Classroom Queen: Expanding the Realm of Technology

The Ten Worst Practices in Educational Technology

kibrown — Mon, 03 May 2010 20:21:17 +0000

The Ten Worst Practices in Educational Technology

Dean Shareski

May, 3rd, 2010

iTSummit

How do we make changes from what we’re doing now? Why are we spending all of this money on technology? How does technology improve student learning?

Curse of the default settings. We don’t ask what we can do with something or what can we do differently?

1. Interactive Whiteboards: Should easy always be the goal of technology? How would the use of this technology be transfo

rmative.

2. PowerPoint: Why are there so many bad PowerPoints and why do we use them? What strategies have been successful in eliminating bad PowerPoints? Use the PowerPoint as a tool. Use different tools for presentations. “Slideument”If it’s a presentation you need to be there to present it. It should be a storytelling tool and not a document on slides.

3. Digital Cameras: What are your favourite uses of cameras? What ways have teachers used cameras to transform teaching? Voicethreads, documentation, reflection.

4. Walled Gardens: Password Protected sites where only you and your students are allowed in. Are there times when they are appropriate or should learning be open?

5. Computer Class: Do we still need to have computer class or should computers be in the classroom?

6. Cellphones: Are we using them in the classroom or should they be used in the classroom?

7. Keyboarding: Should be teaching this in school?

8. Drill Exercises: Do they have a place in teaching? What is the place of games in teaching?

9. Searching: How to do a proper search.

10. Viewers’ Choice: Word Processing

Turning up the Heat: Learning, Thinking and Communicating in a Digital Age

kibrown — Mon, 03 May 2010 17:32:14 +0000

Bernajean Porter

iTSummit 2010

May 3rd, 2010

What are we pretending not to know? Even knowing that the future aches for a new kind of learner, thinker, and problem-solver, all the dollars and time spent on techno gadgets still have changed little more than pockets of classrooms for kids. We need to seek higher ground for our visions and our results.

“Turning UP the H.E.A.T.” (Higher Order Thinking – Engaged Students – Authentic Tasks and added-value Technology Uses) can bcome a robust catalyst in accelerating new cultures of learning that will serve the highest interest of our students’ capacity to step successfully into a global economy. Going from knowing facts to enduring understandings is not something that can be memorized – it needs to be rehearsed regularly with rigorous inquiry tasks, driving questions, authentic audiences, collaborative problem-solving tools, inventive thinking, and effective 21 Century communication skills. What if rather than trying to teach students problem solving, we actually encouraged them to take on problems that needed solving? Consider a whole-school challenge of playing a modern day.”http://www.digitales.us/workshops/topics.php

H.E.A.T

Higher Order Thinking
Engaged Learning
Authenticity
Technology

Transform learning by making meaning by what we or the students know. Have students own their learning and be pushed beyond what they know. Ask the next questions, challenge the students and challenge your self. Its an open question if I don’t know the question yet.

Our goal is more transformative learning. For higher order thinking we need to require students to make meaning requiring reasoning/thinking using facts. Students are required to demonstrate being knowledge producers-focused on creating evidenced or logic based thinking beyond existing information. This goes beyond Summary reports into persuasive, original work.

Engaged students respond to open ended questions with no right or wrong answers – complex issues calling for their own developed perspective or solution. Students are guided to take responsibility or own their questions, tasks, managing processes, and defining assessments. Students guided to incorporate their interests and affinities.

In authentic learning the task has relevant, real-world challenges. Tasks are designed for collaborative groups modeling real-world work. Student work developed as evidence of genuine learning.

In technology modes and tools are used to enhance the experience. The learning task or experience would be experience or impaired without technology. Technology uses create “new stories” for learning and teaching with new tools. Technology accelerates thinking, learning and communicating tasks.

Tasks could have rigor, purpose and produce knowledge makers. Digital Media Scoring Guides.

“One of the signs of a good question is that Google doesn’t have the answer.”

“If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it.” Albert Einstein

All Technology Uses are NOT Equal: Accelerating High Yielding Practices

kibrown — Mon, 03 May 2010 16:13:31 +0000

All Technology Uses are NOT Equal: Accelerating High Yielding Practices

Bernajean Porter: Keynote Speaker

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

iT Summit, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

http://coachingheat.wikispaces.com/

The more senses that are engaged the more the learner is engaged.

