Generation YES Blog » teacher

GenYES changes the way teachers view students, school, and technology

Sylvia Martinez — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 09:34:58 +0000

OK, I know a post this long violates all the rules of blogging. But I’m doing it to make a statement that only volume can make. And you don’t have to read it all – just skim through it. You’ll get the picture soon enough!

Every year we ask our GenYES schools to fill out surveys. GenYES students take a survey about helping teachers integrate technology throughout the year. GenYES lead teachers take surveys about running the class, give us feedback on the online tools and curriculum, and their perceptions of how GenYES has changed the whole school relationship to technology. We also ask the teachers who partner with GenYES students to answer a few questions. These are the teachers who allow GenYES students to do everything from fix their computers and troubleshoot their projectors to co-design whole standards-aligned units that take advantage of the latest technology.

The experiences of these “partner-teachers” are at the core of the GenYES philosophy. Can students be taught enough about technology and learning to provide meaningful help to teachers? Will teachers accept help from a student? Will teachers not only accept the help, but learn new technology from students? Will they continue to use technology to improve education?

Every year the answer is a resounding YES. Every year we see the surveys – typically 90+% of teachers say that working with a GenYES student was positive, useful, and increased their understanding of how technology can improve education.

This year I thought I’d share a bit more. LOTS MORE! Below are replies to the open ended question – “How has your experience with GenYES changed the way you view students, school, and technology?” Because these answers illuminate how deep the GenYES experience goes and how it changes the student, teacher and the whole school community.

GenYES partner-teachers responses to: “How has your experience with GenYES changed the way you view students, school, and technology?”

GenYES gives students a wonderful opportunity to assist teachers and staff and provide them with a sense of service. As students become more proficient in technology, so will teachers.

GenYES has helped me develop a closer relationship with students I don’t have in class. Their expertise is amazing!

I enjoy working with the GenYES students. Their enthusiasm brings enthusiasm to my students.

I love this program for the fact that the students that create the project have a real sense of accomplishment. The fact that they produce something that then gets used by me to teach other kids is very empowering.

I think giving the students the power to teach is great. It really gives them a sense of accomplishment when they finish.

I think students can benefit from using technology to learn the required curriculum.

I think that the students are capable of producing a product that is of high quality that they can then use to teach the students with.

I truly enjoy the projects the GenYES students make.

It was really great to interact with students who would create a project I could use in my teaching.

My students love the use of technology in the classroom. They are more anxious to learn!

Students can help teachers learn just as well as adults.

Students creating something to help me teach was great!

The GenYES program has helped me continue to love teaching.

The GenYES students are fun for me to work with. I enjoy their drive and determination. I’ll be moving to a different school next year, and there’s no GenYES program. I’ll miss participating in GenYES.

The students have been a pleasure to work with and also a great help.

Yes it has helped me see new ways of doing things therefore re-invigorating my teaching.

the students are able to create and teach material that is essential for this class and state standards. I will now use more technology and student-generated work in the future.

The GenYes program has shown me that incorporating technology into the classroom is very important for todays students who are techno driven.

The more involved students can be with computers in the curriculum the better for the students since they enjoy and are more willing to learn if the computer is part of the process.

It is a good outlet for students to do new and exciting things.

Opportunity to work with students on technology has really been encouraged through working with GenYes. Before I would just try to figure it out myself. GenYes has helped me to see a new way of looking at teaching.

I am more able to appreciate and use the students’ technological skills.

I think it was a good mutual learning experience for both teacher and student. We were able to learn technology from the students and they learned about our program.

It has given me a greater appreciation of the technological knowldege that students have.

Students feel empowered when they are asked to help a teacher. That don’t get to do that very often. I think it’s a wonderful thing!

Continues to help me see the value of empowering students to learn and use their talents for the good of others, not just themselves. It’s a nice byproduct that they feel better about their abilities as a result.

Students attend more readily to the visuals provided by computer-assisted instruction. Since the study of the solar system is rarely “hands-on” the students benefited from the one-to-one instruction provided by the GenYES student. I would not have been able to reach all the students in my class in this way without repeated interruptions.

Using technology in the lower grades will definitely prepare my students for their futures in high school and beyond. It gives them confidence to feel that they will be able to compete and participate in the real world, and that helps them feel connected to their futures. It’s very empowering.

Intergragting computers for use in the classroom can be done. Also, the students love it.

It has made me see how “native” kids are to technology…they can do anything with technology with little guidance!

technology is another way for students to learn and the interest level is really high when they get to use it.

This experience with GenYES had made it clear to me that students can create a project relating to standard content. Students in GenYES learned not only the content, but also computer and presenting skills.

