Technology as an either or proposition

Recently I have been part of several meeting where participants tried to paint the integration of technology in schools/classrooms as an either or proposition.  The use of technology was seen as an agent to end to face-to-face interactions and furthermore, that important personal connections would dissipate as access became widespread.

I never understood this caustic view of technology.  I'm not sure if this view stems from fear of change or results from a lack of  understanding on how technology and physical exchanges can coexist in the same learning environment.  Leveraging technology in classrooms and even outside of schools by students does not signal the end of interpersonal skills.  Instead, for example, physical collaboration in the classroom and sharing ideas via an online learning network both hold a place of importance as one constructs knowledge.  The more important and productive discussion should center on how both the physical and virtual worlds can serve as tools students organically access to help construct meaning.

While listening to the either or proposition I thought about NCTE's Framework for 21st Century Curriculum and Assessment (benchmarks provided below).  What it means to be literate has been reshaped by the ways in which technology is applied by a community of global users to communicate, collaborate, create and develop.  If we want students to embody NCTE's definition of literacy (personally, I cannot see why not) than the use of technology needs to be embraced.  The conversation should no longer focus on what is lost or at worst doomsday predictions in regards to technology.  The conversation should encourage educators and students to think about what is possible when access and the ability to connect is readily available to all.

Context for NCTE’s 21st Century Literacies Framework

The NCTE definition of 21st century literacies makes it clear that the continued evolution of curriculum, assessment, and teaching practice itself is necessary:

Literacy has always been a collection of cultural and communicative practices shared among members of particular groups. As society and technology change, so does literacy. Because technology has increased the intensity and complexity of literate environments, the 21st century demands that a literate person possess a wide range of abilities and competencies, many literacies. These literacies are multiple, dynamic, and malleable. As in the past, they are inextricably linked with particular histories, life possibilities, and social trajectories of individuals and groups. Active, successful participants in this 21st century global society must be able to

• Develop proficiency and fluency with the tools of technology;
• Build intentional cross-cultural connections and relationships with others so to pose and solve problems collaboratively and strengthen independent thought;
• Design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of purposes;
• Manage, analyze, and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information;
• Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multimedia texts;
• Attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments.

Precious Time

I meant to post this last week but life got in the way.  Last week I was part of a summer institute for 20 teachers.  We worked together to build challenge-based learning experiences for students.  The cohort, made up of educators from both middle and high school, was formed to spend the year engaged in a form of instructional prototyping.  Experiences structuring classrooms around "real-life" challenges or dictated by determining a human need would be shared within the cohort and across department or grade level PLCs.  The cohort spent the first two days of the week long summer institute working with a representative from Apple to deconstruct the nuances of challenge-based learning.  The remaining three days were spent developing viable challenges.

Throughout the week teachers organically formed connections with other group members to build cross-curricular challenges.  However, teachers splintered off from their initial pairings to connect with others and in one case a challenge has been formed spanning the middle and high schools.  From the perspective of a facilitator the most noticeable aspect of the week was the intensive level of  collaboration between teachers.  Teachers used every once of time to share ideas and develop potential experiences for students. 

Last week posed an interesting conflict to what is viewed during the year.  There is lack of time to having sustained conversations.  Professional development, staff or department meetings and even PLCs are small moments within a day, week or month.  The virtual world and the development of personal learning networks has changed to concept of professional development.  Still personal and intimate exchanges are needed and within a school building or district bind teachers together in ways that could become lost amidst the daily school routine.  The same could be said of students as well.  How often do we provide sustained uninterrupted time for students to brainstorm, reflect, discuss, debate and experiment.  The bell to bell movement of students through a building and departmental approach to learning detracts from a collective sense of scholarship. 

Looking ahead a challenge for this upcoming year is to experiment with providing educators and students extended time to work.  How do we create "think tanks" within our schools and even explode the concept of Google 20% time to change the way we view collaboration?

Creating Community In The Classroom: Student Blogging

MSD Teacher Academy

Creating Community In The Classroom

Session #2: Writing As A Public Act

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Today’s session will revolve around the notion that writing is a public act.  This belief pushes students to embrace a greater sense of transparency and see value in sharing one’s thoughts with a class or learning network.  New York City teacher teacher Ileana Jimenez believes writing is a public act and as a result, encourages her students to blog. According to Jimenez, rather than having students write a paper and hand it in only for the teacher to read, waiting for some kind assessment, writing should be public, it should give a sense of urgency and visibility and for students to feel that their writing has a voice in the world.  

