Technology

=Technology in Education=

Hardware and Software for Educators
toc In the past 15 years there has been an explosion of technology use in schools. At the beginning of this era huge desktop computers were supplied to educators. This was a new and scary step for many. Teachers and staff began using email to communicate within the district and with parents. Electronic gradebooks became standard. District-wide student information systems now organize student demographic data as well as attendance, grades, test scores, IEP and health information and more.

Most districts have set up a website that allows every teacher to have a webpage. Some teachers just supply the basics such as their contact information and their daily class schedule. More often, though, teachers will post daily homework assignments, class notes, and links to online texts and further information about current topics.

In the classroom TV’s with VCR’s attached have morphed into LCD projectors that can connect to the teacher’s laptop. Many schools now have interactive white boards and document cameras. These tools have the potential to be very powerful in the classroom. It is not unusual, though, for them to languish. If a teacher does not receive appropriate professional development or resources or support the biggest workout a SMART board will get is to show a DVD during homeroom.

Hardware and Software for Students
Computer labs with 30 desktop computers running programs from a CD have evolved. Schools in socioeconomically stable areas are now more likely to have laptop computers on carts that have wireless access points and printers. Usually a group of classrooms will share a CoW (computers on wheels). Teachers work out some type of method to share access to the laptops.

Some schools have even begun implementing one-to-one netbook programs for middle school students. This changes the dynamic. Previously teachers might block out the whole period for laptop use. For math classes this would usually mean a webquest or a collaborative task that would involve internet research or perhaps links to virtual manipulatives or some other math appropriate sites. When students have a hibernating netbook in their book bags they can whip those out for smaller, more spur-of-the-moment access to math resources.

In the past educational websites were often just worksheets with enthusiastic bells and whistles. There is still a place for that type of practice. Now, though, websites are more sophisticated and can provide opportunity for true learning and exploration, not just drill or an interactive quiz.

Using manipulatives makes students use a different modality to understand mathematical concepts. Using physical manipulatives can present challenges though. The pieces can be small, difficult to handle, and easily lost. It can be time consuming to pass them out and collect the materials at the end of the period. Occasionally using these materials can cause classroom management problems. Including virtual manipulatives in a teaching repertoire can alleviate some of these difficulties. There are an infinite number of base-10 blocks or Geoboards online. Parts never get lost...or thrown around the room. Clean up is as fast as logging off.

A popular piece of math software from Key Curriculum Press is Geometer's Sketchpad. Developed in 1990 this granddaddy of math software, now on version 5, continues to shine. When learning geometry and measurement concepts students often look at images in the book and then learn formulae for measuring area or determining what makes angles supplementary. It is an important step for kids to not just look at pictures of these concepts but to go through the process of creating a rhombus or a vertical angle situation themselves. This positive, hands-on activity can have the same drawbacks as using manipulatives: limited access to resources such as compasses or protractors, time spent handing out and collecting materials, or student and teacher awkwardness with unfamiliar tools. Also, the appeal of drawing can turn into tedium after eight or nine polygons or trying to create a well-proportioned circle graph. The "dynamic geometry" of //Geometer's Sketchpad// removes the awkwardness and tedium and allows kids to get right into the meat of the lesson. When students create figures without the roadblocks of doing it by hand they more deeply understand the underlying concepts such as parallel and perpendicular and intersection. The kids can then manipulate the sizes and configurations of their creations...and observe how those manipulations relate to an abstract idea such as similar figures, ratio, and proportion. Here is a sample project from the //Sketchpad// website:

Create two or more figures using segments, arcs, circles, or whatever. The figures can be letters, geometric figures, or even caricaturized faces. Now, using Movement buttons (or, for more control and sophistication, a slider controlling a dilation from one state to the other), set things up so that one figure "morphs" into the other.
 * [[image:sketchpadexplorer.jpg width="268" height="142" link="@http://www.dynamicgeometry.com/General_Resources/Sketchpad_Explorer_for_iPad.html"]] || **PROJECT 9**

Download: [|09FaceMorph.gsp] //(Note that you can only use a .gsp file within the Sketchpad program.)// || ||

Until recently teachers often needed to limit assigning work that had a technology component because not all students had access to computers or the internet at home. If students have personal netbooks teachers can more freely incorporate technology into lessons.

