VOLUME 31 NUMBER 1
School CIO: Turnaround strategies for district databases How Wikis can work for the benefit of faculty techlearning.com
IDEAS AND TOOLS FOR ED TECH LEADERS
Put to the Test Student response systems Whiteboards: Love ’em or hate ’em?
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Goods ToGo The latest and greatest gear and trends from the largest U.S. edtech event
Lexia
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DYMO/ MIMIO Texas Instruments
Smart Technologies
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contents
VOL. 31 NO. 1
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FEATURES
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PRODUCTS
40 School CIO: RTT in Tennessee
Mary Reel, a school superintendent in the 2,100-student district of Milan, calls the Tennessee Value Added Assessment System (TVAAS) “Value Added on Steroids” and has used the data system to turn around struggling students, individual schools, and now a district. Read how they did it.
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The Answer Is … Clickers. Audio response systems. Student response systems. Whatever you call them, they can be the answer to some teachers’ prayers. We asked six schools to give us feedback. By Ellen Ullman
By Pam Derringer
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What you missed at ISTE Didn’t make it to the largest edtech event in the U.S. this year? Don’t worry, we had it covered. In this special supplement, T&L details the latest and greatest from the International Society for Technology in Education show. From new product releases to big-picture analysis from our T&L advisers, you will find the 411 here.
DEPARTMENTS & COLUMNS 6 Editor’s Desk It’s not what you have but how you use it.
8 News & Trends • Next Big Thing: YoLink • IWBs: Love ’em or hate ’em? • Six tips for selecting a reading
50 They Said It: 5 developing themes at ISTE ’10
program
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• Sites We Like
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ISTE Buyers’ Guide
New tools for schools See the latest edtech products for the classroom, building, and district.
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Providing support to your PD participants Training veteran Atomic Learning gives advice for making your PD work.
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editor’s desk
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VOL. 31 NO. 1
Publisher: Allison Knapp
[email protected]; (510) 868-5074; Fax: (650) 238-0263 EDITORIAL Editorial Director: Kevin Hogan
[email protected] WRAP IT UP Another ISTE (don’t call it NECC) is in the books, which means it’s time for my annual assessment of edtech’s largest industry get-together and its effect (or lack thereof) on America’s schools. As usual, there were plenty of new announcements (if not new technology), lots of parties around Denver—always a good thing, IMHO—including our very own 30th-anniversary bash, and an abundance of swag. By my count, I gained no less than 20 gigabytes of USB flash-drive memory.
Managing Editor: Christine Weiser
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[email protected] ADVISERS David Warlick, Ryan Bretag, Patrick Higgins, David Andrade, Dean Shareski, Scott Meech, Kim Cofino, Darren Draper, Terry Freedman, Cheryl Oakes, Bob Sprankle, Lisa Thumann, Jen Wagner, Lisa Nielsen, Ben Grey, Michael Gorman, Daniel Rezac, Henry Thiele, Özge Karaog ˘ lu, Kevin Jarrett, Kyle Pace, Steven W. Anderson, Silvia Rosenthal Tolisano TECHLEARNING.COM Assistant Web Editor: Diana Restifo ADVERTISING SALES East Coast Sales Manager: Caliann Mitoulis
[email protected]; (215) 370-5813 MARKETING AND EVENTS Marketing Manager: Jared Stearns
[email protected] Director of Events: Diana Milbert
[email protected] At the continued risk of sounding like a curmudgeon, I do have one bone of contention: not enough students in attendance. For an industry that is supposed to be all “about the kids,” there was an absolute dearth of them. I did have the opportunity to meet some extremely talented 3D animators from suburban Denver’s Smoky Hill High School at a luncheon event sponsored by HP. Check out their work here: www. digital-evolutions.org/. And I’m sure there were other student showcases somewhere, but they were certainly not front and center. Vendors, take a hint from your colleagues who exhibit at BETT, the UK’s largest edtech event: Have students give the demos!
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[email protected] I’ll leave the more substantive analysis to our T&L advisers, who seemed to be everywhere at the show—giving lectures, attending tweet-ups, and engaging their fellow educators, by far the most valuable thing about this show. Also be sure to go online to techlearning.com’s video vault and follow managing editor Christine Weiser as she reports from the show floor (www.techlearning.com/article/30870). See everyone next year in Philly!
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news trends
by T&L editors
nextbigthing
Valerie Becker and Sue Miller of West Tisbury (MA) Elementary School demonstrate using yolink in the classroom at ISTE 2010. Education resources available at yolinkeducation. com.
Smarter Searching Forget Bing vs. Google. Take your students to the next level of search and try yolink (http://yolinkeducation. com). Search links and electronic documents via key terms and find content in context with key words highlighted for easy recognition. Collect and share desired content with automatic syncs through several of your favorite tools including Google Docs. Best part? You can also embed yolink technology into your district and school sites or blogs for free (see http://developer.yolink.com).
T&L adviser Lisa Thumann has posted some lesson plans to get you started at http://yolinkeducation.com.
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For more ISTE news, go to page 21 or techlearning.com
news trends
SIX TIPS FOR SELECTING A READING PROGRAM Recently, our district made the decision to reexamine the tools we used as essential components of reading instruction. What follows is a list of five aspects of instructional technology that informed our decision, as well as a few lessons learned along the way: The company you keep. You can learn a lot about software companies from their customers. Find out how many current customers they have and what their renewal rate is. Don’t forget about implementation services. Choose a company with a good track record of helping you train and support teachers. Proven approach, proven results. You’re going to have to stand
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behind your purchasing decision. Make sure you’ve got evidence that the program is effective. Look at companies with long, successful histories of improving students’ reading and literacy skills.
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Does your program play nice with others? Focus on instruc-
tional and assessment tools that easily correlate to other popular assessments, textbook programs, and technology programs. Better yet, look for programs that are SIF certified. Don’t let technology sit on the sidelines. Regardless of the mix of resources at your disposal, be sure that technology plays an integral part in creating an environment that is student-centric.
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Web-based for convenience and ease of use. We’ve found that using a Web-based program has given us significant flexibility in how we maximize our investment. Look for software that offers concurrent seat licenses. With careful, creative scheduling, we can accommodate all our students with a limited number of licenses. —Paul Reagan is the bilingual coordinator for Tulare City School District, Tulare, CA. His district uses Lexia Reading.
Sites We Like:
T&L ASKS READERS Interactive Whiteboards: Love ’Em or Hate ’Em? Where do you stand?
6.16%
Hate them. More trouble than they are worth.
www.mariaclaudia cortes.com
10.56%
Eh. They do not really do much for me.
28.74%
Good tool. I use them occasionally.
54.55%
Love them. They have transformed the way I teach. See more polls at techlearning.com.
