Common Core Digital Storytelling Educational Policy Educational Technology Video in the Classroom Workshops Upcoming

Higher Level Technology Use

For my upcoming presentation, “Digital CPR:  Bring Your Reading Series to Life with Technology” for LAUSD’s Best Practices Conference on March 19th, I created this illustration which I will use to talk about higher level technology use.

I will talk about incorporating multimedia in the classroom as something all teachers should be doing but I definitely want teachers to know that they shouldn’t stop there.  To reach high levels of engagement, thinking, and to narrow the digital divide, teachers must turn technology over to students and guide them as they become their own content producers and influencers on the community outside the classroom.

To put it in more practical terms, if a teacher wants to hit all the levels of the “Technology Taxonomy” they can make sure that their students blog, podcast, and engage in video conferences.  I’ll talk about all three in my workshop.

If schools opt to make student writing and podcasts, password-protected then they prevent students from reaching the highest rung.

13 thoughts on “Higher Level Technology Use”

  1. i dont think its applicable to all teachers or students. Its more of a model for students and teachers in the field of ‘instructional technology’ like ME and YOU.

    For me, Creating multimedia content doesnt indicate there is a HIGHER level of technology use. You can create bad content if you dont understand the content well. This model assumes creation is manifesting higher level thinking… which is probably based on Blooms taxonomy.

    My model would be to create a parallel between “technology use” and “understanding of content”.

    As student understanding goes up, content can be now created by students. if understanding is still at surface level, content better be created by the teacher.

    1. @Kiran,

      I think your point is valid that students can create multimedia content that is of poor quality and I’ve worked in previous posts and presentations to combat that.

      However, I would still argue that creating multimedia involves a higher level of technology use than consuming multimedia. Making a bad iMovie still involves knowing how to use iMovie, for example. And often times you have to make bad multimedia to get good. Few teachers would argue that students shouldn’t be writing because they’re not yet understanding what they’re reading.

      I don’t necessarily link my triangle with higher level thinking and didn’t say that. Nevertheless, putting the technology in the hands of students to create their own product should be goal in all classrooms.

  2. YOu are absouletly right, students should definately be able to access podcast and have access to all this technology. it will help them understand better, they will be able to refer back to a lecture, and much more.

  3. I agree. Teachers are the foundation of spreading the technology and it’s advantages to today’s youth. Putting technology in the hands of students so they can create their own products should be our goal. Students today need advancement in technology as our world ages. It is amazing to me of how tech savvy students are today.

    Great Post!

  4. First of all thank you for sharing your pyramid of technology use. It is a wonderful tool and helps educators think about the level of classroom instruction and helps to set goals for future lessons.

    In my opinion teaching with technology is much like teaching with literature. The specific type of technology or literature is usually irrelevant it is the grappling with ideas, manipulating information and applying the skill or knowledge to new situations that is the essential skill being taught.

    Students of today use technology to express their ideas and to show their knowledge of content. Being able to interact with each other makes these experiences more meaningful and authentic.

  5. I think that your “Technology Taxonomy” is an interesting way to think about the hierarchy of technology skills. I was wondering why you felt that students evaluation of multimedia was a lower level task than students as content creators. I can see how students might evaluate content without ever having produced content, but I would argue that these would be fairly superficial evaluations. Can students evaluate content in any subject without having practiced skills through creation? Do students evaluate classmates’ writing without having first written something? Do students evaluate the musical performances or compositions of their peers without having first performed or composed themselves? It is interesting to consider which comes first pedagogically.

    Also, I was wondering if you thought this taxonomy is applicable across all K-12 grades or if it is more applicable to tween and teen learning. Do we want students to have a firm base of knowledge before moving beyond consuming multimedia? Do students need modeling by their teachers in the early grades before trying their hand at creating and evaluating? Or should even the youngest students be involved in this type of work, but the technological means they use/explore are different? I’m not actually sure, but it is interesting to consider.

    1. @Stephanie,

      >I was wondering why you felt that students evaluation of multimedia was a lower level task than students as content creators.

      You’re not the only one who’s had that question so I guess it’s not clear. However, to me it’s obvious. It’s definitely harder to create media than it is to evaluate it. My thinking is supported by the revised Bloom’s Taxonomy which places creation at the top of the pyramid. I don’t think students need to create in order to analyze/evaluate but when teachers and students are ready, creation would be the next step.

      >I was wondering if you thought this taxonomy is applicable across all K-12 grades

      Yes, I do. I teach first and second grades and it’s just as applicable there as in the upper grades. See our class videos at http://www.videointheclassroom.com

      Thanks for your comments.

  6. I am so happy to see your emphasis on students becoming influential outside the classroom.
    We are facing such apathy in our schools, and empowering students to take meaningful action in the world is the remedy – hope!
    Great post!

  7. Mathew,
    I am an EDM 310 student at the University of South Alabama. I agree with your view on higher level technology use. In order for student to engage in learning, they must be active participants. Teachers should continue to guide students to ensure that they are understanding content. However, the students have to apply that knowledge to be able to truly comprehend it.

  8. I am an EDM 310 student from the University of South Alabama. I particularly liked the information presented in RTI (Response to Intervention), A complete AppleWorkflow. RTI focus on the concept that students may not master, then utilizes time and intensity intervention. This really helps a teacher focus on each child individually rather than just teaching to the whole group, and assuming that they all master the skill.
    It was interesting to see that after these interventions were in place, classroom behavior improved.

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