Technology for Equity

It's well known that Covid-19 transformed the role of technology in the classroom. In addition to using technology to facilitate virtual learning from home, technology has become central to in-person classroom instruction. What I didn't know was how technology can transform learning to make learning equitable. If digital equity ensures that all students have access to what's being learned, what does the data say about who's learning? How successfully (or unsuccessfully) has technology revitalized learning for today's students? 

Let's Find Out!

To answer these questions, I explored the transformations in technology use. I found the following report from Project Tomorrow to be fascinating in this regard. The report is called Beyond the classroom today: From Increasing Technology Access to Improving Student Learning Experiences. This report notes, "A key lesson learned from the past few years is that the mere presence of technology does not magically translate into deeper learning experiences.  But one of the obstacles to strategically planning for more effective use of greater access to technology has been a nostalgic pull in some communities to revert to the way schools traditionally looked and functioned in February 2020" (4). Although traditional learning methods still have a place in the classroom, it's no longer the only place. Instead, technology sets the norm for learning. As seen by the chart below, it's become increasingly normalized over time.

Image Source: Project Tomorrow

Today's students have entirely different relationships with technology than the educators teaching these students, creating a divide in how students and teachers may perceive technology. Part of this technology shift correlates to increased access to technology, as seen by how Project Tomorrow notes, "91% of K-12 teachers now report that their students have access to a personally assigned digital learning device to use within the classroom, a threefold increase since 2014" (4). Part of this technology shift may correlate to generational differences in technology use. McCrindle has studied these differences extensively, sharing this insight about the Digital Role of Gen Z: "Generation Z are digital integrators in that they have integrated technology seamlessly into their lives, and having used it from the youngest age, it is almost like the air that they breathe, permeating almost all areas of their lifestyle and relationships." With technology being integrated seamlessly outside the classroom, how can educators best integrate this technology in physical and virtual learning spaces?

Although some teachers may still be drawn to that nostalgic pull of traditional classroom settings, other teachers are integrating technology in their classrooms. In addition, teachers are rethinking student learning outcomes. While technology can be used to increase student engagement, it's no longer the only outcome in mind, as seen by Project Tomorrow's findings:

Image Source: Project Tomorrow

In summary, technology can make learning more accessible for students who already treat technology as integral. Technology can greatly improve the learning outcomes for students, benefiting the students as well as the teachers. These benefits are highlighted in the article Closing the Digital Divide Benefits Everyone, Not Just the Unconnected. In this article by Common Sense Media, I was surprised by how adaptive VR can be for student learning, including virtual labs, virtual campus spaces, and virtual tours of these spaces. These tours can help students with functional needs, empowering students to "transition to new school environments more easily by allowing them to tour these spaces online ahead of time" (8). These insights helped me see technology as an equity builder, providing ways of learning and ways of connecting besides this classic brick-and-mortar classroom:

Image Source: giphy.com

However, technology can only be an equity builder if it's equitably accessed, taught, and integrated, as discussed in the article As schools close due to the coronavirus, some U.S. students face a digital ‘homework gap’. This article by the PEW Research Center notes, "The 'homework gap' – which refers to school-age children lacking the connectivity they need to complete schoolwork at home – is more pronounced for black, Hispanic and lower-income households." To reap the benefits of online education, the seeds - or the technologies - must be equitably distributed. It's not just the technology tools, but the ability to use these tools effectively - a struggle familiar to many schools. As discussed by Project Tomorrow, "A common denominator across this list of valued technologies is the essential need for high-quality, high-bandwidth Internet connectivity in the classroom to support the type of digitally infused learning experiences empowered by these technologies" (21). If schools are not designed with the support to attain and maintain technologies, then technology may be a source of frustration for students and teachers alike. If schools are not designed to meet the needs of all students, then digital equity cannot be truly achieved. The 2022 EDUCAUSE Horizon Report discusses the importance of equitable education. Although this report pertained to higher education, these findings resonated with the experiences of younger students as well: 

"At institutions committed to mainstreaming online and hybrid education, faculty and other officials must consider the implications of that mainstreaming for equitable access to education. On one hand, these changes present institutions with the opportunity to provide educational experiences better fitted to the needs of students for whom traditional classroom experiences and access have been challenging or even impossible. Institutions can focus on this opportunity as a driving purpose behind making modifications that lead to substantive change. Indeed, when asked about the potential impacts of this area of practice, panelists scored it highest in its potential to address equity and inclusion. On the other hand, online and remote models of education continue to be a challenge for some students (e.g., those with limited access to devices or internet connectivity). As the adoption of online and hybrid education expands, so too must the supports and resources institutions provide to their students to help ensure that all students have access and are able to fully and meaningfully participate."