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This interactive site by Claudia Cortes introduces color in a fun way. Animated figures explain how to use colors to communicate and how colors symbolize emotions and events.
news trends Progress Toward the Seven Vision Goals 70%
Facilitate communication, connectivity, and collaboration
70% 68%
Pilot offers free STEM professional development
67%
Enable students to learn from any place at any time
68% 65% 64%
Deepen learning and motivate students
63% 62% 63%
Manage the education enterprise effectively and economically
63% 61% 63%
Support accountability and inform instruction
63% 61% 60%
Help schools meet the needs of all students
59% 58% 60%
Nurture creativity and self-expression
60% 57%
2010
2009
2008
SOURCE: THE VISION K-20 SURVEY, AN ANNUAL ONLINE SELF-ASSESSMENT FOR K-12 CLASSROOMS, SCHOOLS, AND DISTRICTS AND COLLEGE COURSES, DEPARTMENTS AND CAMPUSES. THE SELF-ASSESSMENT CONSISTS OF 20 BENCHMARK STATEMENTS INDICATING PROGRESS TOWARD THE SIIA VISION. READ THE FULL REPORT AT WWW.SIIA.NET/VISIONK20
CHALLENGE: Teachers can benefit from hands-on training to learn new ways to blend 21st century tools with STEM education. SOLUTION: The Intel Teach Essentials STEM Course pilot which will offer educators free training. Events are being coordinated in Oregon and Arizona, giving educators the option of becoming certified Intel Teach Master Instructors to allow them to deliver the Essentials Course to other teachers. The course will include technology from Vernier Software & Technology. Intel plans to evaluate the pilots and share outcomes via its online teacher community.
news trends
TECHNOLOGIES TO WATCH NEAR-TERM HORIZON (WITHIN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS) Cloud computing: More schools are employing cloud computing solutions all the time. What still remains to be developed is the capacity for the cloud to help students engage in real research and participate in global learning communities. Collaborative environments: Whatever tools are chosen, collaborative environments give students tremendous opportunities to interact with peers and mentors, experience other worldviews, and model the kinds of work patterns that take place in an increasing number of professions.
CONTEST NEWS
SECOND ADOPTION HORIZON (2–3 YEARS OUT) Game-based learning: Interest in game-based learning has grown in recent years as research continues to demonstrate its effectiveness for learning. Games for education span the range from single-player or small-group card and board games all the way to massively multiplayer online games and alternate-reality games. For a variety of reasons, the realization of this potential is still two to three years away. Mobility: The story of mobiles is no
longer about the devices themselves but about the blurring of the boundary between the cellular networks and the Internet. Mobiles represent an untapped resource for reaching students and for bridging the gap between the learning that happens in school and out in the world. FAR-TERM HORIZON (4–5 YEARS AWAY) Augmented reality: Augmented reality (AR) has become something anyone can use, thanks to the convergence of three technologies — GPS, video, and pattern recognition — and the applications seem endless. Combined with mobile technology, AR becomes a portable tool for discoverybased learning. Flexible displays: Flexible displays are seen as an important enabling technology in development. Touchbased interfaces and flexible displays are converging in interesting ways; though applications for schools are still several years away, we can expect to see integrated interactive displays becoming part of many common objects in the not-so-distant future. SOURCE: COSN’S HORIZON REPORT, PART 2. FOR A FULL REPORT, VISIT WWW.COSN.ORG/HORIZON/
Contest to award student response system Qwizdom launched its “How Do You Q?” social media contest. K12 teachers who are based in the U.S. are invited to share words, pictures and/ or videos that tell why they want the Q6 Student Response System in their classroom. One winner from each of three categories will win an entire classroom technology package; the estimated total value of each prize is more than $4,000/classroom. To enter, visit www.howdoyouq.com (deadline: December 3, 2010).
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New study finds students more connected than teachers CDW-G’s 2010 21stCentury Classroom Report finds that 96 percent of high school students report using technology at home to study, but only 26 percent of students say they are encouraged to use technology throughout the school day, according to the report. The report also finds that despite having to “power down” at school, high school students continue to find ways to use new technology as educational tools—and they are leaving their teachers behind:
29% of students use MP3 players as an educational tool, compared with
13% of teachers.
18% of students use smartphones as an educational tool, compared with
6% of teachers.
76% of students use social media as an educational tool, despite the fact that half of all schools completely block socialmedia sites. For the full report, visit www.cdwg. com/21stCenturyClassroomReport.
news trends STUDY SHOWS THE BENEFITS OF 1:1 What impact is one-to-one computing having on schools nationwide? What are the factors that determine successful outcomes? And how affordable are such programs in the long run? These are the questions that Project RED, a research team headed by the One-to-One Institute and the authors of the America’s Digital Schools reports, set out to answer through an extensive survey
RED Team announced its findings at the ISTE 2010 conference in June. Overall, the study found that schools with a 1:1 student-tocomputer ratio outperform non1:1 schools on academic as well as financial measures. What follows is three key best practices found in the successful 1:1 programs of the schools surveyed: Daily implementation in all classes:
the top model predictor of improved high-stakes test scores, dropout-rate reduction, and improved discipline. Daily use of technology in core classes, for students at all levels of ability, is the third most important factor. A school principal who leads change management: Principal leadership is the second most significant factor in reducing dropout rates and the single most important
of U.S. schools. Project RED surveyed principals and technology coordinators at 997 schools that are representative of U.S. education in terms of enrollment, geography, poverty level, and ethnicity. The Project
The most significant improvements were found in settings where technology was included in intervention classes. In fact, the researchers found that technologyinfused interventions (ELL, Title I, special ed, and reading intervention) were
variable across several of the other education success measures. The use of games/simulations and social media: The Project RED researchers cite the use of Web 2.0 games and social media for collaboration, mentoring, and student engagement as yet another element of a successful program. The Project RED team is making information on best practices available at no cost at its Web site (www. projectred.org) —Read Judy Salpeter’s full article at http://ow.ly/2cqnH.
Sites We Like: www.tv411.org/reading
This interactive Web site from the Adult Media Literacy Alliance will help users improve reading skills by providing strategies for reading between the lines, making predictions, and identifying main ideas.
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news trends How It’s Done
Working
Wikis By Ellen Ullman In summer 2007, Randolph (NJ) Township Schools created a wiki on which administrators and supervisors could discuss Grant Wiggins’s Understanding by Design. “At first people rolled their eyes, but once they saw that it was a Web page to interact with, they liked it,” says Jennifer Fano, an administrator.
What They Use PBworks, pbworks.com Wikispaces, wikispaces.com Wetpaint, wetpaint.com Fano began doing teacher workshops that led to the creation of more wikis. Students saw them and started their own wikis to use as study guides, posting questions about what they wanted to learn. Randolph says, “With a wiki, we can be the expert or invite an expert to comment. Everyone can put in their two cents, and in real time.” Debbie Iosso, principal of Ran-
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dolph High School, uses a wiki to communicate with her 75-person staff. “It’s nice to have a collaborative environment where we can share information and everyone can see each other’s comments,” she says. Her wiki has staff agendas and resources, including links to articles on differentiated instruction, which has been a district-wide focus. When Iosso invited an expert on differentiated instruction to look at the wiki, the expert added her own comments. Across the district, wikis have sprouted up everywhere. Middle and high school teachers use them for group projects. A math teacher who solves problems with the screencapturing tool Jing (jingproject.com) embeds his work into his wiki for continuous review. Third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade teachers use wikis to create centers that include directions for assignments and student work.
