Multitasking: Friend or Foe

Humanity has evolved into a multitasking digital and sometimes, distracting, world. This PBS documentary digital_nation life on the virtual frontier discusses what life is like in the digital world we live in today. As educators, this is the world our students are growing up in and in the information age, we have to adjust our teaching methods in order to engage our students.

Multitasking between listening to lectures, texting, facebooking, and having a conversation and switching between all of these tasks is so common for not just college students, but adults, too. Research in the video shows that, while people seem to think that they are completing all of these tasks to the best of their ability all at the same time, they are actually being distracted and would perform each task better if they were focusing exclusively on each task. The increase in the use of technology seems to have created both benefits in engagement but a decrease in some skills like writing. While 21st century skills seem to be improving, what used to be common skills covered in school are not at the level they once were according to the video.

The tasks that we are asking students to do in class have to evolve or students will not be engaged. As one student said in the video, he hasn’t read Romeo and Juliet but he could get online and “read it” in five minutes because he doesn’t feel like there are enough hours in the day. Our students are “living online” currently, so we must bring the online world into the classroom for our students to feel as though what they are learning is relevant. This New York Times article, Our Cluttered Minds by Jonah Lehrer, discusses the pros and cons of the internet and what it may be doing to our brains. Our attention span seems to have diminished and our brains are constantly swamped with information pulling us in many directions. This is the way our world is now, therefore, students need practice in both splitting their attention and focusing on one project.

While we cannot change the information and distractions that are pulling our students’ brains away from school, we can make changes to teach them how to focus in meaningful ways on important tasks. I am as guilty as anyone of getting distracted by life and splitting my attention between multiple tasks. There are complaints that students today want instant gratification, but I feel like that is how the world has become and my coworkers and I are the same way. I want students to be able to have the focus to read a novel, but I also think that one of the best strategies we can use at school is to continue having student apply the 21st century skills like multitasking, collaboration, and creative problem solving. These are all tasks that students will have to use in real life jobs. I use these skills daily as a teacher and practicing these tasks will help students become more skilled in these necessary life expectations.

21st Century Skills Frameworks and Assessments

         There are many frameworks for 21^st Century Skills available today for teachers to use. One of the most widely used frameworks is the Partnership for 21st Century Skills Framework for 21st Century Learning. This framework incorporates not only the core subjects, but also 21^st century content, learning and thinking skills, information and communications technology literacy, and life skills. Beyond the frameworks for 21^st century skills, there are even more detailed frameworks for digital literacies. These frameworks focus on the information and communication technology literacies that have become an integral part of teaching today. The following graphic compares and contrasts three of the digital literacy frameworks. The frameworks include the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)National Education Technology Standards for Students, the Educational Testing Service(ETS) ICT Digital Literacy Framework, and Henry Jenkins’ digital literacies based on new media.

          While all three frameworks present the information in ways that differ, there are many overlapping themes. The ISTE’s framework is quite detailed and, in my opinion, is the best option available. It incorporates many skills and also gives examples of student activities for each of the standards in the framework. The ETS ICT framework is very limited in the descriptions of the literacies. The five levels of literacy outlined by this plan are also really simple in comparison to the other two frameworks. This framework does not seem modern and is the least useful for incorporating 21^st century digital literacies. Henry Jenkins’ framework is different from the other two in that it lists the activities and abilities students should be able to achieve to demonstrate proficiency. Many of these do overlap with other skills and literacies found in the other frameworks. This framework is a different approach and is another valuable resource for teachers.

Another change in 21^st century teaching is the types of assessments that are given to students in class. When 21^st century skills are being used in learning activities, the standardized assessments that are still widely used in the United States to measure achievement are not the optimum assessment for truly measuring the abilities of our students. While some assessments like the College and Work Readiness Assessment (CWRA) and the Programme forInternational Student Assessment (PISA) are making some changes in the way they assess students, many state exams like the ISTEP+ in Indiana are still behind the times. The CWRA and PISA tests measure skills that must be learned and applied as a whole as opposed to separate math, language arts, science, or social studies tests. Skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, written communications, and real-life challenges are measured rather than rote memorization of facts. These assessments rely on the team of teachers to teach the 21^st century skills beyond their individual subject areas alone in order to prepare students for what lies beyond school. An additional assessment that Great Britain is using for students at ages twelve-thirteen is the Key State 3 ICTLiteracy Assessment. This assessment measures not only ICT skills but a student’s ability to apply the skills on complex problems that require research, communication, information management, and presentation. These assessments are not used in my school district to my knowledge, although they are all administered at the middle or high school level and I teach elementary school. I can see a valid use for a test similar to the Key Stage 3 ICT Literacy Assessment as that assessment really goes beyond the paper and pencil and requires students to truly apply their skills in the digital atmosphere. The skills measured in that assessment align with many of the skills needed in the majority of careers today. Overall, all three of these assessments are moving beyond the typical standardized tests that are focused on one subject at a time and measuring mostly the memorization of basic standards.

