What Difference Can Networked Classrooms Make?

1. What Difference Can Networked Classrooms Make? Vi Maeers David Friesen University of Regina

2. BrainBinder Pilot Project • 2000/01 pilot year • 4 school divisions, SaskTel and SunMicrosystems • SunRay appliances and servers • Specific applications: Netscape, QLO e-mail, StarOffice, BrainBinder portal • SR only vs SR and PCs

3. BrainBinder Evaluation • Site visits by research team February 2001 • Survey of 485 teachers, 62 administrators, 30 resource-center librarians, 13 technology staff March to April 2001 • Focus groups with teachers, administrators, students and technology staff May 2001 • Identification of promising classroom and professional development practices June 2001 • Reports produced for each school division July 2001

4. Major Findings • Increased access resulted in increased use of computers in both labs and classrooms • Lab configuration preferred over classroom mini-labs (4-6 computers) but classroom use increased • Most activity at grades 5-8 level: internet, report research, report writing

5. Major Findings • Little evidence of sophisticated integration into curriculum: WebQuests, web pages, learning stations, and presentations • Major system problems: downtime, file transfer, lack of peripherals, lack of help manuals • Satisfaction with: browser, word processing but not with BrainBinder portal, Learning Station, QLO e-mail and Typing Tutor • SunRay system should be used in combination with a PC/Other system

6. Major Findings • Project delay caused most dissatisfaction followed by lack of consultation • More technical than pedagogical help initially required by teachers • Teacher received most support from other teachers • In-school technology personnel are highly appreciated

7. Quote “the dramatically increased access to computers, particularly in classrooms, is creating a paradigm shiftin teaching and learning. Most teachers indicated they had not used computers in the classroom in the previous two years on a regular basis. The pilot project demonstrates that having more computers not only improves students’ technological knowledge and skills but is also creating a paradigm shift in teaching and learning. Increased computer access to educational Internet sites and learning applications enables students to pursue their unique learning goals through resource-based learning. However, paradigm shifts take a considerable amount of time are not without severe growing pains.” BrainBinder Final Report

8. How Can These Findings Inform How We Think About Networked Classrooms? • Hardware and connectivity is a given • Optimum configuration • Software--appropriate to curriculum need and level--still required • Use of the Internet is growing • What do teachers need?

9. How Can These Findings Inform How We Think About Networked Classrooms? What students are saying: • we know what to do--we just wish the teachers would let us do it! • I learned by eavesdropping! • I know how to FTP and I taught the technology consultant! • I teach my friends how to do things • I sit at the computer and ‘play’!

10. Teaching styles and beliefs • Technology can be used by all teachers, but type of use will depend on affiliation with teaching beliefs and approaches. • Constructivist approaches address a non-traditional teaching/learning style • contributions of learning theories • constructivism and social constructivism • cognitivism-->cognitive apprenticeship and situated cognition • personal examination of learning theories and beliefs about teaching and learning, about knowledge, and about children

11. Computers and Teaching Approaches

12. Difference!!! How Does this Happen? • Networked classrooms or any use of ICT do NOT make a difference--teachers DO! • How can teachers DO it?/ • On many ‘fronts’ simultaneously • instructional approaches/best practices • Foundational and appropriate/just-in-time technology skills • curriculum integration • planning/managing/organizing the learning environment

13. Instructional approaches/best practices Engaging learning environments (Means,1993) • authentic tasks • interactive participation • collaboration • heterogeneous groupings • learning through exploration • teacher as facilitator • authentic assessment

14. Appropriate/just-in-time technology skills Technology skills acquisition/integration • individual ‘technology integration’ pathway • --a developmental process • --stages of thought and practice • --ACOT model of practicum, institute, support • where are the computers? • what skills • when • how • who

15. Curriculum integration What does this mean? • Different ways of thinking about curriculum integration • thematic integration • event-oriented integration • conceptual integration • An example of conceptual integration that uses appropriate technology

16. Planning/managing/organizing the learning environment Given that best practices, technology skills, and curriculum integration are part of a teacher’s repertoire how can that teacher now effectively ‘put it all together?’ • begin with a curriculum question, consider all aspects of this question and think about appropriate ways that technology can be used to enhance learning • filamentality (Dodge & March) • activity structures (Harris) • thematic web-based units (Leshin)

17. Planning/managing/organizing the learning environment • instructional plan • students’ needs, interests, learning styles, abilities • lesson/unit goals • integrate aspects of the curriculum topic with other topics/subjects or within that subject area • appropriate (creative) use of technology • microworld of exploration--an ELE • authentic (real/meaningful) assessment

18. Final Thoughts • ICTs will not change practice • Computers in and of themselves will not make a student learn • the glitz, glamour and glory of computer technology must be replaced by the thoughtful design of ELE that prompt reflection and discussion • we are not learning or teaching about the computer--we are learning and teaching through it. ICT becomes a seamless part of an ELE.

19. Instructional approaches/best practices--continued • Engaged Learning (Means, 1993; Jones et al, 1995) • student interaction, connections among schools, collaboration among teachers and students, teachers as facilitators, and an emphasis on technology as a tool for learning. • Project-based Learning (Blumenfeld et al., 1991; Penuel & Means, 1999; Stites) • a “nontrivial” or “driving” question with real-world relevance, sustained, cooperative investigation and collaboration, and the use of cognitive tools to support student representation of the ideas developed. • Problem-Based Learning (Nagel, 1999) • a philosophy of teaching and learning through which students work together to solve problems of priority to them and to their community through input from experts, research, and the collaborative testing of potential solutions.

20. Instructional approaches/best practices--continued • Engaging learning environments (ELE) require a different kind of relationship between teacher(s) and learner(s) • ELE take individual student learning styles into consideration • ELE distribute technology equitably and conveniently for student and teacher use • ELE use technology in meaningful ways to support learning