Milo's Learning Blog

Introduction

My name is Milo, and this is my blog for my EDT 3010 class.

I am a mathematics major seeking my secondary education license. I'm planning to teach high school and I particularly enjoy geometry and discrete math.

Outside school, I love spending time in nature, making art, and going to concerts.

I'm generally apprehensive about this class, since I don't feel that technology in its most modern form is doing much good for anybody, especially young people. I hope that I can get other people on board with some of my anti-tech philosophy and encourage people to rethink their phone and AI usage.

Learning Blog

For my learning blog, I chose to challenge myself and use Neocities to host my blog. I was inspired by the original Coolmath Games website, which was made by a math teacher and graphic designer, with the intention of giving kids access to math resources online. I've also been inspired by the resurgence of retro tech aesthetics, and a motivation to use technology to create rather than consume.

It's been a long time since I've used HTML. I coded in it as a kid and later went on to use Java and Python. I feel confident in my ability to code for functionality, but I am excited to grow my CSS skills to make my blog look pretty. I'm hoping to use what I've learned to improve my personal website.

As an educator, I recognize there is an expectation that I keep an up-to-date website for parents and students to access class information. Most teachers seem to use Google Classroom, but I would like to avoid the Google suite because of their unethical company decisions. I will probably continue using the Neocities platform to host my teacher site. It requires more effort, but it feels worth it when I have so much ownership over my page and when I know I am avoiding questionable tech corporations and AI.

Technology Integration

It's impossible in this day and age to ignore technology. It's necessary for everything. As I've considered lowering my technology use, I've been struck by how much of everyday life requires something like a smartphone. Essental activities like paying bills now happen 100% online. There are even companies that charge a fee to call or get help from an agent in person.

The myth of the digital native assumes that because modern kids have grown up with computers, they automatically know how to use them. That simply isn't true. Students still need to learn computer skills, and it's our responsibility as educators to teach them.

Putting a computer (or, really, a Chromebook or tablet) into every child's hand doesn't address the digital use and design divides, which describe a lack of access to high-quality educational technology integration. What does address this is intentional implementation of technology in classrooms, which can be scaffolded with the TPACK model. Technology integration should offer opportunities to deepen a student's engagement with curriculum. In practice this could look like trying out Desmos Geometry to expand compass-and-straightedge construction skills, developing research skills with an online database, or listening to a podcast to learn more about a classroom topic. Each of these high-quality uses of technology gives students proficiency that will serve them throughout their lives. For this reason, I also feel that it is important for teachers to expose students to industry-standard software like the Microsoft and Adobe suites. This allows students to come out of high school with tech skills already on their resume.

Another important element of technology integration in schools is preparing students for responsible digital citizenship. As more and more people gain access to smartphones and tablets at younger ages, it is our responsibility to help our students develop internet etiquette and healthy technology use boundaries. While it's up to a student's family to set rules and expectations around personal technology use, we can model and provide guidance. I feel that it's important to talk about ways to maintain online privacy, to provide environments with norms about technology use, and to model using tech in moderation. We should also never make technology usage a requirement to complete an assignment or acheive a certain grade. Students deserve the right to moderate their own technology use.

If you'd like to see my full write-up of these issues, you can find it here.

Remote Teaching and Learning

My feelings about remote teaching and learning are largely shaped by the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown occurred during my senior year of high school. I was glad to not have to return to high school because I disliked my school and struggled socially. However, I was also taking concurrent enrollment classes and I was disappointed that I had to transition to remote learning in the classes I truly enjoyed.

After the pandemic opened up wider possibilities for remote learning, it became an option for days when in-person class wasn't feasable, such as when a professor had to stay home with an illness. While I appreciate that remote learning allows classes to avoid interruptions and that asynchronous online classes broaden access to school for people with 9-5 jobs and other such responsibilities, I also think it diminishes the school experience and should not be viewed as a viable replacement.

Much of my criticism comes from the ways remote learning fails to replicate what I love about the classroom. Breakout rooms and virtual hand-raises just aren't a good enough replacement for face-to-face discussion. It's hard to ask questions when a professor is busy lecturing and doesn't see your comments on their screen. It's just about impossible to develop relationships with your classmates in a virtual setting. Time in the Zoom waiting room just doesn't foster the same connection as chatting in a classroom before the instructor arrives.

I also don't feel that remote learning constitutes a good learning environment. It's easy to keep your camera and microphone off (or say they don't work) and zone out. I've been guilty of cooking meals and doing chores while in a remote class. It's not a space that demands your full presence. I also think about the kids who are tasked with caring for siblings or family members or who do not have a space to give remote classes their full attention. And I think about the kids who are not safe at home and whose teachers will lose touch with them when class goes remote. My vision for my math classroom is incompatible with remote learning. I want my students to be in school where they have social opportunites and acommunity of safe adults. I want my students working collaboratively with manipulatives and on vertical surfaces. This kind of learning can't happen remotely. I don't see my aversion to remote learning as an issue of needing to redesign my teaching practices. It is by design that my students need to be physically present in class to engage fully.

That being said, I know nothing is guaranteed. We could absolutely have another pandemic. Last year, the school district I worked in had to close when power was shut off to decrease wildfire risk during high winds. As climate change worsens, I wonder if we are working towards a future where in-person school won't be a given. I know I should be prepared to go remote if the situation calls for it. I also am deeply disheartened that the most imaginitive solution we seem to have is one that leaves so many behind.

Universal Design for Learning

I've been exposed to UDL in many of my different teacher preparation classes. I would describe it as a step in lesson planning in which we search for many different ways to deliver content so that all students have a point of entry. We may think explicitly of UDL as a way to make lessons accessible for students with disabilities or those who are English language learners. I see UDL as a necessary way to engage all learners, even those who we do not think of as in need of interventions or accommodations. What's really cool is that you dont need to design a lesson from scratch to use UDL. You can take any lesson plan and find areas that could include differentiation.

The best resource I've found for UDL is the CAST Guidelines. This site includes a graphic organizer with categories of UDL implementation, and suggests ways to offer differentiation in lesson plans. It's helpful if you're unsure where to start or if you want to include a source which justifies your choice to include UDL in a lesson plan.

One of the best ways to integrate technology thoughtfully into the classroom is by using it in service of UDL. In my math classroom, I might find videos to introduce a problem, like this great explanation of the Hilbert's Hotel problem. This allows students to access multiple means of representation. Alternatively, I might offer students opportunities to research real-world data so they can engage with statistics in a way which is interesting and relevant to them. In the past I've planned lessons where students use data from sports they enjoy. This is a great way to connect with the things they enjoy, and sports leagues often have robust and accessible statistical data.