Vancouver Schools Testing iPods for Learning

Vancouver Schools Testing iPods for Learning

This is very exciting! I hope to see more of these types of studies in the near future. As the study shows, student engagement is up, attendance is up, test scores are up, and students and teachers alike are encouraged by the results of the project. These initial results should encourage educators in the US to look into similar test pilot projects to confirm these findings. Our students deserve to learn the way they teach themselves, and right now, that is using technology. Their future does not depend on their ability to use good handwriting or write their spelling words three times each - it depends on their ability to find the answers to questions quickly with the technology at their fingertips, to collaborate with others to create a product for diverse audiences, and to use a variety of technological devices to do their jobs. Let's teach them what they need to succeed.

A Fair(y) Use Tale

E-Rate and the TISD Technology Plan

This is an introduction to E-Rate, administered by the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) of the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC), and a summary of the Texarkana Independent School District (TISD) Technology Plan required to apply for E-Rate funds.

E-Rate and the TISD Technology Plan

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Post Web-Conference Reflections

I attended my first web conference on Thursday evening for my Master's degree course, EDLD 5306 Concept of Educational Technology. I found the experience very helpful as well as enjoyable. It was good to have an opportunity to meet my professor in a "real time" environment, as prior to the conference we had only exchanged emails. It was also very nice to meet many of my fellow grad students and learn a little about who they were, and be able to associate a face with a name when reading their posts on the discussion board.

The most helpful part of the experience was learning more in-depth about the internship portion of the Master's Degree program and being able to brainstorm with my professor about what that would like like given my unique circumstances. It was reassuring to a certain extent to know that the internship hours are spread out over the course of the entire 18 month program, as well as a bit overwhelming to consider how extensive the internship is going to be taken as a whole.

Although it is a bit intimidating at this point in the program to think about things I will be doing a year and a half from now, I am a believer that you should begin with the end in mind, and this conference gave me a chance to do just that.

I am glad I had the opportunity to participate, and quite sorry that for the duration of this course, my schedule will conflict with the remaining web conferences. I do hope I have an opportunity to meet with my fellow students in an informal, non-moderated conference setting to give us a chance to discuss our assignments and progress with the course and the challenges we are facing, and how each of us is coping with these challenges.

Summary and Reflection on the “National Educational Technology Plan: Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology”

This is a compelling and thought provoking document which provides a framework for the use of technology in education on a national basis to reduce the number of high-school dropouts (currently at 24%, with Latino and African American dropout rates approaching 50%) and increase the number of students graduating from a two- or four-year college degree program from 39% annually to 60% annually.  The plan also calls for all students to graduate from high school prepared for college or the workforce.

This ambitious plan examines the educational use of technology as it applies to five domains: Learning, Assessment, Teaching, Infrastructure, and Productivity. The plan examines each of the five domains in depth, confronting pre-conceived notions about education as we know it and challenging us to examine 21^st century education and technology in light of real-world applications and private sector practices.

In the domain of Learning, the plan identifies four actions to meet the goal of 21^st century learning, which it defines as:

All learners will have engaging and empowering learning experiences both in and outside of school that prepare them to be active, creative, knowledgeable, and ethical participants in our globally networked society.

These actions include implementing new and revised standards and learning objectives to better reflect 21^st century expertise and the ways technology can improve learning, developing learning resources, and improving STEM education.

In the domain of Assessment, the plan identifies four actions to meet the goal of measuring what matters, which it defines as:

Our education system at all levels will leverage the power of technology to measure what matters and use assessment data for continuous improvement.

These actions include developing new assessments to give educators timely feedback about student performance so they can improve instruction, using technology to improve assessment materials, researching the use of interactive assessment formats such as gaming, simulations, and virtual worlds to increase student engagement and motivation and to assess higher-level skills, and revision of regulations to allow for assessment data to be shared while maintaining student privacy to improve education.

In the domain of Teaching, the plan identifies five actions to meet the goal of improving learning through connected teaching, which it defines as:

Professional educators will be supported individually and in teams by technology that connects them to data, content, resources, expertise, and learning experiences that enable and inspire more effective teaching for all learners.

These actions include using technology to create learning communities where teachers can collaborate for better teaching, using technology to provide pre- and in-service learning opportunities to teachers to make them more fluent in technology, using technology to create career-long personal learning networks , provide access to teaching and learning resources via technology, and prepare teachers to teach online instruction.

In the domain of Infrastructure, the plan identifies five actions to meet the goal of having the people, processes, and technologies needed for learning, which it defines as:

All students and educators will have access to a comprehensive infrastructure for learning when and where they need it.

 These actions include adequate broadband access and wireless connectivity on and off campus, a one to one ration of internet-accessible devices per student and teacher with appropriate software availability both on and off campus, increased use of open educational resources, increased state and local education agency capacity to evolve infrastructure, and the establishment of definitions, goals, and metrics to define the term “meaningful use”.

