Student access to computers
March 19th 2007 10:03
Signature Tune
"Students who have access to computers at home and at school have shown an increase in writing skills, a better understanding of math, greater problem solving and critical thinking skills, ability to teach others, greater self confidence and self esteem, and more confidence with computer skills (Coley, 1997; Rockman & Sloan, 1995). To reserve the use of the laptop to the school setting is to waste more than half of its potential use by students".
This was the end of the article, so here it is in its full context, from
Cadre 21 Creating classrooms that Rip Van Winkle wouldn't recognize. The 21st Century Literacies Cadre blog at Korea International School.
The most cost-effective method of technical support is a three-tiered approach in which problems are taken care of at the lowest level possible. In this way, support costs are kept down and laptops are returned to service more quickly than if every problem is sent off to a specialist for repair.
The first tier is the end-user. Both students and teachers should receive a short training in trouble-shooting and problem-solving frequently encountered glitches. Students, teachers, and parents must be provided with training that includes basic operation, troubleshooting, and proper care of the laptop.
Some schools have also implemented effective student help programs. Students who have an interest and aptitude for problem-solving are given the opportunity for extra training and responsibilities in a laptop program. Noted one middle school tech assistant, "I've learned something new every day that can help me have a good career. I've gained confidence from having the responsibility for all the equipment, and having students and teachers count on me. It's a good feeling to help teachers with computers, and to get noticed in a large school." With effective teacher and student training, many technical difficulties can be averted or solved, thereby freeing the second tier to concentrate on more difficult issues.
Assess 21st century skills (FL sec.9) Annotated
* The assessment slice of 1:1 transition.
- post by cburell
9) Assess 21st century skills
"The infusion of technology in schools has opened the door for opportunities...to provide student assessment that will measure their abilities for connecting knowledge learned with real-world applications." (Moore, 2003, p. 22)
* Real-world assessment through real-world skills (who takes multiple choice or essay tests in the real world workplace?).
- post by cburell
Incorporation of multimedia elements and simulations in innovative items can elevate traditional tests to measure higher-level thinking. Technology also makes it much easier to create and administer alternative assessments (i.e., authentic tasks such as performance or portfolio assessment).
The portable laptop computer allows us to turn the corner in assessment practices. Instead of having students stop their school work to go to the computer lab to complete drill and practice exercises, the computer now comes to them to be used as an essential tool in completing their tasks. Authentic assessments can be made of student productions using real world tools to solve real world problems. Electronic portfolios can be created incorporating many types of electronic media. Technology-infused performance assessments often results in positive externalities. For example, a performance task might require a student to create a multimedia module to teach a science concept. One of the outcomes of this assessment might be a class presentation. Thus, not only has the student producing the product learned the concept through creating the module, but also other students in the class have learned through the presentation of their assessment outcomes.
* Multimedia as an alternative to traditional "quiz and test" assessment. Student projects reflect their end-of-unit learning, and their technical and presentation skills--and become part of their "digital portfolio" for college applications.
Teacher formative assessment--monitoring student understanding throughout the unit, before the end-of-unit assessment--also changes in a project-based classroom "workshop." Teacher views the progress of student projects throughout the unit, and corrects and gives feedback regularly in the classroom.
- post by cburell
ortable laptop computers can greatly enhance a teacher's ability to make authentic assessments part of day-to-day instruction. As students are engaged in authentic, creative tasks, the teacher can provide continuous, individual feedback. Thus the assessment can become more meaningful, as students can be involved in evaluating their performance and setting learning goals (Brookhart, 2003).
* More on formative assessment in the 1:1, project-based, active learning classroom.
- post by cburell
Guiding principle: In addition to the testing of basic skills, students should be given the opportunity to demonstrate 21st century skills through the use of technology-infused, authentic assessments. As- sessment should become more integrated with instruction.
* Summary.
