Blog--Stephanie DeMichele

Are We Teaching the Future? Or the Past?

5/2/2017

This post is inspired by Alice Keeler’s May 1, 2017, keynote speech at the #ITIP2017 Ohio Google Summit: “In The Future, Cars Drive Themselves”

I saved this image about a year ago. Don’t know why, didn’t know if I was going to use it, wasn’t sure how I was going to use it, but I knew that while it specifically speaks to the revolutionary work done by both Steve Jobs and by Apple, it generally speaks to the evolutionary work we need to be doing in education.

If you follow me or my blog, you know I’ll evangelize until I’m hoarse (or until someone throat punches me just to shut me up) about the shift that needs to occur from depositing knowledge into our learners’ heads to allowing them to acquire knowledge for themselves.

And yet…

We’re still asking questions that can be answered with a simple Google search. We’re still feeding factoids that can be found online. We’re still assessing kiddos based on their ability to memorize those factoids.

“We need to teach,” says Google guru Alice Keeler, “like Google exists.”

A-freakin’-men.

We need students to create. Not to memorize.

(By the way, do you know that the synonym for “memorize” is “recollect?” Re-collect. As in collect again.)

Why are we asking students to memorize the dates of the Norman Invasion? Is that learning? We’re fooling ourselves if we think our searchable questions are original. Don’t believe me? Well, Buttercup, check out this video about PhotoMath, an app that uses your students’ smartphone camera to snap a pic of a mathematical equation worksheet--and then solves the problem and gives them the answer. If we want answers that aren’t searchable, we need to design questions that preclude that.

So, instead of treating Google like a red-headed stepchild, banning search bars from our classrooms, let’s make friends with it. Let’s keep the end-user in mind when designing instruction. I don’t care how afraid we are of the technology, we have to remember for whom we work--and that’s the kiddos.

If Google’s in the process of design self-driving cars, how about we design self-driving learners? If we hire a personal trainers, we don’t expect them to do the work for us (though I wish they did!). So why do we do the work--vocabulary lists, study guides, packaged lecture notes--for the students?

Are we teaching the future?

Or are we teaching the past?

The Problem With Substitution

4/13/2017

I overheard the following exchange between two junior-high students yesterday. (I wasn’t actively eavesdropping; simply trying to navigate the hallway between classes. Sort of like a salmon swimming upstream.)

Student #1: Dude, I heard we have a sub for English.

Student #2: Awesome. That means we’ll have no work to do.

At that point, I was able to jump my salmon run for the upper river, but the students’ terse yet thought-provoking conversation got me thinking: what is it about a sub situation that prods kiddos to equate a substitute teacher with a free-for-all? There’s still a task to be addressed, work to be completed, and an outcome to be achieved. It’s not like it’s a study hall or a three-ring circus or an ecstasy-infused rave, right? (Okay, I know the kids think it will be, but the amount of work on a teacher’s part that goes into prepping for a substitute is almost more work than taking the personal or professional day. Simply recalling that time I had jury duty causes me to break out into a cold sweat as I write this.)

As I tend to do, I started to overthink it. Was the comment by Student #2 a passing, not-so-serious one? Or did it speak to something greater and more problematic with the whole notion of substitution?

In algebraic terms, substitution refers to simply putting numbers where the letters are. For example, What is x + x/5 when x = 15? If we substitute x for 15 in the equation, we arrive at the following: 15 + 15/3 = 15 + 5 = 20.

The final equation looks different, but it’s essentially the same thing--just dressed in a different costume. (Like a substitute teacher.)

If you’re lactose intolerant, you can opt for rice milk or soy milk as a substitute for dairy. The act of substitution here takes the place of another. In this instance, however--as those of us lucky to not be lactose intolerant know--no matter how much you try to convince yourself otherwise, there’s really no substitute for from-the-cow milk, no matter how much to try to convince yourself otherwise. I’m not denigrating the lactose-intolerant; I myself am peanut intolerant, and no amount of chocolate-covered, roasted edamame is going to be as salty and satisfying as a Snickers bar--or so I discovered the one time I ingested one. (And by the way, it was so worth it.)