Creativity is the idea but innovation is the implementation. Change will be ongoing. We need to be aware that new techs are constant and we need to be co-learners and co-changers. “We shape our tools and afterwards our tools shape us.” McLuhan

Looking at the Future: Are we getting ourselves ready? Our students ready? Our schools and classrooms ready? Media specialists are the keys to change in schools. Biggest problem for students is not knowing what are credible and reliable sources. Students need to rehearse and practice to use the tools and learn how to use them in regards to their learning. It is not for the sake of change. Change is the status quo.

Sticking power of what kids know. We have a generation of kids that are sensory deprived and context deprived. Only about 17% of our kids are engaged in school. Our kids have sensory overload outside of school. What shifting in our schools will accommodate these kids. Are we getting them prepared to take over the world?

How do we get them ready for a world we can’t imagine? We will need to collaborate, problem solve, use the 21st Century learning tools. What do we need to make happen? What do we think is valuable? What needs to change? Vision is about urgency and commitment. It’s what we need to move forward. Technology also accelerates innovation, connection, and global change for good.

Influencing Results: To increase school-wide learning. Content and strategies are important. Look at technology plans and teaching.

Enriching and Enhancing
Supporting Standars
Creating Life-Long Learners
Raising Student Achievement
Integration Across the Curriculum

Integrations is

Do Something
Do Anything
Just…do IT
Just Use IT

What is the story that we want to create with our students? What tools enable us to tell great stories? Don’t get tricked by the stuff. The goal isn’t to use new technologies but the goal is to go new places. Do we have a new story or an old story that’s more expensive?What’s the quality of the story (what’s appealing?) What is a concern?

Whatever you do we your students: Do it on Purpose. Questions and questioning make students think. We want students to make sense out of what they are learning. The goal isn’t to use technology but the goal is to use the power of technology to accelerate learning for all students. Become story makers and keepers for you and your students.

Curriculum 21 Quotes

kibrown — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 13:10:39 +0000

I love the information, links and ideas I get my Twitter network. The thoughts of other educators are often provoking and make me think about my teaching. This morning I was checking my TweetDeck and checked out the Curriculum 21 ning site. ‘Langwitches’ had posted a new quote.

Curriculum 21 Quotes

Curriculum 21 is a new ning site for me but I liked the tag line on their site “Mapping the Global Classroom of the Future.” I’ll have to look around the site more but I may have to join this new network and make some connections.

nichcy.org

21st Century Education

kibrown — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:16:31 +0000

Great new video from New Brunswick, Canada!

EC&I 831 Reflection

kibrown — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:13:22 +0000

I’m at the end of another grad class and with this class it’s the end of my Master’s program. I’ve enjoyed the challenges, research and discussions associated with all of my classes. I’ve had to read articles with words I didn’t understand and had to read with a dictionary on one side of me. I’ve read articles that confirmed ideas I had about teaching and I’ve read articles that made me question some of my teaching practices. With every class I’ve learned about myself, my colleagues and developed my philosophy of teaching.

For my last class my instructor has posted questions for us to think about and reflect on. At the beginning of the class we had to think about where we were on our learning curve but the funny part is every time I embrace a new experience I’m right back to the bottom of the curve.

What new understandings of the role of educational technology to support learning have you gained, acted on or perhaps strengthened?

I’ve been searching for articles, websites and blog posts that describe the integration of technology in subject areas. I’m looking for exemplars, case studies and information about the impact technology integration has on both the student and the teacher. I’ve been scouring state and provincial education sites to look for guidance on what other groups are preparing for their teachers as the teachers tackle the ISTE standards for themselves and the students. I’ve been reading information on the State of Florida’s education site, looking at the Province of Manitoba’s Curriculum Navigator and checking out the Galileo site. I want to be able to ‘show’ teachers what technology integration looks like.

Technology in Our Class.

What has had the most influence on your horizon of understanding?

