This week I worked through the process of creating a “brick” for Web Conferencing. The brick process is useful for technologists to document the current and future states of technology in order to best meet the technology architecture needs of an organization. Just like the brick process is useful to assess current and future technology needs, knowing what products or technologies to recommend for immediate use, over a five year period, or knowing what products or technologies need to be retired or are emerging, this same process could be used to improve instructional practices for teachers. This is particularly the case with educational technologies and the integration of these into lessons or units. For example, teachers can revamp lessons or units to better integrate new technology tools to impact teaching and learning. One model that is currently being used is the SAMR Model (The Substitution Augmentation Modification Redefinition Model), which demonstrates how teachers can use technology to impact teaching and learning.
In the original lesson or unit, a teacher might have used computer technology to perform the same task that was done before the use of computers, such as printing out a worksheet for students to complete. Here there is no functional change in teaching and learning. Teachers instead might have students collaborating using a Google Doc online or taking a quiz using a Google Form in place of pencil and paper. This has the impact of immediate feedback in terms of the quiz, paper is saved, students are more engaged and collaboration becomes necessary to accomplish the task in a more meaningful way. Here the new technology tool is helping this to occur.
Teachers could also use the brick process to determine which instructional practices are no longer working and which strategies might be better to deploy, as well as a timeframe of when they might add additional strategies to their toolbox. In terms of program improvement, a brick would also allow teams of educators to create a plan over a five-year period for improving student achievement. For example, which student groups to target, what strategies teachers will deploy, which practices might be retired, and what technologies might be needed to improve student engagement.
References:
National Institute of Health Enterprise Architecture (2012) retrieved on Thursday, April 9 from https://enterprisearchitecture.nih.gov/Pages/WhatIsBrick.aspx and from https://enterprisearchitecture.nih.gov/Pages/listing.aspx?Section=Artifact&Category=Brick
In the original lesson or unit, a teacher might have used computer technology to perform the same task that was done before the use of computers, such as printing out a worksheet for students to complete. Here there is no functional change in teaching and learning. Teachers instead might have students collaborating using a Google Doc online or taking a quiz using a Google Form in place of pencil and paper. This has the impact of immediate feedback in terms of the quiz, paper is saved, students are more engaged and collaboration becomes necessary to accomplish the task in a more meaningful way. Here the new technology tool is helping this to occur.
Teachers could also use the brick process to determine which instructional practices are no longer working and which strategies might be better to deploy, as well as a timeframe of when they might add additional strategies to their toolbox. In terms of program improvement, a brick would also allow teams of educators to create a plan over a five-year period for improving student achievement. For example, which student groups to target, what strategies teachers will deploy, which practices might be retired, and what technologies might be needed to improve student engagement.
References:
National Institute of Health Enterprise Architecture (2012) retrieved on Thursday, April 9 from https://enterprisearchitecture.nih.gov/Pages/WhatIsBrick.aspx and from https://enterprisearchitecture.nih.gov/Pages/listing.aspx?Section=Artifact&Category=Brick
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