If you haven’t heard, another story of technology gone wild was recently shared in this WNYC article “Why Hoboken is Throwing Away All of its Student Laptops.” As is the case with other failed technology initiatives in places like Liverpool, and Los Angeles, the problem is not the tech, but rather the ineffective deployment and implementation strategy.
If you don’t want your school or district to end up in the headlines after purchasing technology, follow these six suggestions to make implementations more effective:
Go into any office today and you’ll notice that 1:1 does not exist. To operate effectively in today’s workplace, at the very least, a 2:1 environment, with a computer and a phone, is required. It’s likely that there are one or two other devices in use as well. This is the world for which we have to prepare today’s students.
Not only is it beneficial to support students with their success in school environments that look like real-life environments, it is also beneficial to schools.
This article originally appeared at Partners in Learning - 1:1 Hot Topics. Family involvement is important to student success in every classroom. In1:1classrooms, the traditional note home in the backpack can be replaced with new methods allowing innovative educators to access a whole new set of tools that can strengthen the home-school connection. If you’re still connecting with parents the way you always have, here are some ideas to update your practice. 1) Open Access
Make sure you provide time for parents to access computers and the internet at your school. There are plenty of computers and they’re not always in use. Be creative. Work with the school’s PTA and provide access for parents who need it.
2) Student-led parent workshops
Your students are learning some awesome new things in a1-to-1 environment. Have them share with parents via student-led workshops showcasing their work.
3) Livestream
Invite parents into your child’s classroom via livestreaming using services like Google Hangout, UStream, and Livestream. Maybe a parent can help with a lesson or just watch some student presentations. Maybe you have parent volunteers work as tutors at certain times via livestream and set up a virtual tutoring station.
4) Facebook
Start a Facebook group or page to give parents a window into their child’s classroom. Have students do the updates. Not only is this a great way for parents to stay in the loop about what is going on, it also gives students a chance to publish for a real audience. See how Ms. Schoening did this with her first-grade class here.
5) Twitter
Give parents a live ticker into what is happening in class via Twitter which can be embedded in any online space like a website, blog, or wiki or delivered right to their phone using Twitter Fast Follow.
See how educators are using Twitter Fast Follow to stay connected with families here.
These are just some ideas for getting parents involved in their child’s education. Which of these ideas would you consider trying? Do you have some ideas that are not listed here? If so, please share.
This article originally appeared at Partners in Learning - 1:1 Hot Topics. So, you’re interested in supporting bring your own device (BYOD) where you work Congratulations! You are not alone, but you will need support. There is no better way to support your students for real-world learning than providing settings they encounter in the real world. One of the best ways to get started and keep going is by developing your professional learning network of others who are also involved in this work.
Here are some resources to do just that.
Learning Community
Join a vibrant connected educators learning community for those interested in discovering what it means when we empower students to BYOD that meets all year long in a variety of platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Google). Those interested, can even earn 18 contact hours. Find out more here.
Twitter
Chat #BYOTchat Online Twitter chat every Thursday from 9:00-10:00 PM (EST)
Popular hashtags #BYOD #BYOT #BYOTchat
People BYODList A list of educators who discuss BYOD / BYOT
Facebook
BYOD / BYOT K-12 Page
A place to celebrate your BYOD / BYOT success with the public.
LinkedIn
K-12 BYOD
A forum for EDU professionals to share their experience with safely and easily on-boarding student and teacher devices to school networks. This group is managed and moderated by Bradford Networks, a leading security software company that provides educational institutions with a foundation for enabling secure bring-your-own-device (BYOD) initiatives.
ScoopIt!
BYOD or BYOT @ School Resources & links relating to 'Bring Your Own Device/Technology' policies in schools
Pinterest
BYOD on Pinterest Collection of resources and links from the New Tech Network which works to develop innovative public high schools that promote deeper learning, project-based learning and 1:1 technology
Blog
The BYOT Network Through networking with technology tools we experience new ideas, form communities, and collaborate to design solutions to problems. This blog addresses issues related to learning in a connected network that is facilitated by the tools of our digital culture – our personal technology devices. Author Tim Clark offers advice and support to professionals interested in learning more about how to help students use their own technology to support their learning.
