Digital Ethics

 Digital Ethics

Technology moves at an aggressive rate because the demand for it exists. “Television didn’t transform education. Neither will the internet. But it will be another tool for teachers to use in their efforts to reach students in the classroom. It will also be a means by which students learn outside of the classroom.” Technology has the ability to give even the quietest, most unassuming student a voice. It is up to us as educators to teach and guide students on how to harness and use the power of technology to their benefit. 

                                                                    

 Figure 1:  Born Digital: Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives

As technology is an integral part of almost every aspect of life today, our comprehension ability will always be an essential skill - ntegrating vocabulary and technology will definitely enhance students ability in Reading. Many researchers have been investigating the effectiveness of integrating literature circles with digital technology. This was supported by Dalie (2001) as literature circles give students ample opportunities to practice and develop the skills and strategies of good readers. Peralta-Nash & Dutch (2000) quote that the literature circle provides a “low-risk learning environment for children who are learning English as a second language.” I truly believe that using digital literature circles will empower students to communicate, collaborate,  be more creative and become critical thinkers. 

                               

4 C’s of 21st Century Learning ( 4.bp.blogspot.com )

Despite the advantages of digital literature circles, we may still encounter issues of using technology with this innovation. 

Ethical Issue:

What is the ethical issue in using technology through digital literature circles in my innovation?

We all benefit from the advancement of technology and it being integrated into the education system.  Although technology has many advantages such as promoting independent learning, preparing students for the 21st century, encouraging both students and teachers’ creativity and many more, we also need to understand the challenges that it comes with, such as ethical issues of technology in the classrooms.  Knowing how to educate our students to become ethical citizens in a digital world is vital.  Preparing our students for cyberbullying and copyright issues was brought to the forefront prior to the implementation of my innovation. According to Mattison (2018) understanding the biggest ethical issues affecting our classrooms will help us better understand how to address them. Therefore, educating our students to be cybersmart will help them to confidently handle real-life situations and they will always make good choices when working online.  Manaiakalani has an awesome cybersmart curriculum, which teaches learners to be smart about what they do online and as Leonhard (2018) says, “do the right thing with technology. Understanding ethical issues of technology in the classroom helps students become ethical citizens in a digital world”  (McGilvery, 2018).  

Social Issues:

Alhumaid (2019) draws attention to the social issue of “isolation and loneliness [which] seem to be the ultimate repercussion of students’ use of technology as, being totally immersed in manipulating the classroom digital gadgets, they often forget there are classmates they can rely on and interact with.”  I hope that by using digital literature circles collaboratively, students are able to chat, to confidently navigate the site to access learning, confidently navigate and harness their devices and learning applications, ask questions, comment on each other's work, learn with and from each other.     

There is also the fear or danger that students could access inappropriate sites. This is prevented by filters which screen out inappropriate content and blocks access to inappropriate sites. A headline in the NZ Herald, 14 October 2019 screamed out, “Schools block 2.2 billion attempts to access gaming and other blocked sites. This showed that students were trying to access websites that were not allowed but it also clearly demonstrates that the filters and restrictions placed on students by the school admin is effective. 

In many BYOD schools a child’s device is a marker of their economic standing. In Manaiakalani schools, all students are provided with a chromebook at minimal cost to the whanau (around $4 per week). This allows all pupils to have devices without placing a major strain on the whanau’s finances and without the device becoming a social or economic indicator.

Cultural Issues

The cultural issues in the planned innovation was acknowledging my students’ culture, traditions and language. As Baker (2006) says children come to school with a wealth of knowledge and expertise from their backgrounds. Gay (2001, p.106)  states that culturally responsive pedagogy is defined by  “using the cultural characteristics, experiences and perspectives as conduits for effective teaching”.  I address this cultural issue by making sure the stories used in our reading lessons reflect the diversity of our students.  I also ensure there are multiple opportunities to tap into our students’ cultural capital/ expertise so they see its value.  The Education Hub (2019) mentioned that “Culturally responsive teaching is about making school learning relevant and effective for learners by drawing on students’ cultural knowledge, life experiences, frames of reference, languages, and performance and communication styles.” (p.5)    The Ministry of Education (2007) affirms that all students should be supported and empowered to learn and achieve personal excellence regardless of their individual circumstances but we strongly believe that teachers have to be the agent of change in order for every child to reach their full potential.  According to Cummins (2001), students who are empowered by their school experiences develop the ability, confidence and motivation to succeed academically. 

