EDUS 660

Brookings voucher study

Interesting article that compares observational verses experimental learning with an ideal-avatar, real-avatar, friend-avatar, or no avatar. This idea reminded me of the simulation activity we are undergoing at the end of the program.

This is really cool. It is definitely an interactive approach to learning when one can see himself/herself actively participating in the process. It makes the learning more relevant. I think it's great idea to make learning fun so students can literally "be a part of it". Thank you for this article.

"the tension between ideology and evidence in the education reform debate." This tension really lies at the heart of what we'll be discussing in the coming weeks. 

Ahhh, social justice material; technology topics are dandy, but now that is the stuff. It is interesting that the article begins with a comment that the ideology is more effective then the evidence-based position. In line with Ch. 1 of Willingham's text I would say. I was always a "pull yourself up by the boot straps" kind of thinker until I really thought about it. While I am focusing on the education aspect of change and believe that every child can learn and that effective teachers make that happen, I have also seen the evidence that there are wider factors at play in poverty and ignoring them won't change the data or the wealth disparities. As educators who are dug-in and close to the issues sometimes there is a fine line between ignoring that data, being aware of it as we form decisions or using it as excuses. I can appreciate that the ideology side doesn't want to waiver from their noble stance because they don't want to make any excuses; maybe that is why the author calls it more effective, because of the emotion attached. Is it really a problem to have such a positive, unrelenting drive toward success within that specific context of change? I mean if you are a teacher in a rural, 98% free and reduced lunch school while you might not have the skills to bring healthcare to that community you sure as heck can lead your class. I often think what the outcome would be if everyone were crazy in a way they are able to suspend what the see around them to create a new reality so the negativity cannot seep in. The survey research that is cited got me to think maybe it isn't crazy but rather logically suspending our notions for the facts and then addressing them. I think there is a place for both sides I just wish the evidence would be acknowledged so those who are passionate about other aspects can get to work. It is a network with many cogs that will cause change but if the perceptions cannot be influenced by the data then even the best teacher or commun

This article brings light to a new push for online textbooks. It highlights some challenges such as limited bandwidth and cost effectiveness, but explains how other districts have implemented them with success. It really is relevant to my school system now as we are looking to adopt a new science book this year. Talks of pursuing online textbooks are frequent at our meetings. I am still looking for an article that can provide some substantial data to show the effectiveness of one over the other however I think the idea is still so fresh that what is out there is minimal.

KATHLEEN P. FULTON (kathleenpfulton{at}gmail.com ) is an independent consultant in Tacoma Park, Md., and is recently retired as director of Reinventing Schools for the 21st Century for the National Commission on Teaching and America's Future. Abstract A small school in southern Minnesota, strapped for funds and needing new math books and a fresh curriculum, flipped its classrooms and raised achievement and student engagement.

In light of this course and the use of technology for learning, I thought this article was relevant and interesting as another means to presentation and deliverary of instruction. I recently participated in a podcast recording for an organization. The interview was posted to website for this organization and is available through iTunes as well. I realized how this changes the face of communication in the world and it's accessibility anytime and anywhere. I thought this article shared an interesting aspect to podcasting in education as another platform to share information and engage learners. When you think of different learning styles, it definitely provides other options to meet different learning needs.

Thanks for sharing this. Gardner Campbell is one of the most thoughtful, innovative educators in the higher ed world I know. I would caution us all, though, to consider the age of resources we share. This piece was written in 2005, which in ed. tech. years, is fairly ancient. That's something for us all to consider as the semester progresses and as the final project comes to fruition.

This article looks at how far we have come and how far we have to go and makes some suggestions for getting there. Just thought it might provide some background as we choose our projects.

