February 2011 Archives

When educators analyze the process of integrating technology in classrooms, we often hear phrases such as "adoption of innovations" or "theory of change" to understand the challenges and barriers teachers experience. We try to understand the attitudes and motivations that influence teacher beliefs and behaviors, and why some teachers become the early adopters and pioneers, and why others may resist.

These are not easy issues, but I think we can learn a lot about technology adoption from music, specifically rock music and the electric guitar. Yes, the electric guitar!

Why guitars? Guitars are the popular instruments of choice today. Remember the posters you had on the walls of your room growing up or in your college dorm? You do. They were posters of Van Halen, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, and other classic rock groups. (OK, posters of Poison, Bon Jovi, or Motley Crue count also.) Maybe the more guitar aficionados out there will favor Carlos Santana, David Gilmour, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, or maybe even John Pettrucci.

It's all good. These were guitar driven music.

Guitars are popular. Even pretending to play guitar is acceptable. You've probably played Guitar Hero or Rock Band on your Xbox or PS3. Your students do. Or, maybe you or a family member has a real guitar somewhere in your home.

Guitar influences are everywhere, and we can learn a lot about technology adoption from the history of guitars.

As the Smithsonian documentary "Electrified: The Guitar Revolution A History of Invention, People, and Music" points out, "The electric guitar changed the face of music forever. Without the electric guitar, you would not have rock and roll. "

Interestingly enough, guitars were around for hundreds of years, but the instrument had very humble beginnings in modern music.

Until the 1920's, guitars were acoustic and could not be heard. They were quiet rhythm instruments in the backgrounds of big bands while clarinet, trumpet, and other instruments dominated the stage.

Does this sound familiar with the computers and other technologies in many classrooms? In the background? Unheard? Unnoticed? Maybe underutilized?

But the future of guitars would change with electricity. Electricity gave amplification to the guitar. Guitars could now have enough volume to be heard over the other instruments in a band.

The guitar revolution began with electricity and amplification, but would not peak for another 40 or so years.

Why not? What else had to happen? Two things:

1) Mass production: Enough instruments had to be available to anyone how could afford one.

2) Inspiration: Most importantly, artists had to emerge who could use this innovation to inspire others: Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix, etc... As the documentary pointed out, everyone wanted to be like Hendrix. Guitar sales skyrocketed.

With technology in classrooms, we have mass production. We've had computers in our classrooms for almost three decades. Even our cell phones today have the multimedia tools to be creative. The technology is everywhere.

We have the access. We have the artists. We have the innovative educators who use technology in schools to enhance student learning and achievement.

But these artists are still in the background. They haven't changed the culture of schools.

Somehow, despite having mass production and some innovation, we still lack something in our schools and classrooms.

Perhaps, some educators can't seem to appreciate the artists around them in a way that causes them to be so inspired that they want to change and imitate those artists.

Perhaps, some educators are afraid to take risks to learn new strategies and ways of teaching.

Perhaps, some educators are content with traditions, the old music with guitars quietly in the background, and don't want to learn something new.

What will it take for the spirit of innovation to become infectious, for everyone else to become rebellious against the traditional culture of education and start using new technologies to their full learning and creative potential, to transform education in schools?

Perhaps, more freedom, more choice, more inspiration, more vision, and less fear.

We all look forward to that day. In the meantime, as the old rock saying goes, "Rock On.."

Posted by Patrick Ledesma at 4:58 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

Which technologies will impact learning in classrooms in one year or less? How about two to three years? How about four to five years?

These are some of the questions I'm still thinking about from one of the technology sessions at the Association of Teacher Educators 91st Annual National Meeting that I attended last week as part of my ongoing Classroom Ambassador Fellowship with the US Department of Education.

In that session, the presenter challenged us to think about our schools.

"Does your school have a culture of innovation or does your school have pockets of innovation?"

Expanding on the idea of a culture of innovation, we discussed the recent 2011 Horizon Report from the New Media Consortium and the Educause Learning Initiative. This report "examines emerging technologies for their potential impact on and use in teaching, learning, and creative inquiry."

