At the beginning of November I was asked to administer a district technology survey to the students at our school. It was a short survey asking a variety of technology questions. It was a task that was to take about 10 minutes of our STEM time. Little did I know that the survey would provide a great conversation with my students and a deeper understanding of how to "talk tech" with my 3rd through 6th graders.
I am still blown away about what I learned from the act of taking the survey (not the results but just administering it). Let me explain better with giving you some examples of questions used:
As I administered the survey to each of the 26 total classrooms at our school, it was crazy to see such a consistent response with a repeat number of questions. Being a STEM teacher, embracing a high tech, paperless classroom, I was instantly reflective with my use of language with students. I couldn't help but think of my lack of clear communication in talking about the different apps we were using, trying to app smash within a variety of projects, and examining the digital citizenship conversations we have had.
Students' world of technology seems to be focused on product naming and not necessarily a "category" or "label" that can be associated with the tool. For example, students ran through a list of specific phones to see if their phone was a smartphone. Students were listing S3, Lumia 535, or LG G3 to name a few. Students seem to not think of tablet, phone, e-reader, mp3 player as categories of technology tools. They seem to have one overall umbrella term they use of "mobile devices." Students also seemed to have just one of the devices and use that one device for many of the roles non-digital natives segregate with a variety of devices. Most students have an iPod touch. To them it is their tablet, phone, e-reader and mp3 player. It does all of those "unique" features of each label but is only one device. I can see where the questions of the survey get confusing when the lines of distinctive features of each of these categories are blurred. One device can call, surf the web, download apps, read e-books, play games, listen to music, chat online, stream video, etc. and old adults, like the 33 year old STEM teacher, can remember just years ago when there were specific devices that fell into the distinct category that the survey questions seem to frame. It wasn't long ago when I had the first kindle for reading e-books, a smartphone, netbook, desktop, and mp3 player. Packing for trips required a suitcase for clothes and one for technology.
Questions continued to form as I reflected more on this topic of tech language. How do we provide digital citizenship and safety conversations with students when our common language may be so far apart? How do we have relevant conversations when questions we ask of them don't fit their technology language? How do we implement technology into our lessons when the language of the two or directions of the activity block the technology creativity a large group of our students seem to possess? How do I have opportunities like the one I unintentionally got with students through the survey but are intentional, frequent and relevant with the learning in STEM?
I am glad I had the chance to learn from my students. I love those real moments that were unplanned that give so much information. I am rethinking my language with students, trying to be clear with terminology, and rethinking ways to better teach digital citizenship and safety to be appropriate with the current reality of the students in my classroom.
I am still blown away about what I learned from the act of taking the survey (not the results but just administering it). Let me explain better with giving you some examples of questions used:
- How often do teachers ask you to create presentations on the computer?
- How often do you chat online?
- How often do you stream online video?
- How often do you stream and/or download music?
- Do you own an mP3 player?
- Do you own a smartphone?
- Do you own an e-reader?
- Do you own a tablet?
- Do you have wireless internet at home?
As I administered the survey to each of the 26 total classrooms at our school, it was crazy to see such a consistent response with a repeat number of questions. Being a STEM teacher, embracing a high tech, paperless classroom, I was instantly reflective with my use of language with students. I couldn't help but think of my lack of clear communication in talking about the different apps we were using, trying to app smash within a variety of projects, and examining the digital citizenship conversations we have had.
Students' world of technology seems to be focused on product naming and not necessarily a "category" or "label" that can be associated with the tool. For example, students ran through a list of specific phones to see if their phone was a smartphone. Students were listing S3, Lumia 535, or LG G3 to name a few. Students seem to not think of tablet, phone, e-reader, mp3 player as categories of technology tools. They seem to have one overall umbrella term they use of "mobile devices." Students also seemed to have just one of the devices and use that one device for many of the roles non-digital natives segregate with a variety of devices. Most students have an iPod touch. To them it is their tablet, phone, e-reader and mp3 player. It does all of those "unique" features of each label but is only one device. I can see where the questions of the survey get confusing when the lines of distinctive features of each of these categories are blurred. One device can call, surf the web, download apps, read e-books, play games, listen to music, chat online, stream video, etc. and old adults, like the 33 year old STEM teacher, can remember just years ago when there were specific devices that fell into the distinct category that the survey questions seem to frame. It wasn't long ago when I had the first kindle for reading e-books, a smartphone, netbook, desktop, and mp3 player. Packing for trips required a suitcase for clothes and one for technology.
Questions continued to form as I reflected more on this topic of tech language. How do we provide digital citizenship and safety conversations with students when our common language may be so far apart? How do we have relevant conversations when questions we ask of them don't fit their technology language? How do we implement technology into our lessons when the language of the two or directions of the activity block the technology creativity a large group of our students seem to possess? How do I have opportunities like the one I unintentionally got with students through the survey but are intentional, frequent and relevant with the learning in STEM?
I am glad I had the chance to learn from my students. I love those real moments that were unplanned that give so much information. I am rethinking my language with students, trying to be clear with terminology, and rethinking ways to better teach digital citizenship and safety to be appropriate with the current reality of the students in my classroom.