Do We Still Need Teachers?

I feel the need to write a post to clear up some misinterpretations of my words. You see, nearly a month ago I was asked to speak to the staff at my school about how I am using iPads and technology in my classroom. I chose to talk about how I use Moodle to create a blended learning environment. I talked about how I record video lessons and share them using Moodle. I talked about how I create my own textbook using CK-12 and share it electronically using Moodle. I talked about how I am able to differentiate instruction for all the individual learners in my classroom. And, I talked about how I assess learning using electronic quizzes through the Moodle interface.

Although my presentation was limited to a very short amount of time (I could have talked for two or three days), I was happy to stir-up some conversation amongst the staff. Some teachers were open and ready to try new things with the technology in their classrooms, while others were hesitant and not ready for that kind of change. I'm not here to judge either side. I wasn't there to try to persuade teachers to try blended learning; I was there to share one story from inside one classroom in our high school.

However, recently I've heard some concerning conversations. I've heard teachers ("inspired" by my presentation) who are concerned about the future of education and the teaching profession. A few teachers are envisioning a classroom with a 100:1 student/teacher ratio. They are concerned that technology is replacing the need for a teacher.

I want to be very clear that I envision the teacher of the future to be valued MORE, and play a MORE important role in student learning!

Look, I understand the concern. The role of teachers is definitely changing! One-hundred years ago students HAD to come to school in order to learn. There were very few books, nearly no libraries, and limited newspapers and magazines. Teachers were the source of nearly all information. Teachers were the gate keeper to knowledge. 

However, technology has changed the educational landscape! Teachers are not the sole source of information now. Students have 24/7 access to unlimited amounts of information. Instead of relying on a teacher with limited training, students have access to industry experts who have devoted their entire life to studying very specific disciplines. The incredible knowledge that is available for FREE with a few clicks of the mouse (or finger) is mind blowing. It's impossible for me to wrap my brain around the ways our educational landscape has changed over the last 100 years! Yet, for the most part, the structure of our schools has remained nearly unchanged. It's no wonder our students are feeling let down, bored, and disengaged with school today. I can see how teachers could feel threatened. 

I hope my story can spread a message of hope to teachers feeling threatened. As I have integrated more and more technology into my classroom, I have never felt more valued and essential to my students' learning! Although I can share information with thousands of students simultaneously, skilled teachers are needed to draw meaning to that information; teachers will always be needed to bring that information to life for students. To borrow words from my friend Ginger Lewman, I have adapted the mindset that I am a resource, not THE source to my students. I push my students to search and discover information rather than passively receiving information. I want my students to find meaning in their life rather than me telling them what's important to them. I push my students to grow individually to reach their potential rather than push them collectively over an arbitrary hurdle. All of these roles are different, but FAR more important than the giver of information. These important roles need to happen on a one-to-one level; it cannot happen on a mass scale.  For this reason, I have a hopeful vision of the future of our teaching profession!

Our students no longer need teachers to feed them information, the information is at their fingertips. Instead our students need help making sence of information, help finding meaning, help making connections, and help digging deeper. Computers and technology will never be able to do this as effectively and magically as I can. The perfectly placed question, the balance between pushing hard but not breaking, the emotional connection, the stern look, and the deserved celebrations are all artistic touches that only a human can paint into a lesson. These are the pieces that engage students in learning. They are invaluable! 

Although technology could make it feasible for one teacher to manage 100 students; it will never happen. As long as our society values learning (which will be forever), the human teacher will be too valuable to spread across 100 students. 

WARNING: If you are a teacher, and you still believe that your only job is to feed students information, then you don't have to wait for the future; your job has already been replaced by technology. Sure, you may still receive a paycheck, but your days are numbered. I would urge you to loosen your grip on the control of the information, and encourage your students interact and engage with the information all around them.

We live in an exciting time of great innovation and technological advances. My mind cannot conceive the great technological advances we will see over the next hundred years, but my heart assures me that the future will be lead by great human teachers!

Down the Rabbit Hole of Blended Learning

Lately I've been feeling a bit like Alice falling deeper and deeper down a crazy rabbit hole called "blended learning." I had heard of this madness called blended learning, but I had never explored or thought too deeply about its possibilities. That is, until I stumbled upon Moodle, seemingly by accident.

My trip down the blended classroom rabbit hole started out with the idea of "flipping" my classroom. I read some research; I did some homework; and I started my adventure by video recording my lessons. I was content that my students could access my lectures at anytime, my absent students could stay caught up, and I was putting the responsibility of learning back on the students. At this point, I was uploading my videos to YouTube and sharing the link on my classroom website. To share assignments, I experimented with Google Drive. To administer quizzes, I played around with Socrative. All of these apps and programs were working well, but I was missing some cohesion. I was searching for a platform that could host all of my needs. 

