Group items tagged

However, after reflecting on the session and speaking with some of the attendees, it is apparent that the embracement of social media in schools and by educators will continue to be an uphill battle.  For those educators and schools that are either resistant to or unsure about using social media I pose these questions to you:

selling points for 1:1 computing

After reading this, I am struck by the thought of how the excitement and motivation changes from when a child is in elementary school to when he/she attends high school. At the high school level it often appears that the students resist looking at the sites they are instructed to. I have often passed by a classroom window where several of the students were on a relevant site while the rest were looking at anything from football to what is on sale at a local department school.

This slide share is a pretty good prep to see what is being said and done in schools who are ingaged in 1:1 computing. Henrico County Schools are also mentioned.

Interesting article about a school right outside Richmond Va, that has decided to eliminate the use of laptops due to lack of progress.

Interesting article. As we have been discussing several problems exist. Lack of teacher training is one. The other looks to the behavior of the students. Perhaps the laptops need to stay at school so that no one "forgets" theirs at home. Students can only use them during classtime and there is a teacher sitting at the back of the room to ensure that all students are on appropriate sites.

Can we trust students? (I believe yes...We must trust students so they will rise to the occasion, rather than sink to lowest expectations. I also think if students are challenged to use computers for more than pure peer social interaction, we may be able to limit the "inappropriate" use you mention. So, actually, it comes back to teacher training. It makes my head hurt.

See how High School Principal Patrick Larkin implements his 1:1 IPAD initiative. Check out his Blog, especially the section under "Becoming a 1:1 School Series". Sarah Melton

1:1 at Burlington High School. Check out the last example: It looks a lot like our final digital story project, only for high school students. Reflection is an important tool at any stage of education, and it is one we often forget.

This article presents some reasons to the question: "Why wikis for school leaders?" It also reviews the book "Wikis for School Leaders" in case you want to dig deeper.

This document pinpoints how to realize the benefits of technology, schools must develop a plan for integrating technology into the curriculum. It explains that an effective technology plan is based on the shared vision of educators, parents, community members, and business leaders who have technological expertise. And how it strengthens existing curricula and supports meaningful, engaged learning for all students. There are many enriching links to go deeper into the several aspects that the article mentions.

Contrasting and comparing school/district/state/natiomnal technology plans requires standardized "Best Practices."

Great supporting documentation and access to further information in the form of imbedded hyperlinks

Even though this isn't about education, this Times Dispatch article addresses social media issues that school leaders will face when hiring.

We have been discussing this a lot in school. As leaders we are held to a high standard. Perhaps everyone should act accordingly. Before we print or say something we should consider whether we would want our own children to read or hear it. Accountability is a hard lesson for some.

This is a PDF that describes different objectives and action plans. On page 2, you will find OBJECTIVE NUMBER 1.5: We will maintain an ongoing review of the instructional technology initiative. ACTION PLAN 1: All schools will participate in an external audit of their classroom technology integration. ACTION PLAN 2: Identify opportunities to improve equitable access to instructional technology. ACTION PLAN 3: Identify the impact of technology exposure through the 1:1 initiative on student technology aptitude. ACTION PLAN 4: Document perception data of all stakeholders to inform instructional technology program improvement activities. ACTION PLAN 5: Conduct a cost effectiveness analysis that correlates contract specifics, cost, School Board policy and practice. Identify opportunities for improvements that ensure optimal cost and management effectiveness.

This website provides a sequence of planning steps for school districts to apply when developing a technology plan and vision. This was published by the National School Boards Foundation. I thought these steps were clearly stated and easy to follow. Navigating through the website specifically this page, http://www.nsba.org/sbot/toolkit/atp.html also provided information for school leaders to consider when evaluating and assessing their districts plan which should be conducted periodically.

Well, this article couldn't be more interesting... It dates back to 1997, it is in the Journal of Technology Education by Virginia Tech. It seems that since 1990 the number of students graduating with technology education teaching degrees had plummeted notoriously and the doomsday for the tech teacher preparation programs would occur by 2005... I guess it didn't happen!

Well, Norma, I do think this is interesting and I think it might have happened. The article is specifically about "technology teachers," and there aren't that many of those anymore. Now, technology is not as much a standalone subject as it is integrated into the whole learning process. That's good, IMHO. But, at the same time, I think we've gotten away from offering computer science courses. That's bad, IMHO.

Hmmmm... That's true! I've been trying to remember how things were in Colombia a couple of years ago, and it seems the same phenomenon has happened. I remember how in college I took some technology courses for specific kinds of programs... then, they started disappearing and if I wanted a refresher I had to teach myself or find a friend. In my schools here I can see how the technology classes are used as a means to do something else through technology rather than studying technology by itself... It stopped being the object of study and became a means to achieve objectives in other areas. A clear sample of that: The technology teachers at my two schools started going to two or three schools, they are more kind of facilitators than instructors... I guess that's pretty bad for the kind of student who needs to learn formally, step by step, in a classroom setting.... For our students... well, my younger students know way more than me! And they didn't learn it form anybody! Just trial and error!

Alittle piece of the summer!! A blog entry exploring how Henrico County Schools System has adopted the TPACK model for staff development and 21st century learning. Provides examples of how to integrate technology and provides resource examples.

I found this too and thought it was interesting to see Henrico's take on TPACK in action. Good examples of integration and resource examples

Interesting information about Henrico County's integration of TPACK

Interesting article about a K-8 school in California that spearheaded a 1:1 laptop initiative. Article talks about the challenges the school faced, as well as, tips for implementing a successful 1:1 program.

This is a collaborative blog dedicated to 1:1 computing environments in elementary and secondary schools.

A compilation of four new studies of one-to-one computing projects in K-12 schools identifies several factors that are key to the projects' success, including adequate planning, stakeholder buy-in, and strong school or district leadership. Not surprisingly, the researchers say the most important factor of all is the teaching practices of instructors.

A brief article detailing what s necessary for an effective 1:1 computing program.

This is the school that Gary Stager refers to in the movie for this week.

Editor's Note: Today's guest blogger is Shelly Blake-Plock a high school classroom teacher from Maryland, who blogs at teachpaperless.com. Drool in the textbook. That's one of my most lasting impressions of high school. I can't tell you the number of times that I fell asleep -- face down in my textbook -- during various history and foreign language classes.

A Guide for School Districts Information and communications technologies (ICT) policies in schools have two dimensions.