Moving at the Speed of Creativity by Wesley Fryer

Charting a Course for Technology in Florida by Dr. Kate Kemker #pbtechconf

These are my notes from Dr. Kate Kemker’s presentation, “Charting a Course for Information & Communication Technology in Florida’s Schools” at the 12th annual Palm Beach County Schools Technology Conference. MY THOUGHTS ARE IN ALL CAPS.

Information and communication technology (ICT) has become a ubiquitous and indispensable part of the way we work and the way we live. Florida is charting a coordinated path for engaging learning environment, access to digital tools, and support for teaching excellence.

Yes I am with the department of education, but today we are focusing on TECHNOLOGY issues!

I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER

I have the honor to be the state representative on the ISTE board now

I want to talk with you about the vision for technology in Florida
– I AM VERY CURIOUS TO LEARN HOW THIS COMPARES TO THE TEXAS LONG RANGE TECHNOLOGY PLAN

Issues of equity in all our schools is big

Did you know in Franklin County there is ONE school?
– Hamilton County: 9th and 10th graders, have 230

My charge was to send notes to experts all over the world, and find out where we need to be in 5 years

What is the definition of “Information and Communication Technology”
– “interest, attitude, and ability of individuals to appropriately use digital technology (Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), 2005

I think that is a great definition: it is a skill we want our students to have

From OECD 2006
– create more dynamic, real-time and multi-faceted interaction
– more…

Industry Technology Leaders responded
– also national experts and researchers
– international technology plans: Singapore, other countries

3 big areas of critical recommendations

for classrooms:
– mobile devices
– tool based software
– collaboratgive workspaces

Digital content
– podcasts
– etextbooks
– classroom generated content

emerging
– open educational resources
– viral distribution of content
– hybrid/blended learning

It’s a shame some schools are talking about going to 4 day work weeks, and NOT Talking about using online materials

National edtech plan has now been developed and drafted
goals
learning: enabling unprecedented access to high quality learning experiences
teaching: implementing new ways to support those who support learning
assessment: measuring what matters and providing the information that enables continuous improvement processes at all levels of the education system
productivity…

Schools of the Future
– Book by Chubb and Moe: Liberating Learning
– hybrids and high tech
– customized to student
– provide more effective instruction
– more beneficial to teachers
– better job of serving needy constituencies
– better job of promoting social equity
– competitive and offer more choice

WITH CHOICE IT SOUNDS LIKE CHUBB AND MOE MAY BE ADVOCATING FOR THE SAME STUFF THEY WANTED IN 1989

New York School of One

Singapore
– Master Plan 1: 97-2002
— teachers acquire basic ICT….
Plan 2
now Master Plan 3
– strengthen competencies for slef-directed learning
– tailor learning experiences…..

Charting a Course for Technology in Florida by Dr. Kate Kemker

I WISH THIS WAS ON SLIDESHARE. WHEN MENTIONING SINGAPORE AS A NATION I THINK IT’S IMPORTANT TO CONTEXTUALIZE SIZE

Themes in Singapore
– ICT literacy
– digital content
– teacher training
– personal learning systems
– technology based assessments
– student data

Ohio has a good state level plan, about 14-15 pages
– Texas’ plan is too long, it wasn’t concise enough

Objectives need to be concise and measurable

Question from the audience: what states are furthest along in implementing their plans
– Texas doing a lot
– Virginia
– Maine (but small)
– eTechOhio also one to watch

Data is SO different in each one of our districts

In some cases like in the Florida panhandle, they might want to change but don’t know HOW to change
– we are SO diverse, esp with our 34 rural districts

Marion Country Florida is now letting students bring their own laptops to school
– those kind of innovative approaches

I enjoyed reading the plan in Korea the most

Student Data
– we had some Florida student data for PISA

student comfort level (same questions as PISA group)
– I can do this very well by myself
– I can do this with help from someone
– I know what this means but cannot do it
– more….

Charting a Course for Technology in Florida by Dr. Kate Kemker

MY QUESTION IS: IS THIS SIGNIFICANT? (COMFORT LEVEL WITH BASIC INTERNET SEARCHING) DOES THIS MEAN ALL KIDS ARE JUST DOING SIMPLE GOOGLE KEYWORD SEARCHES AND NEVER MOVING BEYOND THE FIRST OR SECOND PAGE OF SEARCH RESULTS.

PISA comparing comfort level with Internet searching and spreadsheets

Frequency: how often are you using these tools
– who is teaching students how to use spreadsheets these days?

We need to help students learn to use spreadsheets and visualize data

MY QUESTION: WHERE IS FLORIDA NOW ON ASSESSING 8TH GRADE TECH LITERACY? I AM WONDERING IF THE FLORIDA SDE IS IN LOVE WITH THE LEARNING.COM AND OTHER COMMERCIAL VENDOR SOLUTIONS?