Get out of students’ way! They are so much more comfortable with technology than are the teachers!

I felt it helped me to try new things using Technology in my classroom.

I found them to be very cooperative and helpful!

I have learned that the students need more room to create and design their projects. One of the most important things we need to do is get out of the students’ way. I truly believe that GEN YES has allowed teachers and students to partner their learning.

I think it is fantastic that I can get help from student around my school campus.

I think its a good pogect for students and teachers

I think that it is wonderful that students have the opportunity to learn about technology and help teachers learn about it, too.

I would like to see more kids have this opportunity. I realize that it takes an incredible amount of time for the tech teacher to train these kids but the payoff is well worth it.

It was a great form of mentoring. I also appreciate all the time and effort it took for the student to complete the project.

Students are much more capable that they are given credit for being. There are many problems that they can collaboratively solve and solutions to obstacles that they have a unique perspective on.

I enjoy seeing students motivated and creative with technology in teaching or assisting teachers with student learning.

I know that technology is an important part of the way we need to teach our children and it was helpful having a student make that connection.

I realize what a virtually untapped resource students can be in helping teachers.

GenYes provided a valuable service for our school. We have experienced technology users that bring a kid’s perspective to the presentation.

I believe I have a resource to help me with any of my tech challenges.

I have more confidence using technology knowing I can get help when I run into a problem.

I am aware that technology will become more and more prelevant in my daily teaching.

I’m very impressed with the students work.

It continues to remind me that student – teacher partnerships are meaningful and can be implemented in several ways in schools.

That they definitely know more about computers and programs than I do. The students are very helpful in teaching me how to do web design.

With the right training they can do amazing projects which can help others

I delight in my students creating lessons from their perspective. It is helpful for me as their teacher, to see what they consider to be important in their learning.

Every time I work with GenYES students, I am inspired!

GenYES students have taught me that students are a great resource for learning. They motivate me to use technology.

It was amazing to see how technologically saavy these fourth graders were. I learned a great deal from them. It was also nice to step back and allow students to take over the technology piece for a change.

I give them a credit for being pretty good at using and working with computers.

I liked the responsibility accepted by students.

I think that every student can conquer the technology aspect in any classroom.

I think that fun interactive lessons will help keep students on task and keep their interest levels up.

This project helped me see that technology can be used anywhere.

I look forward to more collaboration of this type with the HS technology students.

I think this is a great way to involve students in learning and would like to learn more about how to integrate it into the classroom.

I was happy to have an opportunity for my students to act as teachers. They are all very excited to have a turn creating interactive lessons for the class to share

I was very proud of the projects that my students created on their own. It was clear that they enjoyed the program and learned a lot from it.

It’s pretty obvious that every American student needs to become extremely comfortable and efficient with modern technology. GenYES will help out students do this.

I have always liked to integrate new ways of learning into my lessons…GenYES has opened another valuable “door” to the teaching of students in my class.

I knew students were capable before . . . I did see that the computer can offer some students a venue within which they can shine.

I see the value of students mentoring other students; I see ways to enhance learning through creative opportunities available to students using computer tools

I was surprised and excited to see the learning that took place! Both the students and I made huge, impressive leaps! Students definitely had a positive attitude and put a lot of energy toward working on their projects.

I was very impressed with the ability of the GenYes students. They were hardworking and dedicated in completing our project.

It is exciting to see the finished products done with the computer. It is equally and more exciting to see the students fully engaged when working on these projects. It provides assessment of learning in a unique and interesting way.

Students were more engaged and learned a great deal about the subject. It was rewarding for me to see them excited about it and then to see their excellent finished products.

This has been an outstanding experience for students and teachers. It has really helped to build a feeling of family within our school colleagues and students.

I know that my students are becoming more comfortable around technology because of GenYes.

My involvement with GenYES has totally changed the way I look at teaching.

My experience with GenYes has made me feel a lot more comfortable with computers. It has also shown me that the students are very capable of performing well while working with computers.

GenYES has made this year much easier for me and more fun. I think that students enjoy getting to learn about stuff on laptops. It has also helped with me understanding more in a students mind because my partner and I would interact and I would understand my students curriculum

GenYes has really helped me interact more with a student and helped me learn from another person even though they were younger then i was.

I feel that technology is a great way to teach students about different programs and I plan on using it more in the future.

I noticed that the GenYES students know more about computers than I do.

I now feel confident in teaching my students a lesson using technology. The students really enjoy using the computers on a regular basis.

I think the thing that changed the way feel about the school and students is that they under stand the computer better then some of the teachers.

