Checking In...

Hi All,

I just wanted everyone to know that I am still alive, still trying to change the world, and still so crazy busy that I have not been able to carve out the time to post.  My apologies.  I'll be posting more often in the coming days, talking about technology and what's going on at Carolina Voyager Charter School.  

I'll also be using my blog as a personal therapy tool as we try to avoid going down that rabbit hole where so many schools have gone, chasing test scores and preparing kids for testing rather than life.  Yeah, our kids didn't do as well as they had done the year prior on the end all and be all state assessments and we find ourselves doing a lot of self-reflection.  I'll keep you "posted" on our progress.

Thanks for reading!

More Tech Please!

     It seems that everyone recognizes the need for more technology in schools. A LEAD Commission survey indicated 82% of teachers and 71% of parents said technology would be helpful to enhancing learning.  SO how do we translate that enthusiasm into actual funding? Ditching textbooks, expanding online learning, encouraging BYOD, leasing rather than buying technology, flipping classrooms, expecting local governments to set up broadband towers to reach into our poorer neighborhoods?  How about all of the above?
     While the above survey numbers are encouraging, check this one finding out.  Only 54% of teachers think technology will become much more important during the next 10 years.  Really?  And therein lies the problem.  If the folks running the show don't have a vision for what the future might hold, are they advocating for the changes that need to occur in our classrooms?  Heck no.  Too many of "us" are part of the problem, standing in the way of significant changes to our classrooms that still look pretty much the way they did 100 years ago.  Minus the whiteboard, of course.
     You can read the piece from Ed Week below.  You can also continue being the voice for your students, as most of them are not able to vote yet. 

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/DigitalEducation/2012/09/new_survey_finds_parents_teach.html

Is Technology Worth the Money?

So is all of this money being spent on technology really worth it?  It depends on how you measure its worth.  If you look strictly at our current narrowly-focused sense of what it measn to be a good student or a good school, possibly not.  Our current accountability systems are clearly off target when it comes measuring the skills and knowledge kids will need to be succesful in the future.  In this article, Larry Cuban brings up the notion of digital comeptence, or in 21st Century Framework lingo - information literacy.  While content is important, the ways we access it, anaylze it, and utilize it are forever changed. Schools need to be in the business of helping children learn to navigate through the sea of information out there.  I would say its much more importatnt than anything else we teach our kids.  You can read Larry's piece below:

http://larrycuban.wordpress.com/2012/03/10/answering-the-big-question-on-new-technology-in-schools-does-it-work-part-1/

Assistive Technology Leading the Way

While much has been done in the field of education to integrate technologies, the most significant impact has been for children with disabilities. The title of the article below includes the words, "changing lives". Programs like Refreshabraille are helping kids like Kyle Beasley participate in ways not thought of even a decade ago.   While many technologies designed to be used with kids who have disabilities are expensive, how can you put a price on empowerment and independence?  Check out the piece from Digital Directions below:

http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/2012/02/27/mct_digitalspeced.html?print=1

PreK Techies?

The jury is still out for many early childhood educators in the debate over technology use with our youngest students.  While millions are being spent on STEM education, the role of computers in the EC classroom is still not clear.  While an advocate to developmentally appropriate practices, including the importance of exploration and play, I'm wondering if we are proceeding a little too cautiously.  The world is changing.  The technology is changing (for the better every day). How we use technology is changing.  Why shouldn't our early childhood classrooms change as well.  I think we can marry DAP and Technology in ways that will improve the outcomes for children, particularly for experiences that cannot be provided in a classroom setting.  Technology also has the potential to even the playing field, building critical background knowledge for our students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds.  What is lacking are model programs incorporating best practices.  I am looking to connect with other like minded folks who believe we need to be doing more with our youngest learners.  If you are interested in collaboraating, please email me.

Here is a short piece from the Boston Globe -   

http://articles.boston.com/2012-02-21/business/31083732_1_science-and-math-education-preschools-engineering

Technology Bill of Rights for Students - A Must Read

Tech Teacher and Blogger Brad Flickinger developed a Bill of Rights for students' use of technology.  It is written from the perspective of a student to his or her teacher.  Brad really nails it.  Check out his post on school technology.org:

http://www.schooltechnology.org/2011/12/29/educational-technology-bill-of-rights-for-students/