Opening Address

 

We need to build a bridge between special education and general education technologies. 

 

 

A great book to read is A Whole New Mind by Daniel H. Pink.

 

Students today take all the technology they bring from home and leave it at the door of the school.  Very Sad.

 

Change needs to come from the top.  When leadership enrolls in the digital classroom it will all come together.

 

TTAC is the SPED traning arm of the VDOE.

 

We need to teach to instruction and not to test.

 

AT has flirted and courted with IT for a long time.  What has the courtship been like in your division?  It's time to consummate the union.

 

Our vision is that all students will use engaging technologies in collaborative inquiry-based environments to assist them in transforming knowledge and skills into products, solutions, and new information.  (A Vision of K-12 Students Today:  UTube, 2007, b.j. nesbitt)

 

Are our students engaged or enraged?  You cannot all ways tell from appearance. Teach the students to think and they will be engaged. 

 

WWW stands for Whatever, Whenever, Where ever

 

IDEA 1990:  What is Assistive Technology?

 

Devices and sevices that help individuals with disabilities carry out a functional activity in their environment.  This means purchasing, borrowing, modifying, changing, and training at no cost tot he parents.  We need to provide whatever it takes to allow them to access the curriculum to show us what they know.  (Stages Software Program)

 

All students need to create, apply, and be excited.  Today and everyday. 

 

(PREP,

Symbol Based Browser:  Communicate Web Wide)

 

We need the right people on the bus.  We need the wrong people off the bus.  We need the right people in the right seats.

 

What if anything makes your division hesitate to take your students global?  Conversations need to be started now because this will happen in spite of the attempts of the most fearful person on your staff to try and stop it.

 

Sometimes we have to hit the reset button.  Madison County took MS Office off all computers and are now using Google Docs.  They have a more limited ability than Office but allow for collaboration.

 

Augusta County took one of its ITRTs and made them strictly AT, placing them under the SPED director but requiring them to be a liason between SPED and Instructional Technology.

 

 

Best Practices:  Enhancing Teaching with Technology

Carol Jones

Louisa County Public Schools

jonessvc@lcps.k12.va.us

 

 

ITRTs are instructional and are part of the instructional team!

 

Why Technology?

 

Applied effectively technology can

-increase student learning

-augments motivation

-encourages collaborative learning

-supports development of critical thinking and problem solving skills

 

Technology can be especially effective for at-risk and special needs students

-non-judgemental

-motivational

-provides frequent and immediate feedback

-allows for individualization

-allows for more autonomy

--provides for a multisensory learning environment

 

Research behind using technology effectively

-Marzano's 9 categories of strategies

-the affect on student achievement

-needs to be used purposefully

-4 planning strategies will help math strategies to need

 

Marzano's nine strategies:

 

1. Identifying similarities and differences

2. Summarizing and note taking

3. Reinforcing effort and providing recognition

4. Homework and practice

5. Nonlinguistic representations

6. Cooperative learning

7. Setting objectives and providing feedback

8. Generating and testing hypotheses

9. Cues, questions, and advance organizers

 

4 planning questions for Instructions

1.  What will the students learn?

2.  Which strategy will provide evidence of student learning?

3. Which strategies will help students acquire and integrate learning?

4.  Which strategies will help students practice, review, and apply learning?

 

The SOL is important but is not the primary focus.  Plan the end.  Plan the beginning.  Then plan the middle.  Planning is a delberate thought process.

 

Skimming or sampling students with questions at the end of a lesson is NOT a good, accurate assessment of what they learned.

 

 

What will the students know at the end of the lesson?

-set objectives that are specific but flexible

-allow for some student input

-communicate the objective to the student

-contract with the student to attain specific objectives

 

 

Programs that Marzano suggests using

-word processing

-webbing/brainstorming

-multimedia

-web based

(Louisa provides email to all middle and high school students.)

