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I have to give this post my usual preface that these slides are part of the presentation I am giving on innovation in K-12, but only one part of the story. Today, I am part of an event hosted by Simon Fraser University, Targeting Technology for Maximum Student Benefit. I won’t cover the ground I have covered before as the scenario and other background on the event is available (here), as well as from a substantial post I recently wrote on the appeal of one-to-one devices in the classroom and equity (here).
Beyond this and going forward, there are a few key points I would like to emphasize as we look at my assumptions and thinking on what we should and shouldn’t be doing:
Some assumptions for the next 5 years:
- Teachers and schools are status quo (sense of community/social-emotional learning)
- Learning, not technology, is the driver
- Good writing (and what we often call “the core” curriculum) still matters
- Complex problems often have a simple solution
- External inventions (like the iPad) will continue to impact what we do, and we have no control over this!
- Teachers need to know where to begin: “personalization” and “digital literacy” are broad and ambiguous terms, so we need to narrow the framework
- We can’t wait for the decisions of others. It is “go” time. Now
What We Would Do:
- Start at Grades 4–7 (if a middle model, maybe Grades 6-8), over time, the “sweet spot” will extend from Grades 4–10 depending upon school organization
- Develop a personally owned devices strategy addressing equity
- Focus on a web environment/space for learning/personalization with a common structure to change the norm of how we do business
- Nurture great leadership with administrators and librarians
- Have our learning leaders become digital learning leaders
- While it may not be a popular decision to give teachers access to portable devices before students, it is often necessary in the case for change
- Find the “simple thing” that challenges the norm, changes our thinking, and helps make technology “sticky”; it could be digital writing, or digital content, portfolio, or . . . .
- Link technology to physical activity, and the visual and performing arts; it is not just about language arts – integrate, integrate, integrate!
What We Wouldn’t Do:
- Distributive Learning, — we want all classes to be blended classes. There are others who are experts in Distributive Learning, so, let a few do it well for the students who need it, and we will focus on what we can do for all students
- Allow technology to solely report to the business side of the organization
- Go slate crazy. iPads do not lend themselves to creation and participation in our text-heavy world. They are more (at least, so far) about consuming information, and we want to create content creators
- The ‘drill and kill’ and the ‘shiny new thing’ syndrome; instead, we would focus on good teaching and learning. If the technology isn’t good learning, don’t use it
- Try to be something for everyone – because we need to truly focus on supporting student learning. While it is nice to say there is an interactive whiteboard in every classroom, to what education end?
- Have a strategic plan; we would have a learning plan, and invest in infrastructure and pedagogy, but prescription with technology (particularly devices) is almost impossible
With that preamble and a very brief explanation, here is my slidedeck. If you would like to use any of the slides, you can download the presentation from SlideShare.
If you are reading this in the presentation room, or from around the world, please feel free to join the conversation on Twitter at #bcedsfu.
Update: You can download the Twitter conversation today (over 850 tweets) by clicking on this link: BCEDSFU Chat
This contains very useful points to use as goals. Even if it is a just one or just a few, by adopting something from this list you and your school are staking out a portion of the digital territory your school needs.
Thanks Peter – always a danger with just listing points is how they can be taken. It is exciting to see them coming to life (to different degrees) in so many places.
Chris
I really like some of your thoughts and ideas. It’s too bad I couldn’t have been at the event to discuss this in person. I am with you on many of your points. As schools, I don’t think we can ever “catch up” to the latest tech advances in devices or gadgets. For me it is crucial to keep the focus on teaching and learning – key skills and competencies in particular. When I think about tech and the growing digital landscape I think about its role in enhancing student engagement.
Again, I apprecaite raeding your thoughts.
Thanks Johnny – I love the network we have created in BC to have these conversations both face-to-face and digitally.
I like how this presentation continues and supports the conversation on the future of education. The following questions come to mind as I read your materials and viewed the slides: 1. In slide 61, “just in time” solutions. What does “just in time” refer to? Also, Administrators, Teacher-Librarians, and “Key Staff Contacts” are listed as “just in time solutions.” Who are “Key Staff Contacts, and who would the non-key staff contacts be? I see teachers are not mentioned on this slide. 2. The assumption that “Complex problems often have a simple solution” disturbs me greatly. I can think of many disastrous examples of this line of thinking. Can you cite some examples, and explain what is meant by this statement?. 3. In slide 89, it says “every class is a blended class” What does blended look like? Thank you for continuing and supporting the dialogue on changes in education as we move forward.
Hi Rhonda – thanks for the email . . . the challenge of when I post slides without the story is that I worry they can tell the wrong story. I often get asked who is going to lead the technology change in schools. I was making the case that it is an expectation for principals and vice-principals as learning leaders that they are digital learning leaders. Then the second circle with the TL’s – I see this role changing in schools, as co-teachers with all staff they are also key to the change. Then, in the outer circle, almost all schools have teachers with strong pedagogy and powerful digital skills – these teacher leaders must be nurtured, valued and supported. It is really about answering the question – If we have no “person” to lead this, who will do it? I argue we have lots of people ready, we just need to support them.
Sure, the idea of a complex problem with a simple solution was a reference to what could be a common conversation around digital literacy. I think we need to look for a simple way of connecting students, teachers and schools in districts – we are doing it around digital writing. This is not the only possibility – it could be digital content or portfolios.
And finally – for me a blended class could be anything from using a couple web aps in a primary class, to having students blog in intermediate, to having part of the course online at secondary. What I said along with this is, that while every class will have a digital component – it will be different based on: age / grade, subject, and teacher and that is OK.
