The samurai: an ancient warrior, equipped with the power and honor to conquer the world. Cunning, smart, and one with the art of fighting, the samurai dominated Japan for thousands of years. Technology: something used in our everyday lives. The world we live in is swamped in tech. From phones to television to cars to calculators to rocket ships, we all use technology in some way. Now you might be thinking to yourself, "How on Earth do samurais and technology fit together, LET ALONE IN A CLASSROOM?!" Well, the truth is that our job as teacher is to prepare our students for the world, to be warriors and create new things, just as the samurai did. The hidden truth behind tech is that we can use it in our classrooms; we can enhance student learning and success to maximize their potential and prepare them for a world filled with so many different gadgets and gizmos, preparing them for battle. However, we cannot just start fighting the battles and conquering the world right away; we need to train. But how do we integrate something so practical and accessible as tech into our class, and WHY CAN’T WE JUST GET RIGHT TO THE SWORDS?! Well, there is something called the SAMR model. Like a samurai, we must learn the art of the sword, just as the SAMR model will give us a lesson in how to use the wide range of tech available to us. SAMR- Substitution: Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, Redefinition; this is the SAMR model. Now like a samurai, we need to start our training at the beginning, with substitution. Substitution is the simple process of taking simple tasks that could be by ordinary means; for example, drawing a picture. It could be done with all the pretty colored pencils, makers, and crayons we all loved as kids (and STILL do #TherapyColoringBooks). For a samurai, substitution might look like replace our training dummies with an actual person to practice with our stick swords. The process of substitution in tech allows us to replace those color pencils and pieces of paper with tablets and styluses or different web sources that allow for online coloring. As simple as it sounds, you have just completed the first step. By allowing kids to color using technology, you are not only exposing them to different forms of tech, you are maybe giving their minds a whole new realm to explore, all within the safe boundaries of your classroom. So much of the world today revolves around this tech and innovation. Not only that, but new ones are being created and invented every day. Augmentation: The next step in our training is augmentation. Augmentation allows us to have some added benefit by choosing the technology over the ordinary method. For the samurai, the training dummy gave us a benefit of fighting someone to practice our skills, but with augmentation we can now add in shields. With tech, we can give our students some added benefit by now using web sources that allow them to edit and enhance our designs that they created. There are so many different technologies out there that allow us to enhance our creations. With tools like Sketchpad, Method Draw, etc., our creations are not only teaching about new tech, they are forcing us to use them in new ways and explore even more. Modification: Continue our training journey to become full samurais, we will encounter modification. Modification allows us to change and rethink the dynamic of the task. For a samurai, adding in armor changes the game, you are now able to have more padding and defense in your training. With our tech, we can have our students create a website or post their drawings onto different blogs or maybe an art gallery; the options are endless. With tools like Weebly, Instagram, Facebook, DeviantArt, etc., the ways to reach the world and gain feedback and new ideas are in-numerous. Students can collaborate and communicate with others from across the globe. Not only are they learning through this whole process, but they are teaching us as well. The imagination of students never ceases to amaze me.
Redefinition: Finally, our last step in our training: redefinition (AND YES IT MEANS SWORDS!). Redefinition means we completely redefine the task and make it something better and new, all while still having the same core values. For the samurai, that means completing our training with the addition of the sword. For our students, it means creating on a whole new level with technologies like cameras. The students could take their drawings and let it come to life. They can create a movie or animation that essential sprinkles pixie dust onto that drawing and gives it a new meaning. With technologies like iMovie, Kizoa, Animoto, etc., the ideas can create something entirely new and unseen before. Not only will the students learn from creating it, they can make it so personal and real that it has a lasting impact. Regardless of your step of SAMuRai training with your class, the goal as teacher should be to create new opportunities and ways for kids to learn and be successful to their fullest potential. Truly, if we as teachers follow these steps, we will surely prepare our students to be samurai warriors in the world, ready to create and conquer the world with imagination, innovation, and ideas. All imgaes are under creative common use.
