Skepticism Around Technology and the Future of Education

Skepticism Around Technology and the Future of Education
4/23/2018

As I read through the Larry Cuban and Audrey Waters articles, I couldn't help but agree with the some of the skepticism they present around the continued integration of technology in education and online learning. From my experience thus far in Higher Education I have not had an online course (outside of this one) that attempted to integrate technology to "support learning." For the majority of my online courses, technology was used for technologies sake, and as a way of replacing paper handouts and turning in paper assignments. I think there are a variety of reasons for this: many teachers did not grow up in the digital age and navigating the digital landscape is not second nature to them, at first education seemed to fear technology and social media, and now they are catching up on figuring out ways to cope with the changing world, there aren't enough resources (or research) done on how to integrate technology into a curriculum. Also in higher education, for UVM as an example, you can't mandate or force faculty to be trained on a variety of technology or to even teach an online course due to the collective bargaining power of their union (I am pro-union). Without additional training and experience, I think that the creation of truly innovative online learning opportunities in Higher Education will come slowly. I do think in the future we will continue to see a surge in Universities offering online courses however because quite frankly, it would be a poor business choice not to diversify your offerings. Also, although Audrey Waters seems to take a negative view of the marketing points of online education (accessibility and choice), from a capitalistic business perspective (and Institutions of Higher Education ARE businesses, K-12 less so), your products better be accessible and offer a level of choice or you will lose your strength in the marketplace. 

IMMOOC Week 5 Blog Post

How might we measure the impact of innovative practices in education?

If you are in the innovators mindset then according to George Couros, "true innovation only happens when a new structure is created, one that nurtures critical thinkers, supports risk takers, encourages ongoing transformations and that places a high value on creative and insightful learning and disseminate ideas for innovation." To me, innovation seems like an incredibly difficult and ambiguous concept to evaluate and assess, and innovation may mean different things to different people. At the state level, innovative practices may be judged for their success or failure based on an overall increase in test scores. At the local level, perhaps you can assess innovation based on how the school postively affects in local community, perhaps through some sort of fundraiser or educational outcome that benefits the community beyond the school. For an individual teacher, they may measure the impact of innovative practices based on the number of successfully completed assignments coupled with the feeling of overall morale in the classroom. I think the key to measuring the impact of innovative practices will be to measure several aspects of a child's education, from several perspectives. I think that the children should assess themselves, and the level of transformation and growth they felt they've experienced. I think the teachers should also assess themselves and assess from their perspective, the success of innovative practices. I also think assessments should be made at the administrative level, and even at the community level, i.e. assessments and questionaire's are sent to parent's guardians, etc. I also think that these assessments should happen several time throughout the year. The data can then be amalgamated and compared to/evaluated against the school or organizations mission/vision.

IMMOOC Week Four Blog Prompt

What elements of the 8 Things to Look For in Today’s Classrooms” exist in your professional learning? What elements are lacking?
Within my organization in regards to professional learning opportunities, I would say that while we employ several of the above techniques to certain extents, there are a few that we do not employ at all. Professional learning opportunities are valued by my management team, and they allow us to voice our needs and wants, and provide us with a variety of professional learning opportunities to choose from, either internal (on campus through UVM) or externally to a conference. These opportunities often lead to connected learning and opportunities for innovation by exposing professionals to different ideas, best practices, and modes of thinking. The elements that are lacking would be self-assessment as well as time for reflection. I think if our organization provided more opportunities for us to gauge our own strengths (and possible have others give  input into our strengths, we would be able to better align to our training needs. I also think that after prior to and after a professional learning opportunity, one must be able to realistically reflect on their needs and how they align to their organization, and then reflect on the learning they have done after they experienced the learning opportunity. This way you recognize whether or not the experience was valuable (and then others can participate), and how the knowledge learned can benefit the individual and the organization.

IMMOOC Blog Prompt (EDCI Week 9)

“How do you create or build on these (ITSE) conditions to support innovation? What has been the impact on those you serve? Blog your “what if’s” for education? What impact would those have?

