Petaluma City Schools

 

Ed. Technology Committee Meeting

September 13, 2011

8:30 - 3:30

@ District Office

 

Meeting Notes

 

Meeting Notes –

 

Horizon Report – World Café

 

Looking at Challenges in the use of Emerging Technologies in Educational Technology

 

Breakout of Challenges to Adoption and Integration of Emerging Technologies.

 

Source Material can be found at the following website. http://www.cosn.org/Default.aspx?TabId=6375

From here you can read the Horizon Report 2011 on emerging technologies, see videos concerning and other material related to this subject.

 

 

Identifying critical challenges that will likely affect teaching, learning and creative inquiry over the next 5 years.

 

• Group One – Summary Digital media literacy continues to rise in importance as a key skill in every discipline and profession. Despite its perceived importance, the challenge is that training in this area is rare in teacher education and institutional professional development programs and therefore far from the norm.

 

1. No Models of Excel. In Media Lit. Instruction.

2. Who is responsible for finding the models? No consistent program at this time.

3. Teachers are not knowledgeable of current media literacy. Varies from site to site. New content area for our sites.

4. Consistent plan throughout the district as to how we are going to approach.

5. Have instruction how to use the tools and problem solving.

 

• Group Two – Summary Economic pressures and new models of education are presenting unprecedented competition to traditional models of schools. Schools are challenged to do more with less, forcing new models to serve students—these must use technology-based tools and services to deeply engage students.

 

1. Read 180 and Math, use of Fast Math – example of blended learning

2. Study Island used at CGHS with RSP students.

3. Challenges: Read 180 lab equipment; Learning curb – Study Island; teacher time to get comfortable with program.

4. Blended and hybrid classroom model.

5. Recovery of credits using Odyssey system.

6. Distributed computing to cut cost.

7. Advantage of technology of monitoring where students are.

8. Use of blogging and social engagement.

9. Tech high schools in the area: technology instruction project base learning.

10. Concern of online high school pulling students.

11. PJHS -6^th grade academy use of Ipads, bending the rules for traditional model schools.

 

• Group Three - Summary The demand for personalized learning is not adequately supported by current technology or practices. One-size-fits-all methods are clearly not effective; the demand for personalized learning is driving the need for technologies with more learner choice, control and differentiated instruction.

 

1. What are kids getting and not getting.

2. Draw of online learning.

3. Questions of how well children are prepared, will we lose students, use it supplemental social ramifications.

4. Redefine learner driven.

5. Redefine what a classroom is to look like, balance.

6. Who are we using this technology with? Full spec. of learners.

7. U.C. preparedness.

8. Computerized assessment, value and teacher training.

 

• Group Four – Summary A key challenge is the fundamental structure of the K-12 education establishment—aka ”the system”. There are increasing opportunities for students to take education into their own hands. To remain relevant, education systems must adapt, but major change has proven challenging in education.

 

1. System: Outside the classroom. Instructional Rounds

2. Must value the availability of the most recent technology. As a district we must value the importance of tech. in the classroom as a valuable tool.

3. Mandated curriculum could be out of date – this creates a challenge.

4. Challenge in the classroom; Some students at home has tech. some don’t.

 

• Group Five – Summary Many activities related to learning and education take place outside the walls of the classroom and thus are not part of our learning metrics. Students access a range of learning games and resources via home systems and social networks that contribute to their learning, but it is challenging to tie these experiences back to the classroom and topics being studied.

 

1. Learning outside the classroom. How to bring external excitement back into the classroom.

2. Kids feel school is a time to power down.

3. Computers are being used for canned programs…not engaging to the students.

4. Project Base Learning: Happens intermid. in the classrooms /districtwide policy to encourage the use of PBL throughout our sites. Seen at PHS tech classes. Use in academic classes as well.

 

Comments

1. Where are we going with technology. The various programs all have a place.

2. Want to get this technology into the kids’ hands, not just the teacher’s hands.

3. Jobs out there are for people that create/design the plan.

4. Integrated technology, old model doesn’t disappear. How we integrate with the curriculum?

5. Let’s build integration values back into the system

 

Summarization from Mike Cole

 

We will be going over our Technology Plan and integrating these topics and visions.

 

---------------------------------------------

 

Creating next steps - Small Groups K/6 and 7/12

 

 

Cloud Computing

 

What would it look like? In a classroom? On a campus?

 

Uninterrupted learning –access everywhere

Equitable home and school to school

Practice available

Programs at home, and writing

Continue to expand programs already used – Read 180

All Students must have username

Google Docs

All assignments on-line

District resources used to purchase apps/programs

 

 

 

Next Steps

 

Needs assessment, equipment, bandwidth, access

Access place for schools – report cards, data transference

Sharing best practices- focus and study groups

Open access to various programs for teachers – accountability

Contingency plans for outages

Training for teachers and students and parents

Mobile Devices

 

 

What would it look like? In a classroom? On a campus?

 

Equal access – same capabilities and compatability

Integrated into classroom instruction

Textbook on device

Students work anywhere

More interest driven by students

More student centered

Less back problems

Student response systems

 

 

Next Steps

 

Lift the ban on mobile devices

Filtering content

Training students, teachers and parents

Wireless access for all schools

Teachers pilot and trained before kids

Hardware management system and policies

 

Open Source

 

 

What

 

Less weight in backpacks

More money available

Eliminate a lot of time bar-coding, distributing

Active learning

Improve curriculum with less time investment By teacher

Encourage collaboration

 

 

 

Next Steps

Pilot it

Williams Act ?????

District review process

Decisions regarding standardized v individual choice

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Talking Points to Share

1. Some of the information from the Horizon Report (Key Trends)

2. Grouped heterogeneously to discuss future technology and next steps

3. Text books are going away. Looking at online texts.

4. What cloud computing is and the benefits across the curriculum and intervention.

5. Challenges in the report.

6. Creativity

7. Access from anywhere (uninterrupted learning)

8. Digital divide is a factor of education instead of money. Technology skills are critical to success.

9. Mindful of the training and support required.

10. Focus groups and/or study groups for training and awareness of technological best practices.

We will send the list and the report and the PowerPoint.

 

----------------------------------------------------

 

Meeting Review

What worked:

Brainstorming

Switching around

Well paced day

Organized

Plan was good and there was enough time for important things

 

Not worked:

Feeling old

Tough to get here on time

More information in notes so we don’t lose the thread of thoughts

Succinct definitions of terms for people that need more information