Airplane Mode = Classroom Mode

Airplane Mode = Classroom Mode

“Are we doing what is best for our students, or are we doing what is most convenient for us?”

Over this past week, the question of  “are we doing what is best for our students, or are we doing what is most convenient for us,” has been a heated discussion with my colleagues at work.  We are offered professional development training for the use of the new technologies in our classrooms, but how do we put aside our personal time to attend these trainings?  It may be inconvenient for us, but it is what is best for our students. Through all this talk, the thought arose about the technology students have access to but are not allowed to use. Students these days are from a technology era. Why should we limit them from using what they know and have access to? For example, the cellphone - do students know when it is appropriate to use, or is there a lack of motivation from teachers to monitor their use adequately? This elicits personal thoughts about technology and how I look for it to make my life easier. For example, during our math textbook adoption, several teachers - including myself - were focusing more on the technology the textbook companies had to offer us rather than the content that was presented in the books. People are naturally going to want to do what is easier for them, but when it comes to teaching our students, we have to find some balance. 

 

I have been teaching mathematics at OBMS for over 5 years now and last year half of the staff, including myself, moved into the newly constructed building equipped with Promethean Boards and the latest technology from Texas Instrument for the math teachers.  Although the Texas Instrument calculators were not a new technology for me, the Promethean Board was.  These boards are a lot like the Smart Boards that I have heard other teachers are using in their classrooms.  The Promethean Board has been an excellent tool for me in many ways.  However, I often found myself using a lot of my personal time to learn how to use this board instead of trying to attend the scheduled district training that was offered. The program ActivInspire, which goes along with the board, allows me to type the problems or equations on a “flipchart” (like a page for a PowerPoint presentation).  I am then able to walk the students through each problem step by step and/or highlight the key vocabulary that will guide them to the answer, with a pen that writes on the board and saves onto my teacher computer simultaneously.  It also allows me to press an “undo” button if one of the students in my class missed part of the notes.  Because it is also saved onto my computer, I can print copies of the notes to students who are absent or for instance, last week I had a student who broke his finger and was struggling to write.  This board is also a motivating tool for the students I teach.  I feel that the students are participating more because they like to use the board.  Additionally, the scientific calculators that I use in the classroom along with the Navigator system are convenient tools that I am blessed to have.  I can create daily quizzes and tests that are instantly graded for me.  I can also see what the students are doing on the calculator at any given time.  The students like this technology because it gives them instantaneous feedback on how they are doing on assessments.  We are also able to review the questions from a quiz or test by viewing a bar graph compiled by the program that presents how each student answered each question.  This allows the opportunity for the class to discuss how students came up with the correct answer and what mistakes the students that got the wrong answer made - without revealing which students got what answer.

With all the technology that I already have in my classroom, it is often hard to imagine what additional technology exists to offer my students.  But, after reading an article about allowing students to use the technology on their cellphones, I started to think about how I could integrate the use of cellphones into my classroom and how I would deal with the proper etiquette for using these cellphones.  I am a firm believer that often times teachers are not only the ones that prepare our students academically, but socially prepare them for their adult lives.   With this said, I think as teachers, if we are teaching them not only how to use the technology that they have but also when it is appropriate, we are teaching them habits that will prepare them to be positive and successful adults.  The cellphones already have the capability to turn off all calling and texting options with the airplane mode, but will still give them the capability to use all other functions on the phone.  

 

Last year,  I also served on a committee to decide which textbooks our school district was going to adopt.  I now reflect on a lot of the conversations and presentations that I sat through and realize how much I was focusing on which textbook had the most to offer the teachers for convenience and accessibility rather than the content each of the textbooks provided.   Thanks to our wonderful county math department, they often reminded us to focus on the content rather than the bells and whistles some of the other textbook companies had to offer.

 

So, to answer the question, Yes, I think it is important for the new technology to be convenient for the teacher, but once you find something that you consider is a great tool, I think you need to also evaluate how these tools will benefit the students as well.