Oh the Places I’ve Been!
by Scot Acre (2011)
It seems like forever and a day ago that I first enrolled at Michigan State University in The Master of Arts in Educational Technology (MAET) Program. The experience started off like most things do in my life; something that I put on my “To Do” list. I had every intention that it would end similarly with check mark next to the
bullet. Boy was I in for a surprise…
My first place: CEP 810
image URL: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lynetter/
I began my journey in CEP 810, Teaching for Understanding with Computers. The Microsoft Office Suite was visited, lesson plans were created, and I got used to something called “Angel.”
This was my first online class and it proved a challenging experience to get acquainted with a virtual environment. The material itself was manageable, but the two week deadline schedule provided much initial stress. The rubrics were designed in a way that allowed for ANY product that I deemed worthy. It was daunting to come up with ideas so quickly. In short, I wasn’t sure if this was the right program for me. Fairly soon however, I became comfortable as I realized that this program wasn’t about simply following a rigid rubric, rather it was malleable; I could mold it to fit my needs. Rather than jumping through “hoops,” I could authentically design and create lessons based on best practices using technology that would help my students. Further, the technology was only a vehicle to transport a student, it was NOT the journey. In fact, based on one of the readings, “Listen to the Natives” by Marc Prensky, I realized that the technology wasn’t just a vehicle it was a language. My students came alive when we closed the textbook and went to the computer! There was a vibe of excitement in the room that hadn’t previously existed. It was during this course that I realized that using technology WAS the future in education. I felt like I was on “the cutting edge”. I wanted to know more.
My struggling place: CEP 811
image URL: www.projects.coe.uga.edu
I enrolled in this course with excitement… that was erased fairly quickly when I found out that I needed to buy Dreamweaver and create my own website, from scratch, using FTP folders. I started the class and dropped. I had no knowledge of HTML, and had no desire to create my own site.
Don’t get me wrong, I liked the idea of a site, in fact it was one of my technology goals from CEP 810, it just seemed silly that we couldn’t use some sort of software or Web 2.0 technology. Ultimately, I retook the class, and gained another important perspective based on something from one of the lectures from the course given by Dr. Bell. It was the notion of teachers being a “guide on the side” rather than a “sage on the stage.” While I read up on HTML, I still couldn’t figure it out, so I started asking my students if any of them knew about creating a website. To my surprise, several did.
With their help, I got my site up and running. It got me thinking, "If they can do this, then why can’t they solve for
x?" I brushed it off as "their problem" that more emphasis wasn't placed on my class. At this point and time,
I still wasn’t listening to the natives.
My transformative place: Summer Cohort Session 2010
Punya Mishra
By now, I had become quite accustomed to the style and pace of the online classes.
I liked being able to complete assignments late at night while in my pajamas. The idea of being in a car for over two hours a day did not seem to be all that efficient. I decided to keep an open, flexible mind in much the same way that my certificate courses taught me. So I got in my car and prepared myself for the same drive to campus everyday for two weeks.
When I arrived, a funny thing happened… I realized how much I LIKED being in a face to face learning environment. We sat in small groups; we name ours "Team T-Pack." We didn't sit long though, within ten minutes we were out taking pictures of each other for a “digital you” icebreaker involving Picasa. It was during this first day that I met someone who has changed me
forever. His name was Punya Mishra, our course leader.
This man dispelled severeal notions of "best practices" in education. Gone was the idea of a checklist of things to do. Gone was the idea of a rubric to be strictly followed. Instead we were all asked to “play.” I was asked to think about what leadership ought to be. The cohort session became a true opportunity for learning and growth. This was quite the surprise, as I had learned a long time ago that I was a big fan of getting good grades, usually at the expense of personal growth. I wondered how many of my own students felt the same way about my course.
Punya was big on creating opportunities to “blow your mind away.” My first moment came when the topic of understanding students understanding was brought up. I thought, “check… I do that”. We do concept maps, students write reflections, build real world projects, rate things on a Lickert Scale... I can’t imagine that I’ll learn anything new… then we watched a video about a middle school teacher who had just taught a unit on the change in seasons.
