Technology in a STEAM Classroom Reflection

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.

GIPHY

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

Techonology in STEM

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:

Danielson, C. Which One Does Not Belong? Available at http://wodb.ca/

Finely, T. (August 19, 2014). Critical Thinking Pathways. Edutopia article  

         retrieved via https://www.edutopia.org/blog/critical-thinking-

Pathways-todd-finley

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  

         STEM? Retrieved at https://www.weareteachers.com/what-is-stem/