Education Productivity (Implications of On-Line Learning)
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/os/technology/implications-online-learning.pdf
Thursday, January 31, 2013
"The Public's Agenda for Public Education" Conference (Review: Lansing Center, Tuesday, January 29, 2013 7:30AM / The Center for Michigan / TWO of FIVE HUNDRED Attendees)
Talent & Education— 29 January 2013
MAKING HIS CASE: Sen. Roger Kahn (far left) discusses the need to vastly increase funding for early childhood programs during a panel at the Center for Michigan’s “Future of Education” summit in Lansing Tuesday. “If the governor’s budget falls short, I’ll push for $140 million,” Kahn said. (Bridge photo/Lon Horwedel)
By Nancy Derringer/Bridge Magazine
Oakland Schools Superintendent Vickie Markavitch and gubernatorial adviser Bill Rustem sat next to one another at a panel to discuss education issues Tuesday, but their views on education reform are still far apart – a distance that could play out in upcoming debates at the State Capitol over school legislation.
A testy exchange over the Educational Achievement Authority district in Detroit at “The Future of Education” summit sponsored by the Center for Michigan illustrated the different viewpoints held by Michigan’s education establishment and the policy-makers who would revamp its operations.
The summit, attended by nearly 500, was held to analyze the findings of the Center’s new report, “The Public’s Agenda for Public Education,” which presented the results of a year-long community engagement effort.
Rustem had just finished detailing the state’s efforts to help 15 “consistently low-achieving” schools in the Detroit Public Schools via the EAA, an interlocal agreement between Eastern Michigan University and the DPS. Those 15 had been “on the lowest-performing list for a decade,” and the strategy to help them improve was clear and open, based on a model adopted in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina disrupted the city.
“Those who argue this is a conspiracy to take over public schools aren’t telling the truth,” Rustem said. “Tell me an alternative, and we’ll deal with it. We can continue to write those kids off, or we can do something about it.”
Markavitch agreed Michigan residents “have to do something about the worst schools. But I don’t know if the EAA is the model that will work.”
From there, the two points of view, between educators and reformers, continued to assert themselves, and diverge.
Markavitch and John Austin, president of the state Board of Education, spoke in favor of better funding, more support and a careful approach to increasing school choice. Rustem, along with Lansing attorney Peter Ruddell and Jamey Fitzpatrick, president of Michigan Virtual University, advocated for reforms debated in the Legislature last year and which are expected to come up again soon.
The EAA bill died in last year’s lame-duck legislative session. Rustem complained that even with clear-cut goals and a top limit of 50 schools in the EAA district, it still faced opposition from educational interests. Markavitch countered that the original bill was far more wide-reaching when it was introduced, and the pushback was to be expected.
What’s next
The Center for Michigan is hosting another summit, this one in Kalamazoo on Feb. 7. For more details and to reserve a space at the free event, click here.
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“The EAA should not be controversial,” said Austin. “My hopes are that it will work.”
After that early skirmish, the two sides moved on to the idea of increasing school choice, with Fitzpatrick and Ruddell advocating new funding models and more places for students to spend their per-pupil dollars, while Markavitch and Austin pleaded for a go-slow approach.
“Public education is changing and will continue to change at a very rapid pace,” said Fitzpatrick. “Would we be proactive or reactive?”
Ruddell made the same argument in favor of unbundling school funding to meet Gov. Rick Snyder’s policy guidance that education be “any time, any place, any way, any pace.”
“How do we change the financing structure to make sure each student gets the best education on their individual path?” Ruddell asked. “Education isn’t a place or a destination, it’s a service. That’s part of the paradigm shift we’re trying to employ.”
Boost to early childhood discussed
Other panels dealt with the need for more early-childhood education and support for teachers, two areas receiving strong support from participants in more than 250 community meetings held by the Center, along with large-sample polls, which together involved more than 7,500 diverse Michigan residents.
Sen. Roger Kahn, R-Saginaw Township, said he was advocating for at least $130 million in increased funding for the state’s Great Start Readiness Program, preschool classes for children from low- and moderate-income families. Gov. Rick Snyder and House Speaker Jase Bolger also have pledged support for an increase.
Susan Broman, director of the state’s Office of Great Start, said the money would go to free up more preschool slots in individual school districts, as well as other improvements to the program. She said longitudinal studies show that children who go to preschool are more likely to graduate on time and enjoy more academic success in general.
“If I were building a house, would I skimp on the foundation?” she said.
Paul Hillegonds, senior vice president at DTE Energy, echoed the case for early investment in education.
“The reality is, one of the most important investments we can make in the state, in terms of economic development, is early childhood education,” he said. “If we’re going to attract and retain talent, we must make this investment.”
The third panel was on teacher preparation, support and accountability. Deborah Ball, dean of the School of Education at the University of Michigan and chair of the Michigan Council for Educator Effectiveness, said the United States lags behind other countries in how it trains and supports its 3.5 million teachers.
In the U.S., we’ve developed a myth that “the way to learn to teach is figuring it out on your own,” she said. “Imagine if surgeons or airplane pilots learned on their own. And these are our children.”
Staff Writer Nancy Nall Derringer has been a writer, editor and teacher in Metro Detroit for seven years, and was a co-founder and editor of GrossePointeToday.com, an early experiment in hyperlocal journalism. Before that, she worked for 20 years in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where she won numerous state and national awards for her work as a columnist for The News-Sentinel.
Talent & Education— 29 January 2013
SCHOOL INFO: Kathy Ellison, an educator from Midland, reads through “The Public's Agenda For Public Education” report during a statewide forum put on by the Center for Michigan Tuesday in Lansing (Bridge photo/Lon Horwedel)
By bridgemi/Bridge staff
Nearly 500 people convened in Lansing Tuesday to listen to and question education leaders and experts about the findings in the Center for Michigan’s new report, “The Public’s Agenda for Public Education.”
While audience members had plenty of information to chew on from the three panels – on early childhood, teacher preparation and accountability and current issues — convened for the “Future of Education” summit, the discussions spilled over into the audience and hallways, too:
Sen. Roger Kahn, R-Saginaw Township, expressed a dogged determination to get at least $130 million in additional funding for the state’s early childhood program for low- and moderate-income 4-year-olds. The state now spends slightly over $100 million on the Great Start Readiness Program. Nearly 30,000 children who qualify for the program are not in classrooms, partly because the state doesn’t provide enough funding.
Roger Kahn
“If the governor’s budget (to be released Feb. 7) falls short of that, I will advocate for more in the Legislature (where the final version of the state budget will be passed),” Kahn said. “If that falls short, there is the May revenue enhancement. If not then, there are budget supplementals. If we fall short to some degree, we have next year.
“I believe we’re going to get this done,” Kahn said. “It’s long overdue.”
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“We had no idea there was even a program to take her in” – parent Veronica Wolftalking about her family’s experience with the Great Start Readiness Program.
