Reflections

How do you describe an experience that changes your life....challenges you to do more....and gives your father a second chance? As we walked to the ATM one day I looked at my husband and said, “Can you believe this is our life right now?” I made a weekly blog (http://www.nancypenchev.com/venturing-to-vietnam) for my family, friends, and students to keep up with my experience and so they could be as much a part of this journey as possible. As I have come back to Miami and started back in my classroom I have shared pictures and stories of my experience with my students and they have loved hearing all the excitement and even challenges that I faced.

My inquiry topic was to delve into how schools in Vietnam are integrating instructional technology into the classroom in effective ways. I hoped to find how teachers are safely and effectively using technology to increase student autonomy and create more engaging lessons. I hoped to learn about the procedures teachers have put into place concerning the rules and responsibilities of technology use, what specific tools they are using, and also what challenges they have faced. I was looking to visit classrooms and speak with teachers in K-12 classrooms to compare and contrast the use of technology in all grade levels.

My home base for my research study was Sky-Line Schools. Sky-Line served as my host school in DaNang, Vietnam. Students at Sky-Line are preschool to 12th grade. They have five locations around DaNang and Hoi An. I visited each school and observed classes from various age levels, subjects, and languages. Students have classes in both English and Vietnamese, with Cambridge Curriculum as well as traditional Vietnamese curriculum. Skyline has robotics programs, swim programs, and various clubs students can choose to participate in.

My inquiry topic was to delve into how schools in Vietnam are integrating instructional technology into the classroom in effective ways. I hoped to find how teachers are safely and effectively using technology to increase student autonomy and create more engaging lessons. I hoped to learn about the procedures teachers have put into place concerning the rules and responsibilities of technology use, what specific tools they are using, and also what challenges they have faced with the integration of technology. I hoped to make a place for teachers in Vietnam, America, and across the globe to share their lesson plans and technology integration ideas.

I selected Vietnam as the focus of my study for two reasons, one was the research I did showed technology was being implemented in schools throughout Vietnam in exciting ways. There are many edtech companies based in Vietnam that contribute to integration and opportunities. The second reason I selected Vietnam was a personal mission of mine. My father had been in Vietnam during the Vietnam American war and I have always wanted to go to Vietnam with my father and create a positive memory with him. He has Alzheimers and can no longer travel, so he could not physically be with me but we video chatted every other day and he got to see the changes and amazingness of Vietnam with me.

My research framework is the SAMR model of technology integration, which was created by Dr. Ruben Puentedura (SAMR Model: A Practical Guide for K-12 Classroom Technology Integration 2021). . Each level describes how technology can be effectively used in the classroom for instruction. I adopted the mindset that one level of SAMR Is not better or worse than the others, it is more what is appropriate for the age level, type of lesson, and level of engagement needed for the lesson objective to be accomplished. S refers to the substitution level in which technology simply takes the place of traditional methods of instruction, for example a textbook being displayed with a projector. The technology is minimal, but it could be all that is needed for that lesson. A is for Augmentation in which technology doesn;t drastically affect the lesson, but it does increase engagement. This could be using a movie to engage students in the information being taught. The M level is for Modification which changes the lesson and adopts collaboration. This could be an interactive science experiment where students perform online actions together to achieve a desired result. Finally there is the Redefinition level in which lessons are completely changed and taught in ways not previously able to be achieved. An example of this level of technology integration could be virtual field trips, like diving to coral reefs for students located in the central United States.

For my in-country research, I visited classrooms at different schools in Vietnam to observe lessons and evaluate lessons according to the SAMR model of technology integration. My school base Sky-Line Global campus is part of Sky-Line Schools, which has 5 schools located around DaNang, Vietnam. I visited all campuses and spent time in classrooms and with teachers at each campus. I was able to sit in on classes from Kindergarten through high school classes. Through Skyline and my advisor, connections made through social media, and help from the US Embassy and Fulbright staff, I also visited other schools and teachers throughout Vietnam. During my observations I kept a written log of what was happening in the classroom, what teachers were doing, how students were reacting to lessons, and afterward wrote up my reflections of the classroom time. I compared the activities from the observations to the SAMR model in order to determine what level of technology integration was occurring. Through Sky-Line and my advisor, connections made through Social Media, and help from the US Embassy and Fulbright staff, I also visited other schools and teachers throughout Vietnam. These schools included the Canadian International School (Saigon), Hanoi Westminster School (Hanoi), Nature School (Pleiku), and Happy Day School (Pleiku).

