Students
Learning First, Technology Second
09.December.2011 08:33 Filed in: Instruction
***This post was
written by Tracy Crowley, CCSD21 Integrated
Technology Specialist, and was previously published
in the December 2011 Beacon, published by the District 21
Education Association.
This summer I attended a learning conference hosted by education and technology expert Alan November. The learning I experienced there led me to ask some very important questions of myself and of our District. I would like to share these questions with you, as well as some resources I discovered to help blend learning and technology to make our Learning21 Principles a reality for all students.
View the Learning21 Principles.
Who owns the learning? The one talking and doing the learning owns the learning.
How can students add value to the classroom and to the world? One example is they can take what they are learning and create products posted through wikis, blogs, and podcasts. Give your students opportunities to have a global voice!
How can students have authentic learning experiences with a real purpose, solving real problems, and create solutions for real audiences centered around learning standards? Start with a unit you are already doing and focus on the Power Standards that are embedded in that unit and/or can be integrated with other subject areas. Next, ask yourself and/or your students what problems exist today and what they can do to solve those problems. Once you have decided on a problem, identify the real audience for your solution. From there, plan specific, differentiated learning experiences to attain those goals.
How can students do more than digest information and output answers for the teacher? Have students develop and articulate a deep understanding of important concepts rather than isolated facts. Let them learn in public and receive feedback from others around the world.
How do I allow students to create real products using different technologies I may not be comfortable with? One way is to assign groups of students to discover, play with, learn, and teach new technologies. See Alan November’s Digital Learning Farm article for ideas. Students can go to AtomicLearning to learn how to use software we have in our district. (CCSD21 staff members--If you do not remember the username and password for AtomicLearning, please see your LMC Team.)
I want to use more technology with my students, where do I start? Always start with the Power Standards and the CCSD21 Curriculum Frameworks, look for technology to help solve a real problem for real audiences. Also, ask your students and iTech teachers, LMC Specialists, Learning Coaches, or Principals; they will have ideas! In addition, check Connect21 for sample authentic learning units as staff members are posting them. (And--Post the authentic learning units that you have created, too!)
How much time should I spend on learning the technology? Spend more time on critical thinking and problem solving skills. Don’t spend too much time learning one type of technology, which will change quickly, but do become “tech comfortable,” in general.
Are our students leaving learning legacies? If they are doing purposeful work to solve real problems for real audiences, they are. Authentic learning experiences lead to learning legacies that last well after students graduate. This kind of learning will stay with them for a long, long time. There are an unlimited number of real problems our students can be solving during the learning process.
How can I better motivate students? If students are working on real problems and sharing with real audiences, they know they are making a difference. This will motivate nearly every student. Also, saying to every student (and saying it as often as possible) “You matter, and the world values your contribution” will deeply motivate students to learn and produce to the best of their ability. They will amaze us (and meet standards along the way)!
Overall, how are my students experiencing learning? Take a look at your day from an outside perspective. Does what students are doing look like a working and/or learning environment in the “real world” in 2011? It should. If not, what baby steps can you take to make it look like how the world works today? Congratulate yourself and celebrate each success. This is important work!
Where can I find some examples of this kind of work being done by students? Two great examples: http://mathtrain.tv (view from outside of the district) and http://dgh.wikispaces.com/Mr.+Holman+%26+Mr.+Pennington (a class digital textbook).
Asking and answering these questions in teams can build on the great things already happening our classrooms and help take learning experiences to the next level…reaching the goals of the Learning21 Principles and standards while completely engaging students. View an Alan November talk on this subject on YouTube (again, outside CCSD21).
This summer I attended a learning conference hosted by education and technology expert Alan November. The learning I experienced there led me to ask some very important questions of myself and of our District. I would like to share these questions with you, as well as some resources I discovered to help blend learning and technology to make our Learning21 Principles a reality for all students.
View the Learning21 Principles.
Who owns the learning? The one talking and doing the learning owns the learning.
How can students add value to the classroom and to the world? One example is they can take what they are learning and create products posted through wikis, blogs, and podcasts. Give your students opportunities to have a global voice!
How can students have authentic learning experiences with a real purpose, solving real problems, and create solutions for real audiences centered around learning standards? Start with a unit you are already doing and focus on the Power Standards that are embedded in that unit and/or can be integrated with other subject areas. Next, ask yourself and/or your students what problems exist today and what they can do to solve those problems. Once you have decided on a problem, identify the real audience for your solution. From there, plan specific, differentiated learning experiences to attain those goals.