Okay, I've done the research. What now?

Stay informed! By keeping up with the latest findings on educational research, educators can empower themselves to best meet the needs of students. As someone who works with students, this research supports how libraries can be advocates for digital equity. In my department, we provide computers, I-PADs, coding classes, and 3-D printing classes to students. I wonder how I can use technology to redefine student learning outcomes, whether these students are attending a library program or using the library space. If the library is a third space for many students (aside from home and school) how can I make this space into a place that equitably meets their needs? I don't have an easy answer, but that's the fun part of research; it takes time to find those answers, and that's why research is so rewarding for me.

As one final note, I find that keeping up with "Stats & Stories," as I like to say, can revitalize my passion for my profession. Although I work in a library, rather than a classroom, I find that reading about what other libraries are up to and looking at the big picture of librarianship sparks new ideas and new professional connections. It also decreases work burnout when I can connect to my work outside of the bubble of my one library. This research need not be brooded upon in isolation; on the contrary, it can open up conversations with others, as well as open up new perspectives in oneself.

Liven Up Your Classroom with Active Learning

When it comes to writing book reviews as an elementary student, I'd learned the classic method. Read the book. Write the review. Submit the homework. Even as someone who loves reading and reviewing stories, I burned out on the tedious tried-and-true process. Read a book. Write a review. Read a book. Write a review. Read a book. Why can't I write a review? Why have I been staring at this blank page for an hour?

One book review didn't involve any writer's block. In 4th grade, I'd reviewed one of my favorite books at the time - Double Fudge by Judy Blume. Over twenty years later, I don't remember anything about the book. However, I do remember that the book review assignment involved creating a poster on that book, then presenting my poster to the class. I remember how fun it was to not only make and present the poster, but also seeing other students' posters and presentations. After the presentations, we had the opportunity to meet in groups, discussing our posters and sharing feedback on each other's presentations. 

Over twenty years later, I can see that my book review poster presentation gave me a small taste of active learning. Rather than passively engaging in the learning process, students can play a more active role in what they learn and how they learn it. For a quick overview of active learning, I recommend checking out this brief Active Learning article, featuring active learning strategies ranging from simple to complex.

Image Source: University of Minnesota's Center for Educational Innovation

Although I initially had trouble understanding the concept of active learning, I think that active learning makes the process of learning engaging, while passive learning prioritizes the content of learning. Far too often, teachers may deliver long lectures, presuming that the content is enough to keep students engaged. Active learning calls for a revamp in pedagogy to better meet the needs of students who have content at their fingertips with technology in their hands. Active learning may use diverse tools, including technology tools, for diverse learning styles. Active learning provides opportunities for collaboration between students and fellow students, between students and professors, and between students and the wider world. For students craving that level of engagement, passive learning feels more like this:

Image Source: tenor.com

Meanwhile, active learning feels more like this! (P.S. Waku Waku, a Japanese expression, roughly translates to...I'm excited!)

Image Source: giphy.com

My book review assignment was a simpler form of active learning. However, book posters are far from the only way to engage students in active learning. Why not use PicCollage to make a digital book review poster? Better yet, why not use Audioboom to make an audio review, then use QR codes to link to those reviews? Professor Nicole Zumpano and teacher Ms. Foreman did just that with 5th Grade students. To check out the full story and amazing book review covers, be sure to read Nicole Zumpano's blog Technology in Education: Notes from the Closet. For my own thoughts on this blog, you can check out my Padlet Active Learning: Multimedia Book Reviews in a 5th Grade Classroom. I've also included a screenshot below for easy reference.

Image Source: padlet.com/arondanteryan

In this assignment, students may have written a book review in preparation for their audio book review. However, the assignment doesn't involve a student passively handing over a sheet of paper, getting a grade, and forgetting all about the book. Instead, students actively engaged with tech tools, including Audioboom and PicCollage, to create a transformative book review. Just as importantly, students had the chance to collaborate in the feedback process. In addition to giving that feedback through another tech tool, students had the chance to physically sort this feedback into different categories, engaging students in tactile learning. This assignment had a high degree of interactivity by integrating diverse learning styles and diverse tech tools. Since book reviews are often a staple of elementary education, the classic pen & paper format can quickly become tedious, making it all the more impactful to use active learning strategies, turning an assignment from boring to waku waku.

