Yesterday I wrote about my concerns that teachers have a wide range of knowledge with regard to current technology. I believe if things remain the same, students will, indeed, suffer. It seems time to consider mandating instructional technology skills for all educators at all levels.
The question is where to start doing how to measure to what extent teachers have integrated technology into the curriculum. I have discovered two resources that could be used:
1- The Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) produced by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology. The TIM is a video resource supporting the full integration of technology in schools. It is also a guideline. "The Technology Integration Matrix illustrates how teachers can use technology to enhance learning for K-12 students. The TIM incorporates five interdependent characteristics of meaningful learning environments: active, constructive, goal directed (i.e., reflective), authentic, and collaborative (Jonassen, Howland, Moore, & Marra, 2003). The TIM associates five levels of technology integration (i.e., entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion, and transformation) with each of the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments."
The Technology Integration Matrix can be found here.
2-Tiers of Technology Integration into the Classroom Indicators from the State of Washington. The 2005 Washington State Technology Integration into the Curriculum Working Group defined technology integration, and also developed the Tiers of Technology Integration into the Classroom Indicators with a set of examples for how these might be observed or assessed, for districts to use in assessing and reporting the level of technology integration of its teachers.
Tiers of Technology Integration into the Classroom Indicators can be found here.
Showing posts with label e-learning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label e-learning. Show all posts
Music Education Must Shift, Part 2
As further clarification and to elaborate on a previous blog post, I offer this post:
Some relevant background information:
1- I've been teaching students (to read) music for 19+ years. It's the primary thing that I do for a living.
2- I do this within the context of a public school system
3- I am aware that, statistically speaking-even in districts where music is strongly supported,
there are still large numbers of the student body who are not involved with music (on the secondary level especially).
EXPAND THE BAND/CHORUS PARADIGM
What I'm specifically addressing is the need for a paradigm shift-away from the Band/Chorus paradigm to a more Universal approach to music learning in secondary schools. Band and Chorus have an important place in school music programs but in the context of a school system -in these times, in particular- enrollment numbers speak to School Boards. Never mind that the Band gets Superior ratings at all festivals. Never mind that the Chorus was nominated for 'Best State Chorus'. It increasingly comes down to numbers for School Boards and Superintendents. It begins to seem elitist when students who don't play a musical instrument, can't carry a tune or read music are excluded from music programs. Where's the equity? How do we justify costs?
Yes, music is a specialized subject. Music teachers are, indeed, specialists. This distinction could be problematic if the specialization was on only one instrument or voice and on only one type of music (western). Music teachers (myself included) need to consider breaking out of our comfort zones. Why? Because of the current financial state of our country and because Globalization is real. All musics in an age of globalization are valid! It used to be (and I'm afraid still is) that music teachers would plan a concert program and leave space for a little "world music" (usually an Africa
n-based piece re-written in a Western style by a Western arranger).So, back to my initial proposition: I believe that right here, right now, music education programs need to teach music differently. First, we need to continue teaching the reading and performing of music to band and choral students. But we must expand the repertoire of these groups to include authentic music of a variety of cultures and countries. Second, we need to teach all non-band/chorus students to experience, analyze and to create music-whether they can read it or not. This can be achieved in a variety of ways...from drumming to the use of software to create loop-based compositions. I believe that music education is becoming closely linked to media education and we must begin teaching both! No matter what pathway students are involved in, they must become music content creators as composers, improvisers, arrangers and performers.
As I have written before and point out here, when music programs achieve high levels of student involvement outside band and chorus, justifying music programs is a much simpler task when budgets dry up. The next blog post will raise the question of whether music teacher ed. students are prepared to embrace this shifting paradigm.
10 Reasons Cell Phones Should Be Allowed In Schools
text from coolcatteacher
photo by jonjon2k8
2-Cell Phones Can Help Students Be More Organized
Most students WILL NOT carry a paper planner. We need to integrate their cell phones and/or iTouch devices as their planner - giving them homework reminders, letting them poll, podcast, vodcast, blog, and study using these mobile devices. They have them with them ALL of the time which make is perfect for using as a planner. When I took the Franklin Covey planning course, rule number 1 was "Always have your planner with you." Kids can be reminded of things from their Google Calendar, which integrates with the calendar I use for planning.
