The Innovative Educator has been nominated for an Edublog Award. I am honored to be included among a list of some fantastic bloggers who I regard in high esteem. I credit my personal learning network for being the inspiration for the birth of this blog. They are my blog family (though they don’t know it) and it is their voices that guide and inform much of what appears in this blog. This includes Will Richardson Weblogg-ed (my blog father), Lucy Calkins Teachers College Reading and Writing Project (my blog mother), Jim McDermott
I also want to thank those of you who visit this space to discover information and ideas about educating innovatively…especially those who are following this blog and those who contribute to the conversation with your comments. I encourage you to take a look at the terrific line up of great education blogs you have to read...then, have your voice heard and vote for your favorite.
Best Individual Edublog 2009
Just select your favorite blog from the list below and click Vote and scroll down the page to check out all blogs nominated in this category
At a recent Innovation meeting when talking about what a game changer digital books are, a colleague posed the question, "What is lost when you are not holding an actual book?"
OR GAINED!!??!??!!!!! I heard myself blurt out...when it wasn't my turn to talk.
Paper trained heads that were mid stream nodding in agreement and reminiscing about their disappearing friend (the book) spun my way. **Oopsie** "We aren't losing when we allow our students to Ditch Paper and Get to the Thinking Faster." I whispered. This got me thinking, if some of the most innovative educators in town still haven't bought into going on a paper diet, what does this mean for our students?
When I polled my Personal Learning Network (PLN) to see if they would be sad when books shed their paper and grew wings most who responded said yes, though these followers/friends/friends of friends shared my sentiments:
MrChase - As sad as when cave walls, papyrus and parchment fell by the wayside.
Dianewoodard - NO! The static content of yesterday will become dynamic & allow for ongoing interaction! I love digital content!
Shawn Gross - The death of paper is great thing for kids, the environment and economy.
Thomas Whitby a friend of a friend Jeff Branzburg- We cannot tell our students that we are not comfortable using an E-reader rather than a book. If this is what the future holds, then our comfort is irrelevant to one who will live with that E-reader as reality. -Reflections on Today’s Education from an Old Guy
Andrew a project produced specifically for the web has the potential to be far more powerful, relevant, and contextual than anything that can be done with the same project in print. -My case for moving beyond a printed senior thesis
Yet most of the over-35 crowd is instantly in defense of the way things were/are and express it in comments like these. Ahhh, the smell of the New York Times hot off the press (I am allergic to newspaper ink), the joy of turning of the crisp pages of a magazine (I am paper cut prone), the common bond when sharing a good book (Gone forever. I never remember to get them back.), the feel of pen to paper (my hand cramps and I revise like mad), and so on and so on, and so on.... Below are what most of the comments from my Personal Learning Network looked like.
Comments from some of my online PLN members
Fred DeutschFor me there's nothing like the simplicity and beauty of a book. I enjoy the ease of dog-earring a page, placing physical bookmarks, underlining key sentences, writing notes to myself in the margin, etc. Sure, all of these can be done with pdfs, but for me the e-applications of the above are just more cumbersome and not quite as intuitive. Just my personal preference. gimstI would miss the pleasure to handle a book, paper smelling, the sense of touch, books are special tastes of sensibilit. I don't believe in death paper books the pleasure of reading paper book is not the same reading digital book, they will coexist. Kelley Riley Lanahan My (over 45) eyeballs just can't read as efficiently on small screens! But there's a difference for me in reading for work and reading for pleasure..... Laura I like to hold a book and enjoy the fonts, the spacing in the margins, looking ahead to see how many more pages there are until a break in the paragraphs, or the end of a chapter. I like to find a bookmark or fold up a piece of paper to use as one. I like to browse the library for new books, for books by authors I like, for interesting titles and dust jackets. Kelley Riley Lanahan Ha ha ha. As much as I'm NOT a Kindle fan (other than the fact I can read late into the night and not disturb the hubby), I do like the analogies here. For me, there's something about old-style that still turns me on... Fred Deutsch I enjoy the ability to crack open a book for the first time . . . to hear the binder creak as I open it . . . to feel the texture of the page as I run my fingers over the written word or grasp the corner of the page to turn it . . . or even sometimes the smell of book can have impact. Certainly digital will continue to compete with paper... See More, but I would be suprised if it ever become more popular than paper. Books simply provide a greater fullness of the sensual experience associated with reading and learning, imo. iansands as long as there are beaches, there will be books. Cause it's no fun when sand gets in your laptop. :) Kelley Riley Lanahan Nothing like thumbing through a great read though. And it's been REALLY interesting pulling some of my "classic" reads (e.g. Beowulf) off of my library shelf to compare with the versions being brought home by my HS-aged sons. There are some things, I believe, that can't be substituted....makes for a great dinner conversation if nothing else!
Suzanne Montaperto I love the instant access of the Kindle and other wireless devices....but there's nothing like the smell and feel of reading a good hardcover book!
Troy Fischer @Suz... when was the last time you felt/smelled a true leather bound ... Point is, someone said the same thing when the industry started making cardboard covers with lots of graphics. AND stay tuned, Barnes and Noble's nook designers heard your claim and the Nook covers feel like bound books, hey they may even offer a fragrance "eau de book toilette" you can spray safely all over your eBook LMAO.
My intent in bringing up this conversation is to open the eyes of the paper trained to the virtues of digital because:
It is much better for the environment if we all ditch the paper
You can do more, making the experience richer
Students like it better
It's interactive allowing for not only for easier consumption, but also production of information
A school or personal library of books and print materials are expensive not just to purchase, but to preserve and store. Digital content is much cheaper and richer than any print material. This speaks to the cause of demise of the print newspaper and magazine industry. Textbooks should soon follow suit. If we rely on digital materials the cost drops. Furthermore, with digital content, we don't have to pay the text book companies as richer content exists outside that outdated and ineffective learning tool This article touches on some of the reasons why - Textbook Example of What's Wrong with Education - A former schoolbook editor parses the politics of educational publishing).
We can't ignore the impact of digital text. From the New York Times: The advent of e-books and Google’s online book archive mean “2009 may well prove to be the most significant year in the evolution of the book since Gutenberg hammered out his original Bible.”The E-Book as Gutenberg’s Bible
Many kids already have devices that can serve beautifully as digital readers i.e. smart phones, laptops, netbooks, why not have them pull the devices out of their lockers and pockets and harness the power of the tools kids own. Cellphone Apps Challenge the Rise of eReaders. This comment from one of the readers captures the sentiment. Lance, Chicago November 18th, 2009 10:27 am I had a Kindle, but as soon as I got my iphone, I sold the Kindle on ebay. I have read about 20 books on my iphone, though I also buy paper books, only because not every book is available on the iphone. The reading experience is much better on an iphone than on paper: find characters that I forgot and can look up words. The big problem with the downloaded books: once I have finished reading the book, I cannot share it with anyone else. I am not sure there is any scientific evidence to show that there is less eye strain with the Kindle or the Sony reader compared to the iphone. For those who don't like the font size on an iphone, it's easy to adjust with the different book apps.
