A few New Jersey school districts are building tomorrow’s classrooms today, but for many, 20th century challenges are still the rule

To the average adult whose middle school experience included filmstrips, mimeographs and chalk dust, the typical day for sixth graders at Lawrence Township Intermediate School may seem like something out of a science fiction movie.

In one class, students write and edit reports together on an Internet site that lets them collaborate from their individual netbooks. In another, they use push-button remotes to answer math questions. Their teacher immediately sees a chart of who got it right and who didn’t. In French class, students video chat with students in another school via the Internet and Skype.

In some classrooms, technology is transforming education into a process that actively engages students by using new tools and devices — replacing a teacher-centered model with a student-centered one.

But this 21st century vision is a far cry from reality for many New Jersey school districts: computers used one period a day, or a week, in a class where students learn keyboarding skills or how to make PowerPoint presentations.

Innovative Integration

That example helps highlight the difference between 20th century teaching and today’s technology in education movement. The goal of the former is to teach kids computer skills. The goal of the latter is to find innovative ways to integrate technology into the pedagogical process.

“I don’t think anyone has asked them to change,” said Will Richardson, a former New Jersey teacher who is an author and strong proponent of using technology in education. “Basically, the message schools are getting is you have to be doing what you’re doing better. Better is always measured by how well you are doing on the test.”

That’s a shame, say the pioneers of new tech-teaching methods, because the old-fashioned approach isn’t good enough anymore.

“We’re training kids for jobs that don’t exist yet, so how do we do that?” said Aaron Sams, a Colorado teacher who was the recipient of the 2009 Presidential Award for Excellence for Math and Science Teaching. His “flipped classroom” take on teaching melds computer and video technologies: Students watch lectures at home and participate in workshops and discussions in class.

“I’m teaching them how to learn, how to be self-motivated, how to teach themselves,” Sam explained.

Transforming Education

This new kind of education is the focus of the U.S. Department of Education’s 2010 Technology Plan, entitled Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology. The plan calls for employing technologies that are used everyday at home and at work to improve the way students learn.

One key goal is to give every student round-the-clock access to a computer or similar device and the Internet. “Only with 24/7 access to the Internet via devices and technology-based software and resources can we achieve the kind of engagement, student-centered learning, and assessments that can improve” education, according to the report.

The New Jersey Department of Education (DOE) has set an eventual target of one-to-one availability for students. But this is a voluntary goal. The state is not requiring districts to provide a computer for every student because it could not afford to fund such a mandate, said Laurence Cocco, manager of the DOE’s office of educational technology.

The state’s core curriculum content standards, revised in 2009, seek to integrate technology into all areas of curriculum at all grade levels. Cocco said his office does more than 100 presentations a year about the standards and what districts can do to meet them.

A Wide Variety

Local districts vary widely in their use of technology, with some schools pointing to VCRs as state of the art and others boasting a computer for every student in a given grade. Little more than a third of New Jersey’s school districts have approved technology plans that describe their current resources and goals for implementing a 21st century classroom, because such plans are only required of those seeking federal funding for telecommunications and Internet access. Cocco said 198 districts have not told the state whether they have a technology plan.

The DOE’s detailed survey of school technology usage, which used to be required and posted on its website, is now voluntary. It found just 123 of the 2,000 schools that answered the survey – about 85 percent of all statewide – have a one-to-one computer initiative. Because of the structure of the survey, it is unknown whether those schools are seeking to give a computer to every child in the building, or every child in a grade or grades, Cocco said.

“The push right now is not to be burdensome to the districts if the data is not required,” he said.

The state has a better handle on simpler statistics, like the number of computers in schools. That data is collected for each year’s school report card. For 2009-2010, the median student-computer ratio was 3.4 students for each computer in a typical district.

But given that most students are using technology after school and on weekends, merely having computers available isn’t good enough anymore. More and more experts are saying teachers need to show students how to use computers to find information and how to use technology to collaborate and present information.

“The fact that students have access to the tools does not mean they are being integrated properly,” Cocco said. “Schools need to move toward student-centered learning.”

“It’s not that technology itself makes a difference,” agreed Beth McGrath, executive director of the Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken. “It’s how it is used, how the teacher sculpts it.”