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Susan Broman
“The slot (payment) rate is woefully inadequate. There’s been no increase since 2007 and we are losing GSRP providers because of it” —Susan Broman of the Office of Great Start, discussing where new early childhood dollars could be spent.
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“We’ve known for a very long time that this is the right investment” — Washtenaw Intermediate Superintendent Scott Menzel, referring to early childhood programs.
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A $3 million investment in summer learning helped “several hundred children” not only avoid the dreaded summer loss of academic progress, but helped them actually get ahead in the classroom, said Mary Sutton of the Michigan After-School Partnership during a break in the proceedings. Sutton noted, however, that funding for after-school initiatives is limited: “Michigan, as a whole, gets $35 million,” she said.
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“We need to do an incredible amount on health. Our infant mortality rate is a disgrace” – Susan Broman.
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Nancy Sells of the Lewis Cass Intermediate School District said she liked what she heard during the early childhood presentation, but expressed a measure of frustration:
“In our ISD, we have lots of parents who can’t access services. We have 6-year-olds who have never been in school who have developmental delays. So, I want to know how we are going to implement all this? I want to make this happen. This is all great, but when will it begin.”
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“You don’t help kids by slashing education budgets” — David Hecker of the American Federation of Teachers.
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Deborah Ball
“Medical students don’t start practicing on real bodies” – Deborah Ball, dean of the University of Michigan School of Education, referring to the need to reform teacher training programs.
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Less than half of community conversation and poll participants in the Center for Michigan’s report considered an expansion of online learning to be crucial or important. But to Jamey Fitzpatrick, president of Michigan Virtual University, those numbers were encouraging. “If you asked that five years ago, it would have been in single digits,” Fitzpatrick said. “Last year, one in five college student took an on-line course. It’s going to happen. Are we going to be proactive and get ahead of it?”
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Brit Satchwell
“The ‘F’-word – Finland. We do the opposite of them on everything” – Brit Satchwell, Ann Arbor teacher.
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“Imagine if pilots learned how to fly on their own?” – Deborah Ball, on the prospects for new teachers in the classroom.
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“We have no agreed standard on letting (teachers) ‘fly’ a class of kids” – Deborah Ball.
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“The problem is that people see early childhood as a monolith, all the same. It isn’t” — Michael Van Beek, education policy director of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, responding to the discussion during the early childhood panel.
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Dave Campbell, superintendent of the Livingston Educational Service Agency, ducked out of the presentation room to deal with one of those pesky non-academic matters: the weather.
He was getting reports on bus routes and arrivals during Tuesday’s odd – and dangerous – weather. Campbell reported all in his district made it to class safely.
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Vickie Markavitch
“And it’s not as if the EAA is the only thing being done” — Oakland Schools Superintendent Vickie Markavitch, referring to the debate over the Educational Achievement Authority bill to govern low-performing school buildings.
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We’ve all had day dreams about how we’d spend the money if we win the lottery. Tuesday, Susan Broman, director of the Office of Great Start in the Michigan Department of Education, laid out her wish list for how her office would suggest using an additional $130 million on early childhood education.
Thousands more children would be in classrooms around the state. The per-child allotment would be increased to a level that more close matches the actual cost of the program. The current $3,400 per child is “woefully inadequate,” Broman said. “In some communities, we are losing GSRP providers because they can’t afford to lose money on the program.”
Money would be allocated for an aggressive outreach program to let families know about the program; transportation would be provided for some children; there would be greater collaboration between GSRP and Head Start; and there would be additional community-based non-profits offering GSRP classrooms.
“This gives us the opportunity to challenge communities to think about how we can serve more children,” Broman said.
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“The question that I hear most often is where is the money going to come from? One of the things that we would like to advocate for is some dedicated stream of funding for a couple of reasons. One even if you could find $130 million for this year’s budget, this is not a one-time solution. This is not a one-time fix. It’s an ongoing cost in order to ensure every child in Michigan has an opportunity to be successful when they enter kindergarten so that’s part of it. I think if we reframe our conversation from looking at this as just an early childhood component” —Scott Menzel, superintendent of the Washtenaw Intermediate School District.
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“We want every child to enter kindergarten ready to succeed. And so many are coming to the starting line and they’re 50 or 100 yards back when the gun goes off for kindergarten. Catching up is very difficult. So schools spend a lot of time and energy trying to bring them up to speed. If we invest on the front end and they are ready to succeed when they come in for kindergarten, we save those costs down the road” – Paul Hillegonds, senior vice president for corporate affairs for DTE Energy.
Bridge staffers Nancy Derringer, Ron French, Derek Melot and Bridge journalism fellow Taylor Trammell contributed to this report.
Phil's Column— 31 January 2013
Phil Power is founder and chairman of the Center for Michigan.
By Phil Power/Bridge Magazine
In my experience, there are two basic types of conferences:
* The rehash, where you see/meet new people but don’t learn much new.
* The eye-opener, where you hear something quite new that shoves your thinking in new directions.
Tuesday’s gathering in Lansing, sponsored by the Center for Michigan to consider expert response to the report,“The Public’s Agenda for Public Education”, was one of the latter sort.
Here’s a quick run-down of some comments that forced rethinking on how best to train and evaluate teachers and why increased support for early childhood education programs is so important.
* “We don’t let medical students practice surgery on live patients before they’ve been carefully trained. … Imagine if pilots learned to fly on their own” – Deborah Ball, dean of the University of Michigan’s School of Education and chairwoman of the Michigan Council for Educator Effectiveness.
Ball, whose much-anticipated report on teacher evaluation is due later this spring, is a passionate advocate for much more intensive and much more individualized training for teachers. Schools today are entirely different than they were when most teachers were initially certified: “Classrooms are now half students of color and one quarter do not speak English as their first language,” Ball explained. This requires an enormous change in the ways teachers are trained, yet the work they do is simply essential to the workings of our society, she added.
* “Teacher evaluation is, at heart, a civil rights issue” — Amber Arellano, executive director of the Education Trust-Midwest.
The people who need great teaching the most – poor people, minorities, those at the bottom of the social heap – are the ones who all too often don’t get it, she pointed out. An evaluation system that encourages great teaching and discourages bad teachers is a fundamental way to provide the full rights of citizenship for those most in need of it.
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE COVERAGE
* Sen. Roger Kahn, R-Saginaw Township, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and a powerful force in budget policy decisions, signaled his long-term dedication to sharply increasing state support for early childhood programs.
Last year, Kahn proposed spending $140 million more on the state’s pre-K program for low- and moderate-income four-year-olds, the Great Start Readiness Program. The state now spends a little more than $100 million annually to support GSRP, which leaves 30,000 eligible children out in the cold, for lack of slots.
