Commitment!
Posted onMay 14, 2009
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As I look back on the experiences of our research and technology class, I cannot say that there ever was an “Aha!” moment. There were many ughs… , holy cow (the polite version), how do I do that again please, why do I have to do this, why won’t this work, and why did my computer crash moments. However, there was a little snow ball that started rolling from the top of a big hill and has arrived like an avalanche. Over the semester I have come to the realization, albeit a resisted one, that technology is an integral part of the modern classroom and many cases, it is the classroom. How much longer will school be identified as brick and mortar? I don’t know, but it is clear that within my lifetime I will.
Once I arrived at this conclusion, the other conclusion was that the use of technology in the classroom takes a commitment. Even if I’ve already said it in a blog, I’ll say it again, using technology in the classroom is a commitment. It is just like learning to play and instrument. It takes time, practice, and a lot of wrong notes before you can play a song well. The rewards for students and their education, however, seem to be well worth that commitment.
I hope this summer to take some time and sift through the many technologies but particularly the web applications that we learned over the semester. In my observations I have seen many opportunities to use them to improve the learning experience. I hope to integrate them into my lessons and make them as seamless to the learning process as putting pen to paper.
Underutilized!
Posted onApril 15, 2009
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The use of technology in the classes that I have observed at Pocomoke High School has been interesting but underutilized and misused. The most common use of technology is the overhead projector and Power Point. First if you’re going to do simple question warm-ups on the overhead, why not just do them in Power Point? If you’re going to use Power Point, there should be a way that it adds value to the content and the lesson. The Power Point lectures I’ve observed have mostly been text that is simply read by the teacher. I understand that students have better comprehension if they see and hear the content. However, text on a page is not “seeing”. With so much information readily available, the seeing should be some sort of visual that makes that knowledge memorable or some sort of interactive piece that draws students in. Music could be added for the more audio inclined. Links in the presentation model for students how to search for information. Warm-ups could have the answers later in the Power Point with links that further demonstrate the information.
Students have also been researching court cases and making their own Power Point presentations. In a small class of four that I observed this was easily managed to. However, in another block that had twenty students, it was a nightmare. Students weren’t really sure what they were looking for, many were off task, and there was no sense of direction even with the outline packets the teacher provided. A “Treasure Hunt” style or a web page with a list of links to be used for that specific project would have given focus and direction to their projects. Not surprisingly, their presentations modeled their teachers. For the most part, they only provided copied text without demonstrating any kind of deeper understanding.
Video is periodically used in the classroom. I think that it would be useful to use the internet, or have it at the ready, as a compliment to the shown clips. Again it models research tools and professional use of the internet, beyond Facebook and Googling dirty pictures.
There is ample computer access in the library, but there is internet access in each classroom. While there are not computers for every student but as a class the teacher can lead the class through a web quest or treasure hunt that would make the lesson more interesting and interactive. It could also be more student directed learning in that as they ask questions, more detailed information can be found. I can see how a delicious account with informed sites could be very useful for sites to answer FAQ’s of students.
My overall thought is that with a laptop and internet access, classroom possibilities are almost endless. There really is no excuse for lecturing over worksheet and packet outlines. Amanda rightly points out that we are not “offering students all that we can”. She points out that many students know how to use the internet better than adults but it is the responsibility of the teacher to show them how the internet can add value to their education and improve their life beyond their social one.
…But how well do you use it?
Posted onApril 9, 2009
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Due to my periodic frustration with technology and my love of the more tangible brick and mortar stuff, I sometimes get a little negative about technology. So today I would like to shine a light on some of the success stories that technology has brought to the classroom. As reported in eSchoolNews article “Report profiles states’ ed-tech successes”, The State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA) has released its annual National Trends Report. The report is titled, Focus on Technology integration in America’s Schools. Technology in classrooms is producing higher graduation rates in Alabama by 10 per cent. This change is going to bring an additional $1 billion dollars in taxable income to Alabama, assuming of course that those graduates stay in the state. In any case it adds wealth to the overall economy. There are additional benefits in poor and rural areas. Oregon implemented interactive video conferencing to “connect international students and teachers with the geographically isolated, culturally limited, and financially disadvantaged students in their district.” As a result, the state assessment scores in reading and literacy rose in one year from 61.4% to 95%. That is an incredible result. I would be very interested in the training received by the teachers and to know how it was utilized for that purpose. The article also cites success stories in New Jersey and Massachusetts. In California they used a quiz show program that helped to move 40% of their students in four underachieving middle schools to move up one “performance band”. The report cites other similar stories.
