Informational+Systems+Management


 * Sunday, February 07, 2010**

Changing student demographics is creating a need in classrooms for new academic technologies. “A standard Model Technology Classroom includes hardware, software, training and infrastructure – all critical in providing the opportunity for model technology teachers and students to become effective users of technology for teaching and learning.” (Richard, 2008) As addressed by the Horizons Report 2009, model classroom in five years includes hardware and software that support collaborative environments, online communication tools, mobiles, cloud computing, smart objects, and personal web. In alignment with Cypress Fairbanks I.S.D.’s technology goal, we will expand teachers’ effective use of instructional technology to promote higher-level thinking. My discussion will focus on the applications in a Science classroom.

Collaborative learning brings learners together to work and learn in a collaborative manner. The online collaborative environment can include web-based document applications, social networking platforms, community websites, classroom management systems, multiplayer gaming environments, and virtual worlds. The idea is to have students accomplish tasks and learn synchronously and asynchronously. The Horizon Report lists many wonderful examples. One of the tools is Voicethread ([|http://voicethread.com]). It is a tool for conducting and recording a conversation about a media including images, videos, documentations, and presentations. A simple Chemistry element poster board project can be transformed to a discussion on Voicethread. Students are offered five different ways to write comments, record, and even draw to express their thoughts. They may explain and present their work while other students offer constructive criticisms. Shared document editors like Adobe Buzzword ([]), Google Docs ([|http://docs.google.com]), and wikis allow collaborators to author a single document simultaneously. These web-based applications allow groups of students to work together on common documents in various formats. Scaffolding from a basic outline in word documents to presentations with database and graphical representations may take place.

Online communication tools offer students a method to move beyond the classroom walls and connect with their peers and even experts in fields they are studying around the world. Synchronous online communication software like Skype ([|http://skype.com]) allows free online video conferencing. Students in Houston, Texas can enable real-time interactions with other groups of students in Mexico to share and discuss their tracking on Monarch Butterfly migration. Experts working at the Cockrell Butterfly Center at the Houston Museum of Natural Science can carry a videoconference with students without traveling outside of their workplace.

Mobile devices are becoming a commonality among young people. Even if these devices are not allowed to be used during class, students often carry them anyway. According to a survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, “mobile device will be the primary connection tool to the internet for most people in the world in 2010.” Many developers are also marketing mobiles featuring multi-touch displays with increasingly higher-speed 3G networks. Free or affordably priced third-party applications can easily be acquired and installed. Mekentosj BV, winner of three Apple Design Awards for their Mac desktop applications, released Solutions, a user interface for iPhone to calculate volume, weight, and molarity on the basis of molecular weights. Students can easily perform molarity calculations while performing a laboratory experiment in acids and bases.

Cloud computing is another tool. Cloud computing users do not own the physical hardware or software, instead they pay for the services and resources that they use. Cloud-based applications are economical and increasingly compelling. As part of the SIMtone Education Thunder Program, Universal Cloud Computing virtual desktops act as virtual computers that are maintained by the school and accessible by students and teachers online. The goal is to equip each student with the most advanced computer environment for learning and accessing digital educational materials without asking students to purchase and maintain their own computers. Providing each student with a laptop may also be limited by the district funding.

Smart objects used for learning may include intelligent manipulatives for students. Imagine the next generation of Siftables in the next five years. Instead of having blocks with mere number and color, imagine students manipulating smart objects that represent atoms that can be linked to build molecules in a Chemistry class. Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion is no longer an abstract theory but tangible molecular structures that can be manipulated to form single, double, or triple bonds.

Personal web tools are ideal for research and learning. Teachers can tag, categorize, and publish a series of web links on Delicious ([|http://delicious.com]) and Diigo ([|http://www.diigo.com]) in order to help students initiate their research of chemicals used in everyday household products. However, tagging to keep track of student work is time-consuming. Using web feeds, tools like Tumblr ([|http://www.tumblr.com]) can pull content together in a single class profile where updates appear automatically whenever the student post new material.

While some students do search the internet and learn on their own at home, school is where learning and teaching take place for majority of our students. Therefore, it is important that we keep classrooms up-to-date, consistent, and readily available to access online content and mediated resources used in contemporary curriculum. However, as technology increases, more classrooms would require more computers and more technicians to support and troubleshoot. Maintaining a consistent and annual funding commitment presents a budgeting challenge in our current economy for many districts. The Horizon Report has opened my eyes to see that more technologies don’t necessarily mean more computers or more software purchase. There are many free or affordable alternative resources online. “There are many technologies that, if put into the hands of a dynamic teacher, will engage students in their learning experiences.” (Tschirgi 2009) With sustainability in mind, the model classroom would be standardized with a set of educational technology tools, including 1 computer, projector, Smart board, printer, and network/internet access. In order to meet the needs of teachers and students in their teaching and learning environments, we must be more dynamic and focus on utilizing existing resources in an efficient and sustainable manner.

References

1. Johnson, L., Levine, A., Smith, R., and Smythe, T. (2009) //The New Media Consortium//. The Horizon Report: 2009 K-12 Edition. Retrieved from [].

2. Griekspoor, A. //Solutions, the Chemical Solution Calculator for iPhone and iPod Touch//. Retrieved from [].

3. Nagel, David. (2008, Jul. 10) //THE Journal//. North Carolina School Takes to the Clouds with Virtual Desktops. Retrieved from [].

4. Richard, Virginia. (2008, Aug. 22) The Model of a Modern Technology Classroom. //Educators’ eZine//. Retrieved from http://www.techlearning.com/article/7146.

5. Rainie, Lee. (2008, Dec. 14) The Future of the Internet III. //Pew Internet//. Retrieved from [].

6. Tschirgi, D. //Educational Technology Support Center//. What is the Sustainable Classroom? Retrieved from [].


 * Technology Plan**