My Edtech Mission Statement

Throughout the past year, my teaching style and emphasis has undergone quite a change. From focusing on making lessons innovative simply by using my own brain power, Google search and the copier, I have become a Twitter enthusiast, Tumblr loving and tech inspired guide in my classroom. No longer do I create a worksheet and print it off, but I push myself to find a technology tool I want to explore and then think about whether or not a lesson could utilize that tool in a positive way. 

Over the past year I have tried to create a mission statement for myself in regards to technology in the classroom. Thinking through why I use a technology before how I will do it and what I will use is vital to a progressive lesson. 

Some important learnings over the past year since I embarked on a self revolution: 

• Students need to be perplexed in order to want to learn 


• Engagement differs from learning


• Technology use should not just be done for the sake of doing it


• Twitter is as useful in education as air is in life


• Pick a selection of go to tools for you and your students in the classroom to use.If you bounce around too much they get confused and you become overwhelmed (mine are my Google Site, Educreations, Khan Academy and Blogger for my kids)


• GIve to online communities if you want to receive. 


• Use technology to increase imagination and creativity not reduce it. 


• Collaboration is just as important as independence. 


• Adaptability, failure and discovery of concepts are key. 


• Kids are way more tech savvy than us no matter how smart we think we are. 


• Teaching responsibility trumps the possibilities of being unprepared for class in reference to 1:1. 

So my first draft of my technology mission statement as of now is as follows: I use education technologies with the purpose to allow students to grow their imagination, perplexity and acceptance of failure in a learning environment that is physically and digitally adaptable for independent and collaborative work that continus to focus on understanding the whys behind learning not the what. 

What’s my#unitrate? Math class is super fun #zaichcrewz #kispd

Using #ipads and @educreations to do our #wordstudy #zaichcrewz #kispd

Using #googletranlate to create a company name #zaichcrewz #kispd

Minecraft in Schools--take the risk or not? What do you think?

Source: http://images.eurogamer.net/2012/articles//a/1/4/8/2/5/3/2/Minecraft_360_049.png

Recently I attended a conference in Hong Kong and a session on using Minecraft in school stood out to me in and edgy, risky way. As a teacher eager to learn new technologies and to think about how to incorporate them effectively into my teaching, the idea of using a game that my students LOVE intrigued me. Rob Newberry was a dynamic speaker, discussing the intense creativity necessary to both create and to survive in Minecraft worlds. I’ve looked at a variety of articles discussing the pros and the cons of video games as well as investigated a few TED talks on the topic of gaming as well. Previously I was very against video games, thinking that they sucked people into a digital world that then negatively impacted their interpersonal skills. However, having done some research, I do think that creation games like Minecraft require a set of skills that can be incredibly valuable in an adaptive world. That being said, I do not think that people should spend a great number of hours on games, but I do think that using an interactive platform like Minecraft has potential to redefine the way that we teach certain subjects. For example, using Minecraft to teach about culture and community could be an innovative way for students to explore what is essential to life and to living with others. I am eager to think through and to understand the place that Minecraft could have in school. Some questions I have about integrating it would be: 1) understanding from parents that the game could be useful as a tool to teach content 2) what if kids don’t like or want to understand the game, how would this impact integrating it? 3) would it be better to simply have a club after school?

My questions and thoughts continue to pour out of me in regards to this controversial topic. Any opinions or advice would be greatly appreciated. I will be beginning to assist with a Minecraft club soon that is focused on creating a world and a culture. Students will then compare these two worlds analyzing why the are similar and different. Here’s to new adventures, new horizons, and lots of time spent watching YouTube tutorials.

Working on #ratios #proportions after watching @khanacademy video #kispd #zaichcrewz

Creating digital tools to help in disasters #zaichcrewz #kispd