Empowering Students with Technology

Alan November:  Empowering Students with Technology

November Learning

Chapter 4-

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could invite major figures into our classroom to discuss their lives and experiences?  Well this is not always possible. 

Can we invite Anne Frank into our room when reading The Diary of Anne Frank?  How about Abraham Lincoln when discussing The Civil War?    

What we can do, however, is use primary resources to enhance these learning situations.  How about using the actual letters written between families while one member was serving in Vietnam to learn more about the Vietnam War than what is in the text book?

Alan Novembers suggests using primary source document to increase authentic learning experiences. One avenue to access primary source documents is from the National Archives.  November also points out that educators should also teach the skills so students can access these documents on their own. 

This reminds me of the Chinese proverb…

“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. 

Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” 

It also remind me of the first video in Taini's Alan November's Blog Post in which Alan November speaks about the skills that we must teach our students including the importance of teaching our students to be self-directed, independent thinkers and learners.

We must teach our students the skills to access and evaluate primary source documents on their own…

    not just the skills to read and respond to a primary source document we have provided for them!

Chapter 5-

We now live in an age where technology rules just about every aspect of our lives.  Online learning and access to web-based knowledge has become the norm for most. 

As asked by Alan November...

Do schools have an obligation to prepare students for a world where those who can access learning resources 24-7 potentially have an enormous advantage over those who can only rely on the physical structure of the classroom to learn?

In my opinion, the answer is absolutely!!!  We as educators need to do the best we can to provide students the tools and the desire to learn and learn well in all arenas, including an online learning community.  As elementary teachers, we do not have students who are taking online courses, but in the future many of our students probably will be learning in an online community.  The skills that they will need to succeed in this learning environment must begin to be taught NOW! 

In the second video in Taini's Alan November's Blog Post, Alan November speaks about teaching students the importance of evaluating web-sites and using critical thinking skills to evaluate the information accessed.  I am reminded of what I read in Sara's Alan November's Blog Post.   Sara speaks about November’s views of blocking sites as a short-term victory.  Even with the constraints we face in our classroom (blocked sites being only one of them) we need to teach all of our students the skills to succeed in the 21^st century technological age- not the 20^th century industrial age!  The critical thinking, analyzing, and evaluating skills to succeed in online learning must begin with us in elementary school. 

The standards emphasized in the Nets for students and teachers should be ever present in our learning communities while we organize student-centered, technology rich learning environments.  

Alan November

Alan November's 2nd edition of Empowering Students with technology encourages educators to deepen students ability to analyze, create, and investigate using critical thinking skills and technology.  The text provides many examples of e-ventures that can be modified to meet the needs of all students. 

Interesting Points to Note...

• Different search engines produce different results (a fact that I never realized because I only use Google).  In the future, I plan on creating lessons where students use a particular search engine to search a given topic.  The web-sites can be compared and contrasted and further analyzed so information can be evaluated.
• Using New Literacies can be a tool to improve parental involvement.  Videoconferencing and blogging can be used to allow parents more opportunities to be involved in daily classroom activities and increase knowledge of what it happening within the classroom.  
• Integrating New Literacies doesn't necessarily depend on the number or quality of technologies available within any given school.  It does depend on the quality of the use of the technologies and the planning that goes with using the technologies available.
• Technology can empower and motivate students.  It connects them with an authentic and global audience.  Critical thinking and global communication skills are greatly enhanced.   My personal concern is protecting children while these connections are being made.  I have also had parents address concerns related to protecting identities.  
• Educators should not be afraid to use new technologies.  Children will usually learn technologies quicker than adults and can often teach the teacher how to use it.  Educators should focus on the classroom management aspect not necessarily the technological aspect.  I also think that this could be a great opportunity to increase community involvement.  Try getting volunteers into the class (maybe high school or college students needing community service hours) that can help with the technology side.
• Many students need guidance with learning activities.  Student-centered learning opportunities are great but students need direction and a real-world problem to solve with teacher guidance to support their learning with technology.  Control can be shifted to the student but it does come with barriers and limitation to an extent.

Classroom Lesson Idea:  Fourth Grade- Connecticut History

I know students in the fourth grade in my school district (I think it is throughout CT) study the history of Connecticut as part of the curriculum.  To integrate technology into this topic of study, I would connect my students to members of Congress and having them write letters discussing personal topics of  interest.  Students could also set up a Skype session to have questions answered.

Another possibility

Students in my school are currently very concerned with the possibility of the school closing at the end of this school year.  It is constant chatter throughout my building between the students, they are fearful of going to a new school.  Teachers can set up videoconferencing with the Mayor and Board of Education members to discuss their concerns.  I wish this is something that I could incorporate in my arena but with the guidelines I must adhere to this is not an option for me!

Check out this video from Alan November and The Spring Branch Plan.  

     Do you agree with Alan November's philosophy?  In your teaching environment are you concerned with student engagement, global empathy, and preparing students for life success?

Personally, I agree that schools need to change to accommodate today's world.  We need to teach our children in a manner that they thrive to become lifelong learners and are prepared with the necessary skills to succeed in tomorrow's world (whatever that may be!).