Safe Online Technology Education Review (Jeremy)

Technology education’s general focus is to get students to design, fabricate, and/or repair and maintain technologies and tools to develop skills to make changes for human need in the physical world (BCMOE, 2018). But what happens when the ability to create and fabricate is suddenly severely restricted? This is the exact problem technology education teachers found themselves in when the Covid-19 virus shut down schools and sent teachers and students into the online realm. It quickly dawned on technology education teachers around the province that teaching online would be seriously crippled by problems of equity and safety (Code, Ralph, & Forde, 2020). It was not guaranteed that students had any tools at home, and it opened the door for a lopsided education for the tool haves to the tool have-nots. Further, safety was not easy to address. In the classroom, it is expected that a teacher will be present to supervise tool and machine use and that they will have demonstrated and instilled proper safety techniques to students (BCTEA, 2019). Now being separated from their students, most teachers were forced to focus on written book work. The resources created, collected, and curated were chosen to aid technology teachers in addressing the safety issues that arose when their courses were forced into a strictly online scenario. 

In the long term, many technology education teachers are concerned that, if forced to move their courses online, students will miss out on important hands-on education and practical safety skills that can’t be learned effectively virtually (Code, Ralph, & Forde, 2020). Without physically seeing and doing the safety rules outlined, many students could not fully grasp what is required when using various machines and tools. Although many technology education teachers are concerned about the effectiveness of strictly online teaching with hands-on courses, many see the value of a blended, partly online, model (Code, Ralph, & Forde, 2020). This approach would allow students to do design work and safety preparation at home and focus on hands-on work at school. Currently, the chances of a blended model are up to the Province of BC and local districts and schools based on the Covid-19 pandemic (BCMOE, 2020). This pandemic has flipped the education system upside down and many see it as an opportunity for change. As a technology education teacher, I do not see full time online teaching for my courses. However, the move to a blended method could open doors to a new approach to teaching unlike what we have seen to date.   

Learner-to-Learner Online Communication Review (Trevor)

Moore stated there are three types of learning in online environments: learner-to-learner, learner-to-teacher, and content-to-learner (1989). Since spring break, teachers have made adaptations for delivering content to students, and have used alternative methods for communicating such as e-mail, phone calls home, creation of websites, the use of centralized online learning spaces, and the use of video conferencing. However, I feel one of the foundational pillars Moore stated has been left out, and that is learner-to-learner interactions.

Learner-to-learner communication is a part of the British Columbia curriculum. It is outlined by the B.C. Ministry of Education as one of the three core competencies that is fundamental for students to acquire (“Communication | Building Student Success,” n.d.). Informally, my online students described to me the challenges of not being able to talk with their peers freely, feeling disconnected, and not having the opportunity to have small group conversations with their peers. In order to meet the education guidelines set by the government, we need to change our online teaching practices.

Lev Vgotsky stated, “Human learning presupposes a specific social nature and a process by which children grow into the intellectual life of those around them” (1978, p.88). Vgotsky’s social development theory describes how social development is imperative for cognitive development. If we are limiting student social interactions, we are limiting cognitive development. 

Additionally, Ted Aoki’s ideas on the polarization of the lived curriculum and planned curriculum (1993). The planned curriculum being the core competencies mandated by a governing body such as the B.C. Ministry of Education, and the lived curriculum, the stories, metaphors, personal aspirations, and the phenomenological expression of the students themselves. It is an embodiment of celebrating the uniqueness of individuals, and how those shared experiences with others enriches the learning experience. 

In an online learning setting, you can’t replicate the same experiences in a classroom. However, you can be more proactive by giving the opportunity for learners to communicate with their classroom peers online by establishing clear expectations and guidelines for parents, educators, and high school students.

References:

Aoki, T. T. (1993). Legitimating lived curriculum: Towards a curricular landscape of  multiplicity. Journal of Curriculum and Supervision, 8(3), 255-268.

BCTEA. (2019, October 25). Heads Up for Safety. Retrieved July 23, 2020, from https://www.bctea.org/heads-up-for-safety/

British Columbia Ministry of Education (BCMOE)(2018), “Applied design, skills and technology K-12 curriculum: goals and rationale”, BC Ministry of Education official website, available at: https:// curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/adst/core/goals-and-rationale (accessed 18 July 2020).