3-It Makes Kids More Safe
Because of safety issues, I think that eventually someone will have a legal liability because a student was in trouble and WAS NOT able to use their cell phone. I think that schools should all have SMS notification services in the case of emergency and that it is a vital lifeline for safety.
4-It Allows Sensitive Issues to be Kept Private
I have a real problem with kids names being called over the loud speaker for detention or even to come to the office. This is private. I think that a text message from the front office preceding such a thing is a lot more respectful and would probably get them there faster.
5-It Alleviates Strain on the Network.
Cell phones are a separate network and thus do not go over the local wireless. Their effective use can provide an alternative method of accessing the Internet and/or querying short bits of information.
6-It Alleviates Strain in the IT Department
Cell phone troubleshooting is not something that is needed. If a child has problems, let them use a laptop, check out an itouch from the library or use a computer. However, the use of cell phones for small queries and tasks alleviates the use of computers for small tasks.
7-It Speeds Up Information Retrieval
If you do not have to turn on cell phone - there is zero boot time. If you DO have to turn it on, you're looking at 3-4 seconds. Time your laptop's boot time. I have a PC and it takes at least 3 minutes to be functional. I find it is much easier to have my students define words and query google with a text message.
8-It Allows Us to Teach Kids Digital Responsibility and Citizenship
I was at Disney and a child was lost. He knew his phone number but NOT his area code. I found the area code using Google search and we had Mommy there within moments. Kids should KNOW how to retrieve information easily from SMS. Additionally, self control about texting is a PROVEN problem for many kids. Learning the self discipline to use this tool when appropriate is part of life. By allowing them to be present and NOT used - we're letting kids learn the self discipline to focus and use the tool when appropriate.
I believe in allowing distractions in my classroom and coaching the kids to focus. I think this is much better than the "police state" type filtration and technology policies that many schools have.
9-It Sets a Model for Effective Change and Innovation
10-You're fighting a losing battle.
Transforming Education Now Using Technology
The following is a re-print from e-school news
Tech giants vow to change global assessments
Tech giants vow to change global assessments
Microsoft, Intel, and Cisco say global, 21st-century assessments are key to student success and economic prosperity.
Primary Topic Channel: Assessment & Evaluation
Companies say they hope these assessments will spur systemic change.
Microsoft, Intel, and Cisco--three technology giants that last year vowed to increase their efforts aimed at global education reform--have banded together to develop the next generation of assessments: tests that measure 21st-century skills and provide a global framework for excellence.
At the Learning and Technology Forum in London earlier this month, the three companies unveiled plans to underwrite a multi-sector research project to develop new approaches, methods, and technologies for measuring the success of 21st-century teaching and learning efforts in classrooms around the world.
"As employers of tomorrow's talent, we have a common interest in bringing together the power and reach of our companies to improve learning outcomes so students are equipped to succeed in a dynamic, technology-rich world," said Anoop Gupta, corporate vice president of education projects and the Unlimited Potential program at Microsoft. "But more generally, as members of the global economic and social community, it is in our long-term interest to support education reform that leads to widespread economic development and a more prosperous global society."
The three companies have a long history of supporting education initiatives and have worked together successfully in the past with other organizations to support education reform. For example, the firms developed the UNESCO ICT Competency Framework for Teachers and were the founding members of the World Economic Forum's Global Education Initiative, which aims to transform education through public-private partnerships.
"We believe that collectively we can have a greater impact," said Gupta. "This collaboration is also a response to the needs of customers, particularly governments, as they seek greater efficiency, effectiveness, and--frankly--simplicity in their partner relationships."
Martina Roth, director of global education strategy for Intel's Corporate Affairs Group, agreed that the collective efforts of the three companies are stronger than any individual firm alone.
"The link between successful educational systems and strong economies is indisputable. However, there is a disconnect between what goes on in schools now and what goes on in today's workplace. By not ensuring that our children are equipped for the workplace, we are doing them a disservice and ultimately harming ourselves and our economies," Roth said.
Based on extensive research, Cisco, Microsoft, and Intel concluded that most education systems have not kept pace with the dramatic changes in the economy and the skill sets that are required for students to succeed. These skills include the ability to think critically and creatively, to work cooperatively, and to adapt to the evolving use of information and communications technology (ICT) in business and society.
Schools also need a consistent way to measure success in these areas, company officials said.