Whenever there’s a committee meeting or a professionaldevelopment workshop, an accompanying wiki has related lessons or other relevant pieces. The district has even started a wiki for parents. “Often parents leave a meeting and feel like they have nothing to go home with,” says Iosso. Now they can log on to a wiki that contains resources such as helpful articles. Fano credits wikis with helping get students more engaged. For Iosso, two more benefits of wikis are their historical value and the fact that she can use them to keep attachments and other materials her teachers need. “People sometimes feel more comfortable typing how they really feel on a wiki rather than stating it at a faculty meeting—which can be good or bad!”
Randolph Blogs District lesson share: rtlessons.pbworks.com/FrontPage District professional development: rtsmartboard.pbworks.com Biology wiki: eberbio.pbworks.com Literacy wiki: literacyshare. pbworks.com Library media-specialist space: rtlibrarymedia.pbworks.com The Wiggins wiki: understanding bydesign.pbworks.com/FrontPage
ISTE 2010 WRAP UP THE LATEST AND GREATEST GEAR AND TRENDS FROM THE LARGEST U.S. EDTECH EVENT SPONSORED BY
ISTEWRAPUP
An inside look at ISTE10 from the
blogosphere
ISTE 2010 Highlights By Frank Catalano ISTE 2010 drew 12,792 attendees and 456 exhibiting companies to the Colorado Convention Center. Overall, there were signs that consumer and education technology are merging at an accelerated rate, and teachers are at the center of the trend. It also seemed as that anyone who could program a database was promoting a student information system or a learning-management system. And interactive whiteboards … well, they ruled supreme.
INTERACTIVE WHITEBOARDS Interactive whiteboards were far and away the single most dominant category in terms of booth space and presence. The category inexplicably keeps growing year after year and even drew new entrants at ISTE, such as eInstruction, which showed
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The exhibit hall at ISTE 2010.
its Interwrite DualBoard. A stunning 64 ISTE exhibitors identified themselves as being in the interactive-whiteboard product category, and—even allowing for those who check every category—that’s still roughly 14 percent of all exhibits, a presence made more prominent by the fact that the interactive-whiteboard companies tended to have huge booths. One reason for the prevalence of interactive whiteboards is that they aren’t all about just the whiteboard anymore. All the interactive-whiteboard exhibitors appeared to have student response devices—from traditional “clickers” (with or without displays) to full tablets—and everything was tied to the interactive whiteboard. SMART Technologies and other companies were also showing how iPhones and iPads could be used as student response devices with their systems instead of a dedicated proprietary tablet. Interactive whiteboards are adding 3-D features. SMART, Promethean, and others showed interactive whiteboards
ISTEWRAPUP
with projector-embedded 3-D technology (and yes, with required 3-D glasses). A rep with Texas Instruments, which provides underlying 3-D DLP technology, said that more than 12 manufacturers and 100 products were using TI tech inside. There is interactive-whiteboard technology that doesn’t require an interactive whiteboard. Long-timer Mimio, which started in the corporate market a decade ago, showed MimioTeach (http://mimio.dymo. com), a small bar that magnetically attaches to any whiteboard to wirelessly capture whiteboard activity to a computer and projector. Its relatively
an Android app will be added this fall. Edmodo features education applications and a library of educational content contributed by teachers that they can share with each other; content partners will be announced by this fall. Edmodo says that more than 20 percent of its users visit every day. Schoology (www.schoology.com), founded in May 2009, also has free editions for teachers and students. It highlighted its difference at ISTE: a Web-based learning management system built under, and into, the social networking platform.
low, $799 price tag gave it some buzz factor on the floor, presumably among cash-strapped schools. Another approach seen on the show floor was to put all the technology into the projector and none on the whiteboard to make it interactive. Epson America was one exhibitor taking this tack, with its IU-01. The technology, which attaches to a personal computer via USB, simply senses and tracks activity from the projector itself and communicates that activity to the computer. It has the potential to completely displace dedicated interactive whiteboards.
Interactive whiteboards were far and away the single most dominant category in terms of booth space and presence. The category inexplicably keeps growing year after year and even drew new entrants at ISTE.
SOCIAL NETWORKS Dedicated social networks for students (and educators) were a mini trend at ISTE; at least three companies showed new products or new features. These were in addition to Pearson’s announcement just before the start of ISTE that it would underwrite educator communities on the general-purpose social network Ning. Perhaps not unexpectedly, the education-specific social networks have a Facebook-like look and feel. Edmodo (www.edmodo.com) launched in September 2008 as a social learning network and has a free edition for teachers and students. New at ISTE was an iPod application, and
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TH(i)NQ Ed (www.thinqed. com) was the newest entrant, with its journ(i)e student-centered learning social network. TH(i)NQ Ed used ISTE not just to launch journ(i)e but also to announce the change of the company’s name to TH(i)NQ Ed from SchoolCenter. Journ(i)e has iPhone and Android apps, as well as a full set of social-network features including threaded messaging, blogs, feeds, wikis, and workspaces for projects and groups. It is also likely to give spellcheckers fits. Not on the show floor were teacher-focused social networks in which educators alone mingle, such as edWeb.net, TeachAde.com, and WeAreTeachers.com, which apparent-
ly ceded the spotlight during this ISTE to social networks in which students as well as teachers participate.
OTHER OBSERVATIONS The cool, fast Web research tool YoLink (http://yolink.com) announced a new API (application programming interface)—which is how its parent, TigerLogic, hopes to make money on the service—but the buzz was about YoLink’s free browser plug-in for enhancing and previewing search results (without having to click through links). Beamz (www.thebeamz.com) showed laser hardware that allows anyone to “play” music by breaking one of four red laser beams with his or her hands in the U-shaped device. Software indicates which note was played. Cost? $199 for hardware and software combined. Think Guitar Hero with education chops (those in the industry long enough can think Broderbund’s Jam Session with hardware). Vocabulary-builder site Learn That Word (http://learnthatword.org) is worth noting primarily because of its unusual business model. It charges schools not for all the vocabulary words from the site they use but only for the words it turns out that students don’t know and have to learn. More detail on the model is on the (beta) Web site. Cengage Learning had the dubious distinction of having what seemed to be the only booth with a large display of actual books. Mostly about technology. It seemed so very retro. Frank Catalano is the principal of Intrinsic Strategy (http://intrinsicstrategy.com/about-intrinsic-strategy), a strategic-marketing and business-consulting firm for education- and consumer-technology companies.