When developing lessons, active learning can be an invaluable resource for many different fields of educators. Although the example above ties into a 5th grade classroom, active learning also applies to my own job as a Library Associate in a youth department. As I plan my library programs, I'd like to brainstorm new ways to keep students engaged. For example, in my recent Writing Club: Alebrijes program, I included experiential learning by leading the students on an alebrijes scavenger hunt. After finding alebrije sculptures in the library, students wrote and drew the alebrijes we discovered (or created their own alebrijes). Overall, this program was a success. Students expressed that they had "so much fun!"

In addition to positive feedback, I received helpful feedback from a parent. They kindly let me know that their child had enjoyed the program, but had been a bit thrown off by taking a surprise field trip at the start of class. It was a great reminder that some students may thrive on routine, rather than spontaneity. Some students may be more introverted or nonverbal, meaning that collaboration can sometimes be a form of stress and disengagement, rather than success and engagement. The typical classroom experience, which often takes the form of individualized passive learning, may be a comfort to many students. I think that teachers and library professionals can use passive learning and active learning, but must keep in mind the needs of their particular students, as well as the resources of their given institutions. Although I'd love to give my students all the tech tools in the world, I know that budgets can be tight, and any expenditure must be proved to be a worthwhile investment. With these variables in mind, active learning strategies can be incredibly helpful tools, empowering educators to make the best use of those tools for their given school, library, or other learning space.

Digital Maps in the Golden Age of Apps

Are you a digital native? Or a digital immigrant? Then again, are you answering the right question? The digital natives and digital immigrants framework, coined by Marc Prensky, proposes that people who are born into technology (digital natives) have a knack for technology, since they grew up speaking that language. Meanwhile, people who learn technology later in life (digital immigrants) can learn new technology, but treat it more like a second language, rather than their primary language. This framework leads to the notion that younger people must be tech wizards, since they (presumably) grew up with smartphones. Meanwhile, older people are often assumed to be tech illiterate. This assumption never sat right with me, since it doesn't center the many other variables impacting tech literacy, such as tech access (having the tools) and tech education (learning how to use those tools).

It was refreshing to discover a new framework for tech literacy: Visitors and Residents. Instead of focusing on inherent technological competence (age assumptions), this framework emphasizes cultivating technological resourcefulness (how a person of any age chooses to use technology). Coined by David White, this framework puts technology use on two spectrums. The first spectrum is professional (institutional) on one end, personal on the other. The second spectrum is visitor on one end, resident on the other. While using technology as a visitor, technology is used as a tool for a task. By using technology as a resident, technology is used as a bridge for community. Visitors use technology as a means to an end. Residents use digital spaces for connecting with other people and other people's ideas. For more information, check out David White's brief video introducing this topic.

In order to learn how I navigate this technological space, I created a digital map for my technology tools. Although this list isn't exhaustive, I included the technology tools that I currently use on a consistent basis. I wasn't surprised by which technology tools fell on my map; however, I was intrigued by where they fell on my map.

Image Source: 1,000Logos.net

For personal use, I found it fascinating to see the stark contrast between personal visitor use and personal resident use. Personal visitor use was so crowded that it felt claustrophobic. Many apps and websites in this sector are designed primarily as a means to an end, rather than a way to connect. For example, I use Hoopla and cloudLibrary for the task of checking out e-audiobooks and e-comics. It is not a space, but a service. Odds are, it will stay that way.

Other apps, however, have the potential for shifting toward the resident end of the spectrum, depending on how the technology is used. For example, I use YouTube solely for enjoying content. However, YouTube is also a social platform. Users can comment on others' content, make their own content, and build an audience (i.e. a digital community). In other words, I have untapped potential to shift from visitor toward residency. This potential is shaped by the goals of the person using a given technology. For example, musicians may more likely use Spotify as residents, building digital communities around their music. As a non-musician, I use Spotify to explore new music passively (personal visitor), rather than promoting music of my own (professional) or actively connecting with others (resident). That said, I can shift ever so slightly toward resident by sharing my S Tier Soundtracks playlist, connecting with others and building a digital space in this very blog.