Responses to My PLN
The two valid advantages paper has over digital today is battery life and functionality in the sand (I'm at the beach a lot). Beyond that, the resistance to me seems to be the result of my colleagues being paper-trained. When I look at what these folks prefer there is very little that you can't get digitally and digital provides for a much richer experience. Here are some of my responses.
@Fred, I think you like reading longer pieces better with paper because you are used to it. I don't see your advantages. Although I grew up a voracious reader of paper, I've spent the past few years digital and love the advantages. For example, I like to read several books at a time, but don't want to carry several books. I never know when I'll have a moment to read, and don't want to always have to have various books with me. Having them digitally in my computer alleviates that issue. As far as the actually reading, I love doing it on my laptop or smartphone (I don't believe a special device is necessary) because...
I can easily highlight, make notes, bold, underline, right-click (rather than skip over) a word I don't know, search a concept I don't understand, listen to a word I don't know or a passage I would like to hear rather than read while I'm doing something else like getting ready for work, or copy an excerpt to paste and share with my PLN. I don't get it dirty and I never lose it. @Laura, I enjoy all those things when I read digitally, but I can actually do them better and change and adjust them to my liking. For instance, I know how many pages I have, I can change a font I don't like, I can adjust the font size to be bigger, smaller, or a different color as a prefer, I can easily not only bookmark, but also share a page of text. As far as library browsing, I like that too, and appreciate the ability to do it digitally where I can see ratings and comments from other readers and also see what my friends are reading.
@Kelley, for 40-something eyeballs, unlike with a book, you can go to system preferences and enlarge the font. Can't do that with a book.
@Fred, so, we simply need a creaking sound to give you the audio you are missing...there's an app for that! Additionally, texture isn't too difficult, you can already do the turn the page motion in most apps. I'm surprised that you would be surprised about digital overcoming paper. It already has for newspapers.
@Kelley, You are right, there's nothing like thumbing through a great read, and doing so digitally adds layers never before imaginable including making texts accessible to many who never previously would have the opportunity by enabling them to do things like listen to text, enlarge it, define and translate what they are reading. And, as far as the classics, for those with out the cash or room for storage (like us in these teenie NYC apts), they are all available for free online.
An argument missing in these virtual conversations, that often comes up when face-to-face is the edubabble where I'm told, "You can not underestimate the importance of Gardners Multiple Intelligences." You know, Linguistic, Logical-Mathematical, Visual-Spatial, Musical, Bodily-Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalist (more are added all the time). Like @Suzanne, @gimst, @Fred, et. al. as they remenisce about the feel of the book, the physical paper appeals to the bodily-kinesthetic, and tactile learner. While most educators support Gardner's theory, it is not an argument for keeping the paper, it is rather a case for ditching the paper. Digital text is uniquely suited to address the unique learning styles of students far more fully than paper. For those who still need convincing and like me prefer some tangible concrete evidence, I share with you some articles and videos that come to mind as those that can well demonstrate why we must allow books to shed their paper baggage and grow digital wings.
A Few Strong Cases For Letting Books Shed Their Paper and Grow Digital Wings
Joe's Non Netbook Watch this video about a student who is frustrated as he encounters the extreme limitations of the outdated paper technology. This video was an impromptu exchange between Joe the student and @MrChase who teaches at Chris Lehmann's Science Leadership Academy. Think about if it is paper or digital that is more suited to meeting various learning styles and needs of students.
What Happens When You Combine A Phone and A Book? It’s a really simple idea (essentially a cardboard box with an iPhone sized hole!) that combines print and technology beautifully.
What Happens When you Give a 3, 4, 8-Year-Old an iTouch? I recently happened to come across all these pieces separately. Each of them addresses in a different way how a digital iTouch has become an engaging and preferred tool for student reading and writing. I don't think any of the creators knew about one another when crafting their pieces. They all make strong cases about the power of providing tech to students. The message that comes to mind strongly is the tactile experience that digital technology provides. When I hear folks reminisce about the "feel of the book" I think about how much richer the experience could be digitally. This first video does an amazing job of conveying this.
In this video you see students using iTouches devices like it's second nature just like they do outside the classroom. They use the devices for reading, writing research and more using applications that are either free or much less expensive than the traditional textbook.
Devices to Take Textbooks Beyond Text I am not a supporter of textbooks, but if educators can't break away from the outdated habit, digital is an improvement that is considered in this NY Times article. From the article: NEWSPAPERS and novels are moving briskly from paper to pixels, but textbooks have yet to find the perfect electronic home. Now there is a new approach that may adapt well to textbook pages: two-screen e-book readers with a traditional e-paper display on one screen and a liquid-crystal display on the other to render graphics like science animations in color.
Until educators see the value of conducting our reading and writing digitally, I believe our students will continue to drown in the paper. I am not promoting that we go out and purchase kindles or other eReaders for our schools either. The real opportunity is to embrace the technology our students already have access to and harness the power of the fourth screen to engage in their reading, writing, and thinking 21st century style.
I recently attended a conference where I ran into a couple out-of-touch old timers who wanted to explain to me why things are the way they are. The conversation went like this: The first guy said, “Ya know, nothing in life is free.” The next one chimed in, “Uh huh! Ya get what you pay for.” Followed by, “It takes a lot to bring schools into the 21st century. Expensive equipment. Expensive software. Expensive training.” Then in unison, “And, of course people like us.” I felt like I was watching a bad sit com as these two out-of-touch white guys sat back snidely trying to convince me of their Archie Bunker reality. Well as Edith used to say, ‘Those WERE days,” and while I remember them too, like it or not, the world looks very different than it did back then, at least outside the school walls.
Listening to these guys made me want to scream. So, I did. "It’s not true! Many things in life are free. You don’t have to pay for what you get. And it doesn’t take as much as you think to move schools into the 21st century. You just need to update and shift your thinking."
The two men looked at me and then each other shaking their heads. Then one of them said, “You still have the sparkle in your eye. That hope. That passion. You’ll learn. When you’ve been around as long as we have, you’ll discover nothing changes and there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” I felt like I’d been zapped back in time and realized that sadly this is the time zone in which many students are stuck with educators and administrators who refuse to think outside the ban and chose to ignore the fact that The PODs (personally owned devices) are indeed coming to a classroom near you.
