Assignment+1-+TPI+&+Technology


 * __INTRODUCTION__

** My teaching perspectives inventory indicated that “Transmission” is my dominant perspective. This is consistent with my evolving philosophy of education, the reality of my teaching assignment, and my own assessment of my teaching style. The instructional practices I employ have been increasingly dependent on technology. Technology supports my practice by allowing me to improve my existing strategies, and forcing me to explore new ones. Both Social Studies 11 and History 12 are courses which have both demanding levels of content in the curriculum, and provincial exams at the end of the course. History is also a subject which lends itself particularly well to a spoken narrative. Although I consider myself to be relatively progressive and open to change, I rely on direct instruction, lecture, as my primary instructional strategy. Lecture is subject to routine vilification and dismissive analogies in discussions about best practices, but I find it efficient and, if done well, very successful and engaging for most of the students. I am no longer spending time apologizing or excusing my practice. Instead, my energies are focused on making my direct instruction more engaging. To do this, I have relied on technology. As a teacher who relies mostly on lecture, I started my career using technology as a crutch. Like a nervous public speaker who clings to a script and rarely interacts with the class, I utilized the one technology that was most common in the numerous rooms I visited daily, the chalkboard. Upon the chalkboard, I transcribed my notes for the class to copy. When I stopped changing rooms as often, I felt confident enough to put my notes into a word processor, and print them on transparencies for use on an overhead projector. This use of technology achieved the same learning activity for the students, but radically changed my experience. I was no longer busy scribing. I was free to add narration and interject stories. Another significant change was that I was facing the students! Although the task remained the same, the environment changed considerably. The latest evolutionary step has been to move the notes from the overhead transparencies, to Powerpoint slideshows. Again, the task the student engages in is basically unchanged, but the role of the teacher as a presenter has changed considerably. Further liberated by the remote control, I now circulate around the room checking for understanding, looking for cues indicating confusion or disengagement, eliminating disruptions with simple proximity, and encouraging questions with the improved connection I share with the students. My presentation appeals to an increased number of learners as colour diagrams, pictures, video, websites and more all exist alongside the text, making the narrative a seamless multimedia experience. As a teacher who employs technology to facilitate lecture, I am amazed by the impact of change I have been able to realize without changing the basic task of the learner. Improvements in technology will no doubt allow me to continue to improve my ability to deliver the narrative of history. I am amazed by what technology has made possible in the learning environment by changing **my** role in the classroom. The next stage of evolution in my use of technology is improving the learning environment by changing what **the students** do. The implied promise of computer and internet technology is to be a transformative force. To date, I have only used it to enhance my ability to do the same thing, but do it better. Changing how students learn is a tall order, influenced by various stakeholders, logistical constraints and most importantly, my own comfort and reliance on direct instruction. I am neither ready, nor comfortable with a sudden shift to an entirely new paradigm in my class. I am currently looking for technology that gives me the same ability to narrate History, but directly engage the students in the process; to transform lecture from a passive learning process to an active learning process. What I have found is a slideshow presentation tool called “Lecturetools”. It requires a class equipped with laptops, and each student follows the lecture on his own computer. Students can anonymously submit questions to the teacher, rank their learning about each concept, and make notes on each slide. This tool is not the final answer, but it is the start of my attempts to use technology in new ways that might not only create better learning environments, but lead me out of my comfort zone, so that I may grow more comfortable with the role that technology has the potential to play in support of my teaching and the learning of my students.
 * __MY PERSPECTIVE__ **
 * __IMPROVING EXISTING STRATEGIES__ **
 * __EXLORING NEW STRATEGIES __ **