As with many of my colleagues, the pandemic brought about a large shift in how I presented my lessons to my students.  We were required, almost overnight, to transition to an online platform that most teachers had previously never had to explore, let alone use as the raft to carry their students down the raging river.

Five years prior to the pandemic, our school division had started to use an online platform called Hapara.  This platform utilizes google’s suite of software applications and packages it into an easy to use interface.  At the time, my principal had tasked me with the challenge of using this software as a place to have students do their assignments, as the software has a system where you create a document and as students ‘start’ the assignment, it duplicates your original document and creates a copy.  They can then submit their assignments virtually and we can avoid printing.  This idea seemed like an easy solution to the division moving students and staff away from having a ‘personal drive’ on their servers.

As I became way more comfortable using Hapara, it became apparent that I could host all of my files, links, videos, rubrics, and lessons.  With this discovery, I was able to slowly build my units into this online platform, and as each year wrapped up, I could then roll this unit over and add/tweak/build upon all that I had created previously.  I stopped keeping a teacher’s planning book, as I was able to track all of my students and marks online.

When the pandemic hit, I had very little preparation to shift online, as I had been functioning in this system already.  It was a matter of having the right video conferencing platform to best meet the needs of my students.  The first week or two, I was able to assist my colleagues in this shift to online, and their learning curve was much steeper than mine, but we worked together to mitigate frustrations.  This quick shift to online was frustrating for many teachers, and much of that was based around their lack of skill with technology.  

There is a lot of comfort in the platform that I currently use.  Presentation software is a matter of personal taste, and a willingness to spend the time to understand the strengths and challenges that it presents.  Within my own classroom, I tend to not introduce much in the way of new tools for students to use, as I already have access to an integrated suite of google applications.  Periodically, I will have students who step outside of this walled garden to try out different software with some success.  For me, at the end of the day, the time required to teach the use of multiple tools is not worth the time I have available.

To shift back online, I would find very little difficulty in the use of the tools and software available.  My classes already exist virtually, and any of my students can access them as long as they have a computer/phone available to them.  The biggest loss to those that are not present is that they miss out on the conversation that takes place, and that is something that we tend to lose when we shift to online anyways.

So, I am quite comfortable, thank you very much.  Until there is something else that comes along to replace my current set of tools, I am content with where my class exists, and how it functions.  Could it use a tune up, probably, but that is a slow process that requires a specific need and outcome to change.

As soon as the “Single-tasking is the New Multitasking” video came on I felt an immediate urge to multitask.  I am not shy about my own struggles with task completion, and I know that I can be a hyper-focused uni-tasker.  So when our ‘hero’ in this video is texting, writing a memoir, cooking supper, taking a shower, and reading a book on ADHD, I get the joke, but I feel the pull.  I know that I reached for my phone once while the video was playing -smirked at the thought- and realized I had missed part of the video anyways.

The internet is going to be whatever we want it to be.  This is not a criticism of anything in this class, or anyone else, but merely an observation.  If we solely look at the structure of this class.  We are accessing this course in a digital environment, posting blogs to varied platforms, have discord as another platform to share ideas, using resources from all over the world, all while teaching our own classes.  We are being trained to use all of these different ‘productivity’ tools as a part of our course mark.  There are challenges that come from organizing a course around education technology, but with a fully formed brain (somedays I wonder), I can find a way to manage.

If we then look at our students in our classrooms, there will be students who are diagnosed with ADHD, so their ability to single-task will be difficult.  But because they are aware of their diagnosis, they can use strategies to help manage this.  Those that are operating in the world, undiagnosed, they are going to find things much more challenging.  For those students, the internet is going to be a rabbit hole that they climb into every single time they set out to be productive.  So, while our students are sitting and trying to complete a task, we give them 80 minutes to be single-minded on a piece of writing.  The structure of this classroom assumes that they are going to be able to focus on that single task.  Which they will struggle with.  On top of that, they have a supercomputer in their pocket, binging and buzzing, with things that are of much more interest for them.  It isn’t just the internet that is the distraction, it is the world around them -the one that never stops- and it is calling for them.

So in many ways, the internet is going to be a reflection of who is using it, and how they have come to learn to use it.  

Being able to put some universal support in place will make life easier for every single student in the classroom.  As with Alberta’s Diploma exams, which now have a set of universal accommodations, teachers need to put in place a variety of supports to help meet the needs of every student.  This document lays out some examples of ways to support students across a variety of needs.  

