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2 Learning & Leading with Technology | November 2010
Learning & Leading with
Technology (L&L, ISSN
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Abstracts.
contentsFEATURES
Member of:
PAGE 10
Find out how one school system achieveddistrictwide technology integration through anongoing professional development program that
encouraged its teachers to learn and lead together.
Culture of CollaborationBrenda McCombs
Taming the ChaosDoug Johnson
PAGE 20
Is technology diverting your students attentionaway from classroom instruction? Learn touse those entertaining devices to engage andchallenge young minds.
Taming the Chaos
Lessons from New ZealandArlene Borthwick, Mike Charles, and Sarah McPherson
PAGE 14
Members of ISTEs Special Interest Group forTeacher Educators share perspectives on educationthat sparkle!
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Editorial
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Connected Classroom ................................ Glen Bull
Research Windows ......................Dale Niederhauser
Voices Carry ...................................Hilary Goldmann
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ISTE Senior Leadership
Don Knezek, CEOLeslie S. Conery, Deputy CEO
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Membership Development
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November 2010 | Learning & Leading with Technology 3
Volume 38 Issue 3
Science
30 Looking for Wateron Mars
Brian Grigsby
Tip
33 Stop Making StudentsType Nonsensical URLsAdam Bellow
Multidisciplinary
34 Save the Worldwith Web 2.0Lauren Cifuentes, Zahira Merchant,
and Omer Faruk Vural
LEARNING CONNECTIONS
LEADING CONNECTIONS
4 ISTE at a Glance
Issue Oriented
5 Communicatingand Collaboratingfor Student SuccessAnita McAnear
Point/Counterpoint
6 Is It Time to Switchto Digital Textbooks?Meg Griffin and Michael Cady
8 Readers Respond
9 ISTE News
As I See IT
24 Tech Integration fromthe District PerspectiveLenny Schad
Bloggers Beat
27 What Do We MeanWhen We Say21st
Century Learning?Diana Fingal
Connected Classroom
28 The Always-ConnectedGenerationGlen Bull
46 Coming Next Issue
Student Profiles
47 Austin and Daniel Straub:Technology Is Not JustFun and Games forThese TeensDiana Fingal
ISTE in Action
48 Celebrating theFirst Class of ISTEsEmerging LeadersJennifer Ragan-Fore
Buyers Guide
42 Handheld GPSReceiversMaureen Yoder
English Language Arts
36 I Can See Me: Webcamsin the Classroom
Timothy J. Frey, Abby L. Houlton,and Elizabeth D. Gruis
Multidisciplinary
38 Teach Your Studentsto Share Using iCyteDavid Huston
Geography
40 Scribble Maps HelpsStudents VisualizeTheir WorldWanda Hill
PRODUCTS & SERVICES
44 Whats New
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The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE)is thepremier membership association for educators and education
leaders engaged in improving learning and teaching by advancing
the effective use of technology in PK12 and teacher education.
Governance |www.iste.org/boardEach year ISTE members elect outstanding educational leaders to a board of directors
that governs the organization with guidance from ISTEs strategic plan (www.iste.org/
strategic-plan).
Membership | www.iste.org/join
ISTE membership is a powerful and convenient way for teachers, administrators,
teacher educators, media specialists, technology coordinators, and other education
professionals to connect with peers, share the challenges and excitement of teaching,
and be part of a dynamic community that is leading the transformation of education.
ISTE 100 |www.iste.org/iste100ISTE 100 corporate members are select, forward-thinking corporations that share
ISTEs commitment to advancing education and work closely with educators inpursuit of that goal.
Ways to Connect
Special Interest Groups (SIGs) | www.iste.org/sigs
ISTE members can network with like-minded colleagues worldwide through SIGs
focused on groups such as administrators and teacher educators, or on topics
such as telelearning and handheld computing.
Affiliates |www.iste.org/affiliatesThe ISTE Affiliate Network connects nearly 90 regional organizations from around
the globe that share ISTEs vision, provide year-round professional development, and
connect ISTE to its members in a grassroots, tangible way.
ISTE Community Ning |www.iste-community.orgThe ISTE Community Ning is a year-round social network for members, affiliatedorganizations and groups, and educational leaders.
ISTE Connects |www.isteconnects.orgISTEs official blog provides a gateway to learning about and engaging with the world
of ed tech.
ISTE Island in Second Life |www.iste.org/secondlifeISTEs Second Life space is a venue for educators to network and learn from each other
about real-life education opportunities and best practices in Second Life.
Facebook |www.iste.org/facebookISTEs Facebook page features updates on current programs and projects and offers a
venue for online communication and collaboration among the ed tech community.
Twitter | www.iste.org/twitter
ISTEs official Twitter stream, @isteconnects, provides updates about ISTEs activities
and the field of ed tech to the greater education community.
Linked In |www.iste.org/linkedinThe ISTE Linked In group is a profession-focused network for educators to discuss
current trends, exchange ideas, and connect about career opportunities.
ISTE Wikispaces |www.iste.wikispaces.netISTEs wikis are a means for members to communicate, collaborate, and participate in
ISTE-related projects.
AdvocacyAdvocacy Toolkit |www.iste.org/advocacy/toolkitISTE has compiled a collection of stories, templates, starter kits, and other resources to
help you to make the case for ed tech.
U.S. Public Policy Objectives |www.iste.org/advocacy/public-policyISTE bases its public policy priorities on our members commitment to provide students
with the skills and tools they need to succeed in the 21st century.
Ed Tech Action Network (ETAN) |www.edtechactionnetwork.orgETAN provides an opportunity to make your voice heard by sending letters to national,
state, and local policy makers.
Publications
Learning & Leading with Technology (L&L)|www.iste.org/LLISTEs magazine provides practical ideas and forward-thinking examinations of
technology use in PK12. L&L is delivered to all members eight times a year.
Books and Courseware |www.iste.org/bookstoreISTEs materials are written by teachers, teacher educators, technology specialists,
and educational leaders at all levels who believe deeply in the potential of technology
to transform the learning environment.
ISTE Update|www.iste.org/updateISTEs monthly e-newsletter keeps members up to date on activities happening
throughout the organization.
Journal of Research on Technology in Education
(JRTE)|www.iste.org/jrteISTEs quarterly, peer-reviewed journal publishes high-quality research about the trends
and challenges of learning and teaching in the 21st century.
Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education
(JDLTE, formerly JCTE)|www.iste.org/jdlteISTEs SIG for Teacher Educators quarterly, peer-reviewed journal provides educational
technology research to educators of preservice and inservice teachers.
ISTE Daily Leader|www.iste.org/conference/dailyleaderProduced onsite each year at ISTEs conference and exposition, the Daily Leaderprovides attendees with the latest conference news and exhibit hall coverage.
ISTE Initiatives & Projects
ISTE Conference & Exposition |www.iste.org/conferenceISTEs annual conference and exposition (formerly known as NECC) is the place to
be for educators intent on being at the forefront of improving learning and teaching
by advancing the use of technology.
NETS |www.iste.org/netsISTE unveiled its updated NETS for Students (NETSS) in 2007, NETS for Teachers
(NETST) in 2008, and NETS for Administrators (NETSA) in 2009. The standards, now
used in every U.S. state and many countries, are credited with significantly influencing
expectations for students and creating targets of excellence related to technology.
Research & Evaluation |www.iste.org/researchISTEs Research and Evaluation Department advances learning and teaching by
developing, implementing, and disseminating cutting-edge research on educational
technology integration in education systems.
Professional Development Services |www.iste.org/profdevISTE provides a continuum of high-quality professional development opportunities keyed
to the NETS and organizational development services to improve learning and teaching
in PK12 education.
