During my final lesson observation for my exploration in distributive cognition, I believe it is important to close off with the beginning question; “does technology make us smarter?”
Throughout this exploration I have noticed a reoccurring theme – the use of all technology; meaning manipulative and other helpful tools (not just iPads and computers), when used correctly, has the ability to enhance the learning experience of all students.
In my previous lessons I explored the use of the technology we think of – iPads and SmartBoards. In this post I will be discussing the lesson plan I conducted with all of my students on 3-D shapes, I did not incorporate the use of iPads, computers or the SmartBoard, but I did use helpful tools and manipulatives to facilitate learning.
These manipulatives were real-life 3-D shapes that we can find all around us. I used a gift box (cube), oatmeal container (cylinder), party hat (cone) and a basketball (sphere). Using these examples helped them easily identify the properties of 3 Dimensional shapes (edges, vertices & faces). Without the real examples as manipulatives it would be hard to grasp the understanding of properties.
Once the students grasped the understanding of these properties using these 3-D shapes, they were given pieces of paper with diagrams of the different 3-D shapes that we previously went over. They had to identify where the faces, edges and vertices were without using the manipulatives. This process is also known as translation. “The function of translation refers to the transformation of information from one representational system to another” (Martin, 93). Slowly but surely the children were able to use the knowledge gained from the technology (in this case, the 3 dimensional shape examples) to understand the concepts without using them.
We see this type of learning all the time in classrooms. Students using tools to learn and once they feel comfortable they are able to ween themselves off of this reliance completely. For example “a math teacher may have students learn addition and subtraction with the aid of base ten blocks, which are in most respects isomorphic to the symbol system students will later use” (Martin, 93).
Within all beneficial lesson plans we must also incorporate the function of monitoring as well. “Monitoring refers to the function of assessing the quality of the coordination between systems and providing this information as feedback” (Martin, 94). Or, in other words, all good lesson plans conducted should have some form of assessment to track or “monitor” a students progress. This assessment can be conducted through observation, anecdotal records, running records, checklists, rubrics, the possibilities are truly endless. The common goal is to assess how a child comprehended the subject matter and tweak future instruction to best fit that specific child’s needs. This of course requires differentiation and accommodation based on the individual child. To accurately and efficiently help your students learn you must have a sound monitoring technique to keep track of progress, etc.
In my lesson plan, I conducted observational notes during the whole group portion & a paper/pencil assessment for the individual portion. If this was my own classroom, I would use the information gathered to help each child based on their learning styles and where their comprehension level was at.

“Distributed cognition is a way to understand how people interact with their environment and how they can be enabled by the environment to undertake highly complex tasks that would usually be beyond the abilities of the unassisted individual” (Brickell & Harper, 127).

