The Timidly Techy Teacher

  How do we motivate unmotivated students to participate and learn in a classroom? To show up? Clean up? Do their best? Many times, we gamify a desired behavior to increase its appeal. This might look like playing music while students race a timer to clean up a room. (Mine have an ardent love-hate relationship with this one.) Or by playing a Kahoot or Jeopardy to help students engage in review material. Using game-like elements in non-game settings is a good way to define this kind of teaching hack, and studies show that it does have some positive benefits on student motivation, though it is limited.  Another game-like way to encourage student’s participation is through Game-based Learning. This kind of learning more closely parallels real-world situations through online simulation – think games like “The Oregon Trail” or “SimCitiyEDU.” Studies show a higher level of content mastery through immersive games like these.  I was fascinated by our stimulus material for...

In a traditional U.S. classroom, students come to school, listen to lectures, then go home to complete practice or application problems on their own. This works extremely well for…some students. But oftentimes, advanced students might be the only students engaging in the classroom lecture; or, conversely, they may become bored and disruptive. Additionally, struggling students who need more time or a slower pace may become lost and zone out. At home, the advanced students may whiz through homework that really isn’t benefiting them, or, those same students may see the assignments as unnecessary and not do their homework at all, resulting in poor grades despite proficient knowledge. The slower students may be unable to complete their assignment at home due to holes in their and their parents’ knowledge.  The flipped classroom changes all of this. Homework consists of recorded lectures and demonstrations made or compiled by the teacher. At home, students have full autonomy over the...

Digital storytelling is a wonderful use of 21st century technology to help students experience a deeper level of learning. Who doesn't love a good story? Humans have been telling stories through words, pictures, dances, myths, and print for thousands of years. Stories connect us. Stories teach us. Stories challenge us. Digital storytelling is merely the most modern iteration of this long standing practice. It includes the use of videos, pictures, voice recordings, music, and other art forms to creatively communicate with others. (4 C’s for the win!) Studies show clear benefits for digital storytelling. Multimodal learning tends to be more memorable, more exciting, more engaging, and more impactful than unimodal learning. The mere repetition of information helps us understand and remember information better, but when that repetition comes in sensory-heavy, experiential learning, students are far more likely to relate to the information and make deeper personal connections. These be...

  “No matter who you are ... the Lord has blessed you with intellectual faculties capable of vast improvement. Cultivate your talents with persevering earnestness. Train and discipline the mind by study, by observation, by reflection. You cannot meet the mind of God unless you put to use every power. The mental faculties will strengthen and develop if you will go to work in the fear of God, in humility, and with earnest prayer. A resolute purpose will accomplish wonders.                                                               — Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 275 (1915) .   I love reading the writings of Ellen White, and I am always especially curious to hear what she has to say about our minds. I’ve heard people say that religious education is simply indoctrination, and I suppose tha...

Despite my wariness of too much technology in the classroom, there are obviously technological tools I use frequently. I often like to show a little video that summarizes a topic, sets content to music, or interests my students in other ways. Sometimes I don't remember to use all the tools easily afforded to me when I'm showing these videos, though, and I reap the embarrassment from it. One day when we were doing a unit on Prophets, I decided I wanted to show my students a little video that summarized what was in each prophetic book starting with Isaiah. When it came time for class, I was clicking through the video to find Isaiah, and I started the video just a hair too soon.  "Song of Solomon is a big book all about how awesome love and sex are!!" the narrator boomed. My middle schoolers died.  I died. The principal who was observing the class died. And I learned that I should embed videos so I can easily start them from the exact point that I want them to start. :) ...

"My students are self-regulated, empathetic critical thinkers and life-long learners who know and choose to follow Jesus," I journaled. My cursor flashed blankly as my mind continued whirling. I had just completed my first year of teaching - well, sort of. I had been working as a teaching assistant for two years until a professor had finally coaxed me into working toward getting a teaching certificate. I had gotten a last minute position in a multi-grade school classroom helping a very busy teaching principal find some respite for his other responsibilities. I had been a whirlwind of growth and adventure being thrust into a classroom, full-time, by myself for the first time; but now with a little "summer reprieve" of my own, and upcoming school year to prepare for, and no traditional education to fall back on, I sat watching my cursor blink. What was I doing here? What was my purpose as a teacher? Who did I want to help my students become? Many have noted that wit...