Finally, as many educators have come to see, the technology teacher does not exist in every school.  With that, each individual teacher is the one who is having to instruct students in the use of technology.  If you are in the elementary end, you are usually the gym, music, art, and technology teacher along with the core subjects.  There will be some shortcomings in an area or two, and as technology has become a part of daily work, the teaching of digital citizenship and a healthy relationship with technology does not seem to get the time that it needs.

Currently, I am listening to the video, reading an article, responding to a message, running the dishwasher and doing laundry, all while I am trying to write this post. It is true, "Single-tasking is the new multi-tasking.” I am not convinced I know how to single task anymore. When I get bored of a task or procrastinating, you can always find me using technology in some form whether it is checking emails, surfing the web (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) or simply listening to music. It scares me how technology has become this form of escape and because of it, I often find I am “multi-tasking” and not always in productive ways.

I think the statement “using Facebook and texting while doing schoolwork [are] negatively associated with overall college GPA” (Computes and Education Journal) as we become fixated on our devices and constantly checking it. For myself, when I know I am doing a task where I need to be productive and have no distractions, I have to put my devices on “Do Not Disturb” so I am not getting distracted by notifications. Inevitably, when I see the notifications light up, I have to check it. Even if I tell myself I will ignore it, I begin wondering what the notification is or what the person has to say. Without a doubt, I am distracted.

For the question Is the Internet really a productivity tool or merely an endless series of distractions? I personally, believe it depends upon how it is being used and when. For example, at work and doing schoolwork internet is a productivity tool as it has different productivity suites and tools that allows me to be successful in these types of work. Within, Pelger & Pendrill (2020), they discussed the importance of technology as it promotes accessibility, collaboration, and student agency to facilitate students’ learning (p.162). With these productivity suites, like Google Classroom, technology allows us to be productive, inquire and complete tasks. Futhermore, “the tools reflect trends towards openness, participation, and collaboration, which multimodal digital landscapes enable” (Sietz & Sinkinson, 2014, p,4) enables us to see how valuable technology can be. Within the presentation this week, they discussed many different productivity suites and how they can be implemented within the classroom. This became apparent to me that technology can aid in productivity and allow us to be successful. However, when away from the work environment, I feel I can speak for myself and my students... Technology is a distraction. Whether gaming, texting, surfing the web, online shopping, etc, it creates a "squirrel effect" where you are hopping between tabs, doing house work, eating and having a conversation. I truly believe it is how and when it is being used, whether or not is a productivity tool.

“Never has it been so hard in human history, to avoid distractions and stay focused on our most important tasks, then in today’s distracted digital world. Every morning, you wake up determined to stay focused and finish the most important tasks on your ‘To Do List.’ But then, what happens? To solve this problem, you attempt to multitask between checking your emails, scrolling on social media feeds, clicking on links online, attending meetings, saying yes to people’s urgent requests, and responding to phone texts. But, what is the result of this lack of focus?" (Mayo Oshin, 2018).

I do believe that internet has created a world of 'multitaskers' who don't always accomplish as much as they could. However, being in an era of digital natives, we need to find ways to stay productive and on task, even with these distractions.

Questions to consider:

• What are ways you stay motivated and productive, even with your phone beside you?
• Do you find there are more distractions using technology in the classroom?
• Is technology really as beneficial as we say it is?

Undermining a system that was designed to produce factory workers is ok in my books.

Thank you for coming to my Ted Talk.

When I look at this quote by Postman, I can’t help but feel as though the context would really help frame the statement.  On its own, the quote can mean one of a multitude of things.  But the slant that I am taking has more to do with undoing a system that no longer serves a purpose.

Education is no longer in the hands of traditional teaching and those teachers.  Rote learning serves little purpose beyond taking a test that requires hard dates and facts.  

Link to study

I can’t help but think of why Postman would claim that Sesame Street is seeking to undermine the education system.  If we look at some of our own learning in this course, we have seen that other tools, such as blackboard, have already been blamed for the failings of the education system.  So why not put the target squarely on a show that engages students?

There is discomfort in the idea that technology can replace some of the roles that traditional education has had in the past.  If we no longer need to go to the library, then how will students learn to find information that was written, printed, and then not updated for 10-12 years?  Facts change.  If we learn that cholesterol is bad for you, we take that information and use it as fact.  Yet, we learn that there are two types of cholesterol, ldl and hdl, we then understand that we need cholesterol to help us process the other cholesterol.  

