W4_Reading

Connecting instructional technology professional development to teacher and student outcomes

Veteran teachers

overwhelmed by technology and difficulty gaining fluency

worry that something will go wrong with technology when alone with students

Prefer someone to show them

Need ongoing support

Teachers will be teaching for more years now so must be proficient in using technology

Knowledge brokers

Possessors of knowledge

Modeling knowledge

Redirecting knowledge

Integrating knowledge – have time to fine-tune activities

Need to

Connect peer mentors with teachers

Provide time for learning and developing curriculum

Knowledge Brokers plus different professional development can insure technology, pedagogy, and content knowledge come together to alter teaching and learning

‘Peer coaches’ spark technology integration

Integration disappointing despite millions spent for hardware, software, and networks

Need high quality professional development (PD) with continuing support

Districts using “peer coaching” have higher degree of integration and student achievement

eMINTS (Missouri), EAST (Arkansas), ESTEP (Iowa) all have high degree of professional development and support with peer coaching

Virginia uses technology coaches – ITRT Instructional Technology Resource Teachers mandatory positions – peer technology coaches – by law

Also voluntary summer trainings for ITRT’s

Have already seen increases in technology integration

Tennessee ESTEP program (Evaluating State Technology Programs)

Created Ed Tech Launch – school-based technology coaches at 54 schools – received equipment and PD – noted

Increased # students using technology and more educational use of computers

Those students used hands-on and independent inquiry more than other students

Those students used 21^st-century skills, cooperative learning than others

Those students more academically focused than others

Iowa teachers paired with others across state after PD – use video conferencing to observe each other

and in 2006 found:

8^th graders improved average math scores by 14 points

4^th grade students improved average math scores b 16 points

4^th graders improved reading scores b 13 points

“Technology coaches are a vital part of helping schools and teachers embrace available technology and move forward as we individualize instruction and plan for the 21st-century global marketplace.”

When asked about the value of this program in Orange County, Solek-Giles responded, “This program is really helping teachers learn how to teach ‘digital natives’ with innovative teaching strategies that mimic student learning styles–and will help provide the tools necessary for the future workforces.”

Does Research-Based Professional Development Make a Difference? A Longitudinal Investigation of Teacher Learning in Technology Integration

Professional development (PD) programs/in-service programs

Relatively ineffective

Short-term experiences

Fragmented

Don’t consider how teachers learn

Experts agree on quality professional development characteristics

Little empirical work to document benefits

Series of studies done on connection between specific characteristics of professional development and changes in teacher knowledge and practice

Six key principles

Focus on content and pedagogical knowledge

Reform-type activities

Relevance of activities to teacher needs

Opportunities for active learning

Extensive duration

Collective participation

(Garet, et al.)

Focused on math and science

Need to investigate PD for technology

Examine teacher learning and practice for more than a year

Sustainability? Growth of PD gains?

This study long-term impact of PD on teacher learning and practice in technology

Investigate sustainability and growth of teachers’ learning

Identify conditions facilitated or hindered capacity to develop thinking, knowledge and practice

Map trajectory of teachers’ learning over time

Findings:

Educational technology knowledge

Abilities low at start

Prof dev improved knowledge and use of peripherals

All maintained and built on skills acquired in program

Application of technology into classroom practice

Very limited at beginning

All developed pedagogical capability using a range of technological tools and strategies

Able to create integrated lessons

Beliefs toward teaching with technology

All became used to using technology for professional tasks

Instructional use very diverse

Conventional and integrated at first

All sustained use over time, some exhibited growth in ways used in instruction

Need change in knowledge, practice and belief

Change process is cyclical and spiral, not linear

Training to new knowledge to new instructional practices

Noted change in student motivation

Led to more uses of technology

Follow up support after PD very important

Research based PD can create sustained teacher learning

“Future research needs to examine whether teachers with diverse backgrounds

and experiences exhibit similar learning trajectories. Such

research is of fundamental importance to the design of more effective

professional development programs that can recognize, anticipate, and

support possible trajectories of teacher learning and change.”

