EDUC 628-Spring-08

After reading Chapter 14 I was interested in the processes that Solomon has described that teachers need to use to increase more Information and Communication Technologies ICT in their classrooms.  Solomon says that

“Ideally, the teacher is guided by the content and by student and teacher performance standards and follows the process of:

1.      Specify the instructional academic and democracy citizenship objectives.

2.      Identifying the optimal teaching and learning context.

3.      Reviewing the composition of the class in terms of diversity.

4.      Assessing what each student or group knows or does not know.

5.      Organizing the class into appropriate learning groups.

(I have used this survey before and I thought  I would list it.

http://www.paec.org/teacher2teacher/gotthehots_multi_intell_survey.pdf )

6.      Selecting the appropriate instructional ICT and non-ICT materials and strategies to assure full participation and access to the content standards by each student group and by each student within the group.

7.      Regularly monitoring the progress of each group and individual student with both ICT and non-ICT tools.

8.      Competing a culminating assessment to determine the achievement of each student and working group.

9.      Reflecting on how well the unit practice succeeded in realizing the instructional goals for the unit.

I then did some perusing on the Internet to find this article,http://www.thejournal.com/articles/17715,

which talks about the Sylvia Charp for Innovation in Technology Award and the ISTE’s National Educational Technology Standards that one has to go by in meeting the criteria when applying:

http://cnets.iste.org/students/s_esscond.html

Successful learning activities, such as this, depend on more than just the technology. Certain conditions are necessary for schools to effectively use technology for learning, teaching, and educational management. Physical, human, financial, and policy dimensions greatly affect the success of technology use in schools.A combination of essential conditions are required to create learning environments conducive to powerful uses of technology, including:

• Vision with support and proactive leadership from the education system
• Educators skilled in the use of technology for learning
• Content standards and curriculum resources
• Student-centered approaches to learning
• Assessment of the effectiveness of technology for learning
• Access to contemporary technologies, software, and telecommunications networks
• Technical assistance for maintaining and using technology resources
• Community partners who provide expertise, support, and real-life interactions
• Ongoing financial support for sustained technology use
• Policies and standards supporting new learning environments

This website is designed to provide teachers, technology planners, teacher preparation institutions, and educational decision makers with frameworks, standards, and performance indicators to guide them in establishing enriched learning environments supported by technology. These new learning environments provide rich opportunities for students to find and utilize current information and resources, and apply academic skills for solving real-world problems. These environments engage students in activities that have educational technology skills and relevant curricular content interwoven. Traditional educational practices no longer provide students with all the necessary skills for economic survival in today’s workplace. Students today must apply strategies for solving problems using appropriate tools for learning, collaborating, and communicating. The following chart lists characteristics representing traditional approaches to learning and corresponding strategies associated with new learning environments:ESTABLISHING NEW LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS
Incorporating New Strategies

Traditional Learning Environments	New Learning Environments
Teacher-centered instruction	Student-centered learning
Single sense stimulation	Multisensory stimulation
Single path progression	Multipath progression
Single media	Multimedia
Isolated work	Collaborative work
Information delivery	Information Exchange
Passive learning	Active/exploratory/inquiry-based learning
Factual, knowledge-based learning	Critical thinking and informed decision-making
Reactive response	Proactive/planned action
Isolated, artificial context	Authentic, real-world context

The most effective learning environments meld traditional approaches and new approaches to facilitate learning of relevant content while addressing individual needs. The resulting learning environments should prepare students to:

• Communicate using a variety of media and formats
• Access and exchange information in a variety of ways
• Compile, organize, analyze, and synthesize information
• Draw conclusions and make generalizations based on information gathered
• Know content and be able to locate additional information as needed
• Become self-directed learners
• Collaborate and cooperate in team efforts
• Interact with others in ethical and appropriate ways

Teachers know that the wise use of technology can enrich learning environments and enable students to achieve marketable skills. It is still critical, however, that educators analyze the potential benefits of technology for learning and employ it appropriately.