It changed they way I look at the school and students by showing me that students are learning more about technology each and every day. So there fore they have to teach the teachers more about the computers or just technology.

It has changed the way I look at school and students by showing me that students can also teach me something. They can show me more and more about technology.

It has helped me understand the way most students think because I got to know my partner and I began to understand his curriculum.

It helped me understand that most of the students that go to the school that I’m teaching at know more about computers then I do.

It made me more aware of how much the students really know.

It makes me want to use computers more often in class. Also, it helps the students learn more about the computer programs.

My GenYES experiences have showed me that students are more than capable of learning new programs and teaching them to other students. I also feel that technology and computers are great ways to learn new things.

My experience with GenYES has made me feel a lot better about most of my students. It has shown me that they are VERY capable of performing well while working with computers.

My experience with GenYes was outstanding because I am able to learn more about other technology that I am not familiar to and as a teacher you would want to do that so you have a chance to help your students. I am more comfortable with computers now, now that I am familiar with the mechanics of it. GenYes is a great experience for me and I am looking forward on having another great GenYes student-partners next year.

Since i have begun teaching, many changes have been made in how we keep records and present our lessons. The GenYes program has made me more aware that the students know how to use technology and a result i should actively seek new ways to integrate technology into my lessons.

The GenYES program shows that school doesn’t have to be boring and can have some fun in it. It shows that some students who are okay in the area of computers can become great.

The GenYes students have showed me that students can make amazing projects with the computers and really learn. I know that using technology in school can really improve students learning. I feel that I will use technology more in the classroom because it helps so much.

Using computers more often, I believe, gives my students a more exciting way to learn and create projects. The students love to use the computers and it makes learning much more enjoyable and they can stay focused for longer with the computers.

With the Genyes program i feel a lot better with the students because if i have other students make projects for my class they tend to pay attention more then me making it myself. With the Genyes program i can compare projects with other teachers at different schools and give and receive project ideas from other science teachers.

Yes. I think the students are much more advanced technology wise and have a better understanding of computers then I suspected. Using technology in school is a fun way to learn math. I think my students enjoyed it, and I’d like to do it again.

it has helped me incorporate more technology into the curriculum and it has helped me learn more about using computers for school.

I really enjoyed working with the girls and am truly amazed at their creative abilities. I had no idea that students could create such quality work.

I think it is wonderful that children learn so many aspects of technology at such a young age. I also think it is remarkable that they are able to pass it on to other generations.

This is my second year and I feel having students come and make presentations to younger children is very effective. My class is looking forward to when they can do the same.

Although I myself was hesitant to learn new things on the computer, once I learned and felt confident, I taught my students and they taught each other. I am amazed at what good students and teachers they are in the area of computers. I will forever be changed in my view of their ability!

I am proud of everything my students learned with from the Genyes students.

I found it very interesting working with general ed students, especially in that they were teaching me something.

I was so impressed with my student’s level of responsibility.

It makes technology in my classroom a reality – especially with our new Smartboards.

G. has been helpful on more than just the assigned project. She often showed me how to do “the little things” that prevent me from using technology with my students.

I am so pleased with the GenYes program. I think it is a wonderful way to get students and teachers invoved in creating technology lessons and units together. I love GenYes!

I feel that I appreciate my students even more by participating in this program.

I have always had a high degree of respect for my students and technology. I can only look to the future for greater achievements.

I have been working with students in this environment for a while. I continue to look at student progress in a positive manner and enjoy the creativity of my students.

I have come to realize what a benefit it is for my students to be able to use technology to their advantage for research, with help to complete homework, and personal use.

I wonder how we ever functioned without the use of technology in the classroom.

It has been wonderful to have students able to teach me how to do certain things, to have them help students in the class and to try and troubleshoot any problems. These students are amazing!

It has broadened my scope in the learning environment. I can see a real place for the computer as a learning tool in the classroom as well as the personal life of myself and my students.

It is very important that we integrate technology in our classroom. The students we educate today are a product of the 21st century and technology is a major part of their learning environment.

It really has not changed the way I think or feel about my students. I will, in the future, learn more about their knowledge base so I can utilize their technology expertise and have them gain valuable experience putting their knowledge into practical use.

Students can often be the best teachers and mentors. Pairing a 5th grader with my 3rd graders was a wonderful way for younger students to be influenced positively by an older student.

Students teaching students is a wonderful tool to motivate students.

That students have the power to work with one another at various grade levels, and it creates a personal partnership between teacher and student.

The students adapt to computers quickly and easily.

This is a great opportunity for students to be leaders in the technology field. It also helps their teachers!

