Posts filed under ‘News’
Large scale ed tech initiatives to follow
The U.S. Dept of Education and the Federal Communications Commission have recently launched significant ed tech initiatives, highlighting a shift in their roles from funders to facilitators. The FCC announced its Internet Essentials program which gives families of students who receive free school lunch access to broadband Internet service for $9.95 a month, before taxes. I was even more pleased to read that Internet Essentials will also provide families with a voucher to purchase a computer for $149.99 as well as offer free digital literacy training. So, the offer not only provides access but the tool to get access and the knowledge to use it wisely. Let’s see if these opportunities are well used.
Arne Duncan launched the Digital Promise center, a congressionally authorized clearinghouse dedicated to identifying, supporting, and publicizing the most effective education technology innovations. I found the site not terribly usable (in terms of design) but I did scroll through a couple of the ideas and discussions which seemed interesting enough. The center is definitely one to watch. To read an EdWeek article on these two initiatives, click here.
“Millennials” – the ‘always connected’ generation
Education Week’s Digital Education blog shares some interesting information about the ‘Millennials’, today’s teens and twenty-something adults, collected by the Pew Research Center. Not surprising, this generation distinguishes themselves by their technology use and connectedness via social networking, cell phones, etc. Check out the blog post – very informative for educators trying to ‘connect’ with this population.
Lights, Camera, Action!
Wow! Really? Where is this happening? How cool.
Education Week (April 7, 2010) reports how a handful of colleges are now accepting student video essays as part of their college application process. The parameters and conditions for the video essay differ from school to school–varying from schools that offer it as an optional submission to those that actually allow it to replace the written essay. Do not be alarmed the entire college application process as we know it still exists where grades and test scores matter and are weighted accordingly. Colleges are using these video essays to attract students to their colleges and “to understand who they are.”
Let’s take a peak at a very popular one, Math Dances (there were over 127,483 views on YouTube when I wrote this blog and it was referenced in The New York Times, US News and World Report, NPR, and many other publications).
Top Five K-12 Technology Trends
With the new year right around the corner, THE Journal spoke with a number of technology experts and schools districts to come up with this list of the top five K-12 technology trends for 2010. Where does your school stand in adopting and using these technology tools?
- eBooks – while not ready to replace traditional text books, eBooks will gain traction this coming year.
- Netbooks – as they become less expensive and more functional, these will help address the digital divide as schools adopt one-to-one computing initiatives.
- More use of Interactive whiteboards – teachers are realizing the power of IWBs. As Sheryl Abshire, chief technology officer for Calcasieu Parish Public Schools, states, “The buzzword for the 21st century is ‘engaged learning’, and the whiteboards will serve as a catalyst for getting students out of their seats and up to the board to learn.”
- Personal devices will be used in the classroom – teachers/administrators will integrate students’ technology devices (cell phones, iPods, etc.) in the classroom, leveraging their appeal and functionality to enhance learning.
- Technology will support Customized Curriculum – with new technology-based assessment tools, teachers and administrators will be able to track, monitor, and manage longitudinal performance data as well as assign individualized curriculum
NAEP draft on Technology Literacy Released
Technology is not just computers. This is a key message the developers of NAEP’s technology literacy assessment are trying to convey. Developers are using a broad definition of technology as “any modification of the natural world done to fulfill human needs or desires.” To match, a broad definition of technology literacy guides their work – “the capability to use, understand, and evaluate technology as well as to apply technological concepts and processed to solve problems and reach one’s goals.”
A discussion draft of the framework was released. WestEd is developing the framework in collaboration with other key organizations. The test will be administrated to fourth, eighth, and twelfth grade students in 2012. It will be the first NAEP assessment to be delivered entirely via computer. The three major assessment areas are: Design and Systems, Information and Communication Technology, and Technology and Society. There is much interconnectedness among these three areas and thus overlap will naturally occur.
There is no question technology is taking a formal place in schools, either as separate courses or integrated throughout the curriculum. The report states, “According to the September 2007 issue of The Technology Teacher, 40 states included technology in their state curriculum framework as of that year, up from 38 in 2004. A dozen states required technology education for students in at least some grades, and a total of 22 offered technology education as an elective. The Standards for Technological Literacy developed by the International Technology Education Association were being used in 41 states at either the state level or in the school districts (Dugger 2007).”
WestEd and its collaborators surely have a great task in front of them. Exciting work to follow!