When we look at the implications of technology in the classroom, it is hard to deny the fact that it is here to stay.  When I look at my own practices, I have come to rely very heavily on Google’s suite of software.  I know that I greatly appreciate being able to hop into a shared document with a student to assist them with their ideas.  For a student, being able to take your own device home and ‘remotely’ (what does that even mean anymore?) access their own writing.  When I left the building as a high school student, if I didn’t have my floppy disk and the same version of windows on my PC, I was out of luck when it came to wrapping up work.  

The teacher is no longer the center of learning in the classroom.  There are some pieces of knowledge that I hold, but that is because of my time with a book, not because I decide what is valuable information.  For one of my students to supplement my learning with youtube, I would consider that a win.  If we take a look at the chart below, we need to understand that there are so many avenues for student learning that we directly impact, and others that are a bit more out of our sphere of influence.  If I can tap into using some school based tech to engage my students in learning, then I will use that.  But if I have students who hold some of that key learning, then I would also consider leveraging that as well.

In the end, I do believe that education has become a partnership between student and teacher in a much more complex manner.  Both parties will need to make use of all tools available to them to best meet the needs of the learner.  Sometimes the learner will be the student, and other times it will be the teacher.

Education fails when we worry where the source of learning comes from.

,Postman (1985) stated, “Sesame Street” encourages children to love school only if school is like “Sesame Street.” Which is to say, we now know that “Sesame Street” undermines what the traditional idea of schooling represents.” In my own experiences, I never watch Sesame Street due to no television growing up, however, with saying that I feel Sesame Street does have a lot to offer. Just like in the ,TED talk, Widman discussed advantages and disadvantages to technology in the classroom, which could be looked through the same lens to view Sesame Street. To begin, Sesame Street was delivered through television and audio visual (AV) technology and although Postman (1985) states, “as a television show, and a good one, ‘Sesame Street’ does not encourage children to love school or anything about school. It encourages them to love television.” With the thought that television is always about television. However, as, Sunder (2018) stated through his study was that, “audio-visual aids are very useful teaching and instructional as well as promotional aids” (p.1513). Although “television is always about television” I think that is wrong to say as Sesame Street looks beyond just reading and writing, it has the possibility of teaching kids’ tangible skills.

Definition of AV

Let’s begin by looking at what AV really means. According to ,Vario, AV is an abbreviation for Audio Visual, which is used to describe electronic media that possess an audio (sound) and visual (sight) component. AV technology refers to the actual equipment or tools that convey these components, such as lighting, projectors, speakers, and displays.

My Thoughts

My statement about Sesame Street teaching tangible skills lies in the statement that Widman said, that “technology is not a fad, there is no expiration date” meaning it is not going anyway. Kids born in the year 2000 to now, are digital natives meaning, they have never experienced the world without technology. ,Postman (1998) discusses how media tends to be mythical, meaning that our students may think of “our technological creations as if they were God-given, as if they were a part of the natural order of things” (p.4). They are perceived as nature to students and like Widman said, it is “less of a device that they possess and more of an environment that they inhabit.” Although, Sesame Street may just be a TV show, it opens the unimaginable as students’ picture what non-traditional school is; done through a TV show, as this is our reality today. Although, there could be harm when students strictly only want school just like Sesame Street, it opens the doors to create opportunities to be more willing to change and adapt, as an educator. Furthermore, as a mentor, “we must prepare students for the challenges of being digital natives. It is our responsibility to do what is best for the students as they have access to a phone in their pocket. Utilizing technology is less of a choice and more of a responsibility” (Widman).

Using personalized devices like YouTube, can change the way we might think about school as this provides the TV Platform, that one might see in Sesame Street. It became apparent to be through the AV presentation in my class tonight, that technology is only evolving and becoming more utilized in the classroom day to day. Below I have included a photo to demonstrate how much technology as changed ,(then vs. now), as discussed in the presentation. It really puts it into perspective how much technology has and will continue to evolve.

From the computer, to ,YouTube, to games, to practicing skills, technology provides endless opportunities for learning. Relating this to Sesame Street unveils that technology is transforming and a lot of our learnings and teachings are done through technology. This extended to the idea of integration of smartphones and BYOD in the classroom, as it seems most of my students have access to technology in their personal lives and are bringing it to school. It is without a doubt that when students leave the classroom, they will be accessing technology in other forms that we, as teachers, cannot limit. Looking at the last two years, I believe has really transformed educational technology and the benefits that it can offer. I do not think there is any harm in Sesame Street undermining what the traditional schooling may represent. After all, it is “our responsibility to develop digital literacy skills and become lifelong independent learners” (Widman).