Kahn promised, “If the governor’s budget (which will be released on Feb. 7) falls short of that, I will advocate for more in the Legislature. If that falls short, there is the May revenue enhancement (which could come if state tax collections increase more than predicted). If not then, there are budget supplementals. If we fall short to some degree, we have next year.”
* “We’ve been talking about early childhood ever since 1972, nearly 40 years,” said Vickie Markavitch, superintendent of Oakland County Schools.
Until this year, we’re not much farther down the road to serious early childhood programs in Michigan.
* Paul Hillegonds, senior vice president for corporate affairs at DTE Energy, pointed to enormous returns gained from investments in early childhood: “We want every child to enter kindergarten ready to succeed. And so many are coming to the starting line and they’re 50 or 100 yards back when the gun goes off for kindergarten. Catching up is very difficult.
“So schools spend a lot of time and energy trying to bring them up to speed. If we invest on the front end and they are ready to succeed when they come in for kindergarten, we save those costs down the road.”
In addition to being thought-expanding, the conference provided an unusual and valuable experience for those used to the standard high-conflict discussions about education in Michigan: An adult conversation, conducted by people who actually know something.
Nearly 500 people attended Tuesday’s conference in Lansing. The 147 current members of the Legislature could have walked just a few hundred yards down Michigan Avenue to the Lansing Center and had many eyes opened.
Editor’s note: Former newspaper publisher and University of Michigan Regent Phil Power is a longtime observer of Michigan politics and economics. He is also the founder and chairman of the Center for Michigan, a nonprofit, bipartisan centrist think–and–do tank, designed to cure Michigan’s dysfunctional political culture; the Center also publishes Bridge Magazine. The opinions expressed here are Power’s own and do not represent the official views of the Center. He welcomes your comments via email.
FeaturedTalent & Education— 31 January 2013
LITTLE RED … KITCHEN TABLE? Allison Ruiz is a full-time teacher at Croswell-Lexington High School, but she often works from her Ft. Gratiot home, while her 2-year-old son Johnathan, does a little work of his own. Ruiz teaches online classes only at Croswell, part of a growing trend in Michigan and elsewhere. (Bridge photo/Lon Horwedel)
By Jo Mathis/Bridge Magazine contributor
Allison Ruiz was attending the Thanksgiving parade in downtown Detroit two months ago when she got a call from a student with a homework question.
Nothing unusual for a teacher whose classes are 100 percent online — and whose students hit the keyboards whenever and wherever the mood strikes.
“I was a little leery about not seeing them in class every day,” said Ruiz, a social studies teacher at Croswell-Lexington High School in the Thumb. “But I think it’s been really successful and the kids are really enjoying it.”
Most Michigan school districts offer some kind of virtual learning opportunities, whether it’s a blend of online/in-class work, or classes offered strictly online. But Croswell-Lexington High School prides itself on expanding education to include real-time, real-world experiences.
Each of the 800 students is issued an iPad, allowing them to Skype with students in Taiwan or click into any corner of the globe with Google Earth.
Soshould every class be restricted to an actual room at a specific time?
Last September, Ruiz became the school’s first full-time teacher whose 120 students are enrolled in classes solely accessed via the Web.
She and three part-time virtual teachers have 175 students enrolled in at least one virtual class, including algebra, introduction to physics, English, civics, U.S. history, economics and world studies.
“Students are wired differently than they were even 20 years ago — they learn differently,” said Principal Theo A. Kerhoulas. “They are multi-taskers and very efficient. Many take advantage of the flexibility of virtual learning. They can learn in small chunks throughout the day, speed through things they know, slow down and repeat things they struggle with, stop and research from multiple sources, and prove their knowledge through multiple media. It’s a game-changer.”
Michigan at forefront on online ed
Michigan was the first state to require online learning as a requirement for high school graduation. The Michigan Merit High School Graduation Requirement in 2006 required all high school students participate in an online course or learning experience.
Since then, four other states – Alabama, Idaho, Florida and Virginia – have adopted similar requirements.
“Teacher-supported online learning provides many students with a flexible and meaningful alternative learning option to earn high school or college credit,” says Mike Flanagan, who was state superintendent of public schools when the requirement was adopted – and who continues in that role today.
 The online debate
A new report from the nonpartisan Center for Michigan on public attitudes on K-12 reforms shows Michigan residents have “mixed and inconsistent” views about expanding online learning opportunities.
Expanded online learning did not receive nearly as much support as other reform concepts, such as expanding early childhood programs, enhancing teacher preparation and imposing greater accountability on educators.
Jamey Fitzpatrick of the Michigan Virtual School said he was still impressed with the numbers, considering that online learning is still so new in Michigan.
Meanwhile, Gov. Rick Snyder wants to expand online learning and says every student who needs or wants up to two hours of daily online education should receive it.
The Legislature is expected to debate revamps of the state’s school code and school financing law to broaden the use of online coursework.
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The benefits of online learning will continue to be debated, said Jamey Fitzpatrick president and CEO of Michigan Virtual University, which, since 2000, has offered 120,000 online courses to middle and high school students in the state.
“But at the end of the day, life as we know it has changed,” he said, noting that last year in the United States, one of every five college students took an online course. “Online learning gives middle and high school students the chance to gain the skill sets they need in higher education and the world of work.”
Fitzpatrick said online learning is particularly beneficial to students in rural communities, such as those served by Croswell-Lexington.
“It’s an incredible equity lever that makes available curricular offerings that historically were only accessible by students in wealthy suburban schools with 3,000 kids,” he said.
Croswell-Lexington Superintendent Kevin D. Miller believes educators need to offer multiple modes of learning to reach students, whether that’s online learning, blended learning, face-to-face, collaborative, or project-based.
“It’s important to meet the learner where he or she is, and provide learning opportunities for all,” he said.
On the first day of class at C-L, Ruiz meets in person with all students to make sure they understand how the class will run, how to log in, etc. After that, they can log on to their classwork anytime, anywhere. If the course is scheduled first or fifth hour, the student can come to school an hour late or leave school an hour early. Some choose to work on a computer in the school library or Wi-Fi hall during that class time, logging on to class discussion boards to connect with other students in the class.
Every student has Ruiz’s cell phone number, so she frequently gets texts and calls.
“So I’m still in contact with the kids; it’s just that I don’t see them every day,” she said. “And any time someone needs to meet with me, I’m happy to do that, too.”
The success of virtual learning comes in many ways, said Principal Kerhoulas, citing GPA, student demand, standardized test scores and graduation rates. But most revealing are the anecdotal stories of a few at-risk students who have earned their diploma due to the virtual program, he said.
One of those recent graduates is Asha Maxfield, 18, the student who called Ruiz on Thanksgiving morning.
“Online classes are definitely a good idea,” said Maxfield, 18, who eagerly chose the option of virtual learning for the two classes she needed to graduate. “You can work at your own pace, and get done what you need to do when it’s convenient for you.”