I think that in order to create or build upon the ISTE essential conditions, you really must begin with the first condition - building a shared vision. I think in most cases, a school or organizations leadership is responsible for undertaking this condition, and incorporating as many stakeholder voices as possible. Secondly, a school or organization must have the resources to support the adherence to and achievement of this shared vision by the stakeholders within and outside the organization. Consistent and adequate funding is a big "what if," as many schools or businesses would be able to provide increased technical support for students and staff, as well as for hiring and continually training and developing skilled personnel within the organization. 

What if schools were fully and consistently funded?

Often times organizations are better able to recruit skilled talent when they offer competitive compensation and/or economic incentives for development. Having consistent and adequate funding also supports an organizations ability to provide equitable access to connectivity and technology. What I'm really trying to say here is that the better funded (and consistently funded) schools and organization will be more likely to carry out a shared vision for technology. Lesson: Pass your town school budgets!

Drafting a Vision Statement

Currently I'm struggling with creating a vision/mission statement for a school that I would like my children/grandchildren to attend. I understand the various elements I would like the school to achieve, but I'm struggling to articulate the how I'm going to achieve them. I've created a draft vision statement, as well as a mind map ( Vision Artifact The Innovative and Empowered Global Learner.pdf ) of a school vision and the various elements of it. The (very) draft vision statement is:

"Our school is a place where, through a differentiated curriculum and learning environment, students become innovative and empowered leaders, capable of acknowledging and improving upon their strengths, guiding their own learning, and able to collaborate and engage with others at the local, global, and digital level, in a multicultural world."

Again, what I feel I have here is essentially a string of key-words that have been finessed into a sentence. I'm missing the how, and I feel my "why" is implied, not deliberately stated.

ISTE Essential Conditions and Technology Integration

The ISTE or International Society for Technology in Education, lists fourteen critical elements necessary to "effectively leverage technology for learning" in today's schools. These fourteen elements offer educators, administrators, and school planners a framework for creating technology integration and innovation plans for their respective school or school district. While all schools will very in their successes or challenges with each of these elements, there are certain steps within the framework that are attainable through actionable steps taken by the administration. For example, it's not necessarily an educator or school administrators fault that they can not maintain consistent and adequate funding for technology integration, maintenance, and continual improvement. It's also not an educator or administrators sole responsibility to make sure all students have equitable access. Some schools might not have the resources available to even provide high quality, technological instruction to their students, though they should continually strive for it. Even if teachers and administrators can maintain equitable access within the school boundary, they unfortunately may not be able to affect connectivity or access when the student is outside of school. 

What educators, and especially administrators can do to meet at least some of the ISTE essential elements, pertain to professional alignment, planning, and consistent equitable implementation whenever possible. First, the entire school community including students (and wherever possible, parents and guardians) should be involved in creating a shared vision for technology and learning within the school. Students have a rich background of experience with technology having had access to various tech and software for the entirety of their lives. Their input is valuable, and we should listen. In the process of creating a shared vision among members of the school community, a culture will begin to take shape around the ways school stakeholders view technology and it's role in education. While this culture is being created, the school administration should set and uphold norms or technological innovation and empowerment among educators, students, and the administration. With a culture of empowerment in place, empowered leaders within the organization will continue to champion the schools new shared vision. Ideally, this technology infused vision should trickle down into a student centered, curricular framework. Support policies, in particular accountability to the technology culture, should be aligned with this new vision. What financial resource or incentive is available, should be utilized by the administration to support this vision.

#IMMOOC4 Season Four Innovator Mindset

EDCI 325: Innovators Mindset and IMMOOC4
Brittany Stevens
3/2/18

Prompt: What do you see as the purpose of education? Why might innovation be crucial in education?

I think that ultimately the purpose of education should be to empower people think critically about the world around them, and in turn empower them to take action on their thoughts and ideas when necessary. I think the purpose of education should be to ignite within people a spark of curiosity, and provide some basic skills and forays into collaboration for people to be able to act on or leverage that curiosity. A meaningful education should be actionable and experiential, and whenever possible, guided by the interests of students with purposeful facilitation by an instructor.  I think innovation is crucial in education because of the changing Geo-political, social and economic landscape of our increasingly globalized world. As we continue further into the digital/information age, schooling will need to keep pace with the change and innovation taking place outside it's walls. Innovation is crucial in education because without it, we are leaving our kids in the past.