Why develop a plan?
– learning environment
– access to tools, content, infrastructure and data
– training and support for educators

In Singapore and other places: they are really
– in 2nd grade kids have to write a letter in a Word document

Charting a Course for Technology in Florida by Dr. Kate Kemker

As we wrote this we avoided using laptops, since in 5 years we may not be using laptops…

Learning environment
– tech integration
– ICT skills
– personalized learning
– assessments

(MORE HERE, DIDN’T HAVE TIME TO TYPE IT)

Charting a Course for Technology in Florida by Dr. Kate Kemker

MY QUESTION: WHERE DOES OPEN ACCESS AND CONTENT FILTERING FIT INTO THIS

We did this in a “logic model” (very painful: inputs, outputs, and where you want to be – based on measurable outcomes)

Go to http://floridatechplan.org for the complete plan

Florida Educational Technology Plan Framework

Comment from participant: lots of teachers haven’t had training and don’t know about things which exist

Title IID has 4 part / areas that have to be reported on
– not all states were reporting, Florida was

Having a plan for what PD looks like is very important
– aligning PD

Data part of this is HUGE
– so many different files, naming categories
– making these data systems talk together

If an assessment is being taken in an English class, why isn’t that result available to all teachers in the school?

Have 1-3 year plan, and 3-5 year plan

Critical to help leadership at district level understand the need for interoperable, compatible data systems so schools don’t continue to invest in proprietary systems [SILOED]

learning environments
– targets set for proficiency levels on Student Tool for Technology Literacy (STTL)
– more…

How can we create and share assessments that are not vendor specific?

I TOTALLY AGREE. STATES FORCING VENDORS TO PROVIDE COMPATIBLE SYSTEMS THAT WORK WITH OTHERS IS CRITICAL

We have NOT had a big increase in proscopes – I don’t understand that, I think they are great

Big issue: publish the common tagging system for open digital content and provide districts with technical assistance to adopt it for their use

I have to have a common tagging system

THIS IS SO INTERESTING GIVEN THE CONVERSATIONS WE’VE BEEN HAVING ABOUT WANTING TO ADD TO TAGGING DONE IN COV
– THIS IS A TOP-DOWN ORGANIZATION, HOWEVER, WANTING TO IMPOSE (PERHAPS) A MORE HIERARCHICAL MODEL ON ORGANIC, SOCIAL MEDIA. FOLKSONONMIES AND DISTRIBUTED TAGGING IS BY NATURE AGAINST THIS.

Virginia actually specifies how many tech support people have to be in place / on staff per 1000 devices on the network

With our EdTEch ARRA funding for state level activities
– building out these tools further
– will offer more training

Our accountability tools
– School Technology Resources Survey
– Inventory of Teaching Technology Skills (ITTS)
– ST2L

ITTS is going away and becoming T3

Student computer access
– wanting to shift/change model into the classrooms from the laps

Inventory of Teacher Technology Skills was based on old ISTE NETS
– now that NETS have been revised

We need to help people use research on educational technology more effectively

Student Tool for Technology Literacy

MY QUESTION (NOT ASKED IN THE SESSION) – DOES THIS QUIZ AND ASSESSMENT TOOL GET AT CONTENT ACTUALLY BEING CREATED BY KIDS? AGAIN FROM THE KEYNOTE, WITHOUT CONTENT CREATION THERE IS NO CREATIVITY. KIDS CAN ANSWER A QUESTION ON A QUIZ, BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN THEY ARE ACTUALLY CREATING CONTENT, SHARING IT AND COLLABORATING WITH OTHERS. I THINK THESE ASSEMESSMENT METHODS HAVE TO BE PORTFOLIO-BASED. WITHOUT PORTFOLIO-BASED EVICENCES OF STUDENT WORK, IT’S JUST ANOTHER MULTIPLE CHOICE QUIZ

one part of this the student actually has to edit the video in a simulation, actually edit a spreadsheet

next step would be to setup proficiency levels

Florida has “Master Digital Educators”
– face to face trainers
– online trainers
– mentors
– content creators

THIS IS REALLY INTERESTING. GREAT TO SEE… I WONDER WHAT KIND OF LEARNING COMMUNITY THEY ARE USING TO SUPPORT AND GROW

Technology Integration Matrix

Florida Technology Integration Matrix

THE TEXT ON THIS SLIDE IS OVERWHELMING. THIS SEEMS TO FALL INTO THE FAMILIAR TRAP OF SO MANY STANDARDS….

TIM Assessment is being used

Now are creating student artifacts

THIS SOUNDS GOOD – I AM STILL WONDERING ABOUT THE NEED FOR STUDENT DIGITAL PORTFOLIOS WHICH FOLLOW THE STUDENT THROUGHOUT THEIR SCHOOL CAREER – NOT JUST STUDENT INFO SYSTEM STUFF

Florida iTunesU: www.floridaitunesu.com

OKLAHOMA NEEDS TO CREATE A STATE EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY PLAN. I WONDER IF THIS HAS BEEN PROPOSED?

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