Technology and Media Literacy Archives - Page 3 of 4

Nov 03 2015

Ten Reasons New Teachers Aren’t Using Technology

By John Spencer Technology and Media Literacy 3 Comments

Note: While this post points to a problem I have noticed with tech adoption and teachers, I want to point out that there is a free resource I developed with coaching questions for teachers on the technology journey. These correspond with a post I wrote…

Oct 29 2015

How Do We Create a Sense of Place Online?

By John Spencer Technology and Media Literacy No Comments

We use terms like “I’m on YouTube or “I’m going online” and it implies a sense of space. I might say "I spent an hour on Facebook," but I would never say, "I spent an hour on a book." And yet, when you are online,…

Sep 22 2015

Eleven Ways to Improve Online Classes

By John Spencer Technology and Media Literacy 5 Comments

I sit in front of the computer, staring at the screen. I have a general syllabus with little more than standards and goals. The university is giving me a crazy amount of freedom to design this online course. I shake my head, unsure of what…

May 20 2015

Eight Stages in the Teacher Technology Journey

By John Spencer Technology and Media Literacy One Comment

A few years ago, I was a technology coach and I noticed a trend. Teachers tended to go through certain stages as they adopted and integrated technology. I have found these trends to be true of my own experience when it comes to certain platforms…

May 12 2015

Eight Ways to Keep Informational Texts Engaging

By John Spencer Technology and Media Literacy No Comments

One of the biggest complaints I hear about Common Core is the push toward informational texts. This is often accompanied by the complaint that we are no longer allowing students to read for the sake of reading. Just yesterday, a teacher said to me, "I…

Apr 02 2015

Eight Lessons Learned in Doing Scratch Video Game Projects

By John Spencer Technology and Media Literacy 4 Comments

My students are currently working on a Scratch video game project. Walk into my second, fourth and sixth hours and you'll see a general buzz that goes from slightly noisy to intense silence. They are locked in and focussed, sometimes arguing about the best scripts…

Jul 10 2014

Media Criticism Questions

By John Spencer Technology and Media Literacy No Comments

I use the following set of questions sporadically through our lessons as a way of thinking critically about technology and our world. Multimedia You now have instant access to video, audio and photography. What does that mean in terms of telling your story? What does…

Aug 09 2013

What If It Is About the Tech?

By John Spencer Technology and Media Literacy One Comment

I’m not a fan of the “75 Ways to Use __________” blog posts. I’m pretty sure that I’ve said things like, “It’s about the learning and not the tool” or “Kids should be blogging to learn and not learning to blog.” On some level, I…

Apr 05 2013

Ten Myths About Technology

By John Spencer Technology and Media Literacy 9 Comments

some of the best moments are low-tech Sometimes my view on technology seems paradoxical and messy. Sometimes it feels like cognitive dissonance. I hang with Luddites and Technophiles. I join #chats and write blogs and yet I frequently criticize technology. So, this list might seem…

Sep 10 2012

Thirteen Ways to Boost Student Blogging

By John Spencer Technology and Media Literacy 17 Comments

This is my ninth year of having students create their own blogs. Initially, the student blogs were nothing more than a class journal posted online. They were digital notebooks. However, over time, they became a place for student voice. They evolved as my thinking about…