One day while sharing stories and experiences with another teacher (a total teaching rock star) who is "flipping" her classroom, she mentioned using Moodle in her classroom. Since that moment my classroom hasn't been the same! I quickly bombarded her with questions. I had heard of Moodle. My mom (who has been a great inspiration, coach, and sounding board) is a professor of nursing, and has been raving about the use of Moodle in her courses. I knew that Moodle could offer me the cohesion I was searching for in my classroom.

Without much effort my Moodle site was up and running. The more I experiment and tinker with Moodle, the more confident I am that I can offer my students a learning experience tailored to their style of learning and technology culture. Moodle has allowed me to truly transform my classroom into a blended learning environment. 

For each module in my course, I am able to share videos of my lectures, pdfs of textbooks, practice sets, notes, and assignments electronically. Essentially, my students are taking High School Algebra "online." Except it's better than an online course! Because my students have access to all "nuts and bolts" at their fingertips 24/7, we are able to spend our classroom time clearing up any misconceptions, working in small groups or one-on-one, and taking our knowledge and applying it to real world applications. I create a quiz at the end of each module from a test bank of questions. If the student scores an 80% or above, then they are awarded an electronic badge to signify their mastery of that particular module. If the student scores below an 80%, they are asked to go back to their notes, re-watch the lecture, re-read the text, or come in during study hall to receive extra help from myself or a math tutor in order to correct their mistakes. Then, they are asked to retake the quiz until they earn an 80% or higher. This model for learning has worked great so far, and I believe it will only get better as I gain more experience and find solutions to minor issues.

Looking out from the inside of this rabbit hole it all seems to make sense. Blended learning is taking the very best benefits of online learning and combining them with all the very best benefits of "brick and mortar" learning. We have to remember that this generation of learners don't simply listen to the radio; they choose what song they want, and when they want it. This generation of learners don't simply watch TV; they choose what show they want to watch, record it, and watch it when they want it. Why would they expect anything different from their education? I have come to the realization that this generation of learners is the generation of personalization and choice. For this reason, I believe Moodle grants me the opportunity to create a blended learning environment that is both relevant and effective to today's learners.

More Technology, More Problems (and More Triumphs)!

Sometime back, our local school board had an important meeting. After deep thought, careful calculations, and probably some nifty marketing by a company named Apple, our board voted to move forward with a plan to put in an iPad in the hands of every student in our school district. Yes. Every. Student. In Dodge City, Kansas, the innocent hands of kindergartners, the awkward hands of middle schoolers, and the "too cool for school" hands of high schoolers all hold a small tool capable of displaying the big world on a nifty nine inch screen.

I received my iPad a little over a year ago. The district wanted to give teachers a head start with the new technology, so we were given a year to play, discover, and plan. As an educator I was excited to know that my students would have the world at their fingertips. I didn't exactly know how I was going to use the iPad in the classroom, but I knew it was a game changer. I've always considered myself to be kind of a tech savvy guy, but with each passing year I can feel technology pulling further and further ahead of me. I've found myself gripping tight to my mouse while the world around me has moved on to touch screens and finger swipes. 

Nonetheless, I volunteered to be on the "iPad Deployment Team" at my school in January. It would be my job to introduce the students to their iPad. It was a moment that I wanted to witness and be a part of. I wanted to see their reactions. I wanted to see their comfort level. I wanted to learn from them. The process of handing out and doing some initial set-up on 1,800 iPads took 9 days. There were a couple moments of deep frustration, but for the most part things went smoother than I could have imagined.

Our students have had iPads for two months now. I have gone full circle through the emotional ringer. There have been moments of pure excitement and moments of pure torture and frustration. There have been moments where I have felt like finding a sturdy shovel, digging an enormous hole, and burying 1,800 iPads. Students have been playing games, snap chatting, and making absurd sounds with their iPads. Holding the attention of a 15 year old while you lecture about equations written in vertex form is difficult enough; but when you add the distraction of an iPad, the task has become darn near impossible.

Despite the difficulties, I have been planning, collaborating, studying, and working non-stop to somehow find a way to make these iPads work in my Algebra classroom. We have experimented with different apps. I have tried new techniques. And, we have talked extensively about iPad etiquette. 

Two weeks ago things suddenly became very clear to me. The honeymoon fog was lifted, and I was left with a very precise vision of how my classroom should be ran to make effective use of the iPads. Not only that, but I am also finding ways to tap into the "gaming" culture which has been embedded in my students' lives since they were two years old. I am also experimenting with new ways to customize the classroom for each individual student. All of this change has come very sudden, and I am still working out a few kinks; however, I have never felt so confident and secure about the direction of my classroom. I have a new found passion and excitement to give my students what they have been longing for, a style of learning which fits their lifestyle, culture, and individual needs.

I have been amazed at the changes I have seen in my classroom in the last two weeks. I am excited to share my victories and setbacks in this journey into the land of iPads. I hope to use my blog as a platform to share ideas and gather advice and input as I continue to search for ways to improve the classroom experience for my students.