Teaching Engineering Habits of Mind in Technology Education

There are three general principles that are becoming a part of the schools.  These principles involve emphasizing engineering design, incorporating important development applications in math, science and technology knowledge skills, and promoting engineering habits of mind.

This article breaks down these habits of mind with the following objectives in mind:

1. Obtaining life and career skills
2. Familiarizing one's self with information on media and current technology
3. Integrating the Core Standards within each lesson
4. Learning and innovating engineering skills

Below you will find a further breakdown of each of these engineering habits with a brief explanation of each:

A. Systems Thinking

Students must understand the interconnections between all technologies and consider the idea that technology is not just an artifact or physical object, but "part of a larger system".

B. Creativity

Students will use digital media tools with hands-on design for problem-based learning.

C. Optimism

Motivation and determination when working through difficulties that arise is learned and received.

D. Collaboration

Working together in groups "allows for design challenge perspectives, knowledge, and capabilities" to be shared and recognize the importance of working as a team.

E. Communication

In addition to working with each other, students should also develop skills in how to understand the wants and needs of a potential engineering customer.  They must understand how to make appropriate decisions in the design process according to the demands of the customer (or assignment regulations).

F. Attention of Ethics

Students will need to evaluate ways to work with a variety and constraints, but focus on activities that better our living-- including choice of cost, materials, and concerns that improve the environmental and societal impact that influence the way in which we live.

G. Assessment

Proposed performance-based rubrics are available through STEM Training.

Loveland, T., & Dunn, D. (2014).  Teaching Engineering Habits of Mind in Technology Education. Technology & Engineering Teacher, 73(8), 13-19.

"District/Building Profile Iowa Professional Development Model"

Professional Development

Professional Development is beneficial in nearly every profession.  Hairdressers attend trainings in New York through Redken to learn about new techniques, styles, and trends.  Law enforcers have to attend professional development to keep up on current laws and changes made within our government.  The same is true for teachers, and there really is no downfall of professional development—so long as it is properly integrated and applied to one’s line of work.

Upon searching for a professional development tool or concept, I came across the state of Iowa’s professional development model.  In it, rubrics are included as an optional means for teachers who attend training to reflect and assess their professional development goals, plans, and opportunities that are available to them.  The rubric in itself is optional, but is based on the legal requirements for district career level plans.  The benefits to this rubric clearly draw one’s attention to their movement towards valuable exercises and their level of comfort following the training or analysis of the learned or studied material. 

Listed below are the Iowa Professional Development Models with the description, written from the state itself:

a.     Collecting and Analyzing Student Data

Identifying student need is the first step in designing professional development intended to improve student learning. Collecting and analyzing information about student performance in areas of interest enables a district and/or school to set priorities. If professional development is to impact student learning, it must precisely align with student need.

b.    Goal Setting for Professional Development

Clear statements of expectations regarding student learning allow schools and districts to focus professional development resources and energy on achievable goals. To meet the goals identified in the Comprehensive School Improvement Plan, the intent of professional development is to increase the learning of all students while attending to the learning needs of subgroups of students. If professional development content is to accomplish the desired increases in student learning, the goals for student learning must be explicit and concrete.

c.     Selecting Content

Content selected for collective study by schools and districts must be supported by evidence that it can accomplish the goals set for student learning. A district should be confident that the content they choose to study has been found to improve student achievement. A process for selecting content will include: a review of research on curricular and instructional innovations with a history of success in the areas identified for student improvement; a review of current knowledge and practices in the district/school; alignment with the Iowa Teaching Standards; and documentation that the practices are supported by scientifically-based research.

d.    Design

The professional development process must ensure that teachers have adequate opportunities to learn and implement new curriculums, instructional strategies, and assessments. Teachers need to have sufficient workshop and workplace supports to develop a deep understanding of the theory of the strategy/model they are learning. The professional development design will build in time for teachers to learn together and to collaborate with each other. If teachers have opportunities to learn new content and implement it in their classrooms, the investment in professional development will pay off in increased student learning. If professional development is based on powerful and proven content and implemented as designed, students will benefit.