Webinars |www.iste.org/webinarsISTE offers popular webinars about strategies for integrating technology into curriculum
and other schoolwide activities.
at a glance
Learn more at www.iste.org
4 Learning & Leading with Technology | November 2010
http://www.iste.org/strategic-planhttp://www.iste.org/joinhttp://www.iste.org/sigshttp://www.iste.org/affiliateshttp://www.iste.org/advocacy/public-policyhttp://www.iste.org/advocacy/public-policyhttp://www.iste.org/conferencehttp://www.iste.org/researchhttp://www.iste.org/strategic-planhttp://www.iste.org/webinarshttp://www.iste.org/profdevhttp://www.iste.org/researchhttp://www.iste.org/netshttp://www.iste.org/conferencehttp://www.iste.org/conference/dailyleaderhttp://www.iste.org/jdltehttp://www.iste.org/jrtehttp://www.iste.org/updatehttp://www.iste.org/bookstorehttp://www.iste.org/LLhttp://www.edtechactionnetwork.org/http://www.iste.org/advocacy/public-policyhttp://www.iste.org/advocacy/toolkithttp://www.iste.org/http://www.iste.wikispaces.net/http://www.iste.org/linkedinhttp://www.iste.org/twitterhttp://www.iste.org/facebookhttp://www.iste.org/secondlifehttp://www.isteconnects.org/http://www.iste-community.org/http://www.iste.org/affiliateshttp://www.iste.org/sigshttp://www.iste.org/iste100http://www.iste.org/joinhttp://www.iste.org/strategic-planhttp://www.iste.org/board8/7/2019 learning_leading201011-dl
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November 2010 | Learning & Leading with Technology 5
For a variety of reasons, the category of
communication and collaboration appearsto be the easiest of the NETS to meet. Car-
olyn Sykora, project manager for ISTEs NETSSeal of Alignment program, says that manyeducators focus on communication and collabo-ration early in their professional development. Itappears to be an accessible and tangible standardto unpack.Educators and students use theseskills in their personal lives and in their profes-sional or academic careers.is makes design-ing learning activities to build communicationand collaboration skills easier than those tied to
other NETS. New tools also ensure that activitiescan be creative and fun as well as ecient, eec-tive, and relevant to other content standards.
A districtwide focus on communication andcollaboration seems to pay obig. Some type ofcommunication and collaboration plan appearedin almost every submission for the Sylvia CharpAward for districts that were innovative and ef-fective in applying technology. Applications fo-cused on a range of communication approaches,from administrator blogs to professional learn-ing communities and online interactive commu-nication systems for parents.
In her article A Culture of Collaboration(see page 10), Brenda McCombs illustrates howimportant collaboration is to a digital age educa-tion and what fantastic learning gains happenwhen both students and staare focused onsharing what they know.
Kannapolis City Schools is a model of commu-nication and collaboration. Administrators creat-ed a vision and communicated it to teachers, who
then collaborated to develop lessons. Teachers
assisted each other to develop technology skillsand modeled the use of digital age tools for com-municating and collaborating. Lesson planningwas student centered and focused on developinghigher-order thinking skills using digital agetools. A little mandating also helps, but teacherswent far beyond the required 10 minutes of techuse a day.
If you are looking for resources to improveyour communication and collaboration plan,check out the four webinars produced for theISTE/TIE Colorado Leadership Bootcamp
(http://sites.google.com/site/leadershipboot-camp/pre-conference-events). e purpose ofthe bootcamp was to build understanding, fa-cilitate conversations, and develop a frameworkfor change around communication and collabo-ration practices as described in ISTEs NETS.e four virtual events that occurred before thebootcamp are archived and available for viewing.e webinars cover how to amplify, customize,and maximize personal learning networks aswell as the policy strategies and challenges thatcome with using tools for communication andcollaboration.
Sharing assessment data through your districtcommunication and collaboration channels isgood. But, as education and parenting expertAle Kohn reminds us, keep the communicationand collaboration focused on students desire tolearn byguring out what motivates individualstudents and encouraging curiosity as well asdiscovery and understanding. Resist turningchildren into data.
Communicating and Collaboratingfor Student Success
By Anita McAnea
SUEORIENTED
Anita McAnear is
L&Ls acquisitionseditor and program
chair for ISTEs annua
conference and exposi-
tion. A former middle
school math and
language arts teacher,
McAnear has been
with ISTE since 1983.
Communicating and Collaboratingfor Student Success
ISUOR
http://sites.google.com/site/leadershipbootcamp/pre-conference-eventshttp://sites.google.com/site/leadershipbootcamp/pre-conference-eventshttp://sites.google.com/site/leadershipbootcamp/pre-conference-eventshttp://sites.google.com/site/leadershipbootcamp/pre-conference-eventshttp://sites.google.com/site/leadershipbootcamp/pre-conference-events8/7/2019 learning_leading201011-dl
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6 Learning & Leading with Technology | November 2010
Yes
POINT/COUNTER
POINT
It is time to re-examine our think-ing about students needs and how we can bestserve them. Digital books are excellent resources,
as are online databases and authoritative infor-mation sites. However, a digital textbook is onlybetter than a standard printed one in that it canhelp lighten students backpacks. In terms of themost ecient delivery of education, it is a weaksolution. We are already failing to meet studentsneeds by spending a semester reading through acommercially produced, static, printed textbook.Putting that same textbook in a digital format isnot an improvement.
A major criticism of the standard classroom text-book is that it seldom pro-
vides fascinating reading. Infact, it usually provides a veryuninspiring experience forstudents. I have never heardstudents suggest that text-books gave them a passionfor the subject or encouragedthem to become lifelonglearners of history, literature,or science. Sadly, a textbook
No
Every day, educators must choosethe tools they will use to teach their students.Pencils, highlighters, Animoto, Glogsterthe op-tions seem endless. So should we use e-texts ortraditional texts?e larger question is how our
students will be writing and reading in their fu-ture. What tools most closely resemble the toolsthey are likely to use? Are we educating studentsfor their future or for our past? When the ques-tion is framed this way, the answer becomes clear.Education denitely should be making the moveto digital texts now.
One reason for moving to e-texts now rather thanlater is student engagementand buy-in. Digital readerswill engage todays studentsand connect education to
their everyday lives. Get-ting some students to open atextbook or even rememberto bring it home can oen bemore than half the battle. Butmany of those same studentsare accustomed to travelingMeg Grifn
Michael Cady
Is It Time to Switch to
Digital Textbooks?
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November 2010 | Learning & Leading with Technology 7
to ask is: Are we using textbooksdigital or paperbecause they are themost ecient way we have to help ourstudents learn, or are we using thembecause we are most comfortable withthem? We ask our students to learnsomething new every day, and that iswhat we should be doing right alongwith them.
Michael Cady teaches IB History and isthe International Baccalaureate coordina-
tor at Ironwood High School in Glendale,
Arizona, where he tries to keep up with his
students and the continuing progress of edu-
cational technology. He has been a classroom
teacher for more than 36 years.
is oen the learners rst contact withour subject, and if it is not engaging, italso becomes the last.
Textbooks are commercial prod-ucts. ey are designed to be soldto large school districts, and theyseldom make fascinating reading forour students. At the same time, everyonline and brick-and-mortar book-store in the country sells hundreds ofgood reads about, for example, U.S.history. Would any history bupaymore than $100 to buy a typical highschool history text when faced with somany more interesting and aordablealternatives? I dont think so. We needto do better. We need to give studentsthe best of what we have, and I dontbelieve the textbook is our best, espe-cially for todays students.
I began my teaching career in aworld where the most technologicallyadvanced tool we had was a slideprojector that beeped when it wastime to move ahead on the lm roll.
We have much better tools availableto us today, and we should use them.Its time to move into the digitalworld, but putting a lot of energyand expense into a digital version ofa textbook is, at best, only a halfwaymeasure. Anything that we can dowith a textbookdigital or paperwe can accomplish in a more engag-ing and ecient manner with more
creative educational tools and onlineresources.
Of course, using more online data-bases and resources may require somechanges on our part. We need to seri-ously consider such questions as: Howcan I teach without a textbook? Howwill I know what to teach? How willthe students do their homework? Butthe most important question we need
with their digital appendages, includ-ing cell phones, cameras, iPods, MP3players, and video cameras. Imaginestudents having their textbooks withthem wherever they go.
