Technology in STEM
Image Source: Kid 101
I cannot believe that I am halfway through a technology course called EDU 782 Technology in STEM. There has been so much that I have learned in this class, from something as simple as the meaning of the term STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, and math (WeAreTeachersStaff, 2018, March 16). In the class, I learned that an “a” was added to the term STEM, which now included the arts program.
For those of us who have been long in the field of education, we know that there have been many shifts in instruction. One of these instructional shifts has been STEAM. STEAM calls for implementation of 21st Century skills in the classroom. In the EDU 782 course, we learned that part of the 21st century learning includes collaboration, critical thinking, communication and creativity (the 4 Cs). These terms might sound simple, but the reality is that they go deeper in the learning process, as well as in instruction. In the following section, you will see some examples of the 4 Cs.
Critical thinking involves reflective and independent thinking. It goes beyond memorizing facts and it involves the person in reasoning and becoming a problem solver (Finley, T. 2014, August 19).
Image Source: Christopher Danielson
In the previous image, we see the question “which one does not belong?” When we ask our students to think beyond the yes and no answers, we help them become critical thinkers. In a classroom where we see critical thinking taking place, we probably will see students taking control of their learning and perhaps presenting to other peers. One perfect example of taking control of the student learning, was when we had the opportunity to learn about Ozobots. An Ozobot, is a small robot that will move around based on coding. In the following image, you will see the example that a group and I put together:
Personal Photo
Part of this project involved learning the order of planets from smallest to biggest. As a team, we needed to figure out how we would make our Ozobot move from one planet to the other. Considering that this was a new concept for all of us, we needed to support one another, through communication, collaboration and critical thinking. Part of our creativity was involved in the form that we made the Ozobot move from one point to another. In the end, we were able to successfully make our Ozobot go from one planet to the other. Without cooperative learning, thinking and planning, this project would not have been possible or successful.
Considering that I was not familiar with several of the technology tools presented in this course, I felt overwhelmed by all the tools I needed to learn. One thing that helped was having the cooperative work because I was able to learn from my peers and practice the tools together. There was an occasion where we got to explore a tool on our own, which was the Scratch App. Scratch is an online programming tool that allows students to create their own stories, games and animations. Since it was my first time coding, I had a very difficult time with this technology tool. I needed a lot of additional support from my teacher. I realized that perhaps I could explore more using the simple version of this app, which is called Scratch Jr. Scratch Jr. is often used with young children, and like the other version, it allows students to create their own games and stories. To further my learning with this technology tool, I will be using it with a group of students who have created their own stories and now need to bring them alive.
An important takeaway that I have had so far from this technology course is that we cannot continue to refer back to the old ways of instruction. As professionals, we need to continue evolving and see the new teaching practices in place. Part of this evolutionary learning involves taking risks, thinking critically, asking for support and most importantly reflecting on the things that we can change. My hope is to continue evolving as a learner and try to embed as many things as possible to my instruction and learning process.
Resources:
Finely, T. (August 19, 2014). Critical Thinking Pathways. Edutopia article
retrieved via https://www.edutopia.org/blog/critical-thinking-
Ozobot available at https://ozobot.com/
Scratch available at https://scratch.mit.edu/
Scratch Jr. available at https://www.scratchjr.org/
WeAre Teachers. (March 16, 2018). What Do We Mean When We Talk About
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