Technology in a STEAM Classroom
The presence of digital tools in the classrooms has increased dramatically in the past years. This trend in technology has accelerated over time, which has made it difficult for some teachers to keep up to date with. In the following infographic by Seeta Pai, the Executive Director of Education at WBGH in Boston, she displays the frequency in use of technology by teachers.
Infographic by: Seeta Pai
This infographic shows that, although teachers would love to use technology tools more frequently, there are time constrictions. It can sometimes be time consuming when looking for the appropriate technology tools to use, which is one of my biggest problems for incorporating technology in the STEAM classroom. I will often have an idea, but not necessarily sure of which tool to use. Or sometimes, I will know which tool I want to use, but I'm not sure if it has the features I am looking for. To overcome this problem, I think it would be helpful to have a table chart listing different tools and their functions. For instance, if I want to display an article online, I would go to my table chart and look at the different technology tools that can do this.
Another aspect for incorporating technology into a STEAM classroom is the management piece, especially with the younger kids. For instance, when I attempted showing a lesson to the whole group, and I wanted for them to follow along, I realized that many were needing my help and I could not be there at the same time to assist. Perhaps I could have placed them in groups or pairs to help each other.
There are so many great technology tools that I wish I could implement if I had a classroom. In the meantime I can implement some when I lead team meetings or when I support classroom teachers. One of the tools that I would like to use with teachers is Thinglink. After learning about the tool in class, I began developing one for the fifth grade team. Currently, fifth graders are studying about ecosystems, and I thought it would be a great idea for them to display their learning through Thinglink. The one I created included pictures of different ecosystems with some readings in Spanish. Often, it is very difficult to find resources in Spanish, for which I compiled several passages around the topic. This will hopefully facilitate time for teachers when attempting to look for resources in Spanish.
A controversial question that has caused a lot of commotion in education has been “how early should technology be introduced?.” With the 21st century skills at the forefront of everything, I believe technology should be introduced as early as possible. I, like many other teachers, thought that young children should not be introduced to technology in the young grades (Kindergarten-first) because there were so many other important skills that children needed to develop. Yet, after learning more about STEAM and the 21st century skills, I now believe that children as young as in kindergarten, if not earlier, should be introduced to technology in a STEAM classroom. As teachers, we have been asking our kindergartners to do algebraic thinking and other problem solving activities. By introducing technology into the STEAM classroom, we will be providing a scaffold for thinking and activity much like other tools. We will also be providing a great equalizer for students by giving them opportunities to access what they probably could not before.
Although technology plays an important part of a STEAM curriculum, I do not think that it should always be used. There are so many other ways for incorporating STEAM in a classroom that does not necessarily involve technology. As teachers, we need to continue encouraging ways for students to think deeply and solve problems with a hands-on approach. In addition, it is important for teachers to find out how much screen-time our students are having so that we can determine if technology would be the best tool to use.
Resources:
Pai, Seta. (2013, June 21). EdTech Isn’t Optional, It’s Essential. Infographic retrieved from https://elearninginfographics.com/teachers-edtech-study-infographic-400-free-edtech-tools/#sthash.TKadqfib.qjtu
ThingLink, a digital tool that allows teachers and students to turn an image into an interactive graphic. Available at https://www.thinglink.com/edu