So, I retorted. “What you are saying isn’t true anymore. The rules have changed. The best tools in life are free…at least for educators. There is such a thing a free lunch.” “Oh yeah,” one of the guys said. “Maybe you can get something for free but it won’t last.” “What? Yes it will,” I insisted. “Okay,” he said. “Give me an example.” It was at this moment that I realized that although I was at a tech conference, many of these people still live the technology past. I took a breath and shared that there are an endless number of free tools and they are going to be around. "Oh really?" one of the men asked as he looked at me over the top of his glasses. "Like what?" "Well," I said, "The whole Google suite for starters. Add to that wikis, blogs, YouTube, Watchknow, video conferencing, phone calls, and I could go on and on. “Nah, those things won’t last,” the two men said to each other shaking their heads. “She’ll learn. Nothing in life is free. The sparkle in her eye will fade away just like ours has.”
People like these old-timers need to hold on to this reality and convince others of it’s truth not only because folks are resist to change, but because it keeps them employed. On the other end of the spectrum, we have businesses fooling educators and administrators into believing it is difficult to educate innovatively because doing so results in big bucks for the companies who want to make a profit off of you. They want to sell you their equipment, products, and licenses, and charge you money to train you to learn how to use it.
There is a lot at stake for these old timers and big businesses if educators don't believe their in-the-past reality. They’ve done a pretty good job of scaring many out of joining the present connected world in which we live. The big disconnect comes because, today’s digital native students know that if it’s designed right, it doesn’t require a manual, training, or a lot of money. However, many of their digital immigrant teachers and administrators who grew up in a close-sourced world where they paid for quality and read the manual first, have yet to learn this lesson. As a result, two things are happening. 1) Teachers aren’t teaching as innovatively as they could because they’re fooled into believing it is hard and expensive. 2) Administrators are wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars on things that are available for FREE! Here are some of them.
8 Free and Easy Tools Innovative Educators Can Start Using Today
The following tools are all free and simple to use. This means there’s no cost, nothing to download, no CDs, no manuals and no training. The best of these also do not require users to have email, registration or log ins.
STUDENT RESPONSE SYSTEM
Overview: Educators know that getting audience feedback is important, but how often does a teacher really know what her students are thinking and feeling? Not very. Companies like Promethean and Smartboard will lead you to believe that you need to spend thousands to purchase their student response systems. They have complex software, training, and manuals to go along with all that. You also may have a hard time distributing and learning to use the equipment too. At a recent conference the tech-savvy organizer needed an army of people to support his distribution of the devices and help him run the software. At another conference I attended, the vendor who was presenting on student response systems didn’t include them in his presentation because she felt there wasn’t enough time to distribute them. No wonder educators haven’t been using this stuff.
Poll Everywhere is a great tool that can be used by anyone who knows someone with a laptop or a cell phone they can send a text message from. For educators in schools without laptops and where phones are banned, this can still be a powerful tool that students can use outside of school by students who have their own phone or laptop or have family, friends or a public facility with a phone or laptop they can use. Futhermore Poll Everywhere is free for people who need to collect 30 or fewer responses per poll, and for schools who have not made Adequate Yearly Progress.
To use poll everywhere the teacher sets up an account at which they’ll be assigned a number or url for participants to send their answers. Within the message students enter the code corresponding to their response. This looks similar to what you see on popular shows such as American Idol. Without any additional equipment or need to download software within seconds educators will have student responses. Another nice feature is that it doesn't matter what device your students are using as text message, web, and smartphone responses can be instantly combined.
Overview: There are all sorts of reading and writing software programs out there. Many New York City educators have seen, these programs in their school oft times in packages collecting dust because the person trained is gone, the system is not compatible, they didn’t know they needed a server, the server’s down, etc. etc. Some innovative educators may have used one of my favorite tools for collaborative writing, Google docs, but gotten frustrated when using it with a class because students need emails, everyone must sign in and register, collaboration isn’t in real time so it is easy to overwrite the work of a collaborator, and the chat feature is clunky at best.
The Tool: Etherpad Innovative educators know that as a result of technology, the writing process has changed drastically. Some teachers, even those with whom I’ve worked in 1:1 environments are stuck in the past though, with students moving along the same pace, following a very similar process of brainstorming, first draft, second draft, revisions, edits, publishing. Writing in the 21st century no longer looks like this. Students never have to write anything over. They write, read, copy, paste, link, etc. to come up with a final draft.
Innovative educators need to get students off of the paper (no, digital natives don’t need to write on paper first like some of the digital immigrants do) and allow them to get to the thinking and producing faster by composing digitally. The tool I recommend they use is http://etherpad.com. Etherpad allows students to write individually, in pairs, or in groups. It tracks by color who wrote what information. It has an area for chat, and a teacher can play back and observe the writing and revision process of their students. This in essence give teachers the ability to see the writing process for any student, pair, or group anytime, anywhere. Additionally, because each participants in put is color-coded there is never a question about the level of contribution from group participants. It’s all right there. Finally, of course, since this is web-based, students needn’t be conferring with students in their classroom only they can connect with others around the globe.
Another terrific feature is the live playback. This lets a teacher watch the students step by step writing and revision process including exactly which student contributed what and when. You can see my sample pad here http://innovativeedu.etherpad.com/1 and the playback here http://innovativeedu.etherpad.com/ep/pad/view/1/latest
Watch the demo:
http://screenjel.ly/7PWKblRbPdI
WRITING LEVEL TOOLS
Overview: When I worked as a literacy coach in 2003, part of my work was to help all our teachers conduct publishing parties at the end of each unit of study. It was at this time that we celebrated student work and placed the books into the classroom library. Classroom libraries were sorted by genre and reading level. We never sorted student or teacher published books that way. In fact we rarely thought about the reading level of a students writing. I realize now, that looking at the level of a students writing would have been a valuable tool and helpful for students and teachers alike. Students might want to know what the readability level of a piece of their writing is and perhaps put their writing in the library of students reading at that grade level. Older students writing for a younger audience might find this tool useful to adequately adjust the level for audience. Teachers writing to their students may also value this feedback.
Additionally, teachers often like to use their own writing or the writing of their students for mentor texts. When I was a coach, this required us to review each text to determine reading level for that text. While this is a worthwhile activity to do to analyze writing, it is extremely time-consuming and so, this was often rarely done. Fortunately, there are now tools that do this for you, for free, for free and require nothing to download.
