Engaging the Next

Professional Learning Engaging the Next Generation With Digital Tools

Technology permeates our schools. Today’s students use devices, programs and mobile computer labs. Textbooks have given way to digital resources. Even the role of the teacher as one who shares essential knowledge has faded. The need for educators to design engaging work, guide students through meaningful experiences in a learning platform and create or curate content-rich, engaging resources is paramount.

On a weekend in February, 73 teachers and principals from the PAGE High School Redesign Initiative (HSRI) delved into Engaging the 1 Next Generation (ENG2). The workshop, designed by the Schlechty Center, examines how digital tools factor in learning and engagement.

“We see this need all across the country,” says Ron Wright, Schlechty Center senior associate. “It is one thing to purchase and distribute devices. It is altogether another challenge for teachers to know how to use digital technology in an effective and engaging manner.” If teachers are not granted this training, they (and by association, their districts) will fall back on one-size-fits-all technology that readily bores students.

Workshop participants examined ways in which to engage students with resources. For example, a teacher solely locked in on content may scour the Internet for a content-appropriate video. The teacher

may then assign the video, expecting students to study it; but a teacher who understands the integration of technology and engagement will, in addition to choosing accurate resources, also evaluate why students might engage with the video and why they might volunteer their best efforts to learn the content. Such a teacher might consider the following: Does a particular student need authenticity or variety to engage? If so, how might the chosen digital resource address those needs? Perhaps some students value choice. Could they

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1. (l-r) Heritage HS (Catoosa) teachers Natalie Atwell, Tammy Gibson, Robyn Hope, Karen Wolfe, Rhonda Sixto and Loraine Young. 2. Schlechty Center Fellow Terri Ponder from Rome City Schools. 3. (l-r) Assistant Principal Ryan McKinnon and teacher Elizabeth Gable of Carrollton ES and Cartersville MS teachers Lindsay Montgomery,

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Sarah Belisle and Dana Burton. 4. Foreground, Cartersville ES teacher Ashley Scoggins; background (l-r), Carrollton ES Principal Karen Wild, Schlechty Center Senior Associate Annissa Roland and Crisp County HS teacher Shannon Williams. 5. (l-r) Lakeview FortOglethorpe HS (Catoosa) teachers Laura Cole and Traci McCracken.

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choose from a variety of content-relevant sources instead of a single video?

“When educators address engagement, students work so much harder. That superior effort is what leads to profound learning,” says Wright. If digital work does not address student needs, motives and values, the teacher will have failed to harness the power of digital technology on behalf of his or her students.

“Teachers sometimes forget how exciting learning and engagement can be. This reminds us how to turn our complete attention to learning and discovering together,” reflects workshop participant Ge-Anne Bolhuis, a Cartersville High School instructional technology specialist.

Educators in ENG2 did not just watch and learn: By the time the workshop

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A teacher who understands the integration of technology and engagement will, in addition to choosing accurate resources, evaluate why students might volunteer their best efforts to learn the content. Does a particular student need authenticity or variety? If so, how might the digital resource address those needs? Perhaps some students value choice. Could they choose from a variety of content-relevant sources instead of a single video?

ended on Sunday, they had all created unique digital projects to use with their own students. “We created a highly efficient Blendspace for our entire K-3 guided reading plan,” says Carrollton

Elementary School Principal Karen

Wild. “It gives teachers and staff access to support documents, videos and photos, and provides storage space for expansion.”

The historical model of teacher as instructor has transitioned into a model that requires a fluid understanding of how digital technology factors into the lives of students and how they learn. The PAGE HSRI

educators who experienced ENG2 are well on their way to modeling that change.

“Leaving the ENG2 retreat on Sunday afternoon, teachers walked away with a great toolbox of resources, teaching strategies and learning experiences to lead our students into the next generation of learning,” reflect Daniel Bennett and Bri White, Red Bud Middle School sixth-grade teachers. n

‘Teachers sometimes forget how exciting learning and engagement can be. This reminds us how to turn our complete attention to learning and discovering together.’ – Ge-Anne Bolhuis, Cartersville High School Instructional Technology Specialist

Photos by Meg Thornton