Perhaps a more educationallycompelling reason is that e-textssupport differentiation and move uscloser to individualized education. Adigital text can easily allow for text-to-speech, pronunciation guides,and vocabulary support for studentswho are reading below grade level.For English language learners, adigital textbook can couple transla-tions or language support with theEnglish text. And for gifted students,
digital textbooks provide opportuni-ties for enrichment and self-exten-sion. In all of these examples, stu-dent learning and ownership of theirlearning are increased. How can webetter achieve the goal of inspiringlifelong learners than by instilling
pride and self-determination fortheir learning?
Finally, a text that is interactiveand up to date is innitely more ap-pealing than a dusty old tome. Tra-ditional texts are necessarily linear,even with graphics. For many of ourstudents, this type of text creates dif-culties in reading, comprehension,and motivation. Interactive text,however, allows for more chunkingof information and greater graphic
scaolding of comprehension as wellas active audio and visual support.Updates are also as close as the nextupload. No longer do districts haveto wait until the next edition is avail-able. How many classrooms still havescience textbooks that count Pluto
as a planet? Changes in science andhistory occur in seconds. Changes intraditional texts take years.
Obviously, digital textbooks are closerto our students future than not. Arethere concerns with moving to digitaltexts? Of course. But there are legitimateissues with traditional texts as well. In-stead of using these concerns as reasonsfor not moving forward, let us discoverthe solutions. It is time to move forwardand adapt. If not now, when?
Meg Griffin is a fourth grade teacher in
the Central Bucks School District in Bucks
County, Pennsylvania. She is also the chair
of the Discovery Educator Network Penn-
sylvania Leadership Council. She presents
frequently at national, state, and local edu-
cation conferences.
Its time to move into the digital world, but putting a lot of energy and
expense into a digital version of a textbook is, at best, only a halfway
measure. Anything that we can do with a textbook we can accomplish
in a more engaging and efcient manner with online resources.
A text that is interactive and up to date is innitely more appealing than a
dusty old tome.... Interactive text allows for more chunking of information
and greater graphic scaffolding of comprehension as well as active audio
and visual support.
POINT/COUNTERPOINT |
To contribute to this and future discussions, go
L&Ls group page on the ISTE Community Ning
at www.iste-community.org/groups/landl.
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8 Learning & Leading with Technology | November 2010
READERSrespond
Is It Time to Switch to Digital Textbooks?Most respondents believe the benefits of replacing paper textbooks
with their digital counterparts outweigh issues of effort and cost.
POLL RESULTS
Train for the Future, Not the Past
Keeping technology out of the hands ofstudents and encouraging print-basedresources is like training students forlife 20 years ago. By incorporating theintegration of online resources, stu-dents have opportunities to explore
many dierent aspects of a lesson ortopic, empowering them to take con-trol of their own learning. Movingto online textbooks requires a trans-formation in teaching and learning,however. It would have to be part of awhole reformation as opposed to sim-ply trading in large paper volumes for auser ID and password.
Julie Morgenthal
Technology Director
Phoenix, Arizona
To Each His OwnI think students should have the op-tion to choose. I have talked to kids1618 years old who spend half theirwaking hours texting friends or onMySpace and Facebook. Most stillprefer to have an actual book for read-ing or studying.
Lori Reed
Comment on ISTEs Facebook page
Anytime, Anywhere
e real beauty of an electronic book isversatility. It can be read on desktops,laptops, mobile phones, and e-readers.By trading in our heavy textbooks, weencourage publishers to commit to thetransition and expose our students tonew forms of media and technology.
Elayne Evans
Graduate Research Assistant
Western Oregon University
Monmouth, Oregon
Set Learning Free
Textbook alternatives are a way to freeteachers from a script and bring in moreworthwhile models of pedagogy. Accessto information and knowledge, in com-bination with the ability to collaborateand create, is the tenor of student voice.
Yancy UngerLearning Technologies
Indiana Department of Education
Bedford, Indiana
If You Cant Beat Them, Join Them
If students are told they can use theirdevices in the classroom as part of theclassroom experience, we might beginto put a dent in the text/e-mail/Face-book action that goes on whether wewant it to or not. And if students are us-ing a medium with which they are very
familiar, they would likely be more opento reading about a subject with whichthey are not particularly familiar.
Christina M. Homann
Adjunct Instructor
Royersford, Pennsylvania
Slow Reading Movement
ere are two reasons people read: togain information and to enjoy the ex-perience. Should we forfeit the bookexperience, as we relegate culinaryappreciation to something children
acquire a taste for on their own later inlife? Reading a book is as useful as learn-ing to handwrite thank-you notes, sentthrough regular mail. Its inecient, feelsarchaic, and costs money, yet it redeemsboth the writer and the reader by what isimplicit in the medium.
Steve Covello
Graduate Student in Instructional Design
Syracuse, New York
Progress and Productivity
e expense of going digital is the trade-
oyou must make when contemplatingany change, especially in education.Look at the move from [slate] boardsand chalk to paper and ink pens, orfrom slide rules to calculators. We areteaching digital natives who have noproblems with any technology we givethem. But our students keep falling fur-ther down that list in the world commu-nity rankings, which makes no sense.Lets make them productive citizens inthe world they will have to work in.
Kathy MalaskaTechnology Trainer
Swedesboro, New Jersey
The Time Has Finally Arrived
I have worked in soware developmentfor educational publishers for over 19years and have built several platformsto augment textbook study. Most of themajor textbook companies have oeredthese products without much adoptionsince 2001. e issue was device re-lated.e PC is designed as a produc-
tivity device rather than as a [content]consumption device. Until recently,devices were not sophisticated enoughto support the rich pedagogical experi-ence of the four-color textbook. Butthis all changed with the Apple iPad.For the rst time, I feel that we have aroad to the completion of this vision.
Jonathan Stowe
CEO and Cofounder, Floa
L&L wants your opinion!
Send comments toletters@iste.org.
Participate in our reader poll atwww.iste.org/LL.
Yes
75%
No
25%
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newsSIGMS Releases Advocacy Statement
ISTEs Special Interest Group forMedia Specialists (SIGMS) has
released an advocacy statementto provide information about therole that librarians play in pro-moting the use of educationaltechnologies in schools.e statement is available on
the SIGMS wiki at http://sigms.iste.wikispaces.net/advocacy.e SIGMS Executive AdvocacyCommittee drew up the documentat the request of the Ed Tech Action
Network (ETAN) to help librarians and other library stakeholders advocate
for adequate technology in schools.
November 2010 | Learning & Leading with Technology 9
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/MORDOLFF
ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/LIS
AFX
ISTE Books Going Global
Indonesian publisher PT Indeks has purchased Malay language rights to twoISTE titles: Global Education and Web 2.0 How-To for Educators. e translationswill be published within the next year.
Additionally, these three ISTE titles will soon be available in German: Web2.0: New Tools, New Schools; Reinventing Project-Based Learning; and Safe Prac-tices for Life Online. Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools is also available in Korean.
School 2.0 Site Adds New Resources
ISTE has added approximately 230new resources to the eToolkit on theSchool 2.0 website (http://etoolkit.org),which is designed to help with strate-gic planning related to eective educa-tional technology integration.e site now has more than 700 free
resources in ve sections:
e Learning Ecosystempresents a variety of education and managementscenarios for using technology throughout the education enterprise.e Leadership Resourcessection is designed to help leaders create their
education visions.e Reflection Tool has a needs assessment for three roles: principals (based
on the Consortium for School Networkings standards).e Bandwidth Plannerhelps schools and districts plan bandwidth needs, de-
mysties bandwidth for nontechnical educators, and bridges the knowledge gapbetween educators and technologists to improve strategic technology planning.e Transformation Toolkitprovides meeting facilitation techniques, templates, and
activities that enable a broad range of stakeholders to engage in conversations that
support strategic planning for education and technology.