References:

Baker, C. (2006). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism (4th ed.).                           

Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters.

Cummins, J. (2001). Empowering minority students: A framework for intervention. In      

C. Baker, & N. H. Hornberger (Eds.). An introductory reader to the writings of 

Jim Cummins (pp. 175-194). Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters.

Leonhard, G. (2018). Why Digital Ethics is #1 topic in technology in 2019: keynote excerpt Gerd Leonhard. Retrieved from:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy0w1nRvgYU

Larson, L. (2009). Reader response meets the new literacies: Empowering readers in online learning communities. The Reading Teacher, 62(8), 638–648.

Mattison, L. (2018). Ethical Issues with Using Technology in the Classroom. Retrieved from:

https://study.com/blog/ethical-issues-with-using-technology-in-the-classroom.html

McGilvery, C. (2018). Ethics For Technology Use In The Classroom.  Retrieved from:  https://online.nwmissouri.edu/articles/education/ethics-technology-use-classroom.aspx

Ministry of Education (2007). The New Zealand Curriculum. Wellington: Learning

           Media Limited.

 

Peralta-Nash, C., & Dutch, J.A. (2000). Literature circles: Creating an environment for choice.

Primary Voices K-6, 8(4), 29-37. [EJ 604 621] 

Why I chose to use Literature Circles

My change initiative came about as a result of analysing and reflecting upon my students' results. It was apparent that the majority of Pasifika students had not made significant progress in Reading over the past years (fig.1). Over 93% of Pasifika students were achieving below the national norm. 

 

Fig 1: Year 7 Reading Comprehension Results (Beginning of the Year 2020)

My research question is, “How can literature circles improve Pasika students' reading comprehension and vocabulary knowledge so that they can be reading at or above their chronological age?”  

 In developing a plan to show my change initiative, we have modified  “the learning initiative canvas” (https://netmind.net/) for our learning innovation.  (see Figure 2)

Figure 2 (Adapted from Whare Aki’s Business Model Canvas Template)

RESEARCH

My decision to use literature circles as my change initiative was based on the following literature that I referred to:

Research #1:  Modified Literature Circles as an Effective Comprehension Strategy

The key findings from Holley Boor (2015) journal article were:-

• He identified key reading comprehension strategies that can be implemented through literature circles.
• He described eight 21st century thinking skills that can be taught and nurtured through literature circles.
• He emphasised how literature circles put demand on teachers to constantly think of the relationship between the text and the readers (students).
•  He listed the benefits of literature circles such as improving language development, reading comprehension, enjoyment of the literature and self-efficacy. 
• He also suggests that literature circles can be modified to meet the needs of students.

Research #2:  Literature Circle  - Voice and Choice in Book Clubs and Reading Groups

The key findings from Harvey Daniels (2002) journal article were:-

• He confirms that literature circles improves students' achievement scores.
• He argued that the literature circle has increased students' enjoyment and engagement in reading.
• He discussed how literature circles increased multicultural awareness, enriched students' experiences as well as promoted other perspectives on social issues and  gender equity.
• It describes the link between great readers and  great writers. When students get to high school they become fluent writers and skillful collaborators.
• He identified problems that could be encountered through the implementation of literature circles but he also assured that these problems are solvable.
• He argues that excessive testing and high demand of assessment data can put extra pressure on any innovation to prove it’s value and to justify its effectiveness.
• He states eleven key ingredients for successful implementation of the literature circle. 

Research #3: Literature circles for the EFL classroom.

The key findings from Mark. Furr (2004) journal article were:-

• He emphasises the importance of knowing and understanding the cultural values and capital of students with English as a second language.
• It is proved that the literature circle is successful in combining the close reading of texts (intensive reading) with fluency-building skills (extensive reading). 
• Mark replaces the first four of Daniel’s (2002)  key ingredients for the literature circle to meet the needs of his learners who have English as their second language.
• He states that the core of successful literature circles is the fact they do allow students to participate in real-life meaningful discussions.  
• He advocates the importance of choosing reading materials very carefully so that is appropriate for extensive reading.
• He reminds us that teachers serve as facilitators rather than instructors in the literature circle.
• He suggests that at the heart of the literature circle is a good story.