Mobile Devices for Learning: What You Need to Know
Getting kids engaged with learning, focused on working smarter, and ready for the future. This guide can help you better understand how mobile gadgets -- cell phones, tablets, and smartphones -- can engage students and change their learning environment.
Book
Teaching Generation Text From policy to parent permission, from discipline to classroom management this book provides a wealth of useful resources including lesson plans and research-based teaching strategies.
These are just some places you can go to get connected to other BYOD educators. Which of these places do you think you may visit to get connected? Do you have some other places, not listed here?
It’s no secret that successful 1:1 learning goes beyond simply getting devices into the hands of students and teachers. Many schools have had 1:1 programs long enough that challenges have been identified. However, valuable solutions exist that can be put into place to help ensure such challenges don't get in the way of a successful 1:1 learning implementation.
Here are five ideas essential to 1:1 learning success
1) Student, not device, driven
Start with students and learning, Put them front and center. Then determine what devices and resources will best meet the need. By doing this we alleviate challenges that teachers may encounter later on around not having the proper tools for learning goals. For example, a math teacher may find it important to have a tablet and Geometer's Sketchpad for her class, while an English teacher who supports students in creating videos and PSAs might want a device and software that have heavy movie-making functionality.
2) Plan with (not for) educators
Teachers are an essential part of the deployment and implementation of 1:1 laptop programs. They should be part of the conversation from the start. Rather than having a one-to-one environment imposed upon them, have teachers apply for your technology budget dollars, share their plan, align it to goals and/or standards, and explain how they will measure success. When you do this you are empowering teachers to design instruction and use the tools and resources they feel will best meet the needs of their students.
3) Provide clear measurements and support for success
Often when technology is deployed in schools, success is measured simply by seeing that the devices are used. In some cases, the devices do not even enrich teaching and learning. Use an existing framework for optimal technology use, such as Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge (TPACK), The Tech Integration Matrix, or come up with your own.
4) Focus on teachers who want to soar
Provide devices for all teachers, but don’t force a teacher to use technology with their students. They’ll resent it. Instead, start with the teachers who are enthusiastic about using technology, provide them with opportunities to conduct and attend professional development, and give them a platform and opportunities to celebrate and shine.
5) See students as partners
Teachers often fear using technology because their students know more about its use than they do. That is a feature, not a bug! Educators are masters of pedagogy and we need to accept and embrace that we have students who are experts in using technology. Have an expert chart in your room indicating which students are expert in using various apps, software, and technology. Bring them into the conversation about ways students can meet learning goals in life, at school, and at home. Learning is always improved when students see that teachers respect their knowledge.
What has your experience been? Have you had to confront such challenges? Would these ideas be useful in your place of work? Do you have additional ideas for addressing challenges?
Chatting with friends, playing games, cheating, cruising YouTube. These are just some of the behaviors educators fear will become a reality in technology-rich classrooms...unless they incorporate updated classroom management practices. Innovative educators use techniques that keep students’ attention despite the irresistible draw of the Internet. Simple practices transform their devices into tools of engagement rather than distraction.
Here are five management tips that make for a successful technology-rich classroom.
1) Let students know what happens when technology is not in use
Teachers should have a procedure for technology when not in use. This should require just a few words and be very clear. For example if using laptops it may be saying something like, “Pacman,” meaning laptops should be partially closed like a Pacman mouth. If using tablet devices it may be something like “facedown” meaning devices should be placed facedown on desks.
As more and more schools hop on the 1:1 or BYOD bandwagon in one way or another it is important to deeply consider proper implementation. While there is the promise for engaged and inspired learning, these large-scale implementations also present potential pitfalls for school districts that must watch the bottom line, provide adequate support for teachers new to the technology, and engage families in a dialogue about these powerful pieces of equipment that are going to be coming home in Johnny’s backpack each night.
