Using Technology to Bring the World To Your Classroom

 

History’s Influence on Today

In the teaching of US History, I have taken the approach of teaching more thematically rather than

chronologically.  This is not the way many of the teachers in my district approach the teaching of the history of the United States, but I feel that it works in my Cultural Responsive. Representative classroom.  Culturally responsive teaching is a pedagogy that validates the importance of recognizing students’ cultural references in the classroom (Burnham, 2020). As a student of US History and a white woman, I always saw myself in the curriculum and felt that the story I was receiving in the classroom was my story.  As I have learned more about the history of the US and teaching strategies, I feel compelled to tell the story of the nation's history including the cultural identities of my students and their community.  

Harlem Renaissance Comparison Project

Amid the unit on the nation's reaction to Reconstruction, the class was asked to consider how the demographic of US society was changed following the Great Migration, specifically the flourishing of Harlam Rennisaunce.   The class is composed of many introverted persons, and group involvement is a struggle, so I created this lesson so we could work as a class and also work on our partner work.  The students enjoy being creative and many thrive when they have a choice in how they demonstrate their learning.  This lesson was also to encourage the development of students' conceptual thinking skills, specifically being able to draw connections to ideas or concepts to current-day examples (Marschall, 2019).  Two students live to process this thinking out loud and I try to utilize their processing as teachable moments for the whole class to work on their own conceptual learning.  The final product of this lesson was a Google Slide presentation where they demonstrated the influence of Harlem Renaissance poets, dancers, artists, musicians, world leaders, writers, and sports figures on current-day performers through the comparison of

their work.  This was a highly engaging lesson that leverages a student's prior knowledge of famous people and their work and encourages them to draw connections between them and a moment in history that influenced their work.  This project has something for all learning styles and all skill levels.  

Within the project, differentiation is embedded.  All students have access to all the tools and may use them if they wish.  Multi-language learners are given extra time and given a list of sentence starters to assist in the comparison.  There will also be a list of sites that could be used for research. Students with IEPs (Individual Education Plans) have similar aids but the assignment can also be shortened if that meets the needs of their accommodations.  For students who need further intellectual challenges, the requirements for the writing regarding how the current artist is influenced by the Harlem Renaissance artist will be increased to one full paragraph citing specific evidence.   For the student who races through the project and claims to complete the tasks in 20 minutes, I will encourage them to walk through the rubric and make sure that they make sure since they have some extra time they strive for excellence and not for basic or a passing grade.  I also point to our class motto, “Do not sell ourselves short, strive for excellence”.  If they need some encouragement, I will go over the assignment with them and point out areas where they can add more information or include massage aspects.  

Another aspect of this project is that it isn’t just my voice being heard in the classroom.  Students learn from each other, we learn from poet, Clint Smith via Crash Course - Black American History, students learn from the black writers they read from and the black artists they study.  Multiple instructional practices allow each student to have a movement to excel and a moment to practice learning skills that will help them later in life.  There are class discussions, research projects, reading for meaning, and lectures to name a few (Staake, 2023).  

Burnham, K. (2020, July 31). Culturally Responsive Teaching: 5 Strategies for Educators. Graduate Blog. https://graduate.northeastern.edu/resources/culturally-responsive-teaching-strategies/

Marschall, C. (2019, September 10). 3 Ways to boost students’ conceptual thinking. Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/3-ways-boost-students-conceptual-thinking/

Staake, J. (2023, March 27). 30 instructional strategy examples for every kind of classroom. We Are Teachers. https://www.weareteachers.com/instructional-strategies-examples/

CrashCourse. (2021, November 19). Arts and Letters of the Harlem Renaissance: Crash Course Black American History #26 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKaegbtcE00

CrashCourse. (2021, December 4). Political Thought in the Harlem Renaissance: Crash course Black American History #27 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HY8d4ABHQA

There is No Magic Spell to Teaching, but knowing Learning Styles and Personalities Can Help.   