- post by cburell
Provide adequate technical support (FL sec.8) Annotated
8) Provide adequate technical support
"Each student using a laptop for real time classroom instruction and taking it home to continue school work requires a substantial increase in the amount of technical support required and also the times when it must be provided. Technical support is one of the more expensive elements of providing technology in K-12 education." (Florida Senate Interim Project Report)
* We can try to negotiate on-site support from the laptop seller we select. Hong Kong got that deal. It's not impossible.
- post by cburell
* This would cut costs, and reduce pressure on our IT Manager.
- post by cburell
In the worst of cases, an inadequate response to equipment failure or virus attacks can begin a downward spiral in which the laptops are used less frequently. This leads to less interest in and respect for the equipment resulting in the need for additional repairs.
* Apples don't have the virus problems that PCs have. This is a fact. And this is crucial for stable instruction in the classroom.
- post by cburell
Technical support personnel can then develop a siege mentality, locking down the machines in ways that make them less useful as an educational tool and restricting student access to the laptops by not allowing students to take them home.
* Tech personnel have a learning curve too, just like teachers, students, and administrators. The goal is to distinguish the school by offering the best learning environment for students. All choices should center on that goal.
- post by cburell
In the best of cases, technical support is considered an integral part of the overall program beginning with the initial planning. Students and teachers are taught how to care for and respect the machines. A sense of ownership is encouraged and students and teachers alike are expected to problem-solve minor difficulties they encounter to the best of their ability. Many schools have found success in programs that identify certain students as tech assistants. The tech assistants receive additional training and are able to free up school personnel to concentrate on more serious technical problems. Such programs can provide opportunities for success to students, who may not have fared well in a traditional classroom environment. They also help to create a culture of respect for technology tools, thereby reducing mistreatment of equipment and the need for repairs.
* This is a great idea: train selected students to be the classroom "tech support" troubleshooters for small problems. That's real-world.
- post by cburell
Each school should also have a site-based tech support person to handle more difficult problems and there should be a plan in place for laptops that need extensive repairs to be sent to a central district location or otherwise outsourced for repair. A loaner laptop should immediately be made available to the student or teacher. The policy at some schools is that no student or teacher should be without a laptop for longer than one hour.
* See first note for this site.
- post by cburell
Guiding principle: Tech support procedures and planning must be adequate to prevent disruptions in laptop availability. Support should be handled at the lowest level practical.
* The end-user (teacher or student) should be taught to exercise problem-solving skills in handling routine maintenance.
* A school-based support staff should be able to handle the majority of technical issues.
* District support or other outsourcing should be available to handle major repairs.
* Summary.
- post by cburell
Provide the appropriate tools to all students and teachers Annotated
* This is key. Notice the MacBooks in these pictures from Florida, as well as the Australian website.
I'm not "on Apple's side." I've compared the tools on PCs and Apples, have used both and learned them, and thus simply know from experience which tool is the better solution for student learning.
When this situation changes, when there are non-Apple products that offer seamless multimedia production software, I will "switch sides" to the new best tools. But right now, those tools aren't there.
- post by cburell
7) Provide the appropriate tools to all students and teachers
* High priority: choosing the right tool. We don't want to buy hammers when what we need is to drill. We have to educate ourselves on this, if 1:1 is going to succeed. We have to "know what we don't know," and put our preconceptions aside.
- post by cburell
Our guiding principle for teaching methods requires that teachers "create instructional environments where students use higher order cognitive skills to construct meaning or knowledge, engage in disciplined inquiry, and work on products that have value beyond school." The choice of hardware and software must support this goal of reforming teaching and learning practice.
* The choice of hardware and software must support this goal of reforming teaching and learning practice.
- post by cburell
First, the laptop computer itself must be capable of the production demands of real world projects. It should be sufficiently powered to allow for video and audio editing as well as multimedia production. It must also have necessary ports (USB, FireWire, etc.) to connect to other digital devices such as video cameras or scanners. The screen resolution should be sufficient for productive tasks. The laptop should also be lightweight so that it can easily be transported around the school or to the students' homes and it should have adequate battery life.