As I also tend to do, I’ve now wandered off my intended path and into the woods (or out of my stream and into a tributary, if I’m still going with the salmon comparison). Anyway, my point here is that no matter how PC or self-delusional we choose to be, let’s face it: a substitute (whether it’s a teacher, algebra, soy, or roasted edamame) is never really quite as good as the real thing.

Which brings me to the S in SAMR...

If you’re unfamiliar with the acronym, I’m guessing you’ve probably spent the last five years or so trapped under a house (and in that case, you’ve got more pressing concerns than an acronym), or that it’s been on your radar and you haven’t gotten around to exploring it just yet. If that’s the case then, and before you read any further, I strongly encourage you to watch this quick and painless overview of SAMR.

I like SAMR. I know there are others out there, like TPACK, but I’m a simple girl and SAMR works for me. (And it’s always about me.)

Here’s the thing, though. I see a lot of us stepping onto that first rung of the ladder--the S (or substitution) level--patting ourselves on the back, and setting up camp there. In other words, we take what was once a paper worksheet and transfer it into a Google Doc. Or we exchange Google Forms for our paper quizzes. Or (and I swear I’ve seen this) we use Google Classroom to post our recycled Word Docs from last-year-at-the-same-time’s weekly homework.

There’s nothing wrong with taking that first step on the ladder. But when we stay there, either afraid to or unable to or unwilling to climb higher, then we’ve created an old classroom in a new way.

The psychiatric definition of substitution is the "turning from an obstructed form of behavior to a different and often more primitive expression of the same tendency" [emphasis mine]. Here, the "obstructed form of behavior" is the paper version; the "same tendency" is the idea that making something digital makes it new.

While we may create digital tasks to replace the paper ones, we’re still doing old things. We’re doing them differently, sure, but we’re not doing them in a challenging or engaging manner. A digital worksheet is still just a worksheet.

We need to modify and redefine our tasks instead of substituting them, and we can do that by heeding the call of 21st-century learning: strive for creativity and collaboration. Let’s take a book report, for example. Instead of typing it into a Google Doc (substitution) and having students use Easy Bib or gMath or a thesaurus add-on in conjunction with it (augmentation), encourage them to work collaboratively in Google Slides to create a literary walk (modification). Even better: allow them to use a video tool of their choice to create a book trailer (redefinition).

Substitution is a poor imitation of the original. (And just to be clear: I’m not book-ending this by saying substitute teachers are a poor imitation. I’ve known some pretty amazing substitute teachers, as I’m sure you have.) When it comes to digital task design, however, we need to dump the substitute, because--and I quote--there’s really “no work to do.”

Most substitute teachers, though, aspire to something more--to have their own classrooms. And that’s how we should view the S in SAMR: it’s a good place to start; but let’s not get stuck there.

Let’s aspire to something greater.

Risky Business: 5 Opportunities Every Teacher Should Consider Embracing

4/7/2016

As my spring break winds down, I consider the fact that we've only got nine more weeks until the end of another school year--and that everything I'd hoped to accomplish in the previous 27 weeks somehow didn't get done. (Isn't that always the case?)

It also gets me thinking about what I've observed and learned this year and how it will shape our district goals for the upcoming school year. For example, one of our schools drained its paper budget halfway through the year, which had more than a few teachers worried about how they'd manage to provide lesson materials for their students. Which begs the question, "What needs to change? And if we're experiencing these issues, aren't other districts as well?"

Change is tough; and it's usually based in fear--the fear of the unknown, the fear of failure, the fear of leaving our comfort zone. But fear prevents us from moving forward, and moving forward is what we need to constantly do in education. Of course, change is scary. And uncertain. And yes, risky.

So teachers, don those Ray-Bans, crank up the Bob Seger, strip down to your tighty-whities, and take these risks in your classroom:

1. Attempt to Move More Content Online
Before you hit the copy machine to make another 30 copies of a worksheet, ask yourself, "Is there a way to do this online?" Make the move to digital content: post to your website, use tools like Wizer and Edulastic for worksheets and formatives, seek out online textbooks and Open Education Resources, direct students to create digital alternatives to research papers. Stop swimming in a sea of paper!

