Technology Driven Discourse Lopez Home Learn More Standards Inspiration About the Author |
What inspired this project?Being a first year teacher, I struggled with how to create an innovative learning environment. How could I bring 165 7th and 8th grade students, who had an endless amount of substitutes the year before, into 21st century learning? Well, I certainly tried. From having iPads to the classroom, to getting a class set of Chromebooks, to having all students 1:1, I advocated for technology in my classroom. Once I had technology in the classroom, I thought "Wah-lah! It's a 21st century learning environment!" Only to realize I was simply substituting the work. I knew when I started the program that I wanted my research to focus on technology in the classroom, but with a broad idea of where it would go. When I started reading other research on technology in the classroom, I found that very little research was being done about the communication and collaboration aspect. When my administrators started focusing on academic conversations in the classroom, I knew I wanted to explore how technology could effect student's collaboration and communication skills.
National, state and district data show that a majority of students are not meeting proficiency in English, reading and writing skills which shows they are not prepared to enter a 21st century workplace. The literature showed that Google applications do provide a learning environment that support positive attitudes from students and allowed them to participate in the writing process with ease. The 4 C’s of Common Core: communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity were created and grouped together because they serve a purpose to each other, one skill helps benefit the others. |
Analyzing the needs of the learner from the sociological, instructional, technnological and educational needs of the learners. Prototyping and feedback loops.