Image Source: Spotify

In contrast, Facebook and Discord are platforms I use specifically to connect with others. They are digital communal spaces, not digital individualistic tools. It's not about listening or watching something; it's about connecting with someone. I didn't always use Facebook to connect. I used to just lurk, abandoning my profile for weeks at a time. However, Facebook turned out to be an excellent platform for creating events in my local pride group. I promote the events in the pride group's Facebook page. I add friends on Facebook who attend these events, then invite them to future events. I have conversations by messaging directly and commenting on posts. In other words, I build and partake in digital spaces and digital communities. Discord also lends itself well to digital communities. I've joined Discord servers that support my identities, roles, and connections (pride groups, writers groups, friend groups, etc.) Discord has proved to be a fantastic way to message, voice call, and video call, providing multimedia options for connection and creating unique digital spaces in each server.

After making my digital map, I asked myself, Why only two resident apps? Why not add Insta, Snapchat, and more? After reflecting on my ghost town (i.e. personal resident sector), I realized that I'm moderating my technology use - for valid reasons, I'd attest. As someone who is neurodivergent, it can be incredibly easy to get burnt out on communicating, particularly when it comes to communicating with new people. Even having two dating apps at the same time (or one app, for that matter) had led to increased anxiety.

In addition to social apps leading to burnout, burnout from other things can affect my use of social apps. During my classes last semester, I had less capacity for other commitments that required brain power. Hence, I dropped an app called Boo - an app designed to meet new friends and/or dates. Fitting, that I ghosted an app with a ghost as a logo. However, I didn't go off the grid entirely. I knew it would be important to maintain existing social connections, so I wouldn't become isolated with only my homework to keep me company. Hence, my use of Facebook and Discord remained consistent. I find it interesting that Facebook and Discord are designed to make new connections and maintain existing connections, while other apps (like dating apps) are primarily designed to make new personal connections. Having said that, a friend of mine used a dating app for professional use, promoting their clinic's LGBTQ+ health services on an LGBTQ+ dating app.

I wouldn't personally use a dating app to blur work life and personal life. In fact, there isn't much overlap on my digital map between the technologies I use professionally and personally. Outlook is for work. Gmail is for home. I would never, not in a million years, use Outlook for my personal email, because it would immediately remind me of work emails through sheer association. Notably, there are the following exceptions to the boundary between "work tech" and "home tech".

• Google Calendar tracks my entire schedule in one location, including my work schedule.
• Zoom is primarily used for work, but I'd used Zoom during quarantine for connecting with friends.
• Bibliocommons is my library's catalog. Since I work at this library, I look up books for patrons and make booklists. At home, I look up books for my own reading enjoyment.
• Google Search is a technology tool for any and all uses, so it sits squarely in the middle of my digital map - a compass to any question at any place and any time.

Another boundary blur between "work tech" and "home tech" involves the theoretical application of a work tech tool to my home life. You may ask, what do you mean by theoretical application? 

Image Source: tenor.com

Let's talk about Desk Tracker. Desk Tracker allows libraries to track their reference desk interactions for different categories. For example, if I help a patron register for summer reading, I can click the All Things Summer Reading category, then click "Submit". As another example, a dad asked for picture books on divorce, to help his daughter process that her parents were going through a divorce. I documented the interaction under Reader's Advisory & Reference. Each night, the librarians pull a Desk Tracker report to summarize that day's reference desk interactions. Ironically, Desk Tracker is all about documenting interactions, without facilitating any interactions, landing the software firmly in the Visitor category.

Image Source: www.compendiumlib.com/desk-tracker

Desk Tracker is designed for libraries, not for personal use. Nonetheless, I wonder what it would be like to track my personal interactions, professionalizing the minute details of daily human life. Which categories would I include? Which types of interactions are so frequent that they'd merit their own categories? I could include extremely specific options, like Bug the Roommate. I also could include umbrella categories, like Adulting - for grocery trips, phone calls to the doctor, and other adult responsibilities. Then again, perhaps it's for the best to keep my digital map as is, separating the professional from the personal. Otherwise, I just might read the nightly report of my life, all too aware of how many times I talk to my pet snake, in the same baby talk manner one might speak to a human infant.

