Tech Trends

So much of what I appreciate about the EDTECH program is that the content of each class seems to bleed into what we are learning in other courses. In this assignment we were asked to select an educational trend to analyze. I decided to pursue what methods are being used to successfully create deeper learning. My primary objective in teaching is to see students develop complete understanding and mastery of material. If we don’t go very wide in what we learn but can create depth then I believe it teaches students the proper process for creating lasting knowledge. In choosing this topic I was excited that the content of my selected trend relates closely with EDTECH 542, which focuses on building PBLs (Project-Based Learning). In 542 I am working to build my own PBL, but what this assignment did was it provided me with the opportunity to look at the various factors that make a PBL successful.

It quickly became clear to me that in order for deeper learning to exist there must be more collaboration between teachers at my high school. We are only given 45 minutes of collaboration time per week. Our collaboration is within our content specific areas and grouped based on grade level. I believe my PLC (Professional Learning Community) works well together and has taken some steps towards implementing strategies for mastery learning. However, with such little time to collaborate our progress in this process is slow moving. 

In addition, our school has not built into its’ schedule time for teachers to collaborate across content areas. Projects built across subject matters presents students with opportunities to demonstrate their understanding of content-specific standards while under the umbrella of one project. I believe in the value of this process for students and sought to embrace it this past school year. A fellow colleague of mine teachers health and we were placed in the same “house” together. “House” is a label used to describe when teachers share the same students. In this case all of my English 9 students also took her class for health. The house system worked well as we were able to develop a project where students researched a disease and a celebrity with that disease to create a 5 page research paper. Students then created a digital presentation that highlighted the main points of their research paper. I was able to focus on MLA formatting while she graded the content. This worked great for our classes as we were able to scaffold our lessons to build student understanding on the specific standards we wanted them to master. The downfall is that not all teachers are part of houses, thus not all teachers are offered the luxury of implementing cross-curricular projects. 

This assignment helped me to better understand the importance of teacher collaboration time. The National Council for Time and Learning’s (NCTL) research offered five suggested priorities for cultivating a school environment that develops deeper learning. Of those five I can implement three as an individual teacher. I am able to make assignments meaningful, design them to maintain “real world” application, and cultivate a positive learning environment. However, without creating teacher collaboration time I lack a key ingredient that is necessary for building success in student learning. 

My school site would greatly benefit from the PBL model of learning, but with a student population of nearly 3,000 it presents logistical challenges. Regardless, I believe if the method isn’t fully adopted portions can be used in our classrooms to slowly begin building a culture of deeper learning. In a recent meeting at my school site we were told by our administration that the school will be moving in the direction of implementing more PLC time in the school schedule. Therefore, I would like to present my findings from this project, and my EDTECH 542 PBL, to affirm and encourage this movement for more teacher collaboration time. Perhaps this research will provide insight that will push our staff members to engage in this design for learning and allow administrators to see the lasting benefits. It does require more work and time, but the end outcome means we are more effective educators and students are better learners. 

Tech Trends: Deeper Learning Prezi

EDTECH 542 PBL site (please note this project is not yet finalized)