Hot off the presses! I’ve assigned the plan for reading in my Instructional Design class already. I’m off to read it myself.
Vermont Educational Technology Plan for 2012-2015, “Technology for Personalizing Learning,” released March 1, 2012 by the Vermont Department of Education.
I’m done trying to compete with laptop and tablet screens for kids’ attention in the classroom. I lose every time to the screen.
I mean, really, how can I compete? The Internet, cameras, games, chatting – I don’t have a chance.
But I find that using computers in the classroom can be a very powerful and engaging activity to support learning. I’ve figured out a way to both use computers in the classroom, and limit distractions. I experimented in a 6, 7, 8th grade class at a local public school for months of trial and error during my weekly technology integration visits.
Here’s what I came up with:
The Flipped Laptop Classroom. Click to enlarge.
It’s a bit radical, but it works, especially for times when students need to focus on using the computer. This is not designed for team work on computers.
Here’s what you do:
Flipped Laptop Classroom with iPads. Click to enlarge.
When students face you and the projector content, they cannot see their laptop screens.
When you are done discussing, and/or showing projector content, they swing around 180 degrees and face their laptops. At this point you can see every screen without moving.
Flipped Laptop Classroom. Click to enlarge.
Peter Dresher, head of EdTech at the Department of Education here in Vermont, sent me two links that got me thinking about kids and technology. I see the concerns around young children using computers coming from the negative effects of too much alone screen time.
But what about the literate, social, collaborative, careful use of technology as a teaching tool?
The NETS-S is a national standard for technology use by students, and here in Vermont educators are doing some great work with those standards guiding technology being employed as a positive teaching tool. Specifically:
I see, and more research supports, the value of the careful and thoughtful use of very group oriented, interactive, project-based technology tools from age 3-4 on. This is NOT TV or staring at a screen alone for hours. It’s social, collaborative, and only a small part of a student’s week.
I believe we must teach literacy of media and technology to young children precisely because they are being exposed to so much of it with no literacy training. If you teach a group of kids to make a video together it not only teaches social collaboration but also changes how they watch other videos. They understand first-hand that videos are made by people – often with agendas. If our kids never make a video, it’s like teaching reading without ever talking about the intent of the author.
Unfortunately, because most parents are not made aware of the proper place in a student’s education, they either ban certain technology or media or let kids use it as entertainment.
The following suggests there is a better way.
Some research:
The impact of computer use on children’s and adolescents’ development
For her capstone project, MA in Teaching with Technology candidate Wendy Windle has been working on the following at our local Academy School’s iPad Center.
It should come as no surprise to any of us that technology continues to impact almost every aspect of our culture. At Academy School we are finding ways to incorporate technology to engage young learners. By using iPads to propel student inquiry and learning, teachers have a new pedagogical tool with infinite possibilities.
I created a website that serves as an iPad kiosk and a Professional Learning Community. This site is designed to serve not only as an informational center for All Things iPad–from initial use to lesson sharing– but even more so to provide teachers a venue to share valuable insights. The discussion forums allow staff to share information on various apps that will be effective in building literacy and math skills.
The 2011 issue Education Issue of the New York Times Magazine has some gems in it. My favorite is The Character Test.
It’s about “Grit.” It seems that grit can be a better indicator than grades of being able to get through life (finishing school, finding a good job, mate, etc.) The online version of the article also includes a small separate piece on a Character Report Card being tested at a couple of schools.
Coincidentally, the week after I read the article, I was in New York City for Thanksgiving and went to the Museum of Natural History. The quote by Theodore Roosevelt that is carved into the stone walls of the the massive lobby is about youth and character. When I took the below photo, I also noticed the interesting use of “Game Boys.”
Photo of the Roosevelt Quote at the Museum of Natural History
Rick Oller, MAT candidate, summarizes his Capstone project: E-Learning Hub for Noosphere Media.
Noosphere Media, a start-up company specializing in social media, rich content publishing, search engine optimization and marketing for higher education and mission-driven organizations, needed a web presence to establish its expertise in e-learning. Noosphere plans to market their social media and publishing platform with tie-ins to e-learning systems and also to promote the e-learning offerings of its client institutions. This capstone project encompasses the design and development of elearninghub.org, a source for ‘all things e-learning’, sponsored by Noosphere Media.
Pedagogical theory and practice, instructional design, web design & media production, digital research, and personal learning environments & networks independent study knowledge and skills were employed in every phase of the project.
The below seems like a solid bit of research put into a well designed infographic about the effect of online education. It’s from onlineeducation.net.
However, I’m still trying to figure out who, or what, is behind onlineeducation.net. Where do they get their money?
Via: OnlineEducation.net
We’ve launched a What’s EdTech? video by Lisa Whalen that we love! Here it is:
Many thanks to Luke at Mondo Media Works and Lisa for their work on this video.
Liberty Square Oct. 5th
The MBA and MAT program went down to see what Occupy Wall Street was all about on Wednesday, Oct 5th. I took the following photos and videos and used CNN iReports to broadcast them.
We’ve launched a What’s EdTech? video by Cara Cutter that we love! Here it is:
Many thanks to Luke at Mondo Media Works and Cara for their work on this video.