2. Let Your Students Teach Sometimes
Let go of the reigns once in a while. If 90% of what we learn is what we teach, then shouldn't our current model be flipped? Your students are already engaged in collaborative groups and jigsaw activities, so take it a step further: let them create mini-lessons. They'll be more invested in their learning!

3. Give Flipping a Try
Students today grew up with and presently maintain constant Internet access: YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, and a myriad of other digital resources. They're used to online content, so give it to them. Besides that, it makes sense to open up classroom time to working with students instead of sending them home to try out newly-learned (and often-not-yet-understood) concepts.

4. Transform Your Learning Space
Sitting in rows of desks is an archaic concept, and certainly not aligned with post-school workspaces--which are often designed for creativity and collaboration. Physical spaces are central to creating a new paradigm for learning. Change up your seating configurations, create purposeful zones, bring in mood lighting. Get some great ideas here.

5. Embrace Social Media
(See #3 above for justification.) Don't mistake social media for socializing. Besides, reaching out to students beyond the four walls of the classroom creates genuine connections and extends learning. Frankly, you can't be considered a 21st-century educator if you're not willing to adopt 21st-century technologies. Your students will be grateful for it!

Education is evolution. And it's worth the risk.

image via Flickr

Takeaways from #OETC15 (Day Three)

2/12/2015

We're on the final day of #OETC15, and while I'm looking forward to returning home and to my boys, I'm going to miss the people I've met. From presenters to teachers to coaches, Ohio has a plethora of dedicated educators ready to transform learning and I'm thankful to them! (And thankful, too, to Twitter and Google Hangouts. Because of them, I can continue the conversations that began here.)

While I experienced more than that about which I'm writing today, it's this morning's keynote speech that impactfully resonated with me and one which my brain simply refuses to evict. It seems an exceptional presentation on which to reflect and dissect, and with which to conclude my series on #OETC15.

Fixing the Past or Inventing the Future: Education Reforms that Matter
Yong Zhao is the Presidential Chair and Director of the Institute for Global and Online Education in the College of Education at the University of Oregon

You gotta love a man (and a Duck!) who bravely comes to Columbus on the heels of losing the national championship.

And I'm so glad he did.

Dr. Yong Zhao's message of entrepreneurial-based education reform is desperately needed in this day and age of "college and career readiness." Especially in an era where 53% of our most recent college graduates are either unemployed or underemployed. (That is not a typo.)

Instead of touting college and career readiness, Dr. Zhao encourages us to instead embrace a culture of "out-of-the-basement readiness," which is especially apt with our boomerang generation. (And, frankly, especially hilarious when you think about it. Or especially sad if you yourself are the parent of said basement-dweller.)

The disconnect between education and career these days, notes Dr. Zhao, can be contained in the metaphor of Nokia vs. Apple. (The metaphor appeals to the former English teacher in me.) Do you remember Nokia phones? In a nutshell, Apple didn't kill Nokia; Nokia killed Nokia by trying to add smart features to a dumb phone, and in inventing the smart phone, well...we all know how that turned out for Apple.

If you apply this metaphor to current education reforms, our Industrial Age model of education is the dumb phone, and yet we're trying to pile on smart features (technology, Common Core, NGAs) to that dumb phone. It epically failed for Nokia, so what makes us think it will succeed for education?

Dr. Zhao asserts, and the current statistics certainly support, that our children are miseducated in that they are educated for the wrong economy. A good education should keep your children out of the basement--not destine them to it.

So our current model is failing our students; certainly not making them college and career ready. Our "homogenous sausage-making" approach fails to give birth to visionaries, creators, makers, inventors, and problem-solvers: which is exactly what a global economy needs.

Dr. Zhao urges us as educators to invent a new smart phone. If creativity is job security today, then let's (please!) abandon the homogenous model of learning. We tend to devalue innovation and creativity in the classroom because we're pressured to get the students ready for "the test." And as we all know, "the test" precludes innovation and creativity. (An interesting fact: 40% of Google employees don't have college degrees. Think about THAT.)