In the domain of Productivity, the plan identifies five actions to meet the goal of improving learning outcomes while managing costs, which it defines as:

Our education system at all levels will redesign processes and structures to take advantage of the power of technology to improve learning outcomes while making more efficient use of time, money, and staff.

These actions include creating a common definition of productivity and measures of effectiveness, using technology to manage costs, encouraging inter-operability to allow for data-sharing and improve decision-making, rethinking assumptions about education that limit the way technology resources are used beginning with the organization of students around “seat-time” instead of demonstrated competency, and develop technology driven programs that ensure students complete their education prepared for the workforce.

The plan is fascinating and holds many ideas which educators should take a serious look at. For example, the success of home education is a classic demonstration of how traditional models of grouping children by age and grade level, teaching subject areas in isolation, and teaching within a rigid time-table is not necessarily the best and only method of viable instruction. Home educators have long discovered that they could teach the same curriculum to multiple grade levels of children, adapting it to the ability of the child. They have also discovered the benefit of cross-curricular educational units of study. Rather than teaching a separate history, language arts, and science course, home educators have discovered ways to teach project-based units which incorporate activities across all these subject areas, and students are far more likely to be engaged in this type of learning. Home education also allows for a much more flexible education schedule, centered around the family’s routine and the children’s extra-curricular activities. These differences account for the high performance rates of home educated children, and why colleges are finding these students better prepared for the demands of higher education.  

While the plan holds many viable ideas and should be closely examined for what can be implemented, I do foresee some issues with several of the plan’s recommended actions. One in particular is in the area of Infrastructure. While dissemination of technology on an equitable level to every student is an admirable goal, without considerable Federal funding I do not see that as a real possibility. The schools which have the highest dropout rates are often the ones in the most socio-economically disadvantaged communities. The plan does not account for how schools in these communities are to raise funds to provide the technology for every student. It is likely that the students most at risk are also the students least likely to own their own internet capable devices – the use of which was a suggestion made by the plan. These schools are also likely to be in the lowest property tax zones, which is a primary source of school funding. This leaves the schools with the least resources with the greatest burden of technology provision. Free and reduced student lunches are paid for with subsidized funds from state and federal government programs. If students are going to qualify for free or reduced cost technology and internet access, there will also have to be government subsidies established to assist schools in providing this service.

Another problem I foresee is in the problem of online education credit. All online education is not created equally. Some courses are offered on a self-paced basis, while others are rigidly paced. Some require regular submission of work online, while others provide simple multiple choice assessments of student progress, even allowing the student access to the same assessment repeatedly until the content is “mastered” (or the student has guessed all the answers until he or she has revealed the correct one). Others do not even provide for student testing but leave students accountable for their own learning. If schools are going to offer credit for such learning, a standard will need to be established which defines what the course content will have to cover and how learning will be measured to ensure equitable award of credits to all students.

The final problem I see with the plan is the failure of the plan to specify what it expects of institutes of higher education when it asks them “to remove barriers to postsecondary education and put plans of their own in place to decrease dropout rates.” This can be interpreted in any number of ways, from providing better information to students while still in school about the admissions process and advising students on courses to take that would best prepare them for a post-secondary education, to lowering admissions standards so more students would qualify for admissions with fewer credits and a less rigorous academic preparation. I think the plan needs to be more specific about the barriers it wants removed, especially in light of the plan’s ultimate goal of preparing students for the workforce. While it is true that America is falling behind other nations in producing college graduates, and college is becoming increasingly important in preparation for careers in many fields, we do not want to encourage the lowering of standards just to get more students to enter college or to remain in college. We need to apply the same high standards for learning to higher education that we have applied to K-12 education, ensure our high school graduates are prepared to handle their post-secondary education, and then apply what we have learned about education and how students learn to higher levels of education to ensure student engagement and motivation at the college level.

An Analysis of Texarkana ISD's Technology Plan

I do not have a district for which I am employed in a capacity that would give me access to the type of information required for this assignment. I was able to access the technology plan for Texarkana ISD (TISD) for 2006-2009 online, so I have selected that district to analyze for the purpose of this assignment. It is local to me and one of the districts I have considered working for, so it is suitable that I should evaluate their technology plan.

TISD has established four district goals, quoted here directly from their plan, which can be accessed online at http://www.txkisd.net/curriculum/TISD_TechPlan_06-09.pdf:

1. Achieve continuously improved student performance with TISD and all campuses reaching "recognized" or "exemplary" status.
2. Maintain outstanding community relations and customer service.
3. Provide quality facilities with outstanding technological support.
4. Operate safe, healthy, and disciplined school environments conducive to learning.

