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Last Thoughts on Technology and Education:

Teaching Writing With Technology

When we talk about teaching writing with technology, we are talking about helping our students make sense of the overwhelming amounts of information and helping them understanding how to collaborate and communicate in a global environment. Research suggests that critical thinking can be supported by technology and collaboration.

Two essential themes are developing in technology enhanced education

1. Technologies (Inspiration, Message Boards, and Webquests) are increasingly considered to be "mind tools."
These technologies enhanced thinking because they allow the student a new type of learning environment in which to carefully observe complex objects and processes while looking for the best descriptions or responses-from a collaborative community of learner-in order to fashion their final presentation into the most "precise" or "beautiful" language.

2. Collaboration and Constructavist Theory: Teachers must learn to support collaboration and communication throughout the writing, reading and presentation process.

Alan November suggests students need 3 Essential New Skills:
1. Information literacy,
2. Critical thinking,
3. Collaboration.

When designing technology instruction for your classroom ask 2 Essential Questions:
What information do you want?
What relationships do you want?

Suggestions for School Improvement

_ Revisit the boundaries of school.
_ Give kids a Global Forum and be taught to have a Global Voice.
_ Use your technology to build Community and Relationships
_ Present your work for the whole world to see.

The Value of Technology in Education: Parents, Students, the Market and Teachers

Parents:
80 percent of parents say they believe computers help children to do better in school.

Students:
According to The Acadia Advantage Surveys on values,

Communication is a Central Element of Student Computer Use
Communication, relationships with classmates are enhanced by computer based communication
Computers mean being together/community

Does this mean less real interaction?

No, but expect and embrace lots of messaging.

Until the conditions are right, here may be marginal improvement of social relationships and intellectual excitement.

Face to Face is consistent, electronic communication adds a layer to it.
Student enthusiasm drives and motivates faculties to be trained and creative

:
The Market: What does the "Knowledge Economy" value?

The business world in entering education and expects:

To extend reach of learning via tech
To improve the learning experience
In order to Measurably Improve Human Capital

Schools are expected to Upgrade/Take advantage of existing infrastructure and demonstrate what schools and students have learned.

One of the best ways to upgrade instruction is to move toward Constructivist Learning (Paradigm Shift).

CONSTRUCTIVIST LESSON PLAN
(follows the way the brain constructs meaning)

Teachers Facilitate

Teachers carefully and deliberately collect the kinds of "stuff" students are exposed to.

Teachers facilitate learning by guiding students into examinations of information.

Students Explore:

Allow students to "play," express their curiosity through hands-on experiences, ask questions, make comments and observations by providing a safe atmosphere.

Allow the element of wonder in the classroom.

Dialogue

Teachers develop concepts through specific, content-centered information that students need to enhance understanding, for example, definitions, historical context, significance, relationships, important details.

The Evolution of Teachers

It will take at least 3 years for changes to really occur, to implement the possibilities in our own classrooms.
1 1/2 years - Person doing the same as they always did but deliver learning electronically
1 1/2 years - Student becomes active learner- as teachers move from one mode to another.

Professional Development: The Lemon Grove Method
:
_ Co Teach-Finally, these teachers co-teach with their mentors.
_ Coach-They are teamed with teacher-mentors.
_ Observe-Teachers start out by observing other classrooms. The important idea here is that they are given "release time" by having the administration take their classes for them.

Gateway Writing Project Support- Reunions; mentoring through projects produced on the Web, credit courses, and inservice projects.

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