My TLITE Blog

Well, finally after months of thinking about how to word my field study question I have got it to where I am happy with it.

-How do grade 9 students report using Computer Assisted Modeling has helped them complete their projects?

Done.

About one month ago I started researching my topic for the field study coming up this fall. I have researched other projects before. Its simple, I log on to a computer goto Google and type a couple of words that best explain my research, then press enter and away I go. Well, not this time. I need real research. I need papers based on facts. I need studies written by real researchers. What I really need is a better method for researching.

[enter] The SFU Online Library

The SFU library has many articles available for almost any research paper. You can type pretty much anything into it and come up with at least one or two articles. But as good as this sounds… is it for you?

There is one major flaw to the SFU database. Or maybe I should not be so hard on it, maybe it is my flaw. You see, I am a “now” person. If I am hungry… I want food now. If I am tired… I will have a nap now. If I need pretty much anything… I want it now. Simply put, I use ATMs, I eat fast food, and I use google pretty much everything else. I dont like to wait, it is just the way I am… OK definatelly not SFU’s problem, just mine.

Heres the problem, the SFU database is not a “now” database. It is a “I have it but you have to wait for it” database. I find it very frustrating to search for an article for an hour, finally find one, the perfect one, just to find out it is in Alberta and I have to wait. There is no carrot at the end of the stick, if when you finally catch it, someone takes it away and tells you that you can have it later. It is like searching the video store for that last copy of the latest movie, finally finding one hidden away in a different section, only to take it to the counter and find out it was just an empty case and there is really no movie in it.

I suppose if I wasn’t a “now” person this would not bug me. But I am, so it does. A few weeks after starting my search, which had led to much frustration, two broken mouses, and a small hole in the desk where I had smashed said mouses, I discovered something new…

I have discovered a new satisfying feeling to fill the void the lack of succesfull searches had left. The “Oh, wow, I didn’t expect this in the mail today feeling.” Thank you SFU for free mail delivery!

It works!… you just have to wait.

Despite my kicking and screaming, Tlite has taken my teaching to a whole new level.

One year ago, just yesterday, I entered into the Tlite program. I had just finished my second year of teaching and despite saying that it would never happen to me, I had already fallen into a rut. I never knew it would happen so fast. After only a few years in the classroom I was already depending on long boring lectures, dusty 9 year old computer technology, and a class set of 30 year old textbooks. The kids knew it, I knew it, and the other teachers probably knew it too, I was bored with my Drafting class and was just going through the motions.

But as I said earlier I was just starting my Tlite journey and things were about the get kicked into high gear. The first year’s summer semester opened my eyes to a whole new world. During the two week crash course in technology I was introduced to things I didn’t even know existed. For example, I used to think a smart board was a piece of lumber that refused to go quietly into a table saw. Not any more, I know exactly what it is and how to use it now.

Before I started, I knew that when I returned to school, I would have something called a tablet, a projector, and brand new Solid Edge software waiting for me, but I had no clue what any of these did. Well, the summer semester did exactly what it was supposed to do. It peeked my interest, exposed me to new and what I consider exciting technology, and gave me a layout of what had to be done in the following year.

Once back a school I could not wait to try out my new toys. Once I had a handle on them, they became my new focused inquiry. The Tlite program not only gave me the opportunity to learn how to use the new technology, but gave me the push that I needed to try them out with my class. I learned how they worked best for me and when I could incorporate them into my classes. Once the first semester was over and I had all of my classes working in 3D as opposed to 2D, I was hooked.

I realized that I was teaching Drafting with a pencil and paper for the last year and that is why I was bored. It was not the course that was getting old it was the way that I taught it. Now I was not just teaching Drafting, I was teaching 3D Drafting and Design. I even changed the name in the course selection guide. I did not abolish the pencil all together, but instead used it as an intro to a more modern system. By the time I started the second focused inquiry I was dedicated to enhancing my class and making my 3D Drafting and Design class the most updated and current class it could be. When my students went on to college or university in any of the drafting and design fields they would be using industry standard computers and software, so why would I teach them anything else.

