Interesting to me that as tech is more effectively used, the less apparent it becomes. This speaks to the power of the user of a tool. You don't usually think of a plumber as being good at a wrench, you just know he has the knowledge and experience it takes to get you out a bind when it comes to a plumbing problem.
The more our 6th graders use their laptops this year, the less the teaching and learning seems to focus on the laptop itself.
An example of this is the 6th grade trip to Budapest for the Fall of The Red Star and '56 Hungarian Revolution against the Russians. Tech was not the focus, but was a powerful tool for collecting pictures, pooling discoveries, and getting feedback on writing and thinking. The final product created from these things was a 1956 student lead assembly. The assembly itself was not tech heavy. Students read reflections, personal poetry on the subject, and a only a few tech elements were outwardly visible during the assembly. Student thinking became the focus and the power of this production.
The more I reflect on this assembly the more I am convinced that if tech was not a part of these students undertakings, this program would not have been as much as success. The ability Ms. Herbert and Mr. Valezy had in giving feedback on student writing and questions for the Hungarian guest speakers. The videos posted to YouTube and pictures students viewed of each others experiences in Budapest, the map Mr. Farren and Mr. Valezy created to help support the student's inquiry of Budapest in 1956 were all invaluable tools that supported student thinking. This doesn't mention all of the many ways we don't see students using tech. They might be communicating outside of class using Skype or G-chat, giving each other opinions or ideas in a comment in a Google Doc, or using cell phones to collect and share experiences behind the scenes. In the end we saw the culmination of a plethora of techniques some tech heavy and some not as much
Great summation, Joel. I agree, the more effectively tech is used, the less we notice it. Reminds me of the fact that we often define technology as being those things that don't always work, like a computer. But things like a toaster or TV are not considered technology by many. We don't teach TV or toaster use in "tech class".
Would agree with Bill great summary Joel. Problem or challenge is to get people to realise this and then embrace the tech or choose the right time to use tech.
I like this alternative policy idea. It is succinct, simple, and dare I say maybe even...inspiring. It lacks details for accountability, and specific lingo for transfer of responsibility, but let's be honest, how often to we actually read acceptable use policies? If there was a problem, it's covered in the "respectful and kind" language. Doing something like this is sure to catch student attention set a positive tone for the use of tech.
I read the article. Like the idea a lot. I think this could work in the middle school. It sounds like he put the resources online using a Creative Commons license so that others can copy them.
Agreed, tried lots of mind mapping tools, this one seems to rank towards the top on ease of use. The fact that it can be integrated with Google Apps makes it all the more attractive to us at AISB.
Using Google's street view technology (virtual views of streets in cities) it is now possible to visit many modern and ancient world heritage sites from your computer.
"But in practice, curriculum maps are almost always not the "living, breathing" documents that experts like Heidi Jacobs Hayes promote. They are instead very dead things -- lifeless prisons of content to be covered, and boxes to be highlighted in Data Team and Professional Learning Community meetings. For a curriculum map or any planned learning experience to be vital -- and vitally useful -- it must be adaptive and circular rather than rigid and linear. It must by design be able to respond to the performance of the students.
And more critically, this planned learning experience must encourage students to continue their pursuit of understanding and self-knowledge."