Members of the Horizon Project Advisory Board, which is made up of mostly university researchers and corporations (note to New Media and Educause: more K-12 representation next time please....), were asked the following questions:

1) Which of these key technologies will be most important to teaching, learning, or creative expression within the next five years?

2) What key technologies are missing from our list?

3) What trends do you expect to have a significant impact on the ways in which learning-focused institutions approach our core missions of teaching, research, and service?

4) What do you see as the key challenge(s) related to teaching, learning, or creative expression that learning-focused institutions will face during the next 5 years?

The Horizon Report Wiki shows the various stages and development of the report. For example, you can view the early results to see the original 43 technologies, 14 trends, and 19 challenges listed by the board members. I think this early list is as interesting as the final list since it shows the variety of ideas and opinions.

These made the finals in Emerging Trends, Critical Challenges, and Technologies to Watch.

Emerging Trends

1. The abundance of resources and relationships made easily accessible via the Internet is increasingly challenging us to revisit our roles as educators in sense-making, coaching, and credentialing.
2. People expect to be able to work, learn, and study whenever and wherever they want.
3. The world of work is increasingly collaborative, giving rise to reflection about the way student projects are structured.
4. The technologies we use are increasingly cloud-based, and our notions of IT support are decentralized.

Critical Challenges

1. Digital media literacy continues its rise in importance as a key skill in every discipline and profession.
2. Appropriate metrics of evaluation lag behind the emergence of new scholarly forms of authoring, publishing, and researching.
3. Economic pressures and new models of education are presenting unprecedented competition to traditional models of university.
4. Keeping pace with the rapid proliferation of information, software tools, and devices is challenging for students and teachers alike.

And my favorite, especially the predicted time for adoption.... (Drum roll please...)

Technologies to Watch

1. Electronic Books: Electronic textbooks, online textbooks, etc. (Time to Adoption Horizon: One Year or Less)
2. Mobiles: Any computing device you can carry with you and that is easily tranportable, like your Smartphone, iPad, tablet computer, etc.
   (Time to Adoption Horizon: One Year or Less)
3. Augmented Reality: Adding a computer-assisted layer of contextual information over the real world.
   (Time to Adoption Horizon: Two to Three Years)
4. Game Based Learning: Using computer games to teach and enhance the curriculum.
   (Time to Adoption Horizon: Two to Three Years)
5. Gesture Based Computing: Using gestures to interact with the computer.
   (Time to Adoption Horizon: Four to Five Years)
6. Learning Analytics: Using data mining, interpretation, and modeling to improve teaching and learning.
   (Time to Adoption Horizon: Four to Five Years)

Check out the full report for a more detailed description and examples of each emerging technology.

Do you agree with the predictions of the Technologies to Watch list?

For the most part, I agree with the potential of the technologies on the list. I'm having a difficult time with "time to adoption" because the term "adoption" suggests that these technologies will have widespread presence and impact in teaching, learning, and creative expression within that timeframe.

The presenter has also framed the discussion of this report in the context of schools and our ability to adapt to these future technologies in classrooms.

"Does your school have a culture of innovation or does your school have pockets of innovation?"

Hmmmmmmm......

It's a tough question. After all, we in K12 schools are not held accountable for our ability to innovate. Our high stakes standardized assessments do not measure innovation. In addition, many teachers work in schools with limited technology resources. We are also challenged by limited time, an ever expanding diverse socio-economic student population, and need for high stakes test preparation since the results are being linked to teacher evaluation, school evaluation, and teacher education evaluation.

As the cliche goes, "what is tested it taught." Innovation isn't tested.

In this context and without a standard definition of innovation and a way to accurately verify its presence or absence, many teachers work in schools that have pockets, rather than a culture, of innovation.

We have pockets of teachers who are the pioneers defining the model examples and best practices for using technology with students. Perhaps you are one of these pioneers. Perhaps you are a "pioneer in preparation."