My network continues to have the most influence on me. My network has expanded once again through the use of digital technology in this grad class. I’ve connected with more teachers in Regina Public Schools, I’ve chatted with teachers around the province through email and comments regarding the challenged they are facing in their schools and I’ve received great feedback on my blog posts. The network that I’ve already been working with provides with links and blogs to provoke thinking, my network offers me support and my networks expands my knowledge. When I’m lacking an understanding about a concept or theory I can approach my network, ask a question and receive information through blog comments, emails or Twitter posts. My belief in George Siemen’s Connectivity Theory is demonstrated by the support from my Web network.
What new questions have emerged for you?

There are questions that I continue to think about. What is stopping teachers from integrating technology? How can I convince teachers that technology integration isn’t difficult? But as to new questions I’m thinking about how Regina Public Schools can create technology integration , resource pages along with links to outcomes and indicators that will allow teachers to integrate technology into their everyday teaching. I wonder how I can make a difference and help teachers overcome whatever barrier is stopping them to integrate technology into lessons. I often think where our school division will be in five years or ten years and what changes will occur.

Digital World.

Interview Questions

kibrown — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 21:41:58 +0000

I just read an interesting post that discussed what are the most important interview questions that should be asked when Hiring a Director of Technology.

In her post Jean Tower made a list of information that would be important to know before hiring a Director. A few of her questions are:

Tell us about your vision of technology in education.

Describe the role of a technology director in an educational environment.

What would be your most important priorities for your first week on the job? first month? first year?

How would you work closely with curriculum and instruction department and how would you develop that relationship?

Michael Gorman added his thoughts:

1. How do you evaluate the success in the programs that you oversee?

2. How do you answer a teacher’s concern that states “I have no time for technology because I have to much curriculum to follow?”?

3. What is the role of technology in a 21st century school program?

4. How do you differentiate the idea of technology and curriculum?

5. What steps do you take to insure that technology serves the student?

6. How do you decide on technology purchases for a building?

7. In what areas should you be involved in professional development and how can you use technology to sustain teacher growth?

Liz Davis added her thoughts: I would definitely also want to know how they are personally using technology. What are their favorite technology tools? Are they blogging? Do they use Twitter? I would ask them to describe their personal learning network. I would also ask what blogs they read? Who inspires them? Who do they follow on Twitter? Why?

I would like to know what the Director candidate thought about filtering in schools. Does the person think that filtering is necessary? Do they think there are sites that should be blocked? This information would tell me a lot about the person.

So, what would you ask? What would the most important question be?

Curriculum, pedagogies and practice with ICT in the information age

kibrown — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:41:45 +0000

Curriculum, pedagogies and practice with ICT in the information age

Nicola Yelland, Chapter 14: page 225

Critical Issues in Early Childhood Education
Edited by Nicola Yelland

This is an reflection that I wrote for a previous class that has relevance to the discussions that I’ve been having with colleagues and supervisors in my school division.

I connected with the challenges that educators are having integrating technology into their classrooms. Yelland comments on the concerns being raised about the amount of time young children spend on computers and whether that time is time well spent. The concerns are not support by research or data. In fact, research is showing that home use of computers support learning. In Jackie Marsh’s article Digikids: Young children, popular culture and media she finds that research supports computer use. On page 189 Marsh quotes “The relationship between literacy learning and computer-game playing is complex, but nevertheless significant” (Gee, 2003; and Pahl, 2005). Many people who object to computer use are focused on violent games, inappropriate web sites and questionable content but are not using research to support their beliefs. I believe as educators we need to teach students responsible use of computers, software and the internet because we see the value of computers for students. I recently read a blog post about filtering of internet in school and how we as teachers need to teach our students what sites they are to use in school and what sites aren’t appropriate. Will Richardson, who wrote the blog post, thought that filtering was a form of classroom management so that teachers didn’t have to teach responsible use.

Yelland’s article also looked at the value of ‘authentic activities’ that students can experience using computers and the internet. In my own case, my students have gone on virtual field trips around North America, dissected a frog, examined and commented on art in museums, visited Auschwitz and collaborated with students around the world. My students also have personal blogs which allow them to post their writing on-line and have an authentic audience to provide feedback. I find it hard to understand that people could not see the value in the experiences students have using technology. Students become excited when they have visitors to their blogs that read their writing or leaving comments. The visitors or their audience provide motivation to continue writing and posting to their blogs but perhaps the biggest factor is that students begin to want to write ‘for’ their audience. Students become better descriptive writers who become more aware of the mechanics of their writing so that they can provide their audience with interesting blog articles to read. The goal is that the blogs can provide authentic audiences, rich discussions, feedback and interactions for the reader and the writer.

