Coming to a Close

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As my course on technology in the STEAM classroom comes to a close, it is has brought about some thoughts and allowed me to reflect upon my own teaching in the STREAM Lab.  It has been challenging to develop a curriculum that pulls from a multitude of standard sets without a specific focus or direction.  But one of the biggest struggles I have had in developing a STREAM curriculum is incorporating a variety of technology into my lessons.  This is mostly because of time and resources- I know, BIG SURPRISE!  A teacher who feels like there is not enough time or resources is pretty cliché, but it really is a major factor that contributes to the lack of technology in the classroom.  I see my students once every other week for 30 minutes, but when all is said and done, it’s really about 25 minutes.  This is more of an issue for my younger students in grades K-2 because they do not have access to their own laptops, and most of the software and programs we have available to our students are geared towards older students.  I do work with my students in grades 3-5 with the Acellus Intro to Coding Course, but that is the only technology we have used in the curriculum up until this point.  With upcoming units and next year, my team and I plan on making some changes with the curriculum to include more technology in the upper grade levels.  

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Something I would like to include in the 4th or 5th grade curriculum would be the use of stop motion animation.  In my course, we practiced using PowerPoint to create our own stop motion videos.  Since this is a program we have available to our students, I think it is something my students could use to explore their creativity.  Up until now, I had never thought to use this PowerPoint in such an innovative way.  My 4th grade students have constructed catapults and my 5th grade students have made Ferris wheels this year.  I think it would be a great opportunity for them to document their construction and put it together in a stop motion video.  This video could then be communicated to their peers to document their progress and their journey through the design process.  

In my opinion, technology can be used as early as Kindergarten, but it should be used in a strategic and thoughtful way as with any other grade.  More often than not, technology is used as a one-to-one resource for students to receive individualized practice on specific topics.  Whenever I have asked teachers at the younger grades how the implement technology, the answer has usually been for the kids to practice reading and math skills on their own computer with their headphones on, unaware of what their peers are doing.  I think it is time to start looking to the creative and collaborative opportunities certain technologies can provide.  The trick is to find the right resources to complete this kind of work. The early we start enforcing technology as a tool for working with others by communicating our ideas and creativity, the sooner our students will start thinking critically about how they can use different technologies.  Technology should not be seen as a way to escape the outside world, but instead, a great tool for interacting with it.

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Even though technology is an essential piece of the STEAM puzzle, it is not the end all be all.  Science, Engineering, Art, and Math are also essential to the classroom.  While technology can support all these, there is something to be said for engineering using a hands-on approach.  There are

some great technologies out there can provide virtual models or simulations for otherwise unattainable situations, but whenever possible, students should be given opportunities to construct and build with actual materials.  The face-to-face interactions and discussions groups have when working together on a project cannot always be replicated using a technology, and these skills are ones that students seem to be lacking.  The lessons they learn by working with others are the ones that will best prepare them to be successful in this ever changing world.