Writing for an audience that extends beyond self or just the teacher can lead towards creating a stronger sense of community in the classroom.  Creating spaces where learners can share ideas and offer feedback, threads stakeholders together.  Students come to see themselves as valuable resources and an integral part of a learning network.

During this session, teachers will be introduced to sample blogs from classes throughout the district.  Teacher initiated blog assignments and students posts will be shared.  A few teachers from the high school have been invited to explain how/why they infused the use of blogs into their respective classrooms.  This will eventually segway into a discussion of Kidblog.  Kidblog is a blogging platform currently being used by over a million K-12 students.  Several teachers in district employ Kidblog.  It is a secure site and students can develop accounts without the need for an email address. 

After the Kidblog discussion, the session will end with the Moodle pilot program.  Next year, the district will pilot the use of Moodle in several elementary school classrooms.  This will introduce, at the elementary level, a course management system to students.  Additionally, embedded into Moodle are tools such as discussion forums that promote the publication of ideas and transparent learning.  Moodle like Kidblog is safe and secure and student accounts can be generated by a teacher or administrator.   In an attempt to support the fluid integration of technology K-12, elementary students need access and experience playing with what is often considered tools of the 21st Century. 
 
Resources for Today’s Session

Sites:

• Kidblog
• Moodle
• MHS Moodle Site

Blogging Resources

• How Should My Students Approach Blogging?- ideas for sustaining student blogging in the classroom
• Making Educational Blogging Work For You- teacher shares experiences blogging with students, helpful links and samples embedded in the post
• Books, Blogs and Videos To Transform Learning- grade 4 teacher shares how blogging changed the culture of her class
• Online Journals for English Classes of Mr. Christopher Waugh- examples of student and teacher blogs from an English classroom
• Student Blogging Guidelines- tips for posting and commenting
• Ms. Cassidy’s Classroom Blog- Six and Seven Year Olds Inviting the World Into Their Classroom
• Teaching and Learning With Social Media- small case study on use of blogs in classrooms
• Why Students should Learn To Write For The Public- pushing idea writing should be a public act and how blogs facilitate this notion
• Blogging Is The New Persuasive Essay- how blogging can help students become better writers
• Olin Student Bloggers Wanted- Olin Business School (Washington University) turns to blogging as a public relations tool

What Is Collaboration Good For?

I attended a conference yesterday about PARCC and the Common Core as well as a panel discussion about 1:1 programs.  For PARCC and the Common Core there was a moderated panel discussion and series of individual presentations.  Two items struck me from the conversation around the Common Core.

The first was a lack of any discussion about how potential and even current state testing completely disregards the fact that learning is a collaborative process.  I would hope we view scholarship as a collective enterprise and not a solo endeavor.  Again, the contrast was striking.  I attended a conference with a 100 other educators, who while listening to presentations were simultaneously posting questions to a back channel discussion and submitting commentary on Twitter.  The whole experience was collaborative cooperative and embraced the importance learning networks.  However, when it comes to state testing, students are isolated from one another and networks they have cultivated.  What's worse is that these exams will be online. Unfortunately participants will not be able to access a global community of experts just for this assignment.  This thread was furthered when the moderator of the Common Core discussion shared the "corn" question (search document for elevator).  I'm not sure how many of our students, particularly those in the state of New Jersey, are familiar with farming, growing corn and grain elevators.  It would seem rationale that if presented with this problem a student or anyone for that matter could reach out to either an expert or the web to develop context and for assistance in addressing the task.

The next item was reaction to a presentation about the Common Core.  The presenter was talking about writing and the need for students to conduct ethical research inquiries, synthesize information and present a compelling argument.  I do not disagree with any of these actions.  However, who or what job requires these steps to be accomplished in such a short time frame.  Is it a necessary skill to write a cohesive essay in 25-30 minutes.  Is this how the world functions.  Think about our most talented authors.  They spend hours, days, weeks, months, maybe even a lifetime shaping a response.  We ask our students, who are maturing writers, to perform this task under the stress of high stakes circumstances.