I am reminded of how engaging computers are for them.

I have been involved with technology for many years (even as a leader), and have used it and taught it in many capacities. I originally thought that my young partner student would not teach me anything new, but I was surprised to find I was wrong. My GenYes experience proved that you can always learn something new!

I really enjoyed working with my GenYes partner. She is a hard working student that put a lot of effort into completing this powerpoint. She did an excellent job and I learned some great new ways to make my future powerpoints more interesting.

I think it is a great opportunity for students and teachers.

I think that GenYES has shown me how capable the students really are when it comes to using technology. It has taught me that I can learn from them.

Students are very excited to use technology in school and as a learning experience.

All students are much more capable with computers than I would have expected for their age. Also, students were very careful with the computers and respectful of their partners. The sixth grade students were extremely knowledgeable about technology and very patient with my students. I feel like laptops have a real use in the classroom. Before I would have said that this expensive technology would not have had realistic applications in a third grade classroom.

I have always appreciated the opportunities for students to take on a leadership role. GenYES has provided an avenue to further this.

I was a bit concerned the fourth graders would not be able to fully instruct my third graders but the student teachers were incredible, effective and responsible. They were able to instruct my students with new technology. The lap tops are great!

I was impressed with the knowledge and skill of the GenYES students. It was fun working with older students.

I was very impressed at the support given to the students and in turn their enthusiastic support for technology in my classroom. I have watched them assist fellow students and myself become more comfortable with the varied use of technology.

It provides more of my students with computer access and allows use to teach directly to a larger group allowing each student more one on one time.

It showed me that my students are very responsible and the are leaders for the class.

My experience with GenYES reinforced my thinking that students are capable of teaching their classmates new skills. My experienced with GenYES also made me realize that how easy it is to integrate technology into subject areas.

Students can be helpful as peer tutors and can teach me new technology.

This experience has enlightened me to the fact that integrating technology into the classroom excites most students, and creates an opportunity for some to soar. Computers are an excellent tool for building confidence, learning the curriculum, and engaging students that might not normally be engaged in the lesson at hand. Having older students teach younger students is something I’ve always been involved in, and this experience helped further solidify my commitment to continue doing so in my classroom.

Giving students more freedom to work on independent work. I’m also somewhat of a perfectionist, and using something which the student worked on, but didn’t exactly teach it how I wanted, was a little challenge for me, but I learned that the students still learned and it was still great!

I now more actively look for new ways to integrate computers into class projects.

I totally enjoyed working with the students and have thought of projects that I would like to do in the future.

I was frustrated with the availability of hardware needed for this presentation. The staff at my school came to my aid and got the game going right before I needed it-to them I am grateful. The students did a great job putting this project together and I know that using it was fun for all.

I was surprised that the students seemed to like both technology and overheads for lessons. Some seem to feel that they have already played the game show and want a new, exciting format. Such a hard audience.

It is a good way for students to work on their own. I would like to be able to work with these students one on one though.

It is a very effective way to teach students the useful and beneficial aspect of technology.

It keeps the students attention a lot more focus.

It was fun to not only have the students do their own technology project, but to also use what they had created in class was awesome.

Students are growing up in an age of technology and like using it in the learning environment.

The one thing I realized is how out of date I am with computers. It is not the same or as easy as it was when I was a junior in high school. So much has changed and so quick! The students knowledge of computers is incredible.

I feel that after working with students, GenYES should be offered to more students.

It has made new programs not so difficult to learn!

It has not changed the way that I feel. It has opened up other avenues to conduct lessons.

Students can answer my questions and working with them half way through the year, they know my teaching style and can work with my strenthgs and weaknesses.

The students are able to work creatively with Technology.

Yes. The students were actively engaged in the project as well as lending the helping hand in the review.

I really enjoy the GenYes experience. When students generate a project for my class I feel that they have truely grasped the concept they are working with. This is a great partnership!

I am absolutely impressed with students’ abilities to “design” with computers–I can see so many uses which are highly motivating!!

I am constantly amazed at the high level of motivation that computers bring to the entire learning process–for both students and teachers!! I am looking forward to really applying my new learned knowledge to other “projects” and subject areas next school year.

I am happy that my students can be exposed to so much technology. It will help them as they leave the classroom and go out into the work force. I think GenYes has been a positive opportunity for me and my students.

I am very proud of the hard work and effort that my Gen YES students have displayed.

I just enjoyed the experience. I have been computer phobic for years. Working with my GenYes students gave me more confidence to use technology in my classroom. I still have a long way to go, but this was a start.

I truly enjoyed the experience with my GenYes student. She was very serious about the task and the project as a whole. I am excited about the possibilities for our school and integrating technology.