           Classroom assessments have come a long way in some schools, but remain as only summative assessments in others. With collaboration and creativity such an important part of 21^st century learning, formative assessment is essential for teaching to evolve as students are working. It is no longer acceptable for students to be reading from textbooks and taking notes and then being asked to take a test at the end of each chapter. Student knowledge needs to be assessed throughout learning so that the teacher may correct and redirect students to ensure that by the time any summative assessment is given, the students have been given every opportunity to show growth. Collaborative activities that require responsibility, communication, and creativity are much more engaging for students and can allow for formative assessment while meeting with classmates and teachers.

             My school, Delaware Elementary, is absolutely amazing and the methods used in our classrooms are definitely 21^st century learning. The learning is very hands on, we have a plethora of technology available, and we do not have textbooks. Our assessment is throughout the activities including both formative and summative and we also have a standards based report card. We give levels as opposed to letters for grades; 1 (below proficient), 2 (approaching proficient), 3 (proficient), and 3+ (beyond proficient).  This allows a math teacher to rate number sense, computation, algebra, geometry, measurement, data analysis, and problem solving separately as opposed to just a math grade. It may be naïve, but I feel like our students really do enjoy what we do at my school. If I could change one thing it would be the transiency of the neighborhood. We see so many students come and go and then come back that I wish we could have them all for an extended period of time because it would make a dramatic difference for so many of them. 

Formative vs. Summative?

Want to Learn More?!?

Do you want to learn more about incorporating technology into the art classroom?!? If so, there is a tab on this blog labeled "Technology Mini-Course." If you click on this tab, you can access a mini-course that could earn you 5 PGP's towards license renewal! How awesome is that?! You can also click here to access the course.

In addition to this course, I want you to have access to many of the tools that I have discussed on this blog in an easier to manage location. Click on the image below and it will take you to my symbaloo webmix that contains many helpful resources that I'm sure you will find useful in your art classroom!

Enjoy!

Will Technology Take Over?

        I have spent much time analyzing and applying new technology in the classroom in my teaching career, thus far. However, the whiteboards, laptops, and tablets are just the beginning of the technology that will be integrated into my classroom throughout my future lessons. New and innovative technology tools are being developed daily. The likelihood that these new innovative tools will be useful for our students is high and we will want to teach our students to utilize the tools to improve their learning. I remember during my student teaching, we had an LCD projector and thought we had won the lottery. Now, I have an ActivBoard and cannot imagine not having this resource for my teaching. Times change and new opportunities arise. We have to embrace change and innovation if we are going to prepare our students. In our society today, technology is an vital part of our classroom and teaching. It is also an essential part of our students’ futures and their lives outside of school. As I’ve said before, I feel like technology is a true asset if used in the proper manner. There has to be a balance of hands-on lessons, as well. I’m sure that there are some teachers who “overuse” the technology tools they have just because they are available. I am not going to eliminate a project from my curriculum just because it does not revolve around technology. I may, however, find a technology resource to enhance the lesson if it is beneficial. The opportunity for new innovative lessons and improvements should be taken as it is presented, but teachers have to create a sense of balance in their classrooms.


