TEACHING THEATRE WITH TECHNOLOGY?
Yes, it can be done! Drama Education with Digital Technology states, “Drama educators are uniquely placed to offer the possibility of engaging students in culturally framed exploration using technology to create exciting new learning,…” (2009, p.2) I have been stubborn integrating technology in the theatre classroom because I strongly believe that theatre is an art form that provides our society with a moment away from our screens and partake in social interactions. Although, as technology advances, many theatrical elements and tools revolve around the usage of technology. I would be providing a disservice for my students if I did not integrate technology in the classroom. Therefore, I strive to integrate technology purposefully in the classroom instead of passively with a balanced digital classroom. I will achieve this goal by using technology to engage and provide a diverse learning environment for students.
When integrating technology in the classroom I will create a balanced digital classroom by using the PICRAT matrix developed by Royce Kimmons which stated in Teaching with Digital Tools and Apps, “The PICRAT matrix is a grid that displays the intersection between teacher use of technology and students use of technology” (Trust, T., 2020, PICRAT Model). This model allows for the teacher to evaluate the technology being used in the classroom and if it is being used to replace, amplify, or transform the traditional practices. In addition, the teacher also evaluates the students’ relationship to the technology being used and if it is passive, interactive, or creative. Kimmons states “‘… teachers need to be encouraged to evolve their practice to continually move from the bottom left (PR [Passive Replaces]) to the top-right (CT [Creative Transforms]) of the grid’” (Trust, T., 2020, PICRAT Model). In the classroom, I will integrate this model by using interactive presentations to amplify presenting a new topic such as as PearDeck, a Google Slides add on, to provide students with interactive questions that appear throughout the presentation which will help them check for understanding and engage in the lesson besides traditional note taking. In addition, PearDeck is an example of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) by providing students with multiple means of engagement which is “how they are challenged, excited, or interested” (The K-12 Educational Technology Handbook, UDL foundation in neuro and cognitive science, 2020) in their learning. Lastly, I will incorporate the PICRAT model by using websites and apps such as Sketchpad for costume renderings, iMovie for stage composition, and Matt Kizer’s Virtual Labs for lighting to be able to give students a place to create and express themselves in transformative ways digitally. I will create a balanced digital classroom by having assignments that vary in completion. Some assignments will be completed on paper, via digital submission, or giving students a choice on how they would prefer to submit an assignment based on their student learning preferences. In creating a balanced digital classroom, I provide multiple means of action and expression “how learners plan or perform their task” (The K-12 Educational Technology Handbook, UDL foundation in neuro and cognitive science, 2020) by varying how assignments are submitted so that they are working on assignments that are based on their preferences, but also trying new forms of expression. Using the UDL guidelines for representation “how learners gather facts and categorize what they see, hear, feel, and read” (The K-12 Educational Technology Handbook, UDL foundation in neuro and cognitive science, 2020), I will be able to ensure that I am providing students with the means to understand in the classroom. The program Screencast-O-Mastic allows me to put closed captions on videos which would be beneficial to use when creating how-to videos for programs that students can access to work on assignments at home. The program provides them with visual and auditory means of receiving information.
Lastly, integrating technology in the classroom gives teachers more opportunities for providing differentiation in the classroom with student choice. In Katie Novak’s UDL Now!: A Teacher’s Guide to Applying Universal Design for Learning in Today’s Classrooms she states in her chapter on choice assignments, “The thing is that students want to be engaged, but they need to be excited to learn. When they have choice, they feel empowered and they want to own their assignment” (2016, p. 113-139). As I have discovered, students will defend what they help to create. I strongly believe that giving students choices in the classroom with assignments, choice boards, and project based learning that is relevant to students and the content that we are covering in class gives them more joy and ownership of their work.
Throughout my career, the more that students become “digital natives” the more that I will continue to learn new strategies and methods to purposefully integrate technology in the theatre classroom to be able to engage students in their learning and create a balanced digital classroom.
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References
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Anderson, M., Cameron, D., & Carroll, J. (2009). Drama education with digital technology. Continuum.
Novak, K. (2016). UDL Now!: A teacher’s guide to applying universal design for learning in today’s classrooms (1st ed.). CAST, Inc.
Ottenbreit-Leftwich, A. & Kimmons, R. (2020). The K-12 Educational Technology Handbook (1st ed.). EdTech Books. https://edtechbooks.org/k12handbook
Trust, T. (2020). Teaching with Digital Tools and Apps (1st ed.). EdTech Books. https://edtechbooks.org/digitaltoolsapps