There is no shortage of advice for effective use of technology in the classroom, but for the first time, Common Sense Media, a national non-profit that provides curriculum support for schools around safe technology use by kids, has created a soup-to-nuts planning program that includes resources for all phases of a 1:1 implementation. And since they’re experts in Digital Citizenship there are plenty of resources in the program geared towards on-boarding students for safe and responsible use of their new devices.
You can check out an overview of the program in this video.
Common Sense Media partnered with expert 1:1 educators to develop the program, which highlights best practices and lessons-learned and provides turnkey tools for schools to leverage. To follow are some of their key findings.
I recently shared why Anthony Salcito said he didn’t support 1:1 tech. Some people didn’t read past the headline and responded with reactions like this:
@anthonysalcito As a principal in a 1:1 school, I am concerned about the message you are sending. Would love to talk more. — catherine poling (@catherinepoling) December 2, 2012
@catherinepoling I am absolutely in favor of 1:1. All I said is we need to focus on the RIGHT 1 in 1:1.Students and learning not device. — Anthony Salcito (@AnthonySalcito) December 3, 2012
Those who read before they reacted were encouraged that Mr. Salcito was saying what many of us have been thinking. Students, not devices, should lead our 1:1 purchasing decisions. The unfortunate reality is that in MANY cases purchasing decisions are NOT made by the innovative educators who know tech purchases should be driven by learning goals, not the latest gadget the IT department or an administrator removed from the classroom.
You might be surprised that when Anthony Salcito, VP of education
for Microsoft speaks with educators around the world and asks them who’s doing
a 1:1 laptop program or 1:1 tablet program or 1:1 interactive whiteboard
program, he tells those with their hands up :
“Stop doing that.”
He explains that he’s seen whole initiatives centered around
various devices to the point that many other useful tools and pedagogy are
thrown out the window so the device-driven initiative can be supported. When we do that, we’re focusing on the wrong
thing.
Interview with PS005X and Teaching Matters on the One Laptop Per Child project and low-cost wireless initiative.
The key to preparing students for success in the 21st century is to provide them with equity and access to the tools they need both at school and away from school. Programs such as this are a great step toward doing so. Helping to bridge the digital divide is a responsibility of all educators. Principals like the NYC DOE’s Mary Padilla are exactly the kind of leaders we need in schools to make this a reality.
As most Innovative Educators will agree, the key to having a successful 21st Century classroom is equity and access to some key technology tools like a laptop and digital video camera. Unfortunately, cost has been a huge factor, until now. Many are familiar with Nicholas Negroponte, MIT’s visionary behind the $100 laptop. The dream has finally come to fruition as not only has Negroponte’s XO laptops been released, but he has also inspired the development of an entire class of low cost laptops ranging from $200 - $500. I will be personally testing out some of these new devices and watching how well they work in the classroom.
Here are three suggestions for Innovative Educators interested in finding out more about these devices.
1) Read New York Times Technology writer David Pogue’s review or watch the video.
2) Read about a class that is using the XO laptops in the classroom to enhance writing in the OLPC Blog from Teaching Matters, a New York City-based educational technology professional development organization.
3) Go straight to the websites of three of the leading providers of low-cost laptops.
With the advent of these low-cost learning tools, teaching in a one-to-one environment will become more and more prevalent. I look forward to learning along side other innovative educators the terrific ways teaching and learning are enhanced with low-cost computing and hope that some readers of The Innovative Educator will share their experiences.
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Post Thoughts (What I've thought or found after publishing the post)
4/21/2008: Looks like HP has also entered the game. See http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080408/ap_on_hi_te/hewlett_packard_small_laptops.
5/16/2008: Rumor has it OLPC may be releasing a windows version. Here's the photo from Tech Crunch. Click on the picture for the full story...and more interestingly, comments.
5/19/2008 - From the New York Times: Microsoft Joins Effort for Laptops for Children
After a years-long dispute, Microsoft and the computing and education project One Laptop Per Child said Thursday that they had reached an agreement to offer Windows on the organization’s computers.
Microsoft long resisted joining the ambitious project because its laptops used the Linux operating system, a freely distributed alternative to Windows.
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