“The research does suggest that an integrated approach to technology impacts positively on student learning,” agreed Greer Richardson, a professor of education at La Salle University in Philadelphia. “Specifically, technology tools that foster higher-order thinking, problem solving and the like are considered to be a good practice. Conversely, tools that simply offer drill and practice or sheer entertainment are not considered good practice.”

Studies of students in Massachusetts, Georgia and Oklahoma have found that those using technology and software programs outperformed their peers who did not on standardized tests in writing or math.

Perhaps the most compelling study involves elementary students in Missouri participating in the Enhancing Missouri’s Instructional Networked Teaching Strategies (eMINTS) program. eMINTS fourth graders scored an average of 5.5 points higher on the state’s communications arts test and 3.55 points higher on math than students not in the program. eMINTS classrooms included computers for the teacher, a scanner, a color printer, a digital camera, an interactive white board, a digital projector and one computer for every two students.

Sams, a science teacher at Woodland Park High School in Colorado, has seen positive results since he and fellow teacher Jonathan Bergmann began using their flipped classroom teaching technique.

Sams and Bergmann create video lessons, or vodcasts, lasting between 10 and 15 minutes that include photos and highlighted notes as they lecture — with a small video of them speaking in the lower corner of the screen. Students watch the vodcasts at home, pausing and rewinding as necessary. The next day, in class, they use what they learned the previous night.

“All of the D’s have become C’s, the C’s have become B’s and the B’s have become A’s,” said Sams, who co-chaired the Colorado State Science Standards Revision Committee.

While the method has not stopped kids from failing — Sams said the same percentage of students are getting an F today as did before he flipped his classroom — it nonetheless has affected them. “The unmotivated kid gets way more attention from me than he would have sitting in the back of the room while I lectured,” Sams said. “That’s gotta be worth something.”

“My job has dramatically changed,” said Sams. “I really see myself as a tutor, a coach. This really is a student-centered class. I’m no longer there to deliver content. I’m there to make sure the kids get it.”

Learner in Chief

“The new role of the teacher is learner-in-chief,” Richardson said. “The teacher is not the smartest person in the room anymore if you have an Internet connection.”

Newer high-tech teaching fundamentally changes the role of the teacher — not a bad thing, although it can frazzle longtime educators (a topic that will be further explored in the second half of this special report).

“It’s overwhelming to them,” said Don Ginty, the interim technology director at Hunterdon Central Regional High School in Raritan Township. “Teachers have to get past the feeling of ‘I don’t know anything about this.’ ”

Teachers worry about technology breaking down during a lesson, about not having the same kind of control over the class, about trying a new type of lesson and having it fail to teach the students a concept or skill as anticipated. Some just feel comfortable their current methods are working well and see no need to change, he said

One of the first districts in the state to embrace new technologies in 2004, Hunterdon Central High School (HCHS) does extensive teacher training both on an in-service basis and over the summer.

“Teachers need to become learners,” said Ginty. “They need to start embracing these new tools. The landscape is changing.”

It certainly is at HCHS.

Spanish classes are connecting with Spanish-speaking students using ePals and Skype. English students are blogging their reactions to literature. African Studies students are using RSS feeds to collect news articles to identify political biases. Wikis, Facebook, YouTube and other tools are being used in several different classes.

In this second year of a pilot program that puts netbooks in the hands of all students in a number of classes, 42 teachers are trying out new teaching methods, with a total of 1,200 students getting at least some netbook-based instruction during the year.

The school is working on creating a system that would turn a student’s personal laptop into a virtual HCHS machine, including software and filters, when it is on campus. That would enable the school to provide more technology-infused instruction to more students faster because HCHS would not have to find the funds to buy a machine for every student.

The Lawrence Program

Lawrence Township was able to start a similar program in its middle school because it got a $1.4 million education technology grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to put in place a technology-infused education program in its intermediate school. Beginning last August, each sixth grader received a netbook that is used in every class throughout the day that he or she can take home. The district also hired several technology specialists and trained some 70 teachers in how to integrate the computers into their lessons.

Next year, the students will keep using their computers in seventh grade and the incoming sixth graders will receive their own netbooks.

