If I ran our schools . . . .
Multiple technologies would be accessible and available 24/7, not only in the schools, but throughout the community. Bandwidth and access would not be an issue and would be affordable to all. Each student and teacher would have an Internet-ready devise (i.e. laptop, iPad, notebook, mobile phone, etc.) which will allow comprehensive access to Internet, word processing, spreadsheet development, visual presentation tools (i.e. camera, paint programs, video capability, etc.) Wireless access would be available in every school/classroom. Certainly, Internet safety would be addressed, but a closed system, where Firewalls often block those sites that teachers and students need to access, would be less invasive to the learning process.
The Common Core State Standards (as well as the Michigan standards for Social Studies, Science and Technology) provide the framework for a rigorous and viable curriculum and the culture within the school holds every teacher and every student to the expectation that ALL STUDENTS will learn and perform well. This requires teachers to facilitate learning rather than cram craniums! Classrooms provide a flexible environment, allowing for a variety of arrangements, depending on the task at hand. There are NO DESKS. Tables and comfortable chairs allow for small and large group arrangement to encourage discussion, collaboration and creating projects together. In all classrooms, PreK – 12 there is a gathering space where the total group can gather to share presentations, etc.
The teachers, as the facilitators of learning, collaborate to use a variety of techniques for guiding students in their learning. The learning goals are always visible both within the classroom as well as on whatever Web-based tool the teacher chooses to use for his/her class – moodle, wiki, blog, webpage, etc. Technology is not an add-on, but the foundation for directed instruction. Every learning space (aka classroom) is equipped with a SMART Board, document camera, projection unit as well as Internet-ready devises for every student (see paragraph 1 above). The teacher is well-versed in using an inquiry approach to learning and has an expertise in posing questions and leading discussions that lead students to a deeper understanding of the content.
The teacher uses a variety of delivery techniques to engage students in learning, from direct, face-to-face instruction, to blended instruction, to flipped instruction. A print-rich environment, including e-texts, would form the basis of the complex texts that students are using during their engagement with content. A workshop approach to reading and writing is prevalent throughout the grades, where teachers guide and conference with individual students to promote deep and expanded learning.
Students view learning as a 24/7 opportunity, using the classroom experience as the launching pad for further and deeper exploration. The use of technology is a natural for students and they come to school expecting to enhance their learning through these familiar technologies. Thus, teachers encourage student to explore, collaborate and communicate using social networking, texting, twittering, etc. These formats are acceptable and embraced within the classroom and beyond.
Technology is also the framework for both formative and summative assessment. Teachers make ongoing use of assessment to inform their instruction. Online rubrics are available to students to self-assess as they progress through a learning sequence. Every-student-response devices (aka clickers) are available for the teacher to check the pulse of learning along the way, as are online survey formats. Computer adaptive assessments are utilized for both formative and summative assessment. Thus, a student always knows where he/she is within a learning segment.
The focus is on learning . . . and all stakeholders share and communicate this focus! Let it be so!
