Ok, thanks Crystal. While looking at the wiki she was talking about on her blog, I came across this site that allows you to upload PPT presentations (and then you can embed them in your wiki was the point being made) and because I have all the free time in the world to be geeking at random PPT presentations, I decided to offer this one up as it touched on several of the topics we have been discussing as well as offering some additional food for thought....
Have a good weekend all!
Ann
Friday, March 30, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Just Say No
This post's inspiration comes from an article in the Wall Street Journal and posted in the post-gazette.com's education section in August 2006: "Saying no to school laptops."
The article begins with the tale of a mother in California who decided to pull her daughter out of a laptop program when her standardized writing test scores fell and she became more interested in sprucing up her MySpace page than doing her homework.
The author also outlines the costly nature of these 1:1 programs and some of the different ways school districts are funding them. The big names in computers are ready and waiting to play ball with these schools as the profits can be lucrative, not to mention the fact that "caputuring customers as teenagers creates strong brand affiliation."
Parent concerns such as the wrong skills being emphasized-incorporating all the bells and whistles, but skimping on content, and the ever present safety concerns of spending increased time online are also addressed.
While I've seen a lot of information on the pros and cons of the 1:1 initiatives, it has come to my attention that what is felt to be one of the largest problems with the program at my school is the unreliability of the laptops themselves. They feel the program may not be able to continue because of this. Now, I don't want to start a family feud, but these are Apple laptops and were purchased in 2003. I just switched from a Dell to an iMac last spring and I couldn't be happier. However, some of the grumblings are that the Apple laptops are not "sturdy" enough for this kind of use. Any thoughts? Any true "techies" who can give me an unbiased opinion? Perhaps this is the next are I should look into..any suggestions on where to look?
The article begins with the tale of a mother in California who decided to pull her daughter out of a laptop program when her standardized writing test scores fell and she became more interested in sprucing up her MySpace page than doing her homework.
The author also outlines the costly nature of these 1:1 programs and some of the different ways school districts are funding them. The big names in computers are ready and waiting to play ball with these schools as the profits can be lucrative, not to mention the fact that "caputuring customers as teenagers creates strong brand affiliation."
Parent concerns such as the wrong skills being emphasized-incorporating all the bells and whistles, but skimping on content, and the ever present safety concerns of spending increased time online are also addressed.
While I've seen a lot of information on the pros and cons of the 1:1 initiatives, it has come to my attention that what is felt to be one of the largest problems with the program at my school is the unreliability of the laptops themselves. They feel the program may not be able to continue because of this. Now, I don't want to start a family feud, but these are Apple laptops and were purchased in 2003. I just switched from a Dell to an iMac last spring and I couldn't be happier. However, some of the grumblings are that the Apple laptops are not "sturdy" enough for this kind of use. Any thoughts? Any true "techies" who can give me an unbiased opinion? Perhaps this is the next are I should look into..any suggestions on where to look?
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Student Achievement
The Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment: "Learning with Technology: The Impact of Laptop Use on Student Achievement"
These authors propose that, compared to students who do not have laptops, the students who do have laptops:
• are involved in more collaborative work
• participate in more project-based instruction
• produce writing of higher quality and greater length
• have increased access to information
• improve their research analysis skills
• direct their own learning
• show a greater reliance on active learning strategies
• readily engage in problem solving and critical thinking
• consistently show deeper and more flexible uses of technology
Teachers who use laptops:
• use a more constructivist approach to teaching
• feel more empowered in their classrooms
• spend less time lecturing
As data measures, the authors in this study looked at end-of-course grades, local district writing assessments, and norm-referenced test results. For each measure they looked at laptop users vs. non-laptop users as not all students participate in the laptop program. At my middle school, only the 7th grade has the laptops (I am still trying to figure this one out?) and each student has one (as long as it is working!)I will be looking at the same kinds of data measures, but will look for trends across time to see if the scores have improved as a result of laptop use since the program began in 2003-04. The data analysis in this study is quite impressive and makes my small inquiry seem a little pale in comparison.
