Give a student a 20-problem math
worksheet, a pencil, and a calculator,
and she’ll develop a case of narcolepsy
before your eyes. Give her a real-world
scenario that requires application of
the same skills, team her with a peer or
two, ask them to use their tech toolkit
to solve the problem, and you’ll witness
the electricity of a ROLE. Even elementary students can shoot videos of problem-solving activities using a mobile
device. Then they can share the videos
on an Edmodo class site; a blog; an
online post-it wall, such as Padlet; or a
virtual reality app, such as Aurasma.
The key to success in this progressive
workshop setting is providing a choice
of web tools and devices that students
can use to demonstrate mastery without
the teacher’s vision of the work product
getting in the way.
If 25 students have to complete the
same worksheet, they rarely see value
in this kind of activity. When a ROLE
teacher says, “Choose a topic, create
an argument, and persuade the class
that you are right,” students are immediately engaged, because they’ve been
given the autonomy that is so critical
to learning.
Teachers become facilitators who
offer mini-lessons on controlling
arguments, persuasive hooks, types
of appeal, and a call to action. When
students learn they can present their
arguments using any web tool, en-
gagement turns to excitement. Some
might create brief movies with Ani-
moto, while others debate their topic
using the web-based discussion board
Today’sMeet. SlideRocket, Glogster,
Presenter, Voice Thread, Instagram,
and even Facebook are all possibilities
for this kind of project.
Teaching in this environment looks
different from the traditional classroom. A mini-lesson might consist
of a series of brief videos on various
types of persuasion. A discussion
ensues on a message board or blog,
where students can master the concepts with each other as the teacher
chimes in when necessary. As the
project work progresses, the teacher
becomes more of a coach, circulating,
answering questions about topics and
persuasion techniques, and helping
students apply each concept to a web
tool or social media platform. This is
digital age learning, and it’s truly awe
inspiring.
A New Kind of Evaluation
The cornerstone of the ROLE is the
use of remarkably powerful narrative
feedback. Web tools provide a virtual
environment for this two-way com-
Teachers become facilitators who offer mini-lessons on controlling
arguments, persuasive hooks, types of appeal, and a call to action.