Trends in Ed Tech: Beanstack Gamifies Reading & Learning

Beanstack? What's that? Let's dive into Beanstack & take a virtual field trip on the Beanstack bus!

Educational Technology is a universe that won't stop expanding, making it downright daunting to sort through hundreds of ed tech tools available to educators. In addition to the tools themselves, there are also trends, as discussed in the article Edtech’s Hottest Topics for 2023, published by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). One ISTE trend that stood out to me was Creativity and Innovative Learning. This trend brought to mind one of my favorite ed tech tools - Beanstack!

For a deep dive into Beanstack, you can embark on a virtual field trip with the video above. In this video, I'll show you the ropes of Beanstack's features, affordances, and constraints. Even better, we'll enroll my snake GG in a library Beanstack program (for demonstration purposes, of course. He is a snake, and therefore, he will not read 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten.)

For a cliff notes version, Beanstack is a web-based tech tool that gamifies and incentivizes reading and learning. Although it's widely used for summer reading programs, libraries and schools can use Beanstack in many creative ways. Creativity and Innovative Learning doesn't just apply to how kids use Beanstack, but also to how educators can shape Beanstack into unique learning modules that feel more like play than work. 

From my experience as a Library Associate in a public library's youth department, Beanstack has been a goldmine for trying out unique reading and learning challenges. In addition to summer reading, Beanstack proved to be a fun way to keep kids reading over the colder months with a Winter Reading Challenge. I've used Beanstack for piloting writing challenges for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and Poetry Month. Thanks to Beanstack, the students in my Writing Club library program honed their creativity outside of the library, earning badges and prizes along the way. For NaNoWriMo, everyone who completed the Beanstack Book Bootcamp program won a prize pack. This prize pack included a completion certificate, colorable bookmark, notebook, pin, NaNoWriMo sticker set, 3-D printed bookmark, and a Writing Club Journal. The journal was made by the students who participated in the Beanstack program. In this program, one of the optional activities was submitting writing and art to the journal.

Image Source: Personal Photo

As a classic neurodivergent person who loves dinosaurs, I was also privileged to assist in our library's Dinovember challenge. Kids completed dinosaur themed activities in celebration of Dinovember in November. For the kids joining these challenges, it's not just the variety of challenges that transform learning, but also the variety of activities offered in each challenge. For example, the Dinovember participants could choose one activity from a list - stomp like a dinosaur, walk like a dinosaur, or roar like a dinosaur. By completing this activity, kids earned a badge - a colorful dinosaur on their Beanstack account. Every new dinosaur badge brought students closer to program completion, similarly to completing quests in a video game.

This gamelike structure embodies the spirit of the ISTE trend Games for Learning. Although Beanstack isn't a game, per se, the platform does gamify reading and learning with points, badges, reading streaks, and prizes. Kids can also earn tickets for prize baskets, giving students a shot at earning a bonus prize. At my library, summer reading Beanstack participants put their tickets toward prize baskets such as Lego Sets, American Girl Dolls, and more.

In addition to making learning fun, Beanstack can make DEI initiatives creative and innovative. Beanstack promotes custom reading challenges like Pride 365 and Black History Month, bringing diversity, equity, and inclusion to the heart of a program. These programs tie into the ISTE trend of Equity and Inclusion, celebrating diverse communities with a tech tool that encourages community-wide participation.

In order to better engage diverse communities, I do wish Beanstack was more accessible to speakers of diverse languages. Although any language(s) can be used for creating challenges, the website and the app default to English (as far as I can tell). I'd love to discover more tech tools that are designed for dual language classrooms. For example, the tech tool PebbleGo includes all five of their learning modules in English and Spanish (provided that educators budget for both modules). If Beanstack were designed with multilingual features, it would best support multilingual students. 

Image Source: PebbleGo

As I continue to grow as a library associate, I hope to tap into Beanstack's potential by exploring how this technology tool can further integrate DEI at my library. I also hope to build up my tech toolkit by learning and integrating new tools and trends. Last but certainly not least, I hope that the resources below can help you on your own learning journey.

