Design. Learn. Solve.

Education 3.0

No matter matter how much money a school throws at technology, it is all for naught if the use and approach is outdated.  The folks over at Education Futures have been writing about this very thing in a series called Designing Education 3.0.  There they discuss:

• The Role of Schools in Education 3.0
  


• The Role of Technology in Education 3.0


• The Role of Teachers in Education 3.0

These posts hightlight the fact that as technology becomes more ubiquitous in schools, it is imperative that we address how that technology is used.  Far too many times I have seen SMARTBoards unused, teachers “using” technology by giving lectures with PowerPoint presentations, or my favorite, simply showing a YouTube clip with no follow up.

This Education 1.0 approach will not work.  Teachers complain about having to learn about new technologies and I don’t blame them.  Used in a Education 1.0 model, these technologies are just updated chalkboards, overhead projectors, and film clips.

Instead of wasting our time, money, and energy on simply introducing the latest technologies, we need to spend our professional development time helping teachers understand how and why we must move to a Education 3.0 model.  If we continue to teach using outdated models, not only will our students lose interest but they will be left behind.  The following chart from Education Futures outlines this idea:

As I have written before, time is precious.  There is never enough of it.  If we can spend that time helping teachers understand this shift and how they can use technology in order to support the idea of Education 3.0, not only will our teaching improve but our students will be more engaged.

Here is some evidence that supports what I have just mentioned.  Demetri Orlando published a great Digital 1:1 Laptop Classroom Rubric.  Take a look, this would be a useful tool in helping teachers begin to develop a more Education 3.0 classroom.

A Response To The Textbook Debate

This is a cross post from a comment I wrote on Kevin Levin’s blog.  He had written a response to my earlier post about textbooks and the role of the Internet.  Enjoy.

The Internet will only become a larger part of our lives, whether you like it or not. Our responsibility as educators, notice I say educators not teachers, is to prepare our students, we’d all agree on that. But, if we introduce the skills (no matter the discipline) we want students to learn with traditional methods, our students will lose interest. They are growing up in a world of constant connectivity. Say what you will about this, that’s the way it is. The idea behind my post in response to “Joe’s Non-Netbook” was to highlight the fact that learning without a textbook and the skills we want them to learn go hand in hand.

If we as educators determine the core skills that we want our students to master, we can use any number of resources, we are not tied to the textbook.

As for history, we are trying to engage our students in a scholarly dialog. If we present them with multimedia (video, maps, art, charts etc.) as well as several text websites that are dedicated to a certain topic but have slight differences, the class can then determine those differences on their own not having to rely upon a textbook to tell them. As for the scholarly perspective, you can post two JSTOR articles from different historians and have the students debate the arguments and then write analytical responses on their blogs about the core differences in the two articles.

Textbook or no textbook, the skills we want our students to learn are still the same: be able to think and write like a historian. If we want to do justice to our students and keep them interested, we must acknowledge that our students consume information differently. If we completely ignore that fact we are doing them a disservice. While the top 10% of the class can understand the argument by simply reading a textbook, we are missing out on the 90% who need audio or visuals that are NOT available in a textbook. Yes, this approach will take some extra time and planning to post all the resources on-line ahead of time but the benefit for the entire class is well worth the effort.

As for other disciplines like math. Yes, math is different but that doesn’t mean that students can only learn from a textbook. Dan Meyer, a math teacher in California proves this very convincingly. Here are two examples of what he does with his class: http://blog.mrmeyer.com/?p=213 and http://blog.mrmeyer.com/?p=440

To sum up, textbooks not only cost a great deal of money but they cost our students’ potential to learn. With a different approach to how we educate our students and using the plethora of multimedia and text resources available on-line, we are not only saving money but doing a great deal of good in helping to keep our students interested and wanting to learn the skills we are “teaching”.

