Kickin It Old Skool Aka Trying To Find A Balance

For the past few years my classroom has been overrun with technology.  Notes? Students used Google Docs instead of notebooks. Drawing pictures? Students used Pixlr.com. Textbooks? We used websites or Evernote notes. Needless to say if I gave an activity in class my students knew they would be using some sort of technology.

With that being said, this year I have been trying to go “old school” more and bust out the crayons, colored pencils, and paper. Part of the reason for this sudden resurgence of “old school” materials is that I no longer have a 1:1 classroom. Going from a 1:1 classroom to a 1:2 classroom has made me reevaluate my lessons and activities. Since not all of my students have access to a device I have to try and find a balance between using technology and using the “old school” methods. It’s been a huge change in my approach to lesson designing but it’s been worth it. My students have produced some amazing art work and have had more opportunities to collaborate with each other. In my 1:1 classroom it was very easy to assign a project and have the students work independently. With my new set up I have to now organize my lessons and activities in a way that uses the technology to promote collaboration. Again it’s been a struggle but it’s been worth it. The conversations that have been going on in Room 12 have been amazing. The students are giving each other constructive feedback, helping each other, and scoring high on their benchmark assessments.

If I ever went back to a 1:1 setting I would probably still look to organize my lessons like I’m doing now. Both my students and I are really enjoying the balance of “old school” and “new school” teaching methods.

 

-Ryan

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