The second lesson that I viewed in my first grade Canterbury classroom was something a bit different than usual. In this classroom observation, the children were required to complete an assessment to gauge where they were at in the subject of ELA. The quote above fits perfectly within the context of this lesson, because the children completed these assessments on the iPads provided in the classroom.
These iPads enabled the children as well as the teachers to complete a task in a more efficient, organized and individualized way than if it was completed without the use of this technology.
This classroom is not on a one-to-one correspondence with iPads, so this means this assessment had to be done by passing the iPads off to their peers in order to complete it.
As discussed in the last distributive cognition entry, there are affordances of technology as well as with technology. There are many effects dealing with the technology usage and availability within the conduction of the lesson plan. For example an effect of this technology usage would be the time needed to complete it. If all children don’t have an iPad at the same time, the length of the lesson will be much longer. If we look at it from a different perspective though, we see that while the children who had iPads were completing their assessment – the other children waiting were working on different subject skill sets. This could be seen as a great use of time and an efficient learning opportunity.
Though this post will not be discussing the effects of and effects with technology, I believe it is important to tie these posts together cohesively.
This blog entry will discuss the idea of offloading – which “can be thought of as a change in the distribution of tasks and subtasks across systems. Off-loading is always in aid of efficiency, and it can aid coordination by freeing up cognitive resources so a person (or other cognitive system) can focus more directly on the task of coordination itself.” (Martin, 94). In other words, it does some of the work for the student or teacher so that they can focus on the actual, intended task at hand or what their focus should be on.
“Because educational technologies require time and money to implement, there is an expectation that they will do more than simply fit into an environment, but will also lead to significantly improved outcomes in thinking and learning” (Martin, 88). Due to this expectation we will be exploring the idea of offloading in the context of this assessment lesson that was observed.
This assessment required the use of headphones, in which the children would listen to reading passages and answer comprehension questions to ensure understanding.
The passage can be re-read as many times as the child would like or would need in order to answer the following prompted responses.
This pre-recorded reading offloads some of the work for the teacher. If you were giving a whole class reading comprehension assessment, the amount of times it may need to be repeated for their students could hinder others learning as well as be extremely time consuming for the whole group.
This pre-recorded reading also offloads some of the work for the student. If the student were given the passage to read on their own, instead of read out-loud to them it may hinder their comprehension. For example, accidentally skipping over lines or misreading words would effect their comprehension skills. If the goal of the assessment is to check if the student understands what they hear and can relay it back, then that is all it should assess.
Lastly, we should look at this idea of offloading as individually appropriate in the context of developmentally appropriate learning. “When off-loading increases the efficiency of some parts of the system, it can make individual change (individual learning) more likely” (Martin, 94). As stated previously, if the children can go at their own pace, re-read passages or questions as many times as they’d like and work on their own – we see individual learning take place. This is crucial in all methods of learning – differentiating to make learning available to all students not just a select few.

Background information:
I observed my first lesson in my first grade classroom at Canterbury with the idea of distributive cognition in mind.
I am at Canterbury from around 8:30-11:30 each day.
From 8:30-11:30 the routine is (usually) completed as follows:
1. Bellwork
2. Morning announcements
3. Morning message
4. Journal entry
5. SuperKids lesson
6. Centers/rotations
Throughout this exploration of Distributive Cognition, the routine above is what I observe every time. Unfortunately, my schedule only allows me to attend the school during this time frame so the lesson’s that I am able to view are limited.
Because of this, I have decided to use the full observation to get a more complete view on the use of technology within the classroom.
This entry will deal with the idea of effects with and effects of technology throughout part of this morning routine.

Entry #1: Effects of and Effects with technology
Technology is used throughout the entire morning in this first grade classroom,
Beginning with morning announcements. At Canterbury a select few older students are video recorded giving the morning announcements. These announcements are then emailed or shared with every teacher in the building and are played on the SmartBoard for their class to watch. For example; everyday the speakers in the video discuss important events, birthdays as well as simple things such as the date and lunch menu. The video always ends with the Canterbury Way saying, in which the students say out loud with the video. There are many effects of this technology and many effects with this technology.
To begin; effects of technology deals with the positive and negative impacts from using specific technology (Salomon, 77) The effects of using this method of announcements, I believe have positive effects. Some of these positive effects are being able to see and hear the announcements every morning. I remember when I was in school students or teachers would announce over the intercom. As a student, we would have to sit quietly in our desk and simply listen. Now, these children are able to retain information in two different ways – through visuals and auditory. This can help them remember important aspects of the day, whether it be events coming up or the lunch that is available. Another positive effect would be in reference to scheduling. When I was younger, we had to drop everything we were doing and everything the teacher was saying/explaining in order to listen. Now, educators don’t have to stop teaching in the middle of a lesson, etc. They can play the video whenever they feel is the best time; when the students are settled in and paying attention, etc.
Another use of technology in this classroom is through their journal writing. When it is time to complete a journal prompt my cooperating teacher will put the prompt up on the board. An example of what would be shown on the board is:
Would you rather eat pizza or tacos?
I would rather eat ______ because …
In this example we will look through the lens of the effects with technology. This deals with the idea of “how does technology help with our learning?” Or another way to view this is “is the technology doing the work for us? or is it a tool to facilitate learning?”
The effects with this technology may hinder their phonemic awareness skills. Though it is helpful the students can continue to go back to the prompt and re-read, the students sometimes will simply copy word for word the text on the board with no attempt to spell these words on their own. This doesn’t help their decoding or letter-sound recognition skills. If the students expand on this prompt they begin to use these skills, but most of the time they will simply write “I would eat tacos because they are good.”
We must also remember that technology does not just mean things like computers, SmartBoards, tablets, etc. As Salomon said “text itself, besides providing a channel of communication, also has long functioned as a vehicle of thought” (75). So the words put up on the board are also a technological tool to help children with their learning.