Results show that students in the laptop program attained higher GPAs than those without, a higher percentage of laptop students attained "A" grades in Math and English than those without, overall, a higher percentage of laptop students met or exceeded grade level expectations in writing, and a higher proportion of laptop students scored at or above the national average in the California norm-referenced tests.
The authors discuss the implications of these findings in terms of the usual suspects-more computer access equity, more teacher proficiency and tech skills. They also speak to an "achievement divide" that may develop if the equity issues are not addressed.
These authors propose that, compared to students who do not have laptops, the students who do have laptops:
• are involved in more collaborative work
• participate in more project-based instruction
• produce writing of higher quality and greater length
• have increased access to information
• improve their research analysis skills
• direct their own learning
• show a greater reliance on active learning strategies
• readily engage in problem solving and critical thinking
• consistently show deeper and more flexible uses of technology
Teachers who use laptops:
• use a more constructivist approach to teaching
• feel more empowered in their classrooms
• spend less time lecturing
As data measures, the authors in this study looked at end-of-course grades, local district writing assessments, and norm-referenced test results. For each measure they looked at laptop users vs. non-laptop users as not all students participate in the laptop program. At my middle school, only the 7th grade has the laptops (I am still trying to figure this one out?) and each student has one (as long as it is working!)I will be looking at the same kinds of data measures, but will look for trends across time to see if the scores have improved as a result of laptop use since the program began in 2003-04. The data analysis in this study is quite impressive and makes my small inquiry seem a little pale in comparison.
Results show that students in the laptop program attained higher GPAs than those without, a higher percentage of laptop students attained "A" grades in Math and English than those without, overall, a higher percentage of laptop students met or exceeded grade level expectations in writing, and a higher proportion of laptop students scored at or above the national average in the California norm-referenced tests.
The authors discuss the implications of these findings in terms of the usual suspects-more computer access equity, more teacher proficiency and tech skills. They also speak to an "achievement divide" that may develop if the equity issues are not addressed.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Symbolic Analysts
I was skimming through the 21st century skills report found at enGauge and when I got to the "Creativity" section I was drawn back to my last posting on Richard's blog and also to a point made in Laptops and Literacy by Mark Warschauer. (I know here it is again, but it's like the 1:1 laptop bible!)
A symbolic analyst is actually a term coined by former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich (1991) who believes that the "jobs that drive our knowledge economy and provide people with power, prestige and high pay are almost all considerd symbolic analyst services."(Reich as cited in Warschauer 2006). Symbolic analysts "solve, identify, and broker problems by manipulating symbols. They simplify reality into abstract images that can be rearranged, juggled, experimented with, communicated to other specialists, and then, eventually, transformed back into reality." (Reich as cited in Warschauer, 2006). In addtion, they "use digital technology on a constant basis...are highly adaptive...and must constantly reinvent themselves."
"Our knowledge-based age has shifted power from those who own raw physical materials to those who have intellectual capacity—the capacity to create and produce knowledge." (21st century skills). This comes from the creativity section in the 21st century skills report. There will be some who will say well, all of the students are not going to be symbolic analysts, or, all of our students are not going to go to college. Does that mean we shouldn't give them the chance? Do we tag those students who have no "symbol manipulating" potential and relegate them to a tenure of poster making (and I've assigned posters before..so I'm not saying anything about the value of posters...just trying to make a point) and let the others run with the technology? No, everyone can benefit from this. But, as teachers we need to step up to the plate and make the technology integration meaningful. To accomplish this, the powers that be need to make the professional development most teachers need to get up to speed meaningful.
I think it was Richard who mentioned in his blog the need for a pedagogical shift in order to make technology integration work in our favor. We want our kids to have the skills necessary to be "creative" and to apply that creativity in a digital world. Don't most teachers "simplify reality into abstract images that can be rearranged, juggled, experimented with, communicated to other specialists, and then, eventually, transformed back into reality"? As a symbolic analyst I'd like more of the "power, prestige and high pay"!:)
A symbolic analyst is actually a term coined by former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich (1991) who believes that the "jobs that drive our knowledge economy and provide people with power, prestige and high pay are almost all considerd symbolic analyst services."(Reich as cited in Warschauer 2006). Symbolic analysts "solve, identify, and broker problems by manipulating symbols. They simplify reality into abstract images that can be rearranged, juggled, experimented with, communicated to other specialists, and then, eventually, transformed back into reality." (Reich as cited in Warschauer, 2006). In addtion, they "use digital technology on a constant basis...are highly adaptive...and must constantly reinvent themselves."