Data is all around us, and one skill of an effective teacher is their ability to use data to influence and guide their instruction.    Collecting data about my students' learning personality styles provided new ways for me to plan and execute instruction in my classroom. Teaching human beings without making them feel as if they belong makes teaching more complicated than it has to be. When students feel a sense of belonging and acceptance in a place, they experience respect and inclusion and know they are in a place where they will find support (Bowen, 2021). Using learning styles assessments and personality assessments to get to know your students is another tool that can reveal the multiple layers that make our students human. Knowing how a student engages with information will help shape instruction to encourage students to engage.   

Knowing how a student engages with information shapes how information is presented. In the classroom, there are various types of learners and personality types. We took an online learning style assessment that gave a student a glimpse into their personality via the Myer Briggs categorization. Each student could assess how much their assigned learning style reflected how they learn best and how much the personality label tells their story. This process encouraged cognitive and emotional reflection of themselves. By being exposed to a learning style they can identify, the students can find new ways to engage with all types of learning in a way that makes it more relevant. For instance, a student got a rating of a visual learner and an I N personality score.  

By reflecting on this aspect of themselves as learners, they need to have solo time to assess reading and have a way to read along if it is being read out loud. Because of this revelation, the student could advocate for printed material or online items and extra time for learning alone before we begin group work. This sense of belonging and support encourages them to take risks and step outside their box. Thus, confidence can also be seen as they engage in linguistic learning and social-emotional learning.  

As I reflected on the learning and personality styles inventory data a few facts influenced my instruction style. First and foremost, a few more students lean towards being introverted than extroverted. Interestingly, I also received the label of an introvert when I took the same assessment as the students. In sharing my results with students, I realized it is easier to lean more on instructional styles supporting my learning and personality types. A robust connection exists between an educator's learning/personality style and instructional strategies (Threeton & Walter, 2009). While many of my students are also introverts who are visual, I must stretch myself to be sure that I am including an introduction that encourages engagement with ALL learning styles. For instance, I use group work sparingly in my instruction, but I must include more. The trick will be in the presentation on the process, and all the group work must include self-reflection time and trust-building at the beginning. My students and I have a great, trusting relationship, but more time is needed to build trust between students. This will also encourage the growth of emotional and social learning that will help prepare students for life in the real world.  

Another fact that became clear in the evaluation of the data is that while some students are more vocal about it, most of the students in the class have a strong sense of self and can reflect with support. I plan to utilize this fact to encourage student-designed instruction and increase reflection on their learning through continued support and structure. A project-based instructional style could benefit the students and encourage the development of critical thinking skills. 

References:

Bowen, J. (2021, October 21). Why is it Important for Students to Feel Belonging at School? 

‘Students Choose to be in Environments That Make Them Feel a Sense of Fit,’ Says Associate Professor DeLeon Gray. College of Education News. https://ced.ncsu.edu/news/2021/10/21/why-is-it-important-for-students-to-feel-a-sense-of-belonging-at-school-students-choose-to-be-in-environments-that-make-them-feel-a-sense-of-fit-says-associate-professor-deleon-gra/

Sadler‐Smith, E. (2001). The relationship between learning style and cognitive style. Personality 

and Individual Differences, 30(4), 609–616. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0191-8869(00)00059-3

Threeton, M., & Walter, R. (2009). The relationship between personality type and learning style: 

A study of automotive technology students. Journal of STEM Teacher Education, 46(2), 

6. https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1090&context=jste

Five Savey EDtech Tools for Every Classroom

 Here are five of my favorite edtech platforms or apps. They are easy to use, inexpensive (most), and allow for more significant differentiation and personalization of educational activities:

Google Classroom is at the top of the list because of how much this is used in my classes. During the pandemic, Google Classroom was used 24/7 during remote teaching. Google Workplace, formerly G Suite, is free to anyone with a Google or a Google Workspace for Education account. There are also enterprise packages available with more features. Within Classroom, teachers can assign, grade, link, collaborate, and use the Workspace programs: Docs, Forms, Slides, Sheets, and many more. Classroom is intuitive and very user-friendly (Main, 2022). It is also flexible enough to allow teachers to work cross-curricularly. Here is a highlight of the LMS- a teacher can assign an assignment to all students or individual students individually. It isn't a seamless operation, but it is easy enough if you have any tech training. It also allows for features like speech-to-text, translation, and setting deadlines. There is something for every learning style in Google Classroom, from basic word processing to creative hands-on with Slides, along with virtual readers and writers for support for auditory learning.  