The Tool: Reading Level Check in Word and Google Docs
Both Google Docs and Microsoft Word provide three indicators of the reading level of the document you're creating. They will each calculate for you the Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, and the Automatic Readability Index. In Google Docs you visit the tools menu and select the word count option. In MS Word, you click on the Microsoft Office button, then selectWord Options, Click Proofing, make sure Check grammar with spelling is selected, under When correcting grammar in Word, select the Show readability statistics check box. Then open your document in word and run a spell check.
This allows teachers and students to instantly see the difficulty level of their writing. Are they writing at a 2nd grade level or 12th grade? What level is right for the audience they are trying to reach? Writing teachers can use this to assess growth of their writers across the year. For reading instruction this is a great way to be able to determine the reading level of student and teacher created work that can be used for mentor texts.
Watch more: http://screenjel.ly/1qPiyavK4pA
READING LEVEL TOOLS
Overview: As a literacy coach teachers and I spent a lot of money and countless hours leveling books. We had various directories to sort through to find a book and for those we couldn't find we would use a guide to level it ourselves. Then we would write the level on the book with the sharpie. The guide books were expensive, and time to do this was limited. Fortunately, there are now tools that do this for you, for free, with nothing to download.
The Tool:Find A Book To find the reading level of professionally published material, teachers and students can visit Find A Book which allows users for free to type in any book and find the reading level of that book, or perhaps more powerful they can type in their reading level and interest and build a custom reading list on the subjects that interest the reader most. Additionally, there is an age slider that allows you to Move the sliders to adjust search results by age-appropriateness.
Watch More:
INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARD ALTERNATIVE
Overview: Interactive Whiteboard like Smartboards and Promethean are all the rage with educators and administrators because they promote interactivity and student engagement. As such schools happily spend tens of thousands of dollars outfitting their classrooms. As the Professional Development Manager for the iTeach/iLearn 1-to-1 laptop initiative involving 24 schools in New York City I had the opportunity to visit many classrooms outfitted with these devices. Here’s what I saw. Teachers spending more time talking in front of the room. Teachers getting caught in the light of the projector as they took their sage on the stage role in the spotlight. Many issues with speakers, calibration issues, wires that were in the way and every so often the proud moment when a kid came up and tapped the board. Now, call me crazy but I don’t think Mr. Van Winkle would feel very comfortable in this classroom. The teacher is still usually front and center talking on and on and every so often a lucky kids comes up to the board to do something. The board has a light shining on it sure, but so what?
The Tool:Projector Only
Save thousands per classroom by ditching the Interactive Whiteboard and projector cart. I don’t suggest this because I think interactive whiteboards are a luxury, I suggest it, because I think teachers are more effective without the interactive whiteboard. The interactive whiteboard companies have spent thousands of dollars convincing you that you need these boards for a 21st century classroom, but you don’t. I’ve been working with these companies for years and have challenged them to convince me otherwise but to date none have succeeded in changing my mind that this is a colossal waste of money.
You can accomplish the same instructional goals with a laptop and projector. The benefit is rather than having the teacher front and center in the classroom s/he can be eye to eye with students as the class work is projected behind him/her. Additionally, this enables the teacher to stay at the command station, the hub of where their work is…at their laptop. No awkward traveling back and forth between the laptop and interactive whiteboard or requiring presenting to be a two person activity. The same, if not more, interactivity can be achieved with student coming over to the laptop to share. You may hear that the software is the reason you need to make this costly purchase. I have found there are free alternatives to achieve the same goals.
Overview: Most educators know that technically video conferencing is a great idea for global connections and connecting students with experts. However, many have been told you need expensive equipment, software, a technician on hand and more. It’s not true! Don’t let the people from Polycom or Tandberg sell you a videoconferencing system costing tens of thousands of dollars. At the New York City Department of Education there are several such systems not being utilized because they require staff and maintenance that had not just not proven feasible for upkeep and maintenance in the school system.
The Tool: tinychat tinychatis a free service that provides text, audio, and video chat rooms. One of the benefits of Tinychat is that nobody involved needs special software to join in and you don’t need to register. From the Tinychat website: Tinychat delivers dead simple video conferences without the extraneous add-ons and inconvenience, making video conferencing an accessible, uncomplicated experience. It works on a variety of systems and browsers; and there is a version available for iPhones. You can have up to twelve people in a room with HQ video, protected by passwords and moderators, share your desktop with them, and your conferences can be recorded and embedded on your website.
Overview: Educators know all too well the importance of and emphasis on bulletin boards and instructional charts. As a former literacy coach, we had a variety of instructional charts creating with every unit of study and classrooms often looked a little jungley with chart paper on the wall, chart paper hanging from clothes pins, etc. Additionally, what to do with all that chart paper when you switched units but knew you might want it back as an instructional chart for another unit? Of course educators also often use activities where post its may be used and posted around the room in support of a particular activity. Usually, all the learning is lost, stuffed into the back of a closet or the trash never to be seen again unless you are a rare educator who types them all up.
The Tool: Wallwisher No more forgotten parking lots. No more having to type notes from post-its placed on chart paper. No more need to have tattered instructional charts strewn around the room. Hurray for Wallwisher, a website that allows you to leave virtual ‘post it’ notes in one place on the web. As well as text you can also embed hyperlnks, pictures and video. The Wallwisher online NOTICE BOARD maker is ideal for making announcements, keeping notes, and basically anything you can do with Post its and more. Students can partake without signing in or needing an email address.
Overview: Screen capture recording enables teachers to create interactive course material that truly engages students. School administrators and staff can also use it to develop customized training on software applications, policies, and procedures. From online tutorials to software demonstrations, better communication and improved comprehension of material are at your fingertips with screencapture. Of course using a tool like Captivate at a price of about $700 for general consumers or even $240 for educators can be prohibitive. Especially, if you want to use this tool with various students on various computers having them author content.
The Tool: ScreenJelly and Screentoaster ScreenJelly and Screentoaster record your screen activity with your voice for FREE so you can spread it instantly in any format you'd like with one click of a mouse. Use it to quickly share cool apps or software tips, report a bug, or just show stuff you like. To start recording, click on the red button. No need to install or download anything! Teachers can use this to record short lessons or tutorials for their students, or better yet, let their students record the tutorials for each other. Screenjelly, which comes from the the team that created ScreenToaster, is touted as being the simplest two use and has a three-minute limit. ScreenToaster has a few more bells and whistles and no such limit.