Our new smartphone model of education should both permit and accommodate the following for each and every student:

unique talent
creativity
entrenpreneurship

In Dr. Zhao's words, "schools should become personalized learning ecosystems."

How great is that?

What if we allowed for product-oriented learning? What if--instead of testers--we created innovators? What if we provided future-oriented experiences for our learners? What if we practiced what we preached? What if we truly decided to start a revolution to make our students both college and career ready?

Yes, I suppose we need to have the tests; they measure growth. But if employees have evaluations, shouldn't students have the same--with authentic products that serve a REAL purpose in our real world? Do we have to have tests only?

We have to chuck the idea of "traditional" classrooms and "traditional" learning. We have to, as Dr. Zhao asserts, "stop fixing the past and invent the future." We simply have to.

Or America's going to have a lot of dumb phones on its hands.

Takeaways from #OETC15 (Day Two)

2/11/2015

It's Day 2 here at OETC15, and judging from how difficult it was to obtain parking, SRO at the keynote session isn't surprising. (Seriously, I spent more time in the line for the parking garage than I did getting here this morning.)

It was great bumping into my favorite peeps from back home, and even better sharing what we've learned AND bouncing ideas off each other. I especially enjoyed running into an old friend from my teaching days.

Then it was time to go learn something...

Session #1: Call It What You Want! Smashing, Crashing, Slamming iPad Apps 2.0 - Using Tech for Deeper Learning
Jen and Karen are tech coaches for the Mentor schools and two people who I've come to rely on quite a bit for outstanding advice and support as I make this journey. Their presentation not only provided a useful list of apps, but it also offered up a "philosophy" for app smashing:

Begin with the end in mind. What is the final product you want your students to create? Work backwards from there.
Create a list of apps you want to use, especially apps that might have the same function. This gives students both choice and voice.
Smash the Flow. Create the flow chart or outline of apps you'll be smashing.

And my slap-my-head-duh!-moment of the session: The camera roll is the first tool to app smashing. (Thanks, Jen, Darlene, and Karen, for the reminder!) See the Math SMASH slide and the Book Review SMASH slide in the presentation for two very practical ideas of app smashing, and also check out my Pinterest board on app smashing.

Session #2: Changing Roles of Students and Teachers in Instruction & Learning
I knew weeks ago that I would attend Anthony Luscre's presentation on the shifting paradigm of education because I've been talking myself blue about the teacher/learner shift for at least six years now, so it's always comforting to find a kindred spirit. Here's what I learned:

We still need each other. Self-directed learners are teacher-encouraged learners.
TAYH (Teaching Above your Head) is scary but sooooo worth it! Take the plunge. Speaking from experience, even if you fail, your students win.
If you feel completely comfortable and in control, you are preparing your students for your past and not their futures. Wow...if that's not an argument to relinquish your tight grasp, then I don't know what is.
Getting uncomfortable looks good. Students will learn the importance of self-learning, lifelong learning, the real test is the test of life, teachers aren't the only ones who should be doing the heavy lifting.
You don't really know something until you can teach it. See. Do Teach. Learners are pretty good at the first two, but not so much at the third one.
Competency-based testing is a better assessment of growth and learning than traditional testing. Get rid of your paper and pencil tests in favor of portfolios, oral presentations, sales pitches, websites, and technical writing.
Spaces are important, too. Don't just transform how we learn, but where we learn. Change the way your classroom looks. Make it less traditional.
Learn something new everyday. 'Nuff said.

Session #3: Your School's Story Matters! Use Social Media to Tell It
A little self-promtoion never hurt anyone (or any district)...and everyone loves a good story. Principal Ryan McLane and Assistant Principal Eric Lowe shared their social media story with us.

MYTHS

Parents and students are reading your paper and email newsletters.
Parents and students first go to the school/district website for information.
That "all-call" system you subscribe to is really effective in reaching your audience.