 

 

 

 

 

Create and Use Rubrics

-rubrics let students know exactly what is expected

-use web based rubric tools

--rubi-star  http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php

-- rubrics for web lessons http://webquest.sdsu.edu/rubrics/weblessons.htm

--landmark project rubric machine  http://landmark-project.com/rubric_builder/index.php

 

 

Many VA school divisions in VA are now requiring teachers to have blogs in order to have a web pressence.

 

Strategies that will provide evidence of student learning

-providing feedback

-providing recognition

 

Remember that Marzano suggests the following software

-word processing applications

-data collection tools

-multimedia

-web recources

-communications software

 

Word Processing

-track changes and insert comments

-provides timely feedback

-comments can act as a starting point for editorial decisions

-Flesch-Kincaid Readability Scale-Students can use for feedback on sophistication of their writing

 

MS Word does a readability test.  Start spell check and it will have an option to start.

 

Data Collection Tools

-classroom response system (CPS)

-feedback whole class or by students

-can use words or pictures

-can create a study guide for each student showing which questions were answered correctly and giving the correct answer for incorrect responses

 

Web Resources

-rubrics for detailed feedback

-games and simulations

--problem solving

--collaborative

--requires planning

--provides the repeition needed

---http://www.mathplayground.com

---http://www.explorelearning.com

---http://www.cut-the-know.org/games.html

 

Marzano says, "... the use of computer simulation as the vehicle with which students manipulate artifacts produced the highest effect."

 

Strategies that will help students acquire and integrate learning

-cues, questions, and advance organizers

-nonlinguistic representation

-summarizing and note taking

-cooperative learning

-reinforcing effort

 

Higher level questions combined with advanced organizers stimulates higher level thinking.

 

Cues, questions, and advanced oganizers

-focus on what is important

-"higher level" questions and advanced organizers produce deeper learning

-most useful with information that is not well organized

-wait time for questions increased the depth of students' answers

-word processing applications

-organizing and brainstorming software

-multimedia

 

A study on pupil's use of multimedia advance organizers and its effect on retention found that students who were given a PowerPoint advance organzer to help articulate a lesson retained more information than those who did not receive this type of multimedia advance organizer.  ( Chien-Hsun Tseng, 2004)

 

Strategies will help students acquire and integrate learning

-nonlinguistic representation

-elaborate on knowledge

-have students

--create physical models

--generate mental pictures

--engage in kinesthetic activities

 

Non-lingusitc representations

--word processing applications

-spreadsheet software

-organizing and brainstorming software

-digital microscopes

-web resources

-multimedia

 

 

 

 

 A great high school software program would be inspire data

 

By high school, software usage should be rote.

 

Strategies that will help students acquire and integrate learning

-summarizing

--students need to be able to summarize, delete some information, substitue some information, and keep some information

-notetaking

--students must organize information to capture the main idea and supporting details

 

Summarizing applications

-work processing

--track changes

--auto summarize

-organize and brainstorming software

 

Notetaking applications

-word processing

--combination notes: outlining, webbing, pictographs, words

 

 

Organizing and brainstorming software

 

Summarizing and Notetaking

-multimedia software

 

Caution:  Students can get caught up in the entertainment factor and neglect the critical analysis necessary to create useful notes

 

Web Resources

-Notestar http://notestar.org

-Google Docs and Spreadsheets http://docs.google.com

 

 Summarizing and Notetaking applications

-communication software

--wikis and blogs

---allows groups to share the resources, edit web pages, find and categorize information by means of tages or short descriptions of resources

--blogs can be effective for reciprocal teaching

---summarizing, questionsing, clarifying, predicting

 

Speech-to-text software provides

-immediate construction feedback

-improved literacy skills due to heightened engagement with print and language

-reinforces vocabulary and writing conventions

 

Research is showing that even minor struggling students benefit from S-T or T-S software.

 

Text to speech software allows struggling readers to:

-focus on comprehension

-build endurance in reading

-increases the amount of time for reading

 

(Curtswell)

 

Timeliner is not just for Macs.

