So...What are the Right Questions?
Topic: Leadership Issues

Dean Shareski added a comment to yesterday's post that I don't want to leave buried there, so here's what he wrote:

"I would also add that we've been asking the wrong questions. Instead of looking for increases in student achievement, we need to consider that the laptops are akin to pencils, desks, paper and other tools we've traditionally used to learn. There's never been any test or question about the validity of pencils. Pencils don't improve achievement. Good teaching does. Also, I'm sure in many classrooms pencils are used inappropriately but we don't question their value.

As much as I agree about our need to use the tools, I think the challenge we face is how do we use them differently. In the article you cite, it seems it's the classic case of forcing square pegs in round holes. Traditional classrooms don't suit themselves well to utilizing laptops effectively.

Helping teachers and students create new learning environments is the key."

I happen to be reading Freakonomics (finally) and one of the things the authors keep returning to in that book is, what questions are you asking? Are they the right questions? How do you know?

I'd be very interested in hearing what others think about what questions we should be asking related to technology and education. What do you think? 

 

Technorati tags: laptop.initiatives, Freakonomics, instructional.technology

Photo Credit: http://flickr.com/photos/aymlis/20975366/, by Amylis, 22 June 2005. 7 Sept. 2006

Are One-to-One Laptop Programs Justified?

Several blogs and online newsletters today mentioned an article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal on August 31, 2006. Saying no the school laptops points out several objections, particularly from parents.

"What she learned was how to play games and email her friends," says one parent. "School was one big happy gabfest."

Another parent "says having a laptop has encouraged her thirteen-year-old son to spend more time dazzling up presentations with fancy fonts instead of digging through library books. 'They need to be able to learn to research beyond what is accomplished by Googling a word or phrase.'"

Actually, I think these comments point out (once again) the fallacy of the "If you build it, they will come" approach to instructional programs. Of course kids need to be taught how to use the laptops as tools--so do their teachers and parents!

The solution is not returning the laptop, or calling a halt to one-to-one programs. Rather, the solution is in digging in there and making a firm comittment to actually using the darned things!!!

Technorati tags: laptop.initiatives, school.principals, technology.planning,

New TICAL Presentation: Web 2.0 Tools for Busy Administrators
Topic: Leadership Issues

If you haven't visited the TICAL portal for school administrators, there's now a new reason to check it out. A new online presentation, Web 2.0 Tools for Busy Administrators, created by your's truly is now available for viewing. You can also download a pdf version of the slideshow.

The presentation highlights three Web 2.0 tools (AirSet, pb wiki, and Writely), explaining how the Technology Committee in Travis Unified School District (Fairfield, CA) used these tools to revise their technology plan. 

Share the presentation with colleagues looking for practical uses for these tools!

Technorati tags: Web2.0, school.principals, technology.planning, Writely, pbwiki, AirSet, TICAL

A Couple More School Administrator Blogs
Topic: Blogs for School Leaders

Well, yesterday's post got me going again on my own quest to find blogging school administrators. So, I checked out a few that I've read in the past to see if the authors had stuck with it. Here's one that is still going strong:

Principal's Blog: Kevin Crotchett, Portland, OR 

I found another that may be cheating (it looks as though the principal is writing, but someone else is actually posting). But here goes anyway.

Sky Blue Mesa Newsletter: Debbie Bohn, Canyon Country, CA

Both of these blogs are used primarily as newsletters, but I think that's okay.

I wish that Joyce Hooper (a principal in GA) had stuck with her blogging. She was actually interacting with her students and it was a very cool blog. You can see what was posted in 2005-06 at this link. 

Again, it's slim pickings out there. If you have any examples, please post!

Technorati tags: administrator.blogs, school.principals, education

Reading for the Labor Day Weekend
Topic: Blogs for School Leaders

It's just a little after 5 p.m., so I guess that means we're now officially into the Labor Day weekend. Before I shut down for the day, though, I wanted to post links to a couple of administrator blogs I read about today (thanks, Dean Shareski for posting these in a response on Scott's Dangerously Irrelevant blog).

Mr. P's Blog: Steve Poling, Tuscon, AZ 

Edustange: Alan Stange, Saskatchewan, Canada

There! If you find yourself with nothing to do this weekend, take a peek at these blogs.

I'd like to find more examples. Please...if you know of a blog written by a school administrator, post the link here.

Thanks!

Technorati tags: administrator.blogs, school.principals, education

Revisiting the Saber-Tooth Curriculum
Topic: Leadership Issues

I'm working on the final chapter of my new book on the National Education Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS*T), which will be published by ISTE in early 2007.

While thinking about how I wanted to wrap up this thing in a way that would drive several points home again without sounding too preachy, I reread a portion of the Saber-Tooth Curriculum (this link leads to an adaptation of one section). Basically, this part is about an early Stone Age guy who develops a simple curriculum designed to teach his children how to find food and clothing, and keep safe from saber-tooth tigers. His children are so successful that the curriculum is soon adopted throughout the valley. Then a new Ice Age dawns and the old skills in the curriculum are no longer applicable to life in the valley. Some adults suggest changing the curriculum but are immediately 'put in their place' by the elders who tell them there are universal truths that never change and these are all embodied in the Saber-Tooth Curriculum.