I was appreciative that one of my special day students could participate in a program that I initially thought would only be available to regular education students.

I was glad my students got to participate in this project. It was very motivational. Their enthusiasm is contagious.

It was a very positive experience. My GenYes students were very helpful. I wish all students conducted themselves so well.

My experience gave me great hope for what our school can be in the near future.

Students are a great resource to teach other students and teachers. The GenYes students were responsible, cooperative and innovative!

The GenYes students demonstrated great teaching skills. They were patient and responsible in their duties.

The GenYes students demonstrated that they have skills to teach other students. Using students to teach teachers or other students is a great resource.

I feel more comfortable using technology in my classroom and would like to use more with my kids.

I feel that students can teach the teachers. They are much more computer savvy!

I was impressed at how knowledgeable my GenYES students were with technology.

It is important to incorporate technology into the classroom to keep student interest! They expect it!

It was a great opportunity to work with a student who could teach me simple things I forget how to do because I don’t use enough. I definitely feel more comfortable with technology in my classroom. Students can be a great resource!

It was a pleasure working with an older students and it made me realize the strong desire for knowledge that children have in technology.

This year I found myself expecting the kids to use the computer more often, which means I am more comfortable with it. It feels good.

I am amazed at how “computer savvy” my sixth graders already were before we even started our project. Their level of comfort with computers made the overall project much less daunting, and it also allowed the students to take the project further.

I realize that most of my students are very computer literate compared to their teacher. I enjoy having students show me how to improve my own skills.

It has helped me to see new ways students in second grade can benefit in enhancing their content knowledge through web resources. I also think we can do a more student centered flip camera project next year.

It is great to work with the students who have been in the GenYES because they are so competent in computer skills. Without them a great of my computer learning would not have happened! Thank you to GenYES and to may partner students, Trevor and Anna!

It was wonderful to have fifth grade students come into my classroom and participate in teaching the class and helping students individually as needed. I really enjoyed the partnership.

My experience with GenYES has been a very positive one! I have a very energetic class and found that this project kept them interested and focused! I have continued using technology in our class to motivate students!

My students were very enthusiastic to learn about this project because it was connected to technology. They enjoyed learning a new program and making a presentation that can be viewed by their parents on a digital projector.

I enjoy working with the resourceful students.

I have integrated more technology into my daily lessons.

It has reinforced my belief that students like hands-on interactive ways to learn and focus more on the work if it is visual and stimulating. The key to teaching is to finding how to motivate students to learn. Using this format seems to be successful and student feedback and results obtained from projects have verified this outcome.

It was a pleasure working with such a wonderful young lady.

It was truly awesome to watch the students present this program to incoming students. They displayed so much pride about our school and set terrific examples of how things are done at our school.

Lots of students took advantage of these extra resources.

The GenYES students do a fabulous job coming into classes and doing presentations. Students really look forward to seeing student work.

The GenYES students were great and I saw my science students getting very excited about the work just because it was on computers instead of books.

The Third Teacher

Sylvia Martinez — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 22:37:44 +0000

Here’s an interesting new book called The Third Teacher. The book is an exploration of how design can transform teaching and learning, becoming “the third teacher” in the classroom, after adults (parents and teachers) and children (peers and self).

The 79 ideas come from an ongoing collaboration between educators, youth, and designers.

You can join in at the blog or Facebook page.

No argument here!

Sylvia

Teachers’ Use of Educational Technology in U.S. Public Schools: 2009

Sylvia Martinez — Fri, 14 May 2010 01:58:50 +0000

New data from the U.S. government National Center for Educational Statistics: Teachers’ Use of Educational Technology in U.S. Public Schools: 2009.

This First Look report presents data from a spring 2009 Fast Response Survey System FRSS survey on the availability and use of educational technology by public elementary/secondary school teachers. The teacher survey includes information on the use of computers and Internet access in the classroom; availability and use of computing devices, software, and school or district networks including remote access by teachers; students’; use of educational technology; teachers’; preparation to use educational technology for instruction; and technology-related professional development activities. (released May 2010)

Some key highlights:

Teachers reported that they or their students used computers in the classroom during instructional time often (40 percent) or sometimes (29 percent)
Results differed by low and high poverty concentration of the schools for the percentage of teachers that reported their students used educational technology sometimes or often during classes to prepare written text (66 and 56 percent, respectively), learn or practice basic skills (61 and 83 percent, respectively), and develop and present multimedia presentations (47 and 36 percent, respectively)
The percentage of teachers that reported that the following activities prepared them (to a moderate or major extent) to make effective use of educational technology for instruction are 61 percent for professional development activities, 61 percent for training provided by school staff responsible for technology support and/or integration, and 78 percent for independent learning
Of the teachers who participated in technology-related professional development during the 12 months prior to completing the survey, 81 percent agreed that ―it met my goals and needs,‖ 88 percent agreed that ―it supported the goals and standards of my state, district, and school,‖ 87 percent agreed that ―it applied to technology available in my school,‖ and 83 percent agreed that ―it was available at convenient times and places

The data is broken down by school size and location, teacher experience, and lots of other variables. They asked about blogs, wikis and other social media, both for parent and student communication as well as class assignments. so if you want to know what percentage of teachers have students contribute to blogs or wikis, and how that varies urban to rural, poverty level, or by years of teacher experience, it’s all here. (Overall, 12% rarely, 9% sometimes/often) There are little variations to ponder, like how the biggest response for “rarely” is from big urban schools.

And that carries throughout – high poverty schools do have and use computers, but the students are doing test prep, not creative work.

So – a treasure trove here for data fans out there…

Update – here’s the link to the raw data.

Sylvia

Thinking about summer professional development?

Sylvia Martinez — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 11:33:17 +0000

If you are thinking about summer professional development, think about Constructing Modern Knowledge!

The 3rd annual Constructing Modern Knowledge summer institute will be July 12-15, 2009 in Manchester, NH USA (near Boston).

In addition to master educators and edtech pioneers, the Constructing Modern Knowledge 2010 faculty includes history educator James Loewen and bestselling author of Lies My Teacher Told Me; popular provocateur and author, Alfie Kohn; MacArthur Genius and incomparable school reformer, Deborah Meier; and children’s author, illustrator and animator, Peter Reynolds. Cynthia Solomon, Brian Silverman, Sylvia Martinez (that’s me!), Gary Stager and John Stetson round out the amazing faculty.

Constructing Modern Knowledge is a minds-on institute for educators committed to creativity, collaboration and computing. Participants have the opportunity to engage in intensive computer-rich project development with peers and a world-class faculty. Inspirational guest speakers, pre-conference expedition and social events round out the fantastic event.

Constructing Modern Knowledge is about action, not listening to speakers. It’s where we learn together how to make project-based learning happen in real classrooms with real software and real computers.

Spend four cool summer days in New England making puppets roar, robots dance, animations delight, movies move, simulations stimulate, photos sing and leave with memories to last a lifetime! See you there

Early bird registration deadline is May 1 - Register online now!

Sylvia

Latest MetLife Survey Confirms the Power of Teacher Collaboration

Sylvia Martinez — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:00:00 +0000

Want to improve teaching effectiveness? Listen to teachers — and make it possible for teachers to spend substantive time listening to each other. Kudos to Metlife for providing important new evidence to support this much-needed reform strategy.

via Advancing the Teaching Profession: Latest MetLife Survey Confirms the Power of Teacher Collaboration.

Constructing Modern Knowledge 2010

Sylvia Martinez — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:29:56 +0000

It’s back!!!

Plans are shaping up for an amazing 3rd Annual Constructing Modern Knowledge summer institute, July 12-15, 2009 in Manchester, NH USA (near Boston).

In addition to master educators and edtech pioneers, the Constructing Modern Knowledge 2010 faculty includes history educator James Loewen and bestselling author of Lies My Teacher Told Me; popular provocateur and author, Alfie Kohn; MacArthur Genius and incomparable school reformer, Deborah Meier; and children’s author, illustrator and animator, Peter Reynolds. Cynthia Solomon, Brian Silverman, Sylvia Martinez (that’s me!), Gary Stager and John Stetson round out the amazing faculty.

Constructing Modern Knowledge is about action, not listening to speakers. Attendees work and interact with educational experts committed to maximizing the potential of every learner. The rich learning environment is filled with books, computers, robotics materials, art supplies, toys and other objects to think with.

The real power of Constructing Modern Knowledge emerges from the collaborative project development of participants. Each day’s program consists of a discussion of powerful ideas, on-demand mini tutorials, immersive learning adventures designed to challenge one’s thinking, substantial time for project work and reflection.

21st Century educators need to develop their own technological fluency and understand learning in order to meet the changing needs and expectations of their students. Constructing Modern Knowledge will help participants enhance their tech skills, expand their vision of how computers may enhance the learning environment and leave with practical classroom ideas.

Spend four cool summer days in New England making puppets roar, robots dance, animations delight, movies move, simulations stimulate, photos sing and leave with memories to last a lifetime!