On page 226 Yelland states “Children are exposed to computers and a vast range of new technologies in every aspect of their lives. It is impossible for any of us to avoid technologies since they are integratal to everything we do.” Leonie Rowan and Eileen Honan in the article Literaily lost: the quest for quality literary agendas in early childhood education explores the various types of literacies that young children engage in. Young children are already participating in “media literacy, computer literacy, technological literacy, visual literacy or emotional literacy” (page 195). If young children are already exposed to these various literacies why wouldn’t we as educators embrace these opportunities to build upon them as we teach the children? Yelland continues this thought “If schools ignore this (the prevalent use of technology in our society) they cease to be relevant to life in the twenty-first century “(page 226).

On page 227 Yelland questions the new curriculum “there has been an increasing recognition that curriculum decision-making needs to take note of children’s out-of-school experiences and build upon them.” I agree that these questions need to be asked and educators need to be the ones to make changes in their classroom. I also think there should be changes made in teacher education programs that weave technology use throughout the content classes to show pre-service teachers how use technology in the classroom. Yelland quotes Dede who has “called on educators to ‘reshape children’s learning experience in and out of school to prepare them for a future quite different from the immedate past. Meeting this challenge involves teaching new skills, not simply teaching old skills better” (2002, p.178).

These are questions that the articles raised:

1. We can’t avoid technology in our lives so why do we want children to avoid technology in schools?

2. Why is using technology relevant in the twenty-first century?

3. Why doesn’t provincial curricula recognize the value of technology? Does the curricula give teachers any incentive to integrate technology into subject areas?

4. How do you use technology in your teaching/school?

5. What type of technology use do you feel has the most value to students?

6. We can’t avoid technology in our lives so why do we want children to avoid technology in school?

7. Why is using technology relevant in the twenty-first century?

8. What future are we preparing our students/children for?

9. Why doesn’t provincial curricula recognize the value of technology?

10. Does the curricula give teachers any incentive to integrate technology into subject areas?

11. Why do educators have to prove that use of technology is beneficial to students?

Evaluating Digital Resources

kibrown — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:05:13 +0000

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to have a prep when Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach of the Powerful Learning Practice was hosting a session on “Evaluating Digital Resources.” Once again I fired up Elluminate and logged in for a session. There were a few people I recognized attending the online session including Alec Couros. Alec is one of my former professors at the University of Regina and introduced me to many of the online tools, groups and collaborators that I work with now.

The session was hosted by Nussbaum-Beach but the presenter was Ira Socol. Socol posed the question “How do we know something is true?” He then discussed news stories that have been published before the information has been checked and questioned. His example was the New York Times Airbus A380 story that was published but contradicted information from a story the Times had published two weeks earlier. Socol discussed the old way of establish information: look at the author’s credentials, the publisher’s authority and whether the library or school distributed the text. The reason the old way is no longer as relevant is that by the time text is published there has already been changes in the information presented.

squidoo.com

Society now looks at information in a much different way. They don’t look for information authority but at perceived authority. Our students may look at an author’s reputation, what someone else recommends, if there is previous experience with the source, who the author and site are associated with and the findability of the information. Most of our students are most impressed by the findability of information or which information had the most hits on Google. The students are equating most hits with the best quality as a way to rate information.

Socol posed discussion questions;

How do your students “know” something is true?

Is it the same way the you (teachers) “know”?

Is it the same way your Board of Education “knows”?

What is true is that students don’t “know” what is true. My example is that earlier this week as my students were researching wonders of the world, one of my students showed me a picture of The Great Wall of China as a water slide. I questioned whether the picture was real or fake. The student hadn’t thought anything about it other than how cool that would be. I sent them back to check. As Socol states we need to teach our students to ask questions and train them in “information intelligence.” We want to ask our students to find the information in other places to verify it is reliable information. We want students to look through the site’s information and question whether the other things the source says are believable. Students also need to know what the author’s perspective is to understand if there is a bias behind the information. According to Socol the most important technique we can use when we’re teaching our students to evaluate digital resources is to demand of our students “Show me why you think this is true.”