Read more ISTE 2010 blogger observations at Techlearning.com
ISTEWRAPUP
What did you learn about helping students? By Lisa Thumann I like a good edtech conference as much as the next geeky educator. But at the end, I want to look back at what I can share with the educators I work with. Here are some resources I’d like to share: YOLINK blew me away. All their lessons and slide decks are shared on the site we created for the conference. CRITICAL-THINKING AND INTERNET-LITERACIES WIKI (http://critical-thinking.iste.wikispaces.net/) The concepts presented here are based on Howard Rheingold’s teaching: http://vlog.rheingold.com/. SWEETSEARCH4ME http://4me.sweetsearch.com/ Released in beta just before the conference, SweetSearch4Me is recommended for students in K-8 grade. Similar to SweetSearch, this search engine searches only Web sites that its staff evaluated and approved. The final site is expected to be released in September. And here are some highlights, as they were the highlight of the conference for me based on a conversation at EduBloggerCon: Anyone can use technology; we don’t all have to be gurus.
ISTE 2010 exhibit hall.
Everyone has expertise; we can all learn something from each other. A good teacher doesn’t have to know the indicators; he or she just has to know the content and understand how to get a student to learn it. Communication is key. Be compelling. Be aware of the culture. Get a clear conversation going. It’s always about the people, whether it’s students or adults. I didn’t walk away from ISTE with a miracle cure for any of those problems, but I did walk away with a renewed sense of commitment to children and helping them learn.
Leadership Bootcamp vs. EduBloggerCon By Darren Draper Having attended the first ever ISTE/TIE Leadership Bootcamp, I was impressed with its lineup (while torn by the unfortunate scheduling conflict with EduBloggerCon). In truth, hopping during the day from LBC to EBC to LBC to EBC was fascinating because the events were structured very differently, both had good people contributing to the atmosphere, and each was unique in its strengths. The Leadership Bootcamp taught me a number of things. First, that I’m still comfortable with the relatively liberal filtering policies we put in place in our district. We put in adequate effort in maintaining CIPA requirements while also giving teachers and students the freedom to access social sites that might help their curriculums. Second, we’ve become an incredibly difficult society to teach—at least when “teaching” means “lecture”—and as students, well, we’re networked. Third, an increase in cost
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doesn’t always translate into an increase in learning. While the learning that took place at LBC was certainly topnotch (and traditional in its approach, to be sure), such an environment had no corner on the market of effectiveness. Fashioned on the “un-conference” model, EduBloggerCon, on the other hand, was free to all participants and informal in its approach. Session conversation topics and facilitators were selected at the beginning of the event, and no participants were paid for their services. Learning was the focus, and provided by the community for the community, all in the form of conversation, untainted by the sight of sages on stages. In jumping back and forth between LBC and EBC, I learned that conversation is an incredibly powerful method of learning and can be customized rapidly but that it is also prone to easy derailment. More than once, conversations began with a clear objective but quickly shifted to unintended topics. All in all, I would recommend both events.
T&L@30 Tech & Learning celebrated its 30th anniversary at a special reception during the ISTE 2010 conference 1
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1 Christine Allman of KEH Communications sets up the Epson PowerLite 826W for the T&L 30th anniversary presentation. 2 Editorial Director Kevin Hogan with edtech specialist Kelly Kronfeld (now with OnCourse Systems). 3 T&L advisers Daniel Rezac, Meg Ormiston, Scott Floyd, and Adina Sullivan. 4 Chris Lehmann, principal of the Science Leadership Academy and top 100 T&L edtech leader. 5 T&L publisher Allison Knapp and VP, group publishing director Adam Goldstein. 6 T&L managing editor Christine Weiser and Kevin Hogan with top 100 T&L edtech leaders Chris Lehmann, David Thornburg, and Joyce Valenza.
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ISTEWRAPUP 7 T&L advisers Joyce Valenza, Scott Meech, Lisa Thumann, Daniel Rezac, Scott Floyd, Ben Grey, and Mike Gorman. 8 HP’s Liz Crawford and ER/Edelman’s Dolleen Casey. 9 American Education Corp.’s David Gilliland with T&L account manager Caliann Mitoulis and marketing manager Jared Stearns. 1 0 Contributing editors Gwen Solomon and Judy Salpeter, Allison Knapp, and former T&L publisher Jo-Ann McDevitt. 1 1 Discovery educator Joe Brennan 1 2 Judy Salpeter, former T&L editor Susan McLester, and Kevin Hogan. 1 3 EdRoom’s Ellen Bialo and Dell’s Kalonji Martin. 1 4 Adam Goldstein, Lightspeed’s Brian Thomas, and New Bay CEO Steve Palm.
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ISTEWRAPUP
ISTE Product News The International Society for Technology in Education held its annual conference in Denver from June 27 to June 30. ISTE 2010, formerly known as NECC, is the same premier event that has had edtech professionals worldwide returning year after year. This year’s social-media advocacy included a Tweeting for Education Technology campaign that sent 1,600 messages to Congress; an ISTE Advocacy YouTube Channel; and the campaign “Top Ten in ’10: ISTE’s Education Technology Priorities for 2010.” Following are some highlights from the show floor.
DYMO/MIMIO INTERACTIVE TEACHING TECHNOLOGIES (www.mimio.dymo.com)
launched the MimioClassroom product suite, an integrated, easy-to-use suite of interactive teaching tools and services, including teacherfriendly interactive whiteboard devices, student assessment systems, document cameras, accessories, and software.
TEXTHELP SYSTEMS (www.text help.com) announced the newest release of its literacy support software solution, Read&Write 4 GOLD for Mac, which includes new features like Screenshot Reader, Screen Masking, a MOBILE USB version, and Feature Video Tours.
LEXIA LEARNING (www.lexialearning. com) launched Lexia Reading Version 7.0, which offers age-appropriate support for the development of critical reading skills. Version 7.0 features new progressmonitoring tools that will give educators longitudinal, standards-based data on students’ mastery of reading skills.
LEARNING.COM introduced the inSky Provider Program, a network of companies that use key features in the Sky digital-learning environment, such as single sign-on, to enhance their users’ experience.
For more of the latest product releases, visit us online at techlearning.com.
3 0 | TECH & L EA R N IN G
SHMOOP (www.shmoop.com) announced the public beta test for Shmoop Economics, a free online resource that uses humor, current events, pop-culture references, and games to capture student interest.
ISTEWRAPUP
SMART TECHNOLOGIES (www.smarttech.com) announced the fourth-generation SMART Board 600i series interactive-whiteboard system. Available in both standard and wide-screen, it features an extended control panel and an integrated short-throw projector that is 3D-ready and has a longer lamp life.
MAPS101
(www.maps101.com)
demonstrated its online K-12 map and geography resources, including the new Bing Maps search feature, the recently added Spanish Language
Content,
and
the
National Geographic collection.
ATOMIC LEARNING
(www. atomiclearning.com) has just released more than 950 new training tutorials, including training on Google SketchUp 7, OneNote 2010, Word 2010, Photoshop CS5, Flash CS5, and Excel 2010. Of special note are the new iPad and iPod touch series, including the iPad as an i-Reader: An Orientation for Educators and Tech Integration Project: Budgeting Basics 101—Money & Notes apps for the iPhone and iPod touch.
