I
really enjoyed reading this chapter because it reaffirms what and I
believe when it comes to BYOD in the classroom and classroom management.
This chapter shows us that classroom management strategies matter
regardless of the tools that you are using in the classroom.
One
of the parts that I found to be very interesting was when the book
talked about classroom layout. I agree with the author about how
teachers should be monitoring what students are doing on their devices,
just as we would if they were working on paper and pencil. However, I
think the author brings up a good point when he discusses how teachers
should have their desks arranged based on the type of activity they are
doing. Most teachers that I know have moved their desks before to
accommodate an activity but I do not think that many teachers have moved
desks several times during a class as the activities changed. When the
author brought this up, he talked about how this would help the teacher
be able to monitor what was going on in the class as well be able to
engage the students more effectively during different activities. My
first thought was that this would be very challenging because it takes
forever to move things around the room and it can create chaos.
However, the author had a great suggestion of using a stopwatch and
giving them a certain amount of time to move. This allows teachers to
move the classroom to be most effective for the type of instruction that
is taking place without creating too much chaos.
I
also really liked what the author had to say about how devices are not
there to do the instruction for you but are merely a tool to be used to
enhance learning. One of the parts of chapter talked about the
different ways that the author would have the students use their
devices. He talked about how sometimes the author would have each
student working on his or her own device but at other times they could
be working with just two devices in a group of six. There were also
times that the author had them put their devices away for several
reasons including the devices being a distraction or to have students
share what their reaction was to the activity with the group. No matter
what way the teacher chooses to go is fine, as long as you see the
devices as a tool to help the student through the lesson instead of
being the lesson. I think that this is one of the biggest concerns that
I hear from other teachers when it comes to BYOD. They will often say
that they do not know how they would use the devices in their classroom.
My response is typically to point out that they are using devices all
the time but we no longer see them as devices. For instance, paper and
pencil or calculators are all tools. Why couldn’t students type their
answers, read an article on their devices or use their devices as their
calculators? These are all questions they didn’t have a good answer for
other except that it would be a distraction. However, after reading
these past articles and this chapter I know now and can pass along that
it is not the device that will be the problem but the way we as teachers
set up the classroom that will be problem.
Overall I really enjoyed reading this chapter as it gave me some new things to think about when it comes to BYOD.
Some good points raised by Dion here. I too found it interesting regarding classroom layout. This was something that actually hit me during our last class. Just as with any other activities/objectives, the layout can have a big impact on the amount and type of learning.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing this reading and Dion's response got me thinking about is the importance of allowing students to learn on a variety of devices. I don't feel it is necessarily our job to give students specialized training/experience on any one device. Rather we should expose them to a variety of resources and devices and allow them to explore and specialize on their own. Plant the seed and let them go!
I am not sure how practical, even using a timer, it would be to rearrange a class during instruction. I did like the idea of incorporating classroom arrangement when planning lessons and could even see arranging desk on daily bases prior to class, but probably not during.
ReplyDeleteUltimately, and this seems to be a recurring theme in our articles, devices are tools that help drive instruction. In order for them to be useful to students, teachers need to plan quality lessons with engaging qualities. If arranging desk help to manage the devises, fine. Regardless, it the lesson plan that drives the instruction and the device is just another way to engage students and help them in their learning.
I agree that constantly rearranging your classroom setup during class is impractical. I do think it's completely practical however to plan for it and rearrange prior to class to help best accommodate your lesson. Not only is it practical, but I see many teachers that do this on a daily basis.
DeleteI also agree that ultimately, the tech tools that are used in class only help support quality instruction and planning. Technology use in class isn't the plan itself and never should be.
In reference to rearranging ... my classroom is limited in options, but agree that changing it up - allowing a brain break, checkpoints, timed activities and the importance of classroom management is HUGE in using BYOD and/or any technology is imperative for a successful lesson. I have found that it is important to keep in tune with the pace of students by using some of the strategies we discussed in class - to minimize or not even allow room for down time.
DeleteDion's comments were very good. However, the author really isn't telling us anything that good teachers don't do today. Do we use a variety of tools and methods to effectively teach? Do we create an environment where we can monitor and allow kids to work collaboratively during instruction time? Do we plan effectively to make the most of our time, to keep kids on task- using timers and setting expectations?
ReplyDeleteGood teachers answer "YES" to all of these questions. Which is why BYOD is nothing more than allowing a kid to journal in a notebook, or a diary, or on loose leaf paper. The devices we use are tools, they are to be used to learn and enhance learning. So plan- be knowledgeable, be flexible and keep your kids on task, you too can be an excellent teacher in a BYOD environment.