Integrating technology into K-12 teaching and learning: Current knowledge gaps and recommendations for future research

General barriers

Resources

Institution

Subject culture

Attitudes and Beliefs

Knowledge and skills

Assessment

To overcome barriers

Having shared vision and tech integration plan

Overcoming scarcity of resources

Changing attitudes and beliefs

Conducting prof dev

Reconsidering assessments

Successful integration requires holistic approach

Need to study specific barriers in detail

Relationships between strategies – differences among different subject areas

Need to examine role of prior use of technologies

Need to look at barriers to integration

Looking at computing learning environments

Recommend mixed methods research

Provide rich description of methodology for adequate interpretation

Examine teachers in actual practice by observation, not just self-reported comments

Should be longitudinal to study dynamic relationships

Examine roles of other stakeholders (administration/leadership) Both internal (school staff) and external (board, administration) necessary for technology integration

References

Martin, W., Strother, S., Beglau, M., Bates, L., Reitzes, T., & Culp, K. M. (2010, Fall). Connecting instructional technology professional development to teacher and student outcomes. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 43(1), 53-74.

Mouza, C. (2002/2003, Winter). Learning to teach with new technology: Implications for professional development. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 35(2), 27.

Neugent, L. & Fox, C. (2007, January). Peer coaches’ spark technology integration. eSchool News, 10(1), 32.

Plair, S. K. (2008, November). Revamping professional development for technology integration and fluency. Clearing House, 82(2), 70-74.

PE6_Flash

Continuing with my tutorials, I had some fun with the paintbrush tool and with painting inside shapes. I know it looks like a kindergartener did it, but I guess that's where I am with Flash.

There was a way to make curves with the pen tool called making "Bezier curves". What a humbling experience! As Todd quickly created a perfect cactus using that tool, I was left practicing. He showed how much better the Bezier tool created smooth lines, as opposed to the basic pen tool using lines. I'm totally Bezier challenged, and I'll probably stick with the plain pen tool for now if this is the result:

Now that I've finished the basic shape manipulation tutorials, I decided to look for a tutorial that would put me through an animation. I chose one for vines that appear to be growing on the screen. The first step was to get some free vector artwork. That's artwork made with curved lines rather than pixels, which are used for bitmap artwork. I went to www.vector4free.com and found one called Floral Ornaments which is available through Creative Commons. I'm following step by step along with the tutorial, and I managed to import the artwork, resize it, and turn it into a raw image. I then had to open thetimeline and create an artwork layer and a mask layer. Here's where I am so far:

The next step is to put the artwork inside the green oval, and I'm sure I'll find out why just as soon as I return to the video.

This is actually exciting stuff, but I'm just doing "monkey see, monkey do" at this point. I am familiar enough with the tools and menus now that I can find what is being shown and do it along with the tutorial. I'm going to still work with my tech director, because I want to understand what I'm doing so I can be ready for our work in course 6. I think this program can do some very amazing things, but I've just scratched the surface. It will take much more hands-on practice before I can say that I'm proficient at a very basic level. So I've learned a lot, but I have a long way to go.

PE5_Flash

My second session with Flash went a bit better. I managed to actually draw some shapes and fill them. I even was able to change the shapes. I'm gradually learning all the basic tools, but I really don't get a sense yet of how I will use them to create animations. The tutorial goes really fast, and I've stopped and started it a hundred times. Somehow in the midst of it all I'm getting faster at following along, and I'm hoping to get to really see something move at some point.

I can see that this really requires lots of time to practice (and a video that goes slower than the Lynda one with Mr. Perkins). I'm going to be getting some help from the tech director at my school. He used to teach Flash, so I'm hopeful that I can get up to speed before month 6.

FV_AR Pitch

This video is the final one is the series for the ETC course. In it I'm making a pitch for my action research project involving solutions to effective technology integration in the classroom.

PE4_Flash

When I found out I would be facing Flash in month 6, I decided to get a head start. My first step was to visit Lynda.com for a tutorial, and I chose one that looked pretty comprehensive. That's where I met Todd Perkins, a very articulate young man who talks at such a speed I couldn't even take notes.

As an indication of just how much there is to learn about Flash, the tutorials require 7 hours to view them all, and that doesn't count replaying them at least 4 times to understand them.

I learned that Flash is used to create animations and interactive applications. There are basic drawing tools for simple animations, and one can create "tweens" or animated animations. It's possible to add media and sound. There are two types of files, 'fla' files are working files and 'swf' files, which are output files. The area where one creates is called the stage, usually white but can also be colored. The gray area around it is where deselected objects can reside while working. I made it as far as resizing the workspace in properties, but I somehow detached my toolbars while trying to follow him and got myself into a bit of a mess. After trying the help menu, I managed to get them reconnected, although I have no idea how I did it, and they were backwards. Todd displayed this sample of a "simple" animation:

I had to chuckle reading that "if you have mastered all of these (Google Docs, Flash, etc.) you can choose something else. I think "mastering Flash" is a bit of an oxymoron.

