EDUC-5313-W1 Week 1 Post

Hello! My name is Anna Speichinger, and I am a current middle school math teacher, just outside of Austin, TX. I have been teaching math for 3 years, but have just been hired to teach theatre arts at a new middle school. I am wildly excited! I’m very happy just teaching, I do not have goals to move into administration, curriculum design, or instructional support at the moment (but who knows what the future will bring!). I’d like to learn how to engage my students with the technology that they are used to while still teaching them how to appreciate activities that are not tech-based.

While reviewing the Texas TEKS for middle school and cross-referencing them with ISTE standards, I was thinking about how much fun it would be for the students to be able to research historical characters and present factual information about when and where they existed as a product of current-day social media. The educational standards I chose are as follows (Texas Education Agency, 2023):

Texas TEKS §117.212.

(4) Historical and cultural relevance. The student relates theatre to history, society, and culture. The student is expected to: (A) demonstrate knowledge of theatre as a reflection of life in particular times, places, and cultures; (B) explore the relevance and influence of theatre heritage and dramatic texts on the student's daily life; and (C) explore the roles of theatre, film, television, and electronic media such as key developments, figures, and works on American society.

I also chose the following ISTE standard (ISTE, 2024)

ISTE Standard 1.6.a Choose Platforms or Tools: Students choose the appropriate platforms and digital tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.


The easiest example for this would be to use Shakespeare’s Hamlet. This play took place in Denmark, during the Middle Ages. Students could research life in Denmark during this time, particularly for royalty. They could then create a social media channel for Hamlet which would educate the other students on Hamlet and what life would have been like for him. They could create videos that are styled like YouTube videos, they could create posts similar to Instagram posts with just one picture and captions, they could create a blog for him to use like a diary. Throughout this, I could also weave in ISTE Standard 1.2, Digital Citizen, helping the students to understand safe use of social media and the internet.

After reading Kolb's Triple E Framework for Technology Integration (Kolb, 2020), I realized how very purposeful I must be when integrating technology into the classroom. In my first years as a math teacher, much of the technology that I was asked to use was “drill and kill”-based, which is warned against by Kolb. Some of the systems had more intuitive, adaptive feedback for learning, with instruction woven in, but many did not. As I look at the “3 E’s”, the one part I am really missing out on as an educator is the Engagement portion, and I’ve noticed recently that adding purposeful technology opportunities that also enhance and extend student learning definitely also increases student engagement. Also, giving them choices of how they want to present their findings also adds in a 4th E that I personally am striving for my students to gain, which is empowerment. My students are so passive about their education right now, I want them to feel empowered and in control. I’m excited to start adding in technology tools to help enhance my student’s experiences in my classroom.


    References

International Society for Technology in Education. (2024). ISTE standards: For students. ISTE. https://iste.org/standards/students

Kolb, L. (2020, December 9). About - Triple E Framework. Triple E Framework. https://www.tripleeframework.com/

Texas Education Agency. (2023, June 13). Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. Tea.texas.gov. https://tea.texas.gov/academics/curriculum-standards/teks-review/texas-essential-knowledge-and-skills

Comments

  1. Amy DelaneyMay 13, 2025 at 5:57 AM

    Hi Anna! I love to see someone else who moved from a different position in theater arts! Same for me! I was the district OT for 14 years before taking on the newly created position of middle school drama teacher. I am so looking forward to talking with you more about middle school theater, curriculum, etc.! I love the idea of taking historical figures in drama and literature and putting a modern day spin on it with social media. It brings relevance to the students and helps bridge gaps in understanding for them. Your activity will bring Shakespeare into a more modern light for the students and deepen their understanding and learning of his work. I love how you used "drill and kill" in your analysis of Kolb's Triple E and how important it is for our students to feel empowered in their education. Well done!

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  2. EDUC 5243May 13, 2025 at 8:44 AM

    Hi Anna. When I first saw your blog, you lost me at math but grabbed me back at Shakespeare. :) I taught high school English for 15 years so this intrigued me how you could transition between the two. Hamlet, what a great vessel for this standard. From someone who has studied and taught Hamlet, I love this approach. I have seen a similar assignment like this used (year ago, have you) where it was a newspaper article, but with the changing and modern times, I feel a social media account would be much more relevant and applicable to the kids of today. I love this and feel the kids would be able to tie this into their modern lives.

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