Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/698898
E d Te ch S h o w D a i l y 4 9 Tu e s d a y, J u n e 2 8 , 2 0 1 6 RS: It's surprised me that some school districts implement sweeping initiatives only to get rid of some of the technology when the data doesn't show immediate impact on student achievement. Often, though, teachers are given the basics on what technology does without training on how that translates in a classroom to ben- efit instruction. There's a mixed mes- sage: "use the technology," but teachers aren't provided with a frame for best instructional practices. ESD: What advice do you have for teachers initially incorporating technolo- gy into the classroom? RS: One thing I've learned is humility – that it's okay not to know everything yourself. In fact, I would argue that it's better to work with your students, to become co-learners in the technology. Here's a story: At the end of a school year, I had my students create webpages to summarize the content they'd learned. Some students who hadn't been as engaged throughout the year suddenly became my technology helpers, and I said, "I don't know how to do that, but you do. Will you teach me?" The dynam- Ex pert A dvice (C o nt'd. fro m p. 1 ) ics just changed. ESD: How can teachers adapt instruc- tional strategies to incorporate technolo- gy without starting over with their lesson plans? RS: We don't want teachers to throw out the good things they're doing. Rather, it's taking a look at how tech- nology can augment instruction in new ways. It's saying, "Okay, where can we provide quicker feedback? Foster more student engagement? Involve experts and collaborate with people outside of the school?" We can take those really great instructional strategies that we know – group work and collaboration, for exam- ple – and take advantage of technology to extend that. One of my colleagues con- nected their classroom with a classroom in China. Both classes were studying the same concept, and they would meet together virtually to share their learning. It's a great way to form an authentic con- nection. For more information, call 800.585.5258, email info@mentoringminds.com, visit www.mentoringminds.com or stop by booth #2632. influences? In his book, "Visible Learning for Teachers," researcher John Hattie set out to answer part of this question. He com- piled 800 meta-analyses of 50,000 research studies measuring 150,000 effect sizes of various interventions, involving 240 million students. A total of 150 interventions were ranked by effect size. An effect size of 1.0 is equivalent to a learner's improve- ment in achievement by one year. The top items with an effect size approaching or exceeding 1.0 were the quality of feed- back students receive, and the ability to self-assess. These findings highlight that stu- dents are most often excellent predictors of their own success. If they expect to do well based on assessments of their abili- ties, they usually fulfill their expecta- tions. Conversely, they will likely do poorly if that is their expectation. My own experience in two decades of working with children learning mathe- matics confirms that one powerful way to impact achievement is to change a child's self-identity about their ability to learn. According to scholar James Gee, three steps are needed to change learner identities. Learners must be: encouraged to try, even if they are afraid; persuaded to put in a lot of effort, even if they begin with little motivation; and shown mean- ingful success for their efforts. Creating a positive self-identity is an active process. Teachers must give stu- dents opportunities to predict their own performance by providing transparent learning intentions and success criteria, Suntex (C o nt'd. fro m p. 1 ) as well as setting high but achievable expectations. Teachers must also create an envi- ronment where students are encouraged to explore and make mistakes without penalties. Multiple entry points allow students to find challenges that match their skill level, which means they won't be bored by activities that are too easy or frustrated if they are too difficult. Short- cycled activities that impart immediate, nonjudgmental feedback give children a chance to initiate small steps and instant- ly see the results of their effort, thereby reducing anxiety and fear. Technology fulfills the above criteria and gives students a sense of control over their individual learning process. A Japanese educator once said, "When you feel you have a chance to catch the bus, that's when you're willing to make the effort to run for it." Reinforcement of good behavior and success are crucial. When students see that their actions lead to intended conse- quences and receive recognition for their efforts, the cycle of self-doubt and low expectations is broken, positively impacting self-efficacy. Technology- based games that provide short cycles of play, instant feedback and remedial loops are the perfect supplement in the class- room and beyond. Once students embark on a cycle of positive feedback, they get excited about learning, more confident in their abilities and empowered to achieve their personal goals. For more information, visit www.first inmath.com, call 800.242.4542, email nan@24game.com or stop by booth #3814. technology to compete