Don't expect people to come to you. We need to go where they are, and that's at:

Twitter
Instagram
Facebook
Blogger
Flipboard
YouTube

Miscellaneous

To post student photos, permission forms from parents are necessary from parents (Hint: Instead of having parents give permission, provide an opt-out.)
Revise your district's AUP to include consequences for inappropriate comments on social media.
Always keep it positive.
Consider posting a character message to students every day
Don't use student names in your posts; or only use first names.
Always post links that redirect to your school's website.
If you're considering not allowing comments on your social media sites, remember that comments in front of your face are more easily handled than comments behind your back.
Over-communication, IMHO, is better than miscommunication.

Takeaways from #OETC15 (Day One)

2/10/2015

I'm at the Ohio Educational Technology Conference in Columbus this week and feeling lucky to be here, sharing, learning, and collaborating. Since I know I have more than a few colleagues who couldn't attend, I'm engaging in some "mini-journaling" so they can be here vicariously!

Morning Session: Flipping Your Staff Meeting
Develop the definition of a Flipped Staff Meeting, look at activities which work well presented through the Flipped model, and discover tools to implement.

DO create videos for your staff to watch.
DON'T record yourself talking for ten minutes. That's not innovative. Or creative. Recorded lecturing is just as boring as live lecturing.
DO provide an agenda of bullet points to be covered.
DON'T read directly from PowerPoint slides. Again, boring.
DO make it fun. Add a soundtrack. Use a trailer template from iMovie. trailers. Go outside. Use PowToon. Personalize it. Put yourself in there.
DON'T record yourself sitting in your office.
DO offer questions and videos to review before the meeting and to be discussed during the meeting.
A flipped meeting is NOT a substitute for a staff meeting so don't treat it like one. Be creative, be engaging, and have FUN!
Oh, and podcasts are an option, too!

Afternoon Session: Online Assessments Toolkit
Want to truly prepare our students for the NGAs? Then start providing assignments and assessments that are "NGA-esque." While Eric Curts provided a literal plethora of helpful tools and resources today, here are my faves:

Slideshow: "Creating Online Assessments with Google Forms" Don't let the title fool you. View this slideshow to see some startling statistics about how students are faring on the NGAs and how they see things.
Cool Tool: EdCite This is THE tool I'll be sharing with our teachers. EdCite allows teachers to build NGA homework assignments on their own...and even allows them to pull from a vast library.

"The future happened about three years ago, and we are behind."

2/2/2015

Last fall, I had the pleasure of attending a talk by Sean Wheeler, teacher and instructional technologist. This wasn't the first time I heard him speak, and each time I do, I always feel both inspired and agitated. Inspired, obviously, because Sean makes me want to be a better teacher. And agitated because everything Sean says makes sense and...why aren't we transforming education RIGHT NOW?

This particular day, as he often does, Sean was discussing the disconnect between what happens in the "real" world and what happens in education--particularly in our school buildings. He pointed out, very accurately, that at anytime and at anyplace, when we need information, we immediately have access to it via our mobile devices, laptops, and tablets. We can pull up a map of Tibet, a video explaining the Pythagorean theorem, a Wikipedia article about the Underground Railroad...all in seconds.

And yet, in the one place where knowledge, information, and the acquisition of it on a daily (and hourly) basis is not only necessary but naturally expected, guess what we do?

We take away the search bars.

It's true. Student mobile devices are prohibited in school. Filtering software prevents access to websites. Limited and/or outdated technology in our schools means teachers have to resort to boring and rote worksheets.

What's wrong with this picture?

So, we adopt the Common Core because we want students to experience more rigor in their learning. And we implement the Next Generation Assessments (which are technology-task heavy, by the way) to prove students are both college and career ready.

How can we fix this? How can we return the search bar? We can't overturn district policy on student mobile devices (yet). We can't single-handedly deactivate firewalls (yet). We can't provide the latest device to every one of our students (yet). It takes time...but we'll get there.

How do I know this? Because I see it everyday. Teachers have always been creative problem-solvers. We've always invented ways to provide when the district or the budget can't. Whether it's a one iPad classroom or a classroom with three desktop computers from ten years ago, we've been able to create engaging lessons that encourage and produce critical thinking and creativity.