Allison Ruiz
Maxfield said she appreciated that Ruiz was so available to her.
To Kerhoulas, that proves that virtual learning is not students learning from computers but rather students learning from teachers through computers.
“We should never underestimate the power of the teacher-student relationship, he said. “Even virtually.”
Jo Collins Mathis is a veteran journalist who has written for numerous publications in Washtenaw and Wayne counties. She was an award-winning reporter and columnist with the Ann Arbor News for 15 years, and a features page editor and columnist at the Ypsilanti Press.
Professional Development (Poll: Broadband Instruction)
Reader Poll: How would you describe your experience with professional development that blends in-person training with online delivery of instruction?
Equity in Education Requires Broadband Access (Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere, Any-Pace Education @thespeedoflight)
Published Online: January 29, 2013
Published in Print: January 30, 2013, as Why Equal Internet Access Is an Education Essential
COMMENTARY
Equal Internet Access Is a K-12 Must-Have
The days when spiral notebooks, No. 2 pencils, and a backpack full of textbooks served as the mainstays of the American classroom are rapidly giving way to a new school environment. Interactive whiteboards, online classes, streaming lectures, and digital textbooks are revolutionizing the way students learn and communicate with their teachers. Technology is blurring the brick-and-mortar boundaries of learning in 21st-century schools.
As a result, access to the Internet has become a need-to-have—not just a nice-to-have—when it comes to student success. After all, according to documents the Federal Communications Commission's broadband task force released in 2009
, about 70 percent of teens said the Internet had been their primary source for a recent school project, and at least 65 percent went online at home to complete their homework. Teachers routinely assign homework that requires Internet use to complete, and more than half of American schools expect to adopt e-textbooks in the next two to three years.
, about 70 percent of teens said the Internet had been their primary source for a recent school project, and at least 65 percent went online at home to complete their homework. Teachers routinely assign homework that requires Internet use to complete, and more than half of American schools expect to adopt e-textbooks in the next two to three years.
But with this increased reliance on the Internet as a basic resource in our education system, we can't forget about the infrastructure that makes it all possible. We must ensure that all students—no matter their location or socioeconomic status—have access to affordable, reliable high-speed Internet both in and outside the classroom.
Even if students have reliable Internet access at school, many become digitally disconnected once they leave. This is especially true for those who live in rural or low-income communities, and it makes their homework harder to complete. It's often difficult for students in rural areas to get to their schools, which makes online connections at home all the more important. This lack of access particularly affects minorities. Only 55 percent of African-American and 57 percent of Hispanic households are able to access the Internet at home, and only 50 percent of residents in rural areas have high-speed Internet, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
. Only 55 percent of African-American and 57 percent of Hispanic households are able to access the Internet at home, and only 50 percent of residents in rural areas have high-speed Internet, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Without access to the Internet, students can't take advantage of the numerous innovative tools that have democratized learning, such as high-quality teaching, learning, and research materials that are available for free online. For instance, the nonprofit Khan Academy offers an extensive online library of more than 3,800 free video lessons that have been viewed millions of times and cover topics on everything from math, chemistry, and physics to art history, civics, and economics. Founder Salman Khan has said he created the academy as a way to provide a free world-class education for anyone, anywhere.
In addition to open educational resources, the availability and popularity of distance learning in K-12 education have also taken off in recent years. Currently, 30 states and the District of Columbia offer multidistrict, full-time online schools, which allow students to take courses from any location, including classes that are not available at their schools. Through virtual and self-paced learning, students can also retake courses to raise a grade or even get ahead to graduate early.
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The Florida Virtual School is the country's largest K-12 online school program, now serving more than 148,000 students. In 2011, the Florida legislature passed a mandate that requires high school students to take at least one online course in order to graduate.
While open educational resources, virtual schools, and other innovative tools have transformed education, the simple fact is they can't benefit all students without policies and funding that make these platforms accessible to everyone. As the authors of a recent report from the State Educational Technology Directors Association pointed out, "access to high-speed broadband is now as vital a component of K-12 school infrastructure as electricity, air conditioning, and heating." Clearly, those without access to high-speed Internet at home are at a serious disadvantage in comparison with their connected peers.
There's no silver-bullet solution to the challenges to providing students the best education possible, but there are some concrete steps that we can—and must—take to give all students access to the technology they need to thrive. We need to pay attention to policy decisions such as whether the federally created Universal Service Fund, which has a strong record in providing phone service to rural and low-income communities, will succeed in helping to expand broadband Internet access as well. Implementation on the broadband front is still a work in progress. We also need to help ensure the technology industry will be required to have a truly competitive marketplace that results in more affordable services since this will affect how much access students have to online resources.
For too long, these important debates have been kept in a silo of technologists and communication advocates. But school administrators, policymakers, teachers, nonprofit organizations, and funders who care deeply about the future of education in our country must all engage in these debates and call on the FCC, the Obama administration, and congressional leaders to strongly support and promote technology policies that provide the infrastructure needed for all students to get the leg up they need to graduate from high school, succeed in college, and compete in a digitally driven 21st-century economy.
MI STEM Partnership [St. Clair Hub] (Governance Committee: Design Charrette Conference Call Thursday, February 7, 2013 2:00PM-3:00PM)
All,Please reserve Thursday, February 7th from 2-3 pm for this St Clair Governance committee meeting.An agenda with call-in info, etc will arrive that week.Thanks for all of your responses to the survey!!Karl
Previous survey e-mail: January 24, 2013
Use the Doodle scheduling tool found via the link below.
Thanks.
Digital Learning Day 2013 (TODAY-Webinar January 31, 2013 3:00PM-4:00PM)
Countdown to Digital Learning Day: A Vision for the Path Ahead
Thursday, January 31, 2013
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (ET)
Panelists
Noelle Ellerson, Assistant Director, Policy Analysis and Advocacy, American Association of School Administrators
Jim Kohlmoos, Chief Executive Officer, National Association of State Boards of Education
Bob Wise, President, Alliance for Excellent Education
Noelle Ellerson, Assistant Director, Policy Analysis and Advocacy, American Association of School Administrators
Jim Kohlmoos, Chief Executive Officer, National Association of State Boards of Education
Bob Wise, President, Alliance for Excellent Education
Please join the Alliance for Excellent Education for a webinar on Thursday, January 31 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (ET) that will provide a sneak peak at big announcements that will take place on Digital Learning Day, February 6, 2013. Bob Wise, president of the Alliance and former Governor of West Virginia, will talk about the importance of participating in Digital Learning Day and the forces that will shape the next decade of education. Noelle Ellerson from the American Association of School Administrators will highlight why digital learning is so important for school districts and why every district leader should take heed, and Jim Kohlmoos will talk about the role of state leadership. Panelists will also address questions submitted by viewers from across the country.
