Chalk Talk: The digital expectation

A principal once told me that written on a slip of paper under his calendar, he has his teaching philosophy. It sits on his desk as a reminder. And while I like the idea, what really sticks with me is that he goes over it at the end of every school year, to decide if it is the same or if he needs to update it. I like his ritual because not only does it help to remind himself of why he teaches, but it also acknowledges that his ideas might change over the year.

My first year of teaching, I really wanted my students to discover how to love learning. It is, after all, something that we do every day of our lives. And while I still actively want this for my students, I discovered this summer that I passionately want something else too. I started teaching last year and I never considered that any high schooler these days could be less tech savvy than myself. Aren’t they supposed to be “digital natives”? Students today are expected to be able to use technology because they were born into a world that has it. They are expected to know how to navigate programs and use the latest devices. But what I am learning every day is that they don’t all know how, and even if they know how, they don’t all know when they should. Before we can ever hope that our students will be successful in their future, this problem must be resolved.

I had work on the brain over the summer. I couldn’t stop myself. I kept thinking about the changes I wanted to make in my classroom for the upcoming school year. So I began this school year with a list of great ideas, but for now I am focusing on the ones that will help me teach my students how to be the “digital natives” that everyone else expects them to be.

Using the class’s Google Classroom, I gave them each editing access to a single Google Doc in which they were told to write directions for how to cut a pineapple...as a group. Only three of the 10 students had ever cut a pineapple. I explained that they would need to communicate and work together, and that everyone needed to contribute equally to the group. The great thing about Google Docs is that they were all editing a live document, so they could see as each other was typing and editing. After they recovered from the initial shock of being able to see each other typing, they quickly discovered that they were able to help each other with word clarity, grammar, and ideas.

At the end of the project I brought in our Asst. Principal Shelli Lincoln who was to act as an unbiased third party. Mrs. Lincoln’s instructions were to do only what the student directions said.

My students, working together as digital natives, were completely engaged and working together. Not to mention absolutely captivated as they watched Mrs. Lincoln follow their directions and successfully cut up an actual pineapple.

My students have since collaborated on other group projects. Knowing the expectations, they jump right in and immediately begin working together, offering ideas and feedback as a document appears on the page before them. It is just one small step towards being able to consider themselves competent digital natives.

Sabrina Johns is a teacher at Burchell High.