A Teacher’s Thoughts

Changing what you do takes constant attention and detailed planning. Today, students took the lead with applying what they have learned about the tech tools we have used so far.

I wanted students, working in pairs, to post some pre-constructed comments on our class site. I knew they would not have time to finish the assignment and they were working in pairs. Instinctively (this is what needs to change) I suggested they just write in Word so they could continue tomorrow. Most students did just that. But I saw one group using Google Docs and in the process of sharing. At this point they had only used Google Docs to share with me. I asked them why they were using Google Docs and their response was so that they both had a copy of it and could work on it from elsewhere if need be. Perfect.

For the remaining classes I asked the students what the best tool would be under the circumstances. When asked to decide, rather than just be told to use Word, they almost unanimously choose Google Docs.

With much discussion about how tech is about learning and not about tools but how the tools are integral to the learning, I think empowering students to make choices about the tools is key. Were this an assessment of a tech standard such as, Students will select appropriate tools for communication, creation, collaboration… My students would have earned an A. My own grade on the other hand? Well, at least my teacher let me redo the assignment.