* Hardware requirements: the laptop itself. Essential for the classroom, the teachers, the students:
o FireWire port
o lightweight
o small and portable
o adequate battery life
o processor power for audio-video editing
- post by cburell
Secondly, the installed software should be adequate to the task of content creation. A full range of software should be available that enables the student to do word processing, concept mapping, spreadsheets, audio, photo, and video editing, multimedia authoring, Web browsing, and communication. As much as possible, software should be chosen to allow maximum integration among the separate programs.
* Software requirements--essential:
o word processing, spreadsheets (OpenOffice is a free alternative to MS Office)
o concept mapping (there are now free web-based alternatives to allow this)
o audio, video, photo, multimedia--maximum integration among the separate programs (and I would add, ease of use)--iLife's GarageBand (audio), iMovie (video), iPhoto (photos) are seamlessly integrated, and cheaper (or bundled free) than PC software (Adobe, etc)
- post by cburell
Third, the student should have access to the laptop whenever it is needed. Students who have access to computers at home and at school have shown an increase in writing skills, a better understanding of math, greater problem solving and critical thinking skills, ability to teach others, greater self confidence and self esteem, and more confidence with computer skills (Coley, 1997; Rockman & Sloan, 1995). To reserve the use of the laptop to the school setting is to waste more than half of its potential use by students.
* Show to parents.
- post by cburell
Provide rich multimedia resources (FL sec.6) Annotated
Provide rich multimedia resources
* This is key--and where MacBooks and iLife are the best solution for student multimedia authoring.
- post by cburell
Multimedia is typically defined as an electronic document that can include text, sound, graphics, animation, video, and interaction. National standards require students to exhibit substantial multimedia literacy skills by grade eight. Even elementary students are expected to author in multimedia. For example the ISTE National Technology Standards expect students completing second grade to "create developmentally appropriate multimedia products with support from teachers, family members, or student partners." Students completing fifth grade are expected to "use technology tools (e.g., multimedia authoring, presentation, web tools, digital cameras, scanners) for individual and collaborative writing, communication, and publishing activities to create knowledge products for audiences inside and outside the classroom." These national standards may seem high, but they reflect the important educational outcomes that multimedia authoring produces.
* Note that multimedia authoring is already recognized by the ISTE (as well as the National Council of Teachers of English) as a central, not peripheral, 21st century literacy skill.
This is one of the hardest things to teach parents and administrators: this is a new language art, and it is eclipsing traditional word-processed "essay writing" as a key 21st century form of communication. To deny students the training and practice to communicate in this new medium is to handicap them in their adult future.
Short version: multimedia is not "bells and whistles;" it's not "flashy fluff." It is, instead, an incredibly forceful new mode of literacy with far more impact on real audiences than the printed word.
This is not to say that pure text is not important. It is to say that now, there are new possibilities in writing that trascend printed text. Those new possibilites will grow in primacy in the future.
- post by cburell
As any educator quickly discovers, the surest way to learn something yourself is to teach it to others. Students, who produce multimedia projects designed to teach something to others, have worked through the content at a much higher level and will retain much more than those who have been simply taught the content. The higher level of understanding and retention is a result of having interacted with the same content from four different perspectives:
* as researchers, students must locate and select the information and resources necessary to understand the concept
* as authors, students must consider the intended audience and decide what type and amount of information is necessary to teach the concept to their intended audience
* as designers, students must select the most appropriate media to share their content and decide how to structure their material to communicate it effectively
* as producers, students must think carefully about how they can use the media's capabilities and features to represent their content and then they must interact extensively with the material as they build the final product
Additional benefits flow from such project based learning. Not only have students mastered the content, they have also practiced 21st century skills such as communication, self-direction, and problem-solving. Many students are also highly motivated because they are creating something for a wider audience than the audience-of-one-teacher a traditional term paper is written for.
To create effective multimedia projects, students and teachers will need access to a rich storehouse of information and multimedia elements. The Internet can provide much of what is needed. State agencies and other institutions can also contribute by building repositories of copyright-free artifacts and other learning objects that can be freely used by students and teachers alike.