Register and submit questions for the webinar at http://media.all4ed.org/
DIGITAL LEARNING DAY! (Reality Check: February 6, 2013)
WANTED: TECH-SAVVY TEACHERS
On February 6, thousands of educators, students, and schools across the country will celebrate Digital Learning Day, an initiative created by Alliance for Excellence in Education to help teachers highlight and share innovative uses of classroom technology. Most educators agree that integrating "technology for technology's sake" is not good practice, but many see transformative potential in new learning tools.
However, a recent report by the National Association of State Boards of Education suggests that many educators are not yet comfortable with integrating digital tools, which may be holding schools back from adopting new instructional approaches.
What kind of successes have you seen with technology in the classroom? What strategies work best to help teachers to share their technological expertise with colleagues? What can school leaders, policymakers, and teacher preparation programs do to increase teachers' familiarity and skills with technology? What other ideas do you have for minimizing the gap between new technologies and classroom teachers?
January 30, 2013
Using Technology to Create Authentic Learning Experiences
Meenoo Rami
In my last post, I wrote about the potential value of education technology and how it can be used to give power and agency to students to tell their own stories. I got a glimpse of this transformation taking place in my class this quarter.
As I contemplated the goals at the beginning of the year, I knew I wanted my students to have authentic experiences as readers and writers. So this quarter, we have worked together to create a teen magazine. Our hope is that this project will inspire other classes to create similar work. (If you like what we've done, please share it widely and leave us a comment—we are eager to hear from you.)
This type of work in some ways is possible because our school, Science Leadership Academy, is a one-to-one laptop school. Having this kind of access to resources in and out of the classroom allowed us to do a number of things necessary to produce this magazine. For this project, we used our laptops and our school's wifi network to find articles to use as mentor texts, Skyped with a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, and looked at excellent work produced by our own SLA Media. Access to technology allowed us to connect to resources we needed so that we could begin our work as budding writers and publishers—work that my students found uniquely engaging and valuable.
What are your thoughts on use of educational technology to give students opportunities to create, publish, and share their work? Do you have examples to share from your schools and communities? I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Thanks!
January 30, 2013
With Classroom Tech, the Answers Are in the Questions
Delonna Halliday
"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer."—Albert Einstein
Teachers are creative, inventive and keen problem-solvers. All most of us need is some encouragement to recognize how those skills transfer into adding technology tools into our classroom. People say I'm "smart" because I can use computers well. Truth is, I mess up a lot. I just don't let it get to me. I use that fabulous Ctrl+z to get myself away from an "oops" so I can try again. The learning is in the trying. And that is a change from the past.
Teachers are no longer seen as the gatekeepers of education. In the past (my past), teachers were the holders of knowledge who imparted their information onto us—the students. Those wise educators in front of us knew the gross GDP of major nations. They could recite the Periodic Table or concisely explain the difference between preterit and imperfect past tense verbs in Spanish. Now? In the past 10 minutes, I have looked up the quote from Einstein, confirmed the correct spelling of "preterit" and had a quick online chat with a friend who wanted information about James M. Barrie.
Teachers are not expected to be perfect. We need to be comfortable with the questions. This is similar to the disequilibrium students experience as they learn a new concept. It is awkward. Most of all, it is humbling. As teachers, we don't need to show students the answers to technology problems, we just need to show them how to work through the challenges. We need to show them we can sit with problems, and use creative thinking to revise, alter, and seek more understanding.
When planning a lesson for any subject, a teacher considers the students' needs, the end goal and then the best tools to propel students to that end goal. Then, the teacher proceeds to walk through the lesson, testing it in his or her mind for all the pitfalls or challenges their class may present. It is the same for technology. Have a backup plan for any lesson with technology just as you would have with any lesson. After all, if technology is just the tool, then what is really the focus? Communication skills? Writing? Presentation?
One of the greatest challenges to using new technology is time. It takes time to plan a quality lesson, and it takes time to then add a layer of technology. I wish curriculum would come with the understanding that technology would be used. Instead of it being an additional component (an online game, for example, that enriches or allows for remediation), the technology used in the lesson should be an embedded, intricate part of the lesson. I know we are all at different stages of technology. But I am thinking of lessons that almost anyone can use. For example, if it is a writing lesson, simply allow access to computers for students. If it is a math lesson, pre-recorded lessons with an online workspace for students would be ideal.
The need for teachers to be super-savvy-tech-rulers isn't as important as allowing students access to the tools. After all, if you are stuck, you have a room full of experts ready to impart their tech-knowledge to you. Stay with those problems longer; ask for help; see where it leads.
Delonna Halliday, a National Board-certified teacher and a member of the Washington New Millennium Initiative team, is a literacy coach at First Creek Middle School in Tacoma, Wash.
January 29, 2013
How to Be an Ed-Tech Evangelist
Ryan Kinser
What does successful collaboration between teachers and ed-tech developers look like? And as the discussions in this forum remind me, what roles must educators play in the face of resistance?
For example, after I signed up for a free teacher account with CodeHS, the company's co-founders Zach Galant and Jeremy Keeshin followed up via email. We talked about how to help each other. I figured they could use some feedback to make their product more beneficial to schools. In return, I gleaned their expertise for my students. We've tested their online coding lessons, grown our skill sets, and collected early feedback to share with the company. But this is only one class. Now what?
How do we replicate experiences like this for more students in districts concerned about digital ethics, allocating dwindling resources, and adhering to new standards?
It's the unabashed willingness to share—the evangelism—that has the potential to eliminate barriers to the real progress of turning a collaborative relationship into scaled student learning. At the intersection of policy, practice, and now profit stands the classroom teacher. My colleague Jennifer Barnett has even parlayed such evangelism into an innovative role influencing ed-tech policies in Talladega County, Ala., as a technology-integration specialist.
Here are some action steps to help you find your voice in the ed-tech arena:
Promote your class as a laboratory. My students will submit their own scientific analysis of their ed-tech experiments to several startups by blogging, filming video reviews, and presenting suggestions in live conversations with developers. The next time you hear, "Research shows ... " think about your classroom research.
Engage stakeholders to establish yourself as an authority. Start simple by emailing company contacts and signing up for free teacher accounts. EdSurge has a terrific newsletter full of these opportunities. Then invite school and district leaders to see how you're using the tools. They might just see your transparency as a strength.
Engage stakeholders to establish yourself as an authority. Start simple by emailing company contacts and signing up for free teacher accounts. EdSurge has a terrific newsletter full of these opportunities. Then invite school and district leaders to see how you're using the tools. They might just see your transparency as a strength.
Bring data to the discussions. Poll your students to stay on top of their habits. Was a certain technology resource a non-factor in student learning? Counterintuitive? Just disliked? The student data are your strongest points for developers.