Tell Us What You Think
Have you checked out the new ISTE websiyet? e site launched in September withimproved navigation, more interactivity, anan updated look and feel.e website allows you to engage with
education leaders worldwide on ISTE Conects, nd NETS resources, easily access aISTE communities, learn more about IST
authors in the books section, comment onarticles published in L&L, share informa-tion with your friends, and purchase morresources, such as webinars, in our store.
Wed love to hear what you think andhow the site can be even better. Go to wwiste.org and take a look at the site and thee-mail your comments to sitefeedback@iste.org.
http://sigms.iste.wikispaces.net/advocacyhttp://sigms.iste.wikispaces.net/advocacyhttp://etoolkit.org/http://etoolkit.org/http://etoolkit.org/http://www.iste.org/mailto:sitefeedback@iste.orghttp://www.iste.org/http://www.iste.org/mailto:sitefeedback@iste.orghttp://www.iste.org/http://sigms.iste.wikispaces.net/advocacymailto:sitefeedback@iste.orghttp://www.iste.org/http://etoolkit.org/http://sigms.iste.wikispaces.net/advocacy8/7/2019 learning_leading201011-dl
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Culture of Collaboration
10 Learning & Leading with Technology | November 2010
By Brenda McCombs
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November 2010 | Learning & Leading with Technology 11
In 2003, the graduates of Kannapo-lis (North Carolina) City Schoolsreceived an abrupt introduction to
the realities of the 21st century whenthe textile mills that had been themainstay of our community for 100
years disappeared, along with theguaranteed jobs for all residents witha will and a strong back. It was oneof the largest mass layos in NorthCarolina history.
We were one of the lucky towns,however. Billionaire David Murdockpurchased the site of the CannonMills plant at auction the followingyear and began developing the NorthCarolina Research Campus, a private-public venture created to foster col-
laboration and advancements in theelds of biotechnology, nutrition, andhealth. Our economy was restored,but it was entirely dierent from theone we had known and required avery dierent skill set.
As a result, we were forced torethink the future for our children.How could we prepare our studentsfor success in the 21st century?
It All Starts with PD
We knew we would need help to an-swer that question. So three principalsand I (the district technology direc-tor) attended a nine-day leadershipseminar at the North Carolina De-partment of Public Instruction withfunding from an IMPACTgrant (oneof the competitive Enhancing Educa-tion through Technology grants) wereceived in 2008. We learned aboutbeing change agents, facilitating col-laborative planning, implementingexible scheduling, using alternativeassessments to evaluate both teach-ers and student work, and identifyingWeb 2.0 tools for administrative andinstructional tasks.e most potent part of the pro-
gram, however, was the discussiontime, when we were able to shareour visions, ideas, fears, and plansfor the future of our district. From
these discussions arose a passionatedetermination to create a technology-
infused environment where studentsactively engage in their learning. Andcollaboration, we knew, would have tobe a big part of the equation.
As a rst step, we implemented astrategic plan that began with a dy-namic professional development (PD)program for our teachers and admin-istrators that would ultimately lead tounprecedented collaboration amongboth staand students.e PD program itself was a model
of collaboration. We created an initialplanning team ofve to six teachersfrom each school who were not onlytechnology users, but also teacherleaders. We trained these tech-savvystamembers, whom we dubbed theVanguard Team, at a faster pace andused them as a test group to determinewhich topics were valuable for the PDprogram, which topics didnt need tobe included, and which sessions wewould need to revise before we pre-
sented them to the rest of the sta.We tapped the Vanguard Team to
become trainers for the other teachersduring a summer PD program and toassist their colleagues throughout theschool year. Team members providedengaging, hands-on sessions in whichthey modeled the skills they wereteaching. Each Monday, the otherteachers entered the workshop grum-bling under their breath about how itwas a waste of time and not very use-ful in their particular situations. Butby the end of the week, the VanguardTeam had invariably won them over,and they were ready to begin teachingin a whole new way.
On the rst day of the PD program,each teacher received a laptop, projec-tor, interactive whiteboard, and ashdrive to ensure equitable access.eyimmediately began networking their
laptops with DVD players, interactivewhiteboards, projectors, document
cameras, and Flip cameras so theywould be more comfortable helpingeach other with basic technical support.rough discussion and role play,
they discovered what collaborationlooks like both in their own plan-ning sessions and in student-centeredlearning.ey also learned about theirprincipals expectations for technol-ogy use and built their curriculumframework by composing questionsthat would encourage their students to
use higher-order thinking along withdigital resources, such as videos andwikis. ey discussed how assessmentwould change in a technology-infusedclassroom and explored using studentresponse systems to get immediatefeedback.
Later in the week, the teachersselected an educational technologytool or topic from a menu of options,such as teaching with Web 2.0 tools,working with PhotoStory3 and MovieMaker in the classroom, or designinga webpage to organize class resources.e Vanguard Team encouragedthem to come up with something thatwould wow their students on therst day of school.
By Friday, they had a vision for en-gaging their students attention and aplan for how they could immediatelyimplement strategies in their class-rooms. As we moved into the schoolyear, this exciting initial planningmodel helped maintain the digital ageenvironment that the principals hadrst envisioned.
Living the Training
e Vanguard Teams next task was tohelp our teachers understand how tofunction as a collaborative profession-al learning community throughout theyear. ey encouraged each teacher
Collaborative planninghas become a cornerstone of our districts
approach to instruction.
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12 Learning & Leading with Technology | November 2010
to prepare at least one lesson collab-oratively with another teacher whowas not in their subject area and thencome up with one curriculum objec-tive to share (e.g., I create PowerPointgames, you do student response quiz-
zes, and we share both).e high school teachers designed a
joint activity that involved integratingthe 2008 presidential election into ev-ery subject area using technology-richactivities centered on the needs andabilities of the students. For example,the English as a second languagestudents researched online what theywould need to do to become a citizen,then worked together to create visualpresentations. Students enrolled in
science classes conducted online re-search to determine the candidatesstands on environmental issues. ecareer technology education classesused computer-aided design (CAD)soware to create voting booths, andthe art classes made campaign postersstating their candidates position oncultural arts. Aer a mock election,the math classes compiled the votesand analyzed the demographic statis-tics that the voters provided. Students
and staalike were engaged in thisschoolwide activity, and administra-tors noted that the students were moreinterested in the real-life elections as aresult of this collaborative project.
During regular daylong collabora-tive planning sessions, teacher leadersprovide mini-lessons that highlightnew technologies they have used intheir classrooms since the last plan-ning session. Others share successesand challenges they have experiencedwhile making the transition from merelecturers to facilitators of classroominstruction. Some teachers have evendeveloped their own online profes-sional learning networks and connectwith educational consultants throughSkype, Twitter, and Facebook to bringnew ideas to the group. rough thisprocess, we have all become less isolat-ed and more comfortable with sharing
teaching strategies and asking eachother for suggestions.
All teachers have implemented newtechnologies, but some have becomemore procient than others. For ex-ample, some teachers have mastered
the use of student response systems,but others still need professional de-velopment to see the possibilities forcollecting immediate student dataand to use clickers to collect it. Weaccomplish this with a new kind ofteacher leadership in which the tech-savvy help out the not-so-savvy. eteachers have compiled lists, bothformal and informal, of the teacherleaders who can be called on to assistwith the use of a new technology in a
classroom for the rst time, and theyplan these co-taught lessons duringtheir planning sessions.e teachers are on re about using
their newfound skills and have greatlyexceeded our request that they usetechnology for 10 minutes a day. Eventhe new stamembers who missedthe initial summer technology train-ing have done amazingly well, becausethey have learned on the job with as-sistance from the Vanguard Team and
other teacher leaders.
Tools That Make a Difference
It is now an expectation that every-one shares all resources, instructionalplans, and insights. During the col-laborative planning sessions, teachersuse Google Talk and Skype for instantmessaging and giving immediatefeedback. Between sessions, we keepup the collaboration via Google Talk,Skype, and on Nings, and we docu-
ment all resources on wikis and blogs.Most staare now comfortable withall of these tools aer using themthroughout the year.