I was very pleased overall with my observations in Vietnam because the integration of technology showed thoughtful and appropriate tech use. Teachers did not add technology where it was not needed, and the tools they used with students were well integrated and the student presentations, discussions, and class performance showed engagement and proved the technology integration was successful in aiding students' understanding of the topic. From high school teachers having students create and present their learning to a Kindergarten class playing an online game utilizing personal dry erase boards rather than each student having a device, technology was employed in grade level and SAMR appropriate ways.

My product for this project is a website called Thoughtful Teacher Tech (https://www.thoughtfulteachertech.org). The website has sections with information that explains the SAMR model, shares images that give further details, and provides readers with additional learning opportunities for delving into the SAMR model. Additionally, I have included my research on Vietnam and the classroom observations I did while in the country. Each lesson observation is labeled with what level of SAMR is occurring during the different steps of the lesson. These observation labels are there to encourage teachers to be reflective in their planning and teaching. By having examples of activities labeled with SAMR identifiers, teachers can better visualize what each level means and how they can begin labeling their own lessons.

The website actually has a dual purpose. The first is to provide a vehicle to share my experience, research, and observations, while the second is to provide a platform for teachers to share ideas, tools, and lesson plans that promote thoughtful technology integration. The platform for teachers is not just for teachers in the US and Vietnam, it is for a global audience. My overarching professional goal is to give teachers a place to learn and grow in the area of educational technology. By opening this portion of the website, I am encouraging discussion, reflection, and growth. In order to meet my goal of creating a place where teachers around the world could share their lesson ideas and favorite technology tools, I created Flip topics (https://flip.com/ee780e69) and embedded them in my website. Flip is a Microsoft tool that allows videos to be created and shared in the online community. I have created topics in the Flip group for teachers to leave videos about types of technology tools teachers use in classrooms, like coding tools, tools for sharing work, gamification, and more.

I opened the Flip and announced the idea in late November 2022. As of January 14, 2023, 108 teachers from the US, India, Vietnam, Japan, and more have joined the Flip community on my website with over 16 hours of discussion. Because there are teachers uncomfortable with the idea of creating a video, in January 2023 I added a Padlet (https://scheck.padlet.org/penchev/ttt) for teachers to post tech tools, ideas, and lesson plans. Padlet allows you to post links, pictures, and more, like an online bulletin board. As this part is new there is not much traffic there as of yet.

I have shared the links to the website and Flip through my social media (https://twitter.com/Penchevable and https://www.instagram.com/penchevable/) and will continue to promote the website and community through my social media, conference presentations, and meet ups with teachers. I plan to start sharing the Padlet in the coming weeks in order to drive more traffic to that resource. My plan is to continue to grow this community of sharing and learning for years to come through conference sessions, professional development presentations, social media, and personal connections with teachers and schools. I have a scheduled poster session at the International Society for Technology in Educational on June 26 and will continue to propose topics about Fulbright and Thoughtful Teacher Tech at the Future of Educational Technology Conference, Nearpod Camp Engage, Upstate Technology Conference, and other upcoming conferences.

Reflection on Fulbright DA Experience

My favorite times involved challenges, students, and water buffalo. Vietnamese is a hard language because it is not just the words, it is the tone in which you say it. For example, the word ma can mean 5 different things depending on how you say it. Communicating was therefore a challenge, but Google translate was very helpful. A not favorite moment that taught me I can work my way through anything was about 3 weeks in. I had used all of my data on my phone plan and hadn’t had time to get a SIM card. I headed to school and used my apartment wifi to connect to Grab (Uber-like app) and call a car. The driver started toward the city, but was not taking me to the correct school. He was taking me to the City school and I needed to go to Global campus. I couldn’t use Google translate to communicate and couldn’t tell him the problem. I finally got him to pull over and let me use his phone to look up Sky-Line and show him the correct school. I was stressed and nervous, but we finally arrived at the correct school and everything worked out. That afternoon we went to get a SIM card and phone plan for Vietnam so I wouldn’t have to face this challenge again.

I loved spending time in classrooms observing students and watching them make connections from the subject matter to their lives. My favorite classes were STEM classes that were all taught in Vietnamese. I did not understand the instructions, questions, and group talk but I understood everything they were doing, because it is what and how I teach as well. Students were in charge of the learning and led each other in the creating, testing, reworking, and celebrating each success.

