EdTech 541 - New Horizon Report 2017

Introduction

After reading through the 2017 New Horizons Report (K-12 Edition) I saw a number of areas where the content presented could affect my teaching and presentation in my classroom. I'm going to focus on the changes I can make to my Language Arts class, as I have already transitioned many aspects of my technology-based courses (Junior Engineering and Robotics) into formats that reflect the trends presented in the article.

How will the New Horizons report impact my presentation?

I think the component that will most impact the presentation that I use in my classroom is the connection to the curriculum. It answers the "when will we use this in the real world" question rather nicely, as students are immersed in simulations and experiences connected to something concrete from their future. Instead of lecturing my students I present ideas and questions and ask them to work together to find solutions.

One area that I would like to adopt more is the redesigning of learning spaces. I currently have tables and chairs which I group into pods so students can work together. I would love to be able to create a more open learning space in my classroom introducing some soft seating, yoga balls, and more informal seating/table arrangements. Two of my colleagues are trying out alternative/open seating this year and I am watching their implementation and making plans to transition in that direction soon.


How will the New Horizons report impact my teaching?

One change that I continue to make and that matches up well with the trends discussed in the New Horizon report is the increase in the deeper learning approaches which "engages students in critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and self-directed learning." (The NMC Horizon Report, pg 18) As mentioned in the article, my classroom has evolved into a student-centered collaborative environment. We spend more time per subject with discovery-based learning as our focus (research, collaboration, etc.) in creating new knowledge. My students spend less time in their seats listening and more time moving around the room to collaborate and work towards solutions.

The article discussed how learning is becoming more personalized and this was again discussed in the class text within the section on personalized learning systems. The ability to give agency, depth to the content and an integrated approach (Roblyer & Hughes, 2019) are all things I feel make a direct impact in a student-focused classroom.

I've been lucky in that I have had 1:1 technology in my room for three years now. This has allowed me to integrate technology on a daily basis in a number of different ways. This year, we started blogging in place of a number of other assignments which creates additional time and opportunities for other student-centered activities. My students have responded to the increase in the use of technology in very positive ways.

References

NMC horizon report: 2017 k-12 edition. (2017). Retrieved from The New Media Consortium website: https://cdn.nmc.org/media/2017-nmc-cosn-horizon-report-k12-EN.pdf

Roblyer, M. D., & Hughes, J. E. (2019). Integrating educational technology into teaching: Transforming learning across disciplines. New York: Pearson Education.