An ability to include technology will be an expected skill in the 21st century workplace. In order to make essays or presentations richer and more enticing kids can add multimedia elements. Students can create their own media by taking and editing pictures and video. Recording and editing audio is now possible without a pricey recording studio. Teachers may be hesitant to delve into a project with these elements. In general, though, by middle school many kids already know how to do these techie things and will be enthusiastic about using these skills and assisting others.

Although kids may be adept at adding images or linking to a video they will need instruction on the legal implications of attaching another person’s work to their own. It would be wise for administrative leaders to include information about media rights in professional development. Students should also have a refresher on copyright rules and plagiarism at the beginning of each school year.

One of the latest tech toys to make in roads into schools are tablets such as the iPad. Although some schools use the iPod Touch it has a much smaller screen and it is more difficult to input information on the tiny keyboard. The iPad or other tablets replace the standard input devices such as a keyboard or mouse with a touchscreen. It is the touchscreen that sets tablets apart from computers for mathematics. Anyone who has ever used a computer to create a fraction worksheet or complete homework that included radicals knows what a pain it is to use a standard keyboard and equation editing software. With a touchscreen students can use a finger tip or a stylus to write "math" on the screen. Once it becomes digital the math can be emailed to a teacher, shared via the Cloud, or projected onto a screen in front of the class.

Most computers come with a calculator application included. If not, graphing calculator programs from simple to powerful can be installed. A review of an app, Calc XT, describes some unique benefits of using a calculator on an iPad:



//In landscape// (orientation) //you have two sides to the screen essentially, on the one side is the calculator and on the other side, a memo notepad. The notepad addition is the amazing part. Jot down figures and answers, type in numbers with the virtual keyboard, copy and paste numbers to and from the calculator, or use two different inks for differentiating between equations…the possibilities are endless. The app provides multiple pages in the notepad section and users can view a thumbnail grid of them all as well. Even better, users can export the notepad pages via email to preserve their work elsewhere or for proof of “work.” And finally the app has the ability to change the side in which the memo notepad appears, left or right…so all you lefties are in good hands as well. (The iPad Fan)//

In August, 2011 the //Geometer's Sketchpad// team released an app for iPads, //Sketchpad Explorer//. Although users cannot create sketches on the iPad they can manipulate sketches that have been designed and downloaded. Rather than using a mouse to click on one vertex and drag it around kids can use their fingers on the touchscreen to stretch or shrink or alter as many vertices as they like. Dragging, manipulating, changing numerical values can all be done with a fingertip. //Sketchpad// is a powerful program that can be used in high-level math classes but also illuminate beginning geometry concepts. The //Explorer// app will make dynamic geometry accessible and understandable to even younger students.

Cloud Computing, Web 2.0
Use of technology often tied users to a particular computer. If a student started a paper at home it could be complicated to continue work on it at school. Students would either have to email it to themselves (and hope they could access personal email through school servers), send it to a designated place on school servers, or copy the document to a portable device such as a thumb drive. Now cloud computing changes that.

media type="youtube" key="eRqUE6IHTEA" height="315" width="420" align="right"Cloud computing changes the “home base” of a user’s computing experience from a physical computer to a remote server. The whimsical name for a large data storage facility is the "cloud." As an example, in the past in order to create a word processing document a user would need to have a word processing program, such as Micosoft Word, on their computer. Any documents the user created would be stored on the computer’s hard drive. Now if someone creates a free Google account they can go online, open Google docs, and create a document. This document is stored on a remote server somewhere owned by Google. A huge benefit of using applications via the cloud is that a document is not locked to a particular computer. A user can access their document from any device with an internet connection.

This has benefits beyond just freedom of accessibility. The opportunity for several people to collaborate on a document becomes exponentially easier. Rather than having to share a document via email, making individual updates, and having multiple competing versions, collaborators can now all access one master document.