British Columbia Ministry of Education (BCMOE) (2020), “Frequently asked questions (FAQs) on continuity of learning”, Government of British Columbia official website, available at: https:// www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/administration/kindergarten-to-grade-12/safe-caringorderly/bc-ministry-of-education-questions-and-answers-continuity-of-learning-k-12-education_system.pdf (accessed10May2020).

Communication | Building Student Success. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/competencies/communication/

Code, J., Ralph, R., & Forde, K. (2020). Pandemic designs for the future: Perspectives of technology education teachers during COVID-19. Information and Learning Sciences, Ahead-of-print(Ahead-of-print). doi:10.1108/ils-04-2020-0112

Moore, M. G. (1989). Three types of interaction. The American Journal of Distance Education, 3(2), 1-6.

Vygotsky, L., & Cole, M. (1978). Mind in society. Harvard University Press.

The Recycle Project resources, including a video and documents, have been created for technology education teachers outline a basic project idea that can be utilized when teaching in an online context. The goal is to address the following outcome:

By the start of the year, technology education teachers will be able to create opportunities for students to safely design and build projects in an at home context.

The project is mainly focused on the outcomes outlined in the BC Applied Design Skills & Technology curriculum. Specifically, it addresses the heavy focus on design and utilizing the design process (BC’s New Curriculum, 2018). This was included to make sure that the project met, or could be adapted to meet, the curricular goals of technology education courses. To keep focus on the online context in which the project would be done, the BC Digital Literacy Framework was included. This guide sets out to help educators meet online needs and skills that students will potentially need in their future careers and to be technically savvy (Ministry of Education, 2017).

Regarding safety, focus was put on the use of the BCTEA Best Practices Guide and HEADS UP! for Safety documents. These guides are the BC standard for K-12 technology education shop safety as outlined and endorsed by the BC Technology Education Association. The Best Practices Guide lays out the qualifications needed to be accepted as a technology education in BC as seen by the BCTEA (BCTEA, 2016). The HEADS UP! For Safety document was created in conjunction with the BC Ministry of Education and the Industry Training Authority to specifically address machine and tool safety for students. This guide can be used a minimum standard by shop teachers for shop safety and should be looked to when addressing students learning at home and liabilities (BCTEA, 2019).

References:

BC’s New Curriculum. (2018). Retrieved July 22, 2020, from https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/adst

BCTEA. (2016, June 06). Best Practice Guide. Retrieved July 23, 2020, from https://www.bctea.org/best-practice-guide/

BCTEA. (2019, October 25). Heads Up for Safety. Retrieved July 23, 2020, from https://www.bctea.org/heads-up-for-safety/

Ministry of Education. (2017, November 27). Digital Literacy. Retrieved July 23, 2020, from https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/education-training/k-12/teach/teaching-tools/digital-literacy

“Chair Sketch” by makelessnoise is licensed under CC BY 2.0

This week I have been pulling together resources to meet an outcome that will help guide future teachers when teaching online. The outcome I have been mostly focusing on is related to my discipline as a technology education teacher: By the start of the year, technology education teachers will be able to create opportunities for students to safely design and build projects in an at home context. I chose this outcome because I know that it was a big struggle for me and other technology education teachers when the Covid-19 pandemic forced all teaching to go online. As technology education teachers, we have a duty to make sure that our students are as safe as possible and understand what safety precautions need to be met. With students at home and potentially unsupervised, we could not meet the standard of safety we are normally used to and so we had to adjust the way we teach and what we teach.

Evaluating Resources

To support the outcome, I compiled a group of resources, apps, and freely available online software to aid technology teachers in the future. These resources were measured against the Berkley Library framework for evaluating online resources to ensure they met a quality standard:

• Authority – Who is the author? What is their point of view?
  • It was important that all resources were created by professionals connected to the education system and they and their work were held in high regard.
• Purpose – Why was the source created? Who is the intended audience?
  • Some sources were created for profit and were included to show examples of what is available to teachers. Most sources were selected because they are free to educators and students.
  • All resources were selected because of their connection to online education, especially to technology education.
• Publication & format – Where was it published? In what medium?
  • Most sources came straight from company websites
  • Several resources were created directly by professionals and shared on closed Facebook page only open to technology education professionals.
• Relevance – How is it relevant to your research? What is its scope?
  • All resources were selected if they were relevant to online education and technology education.
• Date of publication – When was it written? Has it been updated?
  • All sources were chosen as the most recent example available, most being from the last 5 years.
• Documentation – Did they cite their sources? Who did they cite?
  • In this case, there was little citation from these sources and did not necessarily apply in addressing the overall outcome.

