TLI - Technology Kickoff Highlights Flipped Learning, Web Tools for Educators

School district administrators and educators walked away from the LHRIC's TLI Technology Kickoff Dec. 4 with a deeper knowledge of flipped learning and an eagerness to try out some new web tools that promise to make teaching and learning more valuable for all.



Brandon Lutz speaks at the TLI Technology Kickoff Dec. 4



The daylong event, held at the Edith Macy Conference Center in Briarcliff Manor, featured Aaron Sams of the Flipped Learning Network and Brandon Lutz, a technology integration specialist for the School District of Philadelphia. Both speakers were available later in the afternoon to give more detailed talks to smaller groups looking for guidance and direction on how such ideas could be implemented in their schools.

Transition to Student-Centered Learning

A few years ago, Mr. Sams started experimenting with video as a conduit to learning, creating videos or "vodcasts" that students could view at home and then discuss in class the following day.

The flipped learning model, which was first coined by author and journalist Dan Pink, relies heavily on the use of Internet technology to leverage the learning so that instructors can interact with students instead of lecturing them.

Referring to the lecture-style teaching that has been prominent for over 100 years, Mr. Sams said, "There's got to be a better way than standing in front of a classroom and droning on about something. We know this is not the best way to teach, and we've known that for years, but it is still what we're doing."

While the flipped learning concept is gaining traction, Mr. Sams said there are still some "growing pains." Admitting that it can be a "painful process to transition," Mr. Sams conceded that many educators want to get on board, but have no idea how to do it. "This is a different way to approach teaching without losing the stuff of learning," he reassured them.

Taking the direct instruction model out of the group learning space and shifting it into the individual learning space is better for students, Mr. Sams contends. As a chemistry teacher, he would often ask his students to review his instructional videos on their iPods, encouraging them to discuss their findings with each other, but then shifting his focus to students who needed more one-on-one instruction.

Flipping "Bloom's Taxonomy"

Flipped learning can also be applied to a slightly different version of "Bloom's Taxonomy," the learning model created in 1956 by educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom, where students go from remembering and understanding information to creating something out of it.

When using a top to bottom inverted approach, as many flipped learning experts suggest teachers do, students can access the more creative aspects of learning and then tap down to the "understanding" component if need be.

Teachers, he said, are often so dependent on delivering content that they forget how important it is to encourage the practical hands-on aspects of learning. "When students want to learn how to do something, they go to YouTube," said Mr. Sams, referring to their proclivity for learning by seeing.

Using what he described as a "flipped mastery approach," Mr. Sams understands that students will access the necessary content when they need it, but he is more interested in giving them the chance to first "practice, apply, assess and then remediate."

"The kids who don't get it, they are the ones who get all my attention in class; that kind of approach is not going to happen when you stand in front of a class and lecture."

Mr. Sams said such strategies make for more independent learners and the differentiation in teaching gives students options that he believes are more valuable.

To learn more about the flipped learning concept, Mr. Sams encouraged participants to enroll in conferences, sign up for free webinars and visit The Flipped Learning Network's website at www.flippedclassroom.org.

Inspirational Web Tools

As a technology specialist for the Philadelphia Schools, Mr. Lutz likes to make teachers and other staff comfortable when it comes to using technology. "I believe in anytime, anywhere access to learning," said Mr. Lutz, referring to the slew of resources he shares with educators.

Those resources have been put together by Mr. Lutz into a fast-paced presentation titled, "60in60: 60 Web Tools in 60 Minutes," which Mr. Lutz shared during the afternoon kickoff session.

In it, Mr. Lutz offers fresh, timely resources that teachers can use to enhance learning in their classrooms. Some of them include the following:

Edmodo: This has a Facebook-like interface and is being widely used by educators. This safe environment is excellent for sharing between teachers and students.

Gooru Learning: Contains a slew of resources for students, including a lot of math/science-based material.

Kid Zui: This is a kid-friendly web browser, otherwise known as "the Internet for kids." It contains lot of games and age-appropriate videos for children.

iBooks Author: Lets users create their own virtual interactive textbooks with ease.

Math Train: Students can make math videos and podcast them to the world.

PresentMe: Presenters who can't appear live at a presentation can put an image of themselves or some other graphic in a split frame screen and use a webcam and microphone to record.

Prezi: Mr. Lutz uses this application, which is similar to PowerPoint, for all of his presentations. No software is needed.

Side Vibe: This site allows students to create web quests. Students can get involved in online discussions and other activities and it will still keep them focused.

To keep up-to-date on the latest tools available for educators, Lutz said he subscribes to a variety of social media sites. He points out, though, that teachers should not feel overwhelmed by the amount of tools available on the Internet.

"Web tools come and go," said Mr. Lutz. "However, it's important to create your own plan, create relationships, listen and try one tool at a time."

To find out more, visit http://60in60.wikispaces.com/

TLI - Tech Forum Showcases New Technology Trends

The idea of media branding for schools, innovative approaches