The implications for education are huge. Easy access to computers allows Web 2.0 into the classroom. Web 2.0 is basically technology that allows collaboration. A Google doc in the cloud means that it is accessible to anyone who has been given permission to view and/or edit the document. Students can work on a collaborative project together, at the same time, while in separate locations. A teacher who has permission to view this document can track who contributed which part. The teacher can leave comments and suggestions within the document.

There are other Web 2.0 options. Students can blog thoughts about a novel or analyze the results of a science experiment. Teachers or classmates can comment or provide feedback. Wikis are another great collaborative tool. Students can use a wiki to create and present a group project.

As with all new toys many teachers will agree that they are cool but how can they take the time to add this feature with their already stuffed schedule. There are a couple of options. To make a lesson that is specifically designed for //their// curriculum and //their// students teachers can create an activity that incorporates the internet by making a webquest. A webquest is single- or multiple-day lesson that incorporates access to websites that, usually, have been pre-screened by a teacher. The webquest creators can design the lesson then use the district’s webpage template to provide instructions to the students through text, images, links to outside websites, and more. Often kids will write their work on paper or more likely now type their answers, feedback, and analysis electronically.

Student access to exceptional digital resources should be seamless. Creating a convenient portal to online resources, however, can be an overwhelming undertaking. Teachers should collaborate with others in their district. Together they can make something better than they could alone. Some districts hire an Instructional Technology Coordinator who would take on the task of designing access to online resources for all teachers.

Many text series have extensive digital offerings including presentations for each lesson for teacher use. Worksheets and assessments are often available as PDFs which a teacher can link to via the class webpage. McDougal Littell's online portal for students is called Classzone. For each textbook, their Pre-Algebra text for example, Classzone provides Powerpoint presentations, extra examples, practice worksheets, games, activities, and animations, information for parents, as well as practice assessments for sections or chapters. Not every activity or resource is terrific but a teacher can take a look to see if they think any of it will support their students.

SuccessNet from popular text provider Pearson/Prentice Hall provides a different type of online support. In addition to some Classzone-type resources teachers can set up online assessments. The assessments are graded automatically and then provide extra support on the topics of the questions answered incorrectly.

Personalized curriculum such as this would never be possible without technology. Compass Learning Odyssey is another popular program that provides individualized lessons via the computer. Districts can input standardized scores from a common assessment such as the MAP test and automatically generate lessons that are geared to each student's needs.

media type="custom" key="11609354" align="left" DreamBox Learning is a company that has chosen to focus on a specialized market: K-3 mathematics. DreamBox uses adaptive computing to provide a truly personalized math program for each child. If a child is struggling the program provides hints or breaks down the concept into smaller chunks. Every mouse click is tracked so that the child's math teacher can see how the student progressed through the lesson. Some schools use the program as a supplement in their math classes. Others use it to provide the support required for Tier 2 and 3 learners according to RtI. It has been developed to align with the Common Core math standards.

media type="youtube" key="dN0DasUHGqs" height="315" width="560" align="right"A truly bold option would be to use an Open Sim environment with students. Open Sim "is an open source multi-platform, multi-user 3D application server. It can be used to create a virtual environment...which can be accessed through a variety of clients, on multiple protocols." (//OpenSimulator.org//) Educators can create a destination within a virtual environment and students can enter this world as an avatar, or virtual character. One great application of this type of environment is a virtual field trip. Getting students out of school to see exciting places can be challenging. Organizing buses, dealing with permission slips, adjusting schedules, and finally the cost is often a deterrent to taking an out-of-school excursion. On a virtual field trip there are no limits. The Louvre, inside the human heart, on the moon, or at the local grocery store. Students can immerse themselves and explore 3D environments in an experience that is very different from the written word or a 2D movie.

Students get really interested when they can create their own objects in a virtual world. The mathematics involved includes coordinate planes, scaling, ratios, integers, transformations and so much more. Students finally get a chance to apply the math they have learned in an engaging manner. Students watch while others are building, wander over, and ask questions via the chat box. Working in a virtual world is a fun, collaborative application of abstract mathematical concepts.

