About Carol Fisher

Hello, everyone! My name is Carol Fisher. I am originally from Swift Current, Saskatchewan, but I live in Nanjing, China, with my husband, daughter, and zoo. I am heading into my eleventh year as an English teacher at the oldest international school in all of China, Nanjing International School. My school is currently one of the pioneers of integrating AI into schools in Asia. I was able to help pilot an AI-incorporated course during this last academic year; it was a total failure but an exciting failure. My relationship with technology hasn’t always been the best. However, I have become increasingly more interested over the last four years. I have been exploring Omni and Sherpa in my free time to expand my knowledge of AI and working in partnership with my school’s AI department to continue researching AI in our school.

Tech is Part of the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

During my teaching career in China, I worked for two schools with vastly different opinions on technology in the classroom. My previous school had a 70/30 policy, which instructed teachers only to utilize technology 30% of the time. This wasn’t easy when many materials were not available in paper form, and we had to adhere to strict printer budgets. The principals militantly monitored the hallways multiple times daily to ensure we were off technology. Students were becoming more and more technology illiterate

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at school and unethical when it came to using AI technology. Using the technology felt more like a hindrance rather than an enhancement. My current school is technology-positive, especially as they are working towards becoming a fully UDL school. Students are taught from grade 1 how to interact with iPads until grade 5, where they learn more about using Apple computers. Students respect technology and are much more willing to experiment with new apps and platforms because they were taught to play with unfamiliar technology from a young age. Having these two experiences helps me straddle the fence regarding the idea that technology can enhance education.

Liu et al. (2020) make a good point while researching the effects of VR in the classroom: VR creates an immersive experience that generates more student interest. Technology opens doors for students to explore spaces beyond their current existence. This year, I utilized a virtual tour experience of Greenwood to help students understand Black Wall Street and what happened during the Tulsa Massacre to contextualize the history presented in the TV show Watchmen, produced by Damon Lindelof. Having students engaged with the real history, they better understood the motivations of Angela Abar and Will Reeves to seek revenge and the suffering they faced based on past traumas.

Cellphones are often a point of contention for teachers regarding what kind of Ed tech

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should be allowed in the classroom. While Furió et al.’s (2015) research did not exclusively conclude that using technology allowed students to learn more effectively, they did find that students using their cell phones were more likely to continue learning in their free time. As a mother to a 7-year-old, I can also attest to this. While my daughter will work in your home study textbook, she is much more willing to reach for IXL and Khan Academy Kids at any time. They are a great road trip distraction! Personally, I allow cell phones in my classroom. I understand that students get distracted, but even I do some scrolling during my two-hour lecture to have a brain break when I need one. It is important that a little distraction may offer our learners personal brain breaks as well; we must remain vigilant in helping them remember to rejoin the lesson when they are ready.

This week’s opposition side to the debate connects with the debate I am currently researching regarding technology and equity. The Harris et al. (2016) article shared by the affirmative side references some points that support my debate topic that technology has not led to a more equitable society, mentioning that teachers who can use 1:1 technology are at an advantage. It was studied in the article that 1:1 technology certainly motivates learners and quickens the process of differentiation, but that is only a reality for those who have this type of technology. My international school in China certainly does; the Catholic school in Regina I was at had faulty and aged technology at best, creating a further digital divide amongst learners of the same age. However, sticking to the question, there is clear evidence through the study’s findings that this type of tech initiative can be quickly successful with the right kind of funding in place. To further consider how much technology can enhance, we must consider Warschauer et al.’s (2010) considerations of gender and the realm of technology. Most people going into the computer science field are men, and women are often bullied out of the field. This is something that more women are discussing; for example, the Blizzard employee who faced so much harassment that she is suing the company. With women and minority groups individuals being left out of developing technology, the creations are often geared toward white male audiences. Without a female voice participating in creation, how can we enhance the knowledge gains of women and minorities?

Technology in the classroom raises questions about modernity and traditionalism and how teachers navigate the changing classroom landscape. Kris Alexander’s (2023) TED Talk was interesting, but it made me question if technology enhances education. There is all this fun technology, like learning from Twitch streamers. Still, teachers are not

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using this type of technology in the classroom. Many basic-style online platforms are usually found in the school to assist or replace recording tools and research methods. However, do these really enhance learning? In all cases, no. In a world where learners are bombarded with different and flashy tech, low-tech options only sometimes reach learners. Therefore, they may not reap the benefits of the technology switch-up. It becomes more important to include traditional means in the classroom to keep learning from becoming a trivial routine but instead being something students look forward to each day. Purcell et al. (2013) speak to my English teacher’s heart. I made the switch to paper-based writing this year to avoid the use of AI in the classroom. While students were not excited about the switch, the improvements in writing were tenfold. My most prevalent complaint matches the teachers in the article because my students also used a great deal of informal online writing. I spent two weeks this past academic year with grades 8 – 11 reviewing the formal writing basics to combat some informal writing practices.

There is no way I will say no to tech in my classroom. However, I still need to navigate the often rocky landscape of technology, and I unquestioningly embrace it at times. Who is going to join me?

Canadian Digital Divide – Tech and Inequality

Turner, J. (2023, March 14). Bridging the gap: Unraveling the digital divide. Busrides. https://busrides-trajetsenbus.csps-efpc.gc.ca/en/ep-108-en

Summary: “The digital divide refers to the gap between individuals or communities that have access to modern information and communication technologies (ICT) and those that do not.” (Turner, 2023). The article titled “Bridging the Gap: Unraveling the Digital Divide“ by Joshua Turner in 2023 addresses the digital divide global issue that connects access to the internet and low incomes, which in turn perpetuates the digital divide. Four common themes connected to his issue are lack of access to fast internet, limited technology training, short life of devices, and language barriers (Turner, 2023). The digital divide impacts Canadians, especially those in rural areas. The article offers four future-oriented solutions for Canadians: increasing technology access, offering training, supporting equitable policy, and investing in the private sector.