LG (www.lgsolutions. com) showed off its latest Network Monitors, digital signage, LCD displays, and projector solutions. LG’s Network Monitor solution provides a virtual-desktopcomputing option that is available in both 11and 31-monitor (model N+) configurations.
3 2 | TECH & L EA RN IN G
The AMX SchoolView solution (www.amx.com) is a hardware and software package that permits a district administrator to manage a school or an entire district from one location. Campus administrators and teachers can control the programmed features of SchoolView through a small touch-panel unit.
NETTREKKER
(www.nettrekker. com) launched a new version of its search tool, renamed netTrekker Search, which offers separate interfaces for teachers and students and a series of customizing options.
POLYVISION
(www.polyvision. com) released e ¯no one, a comprehensive classroom solution that combines the e ¯ no classic interactive whiteboard, multimedia short-throw projector, lessondevelopment software, and e ¯no stylus in one package.
HATCH® (www.hatchearlychildhood. com) introduced the iStartSmart™ All-in-One Computer Learning System, which combines researchbased adaptive teaching technology with automated progress tracking and is designed to increase school-readiness skills through research-based activities and provide monitoring through individualized performance reports.
ISTEWRAPUP TEXAS INSTRUMENTS (www.ti.com) introduced the TI-Nspire with touch-pad graphing calculator, designed to enable students to take a more active role in their learning. The handheld calculator features a streamlined keypad and an alpha keyboard, an enhanced home screen, a scratch pad, and extended battery life. Also demonstrated was the TI-Nspire Navigator wireless classroom network system, which enables interactive, collaborative classrooms. The system connects TI-Nspire handheld calculators to teachers’ computers and projectors.
PREMIER MOUNTS (www.premier mounts.com) unveiled new mounting products for K–12 classrooms, including the first projector wall mount with an integrated audio system.
COMPASS
LEARNING
(www.
compasslearning.com) has added Odyssey Community and four new high-school electives to its
CISCO (www.cisco.com) demonstrated its Connected Physical Security technology, as well as its broad portfolio of Connected Learning solutions, including video-enabled teaching and learning, Web-based collaboration, and Cisco TelePresence systems. Schools in the United States and abroad have deployed Cisco’s Internet Protocol (IP)–based video surveillance, access control, and first-response communication technology over their existing networks to support their campus-safety operations.
Odyssey software suite. Odyssey Community
is
a
social-media
tool that facilitates online conversations to improve studentteacher interactions within a safe, secure environment. Teachers and students will be able to access Odyssey Community through the CompassLearning Odyssey log-in.
PROMETHEAN (www.promethean RENAISSANCE LEARNING™ (www.renlearn.com) announced a
world.com) announced the Activ-
joint agreement with IGNITE! LEARNING™ (www.ignitelearning.com)
Classroom in Motion, a 36-foot
that will enable students to use the 2Know!™ classroom response sys-
RV-style bus that has been trans-
tem and the NEO 2 student laptops to interact with Ignite! Learning’s
formed into an interactive class-
assessments.
room on wheels and is equipped with interactive whiteboards with
CHIEF (www.chiefmfg.com) showcased classroom short-throw-
projectors,
projector-mount solutions at ISTE 2010. Several installer-inspired
response systems, and other sup-
features ensure fast, trouble-free installation. An industry-first micro
porting-technology products.
handheld
learner-
adjustment for height and leveling permit an installer to position the projector perfectly, regardless of the environment. A built-in tele-
MERU NETWORKS (www.meru
scoping extension of up to 54 inches (1.4 m) helps achieve precise
networks.com) announced that
image alignment. The innovative lateral-shift capability allows the
more than 1,000 education cus-
mount to span several studs. Built-in cable management facilitates
tomers have deployed its vir-
a clean and safe installation every time.
tualized wireless LAN (WLAN) solution across North America, Europe, and Asia.
3 4 | TECH & L EA R N IN G
PANASONIC SYSTEM NETWORKS COMPANY OF AMERICA (www.panasonic. com/psna) released the Panaboard UB-T880 interactive multimedia whiteboards that allow simultaneous operation by as many as three students, seamless fingertip or electronic pen drawing, and full-screen media display. Available in two screen sizes and aspect ratios.
MCGRAW-HILL mheducation.com)
EDUCATION announced
(www. partner-
ships and products including the selection of M&A Technology to manufacture the new Companion Touch device, a collaboration with Learn360, and the launch of ConnectED, an online resource center.
PASCO SCIENTIFIC’s (www.pasco.com) SPARKvue data-collection and -analysis app is now optimized for the iPad. PASCO scientific also released MatchGraph for the iPhone 4.
EPSON AMERICA (www.epson.com) announced the IU-01 interactive module for projectors. It connects directly to a Windows or Mac computer via USB and integrates interactive capabilities with any projector while eliminating the need to purchase and install dedicated interactive whiteboards.
PLATO LEARNING (www.plato.com) announced the expansion of its curriculum offerings, including new Advanced Placement courses for accelerated students. This introduction marks the first time the company will offer AP courses as part of its expanded courseware for school districts.
ISTEWRAPUP BRAINPOP ’s
(www.brainpop. com) free Featured Movie app has been made universal and can be downloaded from the iTunes store for the iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. The app delivers animated movies daily, with content relevant to historical and current events and an accompanying interactive quiz. BrainPOP ESL received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Association of Educational Publishers.
FOLLETT SOFTWARE COMPANY (www.follettsoftware.com) introduces Cognite, a digital learning environment that integrates discovery tools, retrieval, collaboration, and communication for students in K–12.
HITACHI
AMERICA,
LTD.
(www.hitachi-soft.com) introduced the new StarBoard FXTRIO-77 interactive whiteboard, which allows three users to write on the board at once. Other features are 14 customizable buttons; an electronicsfree surface that works even if scratched or dented; and control by means of a finger, a stylus, or an electronic pen. New software version 9.2, featuring redesigned icons, menus, and a more intuitive graphic interface, has been released for Windows and Mac.
3 6 | TECH & L EA R N IN G
FUJITSU (solutions.us.fujitsu.com) demonstrated the new LifeBook PH520 ultra-portable notebook and the recently introduced LifeBook T730 multi-touch-screen convertible tablet PC, enhanced professional-development services, and new data-center options, including cloud computing. MICROSOFT (www.microsoft.com) continued to add educator-friendly features to its search engine, Bing (bing.com), such as Related Searches and Microsoft® Photosynth technology.
CTB/MCGRAW-HILL launched the CTB Online Reporting System, a dynamic Web-based solution that enables educators to generate customized, real-time assessment profiles of students, classrooms, or schools. The system is available now for TerraNova™, Third Edition and InView™, and Primary Test of Cognitive Skills™ (PTCS™) and will be offered with other CTB assessment systems later this year.
