2009 Chagrin Falls Education Technology Day
March 9, 2009
The 2009 Chagrin Falls Education Technology Day was a home run! We had a wonderful group of speakers from across the State come speak to us about how technology is transforming teaching and learning at their districts.
We learned about Web 2.0, Personal Productivity, Personal Learning Networks, Course Management Systems, 21st Century Skills, and just about every other important ed tech topic.
All of the materials are being shared on the Chagrin Falls wiki and 21st Century Learning wiki. If you want to read other great debriefs about this event, check out Lani Ritter Hall‘s blog, or Doug Jones “Jones’n”, Director of our education division.
There were two other elements of this day that have stuck with me.
1) This day created dialogue across the district and beyond about 21st Century Skills. I do not believe it would have been possible to attend this one-day event without shifting your outlook about the role of technology in education. Every teacher, administrators, and staff member was touched by something at this conference.
2) Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach remains one of the most inspirational figures in my life. Her energy and vision are contagious. She bravely asserts her point of view and pushes the envelope to extend everyone’s thinking. Here is an excerpt of an e-mail that I sent to her:
I strongly felt that your message was clear to every person in the auditorium. I heard MULTIPLE Superintendents say that they were totally on board with your message. I loved the quotes about technology at the end of your presentation. Everything you spoke about was extremely powerful, persuasive, and mind-changing.
I thought your workshop facilitation was one of the most mind-opening, fascinating, productive “work shops” that I have ever been a part of. We need more Sheryl’s in the world. You were dynamite. That event at Chagrin Falls certainly galvanized my interest in the role of technology in education. Since the first time I met you and stumbled around your blog, you have helped ignite a passion for 21st Century Learning and Personal Learning Networks in me as well. I will be forever grateful to you for this.
The Superintendent of Chardon Schools, Joe Bergant, has joined twitter and is driving change at his district as a result of this wonderful day!
Thank you to all the speakers and attendees for organizing a wonderful event. It is exciting and humbling to be part of a business that is helping drive so much positive change in our community.
Defending 21st Century Skills
November 1, 2008
With Andy Rotherham’s approval, Jay Mathews recently wrote a provocative column titled, “Why I Don’t Like 21st-Century Reports.” Long time readers may remember my previous back and forth about standardized testing with the famed Washington Post education beat reporter back in 2006.
Mathews on 21st Century Skills:
The problem I have is that these major pronouncements often seem to have been conceived and written by people who are miles away from real classrooms. Many of the producers and writers, I am sure, have been educators. They know what it is like to work with children for whom the notion of a 21st-century classroom is as inexplicable — and maybe as laughable — as the school janitor coming to work in a spacesuit. But so little of that hard-earned knowledge of the grungy unpredictability of teaching ever finds its way into their big national studies…
Good stuff. I liked all of those suggestions. I had only one question: How in the name of every teacher who has ever contemplated suicide during the unit on fractions are we supposed to make those things happen?
My response:
To make a long story short – you have not done your due diligence on 21st Century Skills. There are countless examples of actual teachers in school districts demonstrating the teaching and learning of 21st Century Skills.
My recommended blog reading:
Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach – http://21stcenturylearning.typepad.com/
Will Richardson – http://weblogg-ed.com/The bottom line is that there is an entire subset of education technologists who believe that technology, and particularly the integration of Web 2.0 tools in the classroom, is the best, easiest, most practical, and cost-effective way to teach the range of 21st Century Skills discussed in that report.
The glossy report that you chide has inspired hundreds of schools and teachers across the nation to urgently work towards changing their districts…
My company, Smart Solutions, is committed to building 21st Century Schools and we have used the Partnership for 21st Century Skills as one of our guiding organizations.
The answer to “how do you do it?” is quite complex and we have our own philosophy on the topic.
We believe it requires administrative leadership that is focused on three areas:
Leadership (through strong technology leaders)
IT Management/Infrastructure (through managed services)
Teaching and Learning (through job-embedded professional development)
Jay’s response:
I will remain skeptical until I see it in the classroom, and can see what books and other materials are being used, and what assignments given. I have not seen anything very different in this very large metro area, with 1,200 public schools. I have seen things that say they are 21st century skill teaching, but arent doing anything unique. I know the superintendent in Manassas wants to start something, but hasnt yet. You know of any school in this region that meets your standard, and is doing this with regular kids? Thomas Jefferson can’t be a model for anything. Too selective. Point me to a school and I will check it out. Web site and blogs don’t do it. You are the first email I have received that takes your side. The skeptics, including many educators, are in the majority at least in my emails. They think this is one more fad, a name without a difference. So educate me. I need to see this in action. —jay
Therefore, if you are a teacher or administrator who is demonstrating the teaching of 21st Century Skills (particularly in the Washington area), please comment on this post so that I can send Jay a link!
What is Web 2.0?
April 12, 2008
Last week, I met with a Columbia Business School professor to discuss the broad issue: what is web 2.0?
My standard answer: Web 2.0 is a marketing buzzword used to describe a large class of next-generation web applications.
I categorize Web 2.0 into the following sections:
- Personal productivity
- Syndication
- Tagging / Organization
- Online Collaboration
I also believe that Web 2.0 generally emphasizes the following themes:
- Creating and Consuming Information
- Global conversation
- Empowering the individual
- Knowledge sharing / discover
Web 2.0 is intimately tied to the concept of 21st Century Learning.
This PDF briefly describes the framework from the Partnership for 21st Century Skills.
- Creativity and innovation
- Critical Thinking and Problem Solving
- Communication and Collaboration
- Information Literacy
- Communication Literacy
- Technology Literacy
- Flexibility and Adaptability
- Initiative and Self-Direction
- Social and Cross-Cultural Skills
- Productivity and Accountability
- Leadership and Responsibility
It is amazing how fluency in Web 2.0 collaborative tools correlates with the same skill sets required to achieve success in 21st century learning environments.
Using twitter is engaging in a global conversation. Teaching oneself to use ning is the same “initiative and self direction” discussed in 21st century skills. Tools such as Google Docs or Sharepoint are primary platforms for online collaboration. (FYI – A division of Smart Solutions, Collaborative Technology Solutions, specializes in integrating online collaborative tools in the professional services arena.)
At Smart Solutions K-12, we are excited to bring practical solutions to integrating collaborative technologies into the classroom. Technology cannot exist in a vacuum. It must be accompanied by professional development, change management plans, technical leadership, and curricular support.
Our approach posits that educational institutions need a strong technology partner to help usher schools into the 21st Century.