Each participant receives a suite of open-ended creativity software from Tech4Learning, LCSI, Inspiration Software, FableVision and other members of The Constructivist Consortium free-of-charge for use at Constructing Modern Knowledge and beyond. The software alone is worth the registration fee!

There is also a July 11th preconference Science and History Tour of Boston available for a nominal fee. Explore the future at the MIT Museum and visit the past during a private guided tour of the Boston Freedom Trail.

The institute is less than an hour’s drive from Boston in picturesque Manchester, New Hampshire. Free transportation is available from the convenient and affordable Manchester Airport. Discount hotel accommodation has been arranged at the institute venue.

Constructing Modern Knowledge is sensitive to the budgets of schools and educators by keeping registration costs affordable and by offering school/district team discounts. The institute is appropriate for all K-12 educators, administrators and teacher educators – private or public. CEUs are available for an additional fee.

Save $75 on early bird registrations! Register online now!

Sylvia

Reflections from previous years:

Students say teachers limit technology use

Sylvia Martinez — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 09:59:43 +0000

Last week posts from two popular edubloggers hammered home the same point – that technology is going to make an impact on education whether we are ready or not.

These horses are out of the barn – Doug Johnson, Blue Skunk Blog

There are some educational “truths” that we can’t change, even if we wanted to. These educational technology resources, annoyances, and conditions are here to stay despite some educators denial, resistance and fast grip on the status quo.

I Don’t Need Your Network (or Your Computer, or Your Tech Plan, or Your…) – Will Richardson, Weblogg-ed

When do we stop trying to fight the inevitable and start thinking about how to embrace it?

As usual, the students are way ahead of the curve. They don’t need a blog to tell them that their access to learning technology is being denied, meaning not just Internet access, but access to personal technology.

I blogged about this yesterday based on student focus group data, but here’s the qualitative data from over 280,000 K-12 students supporting the same thing. (Data from Speak Up 2008)

Student response to: Besides not having enough time in your school day, what are the major obstacles to using technology in your school? (Check all that apply)	Grade 6-8	Grade 9-12
School filters or firewalls block websites I need to use	34%	51%
Teachers limit our technology use	34%	36%
I cannot access my personal email account or send email or IM to classmates	31%	29%
I cannot use my own computer or mobile devices	30%	32%
There are rules against using technology at my school	25%	26%
Internet access is not fast enough	18%	22%
None of the above	16%	14%
My assignments don’t require using technology	12%	11%
Software is not good enough	12%	15%
Computers or other tech equipment are not available	11%	11%
Teachers don’t know how to use the technology	8%	13%
I am unable to access the Internet	8%	7%
I don’t have the skills I need	6%	5%

When 34% of today’s 6-8th graders say their teachers limit them from using technology, what does this mean for the future? I think what children are learning is that teachers are out of touch with the real world, and worse, that school is where you literally power down and wait to be told what to do.

OK, granted — not every student has visions of exemplary learning when we ask them about technology. BUT, we simply can’t ignore this either. Many of these students ARE interested in learning.

It means we are telling them that they must achieve, but preventing it at the same time. And there is no one wiser to hypocrisy than a teenager. We run the risk of losing a generation of young adults who are taking a good hard look at the way the real world works and comparing it against the artificial limits placed on them in school. And when we tell them “it’s for your own good” we simply lose all credibility.

According to the student Speak Up 2008 data, only one-third of high school students who participated in the poll think their school is doing a good job preparing them for the jobs of the future. Think this is just kids whining? Nope – even fewer numbers of their parents think that. Yet, a majority of school principals (56 percent) say their schools are doing a good job. Who is kidding whom?

So this is straight from the horse’s mouth, not edublogger ponderings … what are we gonna do about it?

Sylvia

PS And do you know what YOUR students would say about this? Find out! Sign up for Speak Up 2009 (survey open until Dec 23, 2009.)

Professional development that hurts

Sylvia Martinez — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 09:12:01 +0000

Yesterday I wrote about a report on What Works: Effective Technology Professional Development. Today, unfortunately, I have the other side of the story. Yes, it’s possible to do professional development that actually decreases the chance that teachers will integrate technology into the classroom.

This is from the Student Speak Up survey project, where students, parents, teachers, and administrators answer questions about technology in their academic and personal lives.

Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow, who runs the Speak Up project sent me this input from a focus group of 40 high school students in California in March 2009 (and gave me permission to publish it.)

Students told me that they had better access to technology at school before we (meaning education agencies and groups) trained all the teachers how to use technology. The students said that their teachers were very fearful of the dangers of Internet use in particular and concerned about their own liability. The perception of the students is that their teachers were therefore making conscious, deliberate decisions to use technology and in particular providing Internet access less than what they had done previously.