e.     Ongoing Cycle

Professional development is a continuous process rather than a one-time event. To be able to transfer new learning into the classroom, teachers need multiple opportunities to see demonstrations, plan together, work out problems, rehearse new lessons, develop materials, engage in peer coaching, and observe each other. The collaborative routines needed for supporting these actions must be planned for, supported and monitored. What staff developers learn from the study of implementation will inform decisions about future training, the need for support, and adjustments in the learning opportunities. If new content is to be learned and implemented in classrooms so that students benefit, teachers need ongoing training, the colleagueship of peers as they plan and develop lessons and materials and study their implementation, and interim measures to judge the success of their efforts.

f.      Summative Evaluation

The effectiveness of professional development is judged by student learning outcomes. Determination of the efficacy of a professional development program is based on two factors: whether or not the content was implemented as planned and whether or not students acquired the desired knowledge/skills/behaviors. This judgment is based on both formative and summative evaluation data. The quality of the evaluation is contingent upon having clearly stated goals that target an improvement in student performance. A professional development program is successful when it achieves its student learning goals.

g.    Individual Career Development Plans

The Individual Teacher Career Development Plan (ITCDP) is intended to support the professional growth of individual teachers as part of the district’s focus on increasing achievement for all students. ITCDP is based on the needs of the teacher, the Iowa Teaching Standards and Criteria, and the student achievement goals of the building and district as per the CSIP. The goals and learning opportunities established in the individual plan should be a direct fit with the district and building plans for professional development. The individual plans may be developed for a team of teachers. The format for the individual plan is locally determined.

Although as a teacher, another specified requirement is something we often fear on top of everything else, these do appear to be reasonable, clear, and achievable guidelines for educators, so long as administration is supportive and funding is available (ha!). 

https://www.educateiowa.gov/sites/files/ed/documents/0506_tq_districtcareerdevelopmentplananalysis_0.pdf

The “Third”-Order Barrier for Technology-Integration Instruction: Implications for Teacher Education

by Chin-Chung Tai and Ching Sing Chai

This article explores the barriers associated in schools when implementing technology into the classroom.  Although rather short, authors Chin-Chung Tai and Ching Sing Chai from the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, highlight the theory that even if teachers have the facilities to teach and pedagogical beliefs that support such implementation, it does not mean their instruction will be successful, even with basic technology skills. 

The first barrier that is described as being an obstacle in technology incorporation is more extrinsic.  This includes “lack of adequate access, time, training, and institutional support”.  The second barrier, more intrinsic to teachers, involves their personal educational philosophy and whether or not they believe technology to believe an effective device in their methods for learning.  Despite the fact that studies have been conducted to measure the outcome for such beliefs from teachers and results in the classroom, examiners found it difficult to fully uncover teacher beliefs, as they are often so deeply rooted.  With this, however, it is important to note the competence level in which teachers possess with technology tools, can contribute to some of the disdain or optimism within their convictions.

Finally, a third and final barrier was proposed in this article, which involves the design skills required for being a successful integrator of technology within the classroom.  Not only would this mean that a teacher should be well-equipped in the actual physical use of the technology and have at least frequent access to it, but the way in which they use it is also crucial.  Although no suggestions were given in how to develop such skills for designing technology usage, though with training and practice, one would only assume improvement and success—so long as that training is available to them as well.

Thus, Tsai and Chai conclude that “technology integration in education is not simply as a state of “technology”, rather, it becomes a state of ‘art’. In addition, the cultivation of design thinking should be an ongoing effort, regardless of whether or not one is in a technology rich or poor environment. Barriers will always exist in one form or another and design capacity is usually sharpened in a constrained environment. Building teachers’/educators’ design capacity is therefore arguably the most crucial task for further integration of technology in education”.