Does Technology Make Us Smarter?
This is the question I will be inquiring throughout my exploration of Distributive Cognition.
To begin, it is important to create a base and foundation for this exploration.
To do so, we first need to explain what distributive cognition is.
This theory was created by Edwin Hutchins in 1995. One of the conclusions he drew was that the individual student isn’t the best unit of analysis. Meaning, “the cognitive process extends beyond one individual” (Kilgore).
According to Learning-Theories.com, Distributed cognition “is a branch of cognitive science that proposes cognition and knowledge are not confined to an individual; rather, it is distributed across objects, individuals, artifacts, and tools in the environment.”
So, distributive cognition, from my view point is the connection of the student, the technology, tools, etc. all are being utilized to form cognition function. It is the use of shared resources that helps us learn.
Salomon and Perkins discusses our initial question in depth in their article Do Technologies Make Us Smarter? Intellectual Amplification With, Of and Through Technology. They make valid points throughout this article, beginning by first comparing technology to literacy. We have seen the affect literacy has had on our brains and our cognitive abilities. It is said that literacy impacts our minds by teaching us the idea of abstract thought (72). So what does technology do? How does technology help?
To be clear, Salomon and Perkins define what type of technology we will be assessing throughout this exploration. Technology and technological advancements can range between a number of different things. From pencils to telescopes, from health and medical advancements to telephones.
It is important to recognize the scope of technology we will be exploring and this technology would be the things that “directly facilitate or even carry out of cognitive work” (73). These are things such as calculators, statistical packages and word processors (73).
Through observations of lessons conducted in my first grade classroom, I hope to be able to find the answer to this question and analyze what technology is effective as well as what makes the technology effective in the first place. I’d like to find the technology that can impact our cognition in a positive way and implement these practices into my future classroom.
These observations will determine the effects of technology in the classroom as well as the effects with technology in the classroom.
Effects with technology in the classroom do make us smarter in term of helping us perform better (75).
Effects of technology would be what is happening to us and our brains after a long period of time using it (76).
Now that there is an explanation of what will be looked at through the study of these lesson plans conducted at my field placement and how it will be examined through the distributive cognition lens, my following posts will examine these lessons and the technology used throughout.

David L, “Distributed Cognition (DCog),” in Learning Theories, February 25, 2007

Nathan Kilgore, Study.com, study.com/academy/lesson/distributed-cognition-definition-theory.html.

What software applications and hardware are students using in the classroom? How are they using them?
Students in this classroom use iPads as their main source of technology. They have 12 iPads in the classroom, but 8 of them routinely work. They are not 1 to 1 in terms of devices, but we may have that in the future, they’re hoping by next school year they will be. Students use the iPads to read and then answer comprehension questions via Raz-Kids.com (from Reading A to Z).  Students can also access our reading program, SuperKids, and visit the app SuperKids Online Fun. Additionally, the students complete math fluency activities via our math curriculum, Math Expressions. The curriculum has a learning platform called Think Central. On that platform, the students can access Personal Math Trainer which has games and fluency drills related to our units. Also, the students use Seesaw, an online learning journal app, to capture their work and reflect upon it.  This can then be shared with their families.

What software applications and hardware is your cooperating teacher(s) using in the classroom? Document both hardware and software. Describe how your cooperating teacher(s) uses the software applications and hardware.

My cooperating teacher uses a SmartBoard for her instruction.  She uses Smart Technologies software as well as the online teacher portals for their reading, math, science, social studies, and digital literacy programs.
From my own observations the SmartBoard is used in almost every lesson, from morning greetings, to journal prompt entries and their use of the SuperKids reading program. She also uses the SmartBoard as an interactive tool – where the students can come up to the board and complete little prompts. (i.e. when learning about telling time to the half hour we called students up to the front to read the time and write the time according to the picture of the clock shown). 