This is not that teachers don’t have technology skills. This is a deliberate stance taken by teachers who LEARN about technology, but are so confused, scared, or disempowered that their practice retreats to use LESS technology.

Professional development that doesn’t empower teachers is no solution at all.

Sylvia

PS Registration is still open for the 2009 Student Speak Up until Dec 23 – share your voice!

Free webinar: Education in the Digital Age from PBS Teachers LIVE!

Sylvia Martinez — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 09:16:23 +0000

via PBS Teachers | PBS Teachers LIVE! Webinars.

December 8, 2009, 8-9PM ET : Education in the Digital Age: a tour of FRONTLINE’s Digital Nation

FRONTLINE producers have learned a lot during a year-long, multi-platform project exploring the impact of the Web and digital media on life in the 21st century. PBS Teachers invites anyone interested in teaching about and with digital technology to join this FREE webinar touring FRONTLINE’s Digital Nation website.

The Digital Nation website will include online video reports on how the Internet and technology are changing cultures, reshaping workplaces and creating new approaches to the way we solve problems. Issues to be examined include the Web’s impact on education, how social media has changed the way individuals interact, and Internet safety and privacy. Central to the site will be a mosaic of user-generated content designed to let visitors participate in the documentary process. The site also will feature a producers’ blog, embeddable video and other sharable content, and a schedule of live online events with expert guests.

More information and registration.

Constructivism in practice – making lectures work

Sylvia Martinez — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 22:23:30 +0000

Posted with permission from The Institute for Learning Centered Education – Don Mesibov

If you must lecture, please don’t do it early in the lesson.
Most teachers begin a lesson with a launcher, anticipatory set, ice breaker, bell ringer or an exploratory activity (which we recommend). Each of these often motivates students to think something good might happen during class; some of the students actually begin to look forward to what might come next.

Unfortunately, just as students are beginning to think they might not mind being in class, the teacher too often launches into a lecture and all momentum is lost. It’s like the dead scene in a play that interrupts the flow of excitement generated earlier.

Why do teachers lecture early in a lesson? It’s because we have new information we want our students to learn and we want to start by telling them what we want them to know. But it isn’t effective. If the content is completely new to students it is hard to follow the words of a speaker. It is like trying to learn the rules and procedures of baseball when you’ve had no previous knowledge that such a game existed. If you want to teach someone baseball, hand them a glove and have a catch. Put a bat in their hands and pitch to them. Then you can start to explain how the game is played – after, not before, you have actively engaged them.

I’ve sat in the back of the room as teachers have tried to explain to students what they want them to learn. I’ve noticed the faces of the disinterested students. They have no hooks to hang their thoughts on – no context for understanding what the teacher is saying. Sometimes what the teacher says early in the lesson would be more effective if said near the end when the students have been engaged with the new information. The lecture might be more effective as a summary. Once you’ve tried hitting a ball with a bat for fifteen minutes, a mini-lecture on how to stand and how to hold the bat has much more meaning.

Here are some examples of how to engage students with new information BEFORE beginning your explanations.

BILL OF RIGHTS: Don’t explain or describe them. Distribute a one page summary of the Bill of Rights, pair the students and ask each pair to prioritize them in order of importance. Then ask each pair to justify its prioritization. There is no right or wrong and it doesn’t matter how each pair prioritizes. What is important is that the students have been challenged to think about each article and what it means.
TOO, TO, AND TWO: Pair or group students and ask them to design an ad for their favorite TV show or DVD, or food using each of these words correctly at least once.
MIXTURES AND SOLUTIONS: Give students different substances to mix and ask them to share conclusions they reach based on the results.
PERCENTAGES: Ask students, in pairs or groups, to share their perceptions of what’s good and what’s bad about buying with credit cards. This can lead to a lesson on percentages that students perceive as relevant when you ask them to assess whether the purchase of a sale item, using a credit card, will actually save money when the interest payments are taken into account.

You can probably come up with more and better examples. My only point is that after you grab the students’ attention with a good opening, don’t blow it by losing the momentum with a lecture that the students probably won’t understand anyway.

Please know that your work in the field of education is as meaningful to our society as anything anyone can possibly do. Thank you for caring about the future of our children!!!!

Don Mesibov October 2009
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The Institute is currently registering teams for the 2010 summer constructivist conference, July 19-23, at St. Lawrence University, Canton, New York. Don’t miss the opportunity for this unique conference that models the constructivist behaviors that teachers are using increasingly in the classroom. More information at The Institute for Learning Centered Education.