So many conference goers skipped out on the Friday morning sessions and to me these were among the best offerings of the week.  In fact there were three I wanted to attend at the same time.  I finally chose Mobile Technologies and the Legal Questions You Need to Answer.  I wish it had been a seminar with a round table discussion afterward.  It was fascinating.  I understood the lawyer that spoke to us could not address our questions about a specific state but his insight and expertise into the law regarding this issue was very informative.  Some of us that gathered after the session discussed the topic and we agreed that rules and regulations weren’t necessarily the answer as much as the mind set of those who were supposed to follow them.  The idea that it is OK for one to text their child in class because it is “their” child is in a lot of ways the root of the problem.  Rules are not made to be broken but need to be changed if they are not working.  One of the other sessions I had wanted to attend Friday morning was Cell Phones as Classroom Tools.  I like the idea of not fighting an uphill battle so to speak and allowing cell phones to be used.  But, one thing that was very pointed out during this session: What if an emergency happens and all the students get out their cell phones and start making calls.  First you end up with jammed airways that are needed by emergency personnel, then you will have parents telling their children to do one thing when the people they should be listening to are physically with them and know what is best and safest for the student and these instructions might be the exact opposite of what the student is being told by their parent.  Something parents who think their child the exception to the rule about texting/calling might think about.

Today I visited the Denver School of Science and Technology and in part the visit was due to the kind generosity of the people at Smart Technologies and I want to publicly say thank you.  Large, very large, school districts as those in and around Denver have the capabilities of doing great things and this week I have been privileged to witness two different building sites that are leaders in the world of education.  The one thread I have found in common with the two site visits this year is they both say they are “small schools by design” .  The freedom of choice policy that is in place in the state of Colorado enables these large school districts to create pockets of “small school by design” schools.  The concept is wonderful,but two things I noticed about both districts I visited  is that they limit the number of students they accept to be able to meet their goals.  The rural America that I know is mostly made of small schools, but not by design, but by population.  I wish the parents at these rural schools wanted their children to learn as much as the parents at the Denver School of Science and Technology to be able to hold a student accountable for not doing their homework on the day it was due and not at the end of the term with a report card grade would greatly improve those all important test scores.  The teachers at the Denver School of Science and Technology seem to want to learn new things as much as their students do.  Again, not the norm in public school and something I hope is changing.   I think today’s site visit was a great trip.  The comments I heard on the bus ride home were also favorable with the exception the power point presentation was a little long.  I personally wish I had had some idea as to what their tech center actually was so I could have skipped it and not skipped visiting the Middle School.  Both the high school tour and the middle school tour could have included the tech center.

October is about to come to a close, and since it is National Cyber Security Awareness Month I thought I’d mention an excellent piece about teaching your child to be internet-savvy from the get-go.

Wired’s Geekdad has recently had a series of guest posts by Adam Rosenberg, New Media Manager, Center for Democracy & Technology, and The First E-Mail Address: Raising an Internet-Savvy Child certainly caught my attention. Here are some key points, but I suggest you check out the full article:

1. The never talk to strangers rule is still true online.
2. Treat your e-mail address like any other piece of property.
3. Read every form you fill out during sign-up, including the privacy policy.
4. Do not give out personal information without permission.
5. Keep an open dialogue with your children about their internet usage and whom they talk to.

Your experiences and opinions are sought as the US Department of Education embarks on a new National Education Technology Plan. Each past plan has served an important role in the evolution of technology implementation, but this new plan seeks to identify the strategies that are truly transforming the learning experience. They are looking for examples and best practices of technology use in the areas of Learning, Teaching, Assessment, and Productivity. Sessions at T+L address many of these topics, and while we could try and tell your stories of success, you can do it better than us!! 

Your successes can help shape the national vision for technology’s role in education. Please visit the Dept’s site and upload your first-hand experience. For example, let them know how one-to-one learning, real-world projects that create more engaged students, or initiatives that address digital inequities are positively impacting your students and teachers.  Now is your chance to share your story with the world!  Visit www.edtechfuture.org.

Due to the large quantity of comments posted to a previous blog entitled “Keyboard vs Pen” it seems there are quite a few students out there in cyber world who read the T+L Blog.  Many of these student bloggers voiced their preference of writing instruments and gave many good reasons why they prefer either the keyboard or the pen. 

Those students in favor of the keyboard prefer its ease of editing and organization – noting the increase in the readability of their work.  Some appreciate the relative speed at which they can record their thoughts.  And, the luxury of the spelling/grammar check function helps some students to polish their finished product while learning to spell correctly.  Our “green” bloggers value the keyboard for its role in the reduction of paper waste.  Many students say they use the keyboard as a way to stay connected to the latest technologies and as a channel to upload their thoughts to the world.  