I like what you said about how good teachers would say yes to all these questions. I agree with you that BYOD is nothing more than just another tool for teachers to use as they are teaching. The teacher and a great lesson are the critical pieces that drive instruction and not the devices. I think if other teachers who are nervous about BYOD look at it from this perspective, they would not be as nervous. I like what someone else commented on about how if you are a good teacher then BYOD is nothing more than another tool at your disposal. I hope that as we go out and encourage others in our buildings to incorporate BYOD that they see there is no real difference in what they are currenlty doing and what they would do in a BYOD classroom.
DeleteI also really like you're saying of "So plan - be knowledgeable, be flexible, and keep your kids on task..." One of the key things in that quote is be flexible. If you are going to try anything new or incorporate anything new in your classroom you must be flexible as you learn to deal with the new challenges that you will face. The mentality of being flexible is something that we must have as educators in order to improve in our teaching.
Amen Andy! "So plan- be knowledgeable, be flexible and keep your kids on task..." I feel repetitive in my comments, but I think that teaching in a BYOD environment is no different than in a traditional classroom. Good lessons and good teachers will keep kids engaged and on task.
DeleteI do find the argument interesting about a device being a tool within learning, or a product that drives the learning.
Flexibility is a great quality to have and while some teachers still do not have the confidence with using technology in their classroom having this will enable them to become more apt to trying new things, allowing for room for improvement and also for mistakes. As long as we as teachers are continually adapting our teaching to our students learning, technology should be easily added as another tool that we can use to make our learning environments a safe, comfortable and productive place to be. Being willing to learn from the students is another thing that I think some teachers have a hard time accepting - but with the topic of technology ... this should be overlooked, knowing that this is what they are using 24/7 - more times than not...they are experiencing technology more than some of us would like to admit they are. In an attempt to ease our staff into this process, some of our eKIDS projects reach out to our teachers for their needs and attempt to address ways to assist them in finding uses for more technology in their classroom to enhance their curriculum.
DeleteDion started his post by discussing the fact that effective classroom management strategies need to be in place regardless if you are using BYOD in your classroom. If you currently practice effect classroom management strategies, implementing BYOD in your classroom should not effect your classroom management negatively. We discussed this in length last class, overall we agreed that if you had poor classroom management before BYOD you will still have poor classroom management after implementing BYOD.
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Ben when it comes to the idea of rearranging the classroom multiple times during class. I have trouble wasting even one minute of class time and I feel that rearranging desk several times during a class period would be a waste of time. However, I do rearrange desks in my classroom to help make an activity more effective. Typically I rearrange the desk before class begins to ensure no class time is wasted.
I too am very interested in the idea of possibly rearranging my desks for more effective classroom management during BYOD. I currently am doing a unit where students move through the content with a partner using their devices. My current classroom setup consists of 8 sets of 2 tables. I would be interested to see if rearranging the tables so they are facing one direction would make a difference with on task behavior (so I would be able to see the screens of their devices).
DeleteIn Dion's response, he mentioned a lot of things I agree with. However, in his response and several other responses, technological devices are being compared to other "tools" such as paper, pencils, and calculators. While I agree that these are tools that are used so frequently that we no longer see them as tools anymore, I don't think it's fair to compare these tools to a smart phone per se. Those old tools generally have one use, while a smart phone has a million different uses. It's a different type of classroom management and teachers need to be equipped with different strategies. You can set a calculator on a students desk and while they might play around with it if they are bored, they can't send a message to the world, order a pair of shoes, or play angry birds with a calculator. If you don't set clear expectations, consciously and wisely manage time, and structure the activity in which students are using the technology, then the potential for students to get side tracked are much greater than with just paper, pencil, and calculators.
ReplyDeleteGood point, Jay. This is something that I feel many who are hesitant to the BYOD movement use as an excuse. While there are many/multiple uses for the devices students bring in, we have to explain and show how the positives on engaged learning outweigh the negative potential risks and off-task behaviors.
DeleteJay made a great point regarding the comparison between the tools of paper/pencil to the Smartphone or device as a tool. Although the classroom management strategies may not change significantly, the importance of this classroom management and the approach may vary significantly. After all, if students are distracted using a pencil, their options of distraction may consist of tapping or throwing the pencil. If a student is distracted using a smartphone, their options are endless. There is Facebook, Twitter, texting, the camera feature, and the list goes on. If a student is uninterested or unengaged in class, doodling or tapping a pencil may not be as much an enticing distraction as the chance to post a comment on Facebook. WIth BYOD, the classroom management strategies may not change much, but the need for constant use of these strategies become so much more important for the success of your students.
ReplyDelete