This is just a smattering of the many free and easy to use technologies available to innovative educators. Once classrooms are set up with the basic starter kick (read COST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO PREPARE YOUR SCHOOL OR CLASSROOM FOR 21ST CENTURY LEARNING) there is very little they can't do with students for free. In addition to each educator's personal learning network friends established in places like Facebook, Twitter, and Classroom 2.0, educators can continue to find great ideas right here on blogs like The Innovative Educator and/or the blog most celebrated for free educator stuff Free Technology for Teachers.
This weekend I attended my beloved Uncle David’s funeral. He was an amazing man and I am grateful to have had him in my life. As the day’s that lead up to his death approached and his funeral and Shiva arrangements were put in place, I was confronted with the question personally and from others about what is appropriate in these circumstances when it comes to Facebook. Unfortunately, every reader of this blog has or will also be confronted with this question for themselves, and/or from their friends, family members, students. When it does, I hope these ideas are helpful.
Facebook provides members with unique ways to confront this difficult time in their lives. Here are some of the benefits I noticed during this difficult time.
We all know that many people have friends on Facebook with whom they may not have well-established friendships, but what I love about Facebook is that it provides an opportunity for me to make some fantastic and unexpected connections with people. This holds true for remembering a loved one. Posting a status update may elicit a response from friends with whom you may never have otherwise connected. These persons (thank you to Larry, Tonia, Kyle, Danika, Danita, Carolyn, Samantha, Ann, Susan) may bring unexpected comfort and camaraderie.
I am not sure if I'm alone, but I am uncomfortable sharing difficult situations in part because I’m afraid of how the other person may react. What if they dismiss what I’m saying? What if they act like they don’t care? What if they seem uncomfortable? What if I say something weird or wrong? Facebook provides a nice way to put a thought out there and kind of test the waters. Who can relate? Who wants to relate? Who might I not seem to be bothering? Who may I have a shared experience with? Who is out there, that I may not have thought of, but is really just the right person to communicate with?
If the close friend or family member of the loved one posts a comment as my cousin did, it not only helps the person grieving, but it helps their Facebook friends as well. My cousin posted the following about her father/my uncle.
During his last days:
...my dad
Upon his death:
I will miss you so so much
I was uncomfortable reaching out to my cousin during this time. I knew she was spending her days and nights juggling a job, taking care of her father and raising children. This gave me a bit of a green light to give her a virtual hug without feeling like I was a burden. It also allowed me to learn from the comments of others more about my uncle and how he impacted many of our lives similarly. I made virtual bonds and connections I never would have had. A warmth came over me and I knew exactly what she meant when I read this friend’s comment, “one of my favorites...so playful and fun, treated me like a little lady instead of a kid, brings a smile to my face when I think about him.”
Finally, for someone like me who doesn’t fancy herself as being too great at sharing these sorts of things with others, Facebook allowed me a comfortable and comforting way to do so.
My cousin did such an amazing job of sharing when delivering her eulogy yesterday. She was so strong and I was truly impressed. It was such a sad day and I was so proud of her composure in sharing her important message about her father with the congregation. My boyfriend remarked, “When you have that kind of relationship with your father, I imagine such fond memories are easy to come by and are eagerly shared.” After my Uncle’s funeral yesterday my cousin asked me, “Do you think it was bad that I posted about my Dad on Facebook?” “No! I said. “Thank you so much for doing so. It helped me and others.” When I got home that evening I went to her wall and saw this message:
is relieved today is over...and having some good cuddle time with the kids while we watch Spongebob.
I smiled and hoped I had a part in letting her know what I perceived as her “got home safely” not only was okay, but was also appreciated by those who knew of her loss. Myself and some of her online friends commented. I wrote,
Amazing daughter. Amazing mother. Amazing cuz.
While I acknowledge Facebook is by no means a replacement for other ways of communicating, it provides for some, an important way to make a difficult time less difficult. I know this is an uncomfortable topic and I thought that like me, others may have wondered about this. I hope I’ve provided some helpful thoughts on this topic that may one day be helpful for you, a friend, loved one, or student.
This post is written in memory of my wonderful Uncle David who treated me like a lady even when I was a little girl. He was one of the rare individuals who made me (and many others) feel like I had valuable opinions that should be shared, heard, and responded to, even when, by societal standards, my age, gender, birthright, relationship status/history, or title may not have warranted it.
As my Uncle liked to say, "It is what it is," though many of us wish "It wasn't."
Editor's Note: Please forgive the cheesy title. My father worked as a Director of Photography on the sitcom "Different Strokes" for a large part of my adolescence.
Facebook has a new app called Status Cloud that got my innovative educational juices flowing. It's a tool that makes a word cloud (think wordle) of your past year's status updates. It basically allows you to take a look at what's been on your mind for the past year and in essence places your Facebook brain in a word cloud. I instantly thought of so many terrific ideas to promote fun and engaging learning. Here they are.
FUN IDEAS FOR USING A FACEBOOK STATUS CLOUD FOR LEARNING
Team building ideas to help students learn and connect.
-Have students print out their status clouds and try to decide which status cloud belongs to which student. -Have students tag their cloud in Flickr using a teacher created account and in the comment box either place their status cloud narrartive or use the comment box to guess who the cloud belongs to. -Have student compare and contrast their status clouds, perhaps with a Venn diagram. They could also write a narrative explaining what they have in common and might never have in common with another class member. -Have students place their cloud as a note on FB and tag 20 of their friends asking them to share common words.
Personal Narrative -Have students write a personal narative expanding on the words found in their cloud. -Have students create a personal narrative video based on words in their cloud. -Have students create a personal narrative audio cast or voki based on their cloud. Arts and Crafts -Print the word clouds onto iron on paper and make tee shirts with students word clouds on the back. This could even be used as a fundraiser.
The Facebook status cloud is a great tool for students to get to know each other and provides a vehicle for students to reflect upon what messages they are sharing with their friends over the past year. How might they want their message to change in the new year? It also provides a fantastic way for students to get ideas for further sharing and publishing about the topic they are most expert in...themselves.
If you want to share your cloud with me, friend me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/InnovativeEdu (include a message if you haven't already) and share here.
Update! I just discovered there is a my friends link which allows you to instantly see the clouds of all your Facebook friends. These pictures could all be saved, tagged, and used for a number of cool purposes. Awesome!
---------------------------------------- How cool, this was picked up by Facebook in Education and spread to hundreds more people.
Facebook has a new app called Status Cloud that got my innovative educational juices flowing. It's a tool that makes a word cloud (think wordle) of your past year's status updates. It basically allows ...
