A RAT, a Dot, and a Dash

         As a literacy instructional coach at a 5K-6^th grade school, I am constantly on the lookout for ways to engage students while keeping the rigor and integrity of our curriculum standards. After teaching ELA in 6^th and 8^th grade for many years, I understand the stress of meeting standards on state testing. The best way to ensure great test scores is to have a classroom environment that is engaging to every learner while teaching your subject standards. Technology offers us wonderful opportunities to extend our teaching by allowing students to inquire, integrate, communicate, and create in ways they haven’t before. Not to mention, technology is a large part of our world today. If we are preparing students to be college and career ready global citizens, then technology in the classroom is something to be embraced. Easier said than done. 😬

          Technology has changed in so many ways, it can be intimidating. As teachers, how can we make sure we are teaching to the standards when implementing new tech? Not all tech is created equal. This is where a technology integration model comes in - one that is specifically targeted at those in education. One model that is easy for those of us in the education field to understand is the RAT Model, which was developed by Dr. Joan Hughes. “The model leads you to understand if digital technology is functioning as replacement, amplification, or transformation in educational practice” (Hughes 2010). In education, we know all about acronyms to help us remember new initiatives and concepts. RAT is easy to remember and easy to interpret. The graphic below was featured on the blog, Instructional Design by Kelly 21^st Century Learning Examples, Ideas, and Discussion (2016). It gives an easy visual of how the R.A.T. Model works.

                                    Instructional Design by Kelly 21^st Century Learning Examples, Ideas, and Discussion (2016)

          It is important to note, as with all things in education, this is not a cut and dry model. Sometimes tech and implementation in the classroom may touch on one or more levels. Many factors determine exactly how teachers implement tech in their classrooms. This goes beyond the classroom and reflects on the school and the school district. What is being provided in terms of tech and in terms of professional development? Example: I have 3 Google Classrooms for 3 different grades that I currently work with for our school Genius Hour. Using Google Classroom with the students I interact with every single day for Genius Hour enhances and engages all of us through multiple facets. However, I have been trained in using it, have received multiple follow up PDs, and have an onsite Google trained tech coach. I get a lot of support. How I may rate Google Classroom using the R.A.T. Model is going to be different than a teacher who has it, but without the external supports. To truly try out the R.A.T. Model without any preconceived bias or experience, I selected a piece of tech our librarian has that teachers are allowed to borrow to use with students. I needed something I had never done before- enter Dot and Dash. The thought of working with these robots to implement coding was terrifying. According to Hughes, “To assess a technology’s contribution, one considers an instance of technology use and assesses is systematically in terms of three broad themes: instructional methods, student learning process, and curriculum goals” (2010). These dimensions are fluid and are not a checklist. I found the thematic dimensions a great starting point to dig deeper into the technology I was targeting. The dimensions helped me wrap my head around what I wanted from Dot and Dash, while keeping the focus on instructional practice. I used the RAT Question Guide provided by Hughes on her site to assess where Dot and Dash would take me and my students.

          I had a lot to learn about Dot and Dash. There are numerous websites, links, videos, and some poor lesson plans floating around on the web. After viewing, reading, and sifting through them, I found one teacher video via the Makerspace for Education site that was posted by Unbox and Learn from Edmonton Catholic Schools on YouTube that explains the concept of Dot and Dash in an easy to follow way for a beginner (2015).  I also joined the Wonder Workshop Portal, which is run by the company that created Dot and Dash. If you are going to use or purchase Dot and Dash, joining is a must. The site is easy to navigate, and most importantly for a teacher, you can see lessons that include the standards to use for your own class or get your creative juices flowing. I loved the student challenges on Makerspace for Education. I highly recommend checking it out if you may be interested in using Dot and Dash.

                                           Unbox+Learn, Dash & Dot Robot https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_MbX77wDGI&feature=youtu.be 2016

          With Hughes’ RAT Question Guide in hand, I examined Dot and Dash. It is important to note that in the beginning, as a former ELA teacher and a current literacy instructional coach, I regretted my tech choice. Dot and Dash seemed more STEAM and coding oriented and at the end of the day, I am all about making sure student have learned and can apply their ELA standards. However, once I dug deeper and found valid lesson plans, ideas, and credible resources, I changed my mind. One of the cross-curricular lessons I explored through my Wonder Workshop Portal was Dash’s World Adventure by Terri Eichholz. In the screen shots below, you can see the progression of depth and integration of standards across curriculums that are being applied. Teachers are varying instruction, teaching and applying curriculum goals, while having the student completely engaged in the learning activity.

          Wonder Workshop Portal: lesson Dash’s World Adventure by Terri Eichholz retrieved from  https://www.makewonder.com/ 2019

          As a teacher new to Dot and Dash, who is trying to figure it out via my own inquiry, I would say that replacement and amplification take place. I am taking standards and instructional practice, presenting it in a new digital form that increases student productivity and engagement. While it would be nice to say it’s transformative, based on the lessons I viewed and for my personal use as a teacher, I am on the fence. If I were to use Dot and Dash frequently, then I would be involving ITSE Standards more within teaching ELA Standards. With cross-curricular lessons, I would be involving more teachers, which could be transformative within the curriculum on a school level. Which leads to a valid point made by Blanchard, LePrevost, Tolin, Gutierrez “what is transformative for one teacher may only be amplification for another” (2016). Based on using the RAT Model to see if Dot and Dash would be useful tech in a school environment, I found it mainly useful for an elementary school setting. It can be used in science, math, social studies, science, and ELA. Using these core courses as means to teach inquiry, problem solving, cooperation, and technology standards to students is wonderful. “A large body of research supports a connection between increased student academic growth and student-centered learning activities such as collaborative information gathering, realistic problem solving, and use of technology to explore and create new representations of knowledge (Green 2014). Dot and Dash, according to the RATS Model, has many pedagogical functions that would benefit teachers and students. This module activity has led me to another question to explore: Does the RAT Model rely mainly on teachers receiving support/training on a piece of chosen tech?     

References

Blanchard, M., LePrevost, C., Tolin, A., & Gutierrez, K. (2016). Investigating Technology-Enhanced Teacher Professional Development in Rural, High-Poverty Middle Schools - Margaret R. Blanchard, Catherine E. LePrevost, A. Dell Tolin, Kristie S. Gutierrez, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2019, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.3102/0013189x16644602

Dash and Dot. (n.d.). Retrieved September 26, 2019, from http://www.makerspaceforeducation.com/dash-and-dot.html 

ECSD, E. (2015, June 23). Unbox+Learn, Dash & Dot Robot. Retrieved September 26, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_MbX77wDGI&feature=youtu.be

Green, L. S. (2014). Through the Looking Glass: Examining Technology Integration in School Librarianship. Knowledge Quest, 43(1), september/october, 36-43.

Hughes, J. (2016, June 24). R.A.T. Model. Retrieved September 20, 2019, from https://techedges.org/r-a-t-model/

ISTE Standards for Educators. (2019). Retrieved September 23, 2019, from https://www.iste.org/standards/for-educators

Kelly. (2016, March 01). The RAT Model. Retrieved September 25, 2019, from https://instructionaldesignbykelly.wordpress.com/2016/03/01/the-rat-model/

Wonder Workshop: Home of Dash, Cue, and Dot – award-winning robots that help kids learn to code. (2019). Retrieved September 24, 2019, from https://www.makewonder.com/