Tannenbaum Tech - 4/14/2024: TransformED Management

Update on #oneword2024 #author

My #oneword2024 #author continues to evolve this April. I am loving every minute as I write my story. As I shared in the last blog post, I have been working on writing book #2. This has energized me in ways I could never imagine and I am so excited to bring you this new content soon. This book will be focused on best practices for cultivating digital learners and creators and act as a guidebook for elementary educators. As I work on this project, be on the lookout for some amazing companion projects that I am also developing.

The next two weeks will be busy ones for me! This week, I will be featured on an Emerging Leader Spotlight on Wednesday, April 17th at 4 PM EST. I would love for you to join me as I share about many of my passions including the 3 Cs of Creation and how Project Zero's Thinking Routines fits in with them. In addition, for those local to the Washington DC area, I will be presenting two brand-new sessions at Inspire Loudoun 2024 on Saturday, April 20th. They include "Littles Can Collaborate (Even with Digital Tools") from 1-1:45 PM and "Discovering Desmos for the Elementary School" from 2-2:45 PM. Last, I am presenting a virtual session at the Global Impact Virtual Conference on Saturday, April 27th.

TransformED: Amplifying Learning Using Tech Tools

Two weeks ago, I focused on how you can engage your students in authentic learning experiences that will better prepare them for their future. Working in the elementary school setting, I have noticed that sometimes in our zest to protect our students, we miss out on opportunities to engage them in these authentic learning experiences. One area where this is more important than ever concerns the implementation of artificial intelligence in our schools. There are such strong feelings associated with this work and we need to make sure that not only are educators informed, but so are our students.

This week, our focus will be a little different. Over the course of the past couple of months, we have really examined ways that we can transform learning using the ISTE Standards for Educators as a springboard. This leads us to our topic for this week- TransformED Management. I have really been thinking about this a lot lately, especially as I work on writing my second book, which will focus on best practices to develop digital learners and creators. So how can we, as educators, best prepare our students to be digital learners and creators, as we manage using technology in our classrooms?

What is a digital learner?

Our students today need the skills to be digital learners, but in a constantly evolving digital landscape, what exactly does that mean, you might wonder. In the past couple of years as I have explored this issue, the ISTE Standards for Students have been my go to place as a resource. They provide what a digital student should look like at the end of their journey and have even scaffolded this process by creating age bands (ages, 4-7, ages 8-11 years old, and 12-18 years old.)

For this blog post, we will focus on what that end result is so that we can better envision what skills a digital learner needs. We will go over each standard to give you an overview of the skills needed. It would be difficult to go into detail for each one in this post- you'll need to check out my second book for that level.

Empowered Learner

An Empowered Learner is a resourceful learner. They know how to leverage technology to help them reach their learning goals. They use technology to assist them not only choose learning goals, but also to help them in achieving and demonstrating they have reached their goals. In order to do this, students need to know how to best design their learning environments for success. This includes being able to select, use and even troubleshoot the technology they use.

Digital Citizen

A Digital Citizen is a responsible digital learner. They understand that they have certain rights and responsibilities that come with living in a digital world. They are aware of the importance of managing their digital footprints, and engage in positive and ethical technology use while online. They also act respectfully online and understand how sharing intellectual property works. Last, they use safe and secure practices to manage their data online.

Knowledge Constructor

A Knowledge Constructor is a critical thinker. They know how to use digital tools to help them plan and implement research using a variety of resources. They can evaluate whether information is reliable and then curate what they learned into an artifact of learning using technology. In fact, they use these critical thinking skills as they examine real-world issues.

Innovative Designer

An Innovative Designer is persistent learner. They use technology as part of the design process to help them test ideas, hypothesize, and refine their ideas as needed to find solutions. They understand the value of perseverance as they work and how open-ended problems can require an iterative process.

Computational Thinker

A Computational Thinker is a strategic learner. They have a toolbox of strategies from which they can choose from as they explore and solve problems. They analyze data, use abstractions, decompose problems, and use algorithmic thinking as they complete this process.

Creative Communicator

A Creative Communicator is an inventive learner. They know how to leverage technology to help them share their ideas, choosing the best tool based on their goals. They also know how to customize their message to their audience and share their ideas in a clear manner.

Global Collaborator

A Global Collaborator is a Connected Learner. They use technology to help them expand their ideas and add to their learning. They work in teams to help their groups meet their goal. They use technology to help them learn from others, including examining real world issues in their communities and globally.

Next Steps

Consider how you prepare your students to be digital learners. Which standards do you feel comfortable with? Are there some that make you feel more uncertain? How can we best ensure that we create learning environments that foster these skills?I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

A reminder and a huge thanks to Kyle Hill for hosting the Recharge Learning Virtual Bash that features 50 workshops and is offering free access to everyone who reads my blog to the Bash until June 2024. Click this link to join. Two of my sessions are included in this bash too.