I stand upon my desk to remind myself that we must constantly look at things in a different way.
8February2010
Posted by admin under: Ed-Tech 541.
I created a PowerPoint presentation designed to pitch a pilot program to the Nampa School District which would provide each high school student (and their teachers) with a laptop for use in the classroom. The presentation was designed to be versatile and could easily be viewed by administrators, legislators or parents.
2February2010
Posted by admin under: Ed-Tech 504.
Several times during the reading this week my wife heard me mutter that my head hurt… The readings were quite involved and have given me a lot to think about and process. I admit that I’m still in the process of working those new ideas around in my own head. But from what I’ve processed so far, the theme in this week’s reading seemed to be differentiation.
My favorite article talked about how technology wasn’t simply agnostic towards students or the material. That we are making a pedagogical choice when we use specific technology because we’re forcing students into specific learning styles or modes based on what tools we use. A PowerPoint presentation will force students into a visual learning mode; an audio recording will force students to learn auditorily. When paired with the assertion from another reading that there is no “unified instructional design theory”, the implied warning is, of course, that different students learn better in different ways and we must utilize tools that will help us teach lots of different students. We must differentiate in order to be effective.
This differentiation is where theory can help guide our actions. Decisions made in the classroom aren’t made blindly; they’re influenced by our experience and biases. By using theory to intelligently guide our actions rather than our knee-jerk reactions we can do better in the classroom. For example, it is difficult to fully understand those who learn in different ways than we do. To construct lessons and use technology in ways that are effective for a broad range of students we must rely on various theories and models to guide our behavior.
With the idea of using technology as a means for differentiating our lessons, the resource I added to the class resource database was a link to the new National Archives account on Flickr. The US National Archives has started publishing original source material (photos, etc…) on Flickr. They’ve already got over 3000 images in almost 50 sets up (with more on the way). By using images, as well as the instructor’s (auditory) description of events/images and the textbook’s written word we can more easily cover multiple learning styles; these images allow us to more easily do that. One of the great things that digital technology allows teachers to do is access primary source documents that we wouldn’t have had access to otherwise. This is a great technological resource for History/Government teachers.
2February2010
Posted by admin under: Ed-Tech 541.
The use of technology in schools can have far reaching positive effects on student learning, motivation and achievement. While most educational technology provides subtle benefits (time saving, better presentation of information already being presented, etc…) at its best (and most dramatic) technology can have a massive impact in the classroom and be used by teachers to create better, more engaging and more in-depth lessons. In turn, more engaging lessons enhance the school experience for students leading to fewer drop outs, fewer discipline problems and better scores from students.
For example, in 2004 Maine implemented a 1-to-1 laptop program that provided every middle-school student a laptop. The program was quickly expanded out to cover Maine high schools as well. The effects were significant and universally positive:
• 85% of teachers said that the laptops helped them access more up-to-date information and explore it in greater depth.
• 70% of teachers to report that the laptops helped them customize their lessons to better meet individual students’ particular needs.
• 75% of students indicate they do more work when using laptops.
• 75% indicate that laptops help them stay organized.
• 66% of students indicate that laptops improve their understanding of what they are studying.
• 80% of teachers report that students are more engaged and involved with their own learning when provided with laptops.
• 70% of teachers say that the levels of positive interaction between at-risk students and other students had improved after the laptop program started.
• 30-40% percent of principals reported that laptop programs have improved student attendance.
• 70% of principals report that laptops had positive impacts on student motivation.
The Maine laptop program is an example of the true potential of educational technology. When technology is used properly it enhances the learning experience for students – helping them learn more and enjoy the process more. This has substantial secondary effects for the school as a whole.
References:
Maine Laptop Program Expands to High Schools - Minus Hardware Funding. K-12 Computing Blueprint: Your Resource for One-to-One Computing. Retrieved from http://www.k12blueprint.com/k12/blueprint/story_maine_hs_expansion.php
Monser, K. (2005). Professional Development Resources and Strategies for Teachers Implementing a One-to-One Laptop Initiative. The Department of Instructional Design and Technology Emporia State University. 1-21.
Silvernail, D. L. & Lane, D. M. (2004) The impact of maine’s one-to-one laptop program on middle school teachers and Students. Maine Education Policy Research Institute. University of Maine Office. February 2004 i-33.
23January2010
Posted by admin under: Uncategorized.
This is the first post… nothing special… just wanted to make sure it works.