What software applications and hardware are facilitating/impeding the conditions that make student learning possible? How so?

The lack of 1 to 1 in terms of their devices is the greatest impediment at this time. They have engaging, relevant, and rigorous software but we do not have the appropriate technology to support its use. My cooperating teacher says that 10 (8) iPads for 20 students is a challenge.

What software applications and hardware are facilitating/impeding the conditions that make teaching possible? How so

My teacher says that, again, the lack of being 1 to 1 on technology devices and the poor working conditions of the existing technology devices is a significant hindrance to her teaching. Making it of course more challenging to complete different activities with all of her students. 

Here is all the information for all things Technology at Canterbury Elementary School!
To begin, listed below are all of the professionals in charge of the technology within the school.

• Director of educational technology – Christy Bauer, Ph.D.  
• Curriculum technology integration specialist – Christy Bauer, Ph.D.
• Technology maintenance – Jeanne Gassman 
• Technology security personnel – The IT department has a team of trained staff
• Library media specialist – Each elementary school has a media ancillary. Mrs. Laurie Wilson is Canterbury’s and my cooperating teacher says she is fabulous!
• Others? – Each school has two technology leaders. My cooperating teacher used to serve on this committee, but now an upper grade teacher from Canterbury serves on it, her name is Nadine Davis (4th grade teacher). Mrs. Wilson (listed above) assists as well.

Below lists all the technology available to the first grade kiddos as well as the accessibility & quantities!
In my cooperating teacher’s classroom, they have a set of 12 iPads.  However she says that only 10 of them work on a regular basis. On those 10 iPads, stickers indicate which will be used for reading and math rotations as well as other stickers to indicate which iPads can be used for Seesaw. With 20 students in the class they are not on a 1:1 ratio with technology, but she says perhaps they we will be there soon.
They also have access to the computer lab where there are 24 PC computers. They access Easy Tech in the computer lab once a week and occasionally the students will also use ABCYA there as well. In the computer lab,  the class selects a media center time (35 minute block for library and computer lab using ABCYA or PBS Kids) once a week and an additional 30 minute block of computer lab time only (this is when the students log on to Easy Tech). For this first grade class, Tuesdays are when we visit the media center and Fridays are when we visit the computer lab.

Do families have required purchases?
Families are asked to send in headphones or earbuds for the students to use with the iPads and/or computer lab. Not all families do this so the classroom has some extras to loan out to the students. Besides this, no other technology devices (etc) need to be purchased by families. 

Blocked applications or websites?
Most of the social media sites are blocked on the iPads.  However, my cooperating teacher says that this is not an issue with the younger grades. Students are taught digital literacy skills beginning in Kindergarten to help them stay safe and make positive choices when they are online. All applications must be approved and there is a process for submitting application requests. Not all apps are approved, especially ones that cost money.  

My cooperating teacher was a huge help when discussing technology & all that goes along with it for Canterbury Elementary. As a former technology leader she definitely knows everything there is to know about the use of technology in the school and who to go to for information. It was super helpful and informative to learn first hand how much goes into incorporating technology into learning in the classroom and school district.

My field placement is in a first grade classroom at Canterbury Elementary school, which is a part of the Cleveland Heights Public School District.

I am loving my time with my first graders so far. All of them have such vibrant & unique personalities. My cooperating teacher is also amazing & I can tell I am going to learn a ton from her.
All of the students seem to get along fairly well with each other. During rotations (center time) they are divided into groups and rotate from task to task. They all get along with little to no problems. The class seems to have a pretty good dynamic and from their interactions I can tell they love their teacher. Since I am observing half way through their school year it is clear that they have well established rules and expectations about how they are supposed to treat their peers, their teachers & other adults in the classroom. In fact, they read me their social contract the first day I came to their classroom!
The children are using a variety of applications and websites in class. Here is a list of all that they utilize in the class & how they use it:
RazKids via reading A-Z
Personal Math Trainer via their math curriculum Math Expressions
SuperKids Online Fun via their ELA curriculum Superkids
Seesaw Online Journal, to capture, reflect and post their individual work. The teacher also uses this to communicate with families.
Easy Teach for their digital literacy
Science Fusion – which is their science curriculum
The teacher also uses Smart Notebook for her lessons.
As we can see, there is a ton of technology being used within this first grade classroom setting.
In this particular classroom the students enjoying playing simulation games outside of the classroom. Since they are first grade students they have no social media presence quite yet.

