The School Board President Called…

The School Board President Called… Can You Justify Technology Next Tuesday?

A Little Philosophy… • Hegel and educational technology • Thesis • Antithesis • Synthesis

Jane Healy, Failure to Connect • Blames technology for bad pedagogy and poor parenting • Dismisses most positive research as sponsored by computer corporations or conducted by wanna-be educational consultants (p. 22) then quotes a study sponsored by music educators: “Although one might wish for a more objective funding source, the results have been provocative.” (p. 230) • Accuses techno-pushers of “hysteria” then says, “If you don’t limit computer time, don’t be surprised when he starts to have attention, learning, or social problems.” (p. 226)

Clifford Stoll • Silicon Snake Oil and High Tech Heretic • Seems to advocate no computers in classrooms • Most famous quote: “No computer can teach what a walk through a pine forest feels like. Sensation has no substitute.” (p. 138) • Thinks field trips cost $100 or $200

Todd Oppenheimer • “The Computer Delusion,” Atlantic Monthly, July 1997 • Suggests that schools are buying computers at the expense of other programs • Questions the need to teach computer skills

Todd OppenheimerBonnie Bracey Replies • Vanderbilt University • Indiana’s Buddy System • Stevens Institute of Technology • Israeli researchers

Todd Oppenheimer Quotes Stoll: “Computers in classrooms are the filmstrips of the 1990s. We loved them because we didn’t have to think for an hour, teachers loved them because they didn’t have to teach, and parents loved them because it showed their schools were high-tech. But no learning happened.”

Larry Cuban • “Computer Meets Classroom: Classroom Wins,” Teachers College Record, Winter 1993 • Technology historian • Begins with the question: “Why is electronic technology used far less on a daily basis in classrooms than in other organizations?” • Only recently has technology been part of education reform rhetoric

Larry Cuban: 3 Scenarios • Technophile: Electronic Schools of the Future Now • Preservationist: Maintaining While Improving Schooling • Cautious Optimist: Slow Growth of Hybrid Schools and Classrooms

Adopting Technology

David Dwyer and ACOTImpact of Technology Over Time • Adoption Stage • Struggles • May revert to traditional methods • Adaptation Stage • Clear goals lead to improvements • Less use of content software and more of tools

David Dwyer and ACOTImpact of Technology Over Time • Appropriation Stage • Comfortable enough to forget the technology • Changed to “constructivist” methods • Innovation Stage • Opened up instructionally • Project-based learning

Dwyer’s Vision • Technology is unlike other educational innovations because it’s happening outside the schools, too. • Recommends a gradual approach • Must focus on environment and instruction

President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology • Report to the President on the Use of Technology to Strengthen K-12 Education in the United States, March 1997 • Due to high costs of hardware and software, all involved have an interest in evidence about the efficacy and cost effectiveness of technology • Research could be used to maximize the ratio of benefit to cost. • Small improvements in this ratio can have a real impact on local, state, and federal education budgets

Jamie McKenzie • Program evaluation is necessary • What kind of investment will pay the greatest learning dividends? • What are the desired student outcomes? • Job Skills • Improvement of test scores • Curriculum integration

Jamie McKenzie Program Design and Implementation • Identify research questions worth asking • Commission an evaluation design and explore the significance of findings • Suggest program changes as data warrants them

Jamie McKenzieFormative Evaluation • The collection of data as programs proceed • Collect relevant data • Quantitative (numerical) • Qualitative (descriptive) • Reflective practice • Include staff members to avoid fears of “accountability”

Jamie McKenzieSummative Evaluation • Collection of data to judge the overall success of a program • Way to reassure governing bodies that programs are being effective • Bang for the buck • Market your new technologies to tax payers who feel that the way they learned was good enough for them…

Jamie McKenzieWhy So Little Evaluation? • Do not have the expertise or resources to conduct evaluations • Want to protect new programs from scrutiny • Accountability is a dirty word • Little understanding of formative evaluation • Vendors have a lot at stake

Jamie McKenzieWhy So Little Evaluation? • Little respect for research • Technology is seen as capital rather than program • Evaluation requires clear goals • Good evaluation design standards may create political problems • Innovation conflicts with need for stability

Be Your Own PR Person • Keep track of what’s going on • Invite teachers to the school board meeting to show off projects • Enter contests • Be proactive and take the time to document what’s happening

Do Your Own Evaluation • CEO Forum (The “STaR Chart” People) • LoTi (Nat’l Business Education Alliance) • U.S. Department of Education • Greeneville City School System • K-5 Survey • Respondents were supportive • Had problems with management

Technology-Enriched Teaching and Learning Multi-District Project

The Balanced Performance Model The Indicators • Communication Within the School System Within the Broader Community • Teaching and Learning Integration with Curriculum Instructional Strategies and Techniques Assessment of Student Learning

The Balanced Performance Model The Indicators • Planning and Information Management • Organizational and Professional Development • Access, Reliability, and Equity • Vision and Leadership

Balanced Performance ModelLevels of Performance • Entry:A system point of view does not exist. It is characterized by a lack of clarity about what to do, inconsistency in implementation, and variations in results. • Beginning:A system point of view is being formulated. It is characterized by the establishment of basic procedures, limited implementation, and anecdotal results. • Proficient:A system point of view is in place. It is characterized by sound plans and policies, widespread implementation, and results that are substantiated by data.

