Imagine IT
PHASE 5
CONFERRING WITH COLLEAGUES, STUDENT FOCUS GROUP, & SHORT REPORT
For my Confer with Colleagues session, I met with one of my team members who I share the space with. I shared my previous technology dilemma and how much time it takes for my students to actually get logged in at started. I also talked about the creativity piece, which I have noticed few weeks ago as another problem. Students have been pretty limited in their creativity and it is really difficult for them to step back from the traditional style of teaching “do it one, right way”, and being able to create projects based on their own ideas.
What I have noticed is that the original problem with he technology is not that big of a deal anymore. Students week by week are becoming better and more efficient in the technology usage, so that is really showing me that they are learning. However, I was more concerned about the creativity piece. What my colleague suggested, was to introduce examples from the real life and find some student inventions that my kids can relate to.
When I met with the students of one of my 4 ImagineIT classes to test that idea, I found multiple inventions or innovations that were created by students. I spent time explaining how those kids came to inventing or innovating something and what caused them to do that. I was intentional with explaining to them that all of those inventions happened because someone had a problem or they noticed a problem and they wanted to create something that would fix that problem. This is also a crucial first step of the Engineering Design Process, which we are constantly reviewing in class. Then, I saw lightbulbs starting to turn in in the classroom. Students were thinking of problems that they have and thinking of what they would need to help solve that problem. One of the first classroom examples, was a girl who is trying to invent something that would help her wake up. She has came up with a plush toy to sleep with that has an alarm system integrated with it. At night you set an alarm and in the morning the toy starts vibrating and making sounds to wake you up. The only way to get it turned off is to set it back into its’ portal that’s away from bed so that you really have to get up out of bed.
I have used my colleague’s idea and integrated it then into all 4 classes. Most of the students have thought about something innovative, and something that relates to their life. However, I still see some struggling students, and I am going to continue to think of strategies that will help them.
What I have noticed is that the original problem with he technology is not that big of a deal anymore. Students week by week are becoming better and more efficient in the technology usage, so that is really showing me that they are learning. However, I was more concerned about the creativity piece. What my colleague suggested, was to introduce examples from the real life and find some student inventions that my kids can relate to.
When I met with the students of one of my 4 ImagineIT classes to test that idea, I found multiple inventions or innovations that were created by students. I spent time explaining how those kids came to inventing or innovating something and what caused them to do that. I was intentional with explaining to them that all of those inventions happened because someone had a problem or they noticed a problem and they wanted to create something that would fix that problem. This is also a crucial first step of the Engineering Design Process, which we are constantly reviewing in class. Then, I saw lightbulbs starting to turn in in the classroom. Students were thinking of problems that they have and thinking of what they would need to help solve that problem. One of the first classroom examples, was a girl who is trying to invent something that would help her wake up. She has came up with a plush toy to sleep with that has an alarm system integrated with it. At night you set an alarm and in the morning the toy starts vibrating and making sounds to wake you up. The only way to get it turned off is to set it back into its’ portal that’s away from bed so that you really have to get up out of bed.
I have used my colleague’s idea and integrated it then into all 4 classes. Most of the students have thought about something innovative, and something that relates to their life. However, I still see some struggling students, and I am going to continue to think of strategies that will help them.