iTeacher

This week the International Society for Technology in Education released a promising update to its National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS-T) framework.  The new standards reflect a new way of thinking about technology’s role in 21st century education.

The previous NETS-T standards maintained a focus on teacher-driven textual knowledge.  I am delighted to see that the updated NETS-T standards reflect a strong emphasis on the teacher as a co-learner and a knowledge facilitator.  Rather than merely delivering content knowledge to students, teachers are now expected to guide their students through a creative learning process that involves collaboration, innovation, problem solving and authentic learning experiences.  This is a significant step forward in re-defining the role of the teacher in 21st century society.  NETS-T 2008 is now on the right track.

NETS-T 2008 consists of five major performance indicators:

• Learning and creativity
• Assessment
• Digital Age skills
• Digital citizenship
• Professional development

For more information on NETS-T 2008, I invite you to read Dave Nagel’s article The Future of Instruction: Teacher as ‘Co-Learner’ in The Journal.

Schools are beginning to utilize an excellent teaching resource when designing their technology professional development program … their students! And why not? Students are generally tech savvy and often know more about information and communication technology than their teachers. Most students I know would jump at the opportunity to turn the tables and share their expertise with their students.

In an Edutopia article called Turning the Tables: Students Teach Teachers by Sara Armstrong, students in Olympia, Washington provide structured technology professional development workshops for their teachers. The program is a huge success. The teachers learn some excellent software skills, while the students feel empowered and appreciated for their knowledge. I can’t imagine such a professional development program would cost anything to the school district. It’s a win/win situation. I would love to see more school districts tapping into this excellent resource. Please share some success stories here if you have worked in a school district with a similar program.

I just read an article in Education Week that is sure to stir up controversy amongst educators. The article, entitled Proposal Would Replace Classroom Textbooks with Computers, discusses a bill in the Arizona legislature that would allow school districts to seek issue bonds from their community to purchase computers rather than textbooks.

Are the days of the textbook numbered? Digital and online educational resources surely have a lot of advantages over traditional textbooks. They are limitless in number. They can be instantly updated. They can allow for interactivity and collaboration. They don’t deteriorate or get lost. They provide numerous viewpoints on topics. Textbooks seem pretty archaic when compared to digital resources.

The only real problem I see in eliminating textbooks is that of equity. When course material is provided digitally, all students require a computer and internet access. Arizona is making efforts to overcome this financial burden. I wonder if more states are doing so.

Assuming we can provide access for our students (no small feat, I know), are there any other significant arguments against the proposal of migrating from printed course materials to online resources?

Great food for thought!

This month’s Education Week has published an interesting article entitled ‘Soft Skills’ in Big Demand by Catherine Gewertz, which discusses a new approach to learning being adopted by many schools to help incorporate the ’soft’ or ‘applied’ skills now in demand in the 21st century work force.  According to the article:

“In an increasingly global, technological economy, they [policy and business leaders] say, it isn’t enough to be academically strong. Young people must also be able to work comfortably with people from other cultures, solve problems creatively, write and speak well, think in a multidisciplinary way, and evaluate information critically.”

Schools are adopting applied learning outcomes, such as interpersonal skills and oral communication , to which students are assessed in all curricular areas, including mathematics and science.  The article discusses an algebra class at Sacramento New Technology High School, where instead of solving problems out of textbooks, students study and solve problems of real-world issues.  Students in this project-based class are evaluated on citizenship and ethics as well as their math skills.  Combining subjects, such as geography and English, have allowed students at this school to study multidisciplinary topics in greater depth.

It is refreshing to see pioneer schools taking a proactive role in preparing their students for life in the 21st century.  I believe ’soft skills’ are even more important than academic skills because they are the skills of life, and they are the skills we must use everyday.

Already a fan of Sir Ken Robinson’s work, I came across an inspiring video on Edutopia’s website. Entitled Creatively Speaking, this lecture was recorded at the Apple Education Leadership Summit in April, 2008. In this lecture, Mr. Robinson discusses the need for curriculum reform that recognizes the changing dynamics of our global economy. He argues that our current education model is based on an industrial-age economy. In the Information Age, we need to tap into children’s creative and problem-solving qualities in order to prepare a generation of students who can think on their feet and adapt to an ever-changing work force. The video and an accompanying article can be found on this Edutopia link. (I couldn’t get the video to embed here.)

I came across this video on Tim Holt’s Intended Consequences blog.  It has some excellent quotes from educational visionaries who are working to steer us in the right direction as far as preparing this generation of students for life in the 21st century.  Great stuff.

I am searching for a free course management system that can be hosted completely externally. The one I keep coming across is Edu 2.0. I’ve taken a tour of its features and am very impressed. I was wondering if anyone else out there is using Edu 2.0 and can tell me what they think about it. Also, are there other free online course management systems worth looking at? Cheers.

I am happy to announce that I have accepted a teaching position this fall at Jackson Memorial Middle School in Stark County, Ohio. I will be the 7th grade instructional technology teacher at this large school.

I will be visiting the school this week to familiarize myself with their edtech program, as well as the hardware and software I will be using. It is my hope to collaborate with other teachers around the world so I can foster a global view with my students. I certainly welcome any proposals from you. I’m sure as my brain starts spinning this summer, I will seek advice on lesson ideas and creative teaching strategies. I look forward to working with you.

I just read a fascinating article in The Journal entitled 21st Century Teaching and Learning: Assessing New Knowledge by Dr. Ruth Reynard. The article discusses the evolving role of teachers as they respond to new demands of the global, hi-tech, inter-connected world. Dr. Reynard states:

Much has been discussed about the new roles teachers and students play in learning environments created by using new technology and the types of skills required of students in this century. Those skills tend to be softer skills like team building, cooperative communication strategies, self-direction, and the academic skills of critical and applied thinking, new knowledge construction and collaborative learning techniques.

Dr. Reynard goes on to say:

… current educational trends based on standards and tests lean towards teacher-driven instruction, while the required 21st century skills of higher order thinking skills, application of technology, and adapting to change and workplace skills, among others, require new methods and new assessment measures.

To address the skill requirements of the 21st century, teachers should assess the process of learning rather than just the outcome. Evaluating the methods in which a student reaches an outcome should hold just as much importance as the outcome itself. As you can see, the content of instruction does not change, just the method of assessment. In this scenario, students still gain the content knowledge, but they also strengthen their own metacognitive skills. They learn how to think, not just recall information.

Recognizing and valuing the “how” and the “why” (ie, the thinking process) will help our students build the cognitive and problem-solving skills required to meet the ever-changing demands of the 21st century.