I understand and accept the realities of the Common Core and PARCC.  Still, I hope we continue to question what students are being asked to do and strive to determine if there is potentially a more productive and fulfilling alternative. 

Space As A Change Agent

Sharing highlights from the e-book Space As A Change Agent.

The emphasis today is on active construction of knowledge by the learner. The importance of prior experience, the fitting of knowledge into existing schema or the establishment of new schema, and the active processing of information are all components of this model that emphasize high learner involvement. Environments that provide experience, stimulate the senses, encour-age the exchange of information, and offer opportunities for rehearsal, feedback, application, and transfer are most likely to support learning. 

Spaces that are harmonious with learning theory and the needs of current students reflect several elements: Flexibility. A group of learners should be able to move from listening to one speaker (traditional lecture or demonstration) to working in groups (team or project-based activities) to working independently (reading, writing, or access-ing print or electronic resources). While specialized places for each kind of activity (the lecture hall, laboratory, and library carrel) can accommodate each kind of work, the flow of activities is often immediate. It makes better sense to construct spaces capable of quick reconfiguration to support different kinds of activity

Decenteredness. Emphasizing the principles of socioconstructivism, spaces must convey co-learning and co-construction of knowledge. Implications for architecture include thinking of the whole campus as a learning space rather than emphasizing classrooms

The key, therefore, is to provide a physical space that supports multidisciplinary, team-taught, highly interactive learning unbound by traditional time constraints within a social setting that engages students and faculty and enables rich learning experiences

real community, however, exists only when its members interact in a meaningful way that deepens their understanding of each other and leads to learning. Many equate learning with the acquisition of facts and skills by students; in a community, the learn-ers—including faculty—are enriched by collective meaning-making, mentorship, encouragement, and an understanding of the perspectives and unique qualities of an increasingly diverse membership.

that in a world where wireless connectivity is increasingly ubiquitous, and with wireless devices that enable navigating a proverbial sea of digital resources, practically anywhere but the classroom is an informal learning space. The majority of space on any wirelessly networked college or university campus is informal learning space. On campuses not fully wirelessly enabled, the preponderance of informal learning spaces still exists, but the potential for them to be recognized and “activated” depends on the disposition of the digital learners and the tasks they wish to accomplish. 

The learning commons is human-centered. The term learning signals a significant change: the focus is not just finding information but applying that information in productive ways to deepen and strengthen learning as well as to construct knowledge

 

If people aren't comfortable and don't have a sense of well-being, they become distracted. We must first consider what will make people feel comfortable, freeing their brains and bodies for learning.

Social, community space. Learning is a social activity. Community and social space connects individuals with other people and other activities. Students and faculty participate in a mutual endeavor—learning—and forge connections that reinforce learning and create a sense of belonging.

People learn from other people. If the environment limits random encounters, discourages conversation, or provides no comfortable place to sit, learning opportunities are lost.

 

Sol LeWitt Observations Day #1 and #2

I wanted to share a quick observation from the Sol LeWitt inspired project 9th graders started last week.

The drawing group had to move from the prototyping phase to agreeing on a design for the panel.  Each individual in the drawing group was given between 10-15 minutes to read through the directions (see below) and sketch out a potential pattern on a drafting sheet.  At the end of he prototyping phase the drawing group had to come together, examine each prototype and agree on one design for the panel.

It was interesting to see how each drawing group went about the process of reaching a final decision.  In some cases, individuals stepped forward and facilitated a conversation that led to a collaborative decision.  These individuals comfortably assumed a leadership role, but were cognizant of including all members in the conversation.  Other groups struggled to organize a communal discussion and the final decision was more the result of a few assuming the responsibility for the group to reach an agreement.

I was struck by the stark contrast between periods.  Again, some drawing groups excelled during the decision-making process while other clearly struggled.  It highlighted a need to mentor students through collaborative problem solving / decision making.  Throughout the K-12 experience students work as teams, but I wonder how much we compel learners to reflect on the collaborative process.  The differences between periods was not subtle and brings to the forefront the need for educators to think about building a cooperative capacity within each learner.  We cannot assume students know how to work together but instead, this is a skill that has to be nurtured.