Guiding principle: Students and teachers must have access to rich multimedia resources to:
* extend their world and life experiences
* engage their senses
* incorporate into their own multimedia projects
* provide building blocks of instruction
* Grade 9 history is trying this for the first time with "digital essays" for historical research projects.
The project is so far limited because of the lack of convenient software on school computers to produce these projects quickly, easily, and efficiently.
- post by cburell
Provide effective professional development (FL sec.4) Annotated
4) Provide effective professional development
Guiding principle: Successful professional development:
* must be held on a continuous basis
* provides mentors, coaches, or peer teammates to model appropriate integration strategies in actual classrooms
* gives teachers feedback on their own performance
* holds teachers accountable for implementing instructional strategies and student learning
* The voluntary 21st Century Literacies cadre, plus my own half-time role next year as Technology Integration Liaison, will enable teachers the peer support to change their instructional practices.
We should consider PD days or weeks with external consultants--Will Richardson, Ian Jukes, David Warlick, others--as well.
- post by cburell
Reform teaching methods (FL sec.3) Annotated
3) Reform teaching methods
Talking at kids never has been and never will be an effective way to help them learn." (Reeder, from Salpeter, 2003)
The most difficult hurdle to overcome in the pursuit of these new educational goals will be to change the way we teach. Change will not come easily. There are approximately 285,700 public school teachers in Florida, many of whom teach as they were taught a generation ago by educators who emulated their own teachers: the "sage on a stage." When teachers comfortable with this "broadcast" method of teaching first encounter technology, they are likely to envision students learning from the technology in the same way that they expect students to learn from their teachers.
For years, however, educators have realized that relying solely on the "sage on a stage" or "broadcast" method of teaching was not ideal. This is especially true now that the millennial generation of students has arrived in our schools.
Today's students expect their school assignments to be relevant, challenging, and related to the real world. They value problem solving, communication, and the chance to collaborate as adults do in real world occupations.
Yesterday's methodologies will not work with today's students.
Learning from Technology
Learning with Technology
teacher centeredstudent centered
provide/deliver instructionproduce learning
transfer knowledge from faculty to studentselicit students' discovery and construction of knowledge
single sense stimulationmulti-sensory stimulation
single-path progressionmulti-path progression
single mediamultimedia
isolated workcollaborative work
information deliveryinformation exchange
passive learningactive learning
factual, knowledge-basedcritical thinking and decision-making
reactive responseproactive-planned action
isolated, artificial contextauthentic, real world context
A comparison of approaches to utilizing technology in education
* This table might not format correctly with Diigo, so be sure to follow the link to the website. Very clear, essential comparison of the right and wrong approach to teaching with technology.
- post by cburell
Portable, wireless, connected laptops give us an unprecedented opportunity to reform teaching practices. Laptops provide the means for students to become active learners with their computers, not passive receivers of knowledge. With laptop computers, students can research and explore areas of interest, construct meaning or knowledge, collaborate with others across the room or across the globe, and work on significant projects that have value beyond school.
* KIS is exploring active learning, constructed meaning, world collaboration, and authentic projects with the read-write web. We're already viewing our project-based learning products as samples of our skills and abilities for digital portfolios for college applications and so forth.
- post by cburell
The desktop computer labs at the end of the hall are not as conducive to reforming teaching practice. In fact, many labs are used solely to deliver instruction to students who are expected to learn from the technology. Learning from technology is akin to the old "sage on a stage" notion of teaching. The technology is used solely to deliver or broadcast information to students.
* This is the limitation we currently face at our school. Computer labs and laptops are set-up as "direct instruction centers," not "student construction and production centers."
The software to enable students to create products to publish to the web, products that reflect their knowledge, critical thinking, and technical skills, is simply not on the computers. This is key. Computers must have production software and hardware to allow students to create real-world multimedia products of real value.
- post by cburell
Learning with technology, on the other hand, empowers students with the tools to take responsibility for their own learning. Whether they are researching information on the Internet to solve a problem, communicating with experts, or sharing their work in a presentation or on the web, it is raising the bar for all students to create their own learning. The FCAT measures more than just remembered facts. It requires a higher level of thinking and problem solving that is best accomplished with an emphasis on project-based learning with technology.
