Tech Tips & Tidbits: February 2015
What's happening with technology at LHS & beyond
Cooking and the Classroom?
Earlier this week, I was attempting to catch up on Top Chef: Boston (I haven't seen the finale - don't tell me!) so that I can begin watching Best New Restaurant. The challenge for the episode was to be innovative. Two of the cheftestants succeeded: their dishes were innovative, the plates looked appealing, and the food was delicious. One tried, but failed: while the dish was slightly innovative, the plate was deemed to have too much going on, and the food was not consistently tasty. Another thought he was being innovative by attempting to add texture to his dish. However, the judges agreed that while the food was very tasty, adding texture to a dish that should already have texture is not innovative.
This reminded me of what we do sometimes in our classroom. We attempt to be innovative by adding technology, but we get mixed results. Using technology to do the same thing we were already doing is not innovation – it is substitution. To be truly and completely innovative with technology requires that the tool allow students to perform new tasks that would not be possible without that tool. Of course, just like the innovation challenge in Top Chef, there are levels of success and failure.
The SAMR model (explained HERE) is designed to evaluate different levels of technology integration in the classroom. If you perform a Google search for SAMR, you will find a variety of images illustrative the four levels. However, this one from Jonathan Brubaker’s November 2013 blog post is my favorite:
As you attempt to add more technology into your class, be honest with yourself about what you are using and what you hope to achieve with it. Below are some examples of ways to use technology to achieve each of the four levels.
Levels of Technology Caffenation
Substitution and Augmentation
Quizlet also has features such as tests and games that could be considered as Augmentation. Games such as SpaceRace and Scatter can engage a student's competitiveness, causing him or her to try to beat the scores of other students. Students are still essentially using flashcards, but in a slightly different and more enjoyable way.
Modification
Redefinition
Upcoming Events
02/16: District Collaboration Day
02/24: Planning Period Meetings (Rubrics in itslearning)
03/11: End of 3rd 9 Weeks (Grades due 03/16 at 4 PM)