Questions to Further my Understandings

My questions for you are do you agree with Widman about his statement “utilizing technology is less of a choice and more of a responsibility?” How do you think the implications of Sesame Street affects our youth today? Do you agree it can teach kids tangible skills or do you believe “television is just television?”

An Article To Further The Discussion - Postman

,,Learning in the Age of Television provided me with further insight about learning in the age of television, which would be directly related to Sesame Street. Postman states that "'Sesame Street' appeared to be an imaginative aid in solving the growing problem of teaching Americans how to read, while, at the same time, encouraging children to love school." I think this is worth the read if you want to dive in and discover more!

According to Ertmer and Newby, learning is defined as “an enduring change in behaviour, or in the capacity to behave in a given fashion, which results from practice or other forms of experience” (p.5). Within that, lies many different learning theories in which are used in day to day life. Based upon the learning, observations and interpretations will differentiate between theories. Ertmer and Newby, “lists [seven] definitive questions that serve to distinguish each learning theory from others” (p.5).

1. How does learning occur?
2. Which factors influence learning?
3. What is the role of memory?
4. How does transfer occur?
5. What types of learning are best explained by theory?
6. What basic assumptions/principals of this theory are relevant to instructional design?
7. How should instruction be structured to facilitate learning?

These questions have helped me look upon my own pedagogy and realize the theories that directly influence me as an educator and my classroom practice.

Without a doubt, all the three: behaviourism, cognitivism and constructivism, can all be seen in my classroom. Although I feel inclined to say behaviourism is not ideal, this is how I feel I currently develop classroom routines and procedures (without even realizing it). Behaviourism is “learning accomplished when a prepare response is demonstrated following the presentation of a specific environmental stimulus” (p.8) and therefore, can be said that there is a linkage between stimuli and response. As a teacher, everyday I am using sites like Prodigy, Kahoot, Raz Kids and even using Picture Word Inductive Model (PWIM) where students are given an immediate response and are to continually redo what they may get wrong. Reflecting on this surprised me, as when I first read Skinner’s Time Machine, I was originally thinking of another psychological experiment, but nope.. It is what I do daily in some ways.. I also realized that within my own school experiences it happened often, thinking back to my daily mad minutes which occurred from grades 1-6. I bet they would be disappointed to still see I am slow at math.. Furthermore, as an educator I would say I use cognitivism and constructivism through my assessments and instruction. Through authentic lessons, students are able to create their own meanings from their experiences and also problem solve, process information and practice and apply skills.

My beliefs have shifted/change so far over the course thus far as I never really thought about the learning philosophies that underpinned my pedagogy. I was always aware of Bloom’s Taxonomy and felt that was reflective upon my teachings and evaluations, however, it has occurred to me that my students are able to take acquire knowledge and skills in a variety of ways. This will continue to influence me, as I want students learning to be authentic and meaningful. In my other class right now, we are discussing anti-oppressive education and how important it is for the curriculum to mirror these students as “when we refuse to challenge inequities, we are working to maintain them” (Charest, 2018, p. 123). I believe through constructivism, we can work to shift the impossibles to possibles, as students construct their own meanings from their experiences. Moving forward, my goal is to continue to provide authentic and meaningful instruction, where students have to create meaning as opposed to simply acquiring it.

What is Educational Technology?

A few words came to mind when first being posed this question. Assistive. Improving learning. Useful. Learning. Opportunity. You might ask, “opportunity?” I believe it allows individuals a variety of opportunities to expand upon their knowledge and to show what they know. In my own instances, I teach in a class with intellectual needs. For them, they all have a SETT device (student, environment, tasks, tools), which assists with their learning. When completing tasks, they are often done on the computer using Google Read and Write, where they can listen and talk into the computer. Without this piece of “educational technology” it would be difficult to complete tasks and providing these students with equitable opportunities. Like discussed in class, I think educational technology has two separate strands – soft and hard. For in my example, both the computer and the software, Google Read and Write, are both considered educational technology.