There is nothing wrong with living in pockets given our circumstances. We as teachers operate within the confines defined for us by our school, district, state, and national policies. We strive to do better within our individual contexts. We do what we can to innovate when possible.

Most importantly, we want more from our leaders, policy makers, and researchers to support our transition to that culture of innovation.

So, for the next group of Horizon advisors or for any group writing a report about the future of technology, please support us and the overall cause by helping us in our continuing examination of the following questions:

1. What will teaching, learning, and creative expression in schools and classrooms need to look like for educators to adopt emerging technologies to transition from "pockets of innovation" to a "culture of innovation?"
2. What will be the challenges in this transition?
3. What policies and support will we need for us to meet these challenges?

We'll be guiding the creation and implementation of these technologies and using them to innovate in schools.

Posted by Patrick Ledesma at 7:27 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

I'm at the Association of Teacher Educators 91st Annual National Meeting in Orlando, Florida as part of my ongoing Classroom Ambassador Fellowship with the US Department of Education. I'm attending a session entitled "Redefining Teacher Education for Digital-Age Learners: A Call to Action" where Paul Resta, Director of the Learning Technology Center at the University of Texas at Austin, is discussing a report that summarizes the recommendations of an invitational summit exploring how teacher education can better serve students in the digital age.

What does it mean to be a 21st Century Teacher? These are the characteristics of a 21st Century Teacher:

Facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity so that all students achieve in the global society.

Enable students to maximize the potential of their formal and informal learning experiences.

Facilitate learning in multiple modalities.

Work as effective members of learning teams.

Use the full range of digital-age tools to improve student engagement and achievement.

Work with their students to co-create new learning opportunities.

Use data to support student learning and program improvements.

Be lifelong learners.

Be global educators.

Work with policy leaders as change agents.

The full report gives additional information on each of these characteristics and provides recommendations for policies at the state and national level for this transformation in teacher education to begin.

As I listen to the characteristics of a 21st century teacher, I'm reminded of the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) Five Core Propositions from their policy statement "What Teachers Should Know and Be Able to Do", written in 1989, the 20th Century, so very long ago......

Teachers are committed to students and their learning.

Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students.

Teachers are responsible for managing and monitoring student learning.

Teachers think systematically about their practice and learn from experience.

Teachers are members of learning communities.

Have the characteristics of an effective teacher changed from the 20th to the 21st centuries?

I think good teaching is good teaching. I also like how the 21st century teacher characteristics outline how technology has provided more opportunities in education, and how insightful teachers maximize these opportunities for teaching and professional learning.

For example, if we are "committed to students and their learning," we incorporate the "formal and informal" learning opportunities our students have beyond school. We know how our students learn informally outside school either through their "real world" and online experiences. We know the books they read for personal interest, whether it be on hardcover, paperback, Kindle, Nook, or iPad. We know the sports and musical instruments they play. We know what they like to do on the computer, whether it is games, social networking, or watching instructional online videos on how to use technology on YouTube. We know their experiences with their families.

As effective teachers did in the 20th century, effective teachers in the 21st century will incorporate what they know about students in their formal instruction. The technology in the 21st century will allow the effective teachers to bridge these learning experiences more naturally and seamlessly.

As more digital tools become available and technologies that facilitate learning in multiple modalities through synchronous or asynchronous online environments become more prevalent and accessible, just as effective teachers in the 20th century maximized available resources for their classroom, 21st century teachers will continue seeking additional tools and avenues to improve student learning.

Effective teachers in the 20th century were lifelong learners, teacher leaders, and members of professional communities. Technology in the 21st century maximizes additional opportunities through online teacher networks such as the Teacher Leaders Network, Classroom 2.0, and any number of teacher groups and forums on the Internet.

And, while teacher engagement in policy in the 20th century continues in the 21st century, technology though the Internet and social networks bring a level of policy engagement on a much higher scale than previously possible.

So is effective teaching in the 21st century really any different from effective teaching in the 20th century?

