Learning How to Teach Tech

Casey Sloan — Thu, 23 Apr 2015 20:02:11 +0000

Author:

Casey Sloan

Image Credit:

I’ve moved through several pedagogical zones of affect and modes of thought concerning the implementation of new technologies in the classroom. Curmudgeonly Luddite (“turn off that cell phone! It’s unnecessary and confusing!”) gave way to Controlling Enthusiast (“Look at this website! I am so impressive and tech-savvy!”) which yielded quickly to Good-natured Bungler (“Let’s play with these shiny things I don’t understand!”). Good-natured Bungler, captured in one of my former blog posts, saw some encouraging results when she counted on students to dive into new technologies, flail about and, essentially, teach themselves proficiency with unfamiliar tools. Now, I like the Good-natured Bungler. I think the Good-natured Bungler destabilizes the instructor/student power dynamic in productive and enjoyable ways. The Good-natured Bungler encourages students to count on themselves, to embrace inevitable failure, and to find learning techniques that work for them.

Lately, though, I’ve started to worry that being a Good-natured Bungler when it comes to technology might mean ignoring the real needs of students who have not developed the necessary skill set to dive, flail and teach themselves, at least where the digital is concerned.

I have always worried about presupposing that students come to my class with particular tools in their kits. From the definition of “thesis” to how to log in to Canvas, I have been foiled time and again my assumptions of shared experience and knowledge. That’s part of the reason the Good-natured Bungler appealed to me. Doesn’t the Good-natured Bungler take it for granted that skills have to be actively acquired before they can be used? Doesn’t she encourage students to try new things?

My first semester using Canvas, I urged students to try to solve their technical issues on their own before emailing me. Would a “Frequently Asked Questions” page or section answer their query? Had they tried uploading several different formats? The idea that they could figure out a program or a problem on their own honestly seemed novel and wicked to some. “Did you Google it first?” became a veritable refrain in my interactions with students.

But what about students who lack the basic digital skills to even begin to conceive of finding answers to their issues?

I’m wary of giving up on my current tactic of encouraging students to use unfamiliar programs and actively seek out the acquisition of new technical skills, but I also worry that I am unwittingly embracing the myth of the digital native.

I think I’m going to focus on teaching digital skills necessary for acquiring new digital skills. Digital research skills, if you will. That nested idea will probably involve a workshop on how to use Google efficiently and an overview of what sorts of digital learning tools, like the Lynda videos and Youtube.

The Medium is the Mentor: How Failing With an LMS Altered My Teaching Ethos

Casey Sloan — Tue, 30 Sep 2014 00:39:55 +0000

Author:

Casey Sloan

Image Credit:

Ervins Strauhmanis

It took me a while to accept that I can never have all the answers. It took even longer for me to realize that this is a wonderful, fortunate fact. As an instructor, a tenacious part of me clung to the fantasy of a future of flawless knowledge and perfect leadership. Sure, I’d tell myself, I flail about now and again in front of my students, bewildered by a question or flummoxed by a comment I wasn’t expected, but that’s just because I’m relatively new to my course materials, to this emerging technology, to [insert convenient excuse here]. I liked to think that someday I’d be completely comfortable fielding any and all student issues and problems. I’m letting go of that idealized notion of myself as a pedagogue chiseled out of marble while embracing the teaching potential of uncertainty. I’ll tell you why.

This semester I am teaching a version of 309K and I decided to switch to Canvas for my classroom learning management system. Not only did I choose to make the great migration away from Blackboard, but I made the resolution that I would go totally digital for the first time. Papers, peer review, grading, syllabus, all of it, everything, online. Over this past summer I watched countless videos on how to run a class through Canvas, determined to be an expert by the time I asked my students to use the LMS. Of course, the first time I asked my students to conduct a peer review through Canvas, we hit a few snags. My students bombarded me with concerns I hadn’t preemptively thought through. “The prompt doesn’t say how we should use the highlighter. What do we strike through? Do we download the original document? Can we track changes?” Uh oh. I felt any control I thought I had over the experience slipping away. My teaching ethos suffered for it, and I could sense myself getting uncomfortable. That’s when one of my students asked me if he could use Word to conduct his review so that he could track his changes. “You know how to do that?” I asked. “Sure.” He responded.

That’s when I basically turned my students lose, and the results were fantastic. I asked them to mess around with the available tools, admitted that I couldn't be muc help, and encouraged them to experiment. I’m going to ask each student to give a brief presentation on the method she/he developed for her/his own peer review. Some used Word, some stuck with the Canvas layout. By letting them know that they had room to explore an unfamiliar system, without me there to tell them precisely how to use it, we were collectively able to generate a variety of ways to approach one lesson plan. When a few of my students had basic functionality issues with the site, I encouraged them to think about how, instead of asking me for the answer, they might go about answering their own questions using internet tools at their disposal.

Effectively, I’m now trying to think of digital resources as landscapes to explore, not as tools that come with definitive instructions. I’m also trying with newfound determination to foster a learning community where the members can lean on one another (and on themselves) instead of me.

Casey Sloan's blog

Learning How to Teach Tech

Author:

Image Credit:

The Medium is the Mentor: How Failing With an LMS Altered My Teaching Ethos

Author:

Image Credit: