Top 5 Teaching Best Practices - Social Presence

Social Presence

Written By: Amber Gerrits

In March 2020, I spent many online “office hours” staring at my empty Blue Big Button conference call. Most of my time teaching at the beginning of the pandemic was spent emailing parents to let them know their child hadn’t participated in our online work. From my 27 rambunctious, chatty, and lively students, all I heard was silence.

This experience was in no way unique to teachers during the Spring of 2020, when schools shut down, and students took to their laptops. Although connected to their laptops for hours, students had never before been so disconnected. They felt disconnected from their teacher, their peers, and their community. All across the country, there were islands of students that did not feel connected or engaged with school. Sadly, this disconnection and apathy can also manifest in face-to-face and hybrid settings. Students feel unmotivated and passive in the classroom. Regardless of modality, it is imperative for teachers to use a balanced approach to learning: one that includes a cognitive presence, a teaching presence, and a social presence.

What is Social Presence?

Social Presence is the ability for learners to express their true selves and connect to the overall community of inquiry. There are high levels of student-student interaction, and teacher-student interaction. This concept is crucial in a purely online setting. It adds authenticity and a human element to an online class, especially one that is primarily asynchronous. At Rockford Public Schools, our approach has been clearly defined as a blended learning approach: students have access to one-to-one technology, they use tech every day in some capacity, and they have the ability to access the web at home. This blended learning approach offers a different structure and atmosphere than one online, but the best practice of encouraging a social presence remains true and necessary. Regardless of modality, social presence emphasizes that students can identify with their communities, communicate purposefully, and develop interpersonal relationships by projecting their individual personalities.

Why Emphasize Social Presence in a Blended Classroom?

There are several reasons to promote social authenticity, community, and communication with students in a blended environment. Students find safety and solace in communities. When teachers encourage students to be themselves and share their personalities with the class, the class as a collective becomes more trusting, understanding, and welcoming. Partner work, intentionally sharing good things, and checking in with students can help foster this community. Not only does community help students emotionally, but it also produces higher-order learning and thinking.

Blended classrooms focus on wise technology integration and sometimes a flipped element. In order for students to participate fully, communication is key. Focusing on daily individualized attention to each student is important. In fact, teachers should focus on helping students connect in four types of interactions by sharing personal stories and experiences, giving them frequent feedback, and having individual and whole group continuous conversation. These types of must-have interactions are:

1. student-to-student (ss)

2. student-to-teacher/teacher-to-student (ts)

3. student-to-content (sc)

4. student-to-the-world (sw)

Again, in a blended environment, setting a good climate that encourages student expression and peer collaboration is extremely important!

Implementation at Rockford Public Schools

Whether focusing solely on online classroom environments or blended learning environments, RPS has done a phenomenal job in promoting social presence in its buildings and on the internet in Rockford Virtual. Rockford Virtual is the district’s online DK-12 option. In this option, students can make lasting connections with other students and the teacher in synchronous morning meetings and live, small groups. In an online learning environment, social presence is less available in asynchronous interactions. instruction in real time adds life and value to online lessons and it improves relationships between students and teachers.

Top 5 Teaching Best Practices - SAMR Model

SAMR Model

Written By: Amber Gerrits

Sitting around a table with my grade level colleagues, we talk about our weekly lesson plans. As we discuss writing, there are several suggestions about content and instruction, but then one of my teammates suggests using our devices to type our drafts. Another gets excited and adds that we should then have them create a Google Slides presentation. Yet another idea comes up about a Flipgrid video, a padlet, a Jamboard, ect. Although as a team we are excited about the usage of technology and all the engagement we will undoubtedly have, I now pause to question our actions. It might be a good idea to have students share their videos with each other via Flipgrid. But do they really need to do the rest? Do we even need them to type their stories? Or create Google Slides? In the classroom, this juicy injection of technology might actually be causing more harm than good. That’s where the SAMR Model comes into play.

What is the SAMR Model?

As you can see from the model, Dr. Ruben R. Puentedura created the SAMR model in order to create a framework for wise technology integration. This focuses on the technology tool and what impact that technology has on the task or learning activity. This model considers usage of technology in two categories: enhancement or transformation. Within enhancement is substitution and augmentation. These levels just act as a substitute for the original activity. There might be some improvement, but overall, paper and pencil would create the same effect.

On the other hand, transformation is the level of technology integration that significantly redesigns and helps to reimagine the task or activity. Modification allows for significant task redesign, and redefinition completely rearranges the original task, making it even better than previously conceived.

Why utilize the SAMR Model?