When thinking about “What might a contemporary definition of educational technology look like?” I believe the definition would involve improving learning and knowledge to expand upon the students’ thinking using soft and hardware systems. I do not believe it is restricted to a certain age group but rather, useful at a variety of ages. After thinking about what I might think of the definition, I put my research to a further test and came across “Educational technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources” (,Serhat Kurt, 2017). Or as ,Michael Spector (2012) states, “educational Technology involves the disciplined application of knowledge for the purpose of improving learning, instruction and/or performance” (p.10). I think considering these two quotes and my own thinking, they are revolve around the same realm which is that the technology is there is assist, for student to apply and expand upon their knowledge to improve performance/learning. I appreciate this graphic organizer I came across on the web, as it aligns with my beliefs about what educational technology is and how it should be used.

My Understandings and Thoughts Now

My understandings and thoughts around educational technology has been altered and forced me to think about what these means after digging deeper into rich historical and philosophical contexts. Two quotes stuck out to me as I began diving into the readings, that were unforgettable. In the Media Debate, Clark (1983) makes a remark that states, “media are mere vehicles that deliver instruction but do not influence student achievement any more than the truck that delivers our groceries causes changes in our nutrition” (p.445). This really highlighted how although technology can assist with delivery of the content, it does not indicate student success/achievement. Furthermore, in Five things We Need to Know About Technological Changes it states, “To a man with a hammer, everything looks like a nail” (Postman, 1998, p.3) which alludes to that technology is very powerful and there lies epistemological, political and/or social prejudice behind everything on technology. Dependent upon your culture, your educational experience can be very different as the technology provided can alter your thoughts, emotion and intellectual tendencies with what is conveyed. Through these philosophical contexts, I can see how technology is a tradeoff, where it has its advantages and disadvantages depending upon your culture, school, family, and your life in general. We cannot just set technology in front of students and expect success, we need so much more than that. Inevitably, as Postman suggests we must be careful with evolving technology as he outlined that technology is great but it comes with more than anticipated.

I appreciate this live video I found of Audrey Waters, explaining her experiences with educational technology and how many different experiences she has had.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mndD-rInhxk

Over the last 100 years, technology has advanced to a great degree, more than imaginable. This directly influences me as a teacher, a future mother and just a member of society. Technology is mythical – it can change our beliefs and construct a false reality, constructing the belief that everything is naturally given. I say this affects me in so many contexts because it will influence what I do with “educational technology” in my personal and professional life and be more cautious of the messages and content conveyed through the technology.

Questions I still pose….

- How has educational technology shaped you as an educator? Parent? Family member? Or even a member of society?

- Do you think educational technology comes with more advantages or disadvantages? Why do you think this?

- Do you think in the world today, there is too much or too little technology? Explain. What do you see the future looking like?

I am Raegyn Fulmek and I am super eager to be in this class to expand my knowledge on educational technology that I can implement in the classroom. I currently teach a categorical class (an intervention in literacy and numeracy for students with a diagnosis) every morning and I am a learning resource teacher in the afternoons. Within my categorical classroom, technology is used every day. Currently, we are using Raz kids (reading and listening), Voice-To-Text, YouTube, Google Classroom, Prodigy, Knowledgehook and of course, Kahoot! These are just a few of the many sites that we use.

My early memories of using technology did not really exist until I reached school. In fact, we had a tv with no cable (this has been all my life). I remember having a VHS player, where we would sometimes rent VHS’s from the movie store and come home and watch those. However, aside from those, technology was not present in my house.

My experiences of using technology in K-12 were very minimal. I remember we would walk single file down to the computer lab where we would simply work on typing. Wow, what a time! In grade 6, I remember the first iPod touch came out, it was amazing!! As I approached high school, SMART boards were in every class and let me tell you, those were cool! To calibrate those, wow, sign me up! We however did not have many assignments where technology was used, like in todays world. I for sure do have memories of writing essays in the computer lab but that was the extent of my learning with technology.

Reflecting on my school experience, it was a good one! It is however crazy to see how far technology has come and the advantages it can offer. I have to say I would not change my upbringing in any way; wishing I had more technology, but as a teacher now I do see the benefits when used right. My fear moving forward is that when teachers give technology without a rhyme or a reason, that is when I might have a disagreement about technology. In my opinion, sometimes technology is too accessible that is it no longer supplementing our learning but rather, something to pass time. Nevertheless, I cannot wait to begin this journey with educational technology.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYojtx1ozHI

My fondest memories of standing up at the front of the class and calibrating the SMART board! See how cool it is??