How can students do more than digest information and output answers for the teacher? Have students develop and articulate a deep understanding of important concepts rather than isolated facts. Let them learn in public and receive feedback from others around the world.
How do I allow students to create real products using different technologies I may not be comfortable with? One way is to assign groups of students to discover, play with, learn, and teach new technologies. See Alan November’s Digital Learning Farm article for ideas. Students can go to AtomicLearning to learn how to use software we have in our district. (CCSD21 staff members--If you do not remember the username and password for AtomicLearning, please see your LMC Team.)
I want to use more technology with my students, where do I start? Always start with the Power Standards and the CCSD21 Curriculum Frameworks, look for technology to help solve a real problem for real audiences. Also, ask your students and iTech teachers, LMC Specialists, Learning Coaches, or Principals; they will have ideas! In addition, check Connect21 for sample authentic learning units as staff members are posting them. (And--Post the authentic learning units that you have created, too!)
How much time should I spend on learning the technology? Spend more time on critical thinking and problem solving skills. Don’t spend too much time learning one type of technology, which will change quickly, but do become “tech comfortable,” in general.
Are our students leaving learning legacies? If they are doing purposeful work to solve real problems for real audiences, they are. Authentic learning experiences lead to learning legacies that last well after students graduate. This kind of learning will stay with them for a long, long time. There are an unlimited number of real problems our students can be solving during the learning process.
How can I better motivate students? If students are working on real problems and sharing with real audiences, they know they are making a difference. This will motivate nearly every student. Also, saying to every student (and saying it as often as possible) “You matter, and the world values your contribution” will deeply motivate students to learn and produce to the best of their ability. They will amaze us (and meet standards along the way)!
Overall, how are my students experiencing learning? Take a look at your day from an outside perspective. Does what students are doing look like a working and/or learning environment in the “real world” in 2011? It should. If not, what baby steps can you take to make it look like how the world works today? Congratulate yourself and celebrate each success. This is important work!
Where can I find some examples of this kind of work being done by students? Two great examples: http://mathtrain.tv (view from outside of the district) and http://dgh.wikispaces.com/Mr.+Holman+%26+Mr.+Pennington (a class digital textbook).
Asking and answering these questions in teams can build on the great things already happening our classrooms and help take learning experiences to the next level…reaching the goals of the Learning21 Principles and standards while completely engaging students. View an Alan November talk on this subject on YouTube (again, outside CCSD21).
Email & CCSD21 Students
29.September.2010 20:20 Filed in: Instruction
Recently, a few questions have emerged regarding
email and our students.
“Can students use outside email at school, such Hotmail, Gmail, and Yahoo! mail?”
Prior to the approval of our current Technology & Internet Acceptable Use Policies, students were not allowed to use outside email in school. While that provision has been removed, its use should not be encouraged. Rather, in the future, School District 21 may provide email addresses for students to use with their peers and staff when working on schoolwork. In the meantime, it is not a violation of the policy for students to email documents to themselves, though their use of email at school and with school resources should be limited to that which supports their schoolwork.
“Can teachers send emails to students, such as work that the may have missed while absent?”
There is nothing in our Student or Staff Acceptable Use Policies that prohibits teachers from emailing students directly, but we would only encourage its use under the following conditions in order to protect students and staff members:
“Can students use outside email at school, such Hotmail, Gmail, and Yahoo! mail?”
Prior to the approval of our current Technology & Internet Acceptable Use Policies, students were not allowed to use outside email in school. While that provision has been removed, its use should not be encouraged. Rather, in the future, School District 21 may provide email addresses for students to use with their peers and staff when working on schoolwork. In the meantime, it is not a violation of the policy for students to email documents to themselves, though their use of email at school and with school resources should be limited to that which supports their schoolwork.
“Can teachers send emails to students, such as work that the may have missed while absent?”
There is nothing in our Student or Staff Acceptable Use Policies that prohibits teachers from emailing students directly, but we would only encourage its use under the following conditions in order to protect students and staff members:
- School-Related: Emails sent to students by teachers should be clearly related to school.
- Parent Permission: Prior to emailing a student directly, teachers should obtain permission from parents.
- Include Parents: When emailing a student, copy the parent(s) using the CC line in the email.
- District Email--Always: As with anything school-related, always use your District 21 email address.
