Being Responsive
"Educators want learners who are responsive, not reactive" (Merrill & Merrill, 2019, p. 11). How can we get our students to respond to technology and use it in a way that is effective? It starts with teachers also being responsive and changing their instruction to respond to the technology that immerses and captivates our students today. It goes without saying that in order to keep a child's attention span today, the child needs to be engaged with the content. If they are so used to receiving information on devices in a quick and compelling way, they are going to expect this outside of their screen time also. This means that as teachers, we have a responsibility to make our classrooms, lessons, assessments, and mindset towards teaching more interactive and one that will continue to captivate our students.
I recently read The InterACTIVE Class by Joe and Kristin Merrill and was intrigued by all of the new information and ideas of how to integrate technology in the classroom. It discusses how creating interactive learning is vital for the younger generation today, and that teachers "need to alter their thinking more in how they teach than in what they teach" (Merrill & Merrill, 2019, p. 12). The first and most important step to this interactive learning process is responding to this task. There are multiple questions posed towards teachers that really made me think about my own role- "how are you using your 1,200 hours with your students?" "are you creating responsive and interactive lessons?" "if the students didn't have to come to class, would they miss the time they spend with you?" (Merrill & Merrill, 2019, p. 14).
Responding
In order to respond and make the most of those 1,200 hours we are given with our students, we can use the Interactive Model demonstrated by the Merrill's which is to prepare, innovate, visualize, observe, and troubleshoot. Using these steps, a classroom can be transformed into a space that is more interactive because of the inviting set-up, engaging lessons & activities, and the interactive community shared among the teacher, students, and parents. Lessons and activities inside the classroom should be just as exciting and innovative as the content children are so used to receiving on their devices outside of school.
Think how you would normally teach that standard or material in a traditional way and then ask yourself how you could respond in a different way by incorporating technology to teach it?
The resources shared in the book are all ones I want to participate in myself since they sound so fun and creative- even for the teacher! Check out this video below and their youtube channel for more resources and tips.
References:
Merrill, J., & Merrill, K. (2020). The InterACTIVE class: Using Technology to Make Learning More Relevant and Engaging in the Elementary Class. ElevateBooksEdu.
Hi Grace!
ReplyDeleteWell since we read the same book for our professional development, we shared a lot of similar things. I was challenged too, by the call to change our focus on HOW we teach rather than WHAT we teach (Merrill and Merrill, 2019, p.12). And I also really liked the idea of using Buncee in the classroom. I think I am going to adapt their idea of using it for an "All About Me" activity that first week (Merrill and Merrill, 2019, p.106). This will be something very different than my usual "write your information on an index card" activity; it will be my first attempt in the classroom to put the tools in the book to use! I also found a helpful video that covers how to use BUNCEE overall that I am going to watch prior to doing this assignment. Here's a link for you to check out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfO0DaeysmI
References
Merrill, J., & Merrill, K. (2019). The Interactive class: Using technology to make learning more relevant and engaging in the elementary class. ElevateBooksEdu.