Blogging Assignment for November 13th

At this point in the course, you have read several chapters of the Bellanca and Brandt book for the class, as well as the chapter you are reading for your presentation. Each chapter in the book is a distinct article written by a different author or authors on a particular aspect of technology and its effect on 21st century education. At the same time, I have organized  the weekly reading assignments  according to unifying themes among the chapters. Among the chapters you have read are 2, 7 and 11, as well as the Afterword by Hargreaves.  Taking all these chapters into consideration, please blog on one or more of the unifying themes  in these chapters, and how you see those themes affecting education policy and practice. Please contact me if you have any difficulty posting. I look forward to your posts.

ITSE Response

“Children and young people are growing up in a vastly changing context. No aspect of their lives is untouched by the digital era which is transforming how they live, relate and learn” (Craft, A., 2012). Technology “has forever changed not only what we need to learn, but the way we learn” (http://www.iste.org/standards). Technology has been redefining education.

Learning has a different successful receipt for each one of our students. Learning in the school environment requires students to pay attention, to notice, to remember, to apprehend, to set goals and to accept responsibility for their own learning. These activities are not possible without the dynamic involvement and commitment of the learner. Teachers must help students to become active and goal-oriented by building on their usual desire to explore, to understand new things and to master them. Technology is helping teachers to expend beyond linear, text-based learning and to engage students who learn best in other ways.

Student motivation, wide participation, improved student writing, content made easier to learn, and differentiated instructions are some of the benefits when teachers integrate technology into their classrooms. As more teachers integrate technologies into the learning/teaching process, programs are evolving to turn teachers/students educational technology experts. 

The questions out there are: what is the bad side on using technology in classrooms? How to use it? Which ones should be used? Which ones are the best ones? What are the rules, when using technology in school? Is there anything we should learn before starting to use a new technology?

The International Society for Technological Education (ISTE) “is the premier membership association for educators and education leaders engaged in improving learning and teaching by advancing the effective use of technology in PK–12 and teacher education. ISTE represents more than 100,000 education leaders and emerging leaders throughout the world and informs its members regarding educational issues of national and global scope” (http://www.iste.org/about-iste).

As a non-profit organization this web based resource has helped educators to understand the new technologies that can be used to improved the learning experience of their students. Not only that, but also keep teachers informed of how to use, when to use, what to use for, what are the regulations when using technology, the best way of using each tool, and so much more. 

Finally, it is crucial for each teacher to get engaged in this process of change. More importantly it is great that educators can count with a reliable resource such as ITSE, with so many great materials, to help us to understand and become proficient in the best way of using technology in our classrooms.

ITSE Response

According to Orwell,  “Big Brother is always watching.” This may seem a bit over the top with regards to technology in education but this blogger needed to set the tone right off the bat. Is technology a good element to ingratiate into education? Sure, but there are potential pitfalls and risks involved when ingratiating technology into education.

The ITSE (International Society for Technology in Education) is a non-profit group designed to bring about changes in the way in which teaching is done. The ITSE is not a technological lobbying group set to dismiss the concerns of the luddites found in education, rather they are an advocacy group promoting the greater use of technology in the classroom.

By offering conferences and professional development to educators the ITSE hopes to provide a broader set of pedagogical tools to its teachers. Educators, hopefully, will be able to transfer their knowledge of technology pedagogies, garnered by the ITSE, and implement them into their lesson plans. A red flag occurs when the technology does not coincide with an effective teacher’s established style.

Thinking along the lines of Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, if students learn in varying ways which lead to success can in not be assumed that educators do the same with their teaching? Basically, what may be effective for one educator may not be for another; herein lays a potential pitfall with a full speed ahead notion to technology integration in the classroom. In some cases, technology may limit a certain type of teacher’s effectiveness.

The goal of the ITSE, it seems, would be to eliminate a concern that would relegate teachers to the rear while pushing technology to the front. Ideally, the ITSE would advocate for a transition that gradually implements technology to coincide with the effective nature of an established teacher. In theory this sounds wonderful but in practice this educators worries if the ITSE will always be watching in what ways technology is implemented.

ISTE Standards

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has developed a group of standards to be used in the field of education for helping students to learn and develop the necessary skills for learning, working, and surviving in the modern digital age.  These standards, known as the National Education Technology Standards (NETS), have been developed for use by students, teachers, and administrators, to systematically guide the use of technology in schools. 

            Educators have always had the responsibility for preparing students to develop the necessary skills to become productive members of society, yet now that task has become more complex with the rapid development of technology.  All stakeholders in the field of education need to adapt to this rapidly changing world, as well as prepare students to continue to adapt.  The NETS provide a comprehensive set of guidelines and benchmarks for helping to ensure that students will be prepared for the challenges of the future.

            In each of the different sets of standards, a variety of key components are addressed, such as analytical skills, communication, and digital citizenship.  While the purpose of the standards is to continue to advance the skills of students, the standards very specifically address the need for teachers and administrators to be fully competent integrating technology into the learning environment.  It is essential for teachers to adapt to and implement these standards in their curriculum, regardless of their comfort level with the technology.  This may be difficult for some teachers, in particular those who did not have to depend on or use such technology when they were in school.  Many teachers do not have the comfort level or confidence with technology to be able to fully implement these standards without a considerable amount of support. 

            Administrators, likewise, have the responsibility to create and promote the use of technology in the learning environment, including allocating resources for technological equipment and providing professional development for teachers.  This begins with the development of a shared vision, promoted throughout the learning community and shared by all stakeholders.  Just as the teachers need to be fully prepared to empower students to reach their fullest potential with the use of technology, administrators will need to do the same for teachers. 

            While the development of these standards clearly will help to drive the learning and develop very necessary and critical skills of the students of the 21^st century, I feel there are several questions about the realistic implementation and practical applications of these standards.  For example, what supports and resources are in place to help assist all schools in reaching the goals of the NETS?  What types of training are available for teachers to not only become competent in meeting the teaching standards but also to fully assist students in meeting the standards?  Is there any process of evaluation to determine if enough efforts are being made to reach the standards in schools, and if not what is the accountability?

While the NETS provide some excellent guidelines for moving the field of education in the right direction for the future, there are still many obstacles to overcome for all students to be able to reach these goals, particularly in lesser funded urban areas.

What about the ISTE Standards?

Before you begin, you  have, I hope, been thinking about the question I posted previously: What is a blog and how is it different from a discussion prompt? A blog is a personal, thoughtful, critical consideration of a topic or question. A thoughtful, credible blog is not just opinion. The ideas in a thoughtful, credible blog clearly show the writer's position on a topic or question, but the person isn't ranting or shooting from the hip. The thoughtful blogger demonstrates knowledge about a subject and backs up what he or she says with some support from credible sources and a logical presentation of ideas. There is no doubt that there are some "off the wall"  "shoot from the hip" crazy blogs out there. However, that's not what this blog is about. This blog is about demonstrating thoughtful, critical analysis of a topic that shows developing insight into the uses, issues, value, and dangers of technology in educational settings. So this is week one. Below is the topic.

Visit http://www.iste.org/STANDARDS  ISTE Standards and blog about the ISTE standards. Make the blog entry substantive, thoughtful, credible, and in keeping with the guidelines above. Do not respond to my post, add a NEW POST of your own. LEt me know if you have questions.

Dr. Lynch

Welcome to the ECL 803 Blog!

Each week you will have an assignment in which you will view a video and/or read an article relevant to the course, and you will have a discussion prompt you will be asked to post a blog entry  that discusses the video or article in relation to the prompt? How is a blog entry different from a discussion post?

Dr. Lynch