thinking_ahead

=Implications for the future and what's slowing us down:=

A Bag Of Tools
//By: R. L. Sharpe// Isn't it strange That princes and kings, And clowns that caper In sawdust rings, And common people Like you and me Are builders for eternity? Each is given a bag of tools, A shapeless mass, A book of rules; And each must make - Ere life is flown - A stumbling block Or a steppingstone.

"This famous and beloved peom from another, less technological era eloquently captures the circumstances teachers face today. Perhaps even more than 'princes and kings,' teachers are builders for eternity. What they do colors the character and shapes the abilities of all those who will create the future" (Mills & Roblyer, p. v).

__Reference__: Mills, S. C., and Roblyer, M. D. (2006). //Technology tools for teachers: A Microsoft Office tutorial// (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Watch the Shift Happens video here:
(Yes, I know there's a newer version. Each version has a new focus. The focus of this one is relevant to our topic.) media type="custom" key="21320760"

//Note: The Shift Happens is a Flash video. If the video won't play you may need to download the free// [|//Flash Player.//] //Contact your instructor if further help is needed to view the video.// __Shift Happens related resources:__
 * For more info visit:http://shifthappens.wikispaces.com/home
 * [|The Fischbowl] is the blog of the creators of the Shift Happens video. It has an explanation of origination and references for the information presented.
 * [|Sources for the Shift Happens video] (Word doc) As you can read about on the Fischbowl, the original version of this presentation came under fire for lack of references, so here they are.
 * Related video: [|Two Million Minutes] is how much time a student has during the high school years. "This film takes a deeper look at how the three superpowers of the 21st Century - China, India and the United States - are preparing their students for the future." (Thanks, Becky!)

Technology in Schools
Looking to the future is fine, but what do I do on Monday? **Seymour Papert** states, "//My asnwer is that if you have a vision of Someday you can use this to guide what you do Monday"// (p. 4).

To get a glimpse of his vision read the Technology in Schools article.
Papert offers an idealistic vision of technology in education and why we're not there yet. "//For those of us who want to change education the hard work is in our own minds, bringing ourselves to enter intellectual domains we never thought existed. The deepest problem for us is not technology, nor teaching, nor school bureaucracies"// (p. 7). To be truly inspired and for a deeper understanding of these intellectual domains he refers to, listen to his [|keynote address] and see his other work under leaders on the wiki's research(ers) page. (Generation WHY referenced in the "Technology in Schools" article is now called [|Generation YES]. The [|article] can also be found at the webiste of the [|Milken Famly Foundation]-Leading Advances in Education and Medical Research.)

What is acutally happening on Monday? **Larry Cuban** offers a pragmatic perspective of how technology is actually being implemented in schools. "//Despite the dramatically increased presence of information technologies, however, the vast majority of students have school experiences remarkably similar to those of students over the previous 50 years//" (p. 9).

Read more of Cuban's research in the article Techno-Promoter Dreams, Student Realities.
You may also enjoy Larry Cuban's blog, particularly these entries: =As Teacher Use of New Technologies Has Spread, Have Most Teachers Changed How They Teach?= (This is a follow-up to Techno-Promoter Dreams, Student Realities.) and == [|My Big Picture of School Reform Applied to Technology Policy and Classroom Practice] == (For more Larry Cuban see the Leaders section of the Researchers page.)

In answer to Larry Cuban's criticisms, there are some schools that are getting it right. [|****LemonLink, One-to-One & Beyond****] is a case studyabout the [|Lemon Grove School District]. It is an example of what can be done in a //low-income/low-scoring school// //district// to transform learning and improve test scores through the use of educational technology. For more information about Lemon Grove see Case Studies on the Research(ers) page.

[|Growing Up Online] by FRONTLINE looks at how radically the Internet is transforming kids' lives. It shows viewpoints and varying approaches to handling issues by students, parents, and teachers. You can watch the full program online (or just pieces of it), as well as follow-up interviews and related resources.

[|Critical Issue: Using Technology to Improve Student Achievement] walks you through technology integration and how to avoid common pitfalls that prevent success. It is worth the read for schools planning new technology initiatives and for teachers implementing technology in to the curriculum. It covers many of our class topics such as the digital divide and 21st century skills.

[|Technology Counts 2007: Looking Back, Looking Ahead]asks a "panel of experts how they think the use of educational technology has changed since the release of our first Technology Counts report a decade ago, and to also weigh in on how you think technology has transformed (or not changed at all) teaching and learning" (p. 1). The article is packed with expert advice and //resources//. Here's the 2012 report: Technology Counts-2012

For a look ahead, see the [|2010 Horizon Report] which “identifes and describes emerging technologies likely to have a large impact on teaching, learning, or creative inquiry on college and university campuses within the next five years” (p. 3).