TISD plans to implement the following strategies to reach their goals over a three-year period consisting of three phases, quoted here from their online plan:

Phase I (Year 1) - Continue the upgrade of technology infrastructure to current standards, continue the expansion of staff development with a focus on technology integration in teaching and learning,and meet the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC) standards for teachers and technology standards and proficiencies for administrators (Appendices C and D) developed by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE).
Phase II (Year 2) - Continue emphasis on expanding infrastructure, staff development, and technology integration.
Phase III (Year 3) - Evaluation and Improvements
Texarkana ISD's focus for technology for the next three years will be in four areas:
1. Teaching and Learning
2. Educator Preparation and Development
3. Administration and Support Services
4. Infrastructure

TISD places a high value on professional development opportunities in technology, seeking to have 75% of their staff trained in the implementation of technology in the classroom over the course of this plan. This is to be accommodated using the newly implemented District technology staff development lab and labs on each campus. TISD is offering trainings in the labs throughout the school year and during the summer. Online professional development opportunities are also being pursued. TISD has assigned at least one Technology Representative to each campus who, along with other qualified staff, provide campus and district technology training.

I was unable to find direct information regarding the assessment of student performance as it related to the use of technology. I do not know how the district ensures that student learning is improving as a direct result of this plan. I do know that several programs TISD is offering have been recognized at the state and national level for improved student performance (http://democrats.science.house.gov/Media/File/Commdocs/hearings/2008/Full/12may/Stripling_Testimony.pdf, http://www.tepsa.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=291).

Based on the information provided in the plan, approximately 72% of the annual budget for the technology plan is coming from local funding sources, with only 26% coming from E-rate funds, and the rest coming from Title II-D funds. I believe that TISD has found adequate local funding to acquire and support their technology goals and the non-discount element of the plan they have established.
TISD has conducted an in-depth analysis of the district's current conditions in each area of the plan, and done a gap analysis to determine areas where the district falls short of its goals. The district uses the following data to compare itself against its goals and make adjustments as needed:

1. Hardware inventory/database
2. Software database
3. Networking Status Data
4. Technology Teacher and Campus STaR Chart Surveys
5. Attendance records and feedback questionnaires of technology staff development
6. Review of Management Information Systems (MIS) status and needs
7. Review of existing laws, TEA guidelines, TISD technology policies and administrative regulations

Based on the elements required by E-rate I believe TISD has a comprehensive and well-organized plan.

The Value of Technology Assessments

As technology becomes increasingly incorporated into the framework of education, the need for some sort of measurement of what our students know and are able to do relating to technology becomes more apparent. Even more apparent is the need to measure the knowledge and skills of educators and leaders who must be prepared to take the students on this educational journey.

In 2001, the U.S. Department of Education passed the No Child Left Behind act, which requires states to demonstrate that "every student is technologically literate by the time the student finishes the eighth grade, regardless of the student's race, ethnicity, gender, family income, geographic location, or disability." This requirement has put a new emphasis on technology education in our classrooms. The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has published the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) for students, teachers, and administrators, which sets the standard for what each of these groups needs to know and be able to do to be technologically literate.

Having a set of standards gives us something we can measure ourselves against. The problem comes in developing assessment tools which accurately measure the actual results against the expected learning outcomes. Consider the problem of assessing student learning outcomes for technology, given that every classroom is differently equipped, with different teachers, under different leadership, using technology in different ways. In "A Framework for Considering Technology's Effectiveness" (1998) Kathleen Fulton states, "...to ask if technology works is almost the equivalent of saying "Do textbooks work?" Yes, some textbooks “work,” in some conditions, with some teachers, with some students, but these same textbooks may not “work” in another educational context. Clearly the question of technology effectiveness requires us to be clear in what results we seek, how we measure success, and how we define effectiveness."

Standardized tests are insufficient methods to address many of the skill sets required by ISTE. "The benefits of information technology" by J. Kosakowski, (1998) states that "Educators may find impediments to evaluating the impact of technology. Such impediments include lack of measures to assess higher-order thinking skills, difficulty in separating technology from the entire instructional process, and the outdating of technologies used by the school." We are making progress in measuring some of desired learning outcomes set by ISTE, but many are difficult to measure. According to "Critical Issue: Using Technology to Improve Student Achievement" by Margaret Honey, Katherine McMillan Culp, and Robert Spielvogel (2005), "Researchers are also making progress on the more complicated task of investigating the impact of technology use on higher order thinking skills as measured through means other than standardized tests. They are examining students' ability to understand complex phenomena, analyze and synthesize multiple sources of information, and build representations of their own knowledge. At the same time, some researchers are calling for newer standardized assessments that emphasize the ability to access, interpret, and synthesize information."

It is going to be necessary to find ways to assess these and other skills to determine areas where we are meeting the standards, and areas that we still fall short. As we strive to move forward in this generation of technological literacy, we may need to look toward the very tools we are teaching for answers to the problem of how to assess the effectiveness of our teaching.