Sharon Peters and Noble Kelly on Education Beyond Borders

kibrown — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:56:50 +0000

Last week I had my Tweetdeck open when I saw a tweet by Mrs. Durff which mentioned Sharon Peters discussing EBB (Education Beyond Borders) on Thursday night. Right away I became excited because I am going to be working with EBB this summer in Kenya. I had heard about EBB about two years ago when Sharon Peters had been a guest with Alec Couros for my EC&I 831 class and she discussed her interest in global education/collaboration. Then about five weeks ago Sharon had posted information on the Global Education Collaborative about applying to join EBB in Africa this summer. I spoke to my husband about the opportunity, emailed Noble Kelly, sent in my application, had a Skpe interview then found out last weekend that I will joining a team in Kenya.

http://cat-chitchat.pictures-of-cats.org/

I rsvp’d for the online interview and discussion then plugged in for my Elluminate session on Thursday night. The forum for the discussion was: The Future of Education: Charting the Course of Teaching and Learning in a Networked World. Welcome to the Future of Education interview series and discussion community.

I joined in to listen to Steve Hargadon talk with Sharon Peters and Noble Kelly about “Education Beyond Borders.”" Education Beyond Borders is a non-profit NGO devoted to closing the education divide through teacher professional development and community education. EBB is focused on advancing and supporting the movement for educators and advocates for education to do our part in supporting our colleagues and their students in disadvantaged regions here at home and around the world.”

I was fascinated to listen to Sharon talk about her experiences traveling to South Africa and Kenya to facilitate teacher workshops. Sharon and Noble both spoke about EBB’s mission of engaging, educating and empowering the educators of the countries that they work in. EBB is a collaborative group that base the workshops on the identified needs of the country. EBB projects are designed to build capacity with the project participants first as teachers then as facilitators. EBB focuses on building self-sustainability over a four-year series of workshops.

As Noble shared

“Education is a collaborative effort lasting a lifetime; our learning model is designed to connect global ‘best practices’ to those at the local level who can build their capacity and in doing so, change their communities and ours.”

http://www.wordtravels.com/images/map/Kenya_map.jpg

In Kenya there is limited computer access and limited resources. One difficulty is that most schools lack electricity which makes it difficult to have computers. The model of instruction is very teacher centered and there is a lack of professional development. EBB works with the Ministry of Education and the local teachers to develop workshops that expand the teaching repertoire, introduce new methodologies and learning theories while working with the Kenyan curricula. EBB also assists the Kenyan teachers in developing their own professional learning communities (PLCs) to share knowledge. Nings have begun to be used for PLC communications. This year it’s expected that during the three weeks we will be in Kenya we work with approximately 190 primary and secondary teachers. We will also be working with 12 Kenyan facilitators and developing their skills.

There were 42 educators attending the Elluminate session. Some of the attendees were former or current team members like me while many other people were interested in the work that EBB is doing in Africa. The evening was a good start in my learning curve. During the presentation I wrote on the chat that I was at the bottom of a very steep learning curve and that is so true. I’ve got so much to learn and get organized in what seems like a short time but I can’t wait to get started!

For an archived recording of the session you can check out the following links:
Full Elluminate: https://sas.elluminate.com/p.jnlp?psid=2010-03-11.1450.M.9E9FE58134BE68C…
Portable Audio: http://audio.edtechlive.com/foe/peterskelly.mp3
Chat Log: http://audio.edtechlive.com/foe/peterskelly.rtf

Classroom Queen: Expanding the Realm of Technology

The Ten Worst Practices in Educational Technology

Turning up the Heat: Learning, Thinking and Communicating in a Digital Age

All Technology Uses are NOT Equal: Accelerating High Yielding Practices

Curriculum 21 Quotes

21st Century Education

EC&I 831 Reflection

Interview Questions

Curriculum, pedagogies and practice with ICT in the information age

Curriculum, pedagogies and practice with ICT in the information age

Nicola Yelland, Chapter 14: page 225

Critical Issues in Early Childhood Education Edited by Nicola Yelland

Evaluating Digital Resources

Sharon Peters and Noble Kelly on Education Beyond Borders

Critical Issues in Early Childhood Education
Edited by Nicola Yelland