The second half of the year went just as well as the first half. I incorporated the projector, digital camera, and scanner/printer. I now taught my students the Solid Edge software with the projector. This allowed them to follow along on their computers with me. I would estimate that they learned the software twice as fast as when I was just using handouts. The digital camera allowed me to take pictures of student work and show them to other grades, other schools, parents and even other teachers. At the end of the semester I felt great. I even ordered a rapid prototyping machine for the following September. No one could stop me now!

Without a doubt the Tlite program has changed my teaching for the better. It is not that I couldn’t do it myself, it is that I wouldn’t have done it without the extra help. The Tlite program gave me the motivation, the support system, and the kick in the butt that I needed to take my classroom to the next level. It has been a benefit to me, my students, and my school. I now believe I am teaching in the most current, up to date, and high tech 3D Drafting and Design class in BC if not Canada.

Well it is the first day of the summer semester and I am starting to get a better feeling of the Field Study question. After watching Julia’s power point pres. and discussing it with my mentor group I have further narrowed it down to… ” How can 3D computer assisted modeling help my grade 9 students take a more direct route to their project goal. I plan on having my students model their project before they begin construction. I am interested in seeing how they can use this to find a faster way to their end goal. I still have three days left so i will probably change it a bit more, but I feel as though it is getting pretty close right now.

 Cellular phones have been a part of many of our lives for many years now. Over the past twenty years cellular phones have changed from tools used by the unruly for communicating drug deals to must-have communication accessories for everyone from business men to preteens. It is hard to walk down any street for more that two minutes without seeing someone talking on their cell phone. But with cell phone use so prevalent in our society today, are we right to ban them from education?

Many schools and even entire school districts in North America have already passed complete or partial bans on the use of cellular phones on school property. Cellular phones have been linked to cheating, bomb threats, and inappropriate pictures in a number of high schools. More common in most educational facilities are the constant disruptions caused by cellular phones. “It is one of the most common (and unsettling) occurrences in today’s classrooms–the ringing of a cell phone, often punctuated by some silly tune or sound effect that announces to everyone that a call is coming in. Inevitably, educators say, it happens during an important part of a lecture or discussion, just when a critical point is being made, and suddenly, the “teachable moment” is lost.” (Gilroy, 2006) With cellular phones being linked to instances such as these it is hard to find any reason why they should be allowed in any educational institute. It is often hard to find anyone in the teaching profession whose teaching has not been negatively affected by students using cellular phones. “In Spring 2003, the National Education Association Higher-Education division ran a poll asking if professors should ban cell phones in their classrooms. An overwhelming 85% answered “yes”".(Gilroy 2006)

Although there are many well publicized reasons why we should not allow students to have cellular phones at school, the number of advocates for their use as an educational tool is increasing every day. As we become more and more immersed in technology in our everyday lives, it seems as though it would be closed minded to ban their use in the only institution that prepares our children for a future as members of our society. It is now common knowledge that we must incorporate many different styles of teaching into our classrooms in order to reach all of the different types of learners that we have. “There are many different kinds of learning and many processes that people use to learn, but amoung the most frequest, time-tested, and effective of these are listening, observing, imitating, questioning, reflecting, trying, estimating, predicting, speculating, and practicing. All of these learing processes can be supported through cell phones.” (Prensky, 2005) Cellular phones are no longer sold as high priced items, instead their price has come down so much that almost every company has some type of “free phone” program. With most cellular phones now having video capabilities, there has never been a less expensive way to connect students with educationally relevant video. “In class, cell phones with cameras provide possible tools for scientific data collection, documentation, and visual journalism, allowing students to gather evidence, collect and classify images, and follow progressions over time.” (Prensky, 2005)

It is apparent that there are still many obstacles that need to be overcome by many of us before all of our cellular phone fears are forgotten. But, with a little creativity and patience I believe that cellular phones can have a place in our education system. There has never been a time in history when a teacher could say that each of their two hundred and fifty students had a personal TV, computer, voice recorder, and instant access to information from all over the world, all in each of their pockets. I believe the technology is here, we just need to spend more time discovering how to use it best.

