Using Technology to Support Offline Learning

In today’s episode, we'll explore ways for you to use technology to support student work with projects that are primarily offline. Visit AVID Open Access to learn more.

Transcript

#335 — Using Technology to Support Offline Learning

AVID Open Access
15 min

Keywords 

students, tool, portfolio, offline, shared, work, tasks, spreadsheet, planning, data, completed, activities, record, ideas, digital, writing, integration, learning, tech, authentic

Transcript

Paul Beckermann 0:01
Welcome to Tech Talk for Teachers. I'm your host, Paul Beckermann.

Student 0:06
Check it out. Check it out. Check it out. Check it out. What's in the toolkit? What is in the toolkit? What's in the toolkit? Check it out.

Paul Beckermann 0:16
The topic of today's episode is Using Technology to Support Offline Learning.

The phrase tech integration can conjure up images of students sitting in isolation, looking at computer screens or iPads for long periods of time. Those students might be engaged in a learning game, writing independently, or interacting with an app or website. Yep, I've seen this scene in many of the classrooms that I've visited, and there's definitely a place for independent student work on computers. That being said in today's episode, I want to challenge the stereotype a little bit and suggest ways to use technology to support offline and collaborative learning experiences. I've long been an advocate of having students collaboratively create with digital tools, and I still believe it's a recipe for academic success as well as a great way for students to develop the four C's: collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. I'm also a big advocate for designing offline activities that make authentic use of technology during parts of the process. This blend of offline and online can be really powerful. So here's a look at four ideas that might get you thinking about how you can take this approach in your classroom. For each idea, I'll offer an approach, a tool suggestion, or maybe a couple, and then potential application or integration ideas.

Student 1:38
Here is your list of tips.

Paul Beckermann 1:40
The first approach is to have students collect and analyze data. You know, we live in a very data driven-society. We're constantly being asked for data to back up what we're doing. We can empower our students in this area by giving them experience with collecting and analyzing data in our classrooms.

As for tools, spreadsheet applications like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets are my top choices here. I recently attended an ISTE conference session on future-ready skills that our students need, and the presenters were really kind of saddened by how little our K–12 students are asked to use spreadsheets. And I'll admit spreadsheets are often the forgotten tool in our production suite. I also acknowledge that if you haven't used one for yourself, yeah, it can feel a little intimidating, just like anything that we don't know very well. I'm here today to say that they're really not that difficult to use. Both you and your students can do this, and spreadsheets are a great tool for collecting and analyzing data. They even reinforce mathematical and other computational concepts through the use of formulas.

As for integration ideas, I'd suggest using a spreadsheet anytime data is involved. One of my favorite tech integration memories is of a ninth grade science class that was making catapults. The students were divided into groups, and each group had designed and built a catapult to launch marshmallows across the lunchroom. Besides the fact that launching marshmallows was highly motivating to these kids, it was also authentic hands-on learning. The spreadsheet use came in during the testing phase. As students tried out their catapults and launched their marshmallows, they measured the flight distance and then recorded their results in a spreadsheet. If the catapults were adjustable, they would record the setting along with the distance. At the end of the class period, they had a spreadsheet full of data to analyze. They could find averages, determine which settings provided the best results, and even compare their data with other groups. Data could be graphed and shared as well.

The activity was mostly offline, but the tech offered an extremely rich and authentic learning experience as students recorded and analyzed data related to it. Now, I know you won't all be building catapults, but consider what data might be collected from the activities you're facilitating in your classroom. Then have students record and analyze that data on a spreadsheet. For example, a social studies student might collect data to track and analyze trends in population growth, election results, or even economic data over time. A physical fitness teacher might have students record and track their progress on fitness activities like weightlifting, running times, or the number of pushups they can complete.

All right, the second approach is planning and design. Even when an activity will ultimately be completed offline, there's often a planning phase that precedes it and occurs at least partially in a digital environment. That planning can occur synchronously with students gathered together in a common space, or can happen asynchronously over a more extended period of time, with students adding their ideas when they have time and opportunity. Planning might include brainstorming, it might include developing a timeline, it might be designing a prototype or writing a script.

As for tools, it's really hard to pick just one here, since planning can be so wide ranging, so I'll offer a few examples. The simplest option is a Google or Word Document. Both are collaborative and provide students a place to record ideas in a space where they all have access to view and edit. If you need more visual design options in your planning space, you might consider having students use a digital slideshow like PowerPoint or Google Slides. Both allow more nimble placement of images and objects, which can make them better choices for visual design. Another flexible planning tool is a virtual whiteboard. There are a number of good ones out there for free, like Lucidspark, Canva, Miro, FigJam. Using these is kind of like working on a big piece of butcher paper, except that all the ideas are recorded digitally and then automatically saved in a common spot. No more hauling around that butcher paper. Of course, if you have access to more specialized software, you can use that as well. Maybe you have a CAD program that students will be using to design something that they'll later print out with a 3D printer.

As for integration ideas, students will often be using the tool to brainstorm ideas and draft prototypes. They might be collaboratively writing a script for a play that they'll present to the class in person, making costumes, props, and presenting the play will all be completed offline. Even when much of the brainstorming and development of the script is done offline, those activities will often be supported by online digital tools, perhaps to record ideas and polish up a final plan. In a writing class I used to teach, I'd have students invent games and then write up clear directions for how to play the game. In that case, students would plan collaboratively and record their ideas on shared documents. Sometimes they would use virtual tools to actually design and print out game pieces or maybe to develop the actual game board. Even though they were using a lot of tech, the main work was being done offline. They were constantly talking to each other, bouncing ideas around, collaborating, and then going back to their virtual document to review or add new ideas. Once they had a prototype, they would have another group test the game and play it using only the written directions that were included. It was a great way to see if their writing was clear and concise. Students then observed and recorded their observation as data that would be used to revise their games. It was really powerful and authentic feedback for the students as to how well they wrote those directions.