"Our knowledge-based age has shifted power from those who own raw physical materials to those who have intellectual capacity—the capacity to create and produce knowledge." (21st century skills). This comes from the creativity section in the 21st century skills report. There will be some who will say well, all of the students are not going to be symbolic analysts, or, all of our students are not going to go to college. Does that mean we shouldn't give them the chance? Do we tag those students who have no "symbol manipulating" potential and relegate them to a tenure of poster making (and I've assigned posters before..so I'm not saying anything about the value of posters...just trying to make a point) and let the others run with the technology? No, everyone can benefit from this. But, as teachers we need to step up to the plate and make the technology integration meaningful. To accomplish this, the powers that be need to make the professional development most teachers need to get up to speed meaningful.
I think it was Richard who mentioned in his blog the need for a pedagogical shift in order to make technology integration work in our favor. We want our kids to have the skills necessary to be "creative" and to apply that creativity in a digital world. Don't most teachers "simplify reality into abstract images that can be rearranged, juggled, experimented with, communicated to other specialists, and then, eventually, transformed back into reality"? As a symbolic analyst I'd like more of the "power, prestige and high pay"!:)
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
one laptop per child
You perhaps have seen mention of this program in the news recently.
One Laptop per Child (OLPC): http://www.laptop.org/index.shtml (a wonderfully designed website by the way!)
Organized with a focus on grassroots innovations, this non-profit organization, led by Nicholas Negroponte and others formerly part of the MIT Media Lab,has the following goal:
"The mission of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) movement is to ensure that every school-aged child in the lesser-developed parts of the world is able to engage effectively with their own personal laptop, networked to the world, so that they, their families and their communities can openly learn and learn about learning."
They propose to meet this goal through the XO laptop, which is described as "a unique harmony of form and function; a flexible, ultra low-cost, power-efficient, responsive, and durable machine with which nations of the emerging world can leapfrog decades of development-immediately transforming the content and quality of their children's learning."
The laptop cost will start near $100 and then steadily decrease. Negroponte has been quoted as saying, "This is an education project, not a laptop project" (radioopensource). This link follows with some interesting opinions on the love/hate continuum in terms of opinions on the program. It seems a lofty goal with good intentions and it will be interesting to see how it pans out.
One Laptop per Child (OLPC): http://www.laptop.org/index.shtml (a wonderfully designed website by the way!)
Organized with a focus on grassroots innovations, this non-profit organization, led by Nicholas Negroponte and others formerly part of the MIT Media Lab,has the following goal:
"The mission of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) movement is to ensure that every school-aged child in the lesser-developed parts of the world is able to engage effectively with their own personal laptop, networked to the world, so that they, their families and their communities can openly learn and learn about learning."
They propose to meet this goal through the XO laptop, which is described as "a unique harmony of form and function; a flexible, ultra low-cost, power-efficient, responsive, and durable machine with which nations of the emerging world can leapfrog decades of development-immediately transforming the content and quality of their children's learning."
The laptop cost will start near $100 and then steadily decrease. Negroponte has been quoted as saying, "This is an education project, not a laptop project" (radioopensource). This link follows with some interesting opinions on the love/hate continuum in terms of opinions on the program. It seems a lofty goal with good intentions and it will be interesting to see how it pans out.
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Put your money where your mouth is...