Anticipate the "core DNA" of your audience. What concerns them? What are their goals? When my district blocked all in-school access to Edmodo, I told my district about some key benefits to students and addressed security concerns with examples from my class community. The very next day, access returned to teachers. The dialogue continues, as district leaders seek anecdotes from other local classrooms using the site.
Publicize the work. This isn't self-promotion; it's student promotion. No one will knock on your door. Teachers must present more of the great things technology is doing in their classrooms.
Seek community partnerships. Who might solve your students' lack of access? Are there businesses that can offer space, projects, tools? Microsoft puts employees in classrooms.EDesign Lab acts as a hub for such collaborations. Girls Who Code is modeling innovation between entrepreneurs and classrooms.
If we imagine ourselves as evangelists for ed-tech innovation and efficiency, teachers not only catalyze powerful working relationships, but we exponentially increase the number of students who benefit from them.
Ryan Kinser is a teacherpreneur at the Center for Teaching Quality and teaches English at Walker Middle Magnet School for International Studies in Tampa, Fla.
January 28, 2013
Play is Good. Purposeful Play? Better.
Bud Hunt
It seems that many of us in this discussion are fans of encouraging play and exploration. That's great. I'm certainly a fan, as my previous post should document.
But I wonder if I might suggest a bit more structure when it comes to how a teacher working with a new platform, tool, or piece of hardware might begin.
I talk and write a lot about the power of purposeful play. Some folks have challenged me when I put those two words together, because playfulness and purpose are sometimes seemingly at odds. But they're not. Playing with a purpose is knowing you want to get somewhere and heading out in that direction.
Playing with purpose is setting a goal or two. Or it might be deciding what tools you are certain you won't use, or maybe are certain you will.
Every year or so, I like to set some learning areas for myself, and try to direct my curiosity around them. When my children were born, I was working to learn about photography, as I wanted to capture their lives and a bit more of my own. I bought some equipment (toys) and tried to aim my attention at spaces and folks who were playing with photography, too. I didn't sit down and say, "Okay, I need a photography class," or "Gee, I could use some photography professional development." I just played with pictures and cameras. And I got better. On purpose.
Individual purpose is, though, only a piece of what I'd like to suggest. There's value in organizations specifying some purposes as more relevant than others. Standards are a piece of this, but not the whole story. In learning organizations, be they schools or districts or even academic departments, might I suggest that it's the job of the organization, through some sort of collaborative structure, to set broad purposes or goals for the play that it encourages. I'm not talking about more standards, or really, really narrow expectations, but I mean that the organization should be suggesting some broad targets for play, to encourage the types of experiences they would like for teachers and students to have.
And learning organizations are typically pretty good at doing this first part—the suggesting. But what they need to do, too, is to put their money and resources where the recommendations are and to provide time, support, and opportunities for that play to happen. Learning organizations should be really, really good at creating spaces for purposeful play for students, teachers, parents, administrators, and all in the communities they serve.
Otherwise, all that purpose setting? It's just lip service. Or, at worst, it's an awful lot of people playing their own games in total isolation or conflict with one another. And what's the fun in that?
Bud Hunt is an instructional technology coordinator for the St. Vrain Valley Schools in northern Colorado. He works with teachers and technologists to ensure the thoughtful use of technology for teaching and learning. Bud blogs at Bud the Teacher.
January 28, 2013
The Tech Shift: From Tried and True to New
Jody Passanisi
Ryan Kinser writes in his post that, "There are too many of us who fear technology, who believe sound pedagogy doesn't require it ... ." This is true. It is something that every one of us encounters at our schools. I tried to address this fear in my last post—how playing with technology can help teachers become more comfortable with tech. But to even get to that point, it is important to look at the rationales behind this fear of technology.
Understand the Fear
Implementing technology in the classroom can be challenging, but no teacher is trying to be difficult or stubborn by refusing to do so. Most teachers truly feel that their way is better—the way that has been tried and true for them. Teachers need to be shown why; they need to have the usefulness of technology "proven" to them. Having a "prove-it-to-me" attitude is a good one to have in this case, because it will help teachers ensure that the new technologies they employ are done so purposefully.
Implementing technology in the classroom can be challenging, but no teacher is trying to be difficult or stubborn by refusing to do so. Most teachers truly feel that their way is better—the way that has been tried and true for them. Teachers need to be shown why; they need to have the usefulness of technology "proven" to them. Having a "prove-it-to-me" attitude is a good one to have in this case, because it will help teachers ensure that the new technologies they employ are done so purposefully.
Because the reality is that teachers must (discerningly) employ these technologies now; it isn't an option any more.
Contextualize
To help ease this transition from tried-and-true to new, let's put it into a historical context. Yesterday, during history class, we discussed one of our U.S. History course's themes: "The use, disuse, and misuse of new technologies are crucial to shaping the events in a country's history."
To help ease this transition from tried-and-true to new, let's put it into a historical context. Yesterday, during history class, we discussed one of our U.S. History course's themes: "The use, disuse, and misuse of new technologies are crucial to shaping the events in a country's history."
When the students brainstormed for meaning, they first came up with the usual: iPads, computers, GPS, etc. But when pressed, the students realized that technology goes way further back than that.
Just like the wheel, technology is any tool that allows us increased ability to do something we were doing already, or ... to do something completely new. We need to communicate to the teachers in our schools that technology isn't here to hurt us, it is here to help make what we were doing in education better, and to help us imagine a different world of education for the future.
While historically technology has been used for good and for bad, there is no doubt it has led to progress. It has led us here. Of course teachers are resistant to new technology. In the past, people have always found the psychological shift from what is comfortable to what is new to be challenging. When teachers are reminded of this shift that has occurred over and over throughout history, it puts this conversation in a different perspective.
Compare and Contrast
One thing that has worked to help educators (or anyone) clear this mental hurdle is pointing out these shifts in history. This video, which humorously depicts a monk in the Middle Ages getting tech support to deal with his "new" book, is often a good icebreaker to begin this metacognitive conversation.
One thing that has worked to help educators (or anyone) clear this mental hurdle is pointing out these shifts in history. This video, which humorously depicts a monk in the Middle Ages getting tech support to deal with his "new" book, is often a good icebreaker to begin this metacognitive conversation.
Additionally, pointing out times when technology has worked better than the "low-tech" alternative will help this shift.
For example, social studies students can use Skype, or similar programs, to speak with politicians—a face-to-face interaction that would likely not be possible without technology. Letter writing, the "low-tech" version, would not be as effective or as efficient—or as powerful.
In the same vein, presentations used to be limited to posterboard and, more recently, Powerpoint. Now, myriad types of presentation software and platforms allow students to imagine presentations that are meaningful, sophisticated, and unique. Previously, presentations lacked individuality because of the limitation of the tools.
Showing teachers these instances where the technology allows for the expanding of classroom opportunities, including demonstrating students' unique talents, will only help to show the value, purposefulness, and necessity of shifting to the world of technology.