Anyone want to put this one through the Willingham heuristic?  Also, anyone going to show your students cute images before the SOL exams? :)

I WILL be showing my 7th grade students pictures of cute animals before the SOL. I totally agree that looking at cute images makes one better able to concentrate......better able to concentrate at looking at more time-wasting, cute images until you pull yourself away from the wormhole of forwards from an elderly aunt. This is an example of when I would take Willingham's advice and look at the science of the study, is "cuteness" objective? P.S. the 7th graders are studying life science so the pictures are related to that, not because I think it will gain them a few points on the SOL.

This includes a great description of "Unschooling" that Dr. Becker referred to during our first class. Though this describes unschooling as a form of homeschooling, but the description applies to education at any age. 

Unschooling sounds a lot like being an adult.

This article discusses a proposed system to evaluate educational technology products and provide the information to decision makers. They are proposing that the project be started with grant funds and them move to a fee based funding system. My questions would be - 1) Who would evaluate the products? 2) Would a fee based system lead to any sort of bias? - particularly since the creators propose a sliding fee scale based on the size of the company.

I guess I was blessed not to have any student loan debt!

"For every charter school that has opened in New York in the past decade, a parochial school has closed, Lackman states in the report that will be published next month in the Albany Law Review." I find charter schools particularly interesting from a political perspective. There's been a lot of research on charter schools. Here's an article about one more study.

A new report shows that 17 percent-or 5.8 million-of all Americans between the ages of 16 and 24 are neither working nor in school. The report, "One in Seven: Ranking Youth Disconnection in the 25 Largest Metro Areas," was released this week by Measure of America, an initiative of the Social Science Research Council.

"Matthews cited three studies, none of which shows the relationship he alleges, or purports to."

Does this Mathews character carry any weight. It seems he is more interested in self promotion and recognition as an educational reformist than actually improving our schools. I hope I'm in the "ballpark" with other educators' reactions/ point of view. It's is frustrating when folks mislead the public about policies that are meant to support teachers. Granted not all policies are flawless, but they often seem to be the ones getting attacked the most.

Tyler, Matthews writes for The Washington Post. That give him a huge audience and, therefore, immense power to persuade. And, as you know, with great power comes great responsibility. So, yeah...

I can definitely see how using laptops daily would enhance this course!

This article has some great quantitative data

This article researches the effects of laptop multitasking on classroom learning. The obvious results show that learners who multitasked during class had reduced comprehension of lecture material and learners in-view of multitaskers also had reduced comprehension of lecture material. All of these conclusions make perfect sense but I would have appreciated a comparison of a multitasker using a laptop to a student who did not take notes on a laptop.

Study findings suggest that integration of 1:1 laptop computing positively impacts student academic engagement and student learning. Therefore, there is need for teachers to implement appropriate computing practices to enhance student learning. Additionally, teachers need to collaborate with their students to learn and understand various instructional technology applications beyond basic Internet browsing and word processing. Based on the study findings, the following conclusions were reached. First, the findings suggest that the integration of 1:1 laptop computing increased student engagement and learning, motivation, and ability to work individually. Secondly, the data provided evidence to suggest that the implementation of 1:1 laptop computing increased the use of technology in the classroom and in the home by students. Finally, the data provided evidence to indicate that faculty believed that the integration of 1:1 computing improved traditional, at-risk, and high-achieving students learning experiences.

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a scale used to assess in-class use of laptops in higher education. The Laptop Evaluation Scale consisted of four constructs: academic use, non-academic communication, playing games, and watching movies. All scale items showed acceptable internally reliability. A principal components factor analysis demonstrated good construct validity. Correlation among the LES constructs were significant but small enough to support the existence of four distinct constructs. All four LES constructs were correlated with average grade, time spent on non-academic activities, and perceptions of laptop helpfulness in class, thereby proving evidence for convergent validity. Finally, content validity was supported by frequencies of laptop behaviours reported as well as student comments. However, student comments indicate that the content of the LES may need to be expanded to include more specific academic and non-academic behaviours.

I know our research wasn't focused specifically on textbooks but I am interested to see what their program has found.