Horizon Report for 2012 K-12 Educational
Technology Trends
– My Thoughts/Experiences
What are the new technologies to watch for?
1)
Mobile Devices and
Apps
2)
Tablet Computing
3)
Game-Based Learning
4)
Personal Learning
Environments (PLE’s)
5)
Augmented Reality
6)
Natural User
Interfaces
What is my experience with these technologies?
Game-Based Learning
I've seen and tried to
implement Game-Based learning for years, however it usually appears on review
days or days with an altered plan (such as after testing or at the end of the
year). Games incorporate competition though,
which in turn can motivate students even more to try and figure out what they
need to know to win the game. This helps
them to fully understand concepts in a more engaging way! Last year my geometry students created games
covering different units of the curriculum and really enjoyed it! The hard part is finding time to play them L.
Mobile Devices and Apps
I also have a little
experience with mobile devices ad apps since my school has incorporated the
bring your own device (BYOD) plan this year.
It is a great learning tool with tons of potential, but I don’t have any
classes where all the students have these devices. I originally planned on having the students
work in groups where at least one person had a smartphone or mobile device, but
then I felt like that would be showing off which students had these expensive
devices. I worry that students will feel
pressure to buy a smartphone or feel insecure without a high-tech device of
their own. I don’t want to highlight
economic status differences in class.
Are Trends Affecting
my Teaching and Learning?
Yes! It is impossible not to let the current
trends affect your teaching and learning approaches if you want to continue to
reach your students in the best way possible.
I have found that the fourth trend in the article, “People expect to be
able to work, learn, and study whenever and wherever they want”, as impacted my
teaching the most. I myself expect to be
able to access any document I need, refer to calendar dates at any time, and
re-access information when I need it.
For this reason I have implemented the flipped classroom this year in
one of my classes. I create videos of my
lessons for students to watch at home.
This way they can learn on their own time and at their own pace. They may also go back and review the lessons
at any time. The more difficult homework
problems are done in class where they have the opportunity to collaborate with
peers and I am there to offer guidance and support.
I
also find the sixth trend on challenge and active learning making an impact on
my teaching. This can be difficult to
meet because I find that facilitating an environment where students can learn
through real experiences and exploration is difficult. When I have tried strategies that are truly
exploration/active learning strategies I tend to want to assume all students
will actively engage and seek to learn the material. This is not always the case though, and so
learning how to manage this type of classroom is critical.
What Challenges are
Most Relevant for a High School Math Teacher?
Nearly
all of the challenges stated in the article are relevant to my current
teaching.
-
- Digital media literacy
continues its rise in importance as a key skill in every discipline and
profession, especially teaching.
-
- K-12 must address the
increased blending of formal and informal learning.
-
- The demand for
personalized learning is not adequately supported by current technology or practices.
-
- Institutional barriers
present formidable challenges to moving forward in a constructive way with
emerging technologies.
We
must adapt to remain relevant with student learning styles and cultural
trends. Every other aspect of society
does! It is difficult to change and
learn the new technology. It is also
very difficult to figure out what the new standards of knowledge should be at
each level and how to assess them appropriately with the new technology. Students do not all learn the same way and
technology is a great way to differentiate, but how do we still teach and set
the standards for everyone? These questions
will not be answered until we teachers meet them face-to-face and try different
things.
What Challenges are Least
Relevant for a High School Math Teacher?
All
of the challenges are relevant, but if I had to choose one that was least
relevant for my teaching it would be the outside learning.
-
- Many activities related
to learning and education take place outside the walls of the classroom and
thus are not part of traditional learning metrics.
Students learn a great
deal outside of the classroom, and each student learns different things. I think it is great to encourage that and
link students’ outside knowledge to inside curriculum, but ultimately we need
to teach students how to think and process information in a way that they can
individually take and link to their outside knowledge.
