EdTechTrek

I stumbled upon a powerful post by means of a link shared on Twitter; not to this post in particular, but to the main project site: The National Writing Project: Digital Is. Curious, I began to explore its contents and I quickly came across a post that piqued my curiosity titled, “Technology and Kindergarten: Is It Possible?” It just so happened that I had just finished reading a research paper written by one of my graduate students on integrating technology into preschool and early primary classrooms. As I usually do, I send my students relevant online resources when I think they are relevant to their particular discipline or interest area. My intention was to skim this one and send it on. However, as I began to read, skimming quickly came to a halt as I was drawn in to this kindergarten teacher’s experience.

It has so many important bits woven throughout the fabric of the story and I will list them here for you. However, I wanted a more interesting way to share them beyond my own reaction and linking to the source. So, below you will find an audio recording of me narrating Denyell’s post (with her permission).

Sit back for a few minutes and just listen.

Technology and Kindergarten: Is it possible? by ransomtech

Here were some of my big takeaways from Denyell’s story:

• Students have their own realities that they bring into the classroom. They shouldn’t have to check them at the door.
• Culturally relevant tools are important to learners of all ages. (“Learning and thinking are always situated in a cultural setting and always dependent upon the utilization of cultural resources.” – Jerome Bruner, The Culture of Education)
• Students are knowledgeable of and eager to use technology. They are using it outside of school. Why shouldn’t they be using it in school to learn?
• Denyell didn’t just suddenly wake up and have an epiphany. She participated in a year long professional development opportunity exploring digital storytelling!
• She still had many hard questions about implementation in the classroom, but those questions did not stop her from moving forward, as the vision for what could be seemed worth it. Her questions actually became a catalyst for learning more.
• This wasn’t without problems; there was much trial and error, but her vision and own experiences caused her to persist.
• She struggled with finding a balance between student independence and scaffolding for independence with more directed learning activities. I think we all struggle with this.
• She faced resistance from colleagues; not enough direct instruction. they said. She persisted
• Students responded beautifully to authentic learning activity, purpose, and audience
• Revision/reflection naturally happens when the students see/hear their ideas and can make creative decisions
• Students still “get the work done”, but it gets done in ways that make sense to the learner. They see real world application.

Denyell’s Takeaways (with my embellishments):

• Answers to “best practices” with technology are still not always clear, but questions should be explored and ideas tested every time the technology is used
• The more one uses technology, the more one can begin to see how it can have educational application in the classroom and with students. It is really hard to “get” this without using it yourself.
• Denyell sees her practice as changed for the better
• Positive, observable benefits with students were experienced
• Sharing in meaningful spaces is a critical component of the learning process. It dignifies the work and allows others to participate in it and celebrate it.
• Technology facilitates so many new real world experiences. It brings the world into the classroom
• Yes, it takes time – but time well spent. There is very little in life worth working for that doesn’t require time and effort.

These positives all came about because she first experimented with the technology herself through digital storytelling. Because she herself experienced meaningful learning with the support of technology, she was in turn able to offer those same experiences for her students. She became comfortable with the tools by using them herself for real purposes. No 60 minute after school training session can achieve this. It is really hard to facilitate experiences for students of which the teacher has no real experience. This is a huge problem with seeing progressive theory translated to practice. Preservice teachers get a disproportionate amount of theory as compared to modeled practice. They learn about constructivism by means of a textbook and a few lectures. They learn about cooperative learning, social learning theory, project-based learning, and other student-centered, meaning-making pedagogies largely in the same way. They go into classrooms and see very little of this in practice. They find themselves in student-teaching experiences that severely limit their ability to try any of it out.

Give students meaningful opportunities and relevant tools and they will amaze you.

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Here are some of my favorite Jerome Bruner quotations that I feel are relevant here, taken from his book, The Culture of Education:

“Improving education requires teachers who understand and are committed to the improvements envisioned… We need to equip teachers with the necessary background training to take an effective part in reform.”

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“The child is not merely ignorant or an empty vessel, but somebody able to reason, to make sense, both on her own and through discourse with others… capable of thinking about her own thinking, and of correcting her ideas and notions through reflection… The child, in a word, is seen as an epistemologist as well as a learner.”

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“What is needed in America – as in most countries of the developed world – is not simply a renewal of the skills that make a country a better competitor in the world markets, but a renewal and reconsideration of what I have called ‘school culture’… communities of learners…best when it is participatory, proactive, communal, collaborative, and given over to constructing meanings rather than receiving them.”

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“It is surprising and somewhat discouraging how little attention has been paid to the intimate nature of teaching and school learning in the debates on education that have raged over the past decade.  These debates have been so focused on performance and standards that they have mostly overlooked the means by which teachers and pupils alike go about their business in real-life classrooms – how teachers teach and how pupils learn.”