This week, we learned all about open learning and the impacts that it has on emerging technologies, pedagogy, and philosophy. I found that open learning allows us to easily collaborate and create with other teachers. By keeping up with other teachers, we can be up to date with the most current teaching ideas and practices. Others reflected on these thoughts as well.
This week, Carolyn shared about how open learning and collaboration go hand in hand. She noted that collaboration doesn’t only have to be online. I added to her thoughts and impacted her learning by adding that open learning is a great resource for teachers who do not have much time for in person collaboration. Melinda shared how her district has a way for teachers to share successful lessons that they have had in the past. She said that it isn’t very user friendly, however, and it doesn’t get used to its potential. I encouraged Melinda to share some ideas that she has for making these lessons more readily available for others to access.
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When it comes to open learning, the core of the practice is to increase opportunities to work with others. Graham et. al. (2014), describe open learning as, “Learning that occurs in a shared and transparent manner in which others can reuse, revise, remix, and/or redistribute the evidence of learning with others” (p. 416). The promise of open learning with emerging technologies, pedagogy, and teaching philosophy is the promotion of collaboration, connections, and interdependence to enhance the usage of technology, create in depth pedagogy, and have a grounded teaching philosophy that is rooted in the most current and critiqued ideas. Open learning is something that all students need access to. Graham et.al. say that, “An open learning environment and course should offer youth an opportunity to personalise their learning, to make it meaningful, authentic, and engaging. Open learning creates the opportunity to offer all networks a chance to connect and learn together regardless of age, experience culture, or background” (p. 433). Some ways that we can promote these ideas in the classroom are to allow students to have control of their technology, give them an abundance of tools to use, have accessible tools, access content anywhere, allow usage of their own devices, talk with parents, monitor behavior, spend money wisely on technology, and trust the children (Socol, 2015). These basics of open learning create a foundation where students can explore and learn with, from, and teach their peers. The students are learning in ways that promote 21st century skills and teaches them the ways to be learners in our current, technology filled world. To give our students these tools and skills, we as teachers should be actively seeking out opportunities to advance our learning as well. One way to do this is with Open Education Resources. These are “full courses, modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software, and any other tools, resources, materials or techniques used to support access to knowledge” (Graham et.al., 2015, p. 419). Throughout my masters program, I have learned so much from other teachers who have shared resources and ideas online. Graham et.al. (2015) recommend that when we find resources we should reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute them. These are important because it can save teachers time and effort on development and lead to quicker changes in practice to benefit the students (OER, 2013). Overall, open learning leads to greater development in teachers and ensuring the usage of best practices. Because of quick collaboration and connections with those near and far, ideas can be shared and revised to be useful for teachers. Open learning can also promote 21st century learning for our students. With so many emerging technologies, students can participate in activities that allow them to explore and grow with the tools teaching them to be current world citizens. References Graham, L., LaBonte, R., Roberts, V., O'Byrne, I., & Osterhout, C. (2014). Open Learning in K-12 Online and Blended Learning Environments. Handbook of Research of K-12 Online and Blended Learning,415-446. Retrieved from http://press.etc.cmu.edu/files/Handbook-Blended-Learning_Ferdig-Kennedy-etal_web.pdf Open Educational Resources (OER): Resource Roundup. (2013, November 04). Retrieved May 25, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/open-educational-resources-guide Socol, I. (2015, August 27). The Basics of Open Technology. Retrieved May 25, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/the-basics-of-open-technology-ira-socol This week we discovered the definition of emerging technologies. I learned from my peers and I also impacted their learning. Some specific emerging technologies were discussed this week along with what some characteristics of emerging technologies are.