DISCOVERY EDUCATION (www. discoveryeducation.com) announced new agreements with the BBC, Smarterville/Reading Rainbow, CBS News, and others to expand its content libraries. In addition to many others, Disaster in the Gulf: A Race Against Time has been added to Discovery Education streaming.
CRICK SOFTWARE’s (www.crick soft.com) writing support software, WriteOnline, now includes WorkSpace, at visual mind-mapping tool that enables students to organize their thoughts and ideas into diagrammatic format before they start to write.
ISTEWRAPUP The LIVESCRIBE Pulse smart pen (www.livescribe. com) is a computer in a pen that captures everything you write and hear. Use it for pen-casting, capturing ink and audio as a flash movie that you can post for public or private viewing.
BRETFORD MANUFACTURING, INC. (www.bretford.
com) announced the launch of an “Oldest Product” video competition, the winner of which will receive a full room of furniture for 30 students or professionals. The company also showed off a new RHOMBII flat-panel lectern, a Juice Power System and Book and Utility Trucks.
LIGHTSPEED SYSTEMS (www.lightspeedsystems.com) demonstrated My Big Campus, which offers a collection of user-submitted online resources and a suite of collaboration tools integrated into the Web filter to help schools streamline IT administration, protect students and the network, enforce acceptable-use policies, and maintain regulatory compliance.
CTB/MCGRAW-HILL (www.ctb.com) and PROMETHEAN (www. prometheanworld.com) announced an alliance linking the Promethean ActivExpression Learner Response Devices (“clickers”) to CTB’s Acuity UnWired® InFormative Assessment solution. Students take tests with the wireless ActivExpression, and Acuity UnWired instantly displays their responses and percentage of correct answers.
SERIF (www.serif.com/iste) introduced an expanded Design Suite of integrated software programs that adds MoviePlus and Digital Scrapbook Artist to the core package of DrawPlus, WebPlus, PagePlus, PhotoPlus, and Teacher Resources. Serif also offered advice on how to integrate creative digital design projects into lesson plans.
3 8 | TECH & L EA R N IN G
INFOSNAP (www.infosnap.com/ m/home), provider of online admission and registration solutions designed for pre K–12 schools, demonstrated its Web-based solutions and discussed client successes. FARONICS (http://readytodobattle. com/hero) released Faronics AntiVirus—an integrated solution that combines anti-virus, anti-spyware, and anti-rootkit technology to provide a coordinated, pre-emptive response to advanced malware. It also integrates with Faronics Deep Freeze, their system restore solution, so anti-virus updates can be applied even while computers are protected in a Frozen state. WATERFORD INSTITUTE ’s Interactive Whiteboard Lessons (www.waterford.org) provide teachers with easy-to-use tools for group and classroom early literacy instruction. Incorporating the songs, books and characters of Waterford Early Reading, these 29 lessons assist in teaching literacy concepts. GAGGLE
(www.gaggle.net) announced a collection of new online collaboration tools, Gaggle Apps, which are designed to help schools safely incorporate social networking and YouTube videos into education.
TEL.A.VISION (telavision.tv) founder George Johnson spoke on “The Power of Creating Vision Videos with Students” at the Digital Storytelling Special Interest Group. He shared stories and examples of how “vision videos” have helped students make transitions in their lives. Also discussed were recent discoveries in neuroplasticity studies that show that one can change the structure and function of one’s brain with thoughts.
RTT in Tennessee Assessment Done Right by Pam Derringer Mary Reel is a passionate champion of the unique statewide student assessment system that helped Tennessee become one of the first two states to win Race to the Top funds, earlier this year. Reel, who is school superintendent in the 2,100-student district of Milan, calls the Tennessee Value Added Assessment System (TVAAS) “value added on steroids,” and has used the data system to turn around struggling students, individual schools, and now a district. TVAAS so impressed the Feds that Tennessee won $502 million in Race to the Top funds; Milan will get $367,000 over the next four years. “Nobody in leadership has been more successful with TVAAS than Mary Reel in various roles,” says former statistics professor Bill Sanders, who created the TVAAS data-assessment model with his wife, June Rivers, nearly 20 years ago. As a result of Reel’s efforts, Milan grades three through eight now have the second-highest cumulative value-added scores in the state, Sanders says. And the high school (which is falling short of the target but making
Acceptable Yearly Progress) will follow, he predicts.
TVAAS explained TVAAS is a longitudinal database that tracks individual student achievement year by year, subject by subject, teacher by teacher, based on the yearend TCAP (Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program) state achievement scores. Using the spring TCAP
40 | SCHO OL C IO SP EC IA L SEC T ION
results, the complex TVAAS data-analysis system can predict the following fall which students will need extra help to pass the next year-end test. And because it correlates with the state curriculum, TVAAS can pinpoint the students who are failing to make adequate progress at numerous points throughout the year and even measure the effectiveness of specific teachers based on how much their students
Strategies for K-12 Technology Leaders
district is 22 percent African-American, 16 percent special needs, and 57 percent economically disadvantaged.)
More assessment tools
A teacher reviews the EVAAS tests.
learned the previous year. “TVAAS is the greatest tool we have,” Reel says.
The beginning Reel knew the power of the TVAAS data when she arrived in Milan three years ago, but the staff did not. She had to win the district’s teachers over. And to do so, she had to change the culture, end excuses, and expect all students to achieve. Data was the key. After teachers were trained in how to get data themselves, they became empowered by it and began using data to experiment in the classroom and test the results. “Teachers now have direct access to pull customized reports, and they know what they are seeing,” Reel says. “They need to be mining the data all the time.” And when the state began to impose penalties for missing NCLB targets, Milan was ready. The district already had the data tools and plans to meet the state requirements in place. The district is easily making most of its state achievement benchmarks, scoring fourth or fifth out of 136 districts by subject, second or third in the state for elementary, and in the top quadrant for grades three through 12, Reel says. Some African-American and special-needs students are not meeting minimum state achievement levels, however, so Milan will address this gap by changing instruction and implementing daily classroom assessments where they are needed. (The
Although TVAAS is Milan’s primary assessment tool, the district uses numerous others, including CompassLearning through second grade and Discovery Education and ThinkLink for third through eighth grades, administering them two or three times a year, according to Cathy Moore,
assessment supervisor. If a child is not making sufficient progress on the April assessment program, Moore says, Milan can initiate intervention before the TCAP test at the end of the year. Another extremely helpful tool, Reel adds, is Dibbles, which assesses language fluency in the early grades. The major assessment breakthrough, Moore says, is TVAAS, which, for the first time, gives the district the ability to follow an individual student’s records from one year to the next. “Teachers are more involved now,” she says. “Once TCAP comes out, they can customize a report for individual students and project where they should be to be on task.” Last year Milan added another innovation: data boxes. Placed in the prin-
The TVAAS testing and administration helped Tennessee schools win Race to the Top funding.
cipal’s office, the data boxes contain a folder for each child receiving extra help, enabling all instructors working with a particular student to share progress updates.