The third approach is to use tech for project management. Project management is a really important skill that includes a wide range of empowering or enabling sub skills. If your students can successfully manage a complex project, they must be able to manage time, coordinate multiple moving parts and tasks all at the same time, assign and complete tasks, be accountable to other team members, and overcome challenges and meet deadlines. These are really powerful skills for our students to master. And anytime you have students completing a project or possibly a larger project based learning experience, students will be practicing these skills as they manage their time and tasks.

For tools, your tool of choice will depend on how complicated the project is as well as how old your students are. For younger students, you might use a simple document with a list of tasks that they have to check off as they go. This could even be printed out. If your digital tool allows for check boxes that can be clicked to check them off, that also works well. Google Sheets can do that. Or you can build something in Seesaw, or even use something like Google Keep. If you want to get more detailed, you might use an online tool like Monday, which gives you multiple fields to keep track of who's assigned a task, the status of the task, due dates, priority, budget, and more. Personally, I think Google Sheets is really versatile. Students can create columns for tasks to track, they can add check boxes or drop down menus, they can even color code things on the sheet depending on how far in the process they are. Essentially, they can create a customized Gantt chart of their own or a project task tracker.

For integration, students will use the management tool they've selected to plan out what needs to be done, who will be doing it, and when it needs to be completed. In some ways, it's an accountability document. It's also a great tool to engage students in collaborative planning, a really important life skill. For example, maybe a group is tasked with designing an interactive presentation that must engage the other students in the class in hands-on activities that demonstrate the concept and ideas being presented. On the planning document, students might start out by listing all the tasks that they need to get done in order to meet the requirements of the project, then they might work on putting them in the order they need to be completed. Once they've done that, they can assign due days for each task and assign group members responsibility for completing a task. As students complete their work, they make note of their progress on the collaborative planning document. Everyone knows where everyone else is at. They can even add hyperlinks to the work they've completed, if the work's digital, of course.

The fourth approach I want to share is portfolio development. A portfolio is essentially a collection or showcase of student work. Portfolios can be a great way to celebrate student work. I've seen elementary teachers using them as a way for students to decide which of their artifacts are really worth sharing. They ask the students to identify Wow work. What is so good that makes you go wow? And then only Wow work gets into the portfolio. This helps students become more skilled at self assessing and evaluating the quality of their work while still taking pride in what they've done.well. Portfolios can also be great tools for assessing progress. By seeing side to side examples that have been created over time, students can see how they've improved. Portfolios can be kept for personal use, or they can be shared with a larger audience, like a parent, class, school, or maybe even the broader local community, depending on what it is. You can decide what's appropriate in your situation.

So what about tools to develop a portfolio? You'll want a digital platform that can be used to capture and store a wide range of media types. You'll also want something that can be shared. Two of my favorites are Seesaw and Google Sites, or really any website creation tool that you choose. Although it continues to evolve, Seesaw has been marketed as a learning portfolio tool. It's easy for even the youngest learners to add images, links, audio, and video to their personal portfolio. Then, if the teacher has coordinated the setup, the portfolios can be shared with families through the app, giving students an authentic audience for their work. If students create websites as their portfolio, they can manage the visibility settings according to what you wish. They can share it specifically with a closed circle of people, like you or a group of classmates, or they can publish it to the world as a live website and then share the link. You want to make sure that you follow any requirements and guidance from your local schools regarding what can be shared and with whom it can be shared.

As for integration ideas, I've watched students as young as preschool take pictures of the Wow work that they've created. It might be a drawing. It could be an art project or even a stack of blocks. Maybe it's something they've written on paper, and sometimes it's a digital artifact that they've made with an app. They can save all of these things into their learning journal, and if their teacher approves them, these posts can be shared with the families. Students get really motivated when they get positive feedback from an authentic audience, like a parent or guardian. On another little side note, if you have students who don't get regular or positive feedback from their parents, you might want to review the posts yourself and make sure that everyone in your class gets at least occasional feedback. You won't want anyone feeling left out.

The portfolio could also be combined with data collection. For instance, if students are growing bean plants in class, they could photograph the plants at different stages as they grow. Not only does this celebrate the progress, but the images can be used to study the plant growth. For older students, websites are a common choice, as they can accommodate nearly any type of digital artifact. They can again be photos of objects or activities done offline. They could add videos of a performance. They might attach documents they've written or data they've collected. The website becomes a blank canvas for them to fill. When I taught creative writing, we ended our course with two different portfolios. One was an individual book of the best work written by each student in the course, and the other was a class anthology where each student would submit up to three of their best works. The students each had a role in creating the books, and then the anthologies were printed and placed around the school and even in our local dentist offices. I knew students were proud of this work, because I'd see individual books appearing in graduation party displays. When students have an opportunity to share with an authentic audience, they are motivated by much more than a grade in a grade book. A portfolio is a way to evaluate the quality of one's work, share that work with others, and also as a way to reflect on personal growth. So there are four ways that you can use tech to support and extend offline learning activities.

This is a really limited set of examples, but I've hoped they've at least piqued your interest enough and gotten you to begin thinking about how you might use technology to support authentic and offline learning in your classroom.

To learn more about today's topic and explore other free resources, visit avidopenaccess.org. Specifically, I encourage you to check out the collection Empower Students Through Creativity and Choice. And of course, be sure to join Rena, Winston, and me every Wednesday for our full length podcast, Unpacking Education, where we're joined by exceptional guests and explore education topics that are important to you. Thanks for listening. Take care and thanks for all you do. You make a difference.