Lawrence officials are so pleased with the results they are working both backward and forward on plans to extend the program into the elementary grades and up into the high school. They said starting with the middle school has several advantages.

“Sixth grade is a great age, you can teach them to be responsible,” said Jennifer Polakowski, the district’s grants manager.

While most schools forbid students from using smartphones or other devices in school, in part because of fears about cheating, Polakowski said teachers are instructing the children in the proper and ethical use of technology.

Jonathan Dauber, the principal of Lawrence Intermediate School who has his own blog to keep the community informed, said lessons also have become more relevant to the students.

For instance, he said that in a recent language arts class, students read and evaluated articles on the TweenTribune website to determine which facts were important, and which were not, in various pieces of writing.

“Every article there is of interest to students their age,” he said. “Twenty years ago, the teacher would have given them a ditto sheet with a story about little Johnny and his puppy. This made it much more relevant.”

Student blog posts are graded as language arts assignments They are Skyping with language students in other schools.

Said Dauber: “Now the world is open to them.”

Click here to read the original post by Colleen O’Dea.

If you walk by a classroom at Brownstown Elementary School and hear the sound of race cars, it doesn’t mean that students in the class are watching a NASCAR race. It’s all of the students finding out how they completed a class exercise.

That’s one of the fun ways that students at the school are learning through the use of equipment that the school district has obtained through a grant program.

BES Principal Angela Reeter, Brownstown Superintendent of Schools Doug Slover and Regional Superintendent of Schools Mark Drone were among those on hand as BES Title I teacher Keri Buscher and fifth-grade students demonstrated the use of the SmartBoard equipment obtained through a federal Enhancing Education Through Technology grant.

The Brownstown district was awarded a three-year grant, and is now in its second year of receiving grant funds. Reeter said that to date, the district has been able to use “upwards of $500,000” of grant monies for educational technology equipment.

Through the grant program, the district has been receiving interactive digital chalkboards, desktop and laptop computers and a variety of instructional digital resources. The grant also allows teachers to participate in professional development sessions, during which they learn to develop and use the district’s new technology resources.

During the demonstration, each of the fifth-graders had a race car, and their position in a race was determined by how quickly – and correctly – they answered questions with their Qwizdom connect remotes during a class exercise.

Using the SmartBoard equipment, Buscher and the students were able to complete the class exercise in about 15 minutes. Doing the old way, with paper and pencil, used to take 30-45 minutes, Buscher said.

The time-saving aspect is just one of the many benefits of the new equipment, Buscher said.

Another is the immediate response that both teacher and student get. “They know right away how they did on a question or an exercise,” Buscher said.

“They don’t have to wait two or three days to find out their grade,” added Kathy Brown, Title I aid.

Buscher said the use of the equipment also “makes the students more attentive. It’s keeps their attention better.

“When we do exercises, they are ready for the next question, and excited about performing well against their classmates,” she said.

“The students love it, because everything is presented in a different – and fun – way,” Buscher said. “It also makes teaching more fun.”

And while the new equipment requires more preparation time, she and Reeter said, the grant funds have provided the equipment that teachers can use to do the prep work at home on nights and weekends.

Currently, students in grades 2-6 at BES are using the new technology equipment. At the end of each school year, however, students in kindergarten and first grade are exposed to it, learning how to use it.

And those younger students pick it up quickly, Reeter said.

“They are technology-surrounded,” she said, explaining that children are becoming increasingly exposed to a variety of
technology devices at all ages.

“Our students know how to use it without any problems,” she said.

And the SmartBoards and other equipment the district received this year is a vast improvement over that which was used last year.

During the last school year, BES classes used a “robot,” with students having to direct their remotes correctly in order to have their answers recorded.

“It was frustrating for the students, because they might have had the answer first, but it didn’t get recorded because they didn’t aim (their remote) just right,” Reeter said.

In addition to using it for many classroom exercises, she said, the district staff can use the equipment to prepare students for state tests.

“We can use it for every subject, and also for reward activities,” Reeter said. “We have found a way to use it in every aspect.”

But, she pointed out, that doesn’t mean that the faculty wants to use it all of the time.