The network impact Lisa Bradford, supervisor of accountability and technology, says, Milan doesn’t usually have problems with
[Estimated System Mean NCE Gain] GRADE
3
4
5
6
7
8
MEAN NCE GAIN OVER GRADES RELATIVE TO
Growth Standard
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
State 3-Year Avg
-0.3
-0.1
0.3
0.1
-0.4
2007 Mean NCE Gain
6.4 G*
-1.0 R
3.3 G*
-0.6 Y
-2.5 R*
1.1
1.2
Std Error
1.0
0.9
0.8
0.8
0.8
0.4
0.4
2008 Mean NCE Gain
7.7 G*
-0.8 Y
-2.3 R*
-1.6 R
-0.6 Y
0.5
0.6
Std Error
1.1
1.0
0.9
0.8
0.8
0.4
0.4
2009 Mean NCE Gain
13.5 G*
-0.4 Y
2.5 G*
-0.3 Y
-3.7 R*
2.3
2.4
Std Error
1.0
1.0
0.9
0.8
0.8
0.4
0.4
3-Year Avg NCE Gain
9.2 G*
-0.7 R
1.2 G*
-0.8 R
-2.3 R*
1.3
1.4
Std Error
0.6
0.6
0.5
0.5
0.5
0.2
0.2
[Estimated System Mean NCE Scores] GRADE
3
4
5
6
7
New State Baseline
50.0
50.0
50.0
50.0
State 3-Year Avg
48.9
48.4
48.3
2006 Mean
52.5
61.2
53.3
8
50.0
50.0
47.9
48.1
47.9
54.3
52.5
52.8
2007 Mean
48.0
59.0
60.0
56.7
53.7
50.0
2008 Mean
43.9
55.7
58.2
57.7
55.1
53.1
2009 Mean
46.1
57.4
55.3
60.7
57.4
51.4
42 | SCHOO L C IO SP EC IA L SEC T ION
Growth Standard
State
www.schoolcio.com
The spread to other states
20 18 16 14
GAIN
12 10 8 6 4 2 0
1 (Lowest) 2009 Gain
2
3 (Middle)
Previous Cohort(s)
Web-based assessments. The district had to resolve several problems with CompassLearning and Discovery last year after program upgrades, however.
4 Reference Line
5 (Highest) Standard Error
Milan also had to increase its bandwidth last year and started conserving network use by limiting video and audio streaming unrelated to instruction.
Now available for other states through the Education Practice at SAS, the generic Education Value Added Assessment System (EVAAS) does require modification for different states and has been criticized for its complexity, according to Bill Sanders. But, he says, complexity enables the model to be far more accurate despite challenges like assessing several teachers working with the same students and inputting data for a student who has missed tests. “You want people to trust in the diagnostic value of this, start building on what they are doing well, and address weaknesses,” Sanders says.
PRODUCTGUIDE
The Answer Is…
Clickers. Audio response systems. Student response systems (SRSs). Whatever you call them, wireless response systems, which allow students to answer questions by means of handheld response pads, are the answer to some teachers’ prayers. SRSs take the guesswork out of instruction, helping teachers see exactly who understands the material and who doesn’t. But don’t let us sell you on these systems; let the proponents speak for themselves. By Ellen Ullman CLEVELAND CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL
HURST JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL HURST, TEXAS
CLEVELAND, TENN.
WHAT DO YOU USE?
QWIZDOM WWW.QWIZDOM.COM
SMART RESPONSE SMARTTECH.COM
WHY DID YOU BUY THIS PRODUCT?
“I had seen similar products at a conference and thought they could be useful,” says Barbie Buckner, who teaches science at Cleveland (Tenn.) Central High School. “Students often give me the feedback I want, but Qwizdom shows me what the kids don’t understand, so I don’t have to re-teach entire lessons.”
“We wanted to get instant data and instant feedback,” says Amanda Hatcher, who teaches math and pre-AP math at Hurst Junior High School.
BEST FEATURES
Buckner, who has used Qwizdom clickers for five years, loves the new Q6 because “it was designed with cell phones and texting in mind. The Q6 lets us use symbols, which is very important for math and science.”
“It grades everything for me!” Hatcher says. She also likes it that it works well with SMART Notebook and lets students see either their results or the entire class’s results.
I GET COMPLAINTS ABOUT…
“I had the Q6 before it was released, and it got stuck sometimes. The minor software glitches were taken care of for the release in May.”
“It crashes pretty often, which is frustrating.”
Buckner uses them to give tests and quizzes, to check homework, and to ask questions on the fly. “When I’m giving a lecture, I can use my Q7 [wireless tablet] to click one button and prepare a question. I can get feedback for myself or on the big screen. The kids love watching the graph change.”
Hatcher uses them “all day, every day.” Her students come in, pick up a remote, and answer warm-up questions for 10 minutes. She goes over their results and does a mini lesson during which the students use their remotes to answer more questions.
Buckner has covered more material in her chemistry classes since she started using clickers. “No more wasting time re-teaching what the students don’t need.”
“My first year at the school, only 72 percent of my students passed. Since we got SMART Response three years ago, our student scores have improved every year. Now our passing rate is in the 90s.”
“Do whatever it takes to get them. Today’s students are driven by immediate feedback and hands-on touch-and-click. It will revolutionize your classroom.”
“You’d better hope your teachers are fast graders, because they will never catch up. I know where my students are and can fix any misunderstandings right away.”
HOW ARE TEACHERS USING THEM?
WHAT KINDS OF RESULTS HAVE TEACHERS SEEN? WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SCHOOLS THAT DON’T HAVE THEM?
44 | TECH & L EA R N IN G
PRODUCTGUIDE
CITRUS COUNTY SCHOOL BOARD
HERITAGE MIDDLE SCHOOL DELTONA, FLORIDA
CITRUS COUNTY, FLORIDA
WHAT DO YOU USE?
TURNINGPOINT RESPONSECARD XR SYSTEM WWW.TURNINGTECHNOLOGIES.COM
CLASSROOM PERFORMANCE SYSTEM (CPS) PULSE EINSTRUCTION WWW.EINSTRUCTION.COM
John Mullen, program specialist for the Citrus County (Fla.) School Board, began exploring SRSs about two years ago. “Florida began doing performance pay, and we would have more than 50,000 tests to grade every six weeks. We needed something economical and environmentally friendly.”
Four years ago, Kristy Kuches was asked to help improve math scores at an elementary school. She came up with several games and hands-on activities but was concerned about filling up an entire year. Then she learned about CPS Pulse. “Once I got a remote, I knew I could do more math and have the whole class engaged,” says Kuches, who teaches math at Heritage Middle School.
Ease of use is at the top. “Teachers like the versatility; they can use it with PowerPoint, with TurningPoint’s software, or with other software.” So far he hasn’t had any technical problems.
