This year my role has changed drastically in the world of education, and it has opened my eye to just how much we as educators need to be part of a team that works together instead of just individual parts. In “A rich seam: How new pedagogies find deep learning.” By Fullan and Langworthy they state, "A Rich Seam is about a radical change in the relationships between all the key players in learning: students, teachers, technologies, school cultures, curricula, and assessments" (Fullan & Langworthy, 2014). This really spoke to me because I have been in schools where they do not put an emphasis on the relationships between those key players, and I have seen how we as educators fail students when we do not work on those relationships. I have seen faculty who do not communicate with one another, I have seen students who do not understand the relationship between themselves and the work, and I have seen when staff refuses to accept technology as a key component to learning. All of these are issues that need to be addressed in today’s current teaching environment.
My new role has put me in the world of tech. It is now my responsibility to to make sure every student at my school has working technology, and this is no small feet. I have seen first hand how important technology in the learning environment is, and I agree with Kuhn’s (2008) statement, “ "When used correctly, educational technology gives new meaning and utility to long-established educational paradigms..." The key word here is correctly. Technology is so often seen by some parents (and some educators) as nothing but glorified babysitting, something to eat up time at the end of the lesson. “Unfortunately, many school leaders mistakenly believe that simply providing children and young people with access to digital technology will automatically enhance learning." (Hobbs, 2011) These technologies must a. Be explained to students and parents and provided alongside education on how to use such technology, and b. But be put to good use with the correct rigor.
Technology can be so much more. Technology is a wonderful tool to add rigor, to add accountability, and to add an element of differentiation. We have to make sure we are are using technology the right way and for the right reasons. Most school districts have a Continuous Improvement plan (CIP) in which they incorporate the use technology to improve the learning of their students. These plans are important for student growth, but they need the two components mentioned above, working relationships between schools, rigors, students, teachers, technology, etc. as well as research back technology that can help them learn and grow.
Fullan, M. & Langworthy, M. (2014). A rich seam: How new pedagogies find deep learning. London: Pearson.
Hobbs, R. (2011. Empowering learners with digital and media literacy. Knowledge Quest, 39(5), 12-17.
Kuhn, M. S. (2008). Connecting depth and balance in class. Learning & Leading with Technology, 36(1), 18-21.
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