References

Gilroy, Marilyn (2006). Invasion of the Classroom Cell Phones.

Educational Digest: Essential Readings Condensed for Quick Review, 69 (6) p 56-60.

Retrieved June 26, 2008, from http://web.ebscohost.com

Prensky, Marc (2005). What Can You Learn From A Cell Phone? Almost Anything!

Innovate:Journal of Online Education, 1 (5). Retrieved June 26, 2008, from http://innovateonline.info

I will have to eat my words a little bit here. Right now I am at a two day Pro-D workshop teaching twenty teachers not only a new Drafting software, but also how to use it. My last blog entry spoke about the need for more instruction for teachers on how to use the technology and less “here it is isn’t it great” workshops. We spent the first day covering the new software, learning its features and abilities, and the second day is beeing spent discussing lesson plans, and interesting teaching methods. We are actually going thru one of the student’s tutorials and projects. What a great change from all of the other technology related Pro-D workshops I have been to.

I could very easily leave this workshop and go straight into my classroom and teach my students this software. The tutorials and projects are interesting and even require creative thinking. What a bonus!

I recently read an article by David Bowman explaining that we should take emphasis off of just trying to using technology in the classroom and put more emphasis on how we actually use the technology in the classroom. The link is http://fno.org/oct04/integrating.html I think this is an important topic for discussion because it is often over looked. It is a discussion I have had with many of my colleges and fellow students in my TLITE SFU program. In my school we have done an excellent job of making sure that every classroom has a computer in it. Great. But what now? Do those computers do the students any good unless we use them correctly? Probably not. I believe that we need to spend more time teaching the teachers how to use the technology correctly, rather than the students.

Using technology correctly. – What does that mean? It does NOT mean shutting down a computer instead of just pulling the cord out of the wall to turn it off. What it DOES mean, as the author suggests, is enhancing the learning of the students through the use of technology. If the students are not learning better when we incorporate the technology, then why are we using it? He also states that the way that we teach teachers about technology might be flawed.

On more than one occasion I have sat through a presentation explaining how good a particular piece of software is and how it will be the greatest addition to my classroom. It was never explained to me how it should be used. I understand that we are all “life-long learners”, and that because of this I should be able to think up great ways to use this software that will improve my students learning, but I am never shown this. It must be nice to show off a particular piece of technology to others, and go home thinking that you have really made an impact because all of these teachers will now use it with their students. Unfortunatelly I can usually figure out a piece of software by myself and really you did nothing. We receive no guidence as to how it can improve the learning experience of the students. It is left up to us. I believe that this is the major reason that technology will continue to be under utilized in our classrooms. No one is teaching the teachers!

I just checked in with the SFU Contact’s blog. They are expressing concern with the lack of blog posts from our TLITE group. I think that everyone forgets that it is June and we have to look after our paying jobs first. I wish that I had time to post more, but now is not an acceptable time for me to do this.

Today I am going to try to set up a new blog for my courses for next year. I was going to set up a web page, but think this might work better. I will let everyone know how it works with new posts.

I have a general idea of the area that I want to focus on for my field study. I think that I would like to look at the effects of using the technology that students use at home in my classroom. I would like to try to use “their” technology in my classroom as opposed to forcing them to use “my” older methods. Would students become more successful if they were able to use computers as opposed to a pen and paper. Instead of posting my class homework on the white board, would they be more successful if I posted it on the internet. This is the type of research I would like to conduct over the next year.

If I choose this area I will have to narrow my focus much more that what I have suggested here. I still have a few weeks left and think that this can be done. I am lucky that I have a classroom that is very well suited to this type of research. I have a full computer lab, projectors, cameras, internet access, etc. I also have a course load next year that lends itself well to using this technology.

Question suggestions:

How is the increased use of technology helping my students to become responsible for their own work?

Transformative.