Looking Through the News for EdTech Trends

Here's a partial list of the items covered in class discussions and listed in weekly class discussion notes. These have all appeared in the last couple of months and, in my opinion, point towards significant trends in EdTech as it is used in preK-12 schools:

*  http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/mar13/vol70/num06/The-Basics-of-Blended-Instruction.aspx  
* Online & Blended Learning Solutions

http://www.pearsoned.com/prek

*  W hat qualities do effective digital school leaders share?

There are seven pillars of effective digital school leaders, asserts Eric

Sheninger, a senior fellow at the International Center for Leadership in

Education and a former high school principal. He outlined the pillars during

a CoSN 2016 spotlight session. eSchool News (free registration) 

*  Testing and Assessment

Online Assessment Computer Glitch Affected Thousands of State of Texas Assessments of Academic  Readiness Exams

http://www.centerdigitaled.com/k-12/Computer-Glitch-Affected-Thousands-of-State-of-Texas-Assessments-of-Academic-Readiness-Exams.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Act-On+Software&utm_content=email&utm_campaign=3%20Action%20Items%20to%20Help%20District%20IT%20Leaders%20Accelerate%20Ed%20Tech%20Success&utm_term=Computer%20Glitch%20Affected%20Thousands%20of%20State%20of%20Texas%20Assessments%20of%20Academic%20Readiness%20Exams

* Grading Software Seen as Time Saving Tool

Teachers are turning to essay grading software to critique student  writing, but critics point to serious flaws in the technology
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2014/03/13/25essay-grader.h33.html

*Connected Teaching and Learning, Tech Tip

Tech Tip: Enhance learning with Nearpod Virtual Field Trips

*3 Action Items to Help District IT Leaders Accelerate Ed Tech Success

Author Daniel Pink and U.S. CTO Megan Smith addressed education technology leaders at the Consortium for School Networking Conference this week.

*2016 Digital School Districts Winners Use Data Analytics, Digital Literacy Curriculum to Help Students Succeed

Three school districts earned top recognition for their education technology work in the annual Digital School Districts Survey from the Center for Digital Education. Here's insight into how they're helping students to learn.

*California Virtual Academy Begins Enrolling Students for Fall

The fully online  school is open to K-12 students and is marketed toward kids looking to pursue personalized education and opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

*From Assessment to Insight With Analytics

Want to provide teachers with knowledge that can improve student achievement as well as serve as an early warning system for at risk students? This eBook describes how turning streams of data into actionable information made a real difference in Hamden Public Schools (CT) and Auburn City Schools (AL).
*Prepare students for 21st-century careers
How do educators prepare students for jobs that don't exist yet? STEAM — adding Arts to STEM — provides a full 360-degree approach to 21st-century learning. Now more than ever, students need to engage in STEAM learning. And with littleBits, you automatically have a STEAM curriculum. Learn more>*How to use Google Map tools

Google Map has tools that can help students create stories across multiple subjects, instructional technology consultant Will Kimbley suggests. This blog post details what Google Earth, Google Tour Builder and Google My Maps can do and offers tutorials teachers can access to get acquainted with these tools.

*High-tech classrooms designed to promote innovative teaching A dozen Florida middle-school teachers are having their classrooms revamped with new furniture and technology as part of a districtwide pilot program to promote student-centered, collaborative learning. Educators applied for grants to test out a range of technology, including computerized walls, virtual reality equipment and lab discs that automatically measure and record data.

*Guidelines for funding classroom technology. GUEST COLUMN| by Mike Patterson 

Teachers and school administrators nationwide believe that bringing technology into classrooms boosts educational outcomes for students. Districts often purchase the next big device to “revolutionize” learning. In fact, overall education technology spending will reach $19 billion worldwide by 2019, according to market research firm Futuresource […]

*In Ariz. K-8 District, All Grades Learn Computer Programming

*Will ESSA expand computer-science education?

…focus on science, technology engineering and math, as well as computer science. ESSA includes computer science among core subjects, such as writing and science. EdTech magazine online
*Coding lessons are reaching students earlier, sometimes as early as preschool. Educators are using tools such as robots and apps to engage students in these lessons.