"We must educate all teachers and students to use the computer as a productivity tool as well as a tool for learning, research, networking, collaboration, telecommunications, and problem solving. Always using drill-and-practice software does not allow students to participate in meaningful and engaging learning environments." (Swain & Pearson, 2001)
"It's a waste to use these powerful new technologies simply to reinforce our traditional mindsets about learning and our traditional teacher-learner relationships.
"What's the definition of insanity? It's doing the same thing you always did, but expecting, wanting, or needing completely different results. If we continue to use new technologies to reinforce what we've always done, we'll continue to get the same results we've always gotten."
Ian Jukes
"Many schools have simply applied technology on top of traditional teaching practices rather than reinventing themselves around the possibilities technology allows. The result is marginal--if any--improvement.
"Dream how technology can not only improve education but also transform what we think of as education."
Rod Paige,
United States Secretary of Education
Guiding principle: Teachers must create instructional environments in which students use higher- order cognitive skills to construct meaning or knowledge, engage in disciplined inquiry, and work on products that have value beyond school.
Teach 21st century skills (FL sec.2) Annotated
Schools that do not infuse 21st century skills into the traditional curriculum are not meeting these children's expectations and needs. Generally, these 21st century skills are identified as information and communication skills, thinking and problem-solving skills, and interpersonal and self-directional skills.
While it might be argued that these skills are often included at a basic level in today's curriculum, the skill level necessary for success in the 21st century workforce far exceeds the basic. Content must be taught in a 21st century context with the use of relevant and real world examples, applications, and settings to frame academic content for students, enabling them to see the connections between their studies and the world in which they live. (Partnership for 21st Century Mile Guide) Additionally, students must be given the tools they need to simulate an authentic work environment in order to achieve these skills at a higher level than is currently expected of them as students.
* This is where "Flat World" projects with other global classrooms is key, making real products to reflect learning instead of traditional "homework" worksheets and exercises.
This is also where video-conferencing with students from global classrooms around the world--to discuss "flat world" projects, coordinate and plan projects, and collaborate in other ways--is also essential. Globalized classrooms need videoconferencing and teleconferencing (via simple web2.0 tools) to bring classrooms and students on line with the globalized world economy.
What an advantage for our students: to have academic experience with globalization before ever hitting college.
- post by cburell
These 21st century skills do not make up an additional course, but rather they must be integrated within the traditional curriculum to be authentic.
* This is where admin seems to need clarification: the model is not "the computer applications class," but the core content area classrooms. Integration of 21st century tools in the Language Arts, Social Studies, Maths and Sciences is the goal.
- post by cburell
Bridge the Digital Divide (FL sec. 1) Annotated
The disparity in available computer hardware between the "haves" and the "have-nots" is striking. Providing every student with a laptop that can be taken home will have a tremendous impact upon those who are shut out from the world of technology, but only if we implement it fairly. Maisie MacAdoo has summarized the importance of equity extending beyond boxes and wires. "The issue of equity now centers not on quality of equipment but on the quality of use. The computers are there, yes, but what is the real extent of access? What kind of software is available? How much computer training are teachers getting? And are schools able to raise not just students' level of tech-nical proficiency, but also their level of inquiry, as advanced use of technology demands?"
Guiding principle: All students must have access to appropriate tools and to challenging curriculum in order to bridge the digital divide by moving beyond basics and towards 21st century skills.
* Parents need to see this. Many of my students are blogging about how their parents are chastising them for spending so much time at home on the computer--because parents don't know that computers are now central to school work.
I suspect that our students, though economically privileged, might be closer to the black and hispanic populations in the States in terms of computer access and ownership at home.
Again--parents need to hear this.