 

Timeliner is an easy to use software application that should be on most computers in our schools.  The main purpose of Timeliner is to develop the sense of time and chronology based on events.  Using Timeliner for visual organization, the students can keep track of events in a story or novel they are reading or arrange events in history.  Timeliner also makes it easy for students to sequence the stages of a scientific process. arrange fractions in numerical order or illustrate exponential growth.

 

Timeliner can also be used for comparison.  Students can compare a historical fiction book to a timeline of actual events in history or compare relative weights for a person on each planet.  Multiple timelines can be merged.  Sample timelines are included for each subject.  Once timelines are created, they can be displayed in an assortment of views. Students can export timelines as JPEG images or present their timelines as a slideshow.

 

 

Strategies that will hep students practice, review and apply learning

-identifying similarities and differences

-homework and practices

-generating and testing hypothesis

 

Identifying similarities and differences

-by restructuring their understanding of the content, students make new connections, gain insights, correct misunderstandings

-word processing software

-orgainizing and brainstorming software

spreadsheet software

 

 

 

Credits:

 

Putting the Pieces Together~Integrating Technology with Marzano's Instructional Strategies: http:// gets.gc.k12.va.us/VSTE/2008/

Silver~Pacuilla and Fleischman, Steve. Technology to Help Struggling Students. Educational Leadership, February 2008.

Pittler, Howard, Hubell, Elizabeth, Kuhn, Matt, Malenoski.  Using Technology with lassroom Instruction That Works.  (2007). ASCD: Alexandria, VA.

 

Future of Technology For All Students

Mark Outten, Madison County

moutten@madisonschools.k12.va.us

moutten@edthink.org

http://edthink.org

 

This is the link to Mark's presentation.

 

It will be personalized, mobile, assistive

 

Technology is not just a nice thing, it should be ubiquitous.

 

Everywhere, all the time, free.

 

We have moved from an agricultural society to a goods society, to a services society.

 

Technology breaks down barriers, allows kids to level jump.  EX. India and China

 

Power of Technology levels the playing field.  All you need to know is how to code.  Colin Powell's life is an example. 

 

The schools we need Presentation @ Ignite Philly 2.

 

 

Can you learn to unlearn?

 

Books to read:

                   

 

In the Big Switch, Carr says the IT person is going away.  Many tech jobs disappearing.  Teachers will always be needed.

 

In India only 33% of people have electricity yet only 13 out of 100 XO laptops need to see the access point.

 

Ebook readers:  Eee PC, HP, Amazon Kindle

 

Look into becoming a Google Certified Teacher.

 

Best Educational tools:

ustream

Skype

flicker

dipity

explorelearning

facebook

ning

discovery learning-United Streaming

twitter

delicious

flickr

 

Thin Clients

 

MS licensing now the most expensive. 

 

The biggest conversation in the schools today needs to be on using IPODS and cell phones in the classroom.

 

Our AUPs need to be updated.

 

Differentiating Technology in the Classroom

Brian Dye, Brenda Lucus, Mona Pruitt

 

This presentation passed out many handouts which are attached.

 

Differentiating Technology in the Classroom.pdf

I Feel Mushy.pdf

Mushy Data.pdf

List of Possible Assistive Technologies.pdf

Assistive Technology Checklist.pdf

Introduction to the SETT Framework.pdf

SETT Approach.pdf

AAC and Assitstive Technology Resources.pdf

Consumer Guide for Administrators.pdf

 

 

Closing

 

Questions to ask your administration:

1.  What is your vision concerning technology for all?

2.  How important in it that your instructional team work together?  If we want all students to be successful, not only on this year's SOLs, but on the future 21st century skills needed long after, where does our team need to start?  Who should be included on this team?

3.  What do we do to ensure that all team members, including the reluctant teacher, end up on the same page?

 

Our Plan.pdf

 

Look up QIAT