BP12_Keynote

Please note: all images used in this presentation obtained from Wikimedia Commons

PE3_Keynote

I've found working with Keynote to be very energizing. I'm able to find exciting graphics and quick ways to do just about everything. You don't have to use the graphic library. Any image file can be used. There are great convenience features for beginners and plenty of advanced tools for animations and special effects. I think it's easier to 'keep it simple' in Keynote without sacrificing the finished appearance. As I've said, I'd like to do some presentations a la Garr Reynolds for my Action Research Project. With Keynote and Presentationzen as tools, it should be easier and more creative to make an image statement as well as a verbal one. I have some pretty challenging convincing to do if I'm going to help increase the amount of technology integration at my school.

PE2_Keynote

It's easy to learn to use Keynote

Like other Apple tools, Keynote is well supported with tutorials. I found it very easy to get started. There are all types of templates with different color schemes, textures, and graphic arrangements to choose from. They add great visual appeal and act as a framework for your presentation. For anyone familiar with PowerPoint, making the shift to Keynote is quite simple in terms of getting started; however, it does so much more for you in terms of graphics and sharing. I'm hoping to use Keynote to create a series of presentations on today's "digital native" students as part of my Action Research Project on technology integration.

PE1_Keynote

Easy

Powerful Graphics

Themes

Animations

Effects

Flexible

Compatibility

Sharing

With truly professional graphics and friendly interface, Keynote can get your point across. It can make you look polished and helps you be persuasive. You can quickly customize the graphics to suit your needs. Animations and special effects are impressive and add energy to your presentation. Choose the way you want to present. The timing is up to you. The desktop becomes a management system with your next slides, notes, a timer, and a clock. If you have an iPhone or iPod touch you have a remote control. You can even record a voiceover for those times when you need to leave your presentation. To share your message across platforms, iWork.com public beta is available for sending a link via email. Your presentation can be compatible with other formats such as PowerPoint. I think I'm going to be much happier working with Keynote instead of PowerPoint. It has much more to offer in terms of graphics and sharing.

W3_Reading

‘First do no harm’: Factors influencing teachers’ ability and willingness to use ICT in their subject teaching

Teachers provided covered time to explore ICT for their subject area.

At start of academic year

One day of group discussion

One day of individual exploration

One day at end of year to share ideas and experiences

Barriers to previous attempts to integrate ICT

Distance Learning had not worked

Lack of time to plan and explore

Difficult to get computer access

Digital projectors not available

Assumptions and design

All teachers want to teach subject well

Lack of time perceived as barrier to ICT use

Teachers willing to explore

Followed action research model

Teachers reflect on practice and explore possibilities

Outcomes learned by face to face conversations and emails

This approach more successful than traditional professional development

Communities of practice approach more successful

31 of 37 responded

Positive effect on interest in exploring ICT further

Helpful to see “other peoples stuff”

All reported a varying degrees of positive response

75% reported positive but modest impact on use

All reported gaining something

Teacher time is major factor in lack of ICT use

Top down training much less successful that this community and personal approach

Impacting Academic achievement with student learners teaching digital storytelling to others: The ATTTCSE Digital Video Project

Invitational digital learning experience

At risk middle school students

Adults included university researchers, teacher candidates, language and technology instructors, and parents from diverse backgrounds – the VIP’s

VIP’s chosen by children as having impact on them

Focus on writing and technical skills

Students learning and teaching adult VIP’s

3-year longitudinal study

Variety of activities

Interviews

Exit surveys

Reflective journals

Research field notes

Student/Parent created artifacts

Purpose

Provide a rich field experience for student teachers

Learning to teach with digital tools

Facilitation and chunking into steps to support student learning

Improve writing and technology stills of students

Develop authentic use of technology

Writing activities

Used digital storytelling with movie making

Content used biographies and family histories

Two-week training for students to be able to teach adults

Acronym ATTTCSE

Amazing Technologists Think Teach and Create Stories of Excellence

A – artifacts, importing images to video editor

T – timeline and sequencing on storyboard

T – transitions inserted between slides

T – title and silent screen slides

C – credits for creators of movie

S - sound, both music and voice-over narration

E – effects added and export video

Outcomes

Facilitation and technology skills of teacher candidates improved

Positive motivational impact on students due to VIP’s

Teacher candidates noted more skill involved in facilitating

Dramatic increase in student writing skills

Students became aware of future learning opportunities

Positive attitude toward learning for students

Educating the First Digital Generation

Lack of access and teacher technology skill combine to slow the change to digital teaching tools

Use of technology outside school will do more to prepare them then limited technology opportunities at school