- post by cburell
Laptops for Learning Introduction Annotated
* Florida's plan for 1:1
- post by cburell
���We need to be forward looking in order to adapt our educational system to the evolving needs of the economy and the realities of our changing society. Those efforts will require the collaboration of policymakers, education experts, and���im portantly��A 533;our citizens. It is an effort that should not be postponed.�� 5533; (Alan Greenspan, chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, February 20, 2004)
* Good authority to quote to parents: Alan Greenspan.
- post by cburell
As Mr. Greenspan points out, the challenge to educate a workforce prepared to meet the increasing skill requirements of the 21st century is complex and requires the collaboration of many segments of society. It also is a challenge that cannot be postponed. Fortunately, there is a clear path to provide the needed 21st century skills and technological literacy to Florida students. Mobile, wireless computing, for the first time, makes it practical to empower all students with the cognitive tools they will need to compete in the new world economy. The dated textbooks of a past century can no longer guarantee student success in school or in life. We must prepare our students to become lifelong learners in a world of increasingly fast-paced change.
* Florida understands that 20th Century textbooks are obsolete in this century. Think of the money to be saved.
Korea understands this too. Online textbooks are coming soon to Korea.
- post by cburell
From hundreds of classrooms participating in such projects we hear consistently positive reports. We also hear of many lessons learned. Projects have regularly underestimated the need for quality professional development. The least successful projects have simply dropped hardware into classrooms.
* Essential: buying computers without training teachers is a recipe for failure.
- post by cburell
Extremely successful pilot programs have already been implemented in Florida. For example, a current program in Manatee County involves 22 classrooms ranging from elementary through high school. After just one year of implementation, dramatic results have been observed. Teachers are teaching differently and students are markedly more engaged in their work. Student work has improved in quality, classroom space has been maximized, and absences have declined nearly 40% among students with laptops.
* Success in the first year at Manatee County, FL.
- post by cburell
hardware alone cannot bring about change in our schools. Experience has taught us that a holistic approach is always required for success in any technology rollout. All members of the Task Force are well aware that a successful implementation must address many concerns: the needs of teachers, students, administrators and parents; curriculum integration and teaching styles; infrastructure; support; economics; and sustainability.
* Essential: holistic approach to implementation:
o teachers
o students
o administrators
o parents
o curriculum
o teaching
o infrastructure
o support
o economics
o sustainability
This is the framework Ann is asking for. Australia might be a partner to help.
- post by cburell
access to the same level of technology common in the business world is essential for student achievement.
We can no longer even imagine a world of work where executives, engineers, secretaries, and salespeople all wait at their desks for a once-a-week opportunity to use a computer lab at the end of the hall. The days of students waiting for their turn with technology tools must likewise end. The tools for learning must be available where students work, not in a special room at the end of the hall.
Technology alone is not the answer to the challenges facing education in the 21st century. But with technology, our schools and teachers can leverage resources, individualize instruction, and open the door to lifelong learning opportunities for all of Florida��ᦙ 3;s students.
The question is not ���Can we afford to equip our children for life and learning in the 21st century?��� The question is ���How can we afford not to do so?���
* A good quote for parents (along with Alan Greenspan's quote above).
- post by cburell
Around the Corner v2 - MGuhlin.net - 1:1 Laptop Initiative Annotated
Scenario: Your district has decided to launch a 1:1 laptop initiative
for students, phasing it in at the middle and high school level. How
would you respond?
Here is one response...but I'm not sure it encompasses all the issues.
Can you help me?
1) As a school district, I would love to see a one-to-one laptop
initiative. The question I would have isn't about the cost of the
technology, but the teaching and learning environment that technology
would go into. Just because you add technology doesn't mean everything
is going to change...in fact, it probably won't and result in
entrenchment of anti-technology perspective ("See? We had the tech and
nothing happened.").
2) The change in district perspective is what important and that that
perspective is communicated and adopted by parents, teachers,
administrators. That perspective has to be that we're going to learn
differently and everyone is a part of that learning process. Teaching
differently will come over time as we learn more.
So, with those two points in mind, I'd probably prefer this for a 1:1
laptop initiative:
First Step: Implement a 1:1 teacher and administrator laptop initiative,
then change the way everything is accessed and how the "system" works.