During a recent visit to a school I was disappointed because although the school is noted as being a model technology school I was hearing from students, teachers, and leaders that the students had “handed in” a lot of great work, but none of it was being published. Instead their writing, videos, and podcasts lived mainly in obsolescence in a hard to find folder on their various teacher's computers or in obscurity, tattered on a bulletin board sadly with only some educator chicken scratch on it as its insignificant and sole form of comments and ratings.
I see schools like this all too often. Educators, parents, families are dazzled by their flashy assessment and data systems, charts showing kids progress, and fancy, static, one-dimensional bulletin boards. All this is evidence of what their kids are “capable” of achieving. Isn’t it ironic? All this data, assessment, and evidence that lives nowhere that is authentic, relevant, or important to the actual student we are trying to develop. It takes more than collecting data or creating on computers to be a 21st century school. If educators are not having students publish regularly in thoughtful, authentic, and relevant places they are NOT preparing them for today or tomorrow.
If the first decade of the 21st century was about data driven instruction and assessment, can we make the next decade about realizing potential of the student behind the data and publishing to authentic audience as part of student’s school lives?
When I tweeted, “Educators who ask students to, "Hand it in" rather than, "Publish it" are stuck in the past and not preparing 21st century students.” I received a lot of kudos and retweets, but I also received a bit of push back along the lines that it’s not realistic to expect all student work to be published. My response is this. The authentic publication of student work should be a part of EVERY SINGLE UNIT OF STUDY. If an educator can’t figure out a way to help students publish anything in a unit of study they need to either 1) Rethink the unit or 2) Rethink the assessment. While data in an expensive database may be impressive to educators, leaders, and test prep companies, it is not intrinsically meaningful for students or helping them in an authentic way. So how can teachers change practice and move from a “Hand it in” to a “Publish it” culture? Here are some ideas.
6 Ways Innovative Educators Can Move from “Hand It In” to “Publish it” Teaching
WRITING
Hand it in teaching: Write a report about [place boring topic or classic book title here] and hand it in to the teacher. If you’re lucky, we’ll place one copy of your final work on the bulletin board or in the class library.
Publish it teaching: Publish your own book or work in a group to publish a real book for a real audience, that can be purchased by anyone in the world who is interested in your topic. After you write your book I will help you promote it in appropriate places. In addition to well-known authors, student written books will also be offered for purchase in book fairs and during fund raising efforts.
Hand it in teaching: Read the book I tell you and write a book report which I will read and hand back to you with some comments. Some papers will end up in the trash and some our bulletin board.
Publish it teaching: Join our class online learning network where you will join a group based on the book you are reading. You will select a character from the book whose profile you will take on in the learning network. In the network you will create your profile page, engage in discussions and contribute blog posts as if you were the assigned character.
Hand it in teaching: Read the chapter and answer the questions at the end. Or, complete this worksheet.
Publish it teaching: Students demonstrate their knowledge of mathematical concepts by creating screencast tutorials that other students can view, rate, and comment on and discuss. Here is an example:
Technology used: Either Jing, Screentoaster, or Screenjelly
Hand it in teaching: Translate this passage in your workbook.
Publish it teaching: Have students create a Voki or use Google voice to share an oral presentation that shares something about themselves that they want other people to know in the language being studied. Set up a place where the Vokis or recordings can be published and where students can comment upon one another’s work. This enables to listen to and respond to each other’s work and even respond with another Voki recording.
This is what a Voki from a French class might look like. Don't forget to click on the comment bubble. This could be comments from the teacher or other students.
Here is what a Google Voice assignment might look like: Hello class 7-403. Please submit your oral French report to me by clicking on the Google Voice icon below and entering your phone number. Remember your report should be 1 - 3 minutes.
Hand it in teaching: Students learn to cook something. Write down the recipe and cook the meal. At the end of the class they have a cook book of meals with their notes. The teacher grades this and gives it back to the student with comments.
Publish it teaching: Students learn to cook something. They post on a blog the recipe, how to make it, nutritional facts, and for what a teenager might want to make this meal. They embed a cooking show like video of a different “Kid in the Kitchen” with each post as well as a photo of the finished product. Class members comment on the blog entry and rate and comment on the video. The blog is shared with other cooks and students around the world for feedback, rating and comments.
Hand it in teaching: Read the chapter or read the website and complete this worksheet or complete the questions at the end of the chapter.
Publish it teaching: The Entire Span of Human History Is In Your Hands! Dominate 6,000 years of history from the Ancient Age to the Information Age. Which forces will you deploy to lead your nation to global prominence? Trade, espionage, diplomacy…war? Whichever path you choose, you’ll experience the pulse pounding thrill and speed of real-time gaming combined with the epic scope and depth of turn-based strategy games – brought together for the first time ever in Rise of Nations. Rise of Nations is a historical real time strategy game. In Rise of Nations, you'll create new cities, improve city infrastructures and expand national borders. Conquer foes through military might using everything from sling-shots to cannons to stealth bombers to nuclear weapons; corner the market on key commodities and consolidate power under your rule; wheel and deal across time with history's eminent cultures.
How often do we tell our students, “The Entire Span of Human History Is In Your Hands!” How exciting is that for students to know? For those wondering why I’m considering this “Publish it teaching” it is because this is a real-time online game. Students are playing just with a computer game. The other game characters are other people…perhaps classmates, perhaps not. The students literally becoming a part of an immersive historical environment where in real time they are a part of history…interacting, chatting, strategizing. They must know the historical ages, conduct research, and be familiar with society at the time period they are in to succeed. And…this is available in multiple languages allowing students with a variety of different languages to interact together.
Unlike parents or teachers at their age, 21st century students are fortunate to have what Marco Torres refers to as "the global stage" which describes the worldwide publishing potential now offered by the Internet. Yet, for the most part students are performing on this stage completely devoid of teacher or adult influence. It is unfortunate that outside of school students operate in a world where they are interacting, publishing, and producing for thousands, yet as they enter the school building, they have to power down and produce work usually for an audience of one.
The self-proclaimed, almighty teacher.
I remember a story Alan November shared with me about a student he met who struggled with this. She felt her teacher was always wasting her time with unimportant writing assignments and reports that she cared nothing about. Her teacher never even bothered to learn what she actually did care about. The student was much more interested in the writing she was doing on FanFiction where she had discovered the world's largest archive and forum where fanfic writers and readers around the globe gather to share their passion. This student literally had thousands of fans around the world reading and responding to her stories. She had no interest and didn't care to make time to prepare work for the teacher who didn’t have interest or seem to care to take the time to learn to allow her students to express themselves in areas of passion and interest.