         I may be naïve, but as an art teacher, I feel like all the technology in the world could never take the place of me in my classroom. I feel the same way about drawing applications on tablets. They are really neat and useful, but they will NEVER take the place of drawing with crayons, pencils, markers, oil pastels, charcoal, etc. Painting is irreplaceable as an art form, as is sculpture. We have many applications and web 2.0 tools available now, and many more to come, but none of them will take the place of creating art with our hands. Students producing creative artwork and having a teacher helping hands-on is priceless. As long as there are projects, experiments, dissections, and so much more, teachers will be needed in the classroom. Online learning may work for some subjects and people, but kids need human interaction and social environments in order to truly develop and I just don’t see the schools environment being eliminated entirely. Our role may change to just guiding learning and leading students in their own projects as opposed to standing up front lecturing. I feel like the role of educators in the 21st century has already changed and we are giving our students more ownership and responsibility for their learning. I love that education is leaning in this direction. I’m excited to see what the children of today will be doing with all of this freedom and innovation when they make it out of high school and college. We are training students to be successful and problem solve and I really feel like we are preparing them for what they may encounter later and we are promoting ground-breaking ideas. New emerging technologies like cloud computing, gesture based computing, mobile and tablet learning, game based learning, and learning analytics will likely be integrated into our classrooms in the next few years and we will need to accept the changes and learn from them as we go. We are teaching our students to problem solve and use critical thinking skills and I feel like it is only fair that we, as teachers, do the same. Education has come a long way from the one room school house of yesterday and it is sure to go much further. We have to embrace the opportunities and use them to benefit our students the best we can!

Stupefy!!!

This week I've been exploring game-based learning and wanted to try out a game that I thought might be able to be used in a school setting. I have read all about complex games that help students with decision making skills, developing strategies, and improved hand-eye coordination. While the game itself does not have a specific subject area, there are many lessons and benefits of complex games. I chose an XBOX 360 game called Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I.  I chose the game because of the complex nature and also because it is based on a children’s novel. Also, let’s face it, I love Harry Potter. This game is most certainly a complex game. There are many small goals throughout the game and the end goal is to defeat Voldemort and his death eaters. Having read the book, I know that I haven’t even scratched the surface in completing my goals and missions, yet. The game leads Harry, Hermione, and Ron through the parts of the book. At each part of the story that the death eaters may be around, you must cast spells and defeat them. There are new spells and potions to gain as you go through the missions. Additionally, the game makes you choose the path that you are going to take and you have to keep your strategy in mind.

I had two excellent assistants to help me try to defeat the death eaters!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I...tougher than I imagined!

While playing this game, it is nice that there are short instructions that guide you to learn which buttons control movement or spells. It is difficult to remember what all of the buttons do all while being attacked with vicious spells from death eaters! I chose “easy” and almost immediately said to my fiancé, “this is difficult!” There is definitely a learning curve and you must have persistence to play the game and continue making the decisions necessary to complete missions. Whenever I failed a mission, it was a little easier the second time around. I did not kill enough death eaters or I was caught with my invisibility cloak on meant that I had to go back to the last time it auto-saved from the last mission. I like that games like this really make kids, and adults, think about how they messed up and correct it in order to move forward. It is very much like many instances in real life. I look forward to learning new spells and hopefully catching on with this game so that I can eventually defeat Voldemort! I really like that this is the type of game that saves throughout and you can continue at your own pace. I learned that these games are NOT easy. I also discovered that I can only play these games for a short time period and then I have to take breaks. I also tend to get frustrated easily when I can’t figure out how to complete a task. I reminded myself of some of my students while I was playing this game. It gave me an interesting insight into how they feel sometimes at school.

I have learned that video gaming can be very beneficial to students in learning real life skills and tactics. I never realized how much concentration and memory is needed for these complex games. There is also, surprisingly, quite a bit of reading involved in the learning of the games. I like that literacy is necessary to complete tasks. So many of them also involve calculating what move is best for your character and mission. I have truly seen what video games can do for children in today’s society through not only my reading, but through actually experiencing the learning myself. I certainly have more respect for the children who are relentless in their gaming techniques and are very goal oriented in their missions. Gaming is much easier to watch that actually participate!

Game-Based Learning: Where to Start

Below is a playlist that I have created on mentormob to help with what can seem to be a daunting task to take on if you are unfamiliar with video games, in general. Many teachers are skeptical to incorporating video games into their curriculum. This playlist features videos and articles that will convince you that, if done in the correct way, game-based learning can truly benefit our students. I also feel like the engagement of our students will immediately be improved because they are so into the games! While there is not a video game for EVERY lesson, I would suggest researching the games available and incorporating them so that our students can learn practical life lessons they will need in the future! Enjoy!

Create your own Playlist on MentorMob!