Research #4: Getting started: Using Literature Circles in the Classroom

Gilbert, Lori. Primary Voices K - 6; Urbana Vol. 9, Iss. 1,  (Aug 2000): 9-15.

The key findings from Gilbert  were:

• Before starting to use literature circles, class expectations need to be set up e.g. discussing the types of talk that is appropriate and the types of things we wanted to learn.
• During literature circles, reading a wide genre of books including picture books, novels, short stories, poems, newspaper articles and even recipes was encouraged.
• Initially, discussion focussed on simple retelling and then evolved into deeper thinking e.g. “What the author was thinking when writing, where the idea for the plot came from, how the pictures support the text; and connections from the book to other books, other authors’ styles, and to our own personal experiences are all now a much larger part of the talk in our classroom. We will often stop reading a book to make predictions regarding what will happen next and create 20 different books in the process!” (Gilbert, 2000)
• It was important to revisit and if necessary modify the expectations for the literature circles.

Reading this article by Gilbert, reinforced that expectations around literature circles had to be set at the beginning and that it took several weeks for students to get a thorough understanding of how literature circles work. It was also stressed that the expectations were to be revisited and modified if necessary to ensure maximum benefit from the literature circles' activity.

Research #5: The impact of literature circles on student engagement in middle years English Clark, Loren

• Literature circles have a positive impact on student perceptions, including independent reading habits and engagement in English.
• Students enjoyed positive perceptions of English. 
• Literature circles also provided authentic reading experiences for children and connected them to texts that had relevance in their lives.

This was a very interesting, albeit lengthy read. The benefits of using literature circles were clearly outlined using student feedback, data, teacher observations and anecdotal notes.  

THE STAKEHOLDERS

As identified in figure 1, the main stakeholders in my innovation will be my group of identified learners (Year 7 Pasifika learners) and their families followed by the rest of the year 7 and year 8 learners.  Teachers and the senior management team at school will also have a stake in this innovation. Finally, the Board of Trustees (BoT)  will want to see how any investment by them has secured better outcomes for our students.  According to Rogers Diffusion of Innovation Theory (1962), the early adopters will be one of the identified learners in this class, with the first follower being X, a year 7 or 8  boy, who is always eager to try things out and show his peers how it is done.  With his enthusiasm,  we can see the rest of the identified group become the early adopters of literature circles. As I take both Year 7 & 8 classes for Reading, I can implement this innovation across the intermediate school.  The early majority who take to the innovation we predict will be the rest of the learners in the class, as well as the other teachers who are teaching middle school learners and the late majority will be the rest of my colleagues at school. 

Robinson (2009) advises that the early majority followers of an innovation must be nurtured as this is the crucial part of the innovation.  In educational terms this is to be:

• Early adopters assuming ownership of their own learning.
• They are motivated to continue either intrinsically or by being offered incentives (extrinsically)  like stickers, points, books, free time, etc.
• Recognised at assemblies or/ and by the senior management team as leaders.
• Ensure the tasks are interesting, easy to follow and simple to understand.
• Teacher to support the early adopter learners.

I will incorporate Robinson’s advice about early adopters and early majority learners and colleagues as well, by recognising that they are the main takers to follow my innovation. 

TIMELINE FOR OUR CHANGE INITIATIVE

I will use Kotter’s 8 step change model (Kotter, 2017) to outline our actions and timeframe of my implementation plan.  See figure 3

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Figure 3: Kotter’s 8 Step Change Model 

Kotter divided these processes into three phases, the first being creating a climate for change, the second, enabling and engaging the organisation and finally implementing and sustaining change brings up the last phase.  Aligned to Kotter, in the first phase I plan to create a sense of urgency by ensuring the school’s management team, the learners and their whanau are aware and back our implementation plan.  I will be guided by the management, students and their families to the content of my implementation plan.  My vision and initiative will include using literature circles to enhance students' reading comprehension and vocabulary knowledge.  

In the enabling and engaging phase, I have my colleagues who will assist me to put the plan into action.  The early adopters, hopefully will be the group of students who are really enthusiastic about participating, and they will hopefully lead the early followers.  To ensure this happens, I plan to reward the early adopters to encourage them to influence the other students.  I also hope that the school’s management will resource this innovation.   