We are also using Google Apps,such as Calendar, Docs, Forms, andSites, to improve communicationwithin the school district as well aswith students and their parents. Forinstance, teachers wanting assistance
from the Vanguard coaches sign upon a Google Form. And several ofour schools have schoolwide iGooglepages where teachers can access allimportant and relevant information(laptop schedules, announcements,
etc.) in one spot.We have increased our focus on
the use of student data in planning-session discussions, and we have ex-panded the use of student responsesystems in many classrooms to produceinstant, accurate feedback as one sourceof data for the planning sessions. Teach-er leaders provide assistance for thosewho need further help with this newformative assessment style. We also useSurveyMonkey to gather information
from teachers and administrators aboutPD topics, which we then use for plan-ning and validation.
Keeping It Going
We were oto a good start. But howdo you keep the passion for student-centered learning owing? Becausewe have administrative support andconsistent and adequate funding forPD, we will be able to hire substitutesand continue the daylong collabora-
tive planning sessions even aer thegrant expires.
Aer more than two years of thisprogram, collaborative planning hasbecome a cornerstone of our districtsapproach to instruction. ough wehave always valued teamwork, we havenow created signicant time in ourschedule to allow for lengthy, ongoing,frequent, and well-supported plan-ning. We also trained three teachers tobe academic coachesa technologycoach, a media coach, and a literacycoachwho serve as models for ourstaand encourage, support, and ad-vocate for teachers as they implementtechnology-rich strategies.
Stamembers have fully embracedour new culture of collaboration, andeven those who once complainedabout mandatory PD have come tocount on the planning days.
Students are so excited about what they can accomplish nowthat they want to incorporate technology into everything they do.
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November 2010 | Learning & Leading with Technology 13
As the teachers engage in this new21st century style of collaboration,they have become better educatorscollectively, and their students haveenthusiastically met the new instruc-tional challenges we are giving them.Students are so excited about whatthey can accomplish now that they
want to incorporate technology intoeverything they do. ey insist onsharing it with their peers and anyoneelse who is willing to observe it. Bothstaand students exhibit a markedsense of pride and enthusiasm to trynew things.
Big ImprovementsThis table shows the percentage of students performing at grade level before and after we
implemented our professional development program.
Grade Reading Math
Before After Before After
Fifth 40.7% 61.4% 48.3% 67.2%
Sixth 45.9% 62.4% 55.4% 70.0%
Seventh 45.6% 58.0% 65.4% 83.1%
Eighth 45.4% 62.6% 56.3% 73.7%
And the results are evident in morethan just their attitudes. By the endof the rst year, test scores rose dra-matically. In our middle schools, thepercentage of students performing atgrade level in both reading and mathincreased an average of 17% (see BigImprovements). Our district has also
met 80 out of 81 of our adequate year-ly progress results for 200910.
Although our grant funding willend in December 2011, we are con-dent that we will be able to maintainthis systemic change. Seeing the dif-ference this has made for our students
is all the proof our teachers needto maintain the strong professionallearning community we have builttogether.
ResourcesGoogle Apps for K12 Education: www.google.
com/a/help/intl/en/edu/k12.html
IMPACT Grant information: www.ncwiseowl.
org/impact/igrant/
Kannapolis City Schools Training Materials:
www.kannapolis.k12.nc.us/impact/instruc-
tional_design.htm
North Carolina Research Campus:
www.ncresearchcampus.net
Brenda McCombs is the direc-
tor of technology for Kannapo-
lis City Schools. She has taught
for the North Carolina Teach-er Academy and has presented
at state, regional, and interna-
tional conferences. She is also
a certied Mimio Master and Palm Education
Training Coordinator as well as a Sallie Mae
First Year Teacher award winner.
NETST Certification is an online professional development
program developed and accredited by James Madison Univer-
sity and fully aligned with ISTEs National Educational Tech-
nology Standards for Teachers. You can now demonstrate
mastery of technology integration and obtain graduate credit,
at your own pace, within a virtual community of practice.
Also available for licensing by schools/ districts
Since 2003, many districts have integrated our NETST Certifi-
cation into their PD and recertification programs.
Where do you stand? Take our free surveys at
jamesmadisoneducation.com
Phone: 1-877-343-2302 (toll free)
Email: info@jamesmadisoneducation.com
Integrating
21st Century Skills
Through
NETST Certification
Are you NETST Certified yet?
James Madison University, JMU and the James MadisonLogo are registered tradmarks of James Madison Univeristyused under license.
http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/edu/k12.htmlhttp://www.kannapolis.k12.nc.us/impact/instructional_design.htmhttp://www.kannapolis.k12.nc.us/impact/instructional_design.htmhttp://www.ncresearchcampus.net/http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/edu/k12.htmlhttp://www.ncwiseowl.org/impact/igrant/http://www.ncwiseowl.org/impact/igrant/http://www.kannapolis.k12.nc.us/impact/instructional_design.htmhttp://www.ncresearchcampus.net/http://jamesmadisoneducation.com/http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/edu/k12.htmlhttp://www.ncwiseowl.org/impact/igrant/mailto:info@jamesmadisoneducation.comhttp://jamesmadisoneducation.com/http://www.ncresearchcampus.net/http://www.kannapolis.k12.nc.us/impact/instructional_design.htmhttp://www.kannapolis.k12.nc.us/impact/instructional_design.htmhttp://www.ncwiseowl.org/impact/igrant/http://www.google.com/a/help/intl/en/edu/k12.html8/7/2019 learning_leading201011-dl
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14 Learning & Leading with Technology | November 2010
The SIGTE study group. Front row (left to right): Sarah McPherson, Holli Buck, Arlene Borthwick, Linda Forrest, Karen Gotimer,
Ginger Seeley, and Jos Hernndez; second row (left to right): Matt Tippen (CORE Education), Ann Cunningham, Mia Kim Williams,
Eleanor Binstock, George Lipscomb (standing), Mike Charles, and Alexis Torres.
British author Matt Ridley re-minds us that innovation is acollective enterprise that relies
on exchange and that the process ofcumulative innovation is achievedthrough a global exchange of ideas.
It was in this spirit that we travelednearly 8,000 miles for the opportu-nity to swap ideas about learning andteaching with our fellow educators inNew Zealand. While we were there, wevisited schools in Auckland and Christ-church and had the opportunity totalk with administrators, teachers, andstudents. We also participated in theLearning@School Conference in Ro-torua and met with teacher educationfaculty from the University of Auck-land and the University of Canterbury.
In late February, 13 members of
ISTEs Special Interest Group
for Teacher Educators (SIGTE)
participated in a global exchange,
traveling to New Zealand on a
SIG-sponsored study tour hosted
by CORE Education (www.core-
ed.org), a nonprot research and
development organization that
supports the use of educational
technology across New Zealand
through professional development,consulting, and education events.
The SIGTE study group included
teachers, university faculty, and
corporate employees from the
United States and Puerto Rico.
This article is the rst installment
of a three-part series presenting
lessons they learned from their
colleagues down under.
Lessons from New Zealand
competencies were in the teachingand learning we observed in everyschool.ese key competencies are:
inking Using language, symbols, and texts Managing self Relating to others Participating and contributing
At Fendalton Open-air (Primary)
School (www.fendalton.school.nz) inChristchurch, we were immediatelyimpressed by a graphic of the key com-petencies (see Taking Action to Make aDierence on page 16) displayed withthese elements that Fendalton added:
inker Communicator Team player
Reecting on our learning from thevisit, we identied three key themes:
21st century skills in the New Zea-land key competencies
Learning communities, literacydevelopment, and technologyintegration
Distributed leadership for achiev-ing student, sta, and community
learningIn this article, we focus on our rst
theme. In two upcoming issues ofL&L,well share more about the others.