and learn in a modern world, if the district does not have a plan for Internet outside of school, a number of students will fall further behind. More Than Just Internet One affordable way districts can offer home Internet access for students is with Kajeet Education Broadband™. Education Broadband includes a Wi-Fi hotspot called a Kajeet SmartSpot ® that is easy for students to use, connects to a lightning fast 4G network with Verizon and costs approximately $15-20 per month per student. Any Wi-Fi compatible Chromebook, netbook, laptop or tablet they connect with is filtered specifically for school assignment use; inappropriate and non-education content is blocked and cannot be accessed. Increased Test Scores Providing connectivity to students at home with Kajeet provides them with more than just Internet. In Chicago Public Schools, it means increased math test scores for 5th graders. The final results from a three-year- long study, which evaluated the benefits of a 1-to-1 tablet implementation along with and home Internet through Kajeet, showed that students with Internet access at home had the highest percentage of 5th graders scoring at or above the national average RIT (Rasch Unit) in math compared to similar Chicago schools, according to the Northwest Evaluation Association's Measures of Academic Progress ® assess- H o mewo rk G ap (C o nt'd. fro m p. 1 ) ment scores. More Parent Involvement In District of Columbia Public Schools, Internet at home means parent engage- ment. Families are able to go online, check grades and communicate with teachers. With Internet access the parents know what their children are doing, so they can have informed conversations about book reports or math assignments and not wait until the report cards arrive. "[The parents] may not be able to explain the Pythagorean Theorem, but they can communicate with their child's teacher and understand the learning process," said Andre Samuels, Principal at Browne Education Campus at DCPS. Higher Graduation Rates Better student engagement, more parent involvement and higher test scores all contribute to an increase in graduation rates. High school students who have broadband Internet at home have gradua- tion rates six to eight percentage points higher than students who don't, accord- ing to a study by the Federal Reserve. Richland School District Two is tracking all these metrics in connection with their Kajeet devices. "We are able to look at test scores, grades and graduation rates to measure the results, and we've seen some good results so far. Using Kajeet SmartSpots gave these kids avenues to complete all of their home- work. We even had some students who were able to bring their grades up to honor roll status from so-so grades." For more information, stop by booth #3345 or go to www.kajeet.net. To further her point, the three-step process helps teachers and students focus their efforts on meeting learning goals that matter, without the extra time. An assigned lesson on fractions, for exam- ple, may be an early introduction to the mathematical concept for a struggling student. Meanwhile, for a second student who is on-grade level, the lesson is what DreamBox was already recommending. For a third student who's excelling, how- ever, the assigned lesson serves as a D reamB ox (C o nt'd. fro m p. 4 ) review to help build fluency. Plus, form- ative data surfaces student understanding in real time so that teachers have the ben- efit of aligning digital curriculum to classroom instruction, prepping students for assessments and reducing lesson prep time. Now, teachers can effectively dif- ferentiate learning experiences to support struggling students while also meeting the needs of students who would benefit from additional challenges. For more information, visit booth #3406 and www.dreambox.com/assignfocus. classroom. Standard UP features include 150micron, high-resolution printing using both industrial-strength ABS, as well as industry standard PLA plastics. It has a full enclosure to keep noise and odors to a minimum and also to keep curious fingers away from hot parts. A heated bed allows for ABS printing with- out warping. The NEW UP mini 2 adds a brand new two-door enclosure design with improved sound insulation, an integrated, retractable aluminum handle, an integrat- ed high-capacity, HEPA filtering system, Wi-Fi connectivity, a color, LCD touch- screen control panel, companion spool caddy, new UP-Flex build surface for trouble free printing and easy parts removal. Tiertime (C o nt'd. fro m p. 4 ) About Tiertime Beijing Tiertime Technology Co., Ltd. is the leading innovator in the 3D printing industry in China. Over the years, Tiertime has evolved into a world-lead- ing 3D printing solutions provider. Its product range includes the Inspire series industrial 3D printers and the UP series desktop 3D printers with their respective 3D printing software and 3D printing materials. Tiertime is headquartered in Beijing, China, and its U.S. division, Tiertime Corporation, is located in Garden Grove, California. Tiertime dis- tributes its products through its global distribution network. For more information, visit Tiertime's official website at www.tiertime.com, and the website for users of UP 3D printers at www.up3dusa.com. Learn more at booth #1860.