Balanced Performance ModelLevels of Performance • Exemplary:A system point of view is firmly in place. It is characterized by comprehensive plans and policies, integrated and widespread implementation, and results that are substantiated by multiple forms of data. • Optimal: Most favorable or desirable state. A system point of view prevails. It is characterized by comprehensive and integrated plans and policies, full implementation, and results that are substantiated by local, national and international measures of excellence.

Levels of Performance and Phases of Performance Development Approach Implementation Results Lack of clarity. No plans or processes developed. Inconsistent use of technology. Wide variation in results. Little evidence of improvement. Entry Beginning Proficient Exemplary Comprehensive plans. Technology is fully integrated. Technology is fully supported and consistently used. Strong evidence from multiple sources of positive results for all students. Optimal

Benchmarking the Data The Wheatfield

Technology & LearningJune 2000 • Norris, Smolka and Soloway • Convergent Analysis web site • “Fodor’s Guide to Research Literature” • Profiles on the use of technology in writing and science education

How to Use Research • Teacher education • Policy decisions (money) • Curriculum ideas (best practices) • Motivation and affirmation

Problems with Research • Identifying relevant articles • Accessing relevant articles • Reading articles • Jargon • Bias • Thin descriptions

Suggestions • Have a good question • Use lit reviews • Avoid obscure things • Be willing to work a little…

Jay Sivin-Kachala • Ask the right questions…. • Which is better technology or no technology? (too broad) • Under what conditions is technology valuable? • Sample Media Questions • Do Computers Make Kids Smarter? • Why Computer Make Bad Teachers

Jay Sivin-Kachala • What software is being used, how well is it matched to the school’s curriculum objects, how well is it matched to the needs and learning characteristics of the students, and what role is the teacher playing before, during, and after its use?

Sivin-Kachala • Focuses on need for goals besides having computers in every classroom • Are you using the technology in a way related to those goals and do you have the right assessment tool?

Sivin-KachalaEnvironmental Characteristics • Key Factors: • District-level involvement and • A school-level computer coordinator • Teachers are more effective after receiving training in technology integration • Time • Incentive • Support System

Sivin-KachalaEnvironmental Characteristics • Teachers should carefully plan and actively participate in learning activities that incorporate tool software • Teachers should offer students self-directed learning experiences and activities that encourage self-expression • Students benefit from personal interaction among staff members

Matching Measurement to GoalsKoedinger and Sueker • Studied effect of an intelligent algebra tutor on higher order skills development in the context of “authentic, realistic” problem solving tasks • On a performance-based assessment focusing on qualitative reasoning the computer group scored significantly higher • On the standard departmental final which focused on standard algebra skills there was no significant difference Sivin-Kachala

Matching Measurement to GoalsVanderbilt University • The Adventures of Jasper Woodbury • Focused on higher order thinking skills related to solving math word problems • Jasper students were superior to non-Jasper students on a assessment of higher order skills while the more traditional computation skills improved at the same rate for both the computer and non-computer groups. Sivin-Kachala

Aren’t most of the successes based on good teaching? • Don’t separate the elements of a successful program to give one component all the credit • University of Minnesota study shows how technology can serve as a support to teacher-led instruction • Software was a catalyst to non-computer activities • In studies where a good teacher taught both the computer and non-computer groups the positive tech effects were less pronounced • Many software programs provide experiences a teacher can’t replicate. Sivin-Kachala

Sivin-KachalaPositive software experiences • Software developers put dollars, time and research into good high-quality software • You’re buying research and thinking and experimentation • Software can help shift a teacher’s focus • As students complete computer math drill teacher can be doing something else

Sivin-KachalaBest Uses • Combine tools with instruction • Instruction that combined word processing and a process writing approach lead to better results on a holistic writing assignment • Technology Usage is more effective is teachers are trained • The amount of time spent on the computer makes a difference

Jay Sivin-Kachala, 1998 • 219 research studies • Students in technology rich environments experienced positive effects on achievement in all major subject areas • Students in technology rich environments showed increased achievement in preschool through higher education for both regular and special needs children • Students’ attitudes toward learning and their own self-concept improved consistently when computers were used for instruction

Jay Sivin-Kachala, 1998 • Inconclusive Findings • The level of effectiveness of educational technology is influenced by • the specific student population, • the software design, • the educator’s role, and • the level of students’ access to the technology

Words of Advice “It’s not just the technology that determines the quality of a learning situation; it’s the whole mix-what the class does before they use technology, what the teacher does while students use technology, how the students are grouped, how prepared students are for technology-based learning experiences, and what the class, groups or individual students do as a follow-up to using the technology.” Jay Sivin-Kachala, from an interview with Technology and Learning Online

National Center for Educational StatisticsReport on Teachers’ Technology Use • Teachers are likely to integrate computers and the Internet if • Access to adequate equipment • Connections in their rooms • Key factor: • Teachers’ preparation and training to use education technology

National Center for Educational StatisticsReport on Teachers’ Technology Use • Approximately one-third of teachers reported feeling well prepared or very well prepared to use computers and the Internet for classroom instruction • Less experienced teachers felt better prepared to use technology than their more experienced colleagues

National Center for Educational StatisticsReport on Teachers’ Technology Use • Barriers to Use • Not enough computers • Lack of release time to learn • Lack of time in schedule for students to use computers in class • Teachers who perceived barriers were less likely to use technology

Eric Digest, 1998 • Applications of Technology to Basic Skills • Applications of Technology to Advanced Skills • Effects of Technology on Student Attitudes • On-line Technologies • Use of Technology by Teachers and Administrators • Factors That Help Technology Succeed • Evaluating the Impact of Technology

The School Board President Called…