Students Can Transform Educational Technology

Sylvia Martinez, president of Generation YES, recently penned the blog entry Successful, sustainable strategies for technology integration and tech support in a tough economy.  This entry was very timely because our school, like most schools, is trying to cut costs. Some see technology has a financial burden during a recession rather than an opportunity to save some money and create a student centered environment.  Martinez’s post argues for the later.

Even though students are 92% of the population at the school, and are 100% of the reason for wanting to improve education, their voice goes unheard.

The idea behind making technology integration and support successful in a school is to incorporate the students into the process.  She outlines the following reasons for including students:

• Technology literacy for all - Creating an expectation that modern technology will be used for academics, schoolwork, communication, community outreach, and teaching. A key success factor is teaching students how to support their peers as mentors and leaders.


• Student tech teams - The 21st century version of the old A/V club, this strategy expands the definition of tech support from fixing broken things to also include just-in-time support of teachers as they use new technology. This digital generation is ready, willing and able to help improve education, we just need to show them how.


• Professional development 24/7 - The old idea that teachers would go off to one workshop or a conference and immediately start using technology has been proven wrong. Truly integrated technology use requires a bigger change than that, and it doesn’t happen overnight. Teachers require more support in their classrooms that they can count on when they need it. Students can help provide teachers with this constancy and supportive community.


• Students as stakeholders - Whenever schools initiate new technology programs, there is typically a call for all stakeholders to be included. Parents, teachers, staff, board members, and members of the community are invited to participate — but rarely students. Even though students are 92% of the population at the school, and are 100% of the reason for wanting to improve education, their voice goes unheard. Students can bring passion and point-of-view to the planning and implementation of major technology initiatives. They can be allies and agents of change, rather than passive objects to be changed.


• Students as resource developers - Students can help develop the resources every teacher and student needs to use technology successfully. These resources can be help guides, posters, instructional videos, school websites, or teacher home pages. Students of all types can use their talents to build customized resources for their own school. Artists, actors, and techies can contribute to this process.

How Can We Make This A Reality

1. We are a laptop 1 to 1 school.  If we fully utilize these laptops for everything pertaining to the school, essentially going paperless, we would save a great deal of money.  If the students become a primary resource for helping faculty and other students adapt to this shift, you are not only cutting costs but you are promoting student responsibility.


2. Building upon what I just mentioned.  Many of our students know more about technology than even some of our tech savvy faculty.  We must utilize this.  If we can incorporate students into our tech training and support systems, not only will we be empowering them, but providing the school a cost saving opportunity to expand their staff and make the most of the knowledge available.


3. With the development of Twitter, chat clients, and on campus support teams, faculty professional development no longer has to be dedicated to one day workshops.  Students and the technology department could use Twitter to periodically update the faculty with tips and reminders on how to use their laptops or fix a problem.  Something like iChat has to potential to have a help desk on call when school is not in session.  Finally, if you have teams of student technology assistants, they could help solve simple problems like “Why won’t the projector turn on?” This support network would bolster the faculty’s  confidence when using technology.


4. Students need to be a part of the conversation.  If a school wants to fully utilize our laptops, we must consider the students’ perspective.  They will have an understand how the technology is used and can help plan and implement a program as well as prevent issues from happening.  We must listen to our students, their voice and contributions are vital to a program’s success.


5. Finally, students are creators.  They have grown up around digital media.  We must take advantage of their comfort with this medium and have them help create and publish digital media that can range from tech tutorials to videos for prospective students.  Their experience with that medium will promote a student centered environment and save your school some money.  Who needs a marketing firm when you have students.

The points Martinez are important. Student participation is necessary.  When we involve our students in the integration and support of technology we not only empower them and the community but also cut costs.

Photo Credit: -bartimaeus-

Joe’s Non-Netbook vs. The Internet

Today I was reading Jeff Richardson’s blog entry, Textbooks… Are they old-school?, and it touched on a point that has been brought up in several recent conversations.

Should we move away from textbooks?

Jeff posted the following video made by Joe, a student at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia, PA, which highlights this issue.



