan to be adapted for the newest technologies, such as smart boards, Ipads, computer models, digital maps, and video and voice recordings.  The possibility for advanced technologies is only feasible because the lesson plan is so rich in learning opportunities. Specifically, the class is prompted to go research through primary texts, contemporary publications, enter into apprenticeships, and visit historical sites.

Technology is only valuable if the material that is being evaluated is dynamic enough to offer multiple learning opportunities. "Brucemore" is an important subject matter, and has a lesson plan that is sufficient to point the class in the right direction, but with enough flexibility to allow for multiple discovery learning possibilities. Students are able to take initiative and eventual ownership in their education, thereby facilitating internalization and retention of the content.

"Pedagogy and Technology"

1) Instructional Strategy: Monitor Progress - Think, pair, share
App: Ithoughts: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ithoughts-mindmap/id866786833?mt=8

Students visually map their thoughts, ideas, and how these concepts interact in a larger system. They then post and compare with each other as partners, before coming together into a larger group. The dialogue and negotiation ensures greater assimilation of the new knowledge, as well as future retention.

2) Form Groups - Jigsaw
Evernote app: http://www.techhive.com/article/2599838/the-best-apps-for-taking-notes.html

Students will use the Take Notes app to absorb the knowledge of other group experts. They will then return to their initial group and act as the scribe for their specific material, combining all the information into one group page.

3) Adapt Content - Learning Contract
Contract Maker Pro Lite App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/contract-maker-pro-lite/id448016945?mt=8

This app will give authenticity to the contract construction, which will require ownership of the learning process. Investment is more likely if goals are self constructed and agreed to.

4) Share ideas and opinions - Four Corners
Twitter: https://twitter.com/

Twitter will be used to follow up the Four Corners classroom exercise. Students will continue to post their own thoughts and opinions, piggyback on their peers, and be forced to negotiate and defend their own ideas. The learning process continues past the bell!

“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.