Resources

Trends in Ed Tech Article:

Edtech’s Hottest Topics for 2023 

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)

Beanstack Articles:

Beanstack's Website

What Psychology Can Teach Us About Supporting Students’ Intrinsic Motivation to Read

Beanstack Blog 

*relates to ISTE trends: Games for Learning; Creativity and Innovative Learning

The Benefits of Creating an Inclusive Reading Program

Beanstack Blog 

*relates to ISTE trend Equity & Inclusion

Big Payoffs and Best Practices for Winter Reading

School Library Journal

Two Is Better Than One: Beanstack’s tandems feature helps connect schools and public libraries

American Libraries Magazine

Bonus Resource:

Beanstack has a podcast called The Reading Culture. Per the Beanstack website, here's the gist: "Beanstack co-founder Jordan Lloyd Bookey hosts conversations that dive into authors and reading enthusiasts' personal journeys and insights into motivating young people to read."

Meeting SAM R - not a person, but a pedagogical model!

Evaluating my Technology Use
with my friend S.A.M.R.

Image Source: www.tenor.com

When I think of writing in a classroom setting, I imagine a student sitting at a desk with a pen and pencil. Although writing by hand is still a fantastic way to write, I’ve learned that integrating technology in the writing process can be an invaluable resource for the learning process of young writers.

During quarantine, technology became not just an asset, but a necessity. When our library closed to the public, all in-person library programs came to an abrupt halt. As a library associate in a youth department, I went from working at a library with hundreds of daily visitors, to working at home with only my pet snake keeping me company. In lieu of in-person programs, our library offered virtual programs.

To play my part in keeping kids connected with the library, I redesigned my Writing Club program into a virtual program. The goal of this program is to give writers and artists a space to create writing and art, as well as a space to connect with fellow writers and artists. In order to provide this space, I led writing classes on Zoom.

Initially, I perceived these virtual programs as a substitution for in-person programs. However, my perception shifted over time. I learned that technology didn’t have to solely substitute; technology could revitalize both the writing process and the learning process for students.

In order to evaluate myself as an instructor, I decided to evaluate my virtual Writing Club programs through the SAMR model. This model encourages teachers to integrate technology in the classroom through substitution, augmentation, modification, and redefinition. Although frequently applied to school classrooms, this model can also help libraries redesign and revitalize their programs and services. 

At first, I was intimidated by this model (and this video!) I interpreted the strategies as a hierarchical spectrum - with substitution as the bare minimum, and redefinition as the crowning jewel. However, when I treated the strategies as their own unique, equally valuable gems, it empowered me to ask the right questions. Which tool is the best tool for this situation? Do I over rely on a certain tool? Do I underutilize a certain tool? How can I use these tools in tandem to create an engaging library program?

Image Source: www.PowerSchool.com

Starting with Substitution

Substitution is a direct substitute, with zero functional change. For example, I can type a poem, rather than write a poem on paper. There is no functional difference - it’s simply swapping the way the poem is written. The task (writing a poem) is exactly the same.

When I first offered virtual writing programs, I asked myself, What in the world is a Zoom? I learned how to host Zoom meetings, welcoming students to a virtual classroom. I treated this classroom similarly to an in-person library program. I discussed the writing prompt, gave students time to write and illustrate, and invited students to share their work with the class. This structure mirrored the in-person Writing Club program.

At first, substitution worked well. During a time period (quarantine) when connection was difficult to find, I believe that students enjoyed the time to connect with other students in a way that felt familiar. I also believe that many students (and myself, for that matter) were still getting accustomed to seeing our own faces looking back at us. SAMR is often depicted as a pool. We were swimming in the shallow waters of SAMR, getting comfortable in a brand new pool (virtual programs) when the other pool shut down (the physical library).

Over time, I wondered how I could use Zoom’s unique features to make the Writing Club programs more engaging. I think of this step as adding toys to the pool. Since it may get a bit monotonous to just keep swimming, I started integrating the next letter in SAMR - augmentation.

Image Source: www.jaclynbstevens.com

Advancing to Augmentation

Like substitution, augmentation is a direct substitute. However, augmentation improves functionality. Let’s say I finish writing a poem on a Google document. After writing the first draft, I can access the poem from any device, which increases the functionality by providing more opportunities to edit the poem.

For Writing Club, I improved functionality by integrating Zoom’s unique features. I encouraged students to type their work in the Zoom chat - either as a direct message to myself, or as a group message for everyone in the classroom to read. This feature gave off-camera writers the opportunity to share their work in a way that was comfortable for them. This feature also gave unique opportunities for group writing, since one student could start a story with one line, then another student could type the next line. Although group writing can be done in person by passing a paper around the classroom, the process was much smoother on Zoom - and arguably more fun, since it turned into a competition to see who could type the next line first.