I am currently reading Laptops and Literacy by Mark Warschauer as part of my lit review for my laptops and learning inquiry. The following is a link to a paper presented by Mr. Warschauer in April 2006 which touches on many of the same issues as the book, both of which provide a wonderful resource to those interested in technology, laptops, reading, writing and "literacy". I think all of our group members will find this piece useful:
http://www.gse.uci.edu/faculty/markw/AERA-2006-laptops.pdf
In this paper Mr. Warschauer identifies 3 literacy and learning challenges, and discusses the gaps between (1) past/future (2) home/school and (3) rich/poor. His team undertook a 2 year laptop and literacy study looking at schools in California and Maine with 1:1 laptop initiatives, each with unique demographics. The study sought to answer these questions:
1. What kind of changes take place in literacy practices in the 1:1 classroom?
2. How does laptop use affect student test scores in reading, writing, English and language arts?
3. How do changes in literacy practices differ among diverse students and schools?
His comment on p. 25 struck me as particularly interesting as he notes that there is "not a consistent match between the benefits of laptop use and the skills and proficiencies tested on current versions of standardized exams." While these skills are important for 21st century living they are not measured on high stakes tests. What does this say about our government's goals? If we look back to the first articles we reviewed for this class the report prepared by the U.S. Dept. of Ed was all about effectively integrating technology. However, they didn't seem concerned or even mention that those skills are not measured by the current standardized tests and at times may run contrary to testing situations (word processing essays vs. hand-writing them for high stakes tests).
The paper is worth checking out as I think everyone can find some valuable support information.
http://www.gse.uci.edu/faculty/markw/AERA-2006-laptops.pdf
In this paper Mr. Warschauer identifies 3 literacy and learning challenges, and discusses the gaps between (1) past/future (2) home/school and (3) rich/poor. His team undertook a 2 year laptop and literacy study looking at schools in California and Maine with 1:1 laptop initiatives, each with unique demographics. The study sought to answer these questions:
1. What kind of changes take place in literacy practices in the 1:1 classroom?
2. How does laptop use affect student test scores in reading, writing, English and language arts?
3. How do changes in literacy practices differ among diverse students and schools?
His comment on p. 25 struck me as particularly interesting as he notes that there is "not a consistent match between the benefits of laptop use and the skills and proficiencies tested on current versions of standardized exams." While these skills are important for 21st century living they are not measured on high stakes tests. What does this say about our government's goals? If we look back to the first articles we reviewed for this class the report prepared by the U.S. Dept. of Ed was all about effectively integrating technology. However, they didn't seem concerned or even mention that those skills are not measured by the current standardized tests and at times may run contrary to testing situations (word processing essays vs. hand-writing them for high stakes tests).
The paper is worth checking out as I think everyone can find some valuable support information.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Focus on Teaching & Learning
I came across this concise, yet cogent look at Maine's Learning Technology Initiative and their statewide laptop program (You'll probably be seeing a lot of references to Maine's program as they were the first to implement such a program and much of the literature available is based on research on the same.) at the National Association of Elementary Principals site.
"Laptops for Learning"
http://www.naesp.org/ContentLoad.do?contentId=126
The article points to 4 lessons that can be learned by looking at Maine's program: (1) Focus on Learning; (2) Use Technology to Enhance the Curriculum (3) Increase the Relevancy of Schooling (4) Send the Laptops Home
Of particular interest was the recognition that in order for a program like this to be successful there must be a focus on teaching and learning as opposed to a focus on the hardware/software. The quantity vs. quality issue rises again. Yes, each of our middle school students has a laptop, but HOW can we use it effectively to positively impact student learning? The author quotes a study by Schacter (1995), who concludes that "one of the most enduring difficulties about technology and education is that a lot of people think about the technology first and the education later." I think this is the key to why the laptop program with our 7th graders is not up to par. A grant made the technology available, but no one thought ahead enough to consider what kind of professional development implications it had. Maine's success is due in great part to the fact that this contingency was considered and that they "devoted extensive resources to professional development for teachers...".
Along these same lines the author notes that "some people outside the schools mistakenly think that the objective is to make sure that all the students are trained in the use of technology." I think you could add "some people inside the schools" to that statement as well. If teachers are using the technology to enhance the curriculum then the tech skills will trickle down through the pipeline along with the content material they're using the technology to learn. Seamless integration of this sort by all teachers at all levels is a daunting task, but should be the ultimate goal.