And even better, I've seen students who (to use a cliche) think outside of the box--who transcend our expectations with their ingenuity and imagination. We can learn from them, too (but that's another post for another day.)

This is what I tell teachers who bemoan what we don't have. (There are those teachers, too.) It CAN be done, and we just have to be creative about it.

The quotation that' the title of this post is from Sean Wheeler, too, and when I first heard it, I inwardly slumped. Because when you think about it, it's depressing. If the future already happened, how can we hope to catch up? We don't have search bars!

Sometimes, though, it's not about the technology. Sure, it's nice to have--and it's necessary to have in this day and age. But most of the time, it's about the teaching.

So, keep reading great books, and keep following great minds, check out those Pinterest boards curated by great teachers, and ask for help from your PLC. We're all in this together.

And I have faith in us.

Technology Integration in the Classroom: Outcomes for Learning

1/7/2015

I was recently asked by a public school administrator from another district, "What evidence can you present that using instructional technology leads to higher levels of student learning?”

Beyond my observations and anecdotal evidence that students were more excited and engaged, I couldn't come up with an answer. I was stumped. How DO we--or how CAN we--accurately measure the effect of technology integration on student learning? How can we prove what we, as teachers, have witnessed on our own, everyday, in our own classrooms: that our students have become more active learners and less passive ones because of the increased application of educational technology?

According to Edutopia, technology integration can be one of the most difficult topics in which to find clear data: "the term itself is a broad umbrella for numerous practices that may have little in common with each other. In addition, technology tools change rapidly, and outcomes can vary depending on implementation" [emphasis mine]. To me, assessing the impact of technology integration sounds a little bit like trying to grab a greased pig in a mud pit--difficult to grasp and certainly slippery enough to fail attempting to doing so.

What, then, is a school to do? We certainly want to justify to the administration that the money spent on technology was well worth it, we certainly aim to prove to parents and members of the community that their tax dollars are being well spent, and we certainly hope to prove to all parties involved that our students are exceptionally prepared for college and career life by virtue of their immersion with the educational technology purchased and implemented.

However, there's very limited research out there to prove the direct correlation between technology integration and improved learning. What is known though, is that simply placing the technology in the classroom produces very little in the way of authentic learning. Indeed, successful technology integration depends on three main ideas:

Students playing an active role in their learning and receiving frequent, personalized feedback
Students critically analyzing and actively creating media messages.
Teachers connecting classroom activities to the world outside the classroom.

When I work with teachers who want to incorporate any technology into their curriculum, I turn these statements into questions:

How will you know that students are taking ownership of their learning with this tool? What is your plan for providing frequent, personalized feedback?
How can we design a rubric to measure students' analytical and creative skills with this tool?
What is your plan to provide an authentic and global audience for your students' creations with this tool?

These questions, then, serve as guideposts for the curricular roadmap we develop together. This prevents the all-too-often and inevitable pitfall of simply jumping on the latest edtech bandwagon. We have to always remember that pedagogy comes first and technology serves to supplement it.

So, I still don't have an answer for the question posed to me by that administrator. I'm sure there are studies and evidence out there that a quick Google search will produce.

What I do have, however, is the belief that while technology allows for more student-centered learning--and, subsequently, ownership of learning--without thoughtful and purposeful planning by our teachers, the whole question of evidence of higher levels of learning becomes moot.

Planning with a purpose--having a clearly laid-out plan for creativity and critical thinking--is perhaps the only evidence we need.

Isn't it?

image via Reid Wilson

If You're Going to FAIL, Make it Epic

10/6/2014

Has it really been two months since my last post???

Yep. It has been. New job, new district, new responsibilities. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

If it means anything, in my head I was drafting all sorts of posts that just didn't quite make it here.

Anyway, one of those many drafts being telepathically composed had to do with fear. Or, more specifically, the fear of failing.

When friends and family ask me how I like the new job, my response is usually an enthusiastic one. The absolute and undeniably best part of my job is meeting teachers, listening to the ways they want to engage their students, and helping them integrate those new and innovative methods of teaching into their curriculum.