When school started this Fall, I was impressed with 9-year old Sarah’s two-minute recorded response to President Obama’s speech, posted to YouTube. She had 187,632 views, 1600 comments, and a 4 star rating. Talk about authentic assessment, authentic audience, and real learning.
Today there was another video I saw a little closer to home that I was extremely impressed with. It is this video which my boyfriend’s daughter created.
It has received more than 15,000 hits in a day! His 13-year old was excited to discover that her voice was heard and her message was shared with thousands of others who rated her work an impressive 4 stars and left relevant and meaningful comments. She also was excited to read the comments from other educators about the video that I posted on my Facebook wall which included:
Wow that's pretty amazing! She's got mad iMovie skillz yo! What grade is she in?
Your daughter is a great teacher for both teachers and students. Rather than taking classes, you should see if she could teach a class at her high school. All the teachers can be her students.
The immediacy of technology displayed in its best form.
Wow! Outstanding work! I've shared her work with our media club students - her work is sure to inspire our members! Thanks.
I'm impressed too! She did a great job in capturing not only the events of the day but the sentiment also. Great storyline and organization. OMG thank goodness I wasn't at the mall that day!
Barry (the video producer's dad) BBMed me saying, his daughter was smiling ear to ear and wanted to know, “What’s so good about my video?” Huh, would you look at that! A student requesting authentic assessment feedback from the educators that were impressed by her. There should be more conversations like these in schools for sure. When I asked her dad how often his daughter has these opportunities at school, he said, “as far as I know she doesn’t have such opportunities.” To answer her question here are a few things that are so good about the video. I’m sure I and others will come up with more.
-She learned how to use the software on her own. She didn’t need to take a movie making class. She just needed a subject that inspired her to learn how to make a movie. -She is exploring a topic she is passionate about and her interest shines through. -She teaches her peers through her comments how to employ movie making techniques. -She tells a clear and focused story with a message. -She employs mart and appropriate use of graphics and subtitles. -She has a great eye for capturing engaging video and photography. -She incorporates a range of important story elements from real-time tweets, to audience reaction, to appropriate background music and commentary. -She provides smart on target transitions. -She lays out a clear sequence, flow, and story line. -She is an on the street journalist with a story to tell and thousands of people who want to watch that story.
As an educator of innovative educators, I urge you to remember these students, their voices, their passions and don’t force students to power down when they come to school. Encourage and embrace their excitement, their passions, their enthusiasm, their need for socializing and authenticity. Help make school a place your students want to be, discover, grow, learn and share.
As the saying goes, if he woke up today, schools would be one of the few places that Rip Van Winkle would recognize after his 100 year slumber. Unlike business, medicine, the media, etc, most schools look very much as they did 100 years ago. Sadly, even in schools where leaders and educators want to move into the 21st Century, many don't know what this looks like. One of the best ways to provide inspiration to leaders and educators searching for innovative ideas for providing a 21st century education is to explore successful models of innovative schools. However, it is difficult to develop a vision of a 21st century school because there are few well-know publicly-available models that are captured and shared. Though they tried, Microsoft’s School of the Future became a lesson in failure and while there are islands of success at schools like Science Leadership Academy, CIS 339, and The School of One, there are few known established places that one can visit to read about innovative schools such as these.
That is, until now. Under the leadership of Bruce Lai, Chief of Staff, Office of the Chief Information Officer at New York City Department of Education eight NYC DOE schools have been identified as those providing students with an education that looks different from that of their parents and grandparents. These are schools that are making progress along the continuum of 21st century success.The Model Technology Schools Project was created to document and disseminate effective practices that are already in place within the New York City Department of Education school system. More specifically, the project aims to facilitate the transfer of knowledge from some of the City’s most innovative schools to schools that may need guidance in moving toward a 21st-century model. A data-driven school in Queens, for example, may be struggling to use Smartboards effectively, while a school in Brooklyn may have mastered Smartboard technology, but needs assistance in setting up a data system. This project is a first step toward connecting schools like these.
This project was made possible as a result of a key component of the New York City Department of Education’s Children First reforms…the empowerment of school principals. Because principals know more about the on-the-ground reality of their schools than anyone else, they have been given greater power over decisions relating to budgets, programs, and personnel. In exchange for this increased freedom in shaping their schools, principals are held to higher accountability standards.
Many principals have used their increased autonomy to develop innovative practices and programs. However, the tremendous amount of responsibility principals have on both the instructional and operational sides of their schools may limit the time they have to communicate with other principals throughout the City. As a result, best practices can easily get lost in the shuffle of day-to-day realities.
This is particularly true with regard to technology, which is a relatively new leadership arena for principals. For years, technology in the schools has been seen as an “extra.” However, it has become clear that technology is part of the foundation of a 21st-century model of teaching and learning: a blend of face-to-face and online teaching, communication, and collaboration between students, educators, school leaders, parents, and educational partners. This model may just be the next game-changer when it comes to improving student achievement—and improvement is necessary if we expect our children to thrive in the 21st-century global economy.
The eight schools chosen for this project—though they in no way comprise an exhaustive list—all reflect the standards outlined by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). These schools, which range from very small to very large, span four of the five boroughs and have diverse student bodies. They are all eligible for Title I funds and a high majority of their students receive free or reduced price lunch. The principals are exemplary leaders who ensure that technology is integrated into instruction and leveraged to differentiate learning. They have all managed to create cohesive communities in which technology is understood to be an inextricable part of the school fabric, and a foundation for their instructional visions.
The eight comprehensive case studies that follow highlight schools that have used technology to improve student achievement and operational efficiency. Although they offer only a snapshot of the exciting advances schools have made, they are designed to encourage principals to reflect on their practices and look to other schools for new ideas. When reading the case study consider if any of these schools provide inspiration for what could be implemented at your own school site. Then use the 21st century school visioning tool as a resource to structure and capture ideas that you may want to consider incorporating into your school or classroom. Results can be viewed here.
The Model Technology Program Schools Note: If you would like to connect with a specific school, please feel free to reach out to its principal:
The Goddard School -- Teaching Tech to Teachers: Professional Development as a Driver for Instructional Innovation Principal: Bill Fitzgerald WFitzge@schools.nyc.gov
MS 339, "Tech Tigers" -- It’s Free: Fostering Collaboration and Creating a Seamless Educational Experience with the Google Suite Principal: Jason Levy JLevy@schools.nyc.gov
As you read each case study you will notice a number of themes emerge from this diverse group of Model Technology Schools. They are as follows:
Student engagement through digital content It is easy for students to disengage when teachers do not require active participation, or when education is delivered in a one-size-fits-all model. Digital content makes it easier for teachers to engage “digital natives,” or students who have grown up with Internet technology. Principals have reported improvements in behavior and attendance since the integration of technology in their schools. At The Verrazano School, students who come in for breakfast go straight to the auditorium afterwards, excited to play a version of Jeopardy with Smartboard remotes. At The Goddard School, students are particularly enthusiastic about a media elective offered in the school’s fully-equipped television studio.