This article advocates that student be able to bring the laptops home and points to the benefits enjoyed by the "whole family." While it is certainly important to bridge the gap between home and school (i.e. students using the computer for everything at home and then going to school and hand writing their assignments), it is important to consider the demographics as well. Richard noted in one of my other posts a connection to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and pointed out that a student with laptop access, even at home, still isn't going to "make the necessary connections" if his basic needs are not being met.
"Laptops for Learning"
http://www.naesp.org/ContentLoad.do?contentId=126
The article points to 4 lessons that can be learned by looking at Maine's program: (1) Focus on Learning; (2) Use Technology to Enhance the Curriculum (3) Increase the Relevancy of Schooling (4) Send the Laptops Home
Of particular interest was the recognition that in order for a program like this to be successful there must be a focus on teaching and learning as opposed to a focus on the hardware/software. The quantity vs. quality issue rises again. Yes, each of our middle school students has a laptop, but HOW can we use it effectively to positively impact student learning? The author quotes a study by Schacter (1995), who concludes that "one of the most enduring difficulties about technology and education is that a lot of people think about the technology first and the education later." I think this is the key to why the laptop program with our 7th graders is not up to par. A grant made the technology available, but no one thought ahead enough to consider what kind of professional development implications it had. Maine's success is due in great part to the fact that this contingency was considered and that they "devoted extensive resources to professional development for teachers...".
Along these same lines the author notes that "some people outside the schools mistakenly think that the objective is to make sure that all the students are trained in the use of technology." I think you could add "some people inside the schools" to that statement as well. If teachers are using the technology to enhance the curriculum then the tech skills will trickle down through the pipeline along with the content material they're using the technology to learn. Seamless integration of this sort by all teachers at all levels is a daunting task, but should be the ultimate goal.
This article advocates that student be able to bring the laptops home and points to the benefits enjoyed by the "whole family." While it is certainly important to bridge the gap between home and school (i.e. students using the computer for everything at home and then going to school and hand writing their assignments), it is important to consider the demographics as well. Richard noted in one of my other posts a connection to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs and pointed out that a student with laptop access, even at home, still isn't going to "make the necessary connections" if his basic needs are not being met.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Beliefs Driving Action
Happy Friday all and Happy St. Patrick's Day a tad early!
Today's blog post is based on this article: http://www.usm.maine.edu/cepare/Reports/Belief_Drives_Action.pdf, or Belief Drives Action: How Teaching Philosophy Affects Technology Use in the Classroom (April 2005).
As an aside, I am trying to get some of the shortucts-bold, underline, etc. to work, but am guessing because I am in Safari they won't work? Any suggestions on this would be very helpful.
This research was prepared by Aaron Gritter from the University of Southern Maine's Center for Education Policy, Applied Research, and Evaluation, which has prepared a ton of research on a 1:1 laptop initiative that has been rolled out in Maine over the past 5 years at the 7th and 8th grade level.
"we must prepare young people to thrive in
a world that doesn’t exist yet, to grapple with problems and
construct new knowledge which is barely visible to us today.
It is no longer adequate to prepare some of our young people
to high levels of learning and technological literacy; we must
prepare all for the demands of a world in which workers and
citizens will be required to use and create knowledge, and
embrace technology as a powerful tool to do so. " (intro)
Most of us are familiar with this 21st century skills mantra. Most of us can also probably predict what the research shows in terms of teaching philosophy and technology use. Prior computer experience was seen as a reliable, and the best, predictor of student and teacher usage. Teacher experience and education level were not good predictors of technology usage. Teaching philosophy does impact computer use by both teachers and students. The author suggests the usual-additional preservice training, ongoing professional development and more research into what professional development is most effective in this arena.
Laine's comments on my last post addressed her concern that perhaps the gap can never be closed. Much of the information regarding technology integration highlights the "usual suspects" and offers the same suggestions for solutions. This was what stood out for me as the "missing link" in the readings we responded to in the first module as well. "HOW" do we get there? I agree that effective professional development is key, but "how" do we get through all the traditional and administrative trappings to get to where we need to be? Start by moving the cheese?:)
Today's blog post is based on this article: http://www.usm.maine.edu/cepare/Reports/Belief_Drives_Action.pdf, or Belief Drives Action: How Teaching Philosophy Affects Technology Use in the Classroom (April 2005).