Committing to a new technology feels like standing on the edge of a precipice: you either experience an adrenaline rush that'll empower you to sprout wings and soar, or you endure a crushing panic that's going to catapult you to your death.

Hyperbole aside. . . either option is frightening. Crash and burn? Or take a flying leap into the unknown?

That's what stepping out of your comfort zone feels like. And the biggest question I hear (both verbalized and tacit) is "What if it fails?"

I work with a number of teachers who want to step out of their comfort zone; who want to trade in worksheets for Google docs; who want to exchange exit slips for Socrative; who want to dump stale end-of-the-term assessments for project-based learning and Genius Hour.

But. . .

Look at the image below. Do you see that tiny little space between the circle that says "Your comfort zone" and the circle that says "Where the magic happens?" It might as well be a murky chasm for some educators. A daunting abyss. A bottomless and black lacuna (More hyperbole, but I'm trying to make a point.)

Every single teacher I've coached has had that one soul-crushing moment of "I can't do that. It won't work." It usually follows pretty rapidly on the heels of that anything-is-possible moment of "I can't wait to try that with my students!" If we could just cross that teensy little gap!

I share with these skeptical teachers the story of every single time as a teacher I failed at technology integration. About the times I dove right in without grasping every single aspect of the technology. About the times I looked kind of dumb in front of my students for not having all the answers. About the times I didn't plan for server issues, saving, exporting, collaborating, plug-ins, or upgrades. About the many times that a great idea took a giant kamikaze nose dive.

And then I tell the stories of how as a result, I appeared more human in front of my students. About the times we worked together to troubleshoot issues. About the times individual students rose to the challenge of actively owning their own learning instead of passively waiting for me to deliver it. About the times they then collaborated with their peers to arrive at individual and class solutions. About the times we realized that maybe for this one particular issue, lesson, or content standard, technology wasn't even necessarily the way to go.

I grew up looking to my teachers for all the answers. And that worked at the time, because the teachers did have all the answers, remember? In that mammoth, well-worn teacher's edition? Back then, our teachers gave us the answers and we gave them right back--often as a test or a paper--to an audience of exactly. . .one.

The world's a much different place than it was when I was a student. Today, our students can publish to a global audience, and they don't need us to do it. They can find answers to their questions, and they don't need us to provide them. They can explore their own historical and scientific and literary interests, and they don't need us to give them permission. And I think that's most definitely frightening when we've spent a lifetime and a career providing answers.

One teacher who's about to retire confided in me that she's glad she's done because, as she puts it, kids today have "pulled back the curtain. We used to be the great and powerful Oz. Now we're just that little guy being exposed."

There's a lot of fear behind that statement; but it's understandable, given from where we've come.

I like to share with trepidatious teachers that they can find comfort in knowing that shift happens. (Couldn't help myself.) There's something truly liberating in not being required or expected to know everything. If we're preparing our students for college and career, then having them take ownership of their learning is a valuable skill. No employer wants his employees running to him 27 times a day asking, "What do I do now? How do I do this? Is this right?" We want self-directed, self-motivated problem-solving employees out in the workplace, so why would we want anything different from our learners?

My mother always said that experience was the best teacher. I'd add that failing is the runner-up. We shouldn't treat classrooms as self-contained bubbles. Bruises and scrapes are necessary; they build character. Failure is an option. I've always learned a better and more valuable lesson after experiencing skinned knees.

I like to view failure as Henry Ford did, at the: "opportunity to begin again more intelligently."

I think once we accept that we as teachers will (probably) fail the first time we introduce a new tool, platform, or app to our curriculum, once we embrace failure as a (necessary) step towards mastery, and if we (definitely) learn from the experience, then our failure is epic.

And I mean that in the best possible way.

I'll end here with a story I share with every teacher reluctant to let go of the past, hesitant to take a leap off the edge:

In 2008, just when Wikipedia was really gaining notoriety, and when wiki platforms were really gaining momentum, I had the bright idea to give it a try with my eighth graders. Instead of book reports, we were going to create a class wiki about Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451. So, I stayed up until 3:30 a.m. the night before, reading the "rules" of how to create a wiki in PBWorks, checking the FAQs, and basically making sure that, in effect, I had all the answers. My lesson on wiki creation was going to be airtight.