Go electronic on everything as much as possible.
Second Step: Evaluate teachers on the use of technology in their
lessons, involving the Levels of Technology Implementation (LOTI)
training, survey and observational assessments.
Third Step: Begin a 1:1 laptop initiative with students only when
teachers are at LOTI level 4a and everyone understands what is going on.
Without a comprehensive plan each step of the way that purposefully
changes how teachers/admin approach their own learning, much less that
of students, the initiative is doomed to failure.
One other thing--the power of disruptive communication technologies
(blogs, wikis, podcasts) must be interwoven into the learning
environment, or children will use that technology to bypass district
filters, "electronically" pass notes, etc. With that modelling in place,
teachers and students learn how to use the technology appropriately, not
just for word processing, desktop publishing, etc.
* Miguel argues: admin and teachers have to make the shift first, before expecting 1:1 to work with students in classrooms. I agree.
1:1 laptops for admin and teachers first, then students.
Evaluate teachers using the LOTI scale.
When teachers are at LOTI level 4a, give their students laptops.
Ensure that podcasts, multimedia projects, blogging and wikis are the new learning activities--I would add: First, make sure teachers are clear on sound pedagogical use of the above.
- post by cburell
The LoTi Connection - About LoTi Annotated
* A good framework for evaluating teacher readiness for 1:1 classrooms.
- post by cburell
LoTi is a term referring to Dr. Moersch's Level of Technology Implementation Framework designed to accurately measure authentic classroom technology use. The LoTi Framework focuses on the use of technology as a tool within the context of student based instruction with a constant emphasis on higher order thinking. While technology is an important tool in engaging today's students and preparing them for the future, the LoTi Project recognizes that technology is not the best tool for every lesson. That is why the the LoTi Framework focuses on the instruction that is occurring in the classroom first and the technology tools being used second. Research has shown that classrooms that engage students in making decisions about their learning process and that utilize higher order thinking skills are most likely to prepare students for their future.
The LoTi Framework has, at each level, a description of the instruction that is occurring as well as the involvement of the students. That is why the LoTi assessment considers two critical areas.
* Current Instructional Practices (CIP)
This area focuses on what methods the teacher uses to deliver instruction. How involved are the students in the classroom decision-making process? Do students help determine the problem being studied or have input in the final product that is produced?
* Personal Computer Use (PCU)
How comfortable are the teachers in using the technology tools involved in integration?
Once the LoTi assessment underwent a validation study in 2005, it was determined that the questionnaire went beyond these two areas and gave administrators a clearer picture of the professional development that was needed in the five key areas represented by the DETAILS for the 21st Century Skillsets.
Over the last seven years, LoTi has grown to become an internationally recognized symbol and catalyst for systemic reform in classroom uses of technology and complex thinking skills. Ten states and thousands of school systems worldwide have adopted the LoTi standard to gauge their efforts toward improving instructional technology practices. The LoTi Framework is also aligned with state and national frameworks including the Texas STaR Chart, Florida STaR Chart, and ISTE's NETS and TSSA.
OpenOffice.org: Home Annotated
* A budget-slasher for sure. A free alternative for MS Office. This could reduce our costs when going 1:1.
- post by cburell
free office suite
OpenOffice.org is a multiplatform and multilingual office suite and an open-source project. Compatible with all other major office suites, the product is free to download, use, and distribute.
When the hurly-burly��&# 65533;s done �� This I Believe Annotated
* More "This I Believe" assignments and examples. My students want--yes, want--to do this assignment, after listening to Chris Watson's student podcasts of the same from his classroom in Hawaii.
- post by cburell
The following are links to some of my favorite ���This I Believe��ᦙ 3; essays. Each one has text you can read, plus an audio recording of the author reading the piece. I suggest listening as you read. Dozens more are here.
Posted by Clay Burell
This is a very long article, I realize, and although it may have limited use on Orble, there is a wider audience out there who may not have had access to it, but be extremely interested in its contents.
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