Well, it’s a somber day for us Flyer fans, as our playoff run was cut short. I’v never been interested in hearing about “how great of a season we had” or “they tried their hardest,” but this year I’m not that beat up over the loss. The bottom line is they were outplayed and lacking in areas that mean most to winning i.e. defense & goaltending. Sadly folks, this is the last you will hear from me regarding our beloved Flyers until next year……Cheers to the hometown hockey team.
Moving on, we’re a couple of weeks into the month of May and I’m pretty certain that everybody is feeling that end of year push. I know I am, yet the direction of the school has me feeling great about the projects that I’ll be working on in the summer. Two of which that I’ll be focusing on are iPads and 1:1 computing. Related to these topics, I recently read this MindShift article Amidst a Mobile Revolution in Schools. Will Old Teaching Tactics Work? that concentrates on the use of technology in the classroom, and how the implementation of such tools are supposed to transform learning. Given my technology background, one might think I’m a proponent of using the “latest and greatest” tools with the expectation that they will catapult us into a environment where 21st century teaching and learning thrives. Well if you fall into that category, you would be wrong 🙂 While I love playing with contemporary tools and apps, I’m of that mindset that there has to be a shift in the pedagogical approach, facilitated by tools such as the iPad, that will allow us to teach 21st century skills in a more compelling fashion. This shift should not be technology driven, we should not be focusing on teaching the iPad and it’s apps. We should be concentrating on utilizing these tools to develop a knowledge building environment where the learning is more individualized. Say goodbye to the “one size fits” all approach, so long to the lecture! The use of 1:1 devices promotes a collaborative culture where students “learn by doing.” Project based learning makes education more interesting to students and much more relevant to their lives. At any rate, be sure to check out the article that highlights the potential coinciding with a fundamental shift in the learning experience, along with the tools to facilitate such a transformation.
Looking for a few examples of iPad integration in a 1:1 classroom? Take a look at this Edutopia article written by Andrew Marcinek where he discusses a few projects that have taken place in the first year of an an 1:1 iPad initiative. Included in this article are French, History, Trigonometry, Calculus, and Digital Literacy projects.
Check out these slides from Dangerously Irrelevant about technology, learning, and change.
I’ll end this week’s post with a video response to a principal who bans social media.
Have a great week folks and see you soon Flyers!
Daytime 
There are two kind of contradictory trends here that need to be pieced-out. The first has to do with project-based learning. Project-based learning is great. I’ve been really happy with the project-based learning I’ve done in my classes. In my biggest embrace of Stanford Design and Project Based learning I used a lot of technology. There was the copy machine, the laminator, and, of course, white boards, markers, and scissors.(In that project, my 12th grade Environmental History class designed and taught lessons to 1st grade boys on the colonial encounter). I snark, but only to point out that project-based learning does not necessitate technology and technology doesn’t equate with PBL.
OTOH, one of the big tech roll outs was Coursera. Coursera is essentially a variation on the TED idea. If we just let the smartest people talk at students, they’ll learn. It’s really a variation on the filmstrip, movie, or DVD.
I think we need to reorient the conversation away from “what can technology do for me?” wherein teachers choose from what seems like the worlds biggest Chinese takeout menu of options and hodgepodge together a 1 from column A and 2 from column B approach.
Instead, we need to ask “what are my students not doing that I want them to do? are there technologies that facilitate those goals? if so, what are they and how do I use them in my classroom?” This is how we become masters of technology rather than tools of technology companies.
Hey David, thank you for the thoughtful post as always.
I’m certainly not suggesting that technology is required for PBL or Design Thinking. Do I think it can be used effectively in many projects, I most certainly do. My DT training at Nueva last year was completely technology free and I loved it! I expected a 3 day training session where I would use both my laptop and iPad heavily, however, I was re-introduced to the whiteboard and sticky notes which I can’t get enough of!
None of what I’m suggesting is technology driven or iPad specific. I’m merely advocating that we provide students with purposeful learning experiences that integrate relevant technology tools. That said, my focus of this post was on a few of the initiatives that I’ll be working on this summer and how they relate to some of the school wide initiatives.
Cheers!
I was there live and in person to see the bitter end. It was sad, sad, sad to see the slumped shouldered fans dispersing with five minutes still left in the game. Booo….
I think your statement is what drives so much of our technology integration down in KM. I don’t have time to be doing fancy tech things for no reason, particularly with the young ones. While they become very skilled at so much it is still a ton of work and investment regarding content, skills, behavior management and expectations to get them to that independent place. The project really needs to be worth it for me to put in that time. Problem Solving, Sharing Knowledge in a public forum, Creativity are usually three of the main driving forces behind my overarching decisions regarding technology. Today the Girls were creating reading “podcasts” with the ipads and laptops to post on their blogs. All the messing about with the ipads and photo booth prior to today allowed them to independently disperse throughout the hallways to do this on their own. Pretty powerful. Hmmmm….I think I have found my next KM blog post.
Hey Stephanie,
It really is amazing what you’re doing withe youngest girls in the school! I love how you have goals set regarding skills prior to making technology decisions ie do we need technology for this? what type of technology will we use? What I may like most out this, is the fact that you’ve have the girls at a point to where they are able to much of the work work on their own.
You may be selling you and your girls a bit short…..this work is INCREDIBLY POWERFUL!
Sorry you had to sit through such a stinker of a game…I was hoping for a much better effort but that 2nd goal really took the wind out of their sails. I’m such a hockey nerd though, so I sill have one game 7 left, and two more rounds of hockey! Plus, free agency starts July 1st, so we’ll get a chance to see what our team is going to look like next year. July 1st (Free agency) and the NHL trade dealine are like Christmas to me 🙂