"The goal isn't to assess ICT independently," explained Gupta, "but to incorporate ICT into measuring other skills that are invaluable in the 21st-century workplace. New assessments can provide information that students, teachers, parents, administrators, and policy makers need to catalyze and support systemic education reform."
The companies said there is no specific model that the project will be looking for. Rather, it will aim to inform school leaders of the characteristics of effective learning environments that can deliver 21st-century skills and assessments.
The three firms also announced the appointment of Australian academic Barry McGaw, director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute at the University of Melbourne, as executive director of the project.
McGaw was previously the education director of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), where he was a key figure in the development of the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which measures the reading, mathematics, and scientific skills of 250,000 students from 32 countries.
"Part of the challenge in creating an assessment of 21st-century skills is that there is no universally accepted definition of what is meant when we talk about 21st-century skills," Gupta said.
One of the working groups that McGaw will direct is tasked with making a recommendation on a standardized set of 21st-century skills and their measurement, "taking advantage of work that already exists in this area," said Gupta. Senta Raizen, director of the National Center for Improving Science Education at WestEd, will be in charge of that group.
McGaw and his team of researchers, especially John Bransford and his working group on learning environments, also will look into innovative classroom practices globally and identify those practices that support 21st-century skills.
"The reason why students in innovative classrooms haven't scored better than those in traditional classrooms is because the assessments were measuring the wrong skills," said Roth. "Therefore, the focus is [on changing assessments] to appropriately measure 21st-century skills, thus influencing teaching and learning, as well as curricula changes."
McGaw will oversee an executive committee, a project lead team, and up to 50 leading experts and innovators in academia and government.
"Reforming assessment is essential to enabling any systemic changes in education," said McGaw. "In PISA 2003, we took a step by adding an assessment of problem solving, but one limited to analogical reasoning. We hoped to add ICT competence in PISA 2006 but did not succeed. We all need to work together to advance assessment practice."
The initiative also is supported by the International Association of the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) and its Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).
To accelerate the project in time to influence the next versions of PISA (2012) and TIMSS (2011), the project will review successful classroom practices for the teaching and testing of 21st-century skills and draw implications for large-scale assessments.
"Cisco, Microsoft, and Intel understand that technology in and of itself will not ... achieve the kind of global transformation necessary to bring education into the 21st century," said Cisco in a statement. "We believe technology has a key role to play in realizing the vision of a high-quality education for all, and we want to provide the resources to help make that vision a reality. The alliance is working with academic experts and the education community to provide the resources they require to make rapid progress on this issue. We encourage everyone from private companies to public organizations to parents and teachers to join together in this important effort."
The companies are actively encouraging other partners from schools, government ministries, assessment organizations, universities and education research institutions, foundations, and businesses to join in the effort.
"In many classrooms, the teachers teach what is measured," said Gupta. "By influencing international assessments, and working with countries to influence their policy and approaches to national assessment, we believe this project will have a direct and large-scale impact on what is taught and how it is taught in schools across the [world]. In this way, it is our hope that this project will help schools move to the style of learning environment that engages the current and future generation of students and delivers to students the skills and competencies they need for successful and prosperous lives in the 21st century."
Links:
Assessment Call to Action white paper
How to Bridge the Conceptual Divide in Education?
Many divisions are creating obstacles for learning in Education. The digital divide is real and some efforts are being made to bridge this gap. Defining the digital divide is fairly straightforward: Those with access to high speed internet and content-rich websites have a distinct advantage over those that are not so connected. The divide is evident in rural areas in the U.S., in particular.
But there remains another divide perhaps more threatening to progress in Education than the digital divide: It is the conceptual divide that exists between teachers who have educated themselves in the area of 21st century learning tools (sometimes also called Web 2.0, Education 2.o, e-learning, ed tech, etc..).
Attempting to tag websites bookmarked at del.ici.ous or diigo highlights the problem. Depending on the site, all of the following terms potentially describe the content in them:
- Web 2.0
- Web 2.0 in Education
- Education 2.0
- E-Learning
- Education Technology (or EdTech)
- Digital Learning
- Digital Teaching
- Web-Based Learning
- 21st Century Skills
- 21st Century Learning
- Classroom 2.0
- New Education Paradigms
What is becoming evident is that specific professional development initiatives in the very general umbrella term of 21st century learning tools is essential so that ALL Educators can join the "__2.0" party in the proper spirit and with the proper conception of what this all means for potential quality student learning. These professional development efforts need to be led by folks keen enough to understand that "Education 2.0" represents a shift in dominant paradigms in education as well as ever expanding web-based tools for learning and teaching.
