Day two at ASB Unplugged brought us into the classrooms to see how technology-infused learning is happening at ASB. The school did a great job offering a schedule of classes to observe, along with a number of “learning showcases” where groups of students showed and explained a variety of technology projects. It was great to be able to interact with the kids and hear them speak confidently about their learning. A few take-aways from today:
Every school should have a research and development department
ASB is fortunate enough to have an office with lots of smart people who have the time and space to think big about what the future of education at their school might look like. Of course this can bring in some added complexities and challenges for teachers, but what an amazing opportunity to not only have this resource, but also to be the type of school that clearly has a mission that involves pushing their teaching and learning further.
R&D department has a library full of awesome books! …
… and toys! I’m jealous!
Independence
Of course some of the things on display today were done because there were visitors, but it seemed clear that this is a school that uses technology, and uses it a lot. Like with anything, when kids have the chance to practice and internalise something, they gain the independence that allows them to use the technology not as something special, but as a powerful tool in their learning. The students we saw today seemed so confident and adept at using technology, and it was clear that the time they had spent learning, investigating, and practicing had given them a real sense of independence.
More isn’t necessarily better
We saw a lot of tech today. A lot. Some of it was interesting and impressive, but at other times it seemed like kids could have been learning the same things without the tech in a simpler way. You know it’s extreme if I’m saying that sometimes the kids need a pencil, but that was the impression I felt at some times today. This was a one day look at a school, so this is not a judgement of what is happening at ASB, because I really don’t know. But, it’s a take away for us, that as we think about using (more) technology in our own school, we always want to be careful that technology is the right tool for what we are doing.
What’s transformative?
While SAMR gives us a nice model of looking at and thinking about technology, I’m not sure that it needs to be used to evaluate every technology project. However, thinking about whether our technology usage is really transforming the learning that students are doing is a valuable exercise. I have so rarely seen technology assignments or projects that, to me, really transform the learning and allow students to do something in a way that is significantly better than what they are doing elsewhere. The motivation with tech is huge, the presentation and clean look is great. Sharing capabilities are key. But I’m still looking for those tech projects that are a ten out of ten. And they are hard to come by. All the Prezis, Thinglinks, and Voicethreads, in the world won’t make it for me.
Still not sold on maker spaces
See yesterday.
Resources matter, especially people and time.
Nothing more to say about that!
Thank you ASB for a great day of learning!
Made a new 4th grade friend at recess. Bravo on the timing of the photo Jane!