Category: Technology Integration (541)

There are many assistive technology features available on iOS devices. It seems to be a mission of Apple to make their devices as accessible as possible for those with physical difficulties. They have also provided plenty of documentation and support to make users aware.

Vision Difficulties

For those with vision disabilities, Apple offers various features, including VoiceOver (screen reader), Motion (reduces motion and movement), Magnifier (turns the device into a magnifying class) and so on. These features benefit those with vision difficulty because it allows them to access text as equally as other students. This will keep them from being isolated and will turn include them in the classroom. These features can also limit eye strain and headaches, which are common with students with vision impairment (“Inclusive Teaching: Blind and Vision Impaired”).

Physical and Motor Difficulties

Also on iOS devices are various features to make their devices more accessible to those with physical and motor impairments. iOS devices allow for switches to be added via Bluetooth or MFi (Made for iPhone). The physical device itself as well as the front-facing camera can also be used as switches. Users can also change the various swipes, gestures, and haptic features to make them more accessible. You can also change the various speed settings for double-click and triple-click feedback on devices, like the side button.

There are plenty of other accessibility features available on iOS devices, which shows that as technology advances, it is becoming easier to incorporate many of the accommodations into everyday devices instead of having to rely on external instruments to provide the equality some students needs in the classroom.

References

“Inclusive Teaching: Blind and Vision Impaired.” ADCET, https://www.adcet.edu.au/inclusive-teaching/specific-disabilities/blind-vision-impaired/.

With technology’s advancements and the current generation of students’ adoption of new technologies, the desire to integrate technology into the classroom has increased. And with the growing popularity of online education, it has become more and more important to connect with students in the classroom through authentic learning and community. One of the ways of making that connection is to use technology to help students connect their world while developing educational skills.

But what happens when the technology just doesn’t work? As in: it doesn’t foster discussion, hit higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, or doesn’t become more than just being a commodity, easing access to content. More specifically, what happens when the technology is just…there? This is especially concerning in the Language Arts classroom. Most content through Language Arts isn’t necessarily easier to access with technology. Ebooks do have their advantages, but overall when it comes to engaging with a text, the physical book still rules. Instead, it’s more important to create learning scenarios in which students are using technology to develop skills like collaboration, communication, and inquiry (I talk about this more in “Changing the ‘How’”).

In 2018, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) released a statement in 2018 discussing integrating technology into the English LA classrooms. In it, they present four belief statements that discuss this issue of technology hindering growth and authentic learning. One of the belief statements challenges educators to “Consider literacies before technologies” (“Beliefs for Integrating Technology into the English Language Arts Classroom” 2018). NCTE challenges educators not to use a new technology just because it’s new or cool. Instead, consider the intentionality of the technology as a means to further the content and to help create credible instruction and authentic learning. NCTE (2018) admonishes educators to make technological decisions only when guided by established best practices.

Technology is important and can create incredible, equal opportunities for students. But it can also be a danger, especially in the English LA, when it is used simply as a commodity. It’s important to keep the content in mind first, then use the technology as a supplement to create an avenue for authentic instruction and learning.

Citations

“Beliefs for Integrating Technology into the English Language Arts Classroom.” NCTE, https://www2.ncte.org/statement/beliefs-technology-preparation-english-teachers/.

Using technology in the classroom is easier in some disciplines than others. In the math and science areas, because of the practicality and the learned skills, technology tends to be easier to integrate. And this isn’t necessarily a fault of creators of useful apps or websites. No app creator or instructional designer has a grudge against certain disciplines. It’s just that those disciplines lend themselves to more objective answers and hard facts. Disciplines like Language Arts are harder to deduce to yes/no, right/wrong answers because of their subjective nature. Therefore, apps and technology for Language Arts are more specialized or emphasize newer instructional strategies. The relative advantage of using technology in Language Arts is that students can learn the content while also developing the necessary skills to help them succeed at the next level.

Vocabulary has always been an integral part of the Language Arts curriculum. I’m confident that everyone reading this at one point in their K-12 career experienced the same method of teaching. It went something like this:

1. Monday – Get the new words. They were either written on the board by the teacher and you had to copy them down. Or they were the next “unit” in a book. Once you wrote the words down, grab a dictionary from the bookshelf full of dictionaries and encyclopedias and copy the definition. Bonus points if your dictionary had half of the original sleeve still on it.
2. Tuesday and Wednesday – forget all about your vocab words
3. Thursday – Teacher would check for definitions and words. Then there was there review for the quiz the next day.
4. Friday (pre quiz) – forget about the quiz and cram all those definitions into your short term memory while walking to class.
5. Friday (post quiz) – immediately forget all of the words.
   

And then repeat.

Now, there are some great apps and websites that allow for students not only to learn the words, but remember them long after the quiz is done. Dr. Robert Marzano developed six steps to teach vocabulary: explain, restate, show, engage, discuss, and play (as cited in “6 Ways”). One of the websites that helps achieve all six of these steps is Membean. Membean give students a set number of words each week (as directed by the teacher). They see the word in various different ways: As cartoons, in videos, with definitions, in word clouds, with synonyms and antonyms, in interactive games, etc. They are also formatively assessed throughout. They are then assigned to complete a weekly quiz (or as decided by the teacher) to assess their learning. This newer tool takes advantage of new technology and allows for students to learn vocabulary and retain it.