Other thoughts/efforts are most welcome.
Web 2.0 in Education for Teachers
This is a presentation I did on the topic of Web 2.0 in Education. It was geared for beginners. Hope it has value to others.
Professional Development In Education: What's Your Ideal?
This post will be used in a class focused on 21st century learning tools. If interested, please use the comment feature below this post to answer the following.
- As a teacher, what is your actual experience in the area of Professional Development?
- What is your ideal? What do you seek from Professional Development?
- How can/might Web 2.0 tools assist in this process?
How to Use Tech in Elementary Education
What If We Didn't Speak?
So, I was watching some films over at Cause Global and it prompte these thoughts:
1-A big criticism of today's learners is that teachers "talk to much". The old paradigm has the talking head at the head of the class with students sitting in rows supposedly "listening". Charles Schulz parodied this perfectly with his trombone "wah-wah" voice representing Charlie Brown's teacher.
2-So much "instruction" can be delivered non-verbally. Actually, nearly anything that needs to be learned can be delivered non-verbally....and creatively. Or, the "talking" can be pre-recorded and put into a"fun" package connected to either a podcast or a film/video or slideshow or some other format.
3-So, what if we didn't speak? What if we tried to deliver instruction in a completely different way? Can the classroom call to attention be something other than "listen up, class...."? Isn't it about getting student attention and sustaining it in the first place? What if instruction was compelling, non-verbal, web-based with meaningful, enagaging expectations and assessments? What if students had to e-mail a question/problem instead of speaking?
How would this change the atmosphere for learning? It might take time but my gut feeling is that things might be better. Instruction can be tailored to the individual as problems/issues arise and as we teachers point students toward potent web-based, media-rich resources. But the most important point is that we would be slowly weening students from dependence on the voice in front of the room and redirecting it to the voices in their heads-an empowering shift in attention.
Putting "Web 2.0 in Education" in Context
Digital Natives. Digital Immigrants. Web 2.0. Rss Feeds. Blogs. Wikis. Podcasts. Digital Learning. Students as Content Creators. All of these phrases and terms are very new and very green when the whole enterprise of Education (in the U.S.) is taken into account.
Many teachers and students haven't heard of these terms. Some have bit don't know what they mean. Some know a few terms and what they mean but don't know how to use them at least as far as teaching and learning is concerned. This is where the majority of teachers and school leaders are at this point.
It is easy to imagine that the majority of teachers and classrooms have "gone digital" especially when visiting sites such as Classroom 2.0 where many excellent, enthusiastic teachers hang out and share their stories about using Web 2.0 in Education. It's not the reality, though as districts, schools, leaders and teachers worry through the idea of "opening up" the walls of education. Considerations are under way and that must be counted as progress.
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
Rarely is the use of Web 2.0 tools in Education put into context in Education. The exciting truth, however, is that there exists a direct relationship between research and educational evolution and the emergence of digital learning tools.
IT looks something like this:
Traditional Teaching Methods----> Student Centered Classroom Models (ie..Cooperative Learning)
---->Standards Based Education----> Data Driven Instruction ----> Differentiated Learning ---->
New Modes of teaching and learning including the use of Web tools
In the next post, I will examine the specifics of each piece of the puzzle.
Education in the Digital Age
If progress is to be made in Education all Educators need to enter the digital age. No excuses. Professional Development efforts throughout the U.S. should be focussed on this topic for the next year. Better late than never and no teacher should be allowed to “opt out”. The future depends on acquiring these skills.
Here’s a place to start..
Students See Digital Divide in Schools
Is there a digital divide playing itself out in schools? Many students say, "Yes". Which begs the question whether schools are really setting students up for the 21st century.
There are new data indicating that the digital divide is alive and well in schools with Principals thinking their schools do just fine and students thinking school is behind the times. E-School news covered the story:
Project Tomorrow surveyed more than 370,000 students, teachers, parents, and administrators about their views on technology and education during its Speak Up 2007 research…
Students who took the survey said the major obstacles to their use of technology at school include filters that block the web sites they need and administrators who impose rules that limit their technology use.
“The ‘digital disconnect’ is alive and well,” Evans added. “Kids tell us they power down to come to school.”
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