The tools may be different, but the commitment, learning, enthusiasm, and student focus are the same.

Perhaps effective teaching is timeless and yet, evolves with the tools of the times...

Posted by Patrick Ledesma at 6:06 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend

In 2001, Mark Prensky coined the terms "Digital Natives" and "Digital Immigrants" to describe the differences between adults and students in using technology.

Educators are "Digital Immigrants" who have to adapt and learn how to integrate technology into their lives. Students are "Digital Natives" born into a culture and lifestyle where technology immersion is the norm.

Although I know a lot of educators who argue that immigrants can use technology in the same ways as the natives and that being a native does not necessary guarantee proficiency, I have found the Digital Native and Immigrant comparison to be helpful in understanding the essential differences in childhood experiences that separate educators from the students. From my perspective, growing up with my Commodore 64 and learning in a school during the pre-Internet Age is a very different experience from today's students who have a variety of technology tools that connect them to the world through Twitter and Facebook.

To explore these differences in perspectives, this monthly series will feature a discussion between me, a tech savvy old immigrant, and a high school aged tech savvy native.

The high school blogger's name is gsd, who states,

"The world of technology is rapidly changing the way that we live our lives. Yet I see a distinct divide between the technology we use at school and the technology we use everywhere else, and I can only imagine how much more students like myself could learn at school if we were able to utilize the technology that's available to us outside of school. How can we bridge the divide between technology used in schools and out of schools? This is the question I'll aim to answer within this series."

In this first post, we talk about the ideal technology device and how it could be used in schools.

gsd Says:

My ideal device would be fast, always-on, Internet-connected, and easy to use. It would replace pen and paper, my heavy textbooks, and the endless stream of worksheets I get from my teachers. While right now I can only dream of this ideal device, my iPad's and smartphone's features give a glimpse of what my ideal student device could look and work like. My old desktop and laptop don't cut it.

The iPad

Why am I more likely to pick up my iPad than reach for my laptop when I need to check Blackboard for school assignments? First of all, when I reach for my laptop, time is lost having to wait for it to start up, wait for the browser to load, and then head to Blackboard. I may just sound impatient, but take a look at my other option: I tap the power button on my iPad and it's on. I unlock the screen with a quick swipe, tap the Internet icon, and I'm done. It's instantly on and super fast.

Even when my laptop has already been on, I still find myself reaching for the iPad. Why? It's fun to use. There's something about using a touchscreen that makes using computers fun. They're intuitive, and just feel natural.

Reading as homework induces boredom. Maybe I'm just a teenager with short attention span, but it can be difficult to stay focused reading 40 pages in a textbook or reading a book that's difficult to get through. Reading on my iPad improves the experience. First of all, it's fun to scroll through the text with eye-pleasing transitions between the "pages". But more importantly, there are many useful features: I can annotate text, highlight it, change font type and size, look up words, and share passages I like online. The iPad fuses the capability of a computer and the usability of a book into a refined, effective package. It may not make Crime and Punishment any shorter, but it sure does make it easier to handle, and more enticing to discuss with friends.

The Smartphone

Here's another important thing I want out of my ideal student device: portability. That's not something you get with a bag full of textbooks or a desktop computer. The iPad can even be too much to carry - you wouldn't want to bring it to your homecoming football game, for example.

This is where my Android smartphone comes in. It's fast, and always-on, but it can also fit in my pocket, which makes it a very useful portable computer. The first thing I do when the bell rings to end the school day is pull out my phone and enter my homework into my to-do list. If I'm trying to look something up when I'm anywhere I pull out my smartphone. It's a powerful computer that goes with me wherever I go.

What Else Does My Ideal Device Need?

My iPad and smartphone may already be much of what I want, but there are a few things more that I would want in my ideal device.

Better File Management: It needs a way to create, edit, view, and share files. Other than reading documents, my iPad does not complete those tasks very well. This is where I want my tablet to take a page from my smartphone, as it does a much better job of handling files and even synchronizing them with the Web so I can share them with others.