I felt sorry for her as her students didn’t really seem to understand how the seasons were formed. In my mind she had done a good job of presenting the material, so how come she hadn’t found that her students had
misconceptions and then fixed them? As I watched further, it was shocking to me how so many of her students seemed understand and recall the same information in many different ways with many different misconceptions.
That is when I realized I was just like her as I too was neglecting one important thing… find out what my students know AND what the understand BEFORE I start a unit. Don’t get me wrong, I did use anticipatory sets in my classroom, but only in a cursory way. I used the information to see which middle school teachers “covered” the topic and which ones didn’t. In addition, based on the results, I planned how I would “cover” the unit based on my students’ responses. I realized that I had a great deal to learn about my students prior knowledge
and how they go about remembering it. In fact, it became the starting point for my dream IT project.
Up until that moment, I was the teacher that thought, “I covered the material… my students should get this.” Until the Wiggins and McTighe reading when the idea of uncovering material was brought up, I had never thought of teaching and learning in that regard. I have always used real world projects as a way to synthesize the knowledge of topics, but had never really thought about how I could design lessons to get students to uncover the material. It is the notion of uncovering versus covering that offered a paradigm shift in my teaching. Further, it was invigorating to be able to have in-depth, meaningful conversations about such topics with my peers.
Looking back, I realize that at the time I was trying to break out of some inhibiting mold, but I just couldn’t put my finger on how to do it. When I read that chapter, I finally knew what the name of my issue was. Though it was a simple reading assignment, It was an incredibly powerful and transformative moment for me, as the synthesis of the face to face session and the readings caused me to change the way I think about teaching and learning. This then allowed me to create situations that allow my students to uncover the material!
MMSTC Student with his "Tower Project"
NOTE: Interestingly enough, it was around this time that I accepted a
position at a gifted and talented program. Very shortly after arriving, I
realized that these students really wanted to be pushed. They were also
really good at getting me to do things for them. As a result, I stopped
answering their questions and made them “fend for themselves” a great deal more when it came to process orientated tasks. My point is that simply because I “listened” to what my students needed, I began the process of having students uncover topics.
Further, I could really identify with The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model. I
wholeheartedly agree with Dr. Mishra and Dr. Koehler in that the essential piece lies within the intersection of Content, Technology, and Pedagogy. What is taught, how it is taught, and the resources that students are directed toward really are what teaching and learning in the twenty first century ought to be about.
position at a gifted and talented program. Very shortly after arriving, I
realized that these students really wanted to be pushed. They were also
really good at getting me to do things for them. As a result, I stopped
answering their questions and made them “fend for themselves” a great deal more when it came to process orientated tasks. My point is that simply because I “listened” to what my students needed, I began the process of having students uncover topics.
Further, I could really identify with The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) model. I
wholeheartedly agree with Dr. Mishra and Dr. Koehler in that the essential piece lies within the intersection of Content, Technology, and Pedagogy. What is taught, how it is taught, and the resources that students are directed toward really are what teaching and learning in the twenty first century ought to be about.
My Repurposing Place: Summer Cohort Session 2010
image URL: www.verticalmeasures.com
The final piece of learning from the face to face session that I’ll
discuss is the idea of repurposing. I have never been a fan of
using something in the classroom simply to say that I use it. The video, “A Lecture is Still a Lecture” resonated with me. Having technology doesn’t make for great teaching… knowing how to use it does.
Garrison and Anderson discuss technology as it pertains to teaching and learning in a transactional way. This back and forth notion of using technology as a language to aid in the currency of knowledge transfer is a topic of great interest to me. The effective choice for the proper piece of technology AND its efficient implementation are transactions that must be perfected. For example, I was debating what technology worked “best” for after-hours student discussions. I researched everything from blackboard to blogs. Ultimately, I decided to use Facebook. I wanted to repurpose the social networking site for educational purposes.
Last school year, I created groups on Facebook for my high school students for several reasons. First, over ninety percent of my students were on the social site. Most of these students claimed to check their account daily. Further, membership to a Facebook group does NOT require friendship on Facebook. I used my g-mail account to set up a separate academic Facebook account, just to be safe. The results last year were mixed.
