Standard 4: NOT and Elementary School Teachers

NOT and Elementary School Teachers

The teaching of nature of technology (NOT) at a young age is important to build the foundation for students to utilize technology effectively and wisely throughout their social and academic careers.  I plan to teach at the upper elementary grade level (3-5) and the use of technology is abundant in the practicum classrooms I was involved.  Elementary students for the most part are rules driven and I plan to have a chart on the wall of questions to ask ourselves before using technology and a technology leader assigned each week.  This reflection will be important to hold myself accountable and to teach those skills to students who have primarily used technology for entertainment.  Bringing this awareness and questioning whether or not we should be using technology should be a routine discussion.  As Dr. Kruse states:
“NOT understanding is crucial so teachers can assist students in understanding the processes, characteristics, philosophy and content of technology.” (Kruse)

The decision to use technology in the classroom and the NOT needs to be weighed before every lesson plan.  I plan to use a set of questions similar to this before implementing into the lesson:



Link: Teachthought.com


I also think it is important and have learned that setting the learning goal first and then deciding to integrate technology is important.  Just because the school has technology available doesn’t mean that it should be used.  If appears fun then I need to especially be careful that I am not entertaining the students rather than teaching them the learning target.  As Dr. Kruse states:


“The crucial point here is to carefully consider how new technologies may simply be more sophisticated and expensive versions of already existing materials and approaches in education.” (Kruse)


Just because all students may have access to a laptop does not mean it should be their primary reference tool and shouldn’t always be used as opposed to pencil and paper or a dictionary/encyclopedia.  The choice and identifying technology is a crucial aspect of education.

I need to be reflective of how technology can make students feel in the classroom as well.  Any competitive games can be detrimental to young students who are still developing their study habits and are becoming better students every day.  Like Anya Kamenetz explains in her article that

In a highly data-driven classroom, students who struggle may be made acutely aware, to the percentile, of how far behind the average they are. This could be enough to trigger stereotype threat, depressing performance still more. (Kamenetz)

I can see this in my own children who know what level they are in reading and compare themselves to other student’s ability based on this information.  Some students take longer to learn certain subjects and stifling their passion and growth would be awful. 

The value laden aspect is definitely a new thought process that I will take into account when determining if using technology is beneficial.  Each technology brings its own biases and what are the lessons whether implicit or explicit that are being taught by incorporating it into a lesson.

The limitations of technology and tradeoffs needs to also be considered.  It there a more concrete way to teach this lesson as we have learned that being abstract can be harmful to the lesson and keep students from the zone of proximal development.  Yes, a person can learn about trees and photosynthesis through cool pictures and models but actually going outside and seeing it would be more effective. In Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age Sherry Turkle states: 

“The web promises to make our world bigger. But as it works now, it also narrows our exposure to ideas. We can end up in a bubble in which we hear only the ideas we already know. Or already like.”

This is important to always remember to go concrete before anything else.  What we search for on the web or what we research will likely give us what we already know and believe.  It is in conversations with classmates and teachers that our minds open up.  

The core of each lesson must be intact without the use of technology to ensure that technology is not using us.  A student should still be able to complete a book report without the use of a computer and still know how to research, write, and evaluate.       

I need to always be the guiding light in the classroom to model the safe, legal, and ethical decisions when choosing technology.  Dr Kruse states in his article “Implications of the Nature of Technology for Teaching and Teacher Education”:
“Technologies come with inherent value systems. While these systems sometimes reflect the values of the user, they more often reflect the values of the designer and in some contexts may not reflect the value systems of either.”

Cyberbullying must be taught at an early level and examples shown to the class to discuss.  Discussing with the class examples before they even use social media is important so that they can identify it when they encounter these problems and know the steps to take to prevent and seek the help of an adult.

The right to privacy will also have to be taught to elementary students from the beginning of day one as most have access to a smart phone.  Letting students know the ethical dilemma and repercussions of posting someone else’s picture or video online without their permission.  This should be incorporated in with the guidance counselors help when talking about feelings and bullying in general.      

Academic dishonesty certainly will be a new topic for elementary age students but again as they progress into writing reports and citing sources it is important to learn these skills early.  Examples can be shown as to who gets credit and how to identify a credible source when using the internet.  The technology leader can help narrow down websites that are acceptable for use when researching a new animal or country.  Depending on the age group the accuracy can also be varied but the idea that if what you are saying is directly copied from a website or paper is an easier concept to explain.     

The values don’t end in the classroom though and as Joanne Olson, et al. showed in her research anything posted online can be seen by students or parents.  The character counts program is a standard that must be met at all times.  Olson says that this

includes lessons that focus on the teaching of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship. The program developers acknowledge that “it is always primarily a parent’s job to teach a child how to behave and make wise choices, but other institutions and adults working with young people play critical support roles.” Teachers play a pervasive role in children’s lives from preschool through high school. Thus, the character, behavior and judgment of teachers are crucial to the wellbeing of children and society. (Olson et al.)

This means that a teacher is always on the front page of the paper and online posts need to be something that could be seen or said in a classroom.  We are held to a higher standard and need to be aware of it 24/7.  Even posts from someone else and linked to us can be used against us to determine whether are values are aligned properly for the education of children. 

The Nature of Technology has many different aspects that need to be taught in order for technology to be used successfully in the classroom.  I have learned that our learning as teachers must never end as well because as soon as you think you understand a technology or how it affects the classroom/society it will change.  Continuing education is important to stay ahead of these topics because as the teacher we are the leader.  It is imperative that we understand how the technology works but also how the values, ethics, and philosophies will be intertwined into our students as a result of it’s use. 

Sources

Kamenetz, Anya. “What's At Risk When Schools Focus Too Much on Student Data?” KQED, 7 June 2016, www.kqed.org/mindshift/45396/whats-at-risk-when-schools-focus-too-much-on-student-data.

Olson, Joanne, et al. “Prospective Elementary Teachers Gone Wild? An Analysis of Facebook Self-Portrayals and Expected Dispositions of Preservice Elementary Teachers.” Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, Publisher: Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education, Waynesville, NC USA, 1 Dec. 2009, www.learntechlib.org/p/30399/.

Perkins, Drew. “15 Questions To Ask About Tech Integration In Your Classroom -.” TeachThought, 18 Mar. 2019, www.teachthought.com/technology/using-technology-can/.

Waight, N., & Abd-El-Khalick, F. (2007). The impact of technology on the enactment of inquiry in atech nology enthusiast’s sixth grade science classroom. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 44(1),154–182.