Weblog of Wesley Fryer

What an incredible looking classroom. I like the idea of using a DS in class. Looks like huge variety in classroom activities too.

This is an amazing looking space. We traditionally believe we need to “train students” out of this learning environment — too much like “play learning” for an academic endeavor. I would like to push my classroom closer to this.

thai is a great solution! wonder if this is only one case ar this kind of classrooms solutions are promoted into other cities?

Maria’s leadership in technology and education spreads well beyond the walls of her classroom. She has been role model for me personally, and many here at DCS. It’s not surprising she is a “Rockstar” in the education and technology world. Thanks Maria.
Wes, it was great chatting with you during your visit.

Thank you so much for sharing your classroom with us, Maria!
You are an inspiration! I would like to come visit some day.
Thank you, Deb, for your great photography and descriptions of the activities!

I was just with a team from Nashua last week who came to see Deerfield’s use of technology to enhance learning and Maria was a real inspiration. I’m really glad I was able to read your observations too since we only got to see a small portion of what she does (her class was on skype when we came by). I wish we could clone people like Maria.

Hi Ryan,

Just wanted to give you a few answers where I can, first some background. I am the Tech Coord at Maria’s school. Maria has been an innovator since the AppleII/Logo days. For many years she has done more, with the 2 computers in her room, by taking her kids to our computer lab and by signing out the shared resources such as projectors, than most teachers.

- No, the Kindergarten students in the class across the hall are not getting the same experience – at the moment.

Last year I wrote a grant to outfit 4 rooms in our building, K, 5th ,7th science and 8th Math, as 21st century classrooms. One of my research projects for the grant was to determine where our small district should put funds in updating classrooms. As the grant progressed it became evident that all of these classes changed fundamentally, and provided powerful models within our building that stimulated change in non project classrooms.

This year we have received another grant that will add 3 more 21st century classes, K, 4th and 7th. We are also using a chunk of our IDEA-ARRA money and our regular budget to outfit more classroom. By next fall ,all Kindergarten classrooms will have IWB’s and projectors and will share additional resources such as netbooks.

-Sad to say, the Kindergarten students in other parts of the state do not have these resources.

In some parts of the state there is not even high speed Internet, other schools do not have the personnel to write grants, and schools are primarily funded by local property tax, that create even more disparities. National high speed access should be a national priority and NH has a long way to go in equitable funding.

-Ooooh the last question strikes home. I am, right now, writing the evaluation for our grant. Hopefully I will have something more to share on this one in the coming weeks. What I can do here is to briefly list our preliminary findings.

1. Technology cannot transform education, only educators and students can transform education. It takes time and hard work, but is a lot of fun.

2. Transformation only occurs when educators take risk and look at their curriculum with new eyes. One of our biggest successes in the project is a 5th grade teacher who moved to the 6th grade mid grant, doing so allowed her to recast her whole curriculum with her new tools. If we all took the time to reinvent our practice every couple of years, we might have a similar growth and change.

3. Transformation is more powerful when it is shared with others, in building and around our world. Of all of the aspects of this project, participants repeatedly identified the weekly meetings to share practice as the most powerful. Participants volunteered to meet Friday afternoons to explore tools and software, and to share what they were doing in the classroom. The meetings were open and a number of other staff members joined us.

4. Our school needs to shift from an equity model to a pockets of excellence model in resource distribution. I am not sure if this is a short or long term shift. For years I have made every effort to have the same resource distribution for all classes. I have come to realize that unless educators commit to change, the learning of new skills and pedagogy, and the development of a Professional Learning Community for feedback and support, transformation is unlikely to happen. I plan to build and support powerful models in our school, that will create the foundation to add more model classroom, which will grow into model grade levels, impacting the direction of the school, district and state.

All of this happens one baby step at a time. Thank you for asking questions that make me write.

Deb Boisvert

Sarahjean,

I totally agree with you, but where do you start? My thought is that you start where the energy is and spread in all directions. It would be more of a shame to not get the experience ever because you were waiting to progress in a linear fashion.

Deb

In response to Deb Boisvert: I enjoyed reading your first hand, detailed response. I am an adamant believer that age is not the barrier in preventing technology implementation in schools. It was wonderful seeing that Maria was not of the general stereotype that the younger generation embraces technology, and I was delighted to read about her success and the fact that she was a technology pioneer-kudos to her. She is delivering the skills needed for children to flourish in today’s society. The more teachers we have embracing technology, the better our students are prepared for 21st century skills. Coinciding with your information, Vernon Conaway’s documentation of Maria’s “day in the life of a kindergarten student in Maria Knee’s classroom” was both exemplary and inspiring. It is my wish that parents, administrative personnel, and both state and federal educational decision makers read this and “get it!”
I especially enjoyed reading your sage words, “I have come to realize that unless educators commit to change, the learning of new skills and pedagogy, and the development of a Professional Learning Community for feedback and support, transformation is unlikely to happen.” Administrative staff has a strong responsibility as well for modeling and supporting technology implementation.
Best of luck on your grant! I look forward to reading more about your findings.
Cheers,
Natalie

See my re-blog of this on the New Media Literacies website here: http://newmedialiteracies.org/blog/2010/06/today-was-a-real-treat-1.php