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FDN
5220: Computers in Educational Settings
SESSION 3: Critical Issues in
Computing in Educational Settings
- Explore what skills teachers "need"
in computing to operate successfully in educational settings;
- Explore what computing skills the state of NC
requires of students
- Examine sources of current research in the
field of computing in education
Let us take this time to explore some critical
issues in computing in educational settings. Clearly, the most visible
issues today - particularly, in K-12 schools - is the question of skillful use
of computing technologies. That is, what are the critical skills people
who work in schools must have? What are the most important skills students
must develop while in schools - related to computing technologies - and how will
those skills benefit students later in life? How can we define and assess
these skills? And so on ...
Check out the resources listed below and begin
thinking about what you think are the most important skills, how we can
develop (and measure) them, and how we can make them relevant to students'
lives.
We in the IT program here pose a simple, but
important, question to our students and to each other often -- "So
what?" In other words, "what is the educational significance
of using/developing/teaching computing technology?" If we cannot find
a justification for the use of computers in educational settings that is
grounded in important, meaningful student development (in the myriad
forms one might define this), then we question the validity of that use.
Perhaps it is useful to keep the "so
what?" perspective at least in the back of your mind as you explore the
skills set forth by state- and national-level organizations as important - and
as you read the research that may or may not support such contentions.
Skills needed by teachers
NC
Technology Competencies for Educators (http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/tap/techcomp.htm)
--
The state of North Carolina has adopted a set of competencies that are
expected of all teachers who gain licensure to teach. Adopted in 1995,
the competencies are divided into two divisions - basic and advanced - and
still serve as the bedrock of teacher inservices related to computing in
educational settings. North Carolina assesses these competencies via a
portfolio development process. (Click
here to visit a site that shows a timeline of how the ETSI developed).
ISTE
NETS standards for teachers
(http://cnets.iste.org/teachstand.html) -
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is one of the
leading organizations in the U.S. in the area of technology and
education. ISTE publishes magazines (for example, Leading
and Learning with Technology) and other resources for educators.
ISTE has developed the National Education Technology Standards (NETS) to guide
states who wish to establish technology competencies for practicing teachers.
NCSU
Online Technology Tutorials (http://www.ncsu.edu/ced/techcomps/)
--
The college of education - in conjunction with other colleges of education in
the state - has made this great resource available. Not only does it
list the competencies, but provides online tutorials for some of them - and
even has links to software and other information, where appropriate. A
must-see, I think.
Skills needed by students
NC
Computer skills curriculum (http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/curriculum/computer.skills/index.html)
--
The state of North Carolina has also developed a curriculum for developing
necessary computer skills for all students, grades K-12. Competencies
are divided by skill area (e.g., societal issues, desktop publishing,
telecommunications, etc.) as well as by content area (for grades 9-12).
ISTE
NETS standards for students (http://cnets.iste.org/index2ss.html)
--
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) has developed a
set of guidelines for student competencies. Designed to inform
state-level policymakers, the ISTE standards serve as the launch point for
most states' student technology skills standards.
How are students assessed? Well, in North
Carolina (as in many other states) students are given a test. Visit the
"Test of Computer Skills"
website to learn about how the test came to be, how the items are developed,
and to see some examples of test items (downloadable, if you'd like to use
them in your own class).
What about assistive
technologies?
There are some companies that are focusing their
resources on creating techniques, software, and devices that make computing in
educational settings more accessible for those who have various types of
needs. Read the following piece from eSchoolNews about developments in
text-to-speech technologies, and other assistive technologies:
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=3720
Research on Computing in
Educational Settings
What do we know about the impact of computers in
educational settings? Well, there is plenty of research ongoing,
concerning the impact of computers on student achievement, etc. Visit the
sites, below, and use them as a starting point for exploring what questions are
being asked, what some of the "answers" appear to be, and what areas
are clearly not being investigated:
- McREL
"Impact of Technology" products.
This site includes reports
from multiple sources and will serve as an excellent beginning point.
- The Impact of
Education Technology on Student Achievement: What the Most Current
Research Has to Say
The Milken Family Foundation has served as an important clearinghouse for
research regarding technology - typically, computing technologies - and its
impact on teaching and learning.
- Technology
and Young Children: Research
This site lists research reports - as
well as relevant journals - that detail findings related to computing and
educational performance, particularly for children birth to age 8.
- Apple
Classrooms of Tomorrow
For most of the '80's and a good
portion of the '90's, Apple Computers was the company when it came to
supporting and investigating computers in educational settings. As a
result, the Apple Classroom of Tomorrow library can serve as an
interesting place to begin an investigation - and to gain a historical
perspective, as well.
Reflection
What is your overall interpretation of the
state of "what is known" about computing in educational
settings? What do you think we should be investigating, but we
aren't? Think about how this information affects you and your job as an
educator. For example if you are a special educator, how does this
information affect your view of what you currently do - and what might be
possible (or not possible) using computing technologies? Visit
the course
discussion board and post (under "Theory and Research") a short
analysis of what you found as you searched through the sites, above. Be
sure to read what others post, as well, and respond where you feel compelled.
ASSIGNMENTS
- Post your reflection piece to the course
discussion board.
- Having read what you have now, go back to the
discussion on the Casenex case "Here to Serve" on the course
discussion board. Think about issues and perspectives posted and how we
might take the next steps - Knowledge, Action, and Consequences. Pick
the most important issue(s) from the case, choose a perspective (say, Alex)
and - using some of the "knowledge" you picked up from the sites
above - propose an action or two you might take to address the issue you
identify. Also, consider what consequences you might expect, were you
to actually take your proposed action in the context of the case. Post
to the discussion board in groups.
-
(For ASU
Campus students) Create a series
of learning activities for your courses that require students to engage each
of the major tools (word processing, databases, spreadsheets,
telecommunications and hypermedia.) These activities should include:
-
Assurance
that each group member in class will achieve competence with
each type of tool.
-
Requires
collecting, analyzing and decisions about the information (content) to
be learned.
-
Actively
involves collaboration within and between groups.
These projects will
be presented to the entire class at the end of the semester.
We will spend a
number of sessions working on this assignment. Do not expect to have it all done
in a week or two. Some of you may use different tools in these activities. For
instance, some may use Microsoft Works, while others may use Office 2000 and/or
others. Not all activities will necessarily use all of the tools in the same
lesson. Telecommunications tools might include such things as Listservs, E-mail,
FTP, Telnet, Web based communications, Chat Rooms, MOO's and MUD's.
Hypermedia tools may include Web Site construction, use of the Web, Web Search
Strategies, HyperStudio, and PowerPoint among others.
For
Session 3, form groups and begin planning some
activities that you have seen modeled in your exploration so far. Use the
distribution list that you have or create new ones for communication within
groups. As you begin to think about creating these activities, review the
suggestions listed above in the project description. Attempt to involve your
students to the fullest extent possible. Feel free to engage them in helping you
to develop these activities. As you develop this
project, you will also learn the technology tools and how to apply them.
Begin with the tools with which you are most familiar and learn new tools as the
semester progresses. Please feel free to ask questions of any of us as the
semester progresses. Please share the skills you already know with others who
are learning.
REMINDER: Please
remember to check your email and to participate in the weekly topics on the discussion
board several times each week.
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