“If we used it for every subject, I think it would lose something. If you use it, say, two times a week, the students know that it’s something special,” Reeter said.
–By Rich Bauer

Chalkboards, paper handouts and pencils are being replaced by hand-held remotes, wireless tablets and laptops.

The Gulf county school district is paying for this classroom retrofitting at Wewahitchka Middle School with a government grant.

“Gulf County received the EETT grant which is a large technology grant to bring schools really into the 21st century as far as instruction,” said Principal of Wewahitchka Middle School, Pam Lister.

The school received 100 laptops, the Quizdom response systems and smart boards for every classroom.

“As a teacher, this has helped me keep students actively engaged. It’s not only a learning process but they feel like they’re playing and they come in excited every day to learn and work,” said 6th and 8th grade teacher, Carla Dunn.

Dunn’s classroom is equipped with Quizdom, an interactive learning system.

Ms. Wood’s 8th grade math students next door are reviewing for a test. At first glance is looks like the students are playing a home video game. When in reality, they’re learning math concepts like mean, median, range and mode.

“It has just heightened learning engagement like nothing I’ve seen. We had really student friendly classrooms, lots of cooperative learning, lots of hands on projects, nothing has caused students to want to come to school, be involved and be excited like the use of technology which is something they use every day. It’s the language they speak,” said Principal Lister.

This new technology has made its way into all of Gulf County’s schools.

Original story at NBC-Panama City.

These pictures show the Qwizdom hand-held student response devices and an innovation station in use.

students using the Qwidom handheld remotes

]]> http://qwizdomnews.com/2010/10/community-event-at-austin-isd/feed/ 0 http://qwizdomnews.com/2010/07/meet-dorie-glynn-winner-of-qwizdoms-largest-tweetaway-to-date/ http://qwizdomnews.com/2010/07/meet-dorie-glynn-winner-of-qwizdoms-largest-tweetaway-to-date/#comments Fri, 02 Jul 2010 18:51:48 +0000 admin http://qwizdomnews.com/?p=408 Dorie Glynn, a 2nd grade bi-lingual Math and Science teacher from Cypress, Texas, won Qwizdom’s largest tweetaway to date during ISTE 2010. This promotion “tweeted away” over $4,000 in education technology prizes including a complete classroom suite of Qwizdom products. Dorie was the first educator to correctly answer the tweetaway trivia question, “What are the three ways to enter the ‘How Do You Q?’ Contest?”

This past school year Dorie was able try out several different kinds of student response remotes in her classroom at Kirk Elementary thanks to a friend in a nearby school district. She is excited to have her own Qwizdom set of remotes, especially because of the text input feature.

Dorie has been an educator for six years. For the past five she was the school campus liaison to the district and recently made the transition into the classroom. This was her first ISTE (formerly NECC) conference. She recently received her Master’s Degree in Education with a Focus in Instructional Media.

Her classroom already features a SMART board and she uses technology in the classroom regularly. She plans to use the Qwizdom student response system “to ask on the fly questions to keep students engaged and track their understanding during class.”

Dorie will be taking home a complete classroom suite of Qwizdom products including the newest student response system, the Q6, a Q7 Presenter Tablet, Qwizdom Document Camera, Wiz Teach Tools, Connect Software, and a year of Premium Service.

AUSTIN, Texas – Most American educators are familiar with Qwizdom’s interactive classroom technology, but only those attending the Texas Computer Education Association Conference this February will have the unique opportunity to squeeze in hands-on time with the company’s newest hardware release – the Q6 student response system.

Available for pre-order in late march of this year, the Qwizdom Q6 Student Response System is unique in that it offers more opportunity for collaboration than with any previous system, including an easy-to-use keypad similar to a cell phone, text input and a larger LCD screen to view full responses. The small, ergonomic radio frequency remotes allow each student to communicate with the teacher from up to 328 feet away and are durability-tested to withstand the rigors of the classroom.

As the teacher presents questions on a screen, verbally, or by using paper-based activities, pupils enter responses with their remotes. The teacher‘s computer instantly receives the responses and records the results, allowing the freedom to easily manage and control the format and speed of the lesson. The instant response also allows the educator to gauge students’ overall comprehension or to zero in on a struggling pupil. In turn, a student is notified when their response has been received and can silently signal the teacher for help, easing the fear of judgment by peers or falling behind in class.