As Youki Terada shares in her article, A Powerful Model for Understanding Good Tech Integration, “Good technology integration isn’t about using the fanciest tool, it’s about being aware of the range of options and picking the right strategy—or strategies—for the lesson at hand.” This is so true! Teachers do not have to worry about the quantity of technology integration. The focus should not be on making something shiny and fun by using technology. Instead, technology integration should be thoughtful and intentional. This framework by no means says that educators should not substitute technology. It also doesn’t claim students would be better off without it. Instead, it is simply a tool to help educators think about the role of technology in supporting technology and how to best go about that when designing and implementing activities with students.

Terada goes on to share: “The goal isn’t to use the most sophisticated tool, but to find the right one for the job. More importantly, however, it’s a way to reflect on your technology integration by thinking about a few key questions:

• How can my lesson be improved using technology?

• How can I engage and empower students through technology?

• How can online learning more closely resemble authentic, real-world learning?”

Implementation at Rockford Public Schools

With one-to-one technology, Rockford Public Schools has no shortage of access to technology within school walls. To that end, teachers are challenged every day with which decisions to make about what sites to use. We are an innovative staff, but I would argue that we are also mindful about this integration. For example, our school has a subscription to several online resources like Scootpad, Schoology, and Storia. However, we do our best to balance these tools with concrete math manipulatives, a fully-provided classroom library, and other hands-on learning tools. When learning can be transformed, our teachers implement these “redefined” activities. Otherwise, teachers and students both realize that not all learning needs to be digital.

Top 5 Teaching Best Practices - Digital Citizenship

Digital Citizenship

Written By: Amber Gerrits

Biography research projects, animal adaptations research papers, interactive, research-based math activities. Research, research, research. As students progress through school, they will also continuously be researching more and more, and they will be independent in their online work. On top of that, students moving on to middle and high school will begin to cultivate their own social presence online. They will be trusted with seemingly unimportant passwords, usernames, and personal information. Students not only need to be literate in reading and math, but they also need to be aware and alert when using the internet. This is where schools come in with digital citizenship education.

What is Digital Citizenship?

Digital CItizenship mirrors traditional citizenship as it encompasses the rights and responsibilities of those living in a society. It also must encompass qualities required for citizens to use digital tools and behave in various digital environments. ISTE’s National Educational

Technology Standards (NETS) give us a starting point.The standards broadly cover social, ethical, and human issues:

1. Students understand the ethical, cultural, and societal issues related to technology.

2. Students practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software.

3. Students develop positive attitudes toward technology applications that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.

Basically, digital citizenship helps lay the foundation for students to interact with the internet in a positive and safe way. Students need to learn how to stay secure and use the internet as a helpful resource. One more list to help make digital citizenship and all its components clear is listed below:

1. Etiquette: electronic standards of conduct or procedure

2. Communication: electronic exchange of information

3. Education: the process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of technology

4. Access: full electronic participation in society

5. Commerce: electronic buying and selling of goods

6. Responsibility: electronic responsibility for actions and deeds

7. Rights: those freedoms extended to everyone in a digital world

8. Safety: physical well-being in a digital technology world

9. Security (self-protection): electronic precautions to guarantee safety

Why Prioritize Digital Citizenship?

As Mike Ribble writes in the ISTE blog, “Digital citizenship is more important than ever.” He goes on to explain that with all the changes that the pandemic has brought and that blended learning has to include, there remains importance in teaching students how to respect and protect themselves and others online. Students need to be cognisant of respecting one another when it comes to tech etiquette, understanding that some don’t have access to technology, and permission rules and the law. Students need to be aware about content and copyright restrictions. They also need to be mindful of folks that are on the other side of the screen and be empathetic.

Additionally, students need to be aware that the internet landscape is ever changing, and we need to continuously educate ourselves and others. Determining if a cite or a source is credible and understanding the bias that comes with it takes time. Knowing how to use technology to communicate needs to be explicitly taught and practiced. Finally, students must be educated about buying items online and protecting personal financial information.

Probably the most important facet of digital literacy is protecting yourself and others. This comes with understanding who you can trust online and acting/communicating responsibly. Students need to safeguard their security with the guidance and help of supervising adults. There also needs to be a balance of tech to life, outside to screen time, ect. In a fast-moving 21st century, we need to encourage our students with the tools and knowledge to keep them safe and empower them to be active citizens.

Implementation at Rockford Public Schools

At RPS, digital literacy is embedded into our media time and into regular classroom practice. Teachers that navigate Schoology, Google Docs, and countless sites spend time with students to regularly go over expectations and procedures when it comes to navigating and interacting with these sites.

One specific site that many staff utilize is called “Interland,” and it is a program that helps students learn all about digital safety and citizenship online. Modules are interactive, fun, and include the information that students need to know when they go online!