Episode 301 Transcript: Tech Study Hall
3/1/2024
Episode 301: Where have I been? And Pillars of Virtual Learning.
Opening
Thanks Finn and Welcome to Episode 301 and a new season of the Tech Study Hall, a Podcast where you can go to explore all about 21st Century learning and edtech integration in a safe space in hopes to take steps forward in your tech independence. My name is Rich and I appreciate you listening as we go on the learning and edtech journey together as friends and colleagues. In this episode we are going to talk about what I consider to be essential or pillars of learning in a virtual space.
But first, Just as a reminder for our first-time listeners, our goal with Tech Study Hall is to inspire educators to explore new ways to use technology as a way to accent their lessons while using 21st century learning strategies to keep students engaged. Whether that’s using tech or not, the way our learners obtain knowledge is different from what we experienced, but the one thing that hasn’t changed is the importance of relating our learning experience to a world that makes sense for them.
Today's Objective
Where have I been? That is the number one question people have been asking me. It’s been over a year since my last episode. I really missed making them, but something had to give. In this new age of social-emotional awareness there was so much stuff happening in my life professionally, that it started to impact things personally (like the podcast). I had to re-prioritize my life a little and take a break.
There were a lot of us in education re-assessing priorities over the last couple of years. The pandemic gave us a lot of pause to look at education as students, parents, teachers, etc. overall. The demands of my role in education were stressful as I oversaw technology for the building and taught a load of classes too. After some time, I decided that it was time to take a break from the classroom and take on a new journey in education. Which also gave me some pause about the podcast. What will it look like going forward? Who am I trying to reach? Will it have any merit when I’m not in the classroom? After much deliberation, I decided that I did want to continue to do the podcast. It was important for me to offer a voice for teachers who still wanted to be more confident with integrating tech tools in their classroom in a meaningful way, but I wanted it to be more than just tools. It wanted to get a message out there that our students are learning differently now more than we ever did. Computers in education have grown significantly beyond just one class or some time with the Oregon Trail. It has become THE tool for learning as we desire to meet the needs of our students where they learn. They are digital natives and our profession is one that MUST meet them where they learn. More about this later.
As I mentioned, I stayed in education but took the leap into Higher Ed. Getting into Higher Ed has always been a goal for me since graduating with my masters in 2009. I took a stop along the way to get back into the classroom. First, in K-12, where I met some pretty amazing students and families, outstanding colleagues and dear friends, and first had the opportunity to integrate a 1:1 program with Chromebooks. Then it was time to grow. I moved into a high school program where I taught and expanded their tech and STEM program. Again, I had the opportunity to meet some outstanding students and teacher friends again. Leaving the classroom was a hard decision, but one that became necessary to my overall life and career goals. Again, it was time to grow. I’ve always told my students that you never stop learning, life always gives you opportunities to grow. So now, a course and materials designer for Cleveland State University’s Center for eLearning. A chance to go into higher education and work with instructors and staff on bringing a quality learning program to a virtual workspace. I have been doing this for just over a year and it is refreshing to put my skills and education to use in a different way. A chance to put some research and theories to the test. Which is some of what today’s topic will cover. Some of the key pillars or essentials to great learning online or as I like to say, learning in a virtual space.
The Lesson
So why use the term virtual space? It’s a long story, but to make it short, when we went into the pandemic and everyone shifted to making learning happen online, there was a lot of apprehension and concern over the physical distances between teachers and students. Very valid points, but when we as educators added the constant reminder that “we would learn this one way in class, but we are online, so we have to learn it this way”, that becomes a barrier WE put in the path of our students. What we’ve learned about that time is that space doesn’t necessarily become a deal breaker for our students. Some needed the contact, but others thrived because it lessened the anxiety of being physically present, a thought that many had dismissed as being a quiet student or one that doesn’t pay attention, or is a drifter when in reality they just didn’t function in that space and it became a blockade for learning for some of them. If it hadn’t been for the pandemic, we may not have realized that for some students, in-person was a roadblock to receive the learning they needed in order to progress. Now, this doesn’t make learning in a physical space wrong, it just speaks to the idea that we have people who thrive in various learning environments. This was hard for steadfast traditional teachers who learned that being present was the only way to learn appropriately. Though for some of our students it was being present that took all of their energy just to be present. It was time for us to again evolve to create equitable learning spaces.
I bring this up to also say that this time was trying for teachers too! Many had heard through professional developments about learning online, Google Classroom, making videos, latest tech tools and crazes, etc. There was a lot of information swirling. It always seemed to fall under that category of “when I have the time, I’ll play with it”, but then the pandemic hit and all of those cool integrations and methods were now forced upon us. Some, who integrated early, reaped the benefits of those learning sessions, others who waited were pressed into a panic because they were thrust into the tech tsunami to survive and present learning in a way that was uncomfortable for them. Many of us “techies'' were thrown into the water to help guide our colleagues on how to swim with the current. Those teachers were the ones that couldn’t wait for the pandemic to be over so that we could get back to “normal”, without realizing that the pandemic was going to bring about a new normal for our field. Enter the existence of “alternative ways to learn”.