In the third and final phase sustaining the initiative will be by proving that the implementation will accelerate learning, and get more students to participate.  When my innovation results in the achievement of the stated goal, I hope that the way reading is taught will incorporate literature circles. 

At our school we base all teacher inquiries on Timperley’s (2014) spiral of inquiry.  This is the format that we will use for developing a hunch and taking action.   

I plan to incorporate Kaupapa Maori principles when working with our Pasifika students. As teachers we want to see ‘Maori success as Maori’ and we also want to see Pasifika success as Pasifika.  I pondered this I was formulating my research question.  The question now is, ‘What does Pasifika  success as Pasifika mean?’  The Ministry of Education mentioned that it’s having an “education system that provides all Maori students with the opportunity to realise their own unique potential and succeed in their lives as Maori.”  Due to a high percentage of Pasifika students in my classes I have to incorporate the Kaupapa Maori approach into my research topic. This means I will be incorporating the knowledge, skills and values of the Maori society and the Pasifika society. 

In this research I am aiming at working collaboratively with our Pasifika students and making connections with their whanau to nurture mana in students.  I believe that the students' success can be based on the “Pasifika Success Compass”, Figure 4.  In incorporating the Tapasa model in my teaching, I plan to centre my teaching and learning of literature circles in reading, around the Pasifika student, their families, and the communities. Using the Pasifika identities, languages and cultures; maintaining collaborative and respectful relationships; and implementing pedagogical approaches that are effective for Pasifika learners I hope to cover the three ‘Turus’ (competencies) which form the framework for Tapasa (Teaching Council, n.d.)  

Figure 4: The Pasifika Success Compass

  This will promote self-worth, enhance their confidence, and empower our Pasifika students to succeed academically. 

IMPACT

Change initiatives or innovation eventually has an impact on several levels.  Using literature circles in reading to improve the students' vocabulary and comprehension will also have an impact.  The most profound and focused impact that my change initiative will have is that my students will be able to make meaning of what they read and widen their vocabulary by using student agency.

In W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s (1998) logic model, in order to effect the desired change, there needs to be a change in “organisations, communities, or systems”.  The change for us will begin with the change in our mindset because it is said that we cannot change others unless we ourselves change. It will be much easier recommending this changed pedagogy to colleagues once I have tried it out and have measured the success of such change. Certainly, the greatest motivator to adopting new pedagogy will be the positive effect that pedagogy has on students. If the positive effect is to be the success of the learners making meaning of their reading and growing their vocabulary, this will be a change worth adopting.  

If such success is something I am really pleased with, I can certainly ask the BOT for further funding to implement this across the school. Teachers need to take time to thoroughly prepare students on how to conduct literature circles, to lay the foundation of the expectations and to occasionally revisit and modify the expectations.

Using literature circles also presents an opportunity for students to use the key competencies from the New Zealand Curriculum. Literature circles encompass the competencies of thinking, relating to others, using language symbols and texts, managing self and participating and contributing. 

REFERENCES

Boor, H . (2015). Modified Literature Circles as an Effective Comprehension Strategy: A Focus on Diverse Learners.

Clark, L.  (2013). The impact of literature circles on student engagement in middle years English 

Daniels, H. (2002) Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in Book Clubs and Reading Groups.      

           Second Edition. Portland, Maine: Stenhouse.

 

Furr, M. (2004). Literature circles for the EFL classroom: Proceedings of the 2003 TESOL Arabia Conference, academia.edu

Gilbert, L. (2000). Getting started: Using literature circles in the classroom

Kotter Inc. (2017). 8 Step Process. Retrieved from https://www.kotterinc.com/8-steps-proces s-for-leading-change/

Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publishers, Inc.

Rangahau, (n.d.) Principles of Kaupapa Māori. Retrieved from http://www.rangahau.co.nz/research-idea/27/

Robinson, L. (2009). A summary of Diffusion of Innovations. Changeology. Retrieved from http://www.enablingchange.com.au/Summary_Diffusion_Theory.pdf

Rogers, E. (1962). Diffusion of Innovations. Free Press of Glencoe.

Teaching Council. Retrieved from: https://teachingcouncil.nz/content/tapas%C4%81-cultural-competencies-framework-teachers-of-pacific-learners