in their classroom, the kids get a strong set of tech skills. I feel it
is my job to work with teachers and help them find new ways to use
technology in their classroom. I give them examples of things they can
use, show them samples of curriculum tools that we have available, give
them guidelines on how technology could be used in some of the lessons
they are already doing, etc. =20
We are really lucky because every grade has enough laptops for every two
students. In K-5, we have 10 laptops in each classroom of 20 students.
If they need a full class set, they just borrow from their partner
teacher. In middle school we have 60 laptops and 20 desktops in a media
center that students use throughout the day. They just pop in and
borrow a laptop, or sit down and use a desktop if working on something
that needs a wired connection (like video). =20
I use to have a check list of standards that I would go over every year
and try to make sure all grades covered them. What happened is that we
would purposely create lessons to ensure the students covered
spreadsheets, or the students create a webpage, or... In middle school
(and often in 3rd - 5th), there is rarely a project a teacher does where
all the kids are using the same software and doing the same thing. It
didn't make sense to say - you all have to create a webpage. Some might
want to do a video, others a podcast, others do a comic strip in Comic
Life. =20
The software, online tools and hardware change so quickly, that there is
not enough time to teach the specific tools out of context. If a
student is working on a Civil War website, then they will get help to
learn the software for this. If they are working on a video for the
Holocaust, then they will learn how to use iMovie or Final Cut Express.
Often, the teacher knows less than the students, so the students are
very good at figuring it out. If we limited tools in the classroom to
only what the teacher knows how to use, the students would have a very
limited selection in most classrooms!
So, to get back to the question - should a fourth grader know a set of
skills before moving into 5th grade - I say yes - the skills they need
are the problem solving skills to select from a variety of tools, be
able to use the help and online resources to figure out how to use the
tool, and to be able to take a rubric or set of guidelines and use a
tool to meet these guidelines with their own creativity. Really, if you
look at the newest version of the ISTE standards, this is really what
they are trying to do. The skills focus on problem solving,
collaboration, creativity, information fluency, and digital citizenship.
Renee Ramig
Seven Hills School=20
-----Original Message-----
From: A forum for independent school educators
[mailto:ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU] On Behalf Of Lorri Carroll
Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2010 2:02 PM
To: ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU
Subject: Re: Technology Standards
I'm curious if you all think that this would apply when one of the 12%
is
a 4th grade teacher, for example, whose students will not have the same
experiences to build upon for 5th grade? Can we leave it to that teacher
to decide what skills are necessary (or not necessary)? Should there be
curricular guidelines at this level?=20
Lorri Carroll
Director of Technology
Hamden Hall Country Day School
1108 Whitney Avenue
Hamden, CT 06517
lcarroll@hamdenhall.org
work (203) 752-2606
cell (203) 215-9833
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A forum for independent school educators <ISED-L@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU>
writes:
>Ironically, my sense has been that the 12% not using technology are not
>the
>weakest or most backward 12% of teachers. They tend to correlate more
>closely with the 12% most experienced and most well-respected teachers.
>Not
>a 12% that I would choose to ignore or disengage from.
>
>My sense is that usually the lack of technological engagement is, as
Renee
>suggested, based on legitimate lack of time, long experience teaching
>without technology (so the efficiency gains of technology are not
>appealing:
>they would require major loss of efficiency to retool with technology,
at
>least initially), and deep involvement with co-curricular aspects of
the
>school (e.g. dorm heads, college advisors, varsity coaches) that devour
>enormous amounts of their time (did I mention lack of time? Lack of
time.)
>
>It has probably been ten years since I talked to a teacher who was not
>employing technology who was not keenly aware that they _should_ be
using
>technology and who didn't have some ideas about how they might use it.
>
>-- S
>
>Seth Battis / http://battis.net / seth@battis.net / @battis / (323)
>638-7384
>
>
>On Wed, Nov 3, 2010 at 1:39 PM, Steve Taffee <staffee@castilleja.org>
>wrote:
>
>> Personally, I'd be inclined not to spend much time on the 12%.
There's
>> greater pay-off working with those who are ready to move, and in rare
>> cases,
>> there are teachers who are so gifted in other areas that who cares if
>they
>> use technology?
>>
>> It's tough to let some people go on in ways that don't challenge them
to
>> stretch and grow, but let's be realistic about not letting the tail
wag
>the
>> dog and becoming a drag on other innovators. Isolate and control
their
>> reach
>> is the tough love that may sometimes be required. The recalcitrant
are
>> adults and make their own decisions.
>>
>> s
>>
>> -----
>> Steve Taffee | Director of Strategic Projects
>> Castilleja School | staffee@castilleja.org
>> 1310 Bryant Street | www.castilleja.org
>> Palo Alto, CA 94301 | taffee.edublogs.org
>> 650.924.1040 (Google Voice)
>> Women Learning, Women Leading
>> <http://twitter.com/sjtaffee> =20
><http://www.linkedin.com/in/stevetaffee
>> >
>> You don't *really* need to print this do you?
>>
>>
>
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