Evaluation: The article is connected to the Government of Canada website. It is posted in the Trending Technology blog space. The information on the blog space offers the amount of time it takes to read the article, which is 5 minutes. It was posted nine months ago, which means the information is relevant to today’s social climate. There are linked courses at the end of the blog that encourage users to become more digitally literate, helping to mitigate the digital divide. Turner also offers helpful secondary resources for continued research into the global issue. However, upon clicking Turner’s name at the end of the article, only other articles he has written are associated, and there is no biographical information.

Reflection: I believe the information in this article is relevant to my research on my debate topic, “Technology has not led to a more equitable society.” The article is related to my classmates’ climate, being related to Canada, as well as my experiences living in China. The digital divide perpetuates inequality in the world but is often portrayed as helping bridge the gap.

 

The Age of Surveillance

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Today, a classmate (Savannah) shared a post linking to an article about the Age of IoT, also called The Age of Surveillance. It was an exciting take on the term coined by Kevin Ashton in 1999 relating to supply and demand. Living in a society that fits the concept of The Age of Surveillance has been eye-opening regarding the give and take of technology advancements. The way I live in China is connected to technology and surveillance. I pay with my phone, book tickets, make reservations, contact friends, work, and more every day in China. Returning to Canada often feels like a culture shock when I don’t have access to technology and slightly more freedom from surveillance. I have learned that being a good citizen in China doesn’t worry me regarding surveillance. What do I have to hide? I like the convenience I can receive from my surveyed technology. It is the way the future is going.

Tech and the Digital Divide

Some food for thought (Questions posed by: “Bridging the Gap: Unraveling the Digital Divide,” Turner, 2023)

1. Who do you know that is impacted by the digital divide?

At the moment, I see two groups being impacted by the digital divide in my immediate space. First, people in my parent’s generation often need help keeping up with technology. Goodness, I remember being a young elementary school student and having to set up our family’s first desktop computer because it was beyond my parent’s understanding. In recent years, my parents have been forced to get more high-tech cell phones to communicate with me in China. They didn’t know how to download apps on their new phones, but I got them set up on WeChat last year when I came home after Covid restrictions were lifted in China. Those were four challenging years in China with minimal contact. While more older people in China can actively use their cell phones due to cellphone-based payment systems, it differs in Canada. I always appreciate places like the local library continuing to offer free classes on using basic technology to

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try and bridge the gap. The second group I see impacted is students. One may think they are far ahead in their understanding of technology, but that is different. There were parts of the generation where most of the technology was already user-friendly and needed little understanding to make it work. I have middle and high school students who need to learn how to use Microsoft Word or PowerPoint and how to operate proper searches on Google or academic databases. It is startling at times, but as I mentioned before, I was part of that generation that fiddled to figure things out and had to step up to help our parents who didn’t understand the new advancements.

2. How can you contribute to mitigating it?

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For my parent’s generation, I always patiently jumped at the chance to help someone who wanted to learn technology. My coworkers of various ages at my current school wish to learn new things to stay relevant in the classroom. I helped run an AI PD this year and assisted parents in understanding how AI works when their learners use it. As for my students, I force them to go back to the basics in Word and PPT. They need to learn foundational skills to work in our current technology climate, no matter how late they are. The class has been stopped on multiple occasions as soon as I find students who need to learn basic commands or tools on their computers. It may be something small, but it is what I can do to make a change.

3. How can you improve your own digital skills?

Technology has evolved further with the implementation of AI in recent years. After starting my master’s program, I realized how much Edtech I didn’t know. I soak up all new technology information and bookmark links to always learn something new to bring into the classroom. I don’t shy away from learning new things, either. I need to be a YES woman if I want to improve!

‘Cause We Living in an AI World

Wake up…AI. Afternoon planning…AI. Evening grading…AI. 

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I am a lucky lady because my school embraces the AI movement with positivity, embracing, and open arms. I have let AI consume much of my time these past two years, and I don’t want to go back. My current AI go-to tools are Perplexity, Magic School, Poe (because of China), and Omni (of course!) when I have a VPN. AI is excellent for generating starting ideas, guiding students’ questions, and ensuring things are UDL with Ludia. This year, I even ran a workshop with the tech department on how to craft prompts and build AI bots. You can check my bot, which is in progress, HERE! My school is fantastic because we started running AI pilot classes with grade 9 English, which was a total failure. However, we have an excellent sample of data to work with for refining the process going into the upcoming school year.

I connect with teachers and students at my school through old-school Microsoft email and Teams. I love Teams for accessible communication and resource sharing, as does my new principal. However, the rest of the staff still needs some training. Because I work at an IB school, my online platform for student work is ManageBac. It is a clunky piece of technology at best, but I have little choice. In terms of communicating with other IB teachers, I am in WeChat groups for my subject area and Facebook groups for resource sharing. My school offers Tech Bytes afternoon workshops during the school year to have more face-to-face communication while exploring emerging technology. This year, It has focused solely on AI and is working towards creating an AI policy.

Tara Winstead at Pexels

Within my classroom, I like to ensure that there are scannable QR codes for station activities, Magic School AI for students, Google Docs for collaborative work, and Canva for presentations. My students have been happier with my switch to Canva for PPTs because my old stuff was ugly and needed a “glow-up.” My students all use Mac computers, iPads, and cell phones in the classroom. There is no discouragement when it comes to using tech. Most international school students respect the tech rules, especially in tech-forward schools.

Anywho, if you want to do impromptu AI PD, feel free to leave a comment. I would love to chat.