Digital Directions - Winter 2013 - (Page 30)
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State, Federal Leadership
Seen as Key to Innovation
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venture was scrapped after about a month.
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So far, school officials feel El Crystal’s
0 0 1 0 0 innovation 0 1 0 0 1 a significant
culture of1 0 0 1 0 1 0is having 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1
0 0 0 1 1 0 0 B Y 0 learning. 1 0 school’s
impact on student 1 0 0 1 0 0The 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1
API score— California’s1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0
0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 state testing
measurement—increased 65 points from
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last school year, to 870 this school year, the
0 1 1 0 it’s 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0
highest 0 1 ever been.0Johnson attributes 1 0 1 1 0 0
0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 to 0 1 0 1 0 0 learning
the boost1directly 0 1better0use of1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0
technologies. 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1
00100100
But Daniel Lyttle, an assistant principal
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at the nearby 815-student Parkside
001001001010 100 00101
Intermediate School,0which1has also 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1
0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 to technology
seen success related0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0
initiatives, acknowledges 0 1 0what’s 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0
0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 that 0 1 0 0
happening in those schools is not the
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norm. Many school and district leaders
0 0 uncomfortable 0 1 educational
feel 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0with0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1
0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 it’s so 1 0 0 1 0 from
technology because 0 1 0 0 different0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0
their own1educational 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1
0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 experiences.
“This is all very scary stuff that the kids
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Burlington
know, but we don’t know,” Lyttle says.
High School in
0Indeed, some0 0 1 0 1 0 0 are 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0
1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 educators 1 0 reluctant
Massachusetts
0 1 1 0 0 1new1 0 0 sometimes 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0emphasizes the
to try out 0 0 and 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 unproven
technology techniques for fear0of 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 use of iPads,
0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 doing
rather than
harm to a student’s experience or of
0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 textbooks, for
violating some policy about how to use
students to
0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 the
technology, says Barbara Nemko, 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 read material
0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 of 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1
superintendent 0 0 schools for California’s 0 1 1 0 0
for their
Napa 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1Education,0which1 0 1 1 0 0
classes.
0 1 1 County Office of 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0
oversees five area school districts.
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“We’re timid,” she says, noting that
0 0 1 0 0 1 0 her state are 0 1 0 1 a
educators in 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0fearful0of 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1
0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 Francisco superior
precedent set by a San 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0
court ruling, which1requires0equity1for1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1
0010010010 0010 100 0
students in core subjects. Some educators
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have taken that to mean that students
0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 technology,
must have access to1the same 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 only deliverable through the iPad. So
was
0 1 1 0 them 1 0 0 1 0 for example, 0
making 0 1 0 0reluctant,1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 to1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0district started a small summer pilot
the
adopt0 0 1 0 0your1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 BYOD,1 0 0 0 1 1
program with 16 students using iPads and
0 0 1 “bring 1 0 own device,” or 0 1 0 1
programs in schools, Nemko says.
collected data to show it worked. The lead
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“Human beings are risk-averse, but we
kindergarten teacher, despite thinking
0 0 1 0 0 1 0 timidity stand in 0 1 0 1 0 1
can’t let our 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0the way of1 0 0 0 1 1project was a “dumb idea,” observed
the
0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 best possible 0 0 1 0 0 1 0
providing the 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 education,”1 0 1 1 0 0pilot and, “by the end of day two, she
the
she 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0
became our biggest cheerleader,” Nemko
0 1 says.
To complicate matters, Nemko says,
says. The teacher demanded that every
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she often sees educators buying new
kindergartner in her school get an iPad.
0 0 1 0 0 1 0 without 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0
technologies0 1 0 1 0 a clear goal for their1 1 0 0 0 1 1 they each have a device. The
Now
0 1 Technology should be a tool 1 reach 1
use. 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0to 0 0 1 0an0 1 1 0 0
kindergartners use the iPads to improve
educational0goal, not the 0 0 1 itself, 0 1 0says.0 0 0 1 1
language and handwriting, and teachers
0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 goal 0 0 1 she 1 1
One of the preschools in her area
note that the pupils, particularly ELL
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wanted to use a literacy software program
students, are more verbal and collaborative,
0 1 English-language learners, 1 0 0
with1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0but it 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 says. But she emphasizes that
Nemko
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Promoting successful
initiatives, modeling
innovative behavior, and
relaxing outdated policies
are all ways that experts
say state and federal
leaders can contribute to
progress in educational
technology
0
0 10010100100100
300 1>>0www.digitaldirections.org 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1
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By_Michelle R. Davis
L
ast school year, Arizona state Rep.
Richard Crandall heard about a Georgia
school district with an impressive “bring
your own device,” or BYOD, initiative.
He organized a trip with 13 state and
district leaders, including the superintendent of
the 38,000-student Gilbert, Ariz. district, to take a
look. The visit inspired Gilbert’s own BYOD
program, launched shortly after.
More recently, Crandall used his electronic
newsletter to match ed-tech leaders with the
63,000-student Mesa district, where voters had
John Tully_for Digital Directions
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the project wasn’t about the iPad—it was
about delivering programs that improved
students’ educational experiences.
S
ome education leaders may be
wary of putting ambitious ed-tech
initiatives in place because their
test scores are stable and high,
says Cook. “What would force
someone to change if their results are saying
what they’re doing is excellent?” he asks.
“But are they preparing the students for jobs
that don’t exist yet?”
Though all school leaders need to
think about standardized testing and test
PAGE 32 >
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Digital Directions - Winter 2013
Digital Directions - Winter 2013
Contents
Editor’s Note
DD Site Visit
Bits & Bytes
Digital Storytelling
Online Courses Turn on Gaming
Reading in the Age of Digital Devices
Movers & Shakers
State, Federal Leadership Seen as Key to Innovation
Open-Source Opportunities
BYOD Boundaries
E-Cloud Forecast
Digital Shift
Security
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