As an aside, I am trying to get some of the shortucts-bold, underline, etc. to work, but am guessing because I am in Safari they won't work? Any suggestions on this would be very helpful.
This research was prepared by Aaron Gritter from the University of Southern Maine's Center for Education Policy, Applied Research, and Evaluation, which has prepared a ton of research on a 1:1 laptop initiative that has been rolled out in Maine over the past 5 years at the 7th and 8th grade level.
"we must prepare young people to thrive in
a world that doesn’t exist yet, to grapple with problems and
construct new knowledge which is barely visible to us today.
It is no longer adequate to prepare some of our young people
to high levels of learning and technological literacy; we must
prepare all for the demands of a world in which workers and
citizens will be required to use and create knowledge, and
embrace technology as a powerful tool to do so. " (intro)
Most of us are familiar with this 21st century skills mantra. Most of us can also probably predict what the research shows in terms of teaching philosophy and technology use. Prior computer experience was seen as a reliable, and the best, predictor of student and teacher usage. Teacher experience and education level were not good predictors of technology usage. Teaching philosophy does impact computer use by both teachers and students. The author suggests the usual-additional preservice training, ongoing professional development and more research into what professional development is most effective in this arena.
Laine's comments on my last post addressed her concern that perhaps the gap can never be closed. Much of the information regarding technology integration highlights the "usual suspects" and offers the same suggestions for solutions. This was what stood out for me as the "missing link" in the readings we responded to in the first module as well. "HOW" do we get there? I agree that effective professional development is key, but "how" do we get through all the traditional and administrative trappings to get to where we need to be? Start by moving the cheese?:)
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Bridging the Digital Divide
This article is one section of a report from the Laptops for Learning Task Force in Florida which assessed the use of mobile laptop computers as it related to student success in grades K-12 and can be accessed at: http://etc.usf.edu/L4L/1-Bridge.html
Thanks to Dr. Dawson for sharing this resource with me!
This particular link speaks to the need for bridging the digital divide between the "haves" and the "have nots." It could apply to anyone 's pursuit in this class as it speaks not only to the use of laptop computers, but to any technology. It is offered as one of the "guiding principles" suggested by this task force along with teaching 21st century skills, reforming teacher methods, providing effective professional development and more. The principle itself is stated as "All students must have access to appropriate tools and to challenging curriculum in order to bridge the digital divide by moving beyond basics and towards 21st century skills."
Of particular interest was a comment by Maisie MacAdoo as it relates to the concept of "equity". The equity she speaks of is in terms of not just quality of the technology itself, but quality USE of the technology. To me this is one of the most glaring issues out there. As we read in the articles last week, plenty of schools have the latest and greatest sitting around unused. The technology is not being maximized because the teachers don't have the time/resources/knowledge, etc. necessary to make it a "best practice" and a natural part of their curriculum.
In the short time I've spent talking to teachers and students at my middle school, I can already see that this is one of the biggest issues surrounding our 1:1 laptop initiative as well.
Thanks to Dr. Dawson for sharing this resource with me!
This particular link speaks to the need for bridging the digital divide between the "haves" and the "have nots." It could apply to anyone 's pursuit in this class as it speaks not only to the use of laptop computers, but to any technology. It is offered as one of the "guiding principles" suggested by this task force along with teaching 21st century skills, reforming teacher methods, providing effective professional development and more. The principle itself is stated as "All students must have access to appropriate tools and to challenging curriculum in order to bridge the digital divide by moving beyond basics and towards 21st century skills."
Of particular interest was a comment by Maisie MacAdoo as it relates to the concept of "equity". The equity she speaks of is in terms of not just quality of the technology itself, but quality USE of the technology. To me this is one of the most glaring issues out there. As we read in the articles last week, plenty of schools have the latest and greatest sitting around unused. The technology is not being maximized because the teachers don't have the time/resources/knowledge, etc. necessary to make it a "best practice" and a natural part of their curriculum.