Thanks for asking for some clarifications – slides can be dangerous 🙂
It was a really good conversation at the session.
[…] Chris Kennedy – Driving Innovation in K-12 […]
I think for the most part your piremse of younger teachers being more open to using technology is probably true. Unfortunately, many of the new teachers in the primary grades have been operating under the NCLB rules and have not been able to use technology except to practice for tests. I think possibly the real answer to teachers using technology with their students is with the administrator. If the administrator believes it is important to use technology to enhance student learning then the training will be there and the teachers will use it.I am from the really older generation (retired after 40 years of teaching) and I used technology with my students in many different ways. There were many times that my students who were in first and second grade went to help some older teachers with how to make Power Point presentations and more. I honestly know the only reason I used technology and eventually went back to school to get a Master’s in Instructional Technology was because when I began using technology I had an administrator who encourage it, a great district instructors to teach me how to use various programs, and a support person back at school who never complained about helping me. I now make it my project to help teachers who want to learn how to use technology with their students and I work with young children teaching them how to use technology in their classrooms and in an afterschool program. I am not sure where I would have been today if that administrator had not first encourage and later supported me in using technology.VA:F [1.9.10_1130]please wait…(1 vote cast)VA:F [1.9.10_1130](from 0 votes)
Wow… great list, and a tall order for our district; there is a reluctance to be candid about these ideas and free up (or even allow) the conversations and projects that will drive this kind of change. A question: what do you mean by “Allow technology to solely report to the business side of the organization.” on your DON’T list? Thx.
Thanks. I am always a little nervous about putting out a list or slides from a presentation as they only tell part of the story. In my presentation I warned against allowing technology to only report to the business side of the organization and not having educators involved in the decisions over the expenditures. In my experience the more progressive learning jurisdictions usually include the educational side of the organization in the decision making process. In our district – our Director of Innovation and Technology leads these recommendations. I know it was common 20 years ago when we viewed technology differently to have it only report through facilities and the Secretary-Treasurer – in my experience that model is dated now.
Looks to be a great trend, I hope it catches on. I like the idea of Innovation being recognized, and I’ll bet that goes well beyond words in your district. We’ve seen the trend go the other way up here. 4-8 years ago we had a high level of involvement between partners (senior staff, school admin, teachers, techies) and great dialogue on tech for learning. This was reflected in the committee work, tech coaching program, projects, plans, and coordinated leadership. These slowly disappeared and now we have sporadic announcements from the board office on tech matters and feedback is superficial. Facebook and ipads are blocked, and 21st century learning projects by enthusiastic teachers (blended pilots, tablet pilots) don’t even make it to a place where they can be discussed — a culture of “no” unfortunately. No doubt it is part of a cycle and it won’t last forever. I’ve blogged about this ad nauseam but reading what you’ve posted I think there might be some hope on the horizon — if successful models exist for inclusive dialogue and progressive response to change, the chances of it spreading definitely improve! I appreciate your consistent and open-ended invitations to discuss education change and issues related to organizations, people, technology, and learning. Very refreshing.
Sometimes we theraecs cling to the premise change is good for everybody except for me and this blocks us from seeing how our role is shifting like the strongest quick sand from sage on the stage to facilitator in a classroom of a community of learners. Can this be scary? Of course if you think that your role as educator is one of control. When I shifted from being a non-formal educator in my work in Latin America to the traditional high school, I knew in my educator gut that something was fundamentally wrong with the classroom. What happened to educational choice for students and how could they collaborate in sterile rows oriented to the expert at the front of the room? I’ve been working on shifting my practice for years as I knew in my gut that my students were bored to death with my first year teaching worksheet world . They want to converse, collaborate and communicate. They are teenagers for pete’s sake! We need to shift our collective practice in our own special, unique ways as educators. Choose the tools with your students that will engage your students and yourself. That tool could be an iPad, a pencil and paper and/or a conversation. Examine how you learn in order to become a master learner as this learning will enrich your teaching and your students will be will pleasantly surprised with your flexible, messy, innovative classroom. Students now have choice where they will learn. Are they going to choose us or someone else to learn with? This world needs innovation and I don’t want to be an educator that causes students to stifle their ideas and then explore them outside of the school house. The library students at Clayton Heights Secondary where I work as a Teacher Librarian are learning web2.0 applications and then teaching these skills to theraecs in their preps. When did I come up with this wacky idea? I used some of my dream space to come up with one possible solution to the challenge of teachings not having time to learn new skills. That is what we do as Teacher Librarians and educational leaders in our schools, we support the work that theraecs do in their classrooms. The Nerd Herd Library Science Pilot Project, now being sustained by my TOC Jennifer McLean as I work as a Helping Teacher, evolved with the effort and magic that our students brought to the educational table. They continue to amaze and dazzle me every day. I could have controlled the learning but that would have destroyed it. I don’t want to be a kill joy educator. This world needs our creative, flexible students to wrestle with the challenges facing us today and tomorrow. Are we helping or hindering them?
[…] Chris Kennedy – Driving Innovation in K-12 […]
[…] Driving Innovation in K-12 ~ By Chris Kennedy and “So this is the dance!” Four Steps to Personalization ~ By Gino Bondi […]
[…] Driving Innovation in K-12 ~ By Chris Kennedy and “So this is the dance!” Four Steps to Personalization ~ By Gino Bondi […]