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The 4 C's of Education: critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation. These four elements are skills that not only students gain and develop but teachers do, as well. There are so many ways to develop these skills in the classroom. In the 21st century, we have access to so many different forms of technology. This tech opens new doors and allows for bigger ideas and imagination. But are there ways we can combine the 4 C's with tech to achieve the penultimate learning experiences, not just for students but us as educators, too? Critical Thinking: It's like a workout for your brain. As students develop this skill, new abilities and comprehensions are achieved, like higher level of concentration, deeper analytical abilities, and improved thought processes. The more you use your brain and think critically, the more developed and adapted you will be for new situations, not only as students but as teachers, too. Problem-solving has real-world implications and impacts; we are all faced with problems and conflicts throughout our day: some good, some bad. There is a website that proposes EdTech through the Global Digital Citizen Foundation (https://globaldigitalcitizen.org/). Their goal is to provide and present sources and information to help teachers develop the critical thinking skills their students need. This source is so cool because it allows for a way to learn and stay in-tune with the ever-changing culture, society, and technology of today. Communication: The world operates through communication. It is key to everything we do as humans. Whether it is through media, jobs, or social networks, communication is a skill that all students and educators must possess. How do students discern which forms of communication are effective and which are not? It is our job as educators to prepare them for the world. Our world requires us to be able to collaborate with each other. How do our students know what healthy collaboration looks like? Again, as teachers, we must model this for our students. In the world today, there are so many different resources and technologies available to help this development. Some of these technologies and trends include: gamification, flipped learning, mind mapping, even social media among others. One trend that was unique was using user-generated content. Students can make YouTube videos to explain how to use many different processes from as simple as "how to bake a cake" to as complex as "how to use the quadratic formula". Anyone from students to teachers can use this as well. It forces the student to think about how to effectively communicate the process and have a developed knowledge of the content. I think that this would obviously be more useful with older students, but teachers can also use this with younger students. It allows for younger students to watch the videos and use their active listening and recall information. Also, it models ways for them to effectively communicate. It can also encompass collaboration between students to create the video. Collaboration: Communication and collaboration go hand-in-hand. The real world requires us to work in collaboration with others through effective communication. Our role as educators is to again be a model of this collaboration in the classroom, as well as with our colleagues. The simplicity of having students work together and contribute to a common goal is something that allows for the development of these skills to occur. Finding unique ways and methods to encourage this collaboration is key, as technology continues to evolve so must our techniques and processes. Some technologies that exist in our world can be as complex as collaborating with other classrooms in places and countries around the globe. An example of this could be like students collaborating to provide relief and supplies to other classrooms in less-desirable situations like Hurricane Harvey and Irma. Other technologies could be video chats to listen to lectures and seminars like Skype and other video-conferencing technologies. Not only does it provide a way for students to develop their skills but it gives exposure to other places and people. Creativity: Creativity and imagination can be the key to a world waiting to be found and explored. In today's age, innovation is something that is so highly emphasized and apart of culture. How do we include a student's creativity into the classroom in a way that allows for effective growth? At our fingertips are endless tools and technologies that allow for students' imagination to blossom. A simple way for their imagination to be put to use is through activities that give them room to roam with boundaries, activities like creating videos, drawing, projects, and any other ways that allow students to be engaged and be creative while fulfilling tasks. One technology that is available is Prezi. Prezi allows students an ability to complete tasks and present information in a way unique to them. It allows students, and even teachers, to combine skills with their imagination to effectively present information in an engaging manner. Like I said, it forces students to effectively communicate information and still have the ability to choose how they do so. All of the 4 C's work in cohesion; one cannot exist without the other. It is so important that teachers make use of the tech available to them so that they might truly meet the needs of all students. These skills are so crucial to the student and the teacher that we must keep finding and creating new ways to develop the skills in every single student, that they might truly be prepared for the world and life.
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R.J.D.Future Professional Educator, Learner, Musician, Friend, Leader BLOGS
December 2018
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