Journey to Joy

 The life of an educator, especially at the end of a long school year, is one of inconvenience. But this is not a complaint; it is stated as a good thing.

Do you know about Type I and Type II errors? The former involves erring on the side of inconvenience so as to avoid harm and the latter is being negligent to the point of causing harm. Over the last year several incidents reported in the media have impressed upon me the grave consequences of Type II errors. The news headlines below bear this out:  

July 6, 2013 – Lac Megantic train derailment, 47 dead

An unattended, idling freight train carrying crude oil and parked on the main lines, accidentally became mobile after several observed that it was in distress. Some time during the night it turned into a driverless projectile that derailed and exploded in the busy town center, causing one of the worst rail disasters ever in Canada.

July 24, 2013 – Santiago De Compostela train crash, 79 dead

The driver was accelerating at double the speed limit when the train derailed while going through a bent. Apparently the driver had been boasting on Facebook about his reckless behavior.

March 8, 2014 – missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, 239 presumed dead

It’s hard to believe the negligence of those who for nearly 4 hours failed to report the lack of communication from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

April 16, 2014 – Sewol ferry disaster in the Yellow Seas, 281 dead

It’s even harder to swallow the inaction of the crew of the Sewol, the sunken ferry in South Korean waters. Failing to uphold the ship safety act and abandoning those entrusted into their care, the captain and crew are now being charged with murder and manslaughter.

Type I errors, however, are in sharp contrast to the above events. For example, when we sound a fire alarm in a public place and afterwards find out that we were wrong, we’ve only suffered inconvenience. Inconvenience, however, is not only an act of prevention, but it also means being willing to walk the extra mile. Last week Judge Thokozile Masipa classically displayed a Type I error when she inconvenienced everyone by delaying the Oscar Pistorius court case with a month in order for the South African athlete to be referred for mental observation. The extra time will help her remove potential error as she discerns between reality and her conclusions of a reconstructed reality.

While mistakes occur all the time in schools, they are pronounced in May. Remind yourself that it’s been a long year. Like Masipa, we need to be prepared to commit Type I errors. What does that look like with a few weeks of school left? The acronym below communicates some key points:

 

J – Jaded … you’re tired, don’t jump to conclusions, instead bite your tongue

O – Observe … listen with your eyes, ears and all other senses, be slow to speak

Y – Yield ... lose a battle (or two), you and the other person are needed in the war, just swallow it

While wisdom is available to all who ask, its sluices tend to remain open to those who are prepared to commit Type I errors. Such people are characterized by humility, gentleness, and patience. They carry each other’s burdens, overlook each other’s faults and as they walk the extra mile, they find joy in the journey.

YES and NO

Our school has some excellent examples of technology integration. Almost every classroom is fitted with a digital whiteboard. Our library has check-out laptops, multiple desktop computers and students have access to several computer labs. We have a well-established Internet network with Wi-Fi access points throughout the school. Teachers have successfully used this infrastructure to have students create authentic learning products. The best examples include:

·        writing blogs,

•         ebook poetry anthologies,
•         audiovisual animations of experiments,
•         videos casting persuasive speeches,
•         websites capturing outdoor excursions,
•         a variety of presentations (Prezi, PowToon, etc.)

So, YES, we are equipping our students to use technology. 

In previous blogs I emphasized the need for today’s schools to promote a 21^st Century learning environment. With Imagine, I pointed out that teachers must seize the opportunity the Internet affords for learning. It is no longer about information only. In A New Paradigm, I echoed the job market’s desire for ongoing innovation and how educational institutions must leverage connectivity to that end. Recently, my colleague also reported on the high school’s progress toward a possible 1:1 program (see In Touch). I believe our objectives and goals are stated clearly through these communications. We hope to equip our students to use technology in a productive, creative and collaborative manner in order to promote a positive digital footprint. Have we not been doing that?

Few would disagree that this generation is a new breed. They were born after the Internet emerged and grew up with Google, Facebook, Twitter and mobile devices linking them to a world of apps. To them technology is universal and they use it anywhere, anytime and do so intuitively. During a recent classroom observation I noticed how “user interface” has become part and parcel of students’ vernacular. Without any systematic explanation of how to navigate a new app, middle school boys and girls simply started to skillfully use their fingers to tap, double tap, drag and snap on an iPad Mini, while uploading and sharing their learning at the same time. I looked at the students, then the teacher, and realized I was the only digital immigrant in the room. The degree, to which educators restrict students from leveraging their learning through technology, is the degree to which schools run the risk of falling behind and becoming irrelevant. So, NO, we must continue to stretch ourselves.

I believe one of the key differences is for teachers to no longer be dependent on a specific location, like a traditional computer lab. Surely our roadmap must include an environment where students have immediate access to mobile devices all the time so teachers can enhance instructional strategies (e.g. creating a flipped classroom through Khan Academy), use app-specific tools to assess (NearPod), collect immediate feedback (Socrative), adjust instruction (Google doc collaboration) and still have students create those cherished learning products (e.g. Animoto). An important question to ask is how do we do this without discouraging our staff? Our strategy must be a safe one. We therefore identified teachers who are at ease in our digital world, who can create a contagious environment and inspire others through powerful, enthusiastic modeling. It encourages me no end to see how this approach thrills our teachers, who in turn equip and impact our students. 

A New Paradigm

In a previous blog post I described how the Internet, just like the printing press in the 15^th century, has brought us to yet another watershed moment in society. Educational institutions all over the world are either embracing this invention or are wrestling with its how-to’s. In this post, I briefly explore why educational technology cannot be ignored.

Let me first state my conviction that the teaching profession, as far as it relates to the existing body of research, is mature. Educators, as is the case with doctors, engineers and other professionals, follow an established best practice. Due to the work of researchers like Hattie, Marzano and others, we know which instructional strategies and classroom practices are most effective. In my opinion, the incorporation of technology will not necessarily make teachers more professional. We already know what works in schools. 

Educational paradigms, however, are subject to the political and socio-economic pressures of the day. This was true for schooling in the agricultural period as well as during the age of industrialization. Likewise, the Internet, as a harbinger of the information age, poses a fundamental shift that affects 21^st century learning outcomes in a significant way. Students now have immediate and quick access to knowledge and a curriculum based on search (research) opens up new pathways for learning. Industries and leading companies are also beginning to call for educational institutions to devote more time to creativity, while recent revisions to learning theory further validate the newfound emphasis on innovation. Few argue as powerfully and convincingly as Sir Ken Robinson who, in his three TED Talks, clearly articulates why schools need to equip students to be divergent thinkers, creative problem-solvers and innovators. To accomplish all this in our digital world, students must learn the art of collaboration and essentially do so through the use of technology.

It is strategic then, that we place a mobile device of some sort in front of our students in the classroom. In doing so, we need to know why. It’s not because we want to save paper, or money. We’re also not just giving students a $1,000 pencil with which they can disrupt the learning environment or be distracted. Teachers should specifically design learning experiences that will equip students to use the connectivity that comes with accessing the Internet with 21^st century digital devices to hone the following 21^st century skills: productivity; creativity; collaboration and communication (Salerno and Vonhof, 2011). These are the outcomes of the new educational paradigm. I encourage us to wrestle with it and embrace it. Let’s not ignore it.