Make the Shift ... and Like It
Yes, change is hard, and can be it is painful for teachers to see everything they've worked for using the old technologies be replaced by something new. But we all need to see this as an opportunity: We can create new things, imagine new ideas, and build off the foundation of work that has already been done. We won't know what can be done until we dive in and try.
Yes, change is hard, and can be it is painful for teachers to see everything they've worked for using the old technologies be replaced by something new. But we all need to see this as an opportunity: We can create new things, imagine new ideas, and build off the foundation of work that has already been done. We won't know what can be done until we dive in and try.
Keep this in mind when you are helping implement new technologies in your settings: These shifts have happened in the past and we have improved as a society because of them.
Jody Passanisi is a middle school teacher at an independent school in the Los Angeles area and a clinical educator in the Day School Leadership Through Teaching's teacher-induction program. She and her teaching partner, Shara Peters, write about education on their blog and on Twitter@21centuryteachr.
January 24, 2013
Teachers and Ed-Tech Developers, Let's Meet
Ryan Kinser
After being wowed recently by a behind-the-scenes visit to aerospace giant Lockheed Martin, I implored teachers to help bridge the growing technology gap between their students and tomorrow's careers. Maybe I underplayed a bigger gap: the one between teachers and the tech world.
There are too many of us who fear technology, who believe sound pedagogy doesn't require it, or who complain we don't have time/energy/resources to implement it properly. For every one of these well-meaning teachers, there is a tech company that hasn't discovered what tools actually improve student learning or what insight teachers might add to their development efforts.
It's time to blur the line between teachers and ed-tech entrepreneurs, as this KQED Mindshift article suggests.
I propose that we meet in the middle. Teachers, let's get our hands dirty and offer our services to ed-tech companies, while publicly sharpening our own skills for students. Let's build relationships and see what innovation results from them.
There are win-wins. Teachers can help developers understand their curriculum needs, social networking wishes, and the objectives technology must help students meet. We can develop content, collect data from students, and provide real feedback on products. We can even outline district hierarchies to steer developers towards the decision makers.
Developers have plenty to offer teachers as well.
Consider these possible gains for teachers:
New skills. As a math teacher in my school remarked, "[Technology] is moving so fast. I hardly get through with a training before it's obsolete." Why wait for districts to train us? I've learned a lot from the private sector this year just by being a willing partner, including some fantastic nuts-and-bolts of computer programming in the Coding for GOOD competition.
Action research in your classroom. There's nothing wrong with signing up your students to be Guinea pigs. Engage them in the process. My students can't wait to interview the founders of coding start-up CodeHS. They were full of chatter after seeing a teacher avatar inStudyRoom. Any conversation between teacher and developer should have student data behind it.
Compensation. "Don't be afraid to get paid," I hear colleagues say more often these days. You are a professional offering an expert opinion, time, and perhaps even a testing ground. It's perfectly reasonable to charge for any services above and beyond your normal responsibilities.
Think about a company with whom you can partner or at least open a dialogue. Incubators likeY Combinator and Imagine K-12 can always use a bank of expert teachers as sounding boards for their start-ups. The latter's Educator Day is an event that brings them together for such a purpose.
Ask for an invitation to the next one. Let's get some conversations going. In my next post, I'll detail some successes that will show you the potential in these relationships.
Ryan Kinser is a Teacherpreneur at the Center for Teaching Quality and teaches English at Walker Middle Magnet School for International Studies in Tampa, Fla.
January 23, 2013
Keys to Using Classroom Tech: Shifting the Goals, Facing Fears
Delonna Halliday
Today's teachers—particularly those of us who graduated from college more than five years ago—must make some cognitive shifts in order to be tech-savvy. Here I discuss just a couple of that have been helpful to me.
Shift #1: Recognize technology as a tool for learning, not as the goal of the learning.
The other day, I was discussing classroom technology with a good friend. The two of us have worked together for many years, and collaborated on multiple projects. Our conversation centered on this shared observation: While many teachers want to use technology, some seem unaware that different tools work well for different purposes.
Not long ago, a teacher contacted my friend: "Come teach my students PowerPoint." My friend asked, "Why?" The response: "I want them to write a report."
All too often, with the best intentions, teachers use a wrench like a hammer ... simply because they know students should be able to use a wrench.
In this case, my friend suggested the students use a word processing program to write the report. The next step would be for students to use a tool like PowerPoint to create a presentation summarizing the report.
Of course, some would say developing a PowerPoint presentation on the fly (without the substance of a report to inform it) is a valuable task for 21st-century learners. It's a scenario they may face in real life. If you're seeking to fine-tune students' communication and presentation skills, then going straight to PowerPoint may be your best option.
But it's all about what you want students to accomplish. Establish the goal, and then select the tool.
Shift #2 - Get past the fear factor.
Remember the blue screen that meant you lost all your work? Many teachers recall misadventures with early computers: finding ourselves at strange screens with no way out, or accidentally deleting all our files. Pretty intimidating.
It may sound simple, but I was freed from fear by the power of the "Control + Z" key command. I was taking an Adobe Illustrator class when the instructor said, "Any time you find yourself in a place you don't want to be, or think you have completely messed up, press Control + Z until you are comfortable again. You cannot break this program."
Wow. Those few sentences granted me freedom! But once I started moving without fear, I rarely messed up. And when I did, I had my pinky on the Ctrl key and my ring finger flicking through those Zs.
Every tech class I teach, I mention the power of Control + Z. While it doesn't apply to every situation, goof-up, or uncertainty, it does remind my colleagues that there are solutions. That we are in charge of the technology. That Google is there for times like these. That it will all be fine.
Every tech class I teach, I mention the power of Control + Z. While it doesn't apply to every situation, goof-up, or uncertainty, it does remind my colleagues that there are solutions. That we are in charge of the technology. That Google is there for times like these. That it will all be fine.
Delonna Halliday, a National Board-certified teacher and a member of the Washington New Millennium Initiative team, is a literacy coach at First Creek Middle School in Tacoma, Wash.
January 23, 2013
Asking the Right Questions About Classroom Tech
Meenoo Rami
What role does technology play in your classroom? What questions do you ask yourself before you choose to use a particular web-based tool or application for instruction? What is your students' impression of your perspective on technology?
These questions are worth considering when we talk about encouraging teachers to incorporate technology in the classroom.
I often turn to my principal Chris Lehmann's words on technology to guide my use of it in the class. In his keynote addresses, he often says that technology should be like oxygen, "ubiquitous, necessary, and invisible." In other words, technology should get out of the way, while thoughtful pedagogical choices should guide classroom practice.
In the end, effective use of classroom technology is about more than technology; it's about about people and how they use it. A laptop can be a tool to create a multimedia book report using Minecraft (as one of my students recently did), or it can be used for drill-and-kill test prep sessions. A tool is just that; it is the user who directs the potential in a particular direction.