On the other hand, those students in favor of the pen noted that writing allows them to learn through muscle memory.  Some students feel greater focus when working with pen and paper, sometimes due to the temptation of the internet.  A few bloggers pointed out that many standardized tests continue to require hand written essays in their testing.   Lastly, a number of money conscious students appreciate the affordable cost of pen and paper.

One student argues for both keyboard and pen use “I find the advantages of writing via computer and pen both too valuable to sacrifice. Students benefit from both methods, and, as usual, having two options is much more effective than only having one.” 

While another student looks to the future “It is a good skill to be able to hand write and students need that skill; but in the world we live in today not knowing how to use technology and the computer will affect you a lot in the future.  Therefore we should have and use both skills to the best of our abilities.” 

In the end, it could just come down to personal preference.  One blogger, explains “Maybe this sounds silly, but the way I see it, it’s all dependent on the individual. Just because one study says this and another study says that doesn’t necessarily mean there is a “better” way to write.”

Keyboard vs Pen, the storm continues to rage…

Just when it seems we could be creating a generation of non-writers (keyboarders) a recent study performed by Virginia Berninger, a University of Washington Professor of Educational Psychology, discovered that children write better and longer essays at a faster pace when using a pen.  The purpose of this study was to compare methods of transcription (the process of translating thought and ideas into written form).  Read the article to find out whether the keyboard or pen was more useful while writing the alphabet and how the results of this study could affect disabled children.  Berninger declares “We need to help children become bilingual writers so they can write by both the pen and the computer. So don’t throw away your pen or your keyboard. We need them both.”

Note taking in the 21st Century!  Are whiteboards increasing student ability to take notes?  See how a 4th grade class is using BrainPOP movies and activity pages for note taking.  With these 21st century tools, note taking has become interactive by allowing teachers to provide feedback on effective note taking while it’s happening.  Note taking skills are essential throughout a student’s life and BrainPOP, who will present at T+L this October, recognized the need to help properly develop that skill which will provide students with an opportunity to excel in the classroom.  Watch the below video to see BrainPOP in action! 

Do you use BrainPOP in your classroom or school district?  If so, please share your experience and the impact on learning and student development.

So what makes Fayetteville Public Schools stand out to the Technology Leadership Network (TLN)?  What inclined the TLN  to showcase Fayetteville Public Schools with a Spring Site Visit?

Well, the Technology Leadership Network would like to give you the opportunity to hear about their journey and success directly from this leading district.  Come chat with them at T+L this fall or visit their district for a closer look during TLN’s Spring Site Visit to Fayetteville Public Schools. Their excellence may have something to do with their approach to project based learning and 21st century education environments but that is just the beginning.  Visit the Fayetteville Public School website to watch their Best Practices Series and learn more about what sets them apart!

Yes- a ringing cell phone is an unwelcome classroom disruption.  And a texting teen isn’t exactly getting the most out of the lesson plan. But does that mean that this prevalent piece of technology should stay on the black list of banned technology in the classroom?  Or can it be something more?

Elliot Soloway encourages school leaders to rethink the attitude towards mobile technology like cell phones.  Soloway, a University of Michigan education and computer science professor, argues that cell phones and other handheld devices can actually be used in the classroom to add an element of real world application to lessons and enhance instruction.  One of today’s most challenging conversations is how to reach a mobile generation.  And since today’s students undoubtedly are digital natives, why not make use of technology that is practically glued to their hands?

Come explore the argument first-hand in Denver this October.  Register now for T+L’s breakfast session with Elliot and his co-speaker Cathleen Norris- Educating the Mobile Generation- Go Mobile! Go Global!  Elliot will also be a featured speakers during the TEDxTLN Summit, an elite conversation that will re-inspire your definition of leadership in education.

If Wii remotes are good enough to be used for training in medical schools could they also be used as a teaching tool in the classroom?  Why not integrate these intuitive tools our students are already using at home into their learning environments? 

Students at Weill Cornell Medical College have discovered the many benefits of using the Wii remote to examine CT and MRI images.  In classroom settings, the ergonomic and intuitive Wii remote has been found to encourage class interaction while improving accuracy in interpreting scans while decreasing repetitive motion injuries.   Wake Forest University School of Medicine is also using the Wii remote to teach students to read 3D renderings of CT images.  

Learn how to build a Wii Remote Whiteboard for a less expensive alternative in the classroom to commercial electronic whiteboards. 

Wii Remotes, so many options, so little time…