The reading Multimodal Composition and The Common Core State Standards states that there is not Common Core Standards for technology & media (Dalton, 333). Yet, as I see in my classroom for field hours & as I have seen in a variety of classrooms in the past it is something crucial in developing skills & techniques for all other subjects and topics. So although there are no standards for integrating it into our classrooms, many educators have taken advantage of this useful tool. It can be used in Literacy (ELA), math, science, as well as organizational structures such as communication & assignments.
Within my first grade classroom the students are put into small groups for their rotations. One of the centers is an Ipad center where the students sit on the floor and individually interact with the application. The last time I was in the classroom, the students were asked to go on RazKids. This is now my 3rd classroom seeing RazKids being used during center time, where the children use this for reading comprehension. The classroom has 12 Ipads but there are 20 students, so it makes sense to use Ipads during small group time.
They also utilize technology in the classroom during other times when I am not there to observe. My cooperating teacher tells me they use it during math rotations as well as other inquiry based learning times. The students are also on PC computers twice a week in the schools computer lab. She says she utilizes technology throughout the day – using the smartboard as well as her laptop when needed.

BY: Olivia Manns & Francesca Dolciato

Continuing the explore through this app, Khan Academy Kids, I notice there is even more than what meets the eye. For example, when you start up the app you click on your character and continue playing. As seen below.Usually, I would just click the play button on the clubhouse but today I noticed there are sections being added onto the sides. They look like roads leading to the clubhouse and when I click on them they are the important activities I have completed fully. For example, in my last post I talked about working with the letter C, and as we can see there is a section to go back and repeat the lesson. There is also the section above C, which is where we discussed our feelings and sang a feelings song.

Above all of this though, is that purple notebook with a pink heart. This is an especially cool add-on by the makers of Khan Academy. When you click on it, a library of resources pops up. As I mentioned before Khan Academy is completely free and is designed to give education to anyone, anywhere. It is pretty remarkable they worked with businesses like National Geographic to give children access to quality resources such as these.

I continued to explore further and when you click on one of these articles you have the choice to be read to or to read by yourself. Another amazing feature. Because again as Gee said, verbal instruction is very important. Plus, some parents might not be around to read it to their child. As it reads to you, it highlights the words it is saying.

I believe that this app would be perfect for in-class activities as well. I could see children using this app during center time on Ipads. I believe it would be extremely effective because of the reading feature and the verbal directions feature. With this, the children have less of a chance of getting confused or asking for help time and time again, like so many other apps children use during this time cause them to do. Conversation could also start between the children about the game as well, seeing where their peers are, what they’re doing, how they’re doing it, etc. could spark collaboration and social skills.

In Mindshift Guide to Digital Games + Learning, it discusses the importance of how to implement these games into Early Childhood Education. It states that the question is not if it should be incorporated, but how. I agree with this statement, because it does belong in daily classroom activities but we do need to be careful on how it is implemented (12). This article discusses the importance of “starting to teaching children the importance of text, language, and expression as early as possible” (13) due to the digitally connected world. I believe this app does a great job teaching the important of text, language and expression because of the wide range of topics being taught – such as reading to the child with expression while highlighting text.

As I continue on with the game, new skills are continuing to be learned and added to the roads leading to the clubhouse. The game also uses funny jokes to keep the kids engaged. For example, when learning big and small the child is directed to put the big tie on the big man and the small tie on the small man then to do a “silly one” by doing the opposite. Little things like this can go a long way with children and it’s important to take these things into consideration.

Overall, this app seems to be hitting the mark in creating an interesting, descriptive and effective learning app.

link: https://www.khanacademy.org/kids?from=lohp