Design & Build Projects and Resources

I first pulled together a group of projects that students could do at home safely that meet the curricular standards of technology education courses. They mostly focus on designing and building using materials commonly found in the average home or could be easily sourced cheaply by students and parents. These resources were created by technology education teachers and most were used during the Covid-19 pandemic switch to teaching online. They were created to meet that new online reality and made available on a closed technology education teacher Facebook group to help others in their practice.

A couple of websites that offer resources, videos, and challenges are also provided. Most of these resources were made in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Some are sponsored by various corporations (such as Lowe’s) but don’t appear to endorse said companies in any manipulative or problematic ways. These resources come in multiple media formats, such a documents and videos. Technology teachers may not find the challenges directly relevant to their subject matter, but they do offer an outline that can be followed to adapt the resources to meet classroom needs.

Online Design Software and Apps

I have also provided some links to online design software and apps that can be utilized by teachers and students to aid in the design process and open opportunities to create from home. These resources are all free to students and educators or have free versions that can be used by students. They can be used to model, make plans, and even create 3D printing and CNC programs.

What’s missing?

It should be noted that not every district is the same when it comes to deciding what can be done at home safely and what can’t. Technology education teachers should check in with their districts and get written outline of what is acceptable and what is not. I was able to have students do proper woodworking if an experienced adult was there to supervise. This was great for the students that had the supervision and tools but also raised some equity issues for the students who did not have those things. Unfortunately, most technology education courses cannot move to a full online format without losing a lot of what makes those classes fun for students and leads to more of a focus on theory over hands-on activities. It is my hope that these resources will help other technology education teachers maintain a hands-on course for their students, albeit in a slightly different approach.

We have been tasked as a cohort to make a large documenting what is a essentially a best practices and resource guide for the coming school year. This year presents a large challenge as the Covid-19 threat still lingers and could flare up quickly. There are also concerns about the countries economy which has slowed drastically since the virus hit a few months ago. One of the biggest steps to reaching normalcy and getting people back to work is to have students back in schools. This is no small task and will require a large amount of resources to be pulled together to be shared with and implemented by teachers, parents, and students to make things run smoothly.

I have grouped up with Trevor Hood from my cohort to tackle two outcomes in need of addressing. The first outcome is that at the start of the year educators/institutions must be able to provide hardware support for students through the district to meet the delivery of instruction needs. All students are welcome to an equitable education and it will likely require the district to work with families to support students who do not have the capabilities to get online. My school addressed this problem by lending out several Chrome Books to students who needed technology to get online. This seemed to work well. One place of struggle with this issue was delivering the technology to students and, when the school year was over, getting them returned and dealing with repairs and other maintenance issues.

To address these issues, it will be important that teachers, parents, and students to understand and implement the minimal hardware needs for student’s success in online interactions. This will require finding out teacher needs for their courses regarding software. Furthermore, teachers and administrations will need to prepare an organized system to lend school technology to students which will require a large amount of communication between school and homes. Parents and students will also need to understand what responsibilities and liabilities there are when borrowing school technology. Students will need to respect their borrowed equipment and parent may be on the hook to replace any broken or lost equipment.

The second outcome is that educators will be able to provide a code of conduct for student to student’s communication in online learning environments. Some districts may differ in opinion on the appropriateness of students being left in an online video room unsupervised, but I believe they would all agree that student to student interaction is important in the student’s development. Laying out the rules for these types of situations will help students navigate their online interactions and provide students with the information they need if interactions do not stay civil. There would likely need to be a reporting system in place for students to communicate to an appropriate authority any online harassment.

Overall, I think we have a good start to this project. The next step is to start looking for/creating resources to help parents, students, and teachers understand and meet these outcomes.