Implementing Technology in the Classroom Survey Analysis

This week in CEP 812, I was able to connect with educators in my Professional Learning Network (PLN) and ask them to participate in a survey about how they implement technology into their classrooms. My survey was created using Google Forms and asked a series of questions about how confident they feel teaching with technology, the value of technology in the classroom, what type of professional development they would benefit from (in terms of educational technology), and what their views of the biggest problems in integrating technology into the classroom were. 

Initially, I was going to ask only teachers from my current high school. This quickly became problematic as I was sending out the form. I received many “auto-response emails” stating they were out of the office for summer recess. I decided to go to Facebook and utilize my PLN of classroom teachers I have met, collaborated with, and learned with throughout my educational practices. Of the data collected, 47% of teachers who participated have been teaching for 1-2 years.

I had 17 teachers participate in my survey and I have analyzed the data in this google document. I hope you take a look at the results and my analysis of the data. The survey was open from June 10th, 2014 to June 15th, 2014.

Here is a couple visual representations of the data I found. 

  Please feel free to comment!!!

Expanding my PLN and changing my “Info-Diet”

This week in CEP 812 we examine a principle of expanding our learning community and increasing our collaboration and participation. In continuing reading James Paul Gee’s book, “The Anti Education Era”, he discusses the concept of getting smarter together. Gee is adamant in his belief that we humans share certain characteristics and that we have been living life pretty stupidly, in general. One of the key points Gee makes is the fact that learning, working, and living as individuals hurts progress and limits problem solving capabilities.

Gee’s solution to this an all-inclusive “We”. When reading this I considered the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution: “We the People, of the United States of America…” I thought about how democracy works and how it cannot work.

Gee makes an analogy about the human mind like an ant. “As an isolated individual, an ant is a pretty pitiful thing. But looked at as part of an ant colony, the ant is very impressive indeed” (Gee, 2013, p.152). Gee continues to describe an all-inclusive public forum where “everyone wants the best man to win, for their own good, as well as for the good of others. But the best man in the forum is not human, it is an idea” (Gee, 2013, p.153). This idea did not come from one individual, but rather through a process of many individuals thinking, questioning, changing, and learning together. 

I use my information Professional Learning Network (PLN) to inform my thinking in a few ways. I ask my colleagues and mentor teachers in the building about practical classroom questions. I use my peers in my MSU Educational Technology questions for discussing new technological tools to make teaching more engaging and effective. I also use my MSU classes to gain new information about pedagogical theory and how that can be achieved in practice. And finally, I use my RSS feed and twitter to connect with other social studies teachers across the country that are doing innovative lessons and teaching my subjects in new ways.

Limitations to my network involve sources and individuals that give me advice I am seeking. For example, I do not necessarily seek advice and information from people of varying opinions or sources that question my pedagogy that I believe is going smoothly. This can be a problem because I am limiting ways to expand my knowledge and strengthen my credibility in viewpoints.

            This week, my task was to expand my Professional Leaning Network to three new sources that have information in which I have not been exposed to and explored previously. Whether it be information I know little about, or information that is of a different viewpoint and opinion than I currently hold. Here are the three sources I examined.

Think Thank Thunk (Standards Based Grading)

This is a blog I added to my RSS feed this week. The piece I really researched and read about was on Standards Based Grading (SBG). SBG is something I have heard a lot about and I know there has been a lot of pushback from veteran teachers. A big idea is that grades should demonstrate evidence of learning. An “F” shows “No Credit Given”, yet classic 100pt grading scales have 0-59 as an “F”. SBG changes this 100pt scale for more accurate reporting of student achievement and assessment of content learned. This is something I am still working through as an educator, but I am much more aware of the process now.

 

NCSS (National Council for the Social Studies)

This source is something that a colleague of mine told me to look into back in undergraduate. It was founded in 1921 and is one of the largest associations dedicated specifically to social studies educators. Membership is not free, however there are quite a few free resources and it is a huge network of social studies teachers that teach civic responsibility and participatory democratic skills.

 

ASCD (Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development)

This source gives useful tips on how to give your students positive learning attitudes. The twitter account will share informative articles on promoting student success through encouragement. It provides innovative solutions in professional development and educational leadership. This source will help me in the classroom because it will provide practical ways to encourage and inspire my students to have higher goals.

 

RESOURCES:

Gee, J.P. (2013). The anti-education era: Creating smarter students through digital learning. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

[Digital Image] 02/01/13 Taken from: Pixabay.com (Public Domain)