In reflecting upon how my classroom experience shaped my perception of both staff development and managing technology in schools, I still consider the idea of how useful it can be and how much I “like it.” However, the content of the course, also pointed out to me, as an IT professional, it likely has less to do with what I personally consider efficient and effective with regard to the eventual organization where I work. Perception has a great deal to do with effectiveness and efficiency of delivery of instruction.
Just because I like a tool, and use a tool, and think a tool is fun or useful, does not mean I will have a mind-melt with the individuals who are in authority over the decision making process. Also, my “Be Nike© Just Do It” attitude will not likely be an effective method leading to adoption of an innovative tool nor in expressing knowledge to my students. Finally, having worked in research in the past, I was especially intrigued by the text for the course, e-Learning and the Science of Instruction as well as other resources we were exposed to such as the Private Universe video and the article Taking Learning Seriously. Insight gained from these resources added yet another layer to knowledge gained in my Instructional Technology coursework thus far. I will take into consideration what I learned order to create a coherent blend of new and old instructional tools.
In consideration of my initial reflection, I still feel the personal circumstances of both students and instructors alike as far as how well received lessons are, especially technology lessons. Thinking back on my experience at my last fulltime teaching position, I can image some teachers would not be near as enthused as I was about learning to record my desk top or create quizzes attached to my video lessons in eslvideo.com . The reason for this I feel still remains, where many teachers do not have the basics functioning in their classrooms, so it is likely frustrating for them to consider having to commit time and effort to the latest and greatest tools.
Perhaps, on the other hand, if they were aware of the relative advantage of not only of some of these tools, but also the advantage from a learning standpoint , the advantage offered their students. Before this semester, I never gave much attention to where I placed graphics and text on a page other than its relative aesthetic appeal. Flashy does not translate into effective, more is not better and when building a presentation, there is a wide array of detail to be considered in creating an effective lesson. In this respect, I feel I am at least wanting to shift my focus to how effective the lesson is from my current standpoint---how “pretty” it is. I tend to be a flashy, color coordinated, bells and whistles kind of person, and it may take concerted effort to look at each element of my presentations to see their value in getting the message across. Just because I think it is great, flashy, animated and color coordinated, does not mean the message or knowledge I am trying to share will be channeled effectively to the intended party, whether it is a student , an instructor or a board member. The bells and whistles are great, but I have to back up and say “are they effective?”
With respect to effective instruction, I will have a hard time forgetting the Private Universe video. Certainly the instructors of the students featured were sure they were getting their point across to their students. The young lady in the video was incredibly articulate, yet she was articulating clearly wrong information which was clearly factual from her perspective. Other students in the same classroom may have heard the same lesson and the same facts, yet perceptions were not the same. Ideally, all of our individual brains seated in a lecture hall or classroom could be under the same exact conditions ready to learn, hear and see things exactly as the instructor intends them to be seen. This is not the reality of the situation. I personally witnessed this semester, not only are we individuals, but even our individual circumstances and what kind of day we are having or what is going on in our physical body can impact how we receive and perceive information. It is mind-boggling.
I remember a visual I created in a conference of a concept of considering all of our different “alien” students sitting out there in the classroom staring back at us waiting to learn. How different it would be if we could see the kids’ learning styles, or even things such as personal home challenges they were going through, in a word bubble over their heads. The same holds true for our coworkers or random people on the street. How would such knowledge shape how we taught our students our how we live our lives? This is a question I am asking myself, but I do not yet have an answer. When I am back in a classroom, I know I will take the time more often to think “I wonder what their life is like?”
At first, my perception of the article Taking Learning Seriously was essentially intrigue and amazement at a fairly simple summary of the result of learning gone wrong. Those three words, amnesia, fantasia and inertia can summarize the sum total of all ineffective instruction. Narrowing all the balderdash used to explain lack of learning down to those three words is, to me, awe-inspiring. How to fix it the problem is the challenge. The Clark Mayer text presents many effective methods of presenting information, but that is only in consideration of using multi-media.
What about all the other lack of learning? What about the millions of impoverished students in India I learned about in my Global Technology course? What about a first grade student I tutor who I found had witnessed her mother’s violent death? What about the high school senior who still is my inspiration---he was a passionate football player but couldn’t read, what about him? What about my kids if I died? What about all the foster kids and kids who grow up in violence and poverty right here in the United States, right here in my town? I want to do more about all the amnesia, fantasia and inertia for all of them. I want every kid I see to have at least a chance to be their very best.
Just like I have grown to learn the personal circumstances of my students could likely impact their ability to learn, my personal circumstances gave me an entirely different set of things to “reflect” upon than I would have foreseen when I started the class, along with two others, in January. I recall a discussion came up in one of the conferences about “everything happens for a reason.” Based on my recent experiences and the interactions with classmates and faculty in this course, my answer to the conference holds even more meaning. I don’t think things happen for a reason---they just happen, and we have the opportunity to make the reason. Part of my reason I created this semester was the new perspective I gained into efficient and effective use of technology in instruction. An additional reason was gained in my desire, no, my passion to live an effective life. I am not just called to be a teacher for my job. I am called to be a teacher to touch lives, lives really in need of being touched, given a hand to pull them up, given a hug when they need one. I want to be there for kids like this, to be a soft place to land, someone to depend on to provide them with encouragement around every turn. The teacher of this course touched my life and did this for me. I will never forget his “smiling voice” and beautiful spirit during a hard time in my life. I will take a little bit of it with me through my life, and share it with my kids and my students. Thank you.