In the short time I've spent talking to teachers and students at my middle school, I can already see that this is one of the biggest issues surrounding our 1:1 laptop initiative as well.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Podcasting: Laptops for Literacy
Site reference: http://l4l.escambia.k12.fl.us/podcasts/rssl4l.html
This site has five brief podcasts related to collaboration and the promotion of literacy through the use of laptops provided through a grant to these Escambia County, Florida schools. Is this near any of you guys? Maybe it's even one of your schools? A mixture of elementary and middle school teachers discuss their successes and challenges, and the opportunities for collaboration the program has offered. The technology gap that exists between teachers themselves steers much of the collaboration as those who have more "tech" skills assist those new to the technology. Literacy is discussed in some detail, with the notion that "literacy" is much more than just reading and writing and that the laptops offer the students a chance to hone their "21st century skills." Discussions also revolve around getting parents involved, bridging the digital divide with a 98% free and reduced lunch student population, encouraging higher-order thinking skills, selecting valid sources when doing internet research, and the motivation access to these technologies offers the students. The podcasts offer a "visual" and "audio" component to an otherwise text-burdened research base. They also bring to light some of the multiple facets involved in a 1:1 initiative.
This site has five brief podcasts related to collaboration and the promotion of literacy through the use of laptops provided through a grant to these Escambia County, Florida schools. Is this near any of you guys? Maybe it's even one of your schools? A mixture of elementary and middle school teachers discuss their successes and challenges, and the opportunities for collaboration the program has offered. The technology gap that exists between teachers themselves steers much of the collaboration as those who have more "tech" skills assist those new to the technology. Literacy is discussed in some detail, with the notion that "literacy" is much more than just reading and writing and that the laptops offer the students a chance to hone their "21st century skills." Discussions also revolve around getting parents involved, bridging the digital divide with a 98% free and reduced lunch student population, encouraging higher-order thinking skills, selecting valid sources when doing internet research, and the motivation access to these technologies offers the students. The podcasts offer a "visual" and "audio" component to an otherwise text-burdened research base. They also bring to light some of the multiple facets involved in a 1:1 initiative.
Friday, March 9, 2007
to blog...or not to blog?
That is the question. I have wanted to start a personal blog for a long time now. I am fascinated by blogs and can easily get swept into their allure. From scrapbooking, to the latest dish on Grey's Anatomy, to parenting, to educational technology to global warming-it's so interesting to find "connections" with other people's ideas.
Alas, I have yet to find the time to dedicate to that. Not to mention, I will not only stress over the content, but the design, and I'm not sure I have the time or skills to mess with design issues. So, I will be dedicating my blog to my research into the use of one on one laptops and its impact on student learning. I am new to my district this year, although I have been a classroom teacher for 12 years. This is also my first experience in a true "middle school" setting. For the last four years, the 7th graders each have had access to a laptop for the year, and I have decided to look into how student achievement has been affected.
Literature suggests that similar programs have promoted a sense of excitement about learning, a greater interest in writing and student projects, cooperation and community, less attendance and discipline issues, and increased test scores. I am particularly interested in students not only learning to use technology, but in learning HOW to use it to learn. Does that make sense? Through my research, I hope to discover whether the same is true for my 7th graders.
Stay tuned then, for more to come about laptops and learning. Please feel free to offer any comments, insights, data, you may have on the topic.
Alas, I have yet to find the time to dedicate to that. Not to mention, I will not only stress over the content, but the design, and I'm not sure I have the time or skills to mess with design issues. So, I will be dedicating my blog to my research into the use of one on one laptops and its impact on student learning. I am new to my district this year, although I have been a classroom teacher for 12 years. This is also my first experience in a true "middle school" setting. For the last four years, the 7th graders each have had access to a laptop for the year, and I have decided to look into how student achievement has been affected.
Literature suggests that similar programs have promoted a sense of excitement about learning, a greater interest in writing and student projects, cooperation and community, less attendance and discipline issues, and increased test scores. I am particularly interested in students not only learning to use technology, but in learning HOW to use it to learn. Does that make sense? Through my research, I hope to discover whether the same is true for my 7th graders.
Stay tuned then, for more to come about laptops and learning. Please feel free to offer any comments, insights, data, you may have on the topic.
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