iPads, affordances, and Vygotsky

There were several things that I took away from both our most recent class discussion and having read Vygotsky. The first was:

As educators we get shown tons of new technology. Whether it is at in-services, or countywide programs, we are given access to so many different options. This being said, I think we need to first establish a learning goal and then see if the tool helps to achieve that goal. If the tool does not fit within your objective- it’s better to forgo that technology in lieu of something that works better. As we see in the Vygotsky, affordance based analysis can be adapted to serve us in education. We discussed in class that an affordance is a strategy for choosing and using technology. The affordances we are talking about are when the learning goals and techniques or tools come together and fit well- well being the operative word there. It’s the meshing/meeting of these two things without being forced into it working. The affordances can be cognitive, physical, social, sensory, or any number of other things.

The only problem with this meshing together is that often times teacher learning goals and the student learning goals are rarely the same. For instance: students want to get a good grade on a science test. Teacher wants the student to master the steps of the scientific method- there we see that the meshing is not happening organically. We also have to look at the utility of the tool. Does the user recognize what the tool can do for you? The learning goals and the techniques we use, as teachers should support one another in accomplishing the objective or goal. Together, when we have the learning goal and technique working in harmony, we have an affordance.

Also, in the Vygotsky I was acutely aware of how his ideals were much different then Piaget. Piaget was much more focused on the timeline of things. I learned about Piaget in college and often found myself wondering why in the world we ever listened to a man who was trying to pigeon-hole kids into learning on a pretty precise timeline. This was not an effective way to teach, or to expect kids to learn. I get where Piaget was coming from, that most kids can fit inside that timeline if it is well thought out. But, there are still going to be those kids that do not. Then what do we do? Because, learning beyond the skill development is not consistent with Piaget.  Meanwhile we have the opposing side, “Vygotsky emphasized the unique qualities of our species, how as human beings we actively realize and change ourselves in the varied contexts of culture and history.” This quote is on page 131 and I really think this sums up the differences between Piaget and Vygotsky. Piaget was concerned with timing everything, while Vygotsky was more concerned with the uniqueness of people as a species and how different we all are, and those differences blended over onto his own thoughts of how kids should develop. It was much more developmentally paced, rather than a timeline like a hamster on a wheel- always reaching for the next step.

As far as how all of these different ideas will affect my practice, I think that quite honestly it already has started. I have been more actively engaged when I learn about new technology and not forcing the tech into what I am doing. I am trying to make my technological uses more streamlined in the fact that I want it to be affordance-based. It needs to help me meet my learning goal for the kids- not just be a fancy add-on to a lesson that would work better without it. For instance, I was trying to think about how I could be more successful with my 3^rd and 4^th grade kids to do research. It is always a struggle because I only have 11 computers in the library and we have about 27 kids per class. This is a problem because while I can use books, more often than not there is more information that is up to date on things like World Book Online- and the kids prefer to use the online component as well. I will still of course have them use print resources, but in the case of their upcoming planet and famous American research, I knew that incorporating technology would be helpful to me in my learning goal of researching. This being said, I knew that the students would also benefit. So, I decided to borrow about 10 fifth graders for a half hour today and I helped them to create a bookmark in Safari for two researching websites on all of our 60 iPads on the two carts we have access to. The third and fourth grade students will be able to use the iPads in a 1-1 ratio and thus their research will be much more effective and seamless while incorporating the new technology. I personally think this was a great affordance. I also think that Vgotsky would approve because in using the technology as opposed to a book we have a greater level of customization based upon the student’s level of comprehension. Easier research articles for those who struggle and extension articles for those who finish early. All in all, I really think that the affordance-based learning is already in my brain and affecting my teaching style for the better.

 I just found this wonderful illustration on Pinterest and HAD to share! Knew you all would appreciate!