Virtual Education
With all of the rich resources available through the world wide web it did not take long for the idea of virtual school to become a reality. Comprehensive class management systems such as Blackboard and Moodle make organizing a completely online learning experience possible. Although taking classes exclusively via the computer is mainly the purview of higher education it is becoming more common for high school and even middle school. There are many reasons that virtual schooling can be attractive:


 * **[[image:moodle.jpg align="right" caption="Moodle is a Course Management System (CMS), also known as a Learning Management System (LMS) or a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). It is a Free web application that educators can use to create effective online learning sites."]]Distance**-Students who live in remote areas may not have easy access to a quality educational experience.
 * **Transportation**-For some it may be difficult to get to a physical school because of their location or inability to access transportation.
 * **Physical challenges**-A student with a physical disability or health challenges may find it safer or more convenient to avoid weather, stairs or other challenging terrain, or lack of support in a bustling school setting.
 * **Emotional challenges**-A student in a fragile emotional state may find it more comfortable to focus on their studies without the challenges of the social jungle of a public school.
 * **Home schooling**-Many families use the parents-as-teachers model. Home school parents can now widen options for their kids beyond their own teaching abilities.
 * **Unusual circumstances**-Children who work as actors or are high-level athletes often need schedules with extreme flexibility.
 * **Course options**-If a student wants to take classes that their local school doesn’t offer they could be available in a virtual setting. Advanced Placement classes, less-standard language options, or highly technical classes can be taught by an educator in a remote location.

There are a myriad of different configurations for virtual schools. Occasionally the state board of education will create a virtual school, usually a high school. In April, 2009 the Regional Office of Education of Peoria was awarded the contract to operate the Illinois Virtual School. IVS offers about 130 different classes to over 2,000 students from grades 5-12.

Another structure for a virtual school is to become a charter school. Illinois is stingy with the number of charters it releases. There can be no more than 75 in the city of Chicago and 45 in the rest of the state. Charter schools have been a touchy subject in the field of education. When a charter school is authorized per pupil funding usually transfers to the new school.
 * //Local school boards authorize charter public schools. To open a new school, a charter school design team must submit a charter proposal to the local school board for approval.//
 * //Charter school applications denied by the local school board can be appealed to the State Board of Education; if the State Board reverses the local school board’s decision and grants the charter, the State Board will directly oversee the charter.//
 * //Charters negotiate the amount of funding they receive with their local board of education. This amount is between 75% and 125% of the district’s per capita student tuition. Charter schools are also allowed to apply for any State Board grant that is available for school districts. (IL Network of Charter Schools)//

Another type of virtual school can be run through a national or global company. Some well-known operators are Connections Education, K12, and Rocketship Education. Connections Education, for instance, offers multiple avenues for access to its virtual school. If there is adequate support in a community they will open a charter school. There will be a physical school that makes use of the organization's extensive online curricula. In areas without access to a charter students can take classes completely online. An advisor checks in with students regularly to provide academic support and motivation. Teachers of digital classes often report that they have a better rapport with their virtual students than they had when teaching in a traditional environment. In a class of 30 quiet or reluctant students avoid contributing verbally for any number of reasons. In a digital environment such as a chat room or forum these kids often are more apt to share an opinion and thus become more confident expressing themselves.

Blended Learning
The latest buzzword in education is blended learning. Ideally this combines the benefits of both face-to-face classroom instruction and digital learning. There are many ways to structure a blended learning environment.



One option is to provide a regular period in the school day for students to access computer-based lessons. These lessons are often not precisely aligned with the curriculum taught in the classroom but are customized for each student based on assessments such as the MAP test. While one student may be receiving math remediation another will be working on language arts enrichment. A controversial aspect to this set up is that since there is no instruction occurring //per se// the supervisor for this type of class would not need to be a certified teacher. If the material is high level, though, it is recommended that a content specialist be available for in-person support.

Blended learning can also occur in the regular classroom. Teachers regularly break students into smaller groups for discussion or more individualized instruction. One of the options for these smaller groups could be working on the computer.