But when Caitlyn and Stephen both tried to edit a page and couldn't, and when James became frustrated trying to insert an image, they looked to me for the answers.

I had none.

I panicked. My lesson was going down in flames. The curtain was being pulled back and I was being exposed as Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs, the real man behind the curtain. (Yes, that's his actual name.)

I remember thinking, "This is what I get for sneaking up to the ledge and thinking I could fly." It was like being the lead in a play and forgetting your lines: dumbstruck, open-mouthed, and staring out at the audience.

I swear I could hear crickets chirping. It was that quiet.

Then Nick said, "Hey, Ms. D? I can help James. I think I figured it out."

So I let Nick show James how to insert an image.

And I started breathing again.

A few minutes later, Mark called out, "Ms. D! Look what I found! Did you know you could...?" (Whatever it was, I can't remember. I was too relieved he had figured it out for himself.)

Nick went home that night and initiated the social networking feature, or comments section, on the class wiki. (Who knew?) With each "new comment" email alert I received that evening, I grew less and less anxious. They were teaching each other, collaborating, reviewing, and guiding.

I expected them to either be mad at me (for not knowing) or to be dismissive of me (for not needing me). They weren't. They were, as they informed me much later, happy I let them simply do.

That moment was empowering--for my students and for me.

Oddly enough, it's empowering as a teacher to not have to know all the answers. It's empowering for our students to know that they're capable of finding those answers all on their own.

So, I encourage you--if you're ambivalent or doubtful or just plain unnerved by the whole idea of integrating a new technology into your classroom, prepare to fail.

Do it epically.

And I mean that in the best possible way.

images via The Tilted Cusp, Start of Happiness, and edgalaxy.com

Taking Baby Steps: Big Ideas for Integrating Technology This School Year

7/31/2014

As I prepare for my new position as the Instructional Technology Specialist for a local school district, I've been cleaning out the files, notes, and curriculum ideas that I've accumulated over the last three years. Many of the things I've re-discovered I'm planning to take with me, especially this memo I wrote in June 2013 to the staff of my old school. I had just completed my second year teaching technology and assisting teachers with the steady and gradual integration of technology across the curriculum. To keep the momentum going over the summer, I offered the following suggestions to my colleagues. And even though it's two years old, it's still pretty relevant today as we educators continue to work to prepare our students for college and career.

Here's the memo for you to review and pass on to your network, too:

We need to narrow the gap between what we know and what our students know when it comes to technology. The reality is that our students are connected, and they shouldn’t have to 'power down' when they enter the classroom.

With that said, here are some things to think about over the summer and try to implement for next year.

Start SMALL so that mastery is achieved and your confidence builds. Choose one app/program/platform you’d like to try and incorporate it into a lesson plan that you’ve already developed.

Flip the classroom: Have students watch the lecture online for homework (YouTube, TeacherTube, WatchKnow, Khan Academy, and neok12.com) and use class time for review, answering of questions, mentoring, discussion, and classwork. Again, choose a current unit/lesson plan.

Plan to book the computer lab/laptops/iPads at least once a week NO MATTER what you’re doing in the classroom. There are tons of resources out there to supplement learning. Just Google it!

Check out the "learning" tab on my website for ideas to try in your classroom this fall.

Subscribe via RSS feed or email to ONE EdTech blog. Think about how to incorporate these ideas into an already-established lesson plan.

These are baby steps, designed to get you started in a small but meaningful way, and that's always a good place to start. If you have ANY questions or need ANY help, don’t hesitate to get in contact with me. Otherwise, I’ll see you in August!

Even though the school year is now gearing up, it's not too late to pick one of the suggestions above and invigorate your teaching. Take "baby steps" to integrate technology into your curriculum; you can't run until you crawl first!

Speaking of baby steps, I just recently delivered three workshops designed to assist teachers in making the leap from 20th century to 21st century learning, so please check them out.

Good luck, have an amazing school year, and let me know how this advice works for you!

image courtesy of Flickr