I argue that these “alternatives” have always been around, but have come to the mainstream brought on by the pandemic. Families became more attuned to the fact that their students thrived in certain settings. Some went back to the classroom face-to-face (though I still contend it was more for familiarity's sake), others went online because they realized that yielded better results for their students. Some sought hybrid experiences where students could mix and match depending on their aptitude for the subject. While we saw this more in higher ed, many homeschoolers saw this as an opportunity too. The hope here is happier, flexible learners that would take charge of the way they learned best to further their opportunities later in life.
So with this shift in the way students learn and learn well coming to the forefront, we as educators need to shift the way we prepare for our classes and design with the flexible learner in mind. So, I am going to share what I consider to be my pillars of success when preparing a learning space virtually, but I think that when you hear them, you will find it applicable to any learning space whether virtual, in-person, or hybrid. This is not an exhaustive list and I am going to try to find guests to open up discussions about them in future episodes, but here goes the list at this moment knowing that I always leave room for growth…
The first pillar I feel is important is Establishing a Learning Community. Get to know your students, their interests, and set the tone for your term or year. Offer genuine and timely feedback. Give time for collaboration and communication. These are key factors in setting a positive and constructive learning environment.
Next up on my list is Relevant Task Creation. We have to begin to re-think some of the ways that we assess our students in creating tasks that complement the learning that we are asking them to consume. A wordy way of saying, cut out the busy work. We need to get back to the fundamentals of what assessment really means and “sit with” our students to see what and how they are learning. Starting all of it with whether or not they are ready to learn. Then there is the whole AI integration that is starting to seep into our domain rapidly. How can we find a way to embrace that technology, keep our tasks relevant to learning, and teach our students to responsibly embrace the same. It will be a loaded topic and can’t wait to explore this one further.
Platform Familiarity is my next pillar for excellent virtual learning. This is a two-tiered pillar as well. First, we have to stop assuming that the learners and instructors know their tech. Most know about tech and use some, but we can’t assume their knowledge extends to know how to learn in a virtual space. We need to set them up for success and become familiar with the LMS or spaces they will be learning. We need to create learning opportunities that will create activities to become familiar with the space where they will be learning. Building resources, taking them through scenarios, etc. so that we can gauge comfort levels and technical prowess in a virtual learning space. We also need to utilize resources for ourselves to become more familiar with the environment that we will be teaching. See if you have subject matter experts in your building, department, or campus that you can collaborate with increasing your efficacy. Gather YouTube videos, attend seminars, participate in professional developments or discussions surrounding the platform. Get involved to become better informed.
Along those lines, the final pillar for this discussion is to Make the Time! In the early days of flexible learning opportunities, they had things like correspondence courses that were very passive in their delivery. With the onset of a virtual learning space, we have learned that it is better to be as hands-on and engaging as our face-to-face opportunities. Students seek a connection with their mentors. If we are asking our students to make the commitment, so should we. Make time to make unique content for your courses. Automation is great in doses, but it should not lead your instruction. The learner wants to engage with you. Finally, going along with the previous pillar, make the time to invest in yourself. Make the time to learn new skills in teching your classes out. The world we teach in changes constantly and our students take note when we take the interest in bettering ourselves.
The Wrap-Up
Again, we will dive a little deeper into each of these pillars in upcoming episodes. If you would like to be a part of that discussion, please feel free to reach out! This list is not by all means exhaustive, but a good start for a blue print. In our discussions, we may discover more along the way to add-in. That is the nature of our field now, evolution and evolving is something we must do in order to stay relevant to our learners. Their modalities and availability have changed and we should be able to adapt to those ways. We’ve discovered new ways to reach and teach our learners, to paraphrase my friend Dr. Lynette Scotese-Wojtila.
I hope that helps to spark an idea for you today. Let me know if there is something more on the topic you’d like to discuss. We can make it another episode or go live to field questions and work collaboratively.
Speaking of collaborative spirit, I’d love to talk to you too. If you have something that is working that blends the best of learning and technology, let’s keep the conversation going! Please feel free to reach out via Twitter at drsmith_edtech or via email at rmstechspot@gmail.com.
Until next time, I’m Rich here reminding you to give tech a try. Any small step forward is still part of the greater journey in learning. This has been Tech Study Hall, class is adjourned! Be well everyone!
Resources
In this episode, Rich proposes what he considers his pillars for great learning in a virtual space. He also provides a little update on where he has been over the last year.
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