Through the effective use of technology combined with personalized learning, teachers are able to fulfill the personal learning needs of each individual student in their classroom. In our ever changing twenty first century, it is crucial to prepare our students to be technology literate and not just technology dependent. Dell Technologies stated that within the next eleven years, 85% of the jobs needed haven’t been invented yet (Tencer, 2017). Students need to not only be taught content, but also social and emotional skills as well as problem-solving strategies.
With the proper digital platforms, students learning can be enhanced to fill in educational gaps. It is important to make sure that the technology we use in the classroom enhances learning and does not distract the learning. Many times classroom teachers utilize what technology they have access to as a compliance measure and do not necessarily take the time to plan intentional tasks or activities to best utilize said technology. 2019 North Dakota Teacher of the Year Kayla Delzer allows students to use social media and other technology platforms educationally in her classroom daily and said “Using technology simply for the sake of using it is wasteful, if tech doesn’t transform your classroom, your teaching or your students’ learning, skip it. One easy rule of thumb: If a project can be done using paper or pencil but you’re doing it on a computer or device, it’s not transforming your classroom” (Reissman, 2017). In Delzer’s classroom, students are utilizing technology in the same way adults are currently and in the future will be able to apply the skills over the concepts that they are learning to solve tomorrow’s problems.
According to the Texas Education Agency in 2017, eighty percent of Texas’ schools are Title I, or an area with the highest poverty rates. High poverty rating impacts student learning not only by the available resources at school but also at home. I currently work in a district that is composed of three elementary schools, one junior high school, and one high school that are all Title I schools. Even though the whole district is Title I, the elementary schools are very different. In one of the elementary schools, although most of the students are in low income homes, they have very involved parents that genuinely value education. In comparison, if you drive two miles East to the next elementary, they have 20% more at risk students and less parental involvement. One of the largest factors impacting education is the actual area a child grows up and the available resources they have access to. Unfortunately, there is not anything we can do to change or improve a student’s background, so it is our job as educators to level the playing field for them and create learning experiences that expose them to situations that other students are exposed to. It is difficult doing this in a twenty first century Title I school since we do not have as much access to technology. However, this does not mean it is impossible. Contrarily, it means that teachers in Title I schools work harder to use what technology is available more efficiently. In an elementary classroom, it is less common to see students using their own devices, however in my classroom I allow it since it exposes students to other devices that not all have access to. This allows my classroom to utilize desktop computers, laptops, cell phones, and other tablets. One thing that I stress when working on technology devices is that we respect the devices and type the way we would write, not necessarily how we speak. Since more of my students are using technology that they view more as a social component, it is important that they realize when communicating, they can communicate effectively and in a more academic manner.
[Skills and Attributes of Today’s Learner]
Another component of the current educational system that we are facing is the loss of the individual student. Ever since A Nation At Risk was published in 1983, America has put extreme pressure on schools, administrators, teachers, and students to pass a state or common assessment, which also drives a percentage of funding for the given school. Through this, I feel that we have lost touch with the student as an individual As a believer in the Constructivist Theory of Education, when thinking about learning, we must focus on the individual. Contrary thinking to how Sir Ken Robinson described the current educational system as Death Valley in one of his Ted Talks and compared the current school system to a machine, constructivist learning states ““we must turn our back on any idea of an all-encompassing machine which describes nature and instead look towards all those wonderful, individual living beings—the learners”(Hein). Often times, the individual gets lost, and as an educator it is paramount to ensure that we are the ones advocating for students and what is truly best for them when we are responsible for preparing them for life. . It is important at school that we focus not only on the content to be taught, but also focus on the students’ individual social and emotional needs. As teachers, “we must educate the whole child,” to help them become productive functioning members of society (Root, 2017). Students’ social skills are developing all the time and similarly to their educational development, the skills can be developed differently in different students. It is important that as we have students work together to problem solve to build skills that they will need in the real world that we support them in how to deal with conflict. We must look at students as more than a score, because they are. If we support them and help foster them as a whole, they will be able to contribute to society in a more meaningful way.
[Sir Ken Robinson Ted Talk Quote]
Also, when discussing how to support the individual child, it is important to foster their creativity and problem solving skills, which most traditional methods in education do not do so great in. When I reflect on my own education, I can fondly remember topics or activities that I was actively engaged in. These were activities such as creating a bottle rocket, dissecting an owl pellet, creating a visual presentation over a Greek Goddess, and writing about how a character from a classic novel would act and think if they were alive in today’s world. If I were not an educator, I would not necessarily use any of these activities in my everyday life, but that does not mean that I cannot find the meaning in them. So often when teachers are asked to plan for lessons they are asked to think of a real world application, which is beneficial, but not the only thing that should be considered. When students are given novelty, choice, authentic learning experiences, affirmation of effort, and ownership of their work with chances to revise it, real and authentic learning takes place. Allowing a student to be creative not only engages them and fosters a deeper learning; it helps them view the world differently. As with many things in education, the old question of “what do you want to be when you grow up?” is outdated. It has been suggested to instead ask what types of problems would you like to solve, or what skills and resources do you need to solve a specific problem. When students are presented with these questions, they are not limiting the skills they wish to have, but rather widening their horizons and discovering truly authentic problem solving skills that are a necessity.
I believe that we as educators have the most rewarding and demanding job. We are told by many how to teach, what to teach, and how to do other aspects of our jobs. However, at the end of the day it is solely up to us and our students’ learning team to help develop them into skilled twenty first century learners with skills that they need to be successful in tomorrow’s world. Technology when used appropriately is crucial to our students. According to ISTE, effective use of technology is used “in ways that address real-world skills to learn the right skills at the right times for the right reasons and to meet specific learning objectives” (International society for technology in education, 2018).It is important to plan for technology use intentionally to enhance learning. A great way to enhance learning is to use technology to close gaps with personalized learning. There are many resources out there to help teachers do this, however until more districts realize this and help support their teachers, not all will be able to accomplish this. It may seem ideal to have 1:1 technology in a classroom, however students utilizing their own devices and sharing creates an environment of problem solvers which is also needed.
I hope to positively impact my students’ lives while fostering their love of learning and preparing them for their future. That may not seem like a very specific goal, but that is because it is different for each of my students. One of my students may only need someone to talk through a problem with, while another might need me to help them find a way to deal with frustration when working in a group. As an educator, I want the best for my students which is why I will advocate for my students to be more than a score and viewed as an individual with personal learning needs.
References
Hein, George E. (n.d.). Exploratorium: Constructivist learning theory. Retrieved 2019 February 10, from: https://www.exploratorium.edu/education/ifi/constructivist-learning
International society for technology in education: Essential conditions: curriculum frameworks. (2018, November). Retrieved 2019 February 7, from: https://www.iste.org/standards/essential-conditions/curriculum-framework
Reissman, H. (2017, September 3). Smart ways to use technology in classrooms. Retrieved February 8, 2019, from https://ideas.ted.com/7-smart-ways-to-use-technology-in-classrooms/
Root, Brittney. (2017, October). Building a strong classroom community. Teach your heart out convention, Houston, Texas.
[Sir Ken Robinson Ted Talk Quote]. https://ardles.com/2016/02/18/creativity-in-schools-a-decade-on-from-sir-ken-robinsons-ted-talk/
Skills and Attributes of Today’s Learners: retrieved from https://usergeneratededucation.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/skills.jpg
Tencer, D. (2017, July 14). Huffington post: 85% of jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t been invented yet: Report. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/07/14/85-of-jobs-that-will-exist-in-2030-haven-t-been-invented-yet-d_a_23030098/
Jillian Trimm 
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