One of my dad’s strongest memories of his time in Vietnam was watching as they plowed the rice paddies with water buffalo. He came from a small farm in South Carolina, so this was one of his connections to home. Each time we saw a water buffalo, either real or on a magnet, shirt, or artwork, we thought of him…and ended up buying almost all of the memorabilia. Not economical, but giving them to him and telling him about feeding the water buffalo and my husband plowing a field with a water buffalo was that connection I wanted to build through this trip.

While spending time with Sky-Line, I was able to discuss their curriculum and process for teaching. One of their challenges in the STEM program was getting kids to buy in and want to complete the activities. I shared one of my successes was to relate what kids are learning to the real world. I taught a model lesson in Science on the water cycle in 5th grade and then did a STEM lesson the next day where we continued our water discussion and moved to the problem of flooding, which is a big problem in the community of DaNang and in my home in South Florida. We looked at floods that had recently happened in both communities and viewed images of the floods. We looked at ways other communities have solved flooding problems with dams, levees,and floodwalls. Students then used different materials like sand, sticks, cotton, and styrofoam to build wall models. We tested the walls by pouring in water and watching the results. By connecting what is happening in their lives to their learning, kids were more interested in the solutions and took on a larger role in the learning.

During one of my school visits with Sky-Line, I met with Tony Cao, the head of STEM. He shared the amazing programs they participate in with robotics, their research and presentations, and the curriculum they use from Arizona State University. He shared some of the challenges they face with getting kids to stay engaged in the long term projects, like First Lego League. I face similar struggles and we brainstormed ways that we both could build student engagements and stamina in continuing projects. We discussed my curriculum for STEM and how my classroom is student-centered and student-led. He loved the ideas of life moments and began to look for ideas in their curriculum to build those personal learning connections.

One of the unintended themes of my trip was making and growing connections within my Personal Learning Network. I am a member of the Global Maker Day committee, in which we plan and hold a day of learning with students and teachers around the world. Students share how they build and make their learning visible and encourage others to begin building as well. I was able to continue work with the committee this year and helped host the day's activities while in Vietnam. A Fulbright alumni in Vietnam let me know about a conference happening in Singapore during my time in-country. I was able to get permission to attend EduTech Asia and attended seminars and workshops on technology tools, STEM programs, and panel discussions on successful implementations. I was able to meet in person with a Twitter friend from India who I have had many discussions with in the last few years. Her daughter is a frequent presenter at Global Maker Day and other conferences. I spoke about my Fulbright journey with different vendors and attendees and reached out to all of the Vietnam presenters to let them know about my project and to see if we could collaborate in the future.

While in Hanoi I was able to connect with professors from the Hanoi University of Science, thanks to the Fulbright staff at the US Embassy. I was invited to speak with students, teachers, and STEM stakeholders about STEM education. I shared how I plan for STEM, how I make connections to students' lives and help build their passions, and some examples of lessons and projects my students have created. We had a question and answer time where they shared challenges of time and curriculum requirements and we brainstormed ways to be creative and innovative inside the constraints placed on them. One of the attendees has suggested our classes connect for STEM without Walls, an informal program she began in the last few years to connect her classroom with others across the world. We will connect our students to learn and grow together, which I am very excited about. I also connected with STEM conference coordinators who want to continue our learning and possibly have me give a keynote at their next program. I am thrilled about these connections and can not wait to continue learning and growing through these Vietnamese opportunities.

Making these connections has encouraged me to look for more ways to get my students involved in the global community. We have completed projects that affect local issues, like water pollution, litter, and helping with food drives for our local community, but after this experience I have a drive to get them involved outside their community. Our school has a sister community in Israel, many of my students have friends and family in South America, but they do not have as much experience outside of their world. My first step is Geography Fridays where we are sharing facts about other countries and making connections to our world. We will look at fairy tales, folktales, myths, and legends that have common tales around the world. We will look for ways we are alike and different and try to find ‘penpals’ around the world.

This has been an amazing experience for me, my husband, and our family. We would never have had an opportunity to live full time for three months in Vietnam, without Fulbright. Professionally, I would have never had the time to visit other schools, spend hours a day immersed in researching my passion of educational technology, or spend time creating the website and community space for teachers to talk and share. After 25 years of teaching, I was burned out and didn’t know if I had another school year in me. This experience has reinvigorated me and given me back my passion for teaching and helping other teachers develop professionally. The doors this has opened through my trip and through people hearing about it and reaching out to me, has been exhilarating and exactly what I needed to get my mind and spirit back to my passion for education. I will be forever grateful for this opportunity. I have also begun to look at my own lessons and labeling them on the SAMR model scale. I am trying to cut the excess and not needed technology and focus on what tools, programs, and activities are most effective for the lesson and my students.