Alas, augmentation didn’t always lead to an improvement in functioning. Since some students had spotty wi-fi, sharing over Zoom didn’t always work well, particularly when students cut out right in the middle of a good story. Access to technology didn’t guarantee access to reliable technology. Providing tech assistance for students during a program also had its own challenges - luckily, the issue was often as simple as reminding a student to unmute themselves.

Image Source: www.tenor.com

Zoom troubleshooting aside, it was rewarding to see students become not only comfortable with technology, but excited to use technology. Their enthusiasm inspired me to explore the deeper waters of the SAMR pool, swimming to the next letter - M for modification. 

Moving on to Modification

Unlike substitution and augmentation, modification involves the redesign of a task. For example, I can share my Google Doc for my writing friends to add comments to the poem, rather than just read the poem. The task changes from sharing a poem (passive reading) to receiving constructive feedback (active engagement). The writing process shifts from individualistic to collaborative.

Writing Club also included unique opportunities for modification and collaboration. For example, I led a Writing Club: Pet Penpals program. The task involved writing a letter to a pet penpal. By creating Zoom rooms, I redesigned the task. Students could choose which room to join - the puppy room, or the snake room. Students looking for a social writing space joined Brody the therapy dog in our puppy room. Students looking for a quiet writing space joined me and my snake GG in the snake room. Saying hello to the students, GG loved getting close to the camera - sometimes, a little too close!

Image Source: Personal Photo

At the library, I could’ve never had a dog and a ball python in the same program. In fact, I wouldn’t have been able to bring GG at all, since he only ever works from home. (Not to mention that bringing a snake to work would’ve violated plenty of library policies.) Virtually, however, students could even bring their own pets. Some students wrote nonfiction stories about their pets with their pets, moving their webcams to show their pets to the class. By sharing their screen, students shared not only their stories, but also the animal friends who inspired their stories. It could be argued that these virtual pet pen pals not only modified the task, but redefined the task, leading to the final stop in the SAMR pool - redefinition.

Racing to Redefinition

Redefinition involves making new tasks possible because of technology. Although I find it tricky to differentiate between modification and redefinition, I imagine modification uses technology as a brush, while redefinition uses technology as the paint. With modification, the brush shapes the art, but other tools could still be used to get the paint on the canvas. With redefinition, the paint is the art, and this art wouldn’t exist without the paint.

I admittedly haven’t dived too deeply into redefinition, but a couple examples do come to mind. I’d used Beanstack to create writing challenges for National Novel Writing Month, inspired by the NaNoWriMo writing challenge. Students earned points for completing writing and art activities. When they earned 100 points, they earned a prize. Students also earned tickets that they submitted to prize baskets for a chance at extra writerly goodies. These challenges would not exist without Beanstack, making technology inseparable and integral to the program.

Another example that came to mind is a Writing Club workshop video, shared on the library’s Facebook page. This Writing Club program involved using Google Earth to choose a setting for a story. The writing prompt (Google Earth), the format (video), and the delivery (Facebook) all had technology at their core.

What's Next?

Although I’d started using technology solely as a substitute, I loved learning how to include technology as an augmentation, modification, and redefinition. It’s not just about having a tool, but knowing when and how to use this tool. In other words, context matters. For example, Zoom library programs were well attended during quarantine. Now, many students are experiencing zoom fatigue, and virtual attendance has dropped. The needs of our library’s community members gradually shifted from virtual programs to in-person programs. Now, it’s less about providing a virtual space, and more about integrating technology in a physical space. Hence, Writing Club is being offered in person once again, empowering students to make stories like Alebrijes Got Talent, a story inspired by the library's exhibit Alebrijes: Creatures of a Dream World.

Image Source: Personal Photo

Going forward, I’d like to be more mindful about bringing technology into the classroom in ways that benefit students’ learning and creativity. I was very mindful about using technology when technology was a necessity. Now that everyone’s back in the library, rather than Zooming in, I haven’t used technology with as much intentionality. Granted, not all library programs need technology at their core. When offered the choice between a journal and a laptop, the vast majority of students choose the journal. Nonetheless, I'd like to bring back that spirit of augmentation, modification, and redefinition by exploring ways to integrate virtual tools in the physical classroom.