Moving forward in the project it will be interesting to see if students can efficiently and effectively work together.  The project is structured in a way were decisions have to be made by students within a condensed time frame.  It's worth observing and noting whether students make a conscious effort to become more effective communicators and collaborators.   

Day #2 Drawing Directions

Make Space Part I

I am making my way through Make Space: How to Set the Stage for Creative Collaboration by Scott Doorley and Scott Witthoft.  It has stimulated conversations about the use of space in our schools.  I am sharing below some highlights from what I have been able to get through.

With a boss or a professor standing at the head of the room, it feels like a "sage on stage"- people are reluctant to share their ideas.  Reconfiguring the physical relationship is a powerful signal that participation is truly welcome.  The result is that you get better ideas out in the open, where they can grow.

We want our teams to work collaboratively instead of individually, so we have generous collaboration spaces, and "bare essential" individual spaces.  We want our teams to get up and try stuff, not sit around and talk in long meetings, so we make seating uncomfortable and tables too small.

Design with alternate uses in mind.

The act of "building"- whether that means cutting wood & building cabinets or selecting materials and furniture - connects you with the space as an invested owner rather than an entitled user.

Space is the "body language" or an organization.  This suggests that a space designer is simultaneously a cultural translator and a builder.

Whether your mobile technology is a camera or sketchbook, capture images and thoughts as you cover your bases... Then surround yourself with evidence of the inspiration by saturating your project room or office with the visuals and notes.

Bold Is Better than Bland

A couple of friends of mine went into the city last night to hear authors Scott Doorley and Scott Witthoft, and book designer Scott Stowell discuss their new book Make Space: How to Set the Stage for Creative Collaboration.  Doorley and Witthoft are Co-Directors of the Environments Collaborative at the Stanford d. school.  Make Space is about creative spaces and about creating spaces that invite participation and foster cooperation.  There are more than 100 mini-entries in the book about ways to make existing space more collaborative.

Scattered throughout the book are short vignettes and thought-provoking phrases.  Theses phrases such as, "Align with your intent" or "Allow the space and the people to continue to adapt and grow,"  serve as messages for would be designers.  One of these messages contained in the book offered the following about the impact of presenting contrast:

Contrast is perhaps the greatest design tool.  It emphasizes or deemphasizes via difference.  It is a full moon in the sky.  It was Arnold Schoenberg in 1923 and the Ramones in 1976.  It is the difference between a meeting in which you actually do something and most any office meeting.

I see this idea about contrast serving as a guiding principle for rethinking spaces in our school.  As mentioned in a prior post, I am working with several other educators to build an introductory activity for 9th graders around the work of Sol LeWitt.  Initially, using LeWitt's work was about reinforcing process for students.  In recreating a "Wall Drawing" key learning outcomes established for the 9th grade such as collaboration, problem-solving and critical thinking would be privileged from the opening of school.  While this is still a motivating factor, a collection of LeWitt inspired wall drawings would provide a strong contrast against cinder block walls and monochromatic classrooms.  It would also empower learners to assume ownership over the space they work in or would rather work in and who knows, possibly inspire others to do the same.

Finding ways to provide design contrasts in schools subtly impacts the learning environment.  For a minute to a look at this meeting space from the Green School in Bali or this High Tech High classroom. Both spaces, through their distinct design initiatives, invite collaboration and transparency.  Think of the difference in creating classrooms that replace glass with cement walls. The contrast between cement and glass in fostering collaboration, promoting transparent learning and ultimately building a sense of community is a significant decision.

The physical design of schools and classrooms is a topic that often fails to be discussed during debates ed reform deabtes.  This is a mistake that has profound consequences.  Vanderbilt Graduate student Ben Shapiro (@BenrydalShapiro ) makes a strong point when he talks about the partnership being formed between his university and a college in Melbourne, Australia.  Mr. Shapiro shared the following about the connection between physical space and learning:

“You have the architectural languages and the educational languages, and they don’t really overlap, but here there are professors in education and architecture who are working together and talking about how space relates to pedagogy.” 

Taking a cue from Ben and from Scott Doorley and Scott Witthoft, we need to consider how the design of our spaces fosters creative, inventive thinking and cooperation between stakeholders.  A goal should be how do we conceive of new creative spaces for teachers and students to do work in.