Ubiquitous Internet Access: Another thing my device needs is constant, everywhere, wireless Internet access. This exists, but it can get pricey. Despite the price, being able to access the Internet everywhere is something I think everyone should be able to do. It makes the wealth of information the Internet offers available to everyone, everywhere. That would give students the resources to be only a few quick taps away to the answer to almost any question.

Intuitive Text Input: The biggest thing that my device needs is a better way of inputting text. While typing on the large keyboard on my iPad is much better than on my smartphone's screen, it is not ideal for writing anything that's longer than a paragraph. For a device as intuitive as an iPad, typing on the on-screen keyboard is awkward.

My ideal solution is a stylus with handwriting recognition software. With a stylus, I could write on my screen to take notes or write an essay, and the software would take what I write and put it into a document. There I can edit my work in all the wonderful ways you can with a computer. This solution would finally be an effective and useful upgrade on good ol' pen and paper.

Those are the features I want in my ideal student device, a tablet. I wouldn't be surprised if all the features I'm looking for show up this year in iPad 2 or on some Android tablets from Google. But here's the thing. We can wait for the perfect device for students, or we can start finding ways to use current technology now. Look at my iPad: it may not be perfect for taking notes. But when I'm reading with it, I can annotate, something that I can't do with textbooks I'm lent from school. On my smartphone, I can quickly look up a translation for a word in Spanish, which would be much faster and easier than searching through a dictionary that might not even have the word I'm looking for.

I could give example after example of ways I'd use my smartphone and iPad in every class. Current technology can be used to update our classrooms now, even while I type here on my iPad, awaiting my perfect device.

**************************************************************************************************************

The Digital Immigrant Says:

Good information. Instant on, file management, and intuitive input are all very important features we need for the ideal technology device.

Beyond these technology features you mentioned, designing the ideal device will require that we focus on how the technology will be integrated into our school processes and routines.

Educators need to focus on the processes in which students will use technology in schools. For example, successfully implementing the digital textbooks you discuss will require that students be able to highlight, bookmark, and take notes in this new format. They will need a note taking application that also interfaces seamlessly with different textbooks and various media. You bring up the possibility of social networking and being able to share and collaborate using the textbook. Excellent! I never thought of that...

So having the traditional textbook in digital format is not enough. Only when we consider the larger picture of how students will use the digital textbook can we begin to change the landscape to offer a true alternative to students lugging around heavy textbooks and notebooks.

Educators need to focus on the processes in which teachers will use the technology with students. If we want to develop the idea of student personal devices in schools, we will need a communication application for teachers and students to collaborate. There will be a need for some kind of calendar or organization application to replace the traditional student assignment book. There needs to be a file sharing system for instructional resources. As a result, we will need to understand how these devices may interact with each other where teachers and students can share information seamlessly. Perhaps someone will say the device needs an assessment application. Or, teachers may want these devices to have multimedia authoring capabilities for more creative projects.

The "ideal device" designers should consider the technology administrators. How will these devices be synchronized, updated, and maintained at the district, school, or classroom level? I remember my iPod Touch Octopus two years ago during an iPod Touch pilot. Upkeep is an important consideration.

As we talk more about digital content, how will we deal with copyright and privacy issues? New policies will have to evolve to address the issues that these new technologies bring.

In reality, many of the features of our concept of an ideal device are already available, but in separate, often fragmented formats. Fortunately, as more educators begin to use devices such as the iPad, netbook, and other tablets in the classroom, developers will refine the applications that support a more coherent environment for teachers and students.

We want all these features in a convenient and efficient package so that educators and students can adopt them easily.

In the past, technology has been the innovator of change, and to the extent that technology did not fit the teaching practices in schools, the disconnect was also a barrier.

Perhaps, by promoting more discussion on how we see potential technologies being used in schools, educators and students can help our ideas of the ideal technology device become reality.

Posted by Patrick Ledesma at 10:40 PM | Permalink | Leave a comment | Recommend