Digital Directions - Winter 2013 - (Page 30)

001001001010010010010101100011 011001001001010010010010101100 001001001010010010010101100011 State, Federal Leadership Seen as Key to Innovation 001001001010010010010101100011 venture was scrapped after about a month. 011001001001010010010010101100 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 011001001001010010010010101100 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 011001001001010010010010101100 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 011001001001010010010010101100 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 011001001001010010010010101100 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. 011001001001010010010010101100 “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 011001001001010010010010101100 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 011001001001010010010010101100 “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 011001001001010010010010101100 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 011001001001010010010010101100 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 011001001001010010010010101100 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 011001001001010010010010101100 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 011001001001010010010010101100 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 > http://www.digitaldirections.org

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

Digital Directions - Winter 2013

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