Stop Teaching Applications

1. Stop Teaching Applications Why do we do this anyway? Dan Hudkins Director of Instructional Technology The Harker School - San Jose, CA danielh@harker.org

2. Where am I coming from? • 20 years in business - marketing • 11 years in education • Taught English, Social Studies, Field Engineering, Political Science • 7 years Public School District Tech Coord. • 2 years Silicon Valley independent school Harker School San Jose CA

3. Agenda • Reframe what it means to “teach computer” • Have someone think, “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard!” • Cause you to reexamine your assumptions • Work interactively on what we think Harker School San Jose CA

4. Information Fluency • Following concepts owe much to: • ISTE • International Society for Technology in Education - http://www.iste.org • CSTA • Computer Science Teacher’s Association - http://csta.acm.org/ Harker School San Jose CA

5. What do we mean by technology fluency? • Rely on standards • That must be continuously revised • That focus on process & product • Literacy • Is not sufficient by itself • Requires context • Comes from continuously re-evaluated competence Harker School San Jose CA

6. 3 Domains of Tech Fluency Information Literacy Computer Science Information Technology Harker School San Jose CA

7. Information Literacy • The domain of librarians • Big 6 - http://www.big6.com • Scope & Sequence • Can become fairly concrete • Integrated across fields of knowledge Harker School San Jose CA

8. Computer Science • Algorithmic Thinking • How tools are designed and deployed • A department of its own 9-12 • Overlap with Science & Math K-8 • Vocabulary • Naming skills Harker School San Jose CA

9. Information Technology • (Seeking another name) • Laptop one example of a generic tool • Use technology as a tool • Facilitate Learning • The “How To” space Harker School San Jose CA

10. 3 Domains of Tech Fluency These are separate intersecting spaces Planned distinctly Information Literacy Computer Science Information Technology Learn to recognize the distinctions Harker School San Jose CA

11. What about the applications thingy? • The Information Technology space • Laptop as device to extend learning • How are students learning? Harker School San Jose CA

12. The Digital Ocean 1969 Harker School San Jose CA

13. Skilled Swimmer Harker School San Jose CA

14. Digital Ocean 1999 Harker School San Jose CA

15. Skilled Swimmer Harker School San Jose CA

16. Digital Ocean 2005 Harker School San Jose CA

17. Skilled Swimmer Harker School San Jose CA

18. I’m a mammal • The kids are fish • Fish don’t swim like mammals • Now what? Harker School San Jose CA

19. Mammal School • Early adopter • Microsoft Office User Specialist (MOUS) • Recognized, Celebrated • Stuck in the mammal world Harker School San Jose CA

20. Amphibian School • Information literacy moves forward • Less teaching - more coaching • Higher level skills • Student as creator/publisher • But still focused on the apps (DreamWeaver, iMovie, FireWorks, etc.) Harker School San Jose CA

21. Fish School • They don’t remember their first computer • Focus on product and process - not the tools • Many roads to the kingdom Harker School San Jose CA

22. Comp Sci I • 2003 - 2004 • Application driven • Make a web page • Calculate a spread sheet • Manipulate an image • Make a movie • Skill Assessed • (And NO Comp Sci…) Harker School San Jose CA

23. Computing Across the Curriculum • 2004-2005 • Cooperative projects with each of three subject areas • Student developed criteria • Communication skill & content assessment • Choice of tools Harker School San Jose CA

24. Packing your bags - Upper School • Who are the partners? • Freshmen • English - Image management • World History - Web Design • Physics - Multi-media Harker School San Jose CA

25. Project design • A Definite Early Mammal Page • http://faculty.harker.org/danielh/CompSciI/index.htm • Meetings with all players • Cooperative Project Descriptor Harker School San Jose CA

26. The tools • Any OS • Suggested tools but no required tools • FireWorks will be demoed - Photoshop fine • DreamWeaver will be demoed - FrontPage fine • MovieMaker Deluxe will be demoed - Windows MovieMaker, iMovie fine Harker School San Jose CA

27. Assessment • Subject area teachers develop criteria for content • Students develop criteria for technical and communication proficiency Harker School San Jose CA

28. How? • Forum • AIM • Conversation Harker School San Jose CA

29. In process • Posts to Forum for peer evaluation • Initially I’m in the conversation a lot • But then they take over Harker School San Jose CA

30. My goal • Independently confident of their ability to: • Determine what they need to accomplish • Choose the right tool • Learn how to use the tool • Accomplish the goal Harker School San Jose CA

31. Student Samples • Emily’s Web Site • Heidi’s Collage • Sabena’s Video Harker School San Jose CA

32. Where to from here? • 2005-2006 • No more spreadsheet • Added Java Harker School San Jose CA

33. Long run? • Continuous revision • Kids will know more when they arrive in 9th grade each year Harker School San Jose CA

34. Advice • Make the problems real • Don’t answer questions • Except with questions • Make them develop the criteria • Teach them about process • Hold them accountable for quality Harker School San Jose CA

35. Remember • Mammals can’t/shouldn’t teach fish to swim like mammals • But they can still suggest where they need to go Harker School San Jose CA