Slaughter's Tech Moment
Communication: Sharing thoughts, questions, and solutions
Innovator's Mindset
Learning and innovation go hand in hand. The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow. -William Pollard
A school can have the latest technology and the most educated staff, but if the learning that takes place is exactly how it has been for the last 150 years then has any growth taken place?
Three decades back and before students attended school to get information. Schools were nearly the only source of knowledge, but that is not the case in this day in age. Information is at the stroke of a finger. Students can access facts and information in seconds. Even more profound is that it isn't even one source or medium. Articles, videos, pictures, and more can bring information to life right before their eyes. The question is, why are so many still receiving an education that doesn't acknowledge this truth?
The students of this day in age need to learn to be able to decipher all of this information for what is truth and what is a fallacy. Students need to be able to take information and use it to solve real problems. People talk about the lack of communication skills of our students. So much time is spent looking at their phone, tablet, or device, we complain. What is going to happen when these students get out in the real world, how will they communicate? These devices are not going away. It has been said that our students now have the worst technology they will ever own. It is true!!! Education should be focusing on how to use information to think critically and creatively. Students should be learning how to communicate their knowledge and collaborate with peers and leaders. They need to be learning how to connect information to other information and how it can change outcomes.
George Couros challenges his readers to be innovative. "Change for the sake of change is never enough". Educators should always go back to the why when facing a decision to change.
Why should we teach students how to communicate?
Communication, discussion, and presentation skills are not natural abilities for many of us. These skills need to be learned, developed, and practiced. Allowing students an opportunity to use communication skills and time to think about the art of communication is vital to helping students become independent and strong thinkers.
Students should learn to
- express feelings, ideas, and questions
- decipher information and articulate opinions
- explain the thinking and justify thoughts with evidence
- explain and provide instructions
- ignite passion and promote understanding
- know what questions to ask and when to ask them
Knowing the right answers and being skilled in your job is important, but the ability to articulate thoughts and concerns will allow individuals to make a larger impact in their life and society.
Mind Mapping with Bubbl.us
Bubbl.us can be utilized as a classroom activity to discuss and organize thoughts on vocabulary, topics, and work on concepts like main idea and supporting details. If students have email accounts, the class can collaborate and share. If students have accounts, teachers can set up plans as a scaffold for planning writing activities. Bubbl.us maps created can be printed, saved, and shared.
Check out this forum post showing how some educators have used Bubbl.us in their classroom.
Consider using the program to build a Concept Map. Students can be given terms from a studied chapter. Students can then be required to connect terms by events or concepts within the topic.
Once students develop the map, they could be asked:
- Why did you make this connection?
- Is there any term you would have added to the list and how would you have connected that term to the other terms provided?
- What was the most difficult part of this task?
Tools for Communication Skills
Recap
Create a class hashtag and have students comment on topics from class. This is a great way to teach students digital citizenship and how to share their voice.
Weebly Education
Consider Podcasting and Video Broadcasting
Blogging with SeeSaw
One of the teachers in my school, Misty Thomas, has been using SeeSaw in her classroom. She had students take pictures of themselves using their webcam on their laptop and then write about themselves. Other students in class were able to like the posts and comment.
Think about all of the things those students were able to do with this task. Think about what her students could do by revisiting this activity later in the year.
Another great activity could be a "Wonder Wednesday" blog.
Have students look up a wonder on Wonderopolis on Wednesdays. They could be asked to share their thoughts, questions, and reactions about the wonder they have chosen. Other students can like and comment, and the writer could select two people to reply back to in the discussion.
Today's Meet
Consider inviting another classroom into the discussion or have students log on and discuss an event as it occurs (the Presidential Debate).
The best part is that you will have a record of the conversation.