Motivation and accountability through public nature of work Many schools post student work online. School Web sites often feature multimedia student projects, such as podcasts, videos, and music. Students are also asked to contribute to class and school-wide blogs, and to comment on work contributed by their peers. On all grade levels, principals have found that the public nature of work motivates students to meet or exceed standards and expectations. For example, the elementary school students at P.S. 5 express excitement about seeing their writing “published” and posted on class Web sites and online educational magazines. The middle school and high school students at East-West and Brooklyn Tech regularly contribute to blogs. Although these blogs are not moderated by school leaders, students monitor themselves and meet self-imposed standards of appropriateness. They learn the responsibilities that go along with public presentation on the Web.
Focus on literacy Reading and writing are often reinforced through specialized software, such as online leveled libraries, which can assess a child’s reading level, as well as “speak” the story or specific vocabulary words. Literacy software can be used in small groups within the classroom, or in labs (I.S. 318 has a small lab dedicated to Scholastic 180). As mentioned above, blogs give students an outlet to practice their writing skills, as well as a forum to express their opinions and engage in discussion with others. Principals stress that blogs are not diaries, and emphasize their utility as instructional spaces. In addition, programs such as Google docs make it easy for students to share documents with each other and with their teachers, which facilitates peer editing.
Internet literacy Along with reading and writing skills, Internet literacy is also becoming more and more important; 21st-century schools teach students how to analyze online information for accuracy and assess the quality of sources. In the past, students relied on school library books for research. Now, they must learn how to deal with the tremendous amount of information—of varied quality—available to them on the Web. Whether or not principals require students to take a basic technology/Internet course, they agree that Internet literacy must be explicitly taught.
Data-driven instruction Computerized databases and assessment tools give teachers access to unprecedented amounts of student data. Teachers and administrators can use this data—compiled in ARIS or in other systems—to tailor instruction to different skill levels. Teachers at The Verrazano School and The Goddard School make extensive use of Smartboard remotes to incorporate quizzes into their lessons. This allows them to access real-time feedback on student comprehension, which they can use immediately to modify their lessons.
Student-centric classrooms Since computers make it easier for students to work independently, teachers can create small groups of students according to skill-level. They are then free to move around the room as facilitators, providing more or less attention as needed. At P.S. 5, for instance, a group of ELL students may be working on pronunciation with headphones plugged into their laptops, while another group may be reading independently.
Multimodal learning Not every student is a purely auditory or visual learner. Technology makes it easier to engage multiple sensory modalities so that students have a greater chance of learning in the ways most suitable for them. An effective Smartboard lesson, for example, may integrate video and audio clips, as well as interactive components that allow students to answer questions via remote or touch screen. A multisensory approach can be particularly helpful for ELLs and students learning foreign languages.
Project/problem-based learning In order to connect learning to the larger world, teachers engage students in project-, or problem-based learning. With so much information at their fingertips, as well as easily-facilitated connections for distance learning, students can act as consultants who solve real world problems. At the NYC iSchool, the curriculum is based around interdisciplinary modules that connect traditional subject knowledge with contemporary issues, making learning feel more relevant.
Collaboration The increased facility of communication makes it easier for students, teachers, parents, school leaders, and educational partners to work together to reach educational goals. Collaboration can be as simple as teachers sharing lesson plans with each other through Google Docs, or as complex as live streaming presentations and sharing student projects as part of a world-wide Internet conference (M.S. 339). East-West partners with schools in Shanghai and London, and the NYC iSchool utilizes video-conferencing to connect students to organizations, experts, and professors, both nationally and internationally.
Student empowerment One of the premises of an education at the NYC iSchool is that students take charge of their own learning, and at Brooklyn Tech, students are given access to high-level technologies that are used by professionals in the field. Technology empowers students to seek information independently rather than waiting for it to be delivered to them.
Students as tech support Students play a crucial role in the operation of their schools as members of tech-squads. Schools usually need trouble-shooting assistance that goes beyond the capacity of a tech coach, and trained students can respond to requests teachers submit, often through an online system. They usually receive service credit for their work. On an informal basis, students constantly assist their teachers with technology, which gives even elementary school-aged children the opportunity to feel like leaders.
Overcoming staff buy-in challenges Teachers at different stages of their careers may not see a need to change their practice, so it isn’t always easy to convince them that technology integration is important. Principals have dealt with these challenges in various ways. Some have found specialized professional development to be helpful in making technology less threatening, and others have integrated technology into administrative practices first in order to ease it into instruction. Principals emphasize that teachers should not be forced into technology use; they need to understand how it can help them and how it can help their students.
Contact Information
The Model Technology Schools Project is sponsored by the NYC DOE’s Division of Instructional and Information Technology (DIIT). DIIT in conjunction with the Office of Educational Technology would love to hear about innovative technology practices taking place at your school. To share your ideas or for more information on the Model Technology Schools Project, please visit our survey link here.
Acknowledgments The Model Technology Schools Project was conceived and led by Bruce Lai, Chief of Staff, Office of the Chief Information Officer / DIIT. In addition to the principals, assistant principals, and teachers who were crucial to this project, DIIT would like to thank the following individuals for their assistance: Cara Spitalewitz (Education Pioneers Summer Fellow), Catherine White, Marina Negroponte, Roya Rahmani, Anissa Moeini, Niko Cunningham, Gazelle Javantash, Hannes Klopper, and Professor Kevin Kelley (Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs), Celine Azoulay-Lewin, Lisa Nielsen, Julian Cohen, Gregg Betheil, Andrew Gallagher, Patricia Paddock, Jane Pook, Troy Fischer, Joel Rose (NYC Department of Education).
A lengthy clip, but worth a watch as Duncan, Sharpton, and Gingrich talk about every education issue on the table right now (and all under 25 minutes) -- national standards, teachers unions, Race to the Top funds, charter schools, etc..
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About this Blog
This blog is maintained by me, Lisa Nielsen, and was created to enable me to share information, ideas, and resources with other innovative educators as well as begin to grow a community interested in educating innovatively. This blog has a companion social network, wiki, and Twitter feed designed to support and reinforce its contents.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in The Innovative Educator are strictly those of the author and contributors and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of the NYC DOE, the AVP or any other entity.