So, what difference does thoughtful use of technology make in the lives of students?
The most transformative quality of technology is that it gives the power and agency to the students to tell their own stories. Instead of merely consuming content created by others on the internet, intentional use of technology in the classroom can give voice to the ideas that our students possess.
For example, take a look at this project by My, a sophomore at the Science Leadership Academy. In this digital story, she shares her journey towards finding her voice and confidence to speak in class. It is a beautiful testament to her growth as a student and a person. It also shows how her teacher, Mr. Kay, has used technology to give his students a chance to tell their own stories.
But how do you get to that point? Educators who are looking to incorporate technology should consider the following ideas:
Network with other educators. This weekend, Science Leadership Academy will welcome more than 500 educators from around the country to take part in EduCon. One the axioms of this conference is that technology serves pedagogy, not the other way around. I am looking forward to discussing and debating innovative ways teachers are incorporating technology in their classrooms. We need to collaborate so we can support one another. Teaching is hard enough, we don't need to do it alone.
Be a learner first. Before you ask your students to create podcasts, create one yourself. You don't have to be expert in the room but you do have to be willing to show that you're learning along side your students. If you show hesitation and fear, your students will also become reluctant to go with you along on the work.
Accept that good learning is messy. Any meaningful work I've done with my students has never really followed the simple 7-step lesson plan. The work has always been circuitous, even messy at times. Often times, I have asked myself if this was a good idea in the first place. Show your students that you're willing to take intellectual risks in your classroom as well.
What would you share with teachers who are trying to figure out meaningful ways to incorporate technology in their classroom?
I look forward to reading your ideas.
Meenoo Rami, founder of the #engchat weekly Twitter chat for English teachers, teaches her students English at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia.
January 22, 2013
New Technology for Teachers? Play, Then Create
Jody Passanisi
As teachers, we are often asked to incorporate new, cutting-edge technologies into the classroom at the request of our schools. Given the pressure that schools face to stay current, the pressure to implement new technology is understandable.
However, putting new technology in the classroom isn't as simple as handing something to a teacher and walking away. Teachers often are wary of new technology, worry about how to use it, and wonder if it is going to require a drastic change in pedagogy.
The breakdown often occurs during the introductory phase of a new tech tool. When schools and administrators introduce new technology for teachers, those administrators frequently have expectations that the technology will have immediate application in the classroom.
Most of the time, these expectations aren't properly grounded. When teachers are asked to learn a new technology and immediately incorporate it into the classroom, two things happen: the technology doesn't get learned, and it also puts constraints on our pedagogical creativity.
So how, then, should introduce new technologies? My teaching partner and I have been working on this question with our students. We've found that first giving students a chance to discover and play with a new technology increases their ability to use it effectively when we ask them to then apply it to content.
This idea—that technology can be made more approachable through play—can be applied to teachers as well. Think about the experience of learning a second language. When language students are anxious, that anxiety puts limitations on their linguistic abilities. Why would this be any different for people learning technology as a "second language"?
Yet, when we go to conferences or introduce tech tools, the facilitator and the participants are all looking to make that experience immediately relevant to the classroom. It's an understandable impulse; who wants to spend a day learning something that isn't clearly applicable to what's happening in the classroom?
However, this may be wrongheaded when it comes to the learning new tools, or "training" on a new technology. Forcing teachers to come up with practical applications for a technology that they have never seen before is only going to guarantee lots of that "second language" anxiety.
Teachers don't need technology training: They need time to play.
When teachers have time to play with and discover the applications of a new technology, the result is teachers who feel confident about using tech and imagining new uses for it. Like any tool, the benefit of these technologies are realized by discovering their creative potential.
We need to look beyond the technology to examine our classrooms and our pedagogy, not to limit our focus to the technology and how it works. Give teachers the chance to play with technology; don't push to make it fit the current classroom model. We will respond with more creativity and more comfort with the technology itself.
Jody Passanisi is a middle school teacher at an independent school in the Los Angeles area and a clinical educator in the Day School Leadership Through Teaching's teacher-induction program. She and her teaching partner, Shara Peters, write about education on their blog and on Twitter@21centuryteachr.
January 22, 2013
Want Better Classroom Tech? Give Teachers More Time
Bud Hunt
"The subjects . . . may often be suggested by the pupil's observation or personal experience." —Report of the Committee [of Ten] on secondary school studies, from an 1892 meeting of the National Educational Association (p.88)
As an instructional technology coordinator for a large school district in northern Colorado, I see an awful lot of interesting uses of technology in the classroom. However, as a professional developer and former classroom teacher, I see too many things done to teachers and students, rather than with them.
If we believe that student choice and passion and curiosity are essential to learning, then how can we approach professional development for teachers without considering these as starting places for teachers and their learning about technology? Top ten lists, sit-and-gets, and vague mandates about "technology proficiency" are not useful. And yet they fill up Twitter streams and Facebook walls and blog pages all over the place.
Four years ago, some of my colleagues and I attempted a radical (at least for us) shift in the way we approached technology-related professional development. Teachers, as learners and as inquirers, should have control over their learning and explorations in technology. Thus, theDigital Learning Collaborative was born.
A two-year program that costs about as much for a team of teachers as one day with most technology consultants, the DLC is an attempt to return the agency around teacher learning to the teacher. In the first year, we help team leaders to convene teams of teachers curious about exploring more of the technology around them. In that first year, we instruct our teachers not to race to implement new technology in the classroom; instead, we encourage them to take time to play and explore and wonder. Dig deep. Try something new. Fiddle with it for a while. Explore. Play. Experiment.
In year two, we ask teachers to explore the consequences of their explorations and learning in their classrooms, and to conduct a teacher-research study about what happens when they apply their learning to students' experiences.
This can be messy work, and some of the teachers we work with are unsettled by it. They would much prefer that we tell them what to do, and when to do it, and why it matters. School districts, it seems, have sometimes taken the agency away from the folks we trust to facilitate that agency in others. That's not such a good thing.
But we have learned that prescriptive learning isn't learning that lasts, so we try to build support structures where our teachers can struggle together to better understand the technology that surrounds us. We want those teachers, and the students they support, to actively engage the tech of today, and to be ready to face the technology of tomorrow.
You can keep your top ten lists, or your quick tweets of "must reads." And while advocacy days are fine and certainly can raise awareness, they're not terribly useful in terms of actual day-to-day organizational change. So a special day is a good start. But that's all it is.
I've found that thoughtful inquiry and meaningful time for exploration are the best tools for thoughtful technology integration. Deep learning and instructional change take time, and I hope you're helping the folks you work with to find the time in their days for learning to happen.
Bud Hunt is an instructional technology coordinator for the St. Vrain Valley Schools in northern Colorado. He works with teachers and technologists to ensure the thoughtful use of technology for teaching and learning. Bud blogs at Bud the Teacher.
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