Another crucial 21st century skill that Language Arts can help develop is discussion. Much like the vocabulary story, I could take you back to the days of discussion in your high school classroom. A teacher stands in front, asks questions about he text, and everyone sits in silence waiting for the awkwardness to stop. Or waiting for that one talkative or smart peer to chime in. Sadly, that might still be reflective of current classrooms across the US. Modern technology gives Language Arts instructors an advantage in teaching students collaborative reading. Collaborative reading helps readers to “share ideas and consider alternative perspectives on the reading topic” (Roblyer and Hughes, 2019, p. 345). While this skill was still the goal of the old school and ineffective teacher-led discussion of days past, modern technology makes this much more effective. Using collaborative tools like Flipgrid allows for each student to have a voice. In fact, Flipgrid’s tag line is “Empower Every Voice.” It enables and empowers every student to contribute to a discussion and to share their opinions, beliefs, and perspectives without the fear of talking in a classroom. Their voices are heard, and communities are built. Apps like Flipgrid give Language Arts teachers a relative advantage in that students can, as Roblyer and Hughes (2019) say, “analyze the text, offer their own personal response, and engage in online dialogue with peers” (p. 345).

So while it may be hard at first to find technology to integrate into the Language Arts classroom, with a little digging some resources can be found that empower educators to help create authentic discussion, foster collaboration, and build communities in their classrooms.

“InClass.” Arizon K12 Center, https://www.azk12.org/homeroom/2016/06/15/6-ways-to-expand-students-vocabulary-with-technology/.

Roblyer, M. D., and Joan E. Hughes. Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching: Transforming Learning across Disciplines. Pearson Education, Inc., 2019.

One of the most important issues that the students of this generation must be informed about is their digital footprint.The legacy they leave behind from what they post on social media, what is written about them, even the websites they visit will forever be impressed on the Web. One of the ways that higher education institutions are trying to help students leave a more positive digital footprint is through their Acceptable Use Policies.

What is an Acceptable Use Policy?

According to Webwise.ie, an AUP “is an important document which governs students’ use of the internet at school and covers a wide range of issues surrounding the rights, responsibilities, and privileges – as well as sanctions – connected with computer use. In other words, it is a set of guidelines set in place by an institution that protects students from doing harm to themselves (personally, professionally, educationally) or others. In essence, an AUP can help keep a student’s digital footprint sound and constructive.

These AUPs aren’t limited to K-12 buildings either. Higher Ed Institutions have them as well. At the school in which I work, Cedarville University, the AUP (linked below) is fairly standard. There are regulations on copyrighted material, network security, sanctions for violating the AUP, among other regulations. Again, protecting the student’s digital footprint.

To me, it is more important at the Higher Ed level to protect students, as many employers will vet job candidates by scouring their social media and doing some simple Googling. We have all read stories about candidates not getting jobs because of their digital footprint. Susan Kaleita, who works in Career Services at the University of Arizona commented on this idea: “Pretty much every recruiter is going to search people’s names on the Internet to see what they find before they invite someone for an interview” (as cited in Darrow, 2017, para. 2) So while an Acceptable Use Policy will protect students from plagiarism, cyberbullying, and other harmful materials, it also has its place in keeping a student’s online impression safe and making them more marketable when they enter the workplace.

Links to the Acceptable Use Policies at Higher Ed Institutions

• Cedarville University
• The Ohio State University
• Franklin University
• Liberty University

References

Darrow, M. (2017, May 18). A strong digital footprint may aid job prospects. Retrieved from https://www.kgun9.com/news/local-news/a-strong-digital-footprint-may-aid-job-prospects.

What is an Acceptable Use Policy? A brief explanation. (2017, November 30). Retrieved October 26, 2019, from https://www.webwise.ie/teachers/what-is-an-acceptable-use-policy-2/.

EDUCAUSE is a leader in educational technology innovation. Their annual Horizon Report outlines technological trends that are having a current impact on education and forecasts coming trends for which educators, administrators, and stakeholders need to prepare. 

However, sometimes applying these new trends to the ELA classroom can be a bit of a stretch. Especially when it seems that most new trends center around the sciences (STEM, STEAM, makerspaces…) So how can this report and others like it have an impact on the English Language Arts classroom? The answer does not always lie in what is taught, but how. 

One notable how highlighted in the report is the discussion of a potential shift in the teacher’s role. The Horizon Report (2017) noted that classrooms are shifting away from the educator being the primary focus and more toward students engaging in real-life scenarios where they must make decisions (p. 30). The teacher then becomes a facilitator of learning, pushing students down a path of self discovery and planting the seeds of life-long learning. The educator becomes the resource and guide as students begin to ask questions and seek answers on their own. 

So, how does this apply to the ELA classroom? One way is through student choice. For example: While the need for research skills will never go away, which is the what, the how can be altered. How the students use those research skills vary. It could be through inquiry-based projects, giving students the ability to choose their topics. Or the end of the project could be open ended: Students could choose the method of delivery they think would serve their information best. Now the student is taking ownership and interest as the choice is placed in their hands and not regulated by the teacher. This also helps students develop an understanding of digital citizenship (Horizon Report, 2017, p. 26).

Changing the how changes the ELA classroom. While this example may seem like a subtle shift, it can be a very dynamic change in how students approach their education.

References:

NMC/CoSN Horizon Report: 2017 K-12 Edition