This report is important in that it give those that hold the purse strings evidence that money for technology in education is well spent, particularly in poor regions and in underachieving areas and that more should be invested. I would like to see in that story, however, more information on implementation. As many of us have experienced in our own lives and in class work, technology is great if you know how and when to use it. In addition, the technology gap even within our own state is vast. Not only do schools need the equipment but teachers and staff need regular and continued training and development programs to maximize the potential of technology in the classroom. Many times equipment is just installed without training. Sometimes there is introductory training for current teachers and staff. When they leave, new teachers and staff are not brought up to speed. They also never progress pass the introductory stage or become familiar with new ways to use the technology. First, there needs to be equipment in classrooms. However, that is not nearly the end. Valuable implementation of that equipment must be consistently pursued and this should be a priority of every school principal.
Show Me The Money!!
Posted onApril 2, 2009
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From the Article:
< http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=58038&page=2>
|
Thu, Apr 02, 2009 |
Schools to begin receiving stimulus money
Education Department releases $44B to states in first round of funding
According to eSchoolNews, $44 billion in Federal money from the stimulus package has been given to states for educational spending. Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced this here in the great state of Maryland yesterday, April 1, at Doswell Brooks Elementary School (DBES). Of course everyone knows that DBES is the home of the Owls but what you may not know is that “Doswell Brooks moved into [Prince George’s County] around 1928. He was the first Black Supervisor for Colored Schools in Prince George’s County and the first African-American member of the Board of Education.” (http://www.pgcps.org/~fmhts/Tribute_files/Fairmount%20Heightsbooklet.pdf)
In any case, DBES is a Title I school. As you may recall from my earlier posting, Title I schools are schools in which 40% of the students are low income and eligible for Title I funding. At least half of the money that has been made available must be spent through Title I and IDEA programs. States may also apply for funding to help stabilize their budgets from a special fund. Admirably, the application must show plans for “improvement in teacher quality, data systems, academic standards, and supporting struggling schools.”
Now, hold on to your seats, I am sure that you will be shocked by this next part… YOU WON’T BELIEVE IT!!!
Through loopholes that were in legislation passed by Congress, there are ways that they money would not have to be invested in low income and special education needs school programs.
AND… This part really took me by surprise… Mark Sanford, the Republican Governor of South Carolina, is REFUSING the money because the Obama administration won’t let him spend it on paying down school construction debt.
Actually it’s not hard to believe, in case you had a napkin to wipe off the dripping sarcasm and didn’t get it.
On the part of the governor this is no more than petty political posturing (the three P’s) at the expense of schools that need funding badly. This is exactly what Pedro Noguera was referring to with regard to inequality in education. As state budgets squeeze every nickel till it screams, many times those without a voice get left behind.
There can be no justification for refusing funding. First, the money is meant as stimulus. So then, while I agree that carrying debt is not a good thing, paying it down debt is not stimulative! Pumping new money into the economy is. Second, there is money available for new construction if the Guv would take a 13th step off his high horse and apply for it. Finally, is it worth the posturing, or morally defensible, to deny funding for programs that are desperate for improvement? A rhetorical question, but in case you weren’t sure of the answer… it’s not!
What have you done for education lately?
Posted onMarch 19, 2009
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Pedro Noguera addressed inequality in the American education system as a guest lecturer in the Riall lecture series. I was struck by a number of issues during the lecture. The discussion of race in America is usually a divisive issue. Discussions are often heated and quickly degenerate into something less than productive. Dr. Noguera suggests that in American, we cannot agree on what race is. Is it biological, cultural or something else? Dr. Noguera concludes that fighting racism is fighting phantoms. Instead, the good fight must be focused on racial inequality. This is concrete and measurable. After examining the other countries and cultures educational success stories Dr. Noguera questioned what was different in America. He cited the belief that every child can be taught. Most importantly, he found a focus on the whole child. A healthy child can learn. Access to good primary care is essential for a successful education. Children need consistent and stable environments to learn in. A society that wants a successful education system must assist the needs of children and their families outside of what is considered a purely academic realm.
Dr. Noguera also discussed the damage that charter and private schools can do to the public school system. People of means, or those who advocate for their children, voluntarily remove themselves from the public school system. This leaves no voice for the public school to maintain high standards within the school. Dr. Noguera pointed out, the United States has standards that children must achieve, but no standards for the conditions under which students must achieve them.
Dr. Noguera has firsthand experience with rebuilding troubled schools and connecting them with the community. I found his insights very credible and valuable. It was not all rhetoric and theory, but very real concerns and solutions. Perhaps unfortunate for the purposes of our Research and Technology course, I did not hear a cry for a Promethean Board in every classroom or better Power Point presentations. But I did hear some very core values and needs that made other education systems, still lacking technology, more successful than our own.
“Treat each student as if they were a special guest all the time”, is a powerful statement that does not require any additional funding or special equipment. What will it take for your to make a difference and excite kids, is another question that must be answered from somewhere other than a budget line. That is not to say that I am against more money for schools, school construction, upgrading, equipment, et al. Last night during President Obama’s “town hall” there was 23 year teaching veteran who was being laid off and her class size was already pushing 45. Where will it be with their new layoffs? Certainly funding is required and we can all be advocates for that as parents, teachers and citizens. However, I was most struck by the call for individual contribution… What have you done for education lately?