While the video takes an amusing look at textbooks, Joe’s Non-Netbook ties into deeper questions about the direction schools should be taking.

Inquiry And Textbooks

No matter how you slice it, a textbook cannot provide the same richness, depth, and perspective as the Internet.  A textbook limits a student, it prevents inquiry and further investigation.  As educators, if we are attempting to develop critical thinkers and challenge our students to ask thoughtful questions, they need to have access to multiple points of view and should be able to investigate on their own.  A textbook cannot provide that, the Internet does.

The Cost Of Textbooks

The argument is presented, but it would cost too much to put a computer in every students hands.  If you compare the cost of bound textbooks over four years (at least one textbook per class) to the cost of a having all texts housed on the Internet through an online course management software (CMS) and a top of the line HP netbook ($499), it’s not even close.  You would save hundreds of dollars.

The Environmental And Economic Impact

Whether a school is trying to cut budgets, support efforts for environmental sustainability, or both, it is a good call to invest in online texts.  The amount of paper that is printed can be cut substantially when using online texts and laptops.  If a school invests in high speed scanners and all paper resources are made digital and posted online, a school is able to cut down on not only the amount of paper used but the number of copiers and printers needed on campus.

Conclusion

Joe’s video may of taken a satirical look at bound textbooks but it definitely hits a nerve.  When we look at transforming our schools and truly preparing our students we must reconsider what we use to teach.  In a world where our students are constantly connected online and have access to the world, are we really going to turn that off and give them a book with no hyperlinks or alternatives and expect them to really learn?

Cloud Computing

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how we make our daily work as seamless and manageable as possible no matter our location. One of the major problems that I have noticed as an educator is having my information located all over the place.  Another issue I see school’s having is dependence upon infrastructure.

These problems can be solved with a solution like cloud computing. Because the applications and storage would be located online, a school could minimize its dependence upon hardware and licenses, cutting costs and centralizing access to applications and information. Cloud computing has the potential to bring laptops to more students as all you would need is a web browser and an internet connection to access everything from email to word processors.

Applications like Google Apps have the potential to simplify our lives by bringing all we need into one location. If we are to make technology a ubiquitous part of our lives, we have to make it manageable. The ability to have all of our applications n one location that is accessible on any computer with an internet connection will do that. Not only will it simplify our lives but it will allow us to go beyond the classroom computer and access our information anywhere.

photo credit: Creativity+Timothy K Hamilton

Google Applications and Education

My school is in the process of beginning a 1 to 1 laptop program. Every student in the middle school will receive a Apple Mac Book at the beginning of next year. This is a great opportunity for the school and presents us with an opportunity to address the issue of how we deal with information on campus. In the past, we have had a great deal of trouble consolidating and simplifying the transfer of information. You had to go to multiple sites to locate assignments, documents. There was no uniformity, no constants.

That hopefully is to change. Because the students will be using their computers on a regular basis it is logical to think that the information the need should be found in one central location. This would create fewer books they need to carry as well as create a sense of transparency that the parents will appreciate.

This is where Google Applications steps in. Google Apps brings all the applications that we use into one location. A uniform start page that houses all the Google Apps, every teacher, student, and potentially parent could have access to the documents, calendars, email, and internal links that would bring all the information from homework assignments to internal news into one place.

Not only will Google Apps help organize resources for our students, it will also promote true collaboration. As we get further into the 21st century, the ability to collaborate both locally and globally will be a skill that is necessary for success in the “real” world. Google Apps provides this practice. The applications, Google Docs, Calendar and Talk allow for students and teachers to share ideas, work on assignments or lessons together online, and reduce the paper trail of emailed copies.

In an era where effectiveness and simplicity are necessary for success, Google Apps provides an option for schools to not only consolidate information but support collaborative and project based learning, ideas that support the authentic learning that our students need for their futures.

To learn more about Google Apps, watch this short video or take part in the tutorial.