Technology Tools to Support Reading in the Digital Age

by: Gina Biancarosa and Gina G. Griffiths

Technology in education is becoming more and more prominent and expected—nothing new.  However, what is new are the studies that have taken place to see as to what specific technologies are useful in the classroom, and how they can be used in the most beneficial way.  In this article, both Biancarosa and Griffiths uncover a multitude of findings based on research in the area of literacy and E-readers. 

To begin, the authors acknowledge that E-readers are helpful in developing reading and writing skills, so long as there are four rules that are to be followed: “use only technologies that support Universal Design for Learning; choose evidence-based tools; provide technology users with systemic supports; and capitalize on the data capacities and volume of information that technology provide” (139).

Research has shown that Kindle books outsell hard and soft-back books combined, and that number continues to increase.  Advantages in using e-readers include: the ability to change font size, use text-to-speech audio, and collaboration amongst other internet users in an effort to enhance students’ learning.  Although, with these advantages also comes disadvantages.  It has been concluded that students who have access to technology are able to perform at higher-levels in their reading and writing, however, low-income students who tend to have less access to technology fall behind, which means that performance levels amongst peers have a more prominent gap.  Even though this issue is being addressed, “experts warn that achievement disparities may continue to widen unless students are given sufficient opportunities to learn how to use technology to accomplish a wide range of goals” (141). 

It appears that students who perform at high levels use the internet to research and collaborate, as opposed to students who perform at lower levels who use technology to chat, play games, and communicate on social media.  In order to advance one’s abilities, students need to be taught how to advance their literary skills through the use of technology, and as educators we must adapt to this theory in order to meet the shifting stipulations of today.

On page 143, the authors address tools for compensation and instruction in basic skills, that being: 1. Text-to-speech (especially useful for visually-challenged or language disabilities.  2. Synchronized highlighting. 3. Phonological awareness or decoding.  4. Translations and other visuals of data or photos. 5. Self-paced tutorials, which lead to gains in self-questioning, error detection, inference, summarization, and concept-mapping skills and strategies to enhance readers’ use of reading strategies and comprehension of texts.

Based on all of this information, I am able to support my educational philosophy as a teacher who strives to incorporate the use of technology, while keeping in mind those students who have little to no outside access to technology after leaving school.  In an effort to keep the gains from widening any further between students who achieve high and low, I plan to construct a way in which students can be taught how to use it, and create an “after school” time devoted to students so that they can use the technology and be taught how to use it.

AudioBoo & Spreaker: Revising and Enhancing Students' Writing

listen to ‘Using AudioBoo to Edit Students' Papers’ on Audioboo

Using Technology to Enhance Writing: AudioBoo and Spreaker

One of the biggest difficulties students face in their writing today is being able to comprehend what it is they actually put down on paper.  For example, when students are writing, they often make the assumption that their audience knows too much about the topic.  For instance, if in class, we were reading Ray Bradbury’s “Dark They Were and Golden-Eyed” classic short story, and students were to write a literary analysis on it, many would make the assumption that their audience has read the story, and so sufficient background information would not be provided, when in fact, it is absolutely necessary.  For a story such as “Dark They Were and Golden-Eyed”, for example, students might dismiss informing readers that the characters in the story actually turned into the aliens they initially feared to encounter!  So, when audiences go and read the written analysis, they might be confused or have trouble making sense of the main points the student may be trying to make.

One way that I as an educator have strived to overcome this problem, is to have students write on various topics and peer-edit each other’s papers, with specific rubrics of course, that allow for students to look for particular components, based on what is being learned at that point in time.  These rubrics focus not only on the conventional aspects of writing, such as the grammar and spelling, but also the content quality and format as well.  Looking for evidence in one another’s paper that has been inspired from the actual story they are writing about, is something we have been working on strengthening over the course of the year.  Because there are not enough hours in the day for me to individually assist students in the way that is best for them when revising their papers, I have decided to utilize my technological resources and communicate with students via tools such as AudioBoo and Spreaker. 

