Another raw notes dump. I will update with thoughts when I get a chance and solid network access.
Beyond 1:1 – 21st Century Learning in a Textbook-Free Digital School
Bill Morrison, Rapides Parish School Board, Gary L. Jones, Misty Slayter
Session Description – Follow the creation of a textbook free, all-digital high school and learn professional development strategies, instructional management, infrastructure, and curriculum resources for successful all-digital learning environments.
Why go beyond 1-1, moved to digital curricula.
50 schools in district
try to move beyond textbooks. was a safety net for teachers. struggled with that.
found it an environment that students liked the freedom they had to learn. had relevant 21st century content and environment
goal: engage kids in 21st centruy learning skills. get beyond fact recall. 80% of what they get out of educaiton is the ability to extract information from text. Not reall high skill in the real world.
the what of project
not a technology project – people wanted to think of it that way.
had a hard time getting it in there. Getting the teachers to change was a problem. bound by tradition.
tried to communicate to parents and community that it was about depth of knowledge. not rote memorization.
what does it look like?
students are working by themselves or in small teams to solve engaging problems or answer compelling questions. -THey are synthesizing their own experience, ideas from the teacher and sources they can find on the web.
-the teacher has come down from the lectern and is moving throughout the room, watching what studnts are doing, asking question, posing challenges
-periodically the action is topped. the teacher instructs the class to clost th laptops.. they talk. they share their insights, their solutions and their obstacles. the socratic exchange is fuelde by the insights developed though electronic inquiry. the powerful face to face questiooning isn’t competing with the laptops; instead it depends on it.
-get and use real world data and use that to learn.
-direction of learning is by curiosity not mandated from above
thought it funny, they didn’t do test online thoough. thought it to tempting for them to cheat.
started
saw empire high school and they went from there
how did the do it?
-started with jr and sr. found it easier to fund at that level as a pilot.
-core courses are all digital
-new teaching strategies
-all-digital content
-community hotspots – haven’t done this. need internet access on campus and home.
-internet cafe
-campus-wide wireless
-on-site repair center
-600+ laptops
-assignments posted and graded in digital environment
-full parental involvement with content and assignments
-thoughts – still not sure what they mean by digital content. Just no textbook? What does it really look like.
Hearing lots of “tech” solutions. Yes the technical detail are important but that isn’t what the session is supposed to be about. I care about the learning.
this point i am realizing that Maine is already doing this. not now. but in 2001. all their lessons about pushing 1-1 initiatives we have already figured out. the talk was about lesson already learned in ME. More evidence that ME is truly ahead of the game with changing education through technology.
used abc-clio, gizmos for science, sketchpad, debate master, office, inspiration, blackboard
students see web portal to quick access to materials
papers, blackboard drop box, goes to turnit in, or on paper. Paper? in this environment?
must haves
committed teacher devoted to continuous improvement
community support
clear vision that gets communicated to all
need tech integrators
post the slides to iste slides site