The device’s 1.8 × 1.5” LCD screen allows for up to 116 character input per transmission. Multiple mark, numeric, sequencing, rating scale, yes/no, fractional/decimal, multiple choice, true/false, and short answer questions are all supported by the Q6. Battery life is a year on average.

Software used with Q6 remotes is both PC and Mac-friendly, integrating easily with PowerPoint® and Keynote®. Additionally, Qwizdom Connect software works with hundreds of thousands of pre-made curriculum resource slides.

02.08.2010 – AUSTIN, Texas – Most American educators are familiar with Qwizdom’s interactive classroom technology, but only those attending the Texas Computer Education Association Conference this February will have the unique opportunity to squeeze in hands-on time with the company’s newest hardware release – the Q6 student response system.

Available for pre-order in late march of this year, the Qwizdom Q6 Student Response System is unique in that it offers more opportunity for collaboration than with any previous system, including an easy-to-use keypad similar to a cell phone, text input and a larger LCD screen to view full responses. The small, ergonomic radio frequency remotes allow each student to communicate with the teacher from up to 328 feet away and are durability-tested to withstand the rigors of the classroom.

As the teacher presents questions on a screen, verbally, or by using paper-based activities, pupils enter responses with their remotes. The teacher‘s computer instantly receives the responses and records the results, allowing the freedom to easily manage and control the format and speed of the lesson. The instant response also allows the educator to gauge students’ overall comprehension or to zero in on a struggling pupil. In turn, a student is notified when their response has been received and can silently signal the teacher for help, easing the fear of judgment by peers or falling behind in class.

The device’s 1.8 × 1.5” LCD screen allows for up to 116 character input per transmission. Multiple mark, numeric, sequencing, rating scale, yes/no, fractional/decimal, multiple choice, true/false, and short answer questions are all supported by the Q6. Battery life is a year on average.

Software used with Q6 remotes is both PC and Mac-friendly, integrating easily with PowerPoint® and Keynote®. Additionally, Qwizdom Connect software works with hundreds of thousands of pre-made curriculum resource slides.

For more information, visit Qwizdom online at www.qwizdomnews.com.

#####

About Qwizdom, Inc.

Qwizdom provides integrated education technology solutions for thousands of schools throughout the U.S. and U.K. Striving to make learning both effective and engaging, Qwizdom offers the most advanced radio-frequency classroom response technology (patents pending), a complete software learning system, more than 150 interactive curriculum programs, and a digital learning network. Founded in 1984, Qwizdom has offices in the Seattle area, Cleveland, and the United Kingdom. For more information, please visit www.qwizdomnnews.com.

Media Contact
Ian Bryan
828.242.1868
ianbryan@sensiblecity.com

Attending FETC 2010?  At some point during your visit, you will find yourself in the audience of one of the fantastic presentations on educational technology.  This year several FETC presenters will have an extra interactive element to keep the audience engaged.  Qwizdom will be providing their Student Response System to a select group of presentations.  The idea is to provide an opportunity for the audience to give feedback and enliven their presentations.  The following is a list of presenters who will be taking part in this experience:

FETC Presenter Schedule

January 14

Thursday

9:15 – 10:10am

Hunter Menning

Perfect Teaching Solutions from a National Teacher of the Year

Room: W304A

Capacity: 200

Diane Tinucci

Phone-a-Friend: Educational Videoconferencing is the Answer

Room: W304D

Capacity: 200

Al Mizell

Distance Learning: Professional Development and Networking

Room: W304E

Capacity: 200

Boni Hamilton

Teaching Research that Lasts

Room: W311F

Capacity: 200

10:35 – 11:30am

Brad Fountain

The Needed Virus: How to Spread 21^st Teaching for 21^st Century Students

Room: W311B

Capacity: 200

12:30 – 1:25pm

Rushton Hurley

Digital Video for the Intimidated or Skeptical

Room: W311F

Capacity: 200

1:50 – 2:45pm

Sandra Wozniak

Yourtake: An Online Collaborative Tool to Teach 21^st Century Skills

Room: W311B

Capacity: 200

Richard Jeter

Tech Tools for Teachers on a Tight Budget

Room: W311D

Capacity: 200

3:10 – 4:05pm

Joel Gluck

Proficiency-based Graduation Requirements and the Electronic Portfolio

Room: W304C

Capacity: 200

4:30 – 5:25pm

Rushton Hurley

Hordes of Free Tools from a Google Certified Teacher

Room: W414CD

Capacity: 400

Janet Bryson

Been There, Done That and Still Not Ready for Algebra

Room: W304C

Capacity: 200

John Ross

eCoaching: Connecting Educators through Technology

Room: W304G

Capacity: 200

Michelle Scribner-MacLean

Creating a Successful Online Learning Community

Room: W311F

Capacity: 200

January 15

Friday

9:15 – 10:10am

Megan Allen

“Popcasting!” Using Podcasts and Pop Culture to Motivate and Inspire Learners

Room: W414AB

Capacity: 400

Debra Berlin

Raising Reading Achievement in a Technological Age: Online and Off!

Room: W311B

Capacity: 200

10:35 – 11:30am

Bill Murphy

High/Low Tech for Students with Severe Disabilities in the Classroom

Room: W303AB

Capacity: 200

Roberta Hammett

Future Teachers and 9^th Graders Collaborate: Digital Representations

Room: W311H

Capacity: 200

12:30 – 1:25pm

Mark Clemente

Using Modeling and Simulation Tools to Teach Math and Science

Room: W304G

Capacity: 200

1:50 – 2:45pm

Chris Ward

SMS: Cell Phones and VoIP in the Classroom Curriculum

Room: W304E

Capacity: 200

Kristie Taylor

To Thinkfinity and Beyond!

Room: W304F

Capacity: 200

Sue Kraul

From 0 to 60 in Three Years… NO Technology to LOTS of Technology!

Room: W311C

Capacity: 200

Qwizdom will kick off the Florida Education Technology Conference (FETC) by giving and “tweeting away” over $30,000.00 in student response systems and software to educators attending FETC and across the nation. The company says it hopes to see the technology encourage teachers to ring in 2010 with interactive, engaging classroom experiences which help students to succeed.

Two ways to win:

1. Visit Qwizdom on the trade show floor…

Qwizdom can be found in booth 515, a demonstration area, and in booth 438, where conference attendees can spend hands-on time with the Q7 tablet, a mini interactive portable whiteboard. Conference badges will be scanned at both booths, automatically entering attendees to win Q7 of their own. Qwizdom representatives will demonstrate various education tools every hour, on the hour, in booth 515 and participants will receive a Qwizdom Tshirt for attending. Wearing the T-shirt is another way to win. A tap on the shoulder from a Qwizdom representative means a free classroom set of Q2 remotes. Also up for grabs every hour is a Q7 Tablet, Premium Service and Connect software.

2. Follow @Qwizdom on Twitter…

During the Florida Educational Technology Conference (Jan 12- 15), Qwizdom will ask its followers basic trivia questions. Prior to each trivia question, the company will tweet at least two hyperlink “hints” leading to where the answer may be found. (Think of it as an open-book test!) The first correct response made in reply to @Qwizdom will win.

Tweetaway prizes are as follows:

Thursday 1/14 – Set of 24 Q2 Student Response Remotes with a Q7 Tablet, Connect Software and WizTeach Tools.

Friday 1/15 – Set of 24 Q2 Student Response Remotes with a Q7 Tablet, Connect Software, WizTeach Tools and Premium Service.

The “tweetaway” and giveaways are open to teachers across America. (Please note that this promotion is not available to educators outside of the United States).

#####

About Qwizdom, Inc.
Qwizdom provides integrated education technology solutions for thousands of schools throughout the U.S. and U.K. Striving to make learning both effective and engaging, Qwizdom offers the most advanced radio-frequency classroom response technology (patents pending), a complete software learning system, more than 150 interactive curriculum programs, and a digital learning network. Founded in 1984, Qwizdom has offices in the Seattle area, Cleveland, and the United Kingdom. For more information, please visit www.qwizdom.com.

Media Contact
Ian Bryan
828.242.1868
ianbryan@sensiblecity.com