Key Competencies
As we visited schools and their web-sites, we became aware of how promi-nent the Ministry of Educations keyIS
TOCKPHOTO.C
OM/ARTEFY
http://www.coreed.org/http://www.coreed.org/http://www.fendalton.school.nz/http://www.fendalton.school.nz/http://www.coreed.org/http://www.coreed.org/8/7/2019 learning_leading201011-dl
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November 2010 | Learning & Leading with Technology 15
By Arlene Borthwick, Mike Charles, and Sarah McPherson
Dream maker Sparkle and belonging (at the center)
Principal Paul Sibson explained thatsparkle is what makes each childspecial or unique. e school evenhas a sparkling star embedded in onearea of its playground as a representa-tion of this attribute. e key com-petencies and Fendaltons approach
to makes a di
erence learning(www.fendalton.school.nz/mad.php)through inquiry-oriented projectsreect a student-centered approach todeveloping skills akin to those in theFramework for 21st Century Learning(www.21stcenturyskills.org), includingcommunication and collaboration, ini-tiative and self-direction, and produc-tivity and accountability. For example,
Fendalton students are investigatingwhether iPads or laptops are more use-ful tools in their classrooms and whichtechnology the school should purchasefor the coming year.e government requires schools in
New Zealand to have a student man-agement system, and Fendalton createdits own. e schools website links toa video of Principal Sibson explaining
the use of learning reportsformativeassessments that students can under-stand, explain, and use for goal set-ting. e online digital format enablesstudents to share their learning, allowsfor parental feedback and involvement,and lets students comment on theirown and other students learning. isapproach gives students ownership of
their learning with informed supportfrom parents and others.
Vision for Learning
Ilam School, also located in Christ-church, is a primary school with themotto Celebrating Achievement, Cel-ebrating Diversity. e student bodyrepresents more than 30 cultural andnational backgrounds, and the schoolscharter references Te reo Mori, thelanguage of New Zealands indigenouspopulation. At Ilam School, we had alengthy conversation with PrincipalLyn Bird, who recently completed herdoctoral dissertation on student self-regulated learning.e schools vision focuses on the
development of lifelong learners who
Fendalton students participate in collaborative inquiry and action planning as part of
the making a difference approach to learning.
Fendalton Open-air School embedded
a star in its playground to represent the
attribute sparkle, an element that the
school added at the center of New
Zealands key competencies.
ISTEs Special Interest Group for Teacher Educators share perspectives on education that sparkle!
http://www.fendalton.school.nz/mad.phphttp://www.fendalton.school.nz/mad.phphttp://www.fendalton.school.nz/mad.phphttp://www.21stcenturyskills.org/http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/http://www.fendalton.school.nz/mad.php8/7/2019 learning_leading201011-dl
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16 Learning & Leading with Technology | November 2010
This graphic is an adaptation of a diagram on display at Fendalton Open-air School in Christchurch that outlines New Zealands
key competencies. The two inner circles contain additional key elements added by Fendalton.
TAKING ACTION TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
RESPONSIBILITY AND RESPECT FOR OURSELVES, OTHERS, AND ENVIRONMENT
Thinker
To do
English/science/technology
Communicator
Is informativeand imaginative
Using Language, Symbols,and Texts
Uses tools for understanding the worldCan produce written, spoken,and visual texts
Interprets and uses words, numbers, images, movement,metaphor, and technologies in a range of contexts
Uses mathematical, scientific,and technological language
Uses formal and informallanguage appropriately
Dream Maker
Social studies/health/PE
Has a can-do attitude
Understands the need to balance rights, roles, and responsibilities
Managing Self
Relating to OthersParticipating and Contributing
Makes plans
Has a sense of personal identity
Sets high standards
Is resilient
Can overcome hurdles
Is resourceful
Knows when and how to makewell-informed choices
Has awareness of theeffects of words andactions on others
Acts appropriately
Participates and contributes
Recognises others points of view
Negotiates
Shares ideas
Explores new concepts
Contributes to the economic and environmental well-being of society
Knows she has a place in the world
Takes an active role locally, nationally, and globally
Responsible risk taker
Self-responsible
Intrapersonal
Persevering
Self-motivational
To be
Inquirer
Creator
Can put things into practice
Transfers ideas
Analyses
Futurist
Innovator
Flexible
English/mathematics/arts/languagesTeam Player
Openness
Values and celebrates diversity
Participator and contributor
Collaborates and cooperates
Respects
Social Studies/Health/PE
To live togetherTo know
Meaning maker
Multiliterate
Supp
ort
Sparkleand
Belonging
Fun loving Positive
Passionate Lifelong learner
Relationship
Challenge
Uses creative, critical, and logical processes to makesense of and question information and experiences
Thinking
Asks questions
Researches
Challenges ideas
Reflects on their own learning
Develops skills
Evaluates
Organises
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November 2010 | Learning & Leading with Technology 17
Together, we can transform educationto ensure learning for all.
Visit today!solution-tree.com800.733.6786
21stCENTU
RYCLASS
ROOMS
Visit solution-tree.com
to discover a network of
colleagues and to nd free
online resources, including
reproducibles, study guides,
and helpful Web links.
Join our growing community
on Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube, and TeacherTube
for inside information and
the latest news you can use
in the eld.
are innovative, condent, and resil-ient. Both students and teachers areinvolved in inquiry approaches tolearning.e schools website notesthat inquiry learning provides thecontext for students to investigate
authentic problems and develop con-nections and understandings of theirworld. A recent year-long theme thatstudents identied was sustainability,with opportunities to learn to com-post, plant gardens, and test waterquality.e schools focus on learningcommunities also includes a philoso-phy of teaching as inquiry and astructured plan for teacher reectionin learning circles throughout theschool year. Key conversations revolve
around monitoring student progressusing e-portfolios that include studentwork samples and their annotations.
Students at Ilam have the oppor-tunity to become Teke Angels whoprovide technology support and fa-cilitate the CHILL (Children Leadingtheir Learning) Expo, a two-day seriesof workshops led by students. egraphic on page 18 depicting tech-nology education at Ilam addressestechnology quite broadly, including
adaptation, innovation, and systemsdesign. is broader view is similarto that of a U.S. report released by theNational Academy of Engineering in2009 that encourages integrated in-quiry learning in K12 education.
Raising Student Achievement
e New Zealand Ministry of Educationis continually seeking ways to raise stu-dent achievement and reduce inequali-ties that may exist across schools. eoutcome is that New Zealand schoolsembrace the importance of valuing andprioritizing Mori language, customs,and traditions for all New Zealanders.Teaching and learning in all schoolsinclude acknowledgment of the Morilanguage, culture, and contribution toNew Zealands heritage. At the Learn-ing@School Conference, we noted thatseveral speakers rst greeted the audi-
ence in the Mori language before giv-ing their presentations in English as anacknowledgment of the importance ofMori culture in New Zealand.
Other initiatives include the recentrelease of National Standards for Lit-
eracy and Numeracy, the ministrysDigital Strategy, and funding of broad-band Internet connectivity in schools.e standards ensure that all students(K8) will achieve academic competen-cies in literacy and mathematics. e
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Socially
embedded
Environmental
impact
Computer
game
software
Citizenship
Nature of Technology
Outcomes have
related physical
and functional
natures
Technology
is invention
by design
Technology
calls on a
range of
disciplinesTrial and error
modifications
can inform
future outcomes
Societys
impacts on
technology
Technology
impacts on
society
Adaptation and
innovation are
at the heart of
technology
Selected Concepts
Protocol
Design principles
and approaches
Food
Structural
The relationship of
properties and uses
Quality outcomes
result from
thinking
Control
Development
of models,
products, and
systems
Future-Focused Themes
Possible ContextsGlobalisation
Ethics
Social
cohesion
SustainabilityEnterprise and
innovation
Economy
Critical
literacy
Toys
Graphics
and design
Paper and
paper products
Electronics
Protective
clothing
Arts (e.g.,
costumes,
props)
Food
technology
Cooking
Wearable
arts
Bicultural
and
multicultural
contexts
Taonga
Information and
communication
technologyInventors
and
inventions
Sports
(e.g., clothing
and equipment)
Packaging
Traps
Bridges
Hydroponics
Biotechnology
Games
Security
systems
Recycling
Worm
farms
Power
stations
Retail (e.g.,
supermarkets,
online shops)
Excellence Integrity
IIam Values
Key Competencies
in Technology
Embedded in every
technology lesson
l texts
ology
ention
esi
nce ts
Proto
rinciples
roaches
log
ve
ic
n
ut
l
an
Socially
outcomes
sult from
thinking
trol
Develop
of models,
products, and
stems
a
ietys
ec
da
ov
e
hnInteg
c
in Technologyy
es
impac s o
tec
Struc
The relations
properti
costu
rops)
in Technology
o
n
r
o
nf
ure
olo
ridges
Hyearable
arts
al
ural
contexts
18 Learning & Leading with Technology | November 2010
This graphic, adapted from an image provided by Ilam School, is an overview of technology as one of New Zealands eight curriculum areas.