Bring on the creativity. Canva is a free graphic design tool that empowers students and teachers to design

presentations, posters, infographics, logos, videos, and more. There are multiple free templates and the

capability to collaborate on projects as a class. For a graphic design program like Adobe, it provides an

incredibly easy-to-use platform. It can be used in any subject and offers fantastic tools to engage

students cross-curricularly. For the teacher, Canva allows enhancing your presentations, create engaging

worksheets and stylish class newsletters, and design awesome class posters. Students can create

presentations, infographics, letterheads, social media posts, videos, and much more. The templates

provided are great and easy to adjust for your individual needs. Differentiation and interest are easily

obtained through the integration of various forms of communication, i.e., an infographic with an

interactive map or a video with links to worksheets that interest and engage the students. Free teacher

accounts are available; you can add up to five students to work on a project. 

 

          Nearpod is a game changer when it comes to interactive presentations. Many templates assist teachers in designing interactive lessons using videos, games, and polls that make even the driest topic engaging. Nearpod has a free basic account that allows limited storage space but the ability to share presentations via any learning management system. Individual and group or school memberships are available for a nominal monthly fee. You can import already created presentations and add any tools available on the platform. You can also use thousands of lessons or assessments already made. Whatever method you utilize, you can adjust to meet the needs of your students. Nearpod allows the integration of multiple learning strategies and styles so each lesson can engage students. Upon creating a presentation, it is hosted on Nearpod, and you get an enrollment code for your students. The presentation can be set so students can self-direct, or it has to be completed as a class. Within the presentation, vocabulary, text-to-speech, and other academics can be integrated, making this a great tool to differentiate classwork. 

Artificial Intelligence

 

ChatGPT was introduced to the world in its beta form in 2022 by OpenAI (ChatGPT: Educational Friend or Foe? | Brookings, 2023). Like humans, AI can only put out what is put into it. The prompts that are used will directly reflect the end product, and when ChatGPT began, it didn't have a ton of input, but as it began to be utilized, it became more and more user-friendly. You can use ChatGPT for free, but it is subject to availability; with a monthly membership, you have access whenever and wherever you want. Students' use of AI is limited to outside of the district network in my district, but they can access it at home if they desire. You have a clear prompt, and the Bot presents precisely what you requested. There are many uses for Chat GPT besides having them write a paper. With the proper prompts, you can get sentence starters, it can edit a piece of writing, or help design questions into a related topic. Teachers can utilize differentiated text, provide exemplars, outline a text, or help create engaging lesson plans. My experience has shown that reading through whatever the Bot presents to you is essential to check for accuracy. 

            Magicschool is a relatively new platform standing out among the swell of educational AI platforms. Magicschool does not lack tools, and for the price, free to educators, it can't be beaten. There are over 20 Bots within Magicschool that can empower teachers and students. Magicschool has streamlined the time-consuming tasks plaguing teachers at all grade levels and specialties (Demirkol, 2023). It is straightforward to use and offers an app to download onto your desktop to access the tools anywhere on the internet. This platform will actually help you differentiate lessons, texts, and created questions. One text can be retooled for multiple reading levels with questions. With the addition of a subject, selection of a grade level, and a few other choices, a teacher can have an outline of a lesson plan that will allow the teacher to differentiate each activity and lesson as needed. It also will write teacher jokes and create a song about a person. As with any AI, it is essential to include the relevant information in your prompts and to check the results to ensure it meets your needs.  

Ownership for Students: 

While all these tech tools are used regularly in my Classroom, Google Classroom and Canva present more opportunities for student ownership of their learning. Both platforms can be easily adjusted to be student-centered, allow creativity, and empower students to further their learning outside the Classroom.