Using the MacBook as the Classroom Computer
25.April.2010 15:43 Filed in: Instruction
| Tech Tips
How do I have students use the Staff MacBook as the
classroom computer?
One of the key components of the Staff MacBook deployment was that the Staff MacBook would also serve as the primary classroom computer. This decision was made initially and later affirmed by District 21 teachers through the Tech Plan process in 2008 and again in 2009. Based on this, the use of the Staff MacBook as the primary classroom computer was part of what was presented to the Board.
Of course, we do not want students (or other staff members) to be able to access an individual’s email nor files that are not being shared collaboratively via a team wiki or email. So, how do multiple users share the same computer without being able to access an individual’s private files?
Both Windows and Mac computers allow for the creation of multiple user accounts on a single computer. The MacBooks deployed to staff take advantage of this. As a staff member, you log-in and log-out of your account on the computer. Assuming you do not share that password with anyone, only you can access that email and those files.
When you want students to use your computer, to share their documents from the server, to create a new document, or to use the Internet, you first need to log-out of the computer. A student should never be on a staff laptop while the staff member is logged in!
Option 1--Use Generic Student Account
Each staff laptop contains a generic Student account. The username for this account is Student. The password for this account is student. Students can log-in to this account. From there, they can use the Internet. They can access their home directories on the server, and use files already saved or save new files. From this account, if the student needs to access the server, the student should use the Go > Connect to Server option from the menu bar.
Then, you will need to enter the address of your school’s file server. Just replace “field” with the name of your school. Then, hit enter.
Now, the student will enter his/her username and password and can access existing files or save new files.
This option is ideal when a number of different students will be accessing the staff laptop in a relatively short amount of time.
Option 2--Students Log-In with AD Username
The other option is that students can simply log-in with their own username and password, just like they do in the Labs/LMC. This will require the computer to be connected to the network, which will be no problem once the wireless network is up and running in May 2010. When the student logs-in like this on the staff laptop computer, the student’s home directory will pull down from the server. This will take just a few minutes for most students. Then, the student will work on the computer, and the work will sync back to the server every 10 minutes. It is important that the student logs out at the end of the work time.
This option is ideal when a single student will be working extensively on the staff laptop.
There are pluses and minuses to each of these options. Choose whichever seems to make the most sense at the time for you, and don’t be afraid to choose different options in different situations.
One of the key components of the Staff MacBook deployment was that the Staff MacBook would also serve as the primary classroom computer. This decision was made initially and later affirmed by District 21 teachers through the Tech Plan process in 2008 and again in 2009. Based on this, the use of the Staff MacBook as the primary classroom computer was part of what was presented to the Board.
Of course, we do not want students (or other staff members) to be able to access an individual’s email nor files that are not being shared collaboratively via a team wiki or email. So, how do multiple users share the same computer without being able to access an individual’s private files?
Both Windows and Mac computers allow for the creation of multiple user accounts on a single computer. The MacBooks deployed to staff take advantage of this. As a staff member, you log-in and log-out of your account on the computer. Assuming you do not share that password with anyone, only you can access that email and those files.
When you want students to use your computer, to share their documents from the server, to create a new document, or to use the Internet, you first need to log-out of the computer. A student should never be on a staff laptop while the staff member is logged in!
Option 1--Use Generic Student Account
Each staff laptop contains a generic Student account. The username for this account is Student. The password for this account is student. Students can log-in to this account. From there, they can use the Internet. They can access their home directories on the server, and use files already saved or save new files. From this account, if the student needs to access the server, the student should use the Go > Connect to Server option from the menu bar.
Then, you will need to enter the address of your school’s file server. Just replace “field” with the name of your school. Then, hit enter.
Now, the student will enter his/her username and password and can access existing files or save new files.
This option is ideal when a number of different students will be accessing the staff laptop in a relatively short amount of time.
Option 2--Students Log-In with AD Username
The other option is that students can simply log-in with their own username and password, just like they do in the Labs/LMC. This will require the computer to be connected to the network, which will be no problem once the wireless network is up and running in May 2010. When the student logs-in like this on the staff laptop computer, the student’s home directory will pull down from the server. This will take just a few minutes for most students. Then, the student will work on the computer, and the work will sync back to the server every 10 minutes. It is important that the student logs out at the end of the work time.
This option is ideal when a single student will be working extensively on the staff laptop.
There are pluses and minuses to each of these options. Choose whichever seems to make the most sense at the time for you, and don’t be afraid to choose different options in different situations.
