Where to Begin?

One of my main concerns of working with technology in a school in Argentina is, "Where do I begin?" The country itself is at a different level with technology usage as I experienced as a learner growing up. One thing to look at is the great difference between social classes. Many low-income families send their children to public schools, and higher-income to private schools. The country also has a high inflation rate, with the peso to dollar rate doubling in 2018 alone. Many people have lost money, and do not have technology high on their list of things to pay for. Despite this, there has been a government initiative to bring technology into schools as a movement known as, "Conectar Igualdad which is a 1:1 educational program seeking to enhance Argentinian public schools through the distribution of netbooks to all students and teachers at public secondary schools, teacher training colleges and special education schools. The goal is to remove barriers to learning and bring core academic content to low-income communities" (Rubin, 2017). This comes in our favor as it as a national initiative. Not only are they pushing this on the public schools, but in the private sector as well. In my school, they are gaining more technology tools, but people do not know where to start. This brings about my first question, "Where do I begin?" 

In my current school, many classrooms use a journal and have students copy things from the whiteboard to learn English. Each room has a projector and one computer. The school has two computer labs and two laptop carts, which I rarely seen used in the elementary level. How do we bring technology tools into the culture of this school? With a project-based approach, how can we begin to take the current class projects and turn them into an authentic learning experience with technology as a tool? These are the questions which are motivating me to make a difference this year. Past first grade teachers have done a lot with paper and pencil, and I would like to move to a lot of game-based learning, online project creations, and world connections using the given school technology. Can this be done in a culture and community that has yet to catch up? 

To create this paradigm shift in thinking in myself and other educators in the building, we must transform the school out of 20th century and into the 21st. One element which is important is to have students familiar with the use of technology for learning (Wierman, 2017). Many students are using tablets, smartphones, and computers at home for fun, but have yet to experience it as a tool in the classroom. Instead of technology being something "special" to use, it should be as something natural and part of the school culture. Another important element of a 21st century classroom should be both teachers and students adaptable to change. Not only do we have to be adaptable if a tech tool is not functioning in the day, we also have to be adaptable to new ways of thinking and new tools that come out. What we are using in the classroom today may not be around in a few years, and most likely, our students will be in future jobs which involve tools we cannot even imagine today. Along with adaptability is flexibility. There are so many choices a student can make that empower them to decide how to learn best. As a teacher, we must provide these flexible environments in order to meet the needs of every student. Familiarity, adaptability, and flexibility will help transform our school into the 21st century environment it will strive to be. I hope to instill these three elements to my classroom as well. 

In order to help the school take its first steps towards this goal will be to make use of what we currently have, and to plan for the future. Ken Kay suggests seven steps to becoming a 21st century school. He suggest infusing the four "C's" which are critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity (Kay, 2011). I believe we currently possess some of these elements as a school, and have some resources as well. We have two computer labs which are readily available for use. There are also laptops to bring into the classroom. This is a good start towards moving to this 21st century environment, but later on, might not be enough. First of all, we must adapt our vision, as the article states, and get students and teachers on board and headed the right direction. What would come next? Enhancing our lessons, content, and assessments to include the four C's will help us get on the right track. 

In the given situation, I hope to allow my young students fun experiences using technology. My students are five or six years old, and they are learning how to read and write along with acquiring English vocabulary. While learning a new language, many pass through a frustration stage where they understand a lot, but have yet to learn how to express themselves. This can be a lot to handle at one time for a young child! One of my main goals is for the students to enjoy English, especially in this stage of learning. I hope to use games to develop vocabulary, and for students to create videos to create confidence in using the language. With these goals in mind, and the hope of getting my colleagues on board, we will start moving into the direction of a 21st century school. This will be a great way to begin.

Kay, Ken. “The Seven Steps to Becoming a 21st Century School or District.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, August 30, 2011 www.edutopia.org/blog/21st-century-leadership-overview-ken-kay.

Rubin, C. M. “The Global Search for Education: Got Tech? - Argentina.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 7 Dec. 2017, www.huffingtonpost.com/c-m-rubin/the-global-search-for-edu_b_4074212.html. 

Wierman, McKenna. “4 Key Elements of 21st Century Classroom Design.” Getting Smart, Getting Smart, 27 Jan. 2017, www.gettingsmart.com/2016/12/21st-century-classroom-design/.