It gives immediate feedback, and it’s anonymous. “The kids learn quickly that if they don’t say ‘Aw, jeez,’ then no one knows who got it wrong.” She’s also a fan of eInstruction’s customer service and says her sales rep goes “above and beyond.”
“Nothing. No negatives yet, although getting it into the high school is like pulling teeth. That’s more of a personnel than a tech problem, though.”
“The Pulse has a texting feature, which is nice, but I wish it had more flexibility. There can be only one right answer between Abe Lincoln, Lincoln, and Abraham Lincoln. If students spell it incorrectly or word it differently, it is considered wrong.”
HOW ARE TEACHERS USING THEM?
This was the first year of full implementation. “We’ve created mini assessments and time lines for all subject areas. The assessments consist of five to 10 questions on a particular benchmark; they are available for teachers to use, or teachers can make their own and share them.”
“I use it for everything! I use it to introduce concepts, see who understands, and check their homework. Then I know what to review. I also use it for quizzes and tests. I can easily give four versions of tests, so cheating is nonexistent.”
WHAT KINDS OF RESULTS HAVE TEACHERS SEEN?
“The results are outstanding. All students are experiencing growth, with the special-education students improving the most.” One fifth-grade classroom had not made AYP last year. This year that teacher used the clickers all day long and was the only teacher in her school who had students who qualified for advanced math; nearly 75 percent of her students qualified.
“Because of the anonymity, kids who are quietly suffering don’t have to suffer anymore. They know right away if they got it wrong and can see where they messed up when we go over it.” Sixty percent of students get correct answers at the start of class; by the end, it is 90 percent or higher.
Mullen suggests providing resources so teachers can use them immediately. “We did lots of training before Christmas and created games using holiday trivia, then encouraged teachers to take them home and play with their families.” He also initially required teachers to show the results of one mini assessment every 10 days, so he knew that the systems weren’t sitting on shelves.
“Kids today cannot wait 24 hours to get the scores on their paper. To ask them to wait for homework or test results is not how their brains are wired anymore. Teachers who don’t use clickers always ask how my students move so far along so quickly.”
WHY DID YOU BUY THIS PRODUCT?
BEST FEATURES
I GET COMPLAINTS ABOUT…
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SCHOOLS THAT DON’T HAVE THEM?
46 | TECH & L EA R N IN G
PRODUCTGUIDE
ST. ANNE SCHOOL
BARRINGTON MIDDLE SCHOOL
LAGUNA NIGUEL, CALIF.
BARRINGTON, N.H.
2KNOW! CLASSROOM RESPONSE SYSTEM RENAISSANCE LEARNING WWW.RENLEARN.COM
I>CLICKER WWW.ICLICKER.COM
WHAT DO YOU USE?
WHY DID YOU BUY THIS PRODUCT?
Joe Kemp, systems administrator at St. Anne School used i>clickers in his college marketing class last year and thought that the teachers and students at this K–8 school would benefit from using them. “I got a demo kit from i>clicker, and the teachers loved it,” he says. “They wanted to use them to keep students’ attention during lessons.”
Mary Wilson, who teaches math at Barrington (N.H.) Middle School, received the product as part of a technology grant. “I felt that my students and I could immediately use 2Know,” she says.
BEST FEATURES
Ease of use. “There are only two IT people for our school, so we love that i>clicker needs no installation, is easy to use, and requires little if any training,” Kemp says. “It caters to a wide range of teachers: The tech-savvy ones can do as much as they want, and the tech-phobic teachers can use it to poll kids during class.”
Student engagement. “They especially like it when we use them to play interactive games. They get to be on teams, earn points, and have fun. I love the instantaneousness.”
One teacher complained that there aren’t downloadable lessons, unlike what other clicker companies provide.
“I wish it weren’t so time-consuming. Some kids are a lot slower, and waiting for those children is not the best use of time. It’s fine when we’re doing skills and drills, but we have to wait for everyone when doing formative assessment or quizzes.”
Most of the teachers embed questions in PowerPoint presentations to check comprehension, but some have started using them with their interactive whiteboards to give quizzes or for preassessment. “A first-grade teacher asked students to vote for the name of the class pet.”
Wilson uses them for review games, for formative assessment, and to improve math skills. “I use MathFacts in a Flash, which is supplied by Renaissance Learning, as well as my own stuff and our textbook.”
The school hasn’t collected data, but teachers say i>clicker helps them teach better because they know what the students understand.
“We have had a lot of positive movement in test scores, but I can’t isolate it to just 2Know.”
“Today’s kids have so much technology in their lives that to expect them to just sit and pay attention to a teacher talking is unreasonable at best. These will enhance their educational experience.”
“There are a lot of clickers to choose from, so make sure kids can put in short answers so you aren’t limited to multiple-choice or numeric answers. Buy one that can be used for any subject. It is a great way to get one-on-one technology with kids, and it’s fairly inexpensive.”
I GET COMPLAINTS ABOUT…
HOW ARE TEACHERS USING THEM?
WHAT KINDS OF RESULTS HAVE TEACHERS SEEN? WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SCHOOLS THAT DON’T HAVE THEM?
More Response Systems Califone International’s Got It! Interactive Wireless Student Response System www.califone.com
48 | TECH & L EA R N IN G
Dukane’s Convey Student Response www.conveyclassrooms.com iRespond’s iRespond-UltraLite www.irespond.com
Promethean’s Learner Response Systems www.prometheanworld.com QOMO’s QIR300 Audience Response System www.qomo.com
THEY SAID IT
ISTE 2010
www.techlearning.com/ blogs/31198
Five Developing Themes
3
By Henry Thiele I attended EduBloggerCon, the Constructivist Consortium, the opening events, and more at ISTE ’10, and through my interactions there, I have begun to see some themes developing in the conference:
1
It has been a rough year. Between budget cuts, leadership challenges, and the increasing responsibilities associated with technology in schools, everyone was mentally exhausted heading into the conference. Excitement about changing practices and adding resources to schools has been tempered by budget concerns. We have some pretty big decisions looming about how we are going to handle an influx of personal mobile computing devices into our society. With the iPad, the new iPhone, Android devices, and the continued growth of netbooks, there are a lot more discussions of how we are going to respond to this trend as schools. These conversations center on network infrastructure, policy, instructional strategies, and preparing teachers for this change.
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Digital divide. The changes described in number 2 are starting to show how ugly the digital divide is becoming. The gap between those able to have the world’s information in their hands and those unable to is a growing social problem. When connectivity is factored in along with access to hardware, the difficulty becomes greater and more complex.
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Assessment: Many educators are struggling more with assessment and its design. It seems that most agree with attaching some form of accountability to assess-
ment. But nobody has quite figured out how to do it. It is becoming apparent, however, that technology will have to be involved in whatever solution does present itself, if for efficiency if nothing else. Personalizing education: More people are talking about making teaching and learning more personal, saying that education has to be tailored to each individual. There is a lot of frustration and confusion about how to make this happen when we are still working in an environment designed to “press out parts” rather than create individual masterpieces.
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