Both Pepper and Brandy talked about how Google has many apps available. I connected with both of them on this topic as Google Drive and Google Photos have been a cornerstone of how I keep my documents and data backed up. These apps were so foreign to me just a short 5 years ago and now I can’t imagine keeping files without them. Mariah talked about the definition of emerging technologies and how to use them in the classroom with young children. I expanded on her thought and shared how important it is for us as educators to keep up with current technology. How it is our responsibility to prepare the future generation for the world they will live in. The thoughts on my blog this week impacted the learning of both Melinda and Mariah. Melinda was interested in the idea of using robots for students with ASD and learning how to use emerging technologies in her classes. Mariah was also interested in how to bring coding into the classroom, but had questions on whether short term goals are worth pursuing. Overall, I am very excited to learn about some emerging technologies and how I can implement them in the classroom! Emerging technologies (ET) cannot be defined as one single statement. According to George Veletsianos (2008), they are new technologies (that don’t necessarily have to be new), are coming into being, they go through hype cycles, aren’t fully understood or researched, and their potential is both welcomed and opposed. Although many emerging technologies are new, some have been around for a while but haven’t been fully utilized. This may attribute to not being fully understood or researched and that they seem overwhelming to those who may use them.
The use of ET has an achievement gap that can be seen in populations of poverty. Adams Becker et. al. (2016) says, “[Students with] low-SES and minority students are statistically more likely to attend schools with inexperienced teachers and high staff turnover” (p. 30). Without proper training, it is hard to know how to implement ET. New technologies may be used in old ways and continue the cycle of the achievement gap. One way to close this gap is to ensure teachers and students have access to resources and communication that extend beyond school (Gordon, 2016). This can be done with nonprofits and community centers/businesses that increase resources for students. One way to bring ET into the classroom is through coding. There are many resources that teach students lessons on how to code (see: code.org). Teaching coding in the classroom is critical as it can be linked to economic growth and promotes creativity and computational thinking (Adams Becker et. al., p. 16, 2016). Students enjoy coding and it teaches them problem solving skills and to control the devices that they interact with. Coding can be implemented in the classroom with a few easy steps, these help break down the barriers of ET being opposed for not knowing how to use them. The five steps listed by Harrell (2015) say to get connected with resources, allow students to be partners in learning, trust the students, team up with other teachers, and choose fun resources that the students enjoy. Another ET that can be useful especially in the special education classroom are robots and artificial intelligence (AI). AI can help students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) learn social skills. Because computers and robots are “predictable, logical, and can provide an intellectual outlet for children with specialized interests,” students with ASD and practice social skills with a mechanism that passes no judgement and be able to apply to skills in conversations with people (Smith & Bone, 2016). Adams Becker et. al. (2016) says, “Advancements in artificial intelligence, a topic featured later in this report, are greatly expanding the capabilities of these machines, making it possible for them to act intelligently, improvising and adapting their reactions and functionalities as they learn from experiences” (p. 40). Teachers need to know how to teach their students how to make and program robots. They have so much to offer for people with disabilities and have so many more functions. Overall, ET can be intimidating for many teachers, but with the right training and foresight, they can be used in a very powerful way. It is necessary for teachers to take action and research ET and share their findings with other teachers and school administration. Our students are part of the next generation and it is our responsibility to educate them on topics that will be relevant to their future. References Adams Becker, S., Freeman, A., Giesinger Hall, C., Cummins, M., and Yuhnke, B. (2016). NMC/CoSN Horizon Report: 2016 K-12 Edition. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. Gordon, D. (2016, April 28). Technology's Role in Closing the Achievement Gap. Retrieved May 18, 2017, from https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/04/28/technologys-role-in-closing-the-achievement-gap.aspx Harrell, M. (2015, March 17). Add Coding to Your Elementary Curriculum. . . Right Now. Retrieved May 18, 2017, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/add-coding-elementary-curriculum-now-matt-harrell Smith, C., & Bone, C. (2016, February 22). Artificial Intelligence in Special Education. Retrieved May 18, 2017, from https://designmind.frogdesign.com/2016/02/artificial-intelligence-in-special-education/ Veletsianos, G. (2008, November 18). A definition of emerging technologies for education. Retrieved May 18, 2017, from http://www.veletsianos.com/2008/11/18/a-definition-of-emerging-technologies-for-education/ |