I was careful to set up norms and monitor the group daily. I put a stop to any "non academic" banter... as a result students formed their own private group and stopped using mine. This is yet another case of the sage on the stage not listening to the natives. This year I have allowed for text languauge and a minimal amount of non academica banter. As a result, the group averages 20-30 posts a night, depending on what they are "uncovering." While some colleagues are concerned for me and my employment, I know that I am doing the right thing. In fact, I am to a point where I am using their posts as a form of formative assessment.
My Leadership Place
joint conference logo
As a result of my work in the MAET program, I have realized the importance of becoming a technology leader. Though I could have never imagined it five years ago, I am helping to make a difference at my school. Last year, I was integral in adding the usage of Web 2.0 technologies as a goal for our program. The entire program was exposed to power of Google and all of its applications. Staff and students create and share documents, forms and presentations with relative ease.
Thanks to my coursework at MSU, I have also learned a great deal about what it means to be a leader. To me, it is about enabling an individual to work as a team. It is about directing people, to have them come together for a common purpose. It is about celebrating strengths and nurturing weaknesses. I requires patience, and impartiality. The ideas of leadership in education are sort of the "hidden curriculum" that link each of the courses together. Each of my instructors took a great deal of time to model the qualities of a good leader. This brings me to one of my favorite books of all time. The following is an excerpt:
“Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.”
Why is it that so many educators do end up in the waiting place? Is it because they have become complacent?
Is it because of the change in governmental climate about teachers and education over the past five years?
Is it because teachers feel like they have lost their voice in the process? Are teachers simply waiting to be told what to do? Do they not want to make mistakes?
While all of the above questions are legitimate and could spawn an entirely different discussion, rather than explain the “why”, I’d prefer to discuss how to get my peers out of this place. You see, I myself was caught there for a short period in my career. For me, I learned that waiting place made me quite apathetic. It made me point fingers and prattle on to anybody that would listen. It made me lose sight of the most important part of my job… my students.
I believe that I can help redirect teachers away from this place. As a result, I have taken on more leadership roles in my community. First, I have been elected as the building representative for the Warren Educational Association. In addition, I joined the Detroit Area Counsel or Teachers of Mathematics. I am currently the Public Relations Chair for our annual conference. In addition, I am currently the Vice President for High School.
So to sum it all up my journey through the MAET program has been a bit like the Doctor Seuss book shown above. It hasn't always been easy, but it has all been worth it. For those interested in enrolling in this program, I'd highly recommend it. I particularly recommend the hybrid program. There is something about the face to face sessions, all day, every day for two weeks that is simply magical. While my journey through the MAET program may be coming to an end, my journey as an educator has many more twists and turns to come. I'll try to avoid the waiting place and listen to the natives.
SOURCES:
Trinca, Sandra. "Developing and Following a Professional Development Plan." CSE. 11.3 (2007-2008): 12-13.
Mishra, Punya, and Koehler Matthew. "Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Framework for Teacher Knowledge." Teachers College Record. 108.6 (2006): 1017-1054.
Garrison, D., and Terry Anderson. E-learning in the 21st Century. Routledge, 2003.
Wiggins, G., McTighe, J. (1998), Understanding by Design, Expanded 2nded., Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development, Alexandria, VA
"Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss." Web. 28 Jul 2010. < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQRWeZy-S8Q>.
Prensky, Marc. "Listen to the Natives" Educational Leadership. 63.4 (2005).
Mishra, Punya, and Koehler Matthew. "Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Framework for Teacher Knowledge." Teachers College Record. 108.6 (2006): 1017-1054.
Garrison, D., and Terry Anderson. E-learning in the 21st Century. Routledge, 2003.
Wiggins, G., McTighe, J. (1998), Understanding by Design, Expanded 2nded., Association for Supervision and
Curriculum Development, Alexandria, VA
"Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss." Web. 28 Jul 2010. < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQRWeZy-S8Q>.
Prensky, Marc. "Listen to the Natives" Educational Leadership. 63.4 (2005).