Keep Paper Alive!
Posted onMarch 5, 2009
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Who are we? Are we tangible beings that can appeal to the senses? How do we record our thoughts, ideas, hopes, fears… our existence through time? Whoa… heavy stuff! Let’s put away the Kierkegaard for a moment and check out some cool tech and come back to what it means later! I have heard rumblings about this in reports on tech trade shows but I did not realize how close it was to market or who wanted to use it.
An article titled “The End of Paper” http://money.cnn.com/2009/03/03/technology/copeland_epaper.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2009030311, that was featured in Fortune magazine and picked up by CNN, reports that there will be a new market for e-books, magazines and newspapers. The display is a very thin piece of plastic that is as large as a magazine cover and is as flexible as a thick piece of paper, can be easily tossed in a backpack or briefcase and not take up any more room than your classic manila folder. They use “electronic ink” and display text and images with a very high resolution and they can wireless update and download material. In addition, the material can be manipulated by touching the screen, no mouse or keyboard. Multiple companies have different version of this technology. Amazon has the Kindle and there is also the Sony Reader. To help create a steady market for this technology, the creators of these displays are looking towards newspapers and magazines. The mediums of yesterday are very receptive to the idea of the e-newspapers and magazines. They have experienced dwindling subscription and sales as more and more people get their news, information and advertising from the internet. Since its release, the Kindle has already sold over 500,000 copies, and the Kindle was sold out at Christmas time. The article goes onto to discuss possible flaws in the business models for these companies and the deals that could possibly be made. It is worth the time to read the whole article.
The idea of e-books has many implications, not all of them good. E-textbooks, could be updated and have links available at a student’s touch. Words could be defined and concepts explained at the speed of Wi-Fi, within the textual display. However, books, newspapers, magazines, catalogues et al… are living things. They have a smell, a feel, a look, they are things to be treasured and cared for. They are handed down as heirlooms and they are given away as gifts. The idea that paper would be replaced entirely with the virtual world is appalling. Does anyone remember using punch cards, paschal, dos, 2” magnetic tape, the original word processor, 6” floppy discs or 3.5” floppy discs, 8 tracks, cassettes, records (78, 33 1/3, 45), Beta or VHS tapes? Someday you’ll speak in the same way of CD’s, DVD’s and thumb drives. My point is that switching all literature to the virtual world has serious posterity implications. Any literature, only created in the e-format will have to be perpetually updated to the new format or medium, stored and demand upkeep. In addition, the current use of technology requires a massive infrastructure. Time has witnessed the rise and fall of many civilizations and we know about them because they wrote things down. Monks and the East kept knowledge alive for a thousand years copying old manuscripts. Letters that are written, paint snapshot and vivid pictures of history. These have already been lost to emails. What if in the future, near or far, everyone does not have access the virtual world? How will the knowledge be carried on? Wor-Wic has an e-library that is only a row of computers, no books. The University of Dayton just recently was considering not buying any books in the future, only e-books. Writing has been a defining feature of civilization itself. What will the end of paper mean for civilization? Keep the paper Alive!
Education and the Stimulus… With some State of the Union (that wasn’t a State of the Union) for good measure!
Posted onFebruary 26, 2009
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An article from eSchoolNews.com titled “Education snags $105.9B in stimulus package”, reported on education spending in the stimulus bill that was just signed into law by President Obama. The Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program was originally slated to receive $105.9B. However, this funding was cut to $650 million just before it passed through Congress. According to the article, it would take $9.9B to ensure that Title I schools had “effective, technology-rich classrooms”. Title I schools, are schools in which 40% of the students are low income and eligible for Title I funding. Also, in the stimulus is $39.5B are slated to states for school “modernization”. However, these funds are supposed serve all 50 states and it will be shared by public school districts, colleges and universities. A federal program for public school construction was completely removed from the bill.
I thought that President Obama gave an inspiring speech on Tuesday night. However, I felt that he made 15-20% of the stimulus, 80-90% of his speech. Certainly I would include his goals for education as the part of the stimulus that he shined a bright light on, but I’m sure that need for school funding would have much more preferred the dollars over the rhetoric. After all, “education is not a democrat issue or a republican issue”. If the goal of the stimulus is to create jobs and protect the future then a commitment to education seems a key component to that end. School construction not only serves communities but creates construction jobs. Improving or installing new technology in schools maintains/creates jobs in Silicon Valley and the like. Of course the students are the primary intended beneficiaries but if you have to sell it, and everyone is complaining how the stimulus is a spending plan and not a stimulus plan, that seems to me to be a good way to justify it as stimulus. Hopefully, this round won’t be the last round for education funding but times are tight and when seemingly bigger issues are brought to the front, it’s easy to cut funding for programs to be used by students that don’t vote or donate money to campaigns.
Welcome to Portier’s Blog… #1
Posted onFebruary 19, 2009
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Hello world! This blog is for Dr. Royer’s Research -n- Tech class.