Technologyis intervention by design. It uses practical and intellectual resources to develop products
and systems that expand human possibilities by investigations addressing needs and realising opportunities.
Celebrating Achievement IIam School Celebrating Diversity
digital strategy goes beyond connec-tions to include technology competen-cies for creativity and collaboration.We learned that initial expenditures
for technology focused on professionaldevelopment with a Principals Firstinitiative in 1999. Next came a programfor teacher professional development
centered on information and com-munication technology (ICT) for cur-riculum integration.e commitmentof funding for broadband throughout
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November 2010 | Learning & Leading with Technology 19
learning by New Zealand students ofall ages than we might nd in manyU.S. schools. We will also share withour colleagues and students innova-tive practices we saw that addresscharacter development for learning;teacher learning circles to support stu-dent progress; and school, home, andcommunity partnerships to enhancestudent success. We found our globallearning exchange both interestingand valuable, giving us new perspec-
tives on learning and teaching.e second article in this series
will feature ways we saw technologyused to empower student voices inthe classroom, in the community, andacross the world.
Arlene Borthwick is associatedean of the National College
of Education at National-
Louis University in Chicago
as well as a past president
of SIGTE.
Mike Charles is an associate
professor in the College of
Education at Pacic Univer-
sity in Oregon and a past
president of SIGTE.
Sarah McPherson is chair
of Instructional Technology
in the School of Education
at New York Institute of
Technology and the
president of SIGTE.
For teachers. For families. For excellence.From the non-profit
TeachersFirst.comThinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers
What do Thinking Teachers do?
a. Find and review the best of the web
b. Envision ideas for effective classroom use
c. Share 11,500+ resources free, without ads
d. Feature safe, effective ways to use web 2.0
e. TeachThinkers
f.UseTeachers
First.com
forALLoftheabove
!
______
i i
the country is indicative of a commit-ment to globalize education for NewZealand children and their families.
Takeaways
Our school visits provided a rsthandlook at New Zealands approach toleadership, teaching, and student ex-periences to build key competencies(http://keycompetencies.tki.org.nz/In-leading). Comparing and contrast-ing what we found in New Zealand
with what we nd in U.S. schoolsleads us to consider how we mightlike to re-vision K12 and preserviceteacher education for the 21st century.In general, we noted more whole-school planning for and implementa-tion of authentic and self-regulated
Our school visits provided a firsthand look at New Zealands approach toleadership, teaching, and student experiences to build key competencies.
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20 Learning & Leading with Technology | November 2010
By Doug Johnson
The ability to distract has put theuse of laptops, netbooks, cellphones, PDAs, iPod/MP3 play-
ers, and portable game players on thebanned list in many schools. Educa-tors are discovering that students aremore interested in online resources,such as Facebook, game sites, chat,and YouTube, than classroom lec-tures and textbook chapters about theCrimean War, square roots, or pastparticiples.
ose darn kids are just listen-ing to the lthy lyrics of rap musicon their iPods instead of my lecture,
pretty much summarizes the argu-ment. No device, no access, no dis-traction, these schools reason.
As I have learned from my experi-ences both as an instructor and as astudent, technology can indeed be adistraction in any teaching/learningenvironment. I nd it discouraging,to say the least, when a participant in
Is technology diverting your students attention away from
classroom instruction? Learn to use those entertaining
devices to engage and challenge young minds.
one of my enthralling workshopsstarts texting or banging out some-thing on the keyboard instead of
hanging on each brilliant nugget ofwisdom emanating from the front ofthe room. But then, Ive found readingmy RSS feeds more interesting thanquite a few lectures myself. How doesthe K12 instructor compete withtablets, cell phones, netbooks, and textmessaging? How do we manage thedistractive qualities of technology in
Taming the Chaos
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3. Limit the Use of Technologies
Clear expectations of when and howstudents can use technology in theclassroom or library should be a stan-dard classroom management practice.Setting reasonable rules is a simpletask. Your technology-use rule mightread:
Student-owned technologies suchas cell phones and laptops may beused in the classroom when thereis not a whole-group activity,
when their use does not distractother students, and when studentsfollow the districts AcceptableUse Policy.
Many teachers nd it best to de-velop rules and expectations at thebeginning of the school year in collab-oration with the students themselves.
Teachers who allow students to usetheir own technologies in class soondiscover this practice actually helps
with classroom management. ElonaHarjes, who writes the Teachers atRisk blog, shares:
I have been encouraging my stu-dents to listen to music in classwhen Im not giving instructionsor explaining something. I letthem use whatever digital gadgetthey have. Students who [are]only listening to music seem lessdistracted and stay more on taskthan ones who use technology
that enables them to play gamesor text message.
4. Enhance Traditional
Practices
In her booke DigitalBackpack, Karen Henkedescribes 10 technolo-
November 2010 | Learning & Leading with Technology 21
3. Limit the Use of Technologiesschools? And moreover, how do weuse these very technologies to actually
improve learning and teaching?Let me say up front that there is no
one-size-ts-all set of practices formanaging or using student technolo-gies. Dierent sources of technology(one-to-one laptop projects, laptopcarts, student-owned technologies)will result in dierent types of access,
various levels of uniformity of applica-tions and functionality, and uncertainconnections to online resources. Dif-ferent teaching styles, age levels, and
learning outcomes will make sometechnology uses practical and othersnot so much.
Nor is there a silver-bullet solutionto students tuning out. Some of uswere distracted by doodling, the viewfrom classroom windows, and class-mates of the opposite sex even beforethere were iPads and Wi-Fi.
Just as good teachers have never re-lied on a single method, approach, ortool, todays good teachers will never
use a single technology in a singleway. Todays eective educators willuse the technology thats available tothem.
Here are ve ways that districts,schools, and teachers manage technol-ogy distractions:
1. Ban It
is has been the rst andmost common approach to
dealing with distractive tech-nologiesespecially student-owned devices. Simply createa policy or rule for the dis-
trict, school, or classroom that forbidstheir use.
Keeping technologies out of class-rooms and libraries is a temporarystrategy that is unsustainable in the
long run, however. Information/com-munication devices are getting small-
er, more aordable, and more power-ful. ey are increasingly becoming anextension of everyones brainbothadult and child.ere is a growing movement to un-
block the YouTubes, Facebooks, andgame sites in the libraries, labs, anddistricts where educators and studentshave learned the positive value ofthese resources. Where such devicesare banned, student use oen goesunderground, with kids texting from
within pockets, hiding earbuds underhair and hoods, or concealing devicesbehind books or in desks.
Parents see cell phones as toolsfor keeping their children safe andinsist their kids carry them in caseof an emergency. Parents who havepurchased laptops, tablets, and smart-phones want their children to be ableto take educational advantage of them.As a growing number of educators,parents, and students see the educa-
tional value of such devices, school-and districtwide bans are less likely tobe eective.