What I will do is read aloud to the students what they have submitted on paper and make comments vocally on the computer in places they could improve upon, or also acknowledge areas in which they have done well on.  Then, I will hand the papers back to the student where they will see written writing on it, and be able to follow along on their paper with my voice on the AudioBoo or Spreaker.  This will help students make sense of what comments were noted on their drafts, but also hear it, so that necessary changes can be made.

The benefit of doing this not only helps students, but also the teacher, because he/she can create AudioBoo recordings, or Spreaker recordings at a time that is convenient for them.  If they are up grading papers until midnight on a Saturday, that will make no difference to the student, because on Monday morning when the entire class gets their edited drafts back, they will all be able to logon to the computer AT THE SAME TIME, plug in their headphones, and hear what can be done to improve their writing. :)

Beyond Googling: Applying Google Tools to Inquiry-Based Learning

Teachers everywhere are rolling their eyes at the number of times they hear their students reference Google as their source of information.  What many students fail to understand is that Google isn’t necessarily the basis of information, but rather, the guide on where to obtain the necessary information.  Although this is clearly understood after a rather brief explanation, there is informational applications and programs created by Google that the average person may overlook or fail to realize even exists.  This article touches briefly on each feature that Google offers with a transitory description of what it entails.

a.      Google for Information: Using it more than just a quick “type in the blank line” search, consider using the advanced search option or using additional tips and tricks to help clarify and/or purify the search.

Ex: Typing in something such as “mac –cosmetics” into the search bar helps one’s research so that the information that is found will eliminate anything associated with the cosmetic brand company.

(There are many more tips and tricks that can be found—and I would recommend personally YouTubing them and seeing an example from a professional).

b.      Google News: “Provides recently posted information” (3) and allows for specific date searches.

c.       Google Books: Previews and provides a wide variety of actual books pages and full book copies electronically.

d.      Google Scholar: Similar to EBSCO Host, Google Scholar allows one to search for information from peer-reviewed journals, and other scholarly works.

e.      Google Patent Search: “…Provides patents on inventions with both drawings and descriptions” (3).

f.        Google Images: Photo library available through Google Search, but derived from other websites.

g.      Google Video: In addition to YouTube videos, Google Video provides other clips on various websites on the web.

h.      Google Maps: Not only can one map where he or she is and where he or she might be going, but photos, slideshows, and other information can be uploaded from users.

i.         Google Earth: An actual 3D visual of the world, as well as building and sharing of 3D models.

j.         Google Chrome: Web browser that makes all of the tools Google provides users easier to navigate and practice.

k.       iGoogle: Calculators, gadgets for vocabulary, blog feeds, local news, etc. (5).

l.         Google Reader, Calendar, Mail, Talk: Collaborative tools for communication and organization.

m.    Google Docs: Word processing programs available that can be accessed by multiple users at one time.

n.      Google Picasa: A place where “students can save and organize digital images including photographs, drawings, and diagrams…[that] can be published individually or in slideshows” (5).

o.      Google Groups: Discussion-based location to encourage collaboration on various topics and ideas.

p.      Google Blogger: A place where one can create, read, edit, and share his or her work professionally and personally.

q.      Google Knol: A place “students can access and create simple web pages to share their work.  The collaborative environment allows developers to request feedback and ratings from others” (6).

r.        Google Trends, Finance, Health, and Labs: A place where one can access popular topics and tools in various places.

s.       Google Educators: “provides support for educators using Google in the classroom including news, information, tutorials, and lots of teaching ideas” (6).

 

Lamb, A., & Johnson, L. (2010). Beyond Googling: Applying Google Tools to Inquiry-based Learning. Teacher Librarian, 37(4), 83-86.