Not Your Mama's Computer Class

Technology class is not about the technology.

Shocking that a technology teacher is saying this? Maybe, but stop for a moment and think how technology is used in the world around us. How many people stop to learn the tech before they use it? Instead they use the tech in a specific context, thus learning how to use the tech as they use it in a meaningful, purposeful way.

This week I joined the #connectedTL, connected teacher leaders, Voxer chat as they discussed "To Lab or Not to Lab" in terms of the relevancy of the traditional computer lab classroom in schools. I currently teach in a traditional computer lab classroom, the one with rows and rows of computers on tables, but what happens in my classroom is no where near what happens in a traditional computer lab.

I view my roll as the technology teacher like an octopus, reaching my arms into every content, finding ways to incorporate all subject areas into my classroom, so we have meaningful and purposeful ways to use our technology. I very rarely teach the tech tool, but I do have my students play and explore with it when we get started with a project, so they have a sense of how to use the tech. Then, it becomes all about the content and how we can use the tech to create something about or with our content. This leads to cross-curricular projects and stand alone technology class projects.

Students working on creating a better backpack during a design thinking unit.

             

Students filming a dark voyeur shot for one of their filming projects.

   

Working with my colleagues this year has helped me sure up my vision that my technology classroom is a place for making, designing, and problem solving as we become tech savvy. As my colleagues use more and more tech in their content area classrooms, the more my class can become the space where we take creating with tech to new levels and perhaps get into truly innovating. This will also lead to more complex and exciting cross-curricular projects as long as I continue to view myself as the octopus, reaching my arms into every content. That is the way the "computer lab" should be, certainly not your mama's computer class.

Student Films for Contests!

At the end of this year, I decided to add a digital project component before I had my 7th graders write their argument essays on the "Price of Progress." After analyzing the scientific advancements in the fields of Human Enhancement, Genetic Engineering and Factory Farming, I wanted students to think more critically about these topics and create something for a real world audience. Two video contests caught my eye when I was doing some research online that I thought could fit with our topics and would motivate our students: The National Academy of Engineering's Engineering for You Video Contest and the White House's Student Film Festival Contest. 

Collaboration became critical at this stage. Knowing what I wanted, the challenge became how do I plan this project effectively and get powerful feedback? Trisha Sanchez shared a google doc template with me that she had adapted from the Buck Institute for Education's resources which gave me a strong place to start. After filling in my ideas, I was able to share it with her and get critical feedback that helped me organize my ideas and plan accordingly.

When I launched the project with my students, they were so excited. I again used a resource adapted by Trisha, a Design Thinking Template, and had my students brainstorming and getting feedback from peers. They storyboarded and planned out their scripts for their films. As I monitored the groups, it was so exciting to see them taking the content and pushing it further, collaborating in groups to come up with unique ways to answer the big driving question: What are the implications of progress and how can we communicate those ideas clearly and creatively?

Then came the part of the project that I was secretly dreading... the actual filming. As I've learned over the last 4 years at Leading Edge, student filming is messy. Students are spread out, both inside the classroom and outside, as they work at different paces to create a final product. My job becomes an advising mentor, checking in with groups and helping them develop solutions to the inevitable tech problems or issues they have found as they have had to adapt their initial plan to something more feasible or realistic within time constraints. After the filming comes the editing of the footage, where students are uploading and downloading their clips, recording voice overs, inserting transitions, titles, credits, etc... and of course, realizing the need to re-film and replace poor footage. 

However, the finished product is always fun to view. At the end of the project, we watched the films together and gave positive and constructive feedback to groups, discussing the challenges faced and celebrating what "worked" in the process. 

Students then decided if they still wanted to enter their films, and we are currently in the process of getting them uploaded to youtube and submitted. It was definitely a worthwhile project and a great way to end the year.

Connecting with Students at Ralston Middle School in Omaha, Nebraska

Earlier this year I read a Tweet by Abby Schukei, an Art Teacher who I admire and follow, seeking out a willing 7th and 8th grade Art Teacher to swap Artist Trading Cards with. Artist Trading Cards are 2.5" X 3.5" pieces of artwork that are exchanged world-wide and currently trending in the Art Ed world. I thought this opportunity would be GREAT to connect our students with another set of middle school students in the Mid-West so I responded with "Me, Please!".

During the month of March ATC's were the early finisher project in Expressions. I wanted students to have all mediums at their disposal to invite as much creativity as possible. Expressions students did not disappoint. Check out these beauties! We exchanged over 170 uniquely designed, hand crafted cards. I was really proud of the thought, time and effort the students put into designing their cards.

Through the creative process, Expressions students began to show an interest to what living in Nebraska was like and what it was like to be a Ralston Middle School student. So, we decided to create a video focusing on the Leading Edge and the Expressions Art Room just  in case they were wondering the same thing about us. Two students created this video which we shared out the day we mailed out our Artist Trading Cards.

About a month later, we received Artist Trading Cards from Ralston Middle School and the Expressions students were SO excited! I carefully displayed the Artist Trading Cards on a table at the Street Fair and almost every student came in and selected a card. I loved listening to the conversations between students as they selected their favorite card. The students oohed and aahed over the quality of artwork, unique art processes and technical designs of each card. In observing this exchange between my stuents it was obvious that they felt very special receiving something so creative from someone they had never met before.

Artist Trading Cards are a great way to communicate ideas and make connections. Thanks to Abby's Twitter post our students have learned this first hand!