Rocketship Education is an example of a blended learning provider. This non-profit company has been running K-5 charter schools in low income communities since 2006. They call their brand of blended learning "Rocketship Hybrid School Model." //Last week Rocketship Education announced the results of an independent 16-week study by SRI International that showed that students who had greater access to online instruction in math, specifically a learning program called Dreambox Learning, achieved significant gains in mathematics scores. That is to say, the kids who had the typical regimen of online math instruction, as opposed to those kids who received only traditional classroom math instruction, did better -- more than five points in percentile ranking better (50 percent to 55.5 percent -- on the Northwest Evaluation Association’s math standards test). (Edutopia.org)//

Another innovative program is School of One. This young organization takes differentiation to the next level. Their first major engagement is providing the middle school math program in several New York City public schools. School of One believes that forcing 28 students to all learn the same material, at the same level, at the same time, at the same pace, in the same manner is outdated. Creating individualized plans for 28 students each and every day is beyond the scope of even the best teachers. By first assessing students to determine exactly what they know the kids are then provided a customized learning plan and access to "a large bank of carefully reviewed educational resources." Teachers are provided feedback every day about student progress. If a teacher wants to make an adjustment in the student's individualized plan that is welcomed.

When districts offer blended learning in their schools there are several options for providing the content of the online portion. Apex Learning and Aventa Learning by K12 are popular providers of middle and high school courses. The lessons are taught via videos, text, and some interactive activities. Students can pause a lesson to take notes or replay a section they want to hear again. Many of these full curriculum providers include assessment as part of the package.

Another option for schools including blended learning is to pick and choose the best resources available. This plan ensures that the materials are a custom fit for the curricula, scope and sequence, and student needs in the district.

Professional Development
Continual learning is a necessary aspect of any profession...but especially education. Even before the advent of technology it was important for teachers to keep their content area skills sharp, be exposed to the latest research on child development and learning techniques, or discuss the pros and cons of homework or grading practices.

Today professional development is especially important. The changes due to technology are huge. Even if teachers are not using technology in the classroom they must have basic computing skills. It is expected that teachers be proficient with word processing, email, updating a basic webpage, and digital file organization...at a minimum. Student information systems are increasingly powerful and complex. In order for teachers to just stay afloat in their profession they must keep up with programs and skills that are themselves always evolving. Gone are the days when a teacher would stand by the copier with scissors and tape to create worksheets and tests. Now content should be digital so that it can be easily stored, retrieved, edited, and shared with colleagues. Worksheets and study guides can be linked to from the teacher's webpage so that students and parents can access them from home.

Even if teachers don't want it or aren't ready many schools are installing SMART boards and document cameras in classrooms. These tools can make lessons more engaging than a straight lecture with visuals drawn on a white board. In order to fully utilize these great tools teachers need two things:
 * 1) Instruction on how to use the tools from someone that knows what they are talking about. Teachers need a basic overview of the technology and also critical details such as how to troubleshoot successfully.
 * 2) Just how to use the tools is not enough. Examples of how other teachers and students have used it with positive outcomes are important. Support needs to be provided for moving from "This could be a great idea!" to "Let me show you resources and help you to use this tool in your classroom...tomorrow."

The same holds true for laptop carts or one-to-one netbooks. Some teachers are very enthusiastic about incorporating something new into their teaching. It takes time to seek out great resources, some skills to know how to make it easily accessible for students in class, and also a strong disposition for dealing with the inevitable dead screens, forgotten student passwords, missing audio and every other frustrating tech hiccup. Many teachers, understandably, are not up for that. Districts need to make sure that they are not handing teachers a lump of clay with the expectation that they will all have the time and inclination to create art.

It is difficult for districts to find the time to provide appropriate professional development. Teachers are reluctant to give up personal time after school or during breaks for more schooling. Scheduling sessions during the school day takes teachers away from their classrooms and costs money for substitute teachers. Many districts have regular "late starts" or "early dismissals" to provide time for teachers to meet but the time frame is usually no more than an hour.

One option could be to provide distance professional development. Just as there are a variety of ways for students to learn virtually teachers can take advantage also. Educators can watch a video tutorial for how to work a SMART board at home or at school just as easily as they could if they were gathered together during an institute day. Those staff members who are sticklers for only working during school time could use team or individual plan time for this type of learning. Schools with weekly shortened schedules could use this time to provide individualized virtual training. Teachers could choose a tutorial from several provided by the district that matched their interest and level of ability. Differentiation is not just for children.