The book was originally published in 1939, and I first ran across it in a methods course way back in 1977, but it definitely pertains to ongoing discussions among educators today. If you haven't read it, start with the adaptation, then jump over to Amazon (or whatever) and buy the book. It was reprinted in 2004 and costs less than $10.

I'm planning to figure out a couple of PD exercises based on it... 

Technorati tags: saber-tooth.curriculum, ISTE, education, change

A New Take on Online Class Discussion Boards
Topic: E-Communication

I am not a big fan of discussion groups. Never have been. They seem somewhat pointless. A topic is posed, a few people post something original and then the rest of the comments run along the lines of "I agree," or "You rock." Not very productive. I also often forgot to go back to check for updates.

So...when a friend on the East Coast asked me to lead a five-day online discussion for a course he's teaching, I agreed, but had my doubts. Now that I've done it, I'm glad I did because it gave me a different view of online discussions.

The topic was Web 2.0 and education and the discussion actually consisted of three threads. Participants read and discussed a short article, reviewed and discussed one of four Web 2.0 tools (Writely, ThinkFree, pb wiki, and del.icio.us), and then reviewed and discussed three resources for keeping up on emerging technologies (TechCrunch, Wired, and Business 2.0).

Although the discussion timeframe was quite short, all the students kept up and nearly all of them made thoughtful comments about what they read/reviewed and how this related to their work in classrooms. So, what made this a success? Here's what I think:

• These folks meet face-to-face with their primary instructor on a regular basis. This means there's some accountability built in.
• The short timeline introduced a sense of urgency. The students had access to their 'expert guest' for just a few days. Those who wanted to take advantage of this opportunity couldn't let grass grow beneath their feet.
• The only way a person could effectively participate in the discussion was by doing something first. And, in addition to providing the links, I also asked several questions that hit about mid-range on Bloom's Taxonomy, so they weren't responding to knowledge or comprehension level prompts.

In the future, when I have opportunities to develop online discussions, I plan to try to incorporate some of this.

• Keep it short snd focused.
• Use multiple threads (2-3) in one discussion.
• Bring in a guest 'expert' if possible.
  
• Set expectations for comments using prompts that require higher order thinking.
  

Technorati tags: writely, ThinkFree, Web2.0, pbwiki , del.icio.us , TechCrunch, Wired , Business 2.0

Writely Accepting New Subscriptions!
Topic: Emerging Technologies

 After a hiatus of several months while being taken into the Google fold, Writely is once again allowing new subscriptions. This web-based word processor is awesome! If you haven't tried it out, now's the time.

Because of the ability to invite others to collaborate on documents, this tool has great potential for educators.

Technorati tags: writely, Google, Web2.0, school.administrators

Name Change and Wiki Tool
Topic: Leadership Issues

When I started this blog almost two years ago, folks were really focused on blogging and its impact on education. Since that time there's been an explosion of Web 2.0 tools and, often as not, I'm writing here about apps that have little (or nothing) to do with blogging. So, I decided it was time to make the title of the blog reflect the reality.

 

In that spirit, I'd like to mention a wiki site that I've used extensively and like a lot. When I first heard about wikis, I did a Google search and worked through the results until I found something I was able to figure out in less that 5 minutes, pbwiki. Since then, I've created and used wikis for a variety of trainings and other work I've done with school districts. The site offers both free and premium accounts.Not long ago, the creators of pb wiki surveyed their users and were surprised to discover that the majority are educators! As a result, they've formed an advisory board (including your's truly) and are beginning to add features designed for educators. If you're looking for this kind of web-based tool, take a few minutes to check it out, and then leave the developers some feedback about what features you'd like to see. They do pay attention! Technorati tags: pbwiki, schoolleadership, school.administrators

 

Cheating and Technology
Topic: Leadership Issues

I just listened to the Weekday program on NPR that focused on students (high school/college) and technology-based cheating. One guest, Ira Socol, was especially engaging. In May 2006, his editorial piece "Stop Chasing High-Tech Cheaters" was published on the Inside Higher Ed Web site. It really struck a chord, based upon the number of comments posted since the article appeared. Basically, Socol suggests that rather than banning devices such as MP3 players, cell phones, and PDAs, educators should embrace them, changing teaching strategies to prepare students to function in the Digital Age. He points out that over-dependence on rote memorization and learning in isolation are antiquated approaches that do students a real disservice.

It's probably no surprise that I agree with what Socol has to say, but many of the comments posted show that some folks have a long way to go...one writer argued against dependence on technology because of the possibility of power failures!

Anyway, it's an interesting read and something school leaders may want to share and discuss with their colleagues.

 

 

Technorati tags: student.cheating, schoolleadership, education