2. Do Business as Usual
Its tempting to allowdistracted students to bedistracted and let the chipsfall where they may. We could ignorestudents who tune out in the class-room, allow them to focus on theirFacebook pages or text messages, andlet the natural consequences of suchactions happen. Yet, ethically, wehave a professional obligation tomake sure all students are engagedin our classrooms. Besides, its hardon the ego when students who payno attention in class do well on ourtests and assignments anyway. I S T
O C K P H O T O
C O M / J O P H I L
I S T O C K P H
O T O
C O M / T A L A J
Risk blog, shares:nd districtwide bans are less likely to
distracted students to bedistracted and let the chipsfall where they may. We could ignore
4. Enhance TraditionalPracticesIn her bookBackpackdescribes 10 technolo
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22 Learning & Leading with Technology | November 2010
gies that are entering the classroomby way of our students backpacks.For each device, Henke describes itsintended use as well as its learninguse. For example, a cell phone, com-monly used to call and text friends,
can also be used to jot down remind-ers, due dates, and notes with alarms;share ideas and dras; poll groups ofstudents (locally and geographicallydispersed); access assignments in vi-sual, text, or audio formats; practicespeeches using the stop watch; andphotograph research documents thatcant leave the library.
An increasing number of educa-tional applications are being devel-oped for personal mobile devices. But
no technology or device is inherentlyeducational or recreational. Its all inhow students use that device. Savvyteachers will gure out how to changedistraction to focus by using stu-dents personal technologies to im-prove learning and teaching. One wayto make individual classroom technol-ogies less distracting and more engag-ing is to start with common classroompractices and add a technology up-grade. Nearly any common teaching
strategy or practice can be enhancedby the judicious use of technology.Here are just a few examples:
Lectures.Supplement lectures by poll-ing students with cell phone responsesystems, such as Poll Everywhere. Orrecord your lessons, post them to avideo streaming/downloading site,and allow students to view them mul-tiple times on their phones, PDAs, orlaptops. Some teachers allow students
to record their lectures and instruc-tions for later review.
Worksheets/study guides. Insteadof distributing paper worksheets,put them in Google Docs or on ale-sharing site. Students can saveand share their work online or moveit to a teachers drop box, cuttingdown on printing costs and model-ing conservation.
Learning games.In physical form,these games have long been an edu-cational mainstay (Spell Down, any-one?). Educational games accessiblevia mobile devices run the gamutfrom ashcard reviews to sophisti-
cated virtual worlds.
Manipulatives.ese have made a suc-cessful transition from cardboard andwood to digital formats, especially ontouchscreen devices. Check out Mon-tessoris iPad/iPhone math applications.
Assigned textbook readings. Supple-ment or supplant textbooks with morelively writings accessed online. E-books,both free and commercial, are increas-ingly available in the universal EPUB
and PDF formats, and students canread them on a wide range of devices.
e written expository paper. Stu-dents can share their understandingof a subject in many other ways thesedays. Videos, audio recordings, andmultimedia presentations created ondistractive devices allow studentsto display multiple talents, are morelikely to bring out creativity, and areless subject to plagiarism.
e key to any of these technology-enhanced activities is that there is agenuine benet to adding a technol-ogy component. Some may say thatthese types of uses simply maintainthe traditional model of education,but if the traditional model can bemade more engaging and more inter-active, I dont see a problem.at said, asking students to use
technology productively does noteliminate the need to monitor studentactivities.e best way to reduce mis-use of technology may still be the oc-casional walk around the desks.
5. Use the Technology
to Restructure the
Educational Process
To many progressive educators, tech-nology in the classroom has not been
the transformative agent they hadhoped for. But the increasing num-ber of technology types available tostudents in the classroom may spurchanges needed for schools to preparestudents for academic, career, and
civic success.Using the NETS as your guide, you
can turn those distractive technologiesinto teaching tools that:
Encourage inquiry-based problemsolving. Students should access infor-mation sources from within the class-room. A student can be designated asa Google Jockey to research ques-tions that come up during class dis-cussions. Whereas younger students
may research small, everyday prob-lems, older students may indepen-dently or in groups work on genuineproblems and questions related to asubject. One possible classroom struc-ture would be to allocate a small per-centage of class time to set out a prob-lem.en have small groups researchthe problem, and use the remainderof the class to discuss the ndings as awhole group.
Facilitate use of primary sources.Tak-
ing polls, conducting/recording inter-views, and shooting photographs areall good uses of those problematiccell phones.
Dierentiate instruction. Using theresults of formative tests, teacherscan give students access to learningmaterials to meet specic learningstyles (visual, auditory, verbal) and tomeet specic learning needs. Studentswho need help with a math concept,
for example, can complete an onlinetutorial/practice during class. Studentswith special needs have long had theirparticular needs met through adaptivetechnologies. Isnt it time we considerthe special needs of all children?
Ease collaboration. Accessing social/collaborative online workspaces is pos-sible when enough students can getto wikis, blogs, and websites such as
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November 2010 | Learning & Leading with Technology 23
Buzzword or Google Docs that allowsharing and joint creation of work.
My experience is that collaborativework keeps kids on task because a cer-tain degree of peer pressure is broughtto bear on slackers. Collaborative
activities do not require a one-to-oneclassroom; one laptop per team is of-ten better than one per student.e use of group editing tools,
such as Google Docs or Wallwisher,enhances whole-class collaborativeeorts, which are then projected forthe entire class to view. Online collab-orative tools enable the conversationto continue past class timeat home,in study halls, anywhere that studentshave access to an Internet connection.
Such communication vehicles havebeen shown to bring out the com-ments of shy students. And publica-tion for an audience of peers inspiresmany students to improve the qualityof their work.
Interaction with students from othercountries and cultures. Technologiessuch as Skype, chat, and e-mail allowstudents to communicate with stu-dents from around the world. Keypals
create global communities of learnerssharing observations and perspectivesof issues from dierent cultural stand-points.e Flat Classroom project is apopular and powerful eort to expandthis connectivity using a variety ofclassroom technology tools.
Charlie Roy, administrator at PeoriaNotre Dame High School, le thiscomment on my Blue Skunk blog:
One way weve used cell phonesis in our economics class duringa trading unit. We constructed amock futures pit and have cus-tomers around the world call inorders to our students using theirphones. Sans phones this wouldntwork too well. We use IM as well.
Disrupting Class: How DisruptiveInnovation Will Change the Way the
World Learns by Clayton Christensen,Curtis W. Johnson, and Michael B.Horn suggests that technology has thepotential to radically transform ourcurrent model of education. Technol-ogy will be the meteor, and many of us
educators are the unsuspecting dino-saurs. Scary stu. Yet many classroomteachers are less concerned about thedisruptive technologies of an inde-nite future than they are about todaysdistractive technologies.
Lets face itpersonal communica-tion and computing devices are hereto stay. e horse is out of the barn,and trying now to close the barn dooris futile. Instead of trying to get thehorse back in, smart educators will
gure out how to saddle and ride it.An increasing number of educatorsare writing about and sharing practi-cal strategies for using technologyproductively in the classroom. Seekout those specic projects and ap-plications and turn those distractivetechnologies into technologies thatmake your classroom more eective.
Resources
Buzzword: www.adobe.com/acom/buzzword
EDUCAUSE, 7ings You Should Know about
Google Jockeying: www.educause.edu/ELI/
7ingsYouShouldKnowAboutGoogl/156817
Flat Classroom Projects: www.atclassroom
project.org
Google Docs: http://docs.google.com
Montisorium, 100-year-old way oflearn-
ing at your childs ngertips: http://
montessorium.com
PND Trading Project: www.vimeo.com/
3513666
Poll Everywhere: www.polleverywhere.com
Teachers at Risk blog: www.teachersatrisk.com
Wallwisher, Brainstorm in-class tech uses:
www.wallwisher.com/wall/doug0077
Doug Johnson has been the
director of media and technol-
ogy for the Mankato (Minne-
sota) Public Schools since 1991
and has been an adjunct fac-
ulty member at Minnesota
State University since 1990.
He has taught in K12 schools in both the Unit-
ed States and Saudi Arabia. He is also a former
ISTE board member.
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