There are many organizations that provide professional development either to support programs they sell or independent presenters. These groups may present information via webinars, seminars available on the web. Attendees will log on to their computers at the designated time and access a presentation program such as Blackboard Collaborate (formerly Elluminate) or Adobe Connect. The expert will deliver their presentation and the attendees will see video of the speaker as well as any Powerpoint presentation they use. Attendees can either type in comments or questions or contribute verbally via a microphone. If interested parties cannot attend during the live presentation it is usually recorded and available for later viewing.

Another benefit of virtual professional development could be the use of asynchronous discussion. During a once-a-month math department meeting there is a lot of housekeeping that needs to occur. Rarely is there an opportunity for a deep discussion of math content or sharing of technique. Additionally there are often personalities that dominate discussions so that others are reluctant to interject or just want to get back to grading their papers. If a topic is presented online on a bulletin board or in a forum the expectation is that all members will contribute. With time to reflect or research the input will probably be more plentiful, more democratic, and more thoughtful. An ongoing online conversation will mean that the time spent face-to-face will be more productive and inclusive.

This type of ongoing communication would be helpful when dealing with a big change such as adoption of common standards. There are many different aspects to this evolution. Just providing an overview of the Common Core could take up an entire institute day. Then teachers would have to wait another three months until the next full day of meetings to get details about their content area or how the assessment is going to be different. There should be regular, ongoing conversation occurring with math content leaders from all grade levels. These conversations should be open and available to all math teachers in the district.

Resources
Adobe Connect for Webinars. Retrieved December 1, 2011. @http://www.adobe.com/products/adobeconnect/features._sl_id-contentfilter_sl_solution_sl_webinars.html

Ash, Katie. Teachers Make the Move to the Virtual World. Education Week. September, 20, 2010. @http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/09/22/04edtech_transition.h30.html?r=1521438595

Ash, Katie. Schools Blend Virtual and Face-to-Face Teaching. Education Week. September 20, 2010. @http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/09/22/04edtech_collaboration.h30.html

Blackboard Collaborate. Retrieved December 1, 2011 @http://www.blackboard.com/Platforms/Collaborate/Overview.aspx

CalcXT. Apple iTunes App Store. Retrieved November 23, 2011 @http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/calc-xt/id368034877?mt=8

DreamBox Learning. Retrieved November 19, 2011. @http://www.dreambox.com/

Edutopia. The George Lucas Educational Foundation. Retrieved December 2, 2011. @http://www.edutopia.org/

Illinois Network of Charter Schools. Retrieved November 20, 2011. @http://incschools.org/

Koller, Daphne. //Death Knell for the Lecture: Technology as a Passport to Personalized Education//. New York Times. December 5, 2011. @http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/06/science/daphne-koller-technology-as-a-passport-to-personalized-education.html?_r=2&ref=science

Layton, Lyndsey and Brown, Emma. Virtual schools are multiplying, but some question their educational value. Washington Post. November 26, 2011. @http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/virtual-schools-are-multiplying-but-some-question-their-educational-value/2011/11/22/gIQANUzkzN_story.html

Marcus, David. Rocketship Education Boosts Scores with Online Learning. Edutopia Blog. August 10, 2011. @http://www.edutopia.org/blog/stw-online-blended-learning-rocketship

Moodle. Retrieved December 2, 2011 @http://moodle.org/

Norman, Jonathon. //iPad Apps for the Classroom-Part 2//. The iPad Fan: News, Apps & Reviews. June 12, 2011. @http://www.theipadfan.com/ipad-apps-classroom-part-2/

Staker, Heather C. //The Rise of K-12 Blended Learning: Profiles of Emerging Models//. Innosight Institute. May, 2011. @http://www.innosightinstitute.org/innosight/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/The-Rise-of-K-12-Blended-Learning.pdf

Swanson, Gregory. Maths iPad Apps. Apps in Education blog. Retrieved December 2, 2011 @http://appsineducation.blogspot.com/p/maths-ipad-apps.html