Students with access have technology in everyday lives

Technological change happens quickly but adoption of technology in schools moves slowly

Digital generation skilled in use of technology but cannot function without it

Teachers’ Perceptions of the Effectiveness of ICT Competence Training

Goal is convincing teachers that ICT needs to be incorporated into teaching

Surveyed 450 teachers for attitudes about standardized technology training for teachers

NOF (New Opportunities Fund in UK) made some progress with teachers but large degree of negative opinions about content and form of training

Few features of what is considered effective training present in NOF

Lack of time and resources for teachers to investigate and incorporate technology

Teachers with negative perceptions don’t believe computers important in teaching

NOF training did not achieve the desired results

Wanted to change teachers’ attitude toward technology for teaching

Wanted to see change in teaching methods, teacher preparation, and research activities

References

Figg, C. & McCartney, R. (2010). Impacting academic achievement with student learners teaching digital storytelling to others: The ATTTCSE digital video project. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 10(1), 38-79.

Galanouli, D., Murphy, C., & Gardner J. (2004). Teachers’ perceptions of the effectiveness of ICT-competence training. Computers and Education, (43), 63-79.

Harwood, P. G. & Asal, V. (2007). Educating the First Digital Generation. Westport, CT: Praeger.

Hayden, T. & Barton, R. (2008). ‘First do no harm’: Factors influencing teachers’ ability and willingness to use ICT in their subject teaching. Computer Education, 51, 439-447.

BP11_Comment to Jenn

Jenn looked at Prezi for presentations. Click here to see my comment.

BP10_Comment to Zoe

Zoe had fun with Xtranormal. Click here to see my comment on her post.

BP9_Voice Thread

The video above is a sample of a voice thread created about Voice Thread. It's an incredible tool that I've never explored before, but I can certainly see its usefulness. It allows individuals to view the same thread and record a comment, and within that comment they can pause, draw on the screen, and even archive the thread for future use. There are a number of key features of Voice Thread . . .

v Comments can be made at the website or by phone. There's a place to enter a phone number and Voice Thread will call the person and record their comment, much like leaving a voice mail message.

v Doodling is really useful for calling attention to specific items or actions in a video. The video can be paused to draw on the screen and adds focus to the threaded comments.

v The Embedding feature allows you to directly embed your voice thread to social networking and communication sites like Facebook, iGoogle, Xanga, Live Spaces, and Pageflakes. You can also copy the embed code to post the thread or copy the URL link. It is also possible to resize the voice thread by manually altering the embed code to a different setting. This is available wherever you see the embed button.

v Threads can be archived for future use in any way one likes. This would be particularly useful for business and classroom use.

v Identities allow a number of individual to share an account, which would be very useful for a business group, classroom group, or any other group that wishes to share comments. without exiting and entering the site repeatedly.

v Threads can be linked to other pages with the “Copy a Link” button and are quickly pasteed into an email or Facebook page. There are ways to set up other groups you frequently share with, but the copy link feature is the quickest and easiest. To share securely, you can click on a Group and decide if they can view and or comment on the thread. To send secure invitations, you can select the people you want to share with and an invitation will be sent to them. You can select multiple people who can view, comment, and edit your threads.

v Moderation allows the creator to preview and approve comments before others see them. “Publishing Options” opens the window and “Moderate Comments” can be enabled. The moderator will need to listen to and allow/disallow it. This is good for public threads to control spam or inappropriate comments.

v Identities are alternate personalities that allows you to share an account without logging out and in again for each one as with a work group, classroom or family. The only caution is that everyone is on the same account, so there is no privacy. Just click on the lower left avatar and add new names and corresponding avatars.

v Get a link by clicking “Copy a Link” and paste it into an email or Facebook page. There are ways to set up other groups you frequently share with, but the copy link feature is the quickest and easiest. To share securely, you can click on a Group and decide if they can view and or comment on the thread. To send secure invitations, you can select the people you want to share with and an invitation will be sent to them. You can select multiple people who can view, comment, and edit your threads.

v LMS (learning management system) integration is available to paid customers. At this point, only Moodle is integrated, but others are being created and custom integration is possible.

It’s just so remarkable that people anywhere in the world can join the conversation by viewing a thread, commenting, and listening to the comments of others. Even though I struggled a bit with trying to create my own thread. VT didn’t like my picture or video format, and something produced an error when I tried to embed some pictures from my Facebook page. I guess I need a non-pressure setting to do my exploring. After viewing all of the feature videos on the VT site and watching a number of threads, it’s obvious that there are as many uses as one can think up for business, education, or group work of any kind.