School Library Journal

http://www.slj.com/2016/04/technology/never-too-young-to-code/

*Fla. to count coding as foreign language beginning in 2018-19

Florida lawmakers have adopted legislation allowing coding courses to count toward foreign-language requirements beginning in the 2018-19 school year. Students in school districts that do not offer coding classes can enroll in the state's online school.USA Today

     

*Augmented Reality
http://www.teachthought.com/uncategorized/augmented-reality-in-education-here-are-20-examples/    September 17, 2012
Augmented Reality In Education? Here Are 20 Examples
*https://www.google.com/get/cardboard/ 
*Student Robotics
Professor Gura’s Classroom Robotics BLOG
http://classroomrobotics.blogspot.com/ 
*Maker Spaces/Maker Culture
The Maker Movement in K-12 Education: A Guide to Emerging Research As Maker Education evolves in K-12, researchers are exploring related equity issues, design principles for Maker spaces, and the impact of this approach on student learning. Read more.
*Coding
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum/2016/01/white_house_computer_science_for_all_initiative.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news2-RM
“President Obama Announces 'Computer Science for All' Initiative Today, the White House announced what it's calling an "ambitious, all-hands-on-deck" initiative to get every student in the United States coding."In the new economy, computer science isn't an optional skill—it's a basic skill, right along with the three Rs,'" President Obama said in his weekly address today. . Read more.
*Tech and Creativity (Prof. Gura’s new book for ISTE)
Make, Learn, Succeed Building a Culture of Creativity in Your School https://www.iste.org/resources/product?id=3797&name=Make%2c+Learn%2c+Succeed Expected publication date: 05/2016 - Topics: Curriculum, Robotics, STEM, Project-based learning, Personalized learning, Maker movement

* California Virtual Academy Begins Enrolling Students for Fall
The fully online school is open to K-12 students and is marketed toward kids looking to pursue personalized education and opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

*Using Video Effectively in the Classroom
Getting students to tune in through active and reactive viewing of video.
March 21, 2016
Digital Curriculum, Differentiated Instruction, and More: New Spotlights From Education Week
https://www.graphite.org/blog/using-video-effectively-in-the-classroom

 *Facebook adds feature that describes pictures to users with visual impairments    TechCrunch

	OPINION Five Steps to Powerful Virtual Coaching for Teachers When you provide feedback to a teacher by coaching them virtually, new strategies come into play. Read more. (The Startup Blog) http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/the_startup_blog/2016/03/five_steps_to_powerful_virtual_coaching.html?cmp=eml-enl-dd-news2
	*Some Needed Perspective On Ed-Tech Adoptions (Reinventing K-12 Learning)

http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/reinventing_k12_learning/2016/03/some_needed_perspective_on_edtech_adoptions.html?cmp=eml-enl-dd-news3

SPONSOR WEBINAR - Wednesday, April 20, 2016, 2 to 3 p.m. ET Innovation for Diverse 21st Century Learning Environments Omaha Public Schools worked with teachers, staff, and students to implement a technology plan that has delivered improved outcomes by focusing on what is best for the student. Learn how they were able to turn their schools around. Click here to attend this free live event. Content provided by: Microsoft

*Study: Extensive social media use may lead to depression    Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

*Ind. schools have varied policies on social media    WRTV-TV (Indianapolis) (4/5) 

*SmartBrief celebrates education bloggers: Meet the winners SmartBlog on Education's monthly content award recognizes content written by educators, for educators, that inspires readers to engage, innovate and discuss. Visit SmartBlogs to read about -- and be inspired by -- the winners. *Everything you need to know about adaptive learning and math Join us Thursday, March 31st at 1pm ET for practical information that will help you make the best choice for your district. **** If you can't make it, no worries. Register ASAP to receive the webinar on demand. *Educators Learn About Latest Tech Tools at Google EdTech Summit Grand Canyon University was home to the 2016 Google EdTech Summit where educators from all over Arizona met to discuss the progression of EdTech. *Mich. school to use 3D printer to promote manufacturing industry A Michigan technical campus will integrate 3D printing into classes to help students experience advanced manufacturing technologies. A nonprofit organization that focuses on the manufacturing industry recently gifted the printer to the school. T.H.E. Journal (3/28)  *How can technology enhance assessments? Momentum continues to grow for using formative assessments as an alternative to traditional multiple-choice testing, writes Measured Progress' Stuart Kahl. In this commentary, Kahl asserts that technology was not used enough in assessments during the era of No Child Left Behind. eSchool News (free registration) (3/30)  *Facebook's Zuckerberg to Bet Big on Personalized Learning http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2016/03/07/facebooks-zuckerberg-to-bet-big-on-personalized.html?cmp=eml-enl-ii-news1-RM “….a new, multi-pronged effort by Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, pediatrician Priscilla Chan, to use their massive fortune to reshape public education with technology

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Ed Tech Advocacy / Evangelism

Ed Tech Evangelism.

Based on my experience teaching this course previously, Instructional Technology ADVOCACY has proved to be one theme that students have had some difficulty in fully embracing. Advocacy, I’ve discovered through class discussions, is an unexpected dimension of leading a school in the adoption and refining the use of technology. Further, Ed Tech truly calls for advocacy, something that other aspects of the life of a school  do not require nearly as much of.

There are a variety of types of Instructional Technology Advocacy.

Yes, certainly money is required to purchase devices; networking hardware and connectivity; and software, online subscriptions, APPs and other types of digital resource. And teachers interested in a school’s technology program receiving its fair share of that may need to lobby those who fund the school’s initiatives or decision makers within the school to allocate funds for this specific purpose. Another aspect of advocacy for funds may involve fund raising, applying for grants, seeking donations of equipment, and more.

School Technology advocates may choose to focus on getting some more attention focused on their area. Is technology considered when the school does PD, allocating not just funds for this, but time, as well. Is Instructional technology considered important? Important for the right reasons? This last point is important because there are many reasons why tech should be used that are misperceptions or common uses that establish an awareness of technology as far less important than it actually is. Yes, it’s good to have a web page that students can go to as their needs dictate that will provide information about which assignments are due and when. This however, pales in comparison with the ways that resources and practices like science simulations. Virtual field trips, digital storytelling, student robotics, and more can literally make for a very much richer, more vibrant, accessible, and effective type of instruction provided to the students.

Advocacy very likely will include also, Ed Tech Evangelism. And related to this, simple Visioning, getting the school community to envision what it wants and what it feels the greatest value would be, in refining and expanding its technology program. What’s involved here is simply informing colleagues about the role of technology and its potential in Education. What do we mean by Ed Tech when we speak of it. What sorts of things is it and does it do? Why is it important? How does it impact the important things that happen in classrooms and schools? A great deal of potential success in establishing vital and successful technology programs in schools rests on sharing knowledge, understanding, and potential with colleagues who may have their position on it greatly through such efforts. To that end, one very useful tool is video. A good number of videos have already been created and made available on line for this purpose. Can we identify a few that we feel have particular potential for our advocacy efforts and that may even provide a starting point for our own efforts in producing a video.

Below are a few videos that I’ll start off this inquiry with. What do you think of these? Do they make good points? Are they off base or misguided in the approach they take or the points they make? What did they miss? What should be added or dropped? AND can you find others to suggest be added to this list? Your input will be much appreciated.

MG

1. Can Technology Change Education? Yes!: Raj Dhingra at TEDxBend https://youtu.be/l0s_M6xKxNc
   
   
2. Beyond EdTech -- build an effective learning ecosytem | David Miyashiro | TEDxAmericasFinestCity
   https://youtu.be/_oAoTdQ80XI
3. What 60 Schools Can Tell Us About Teaching 21st Century Skills: Grant Lichtman at TEDxDenverTeachers
   https://youtu.be/UZEZTyxSl3g
   
4. Ed Tech Challenge: What is this digital shift, and how do we make it happen?
   https://youtu.be/eEv96XJHQp8
   
5. Technology in Education
   https://youtu.be/aXyCECMxhOs
   
6. The history of technology in education
   https://youtu.be/UFwWWsz_X9s
   
7. Technology in Education: A Future Classroom
   https://youtu.be/uZ73ZsBkcus
   
8. Khan Academy: The future of education?
   https://youtu.be/zxJgPHM5NYI
   
9. What is Educational Technology
   https://youtu.be/gGY2cwWC8Ag
   
10. 10 Emerging Education and Instructional Technologies that Educators Should Know About
    https://youtu.be/uPCLRwgG6dM
    
11. What Is Educational Technology?
    https://youtu.be/Q1PzO2kopRc
    
12. Instructional technologies -- Changing teaching and learning | Eric Simon | TEDxNewEnglandCollege
    https://youtu.be/E45A1UR1roE
    
13. Instructional technologies -- Changing teaching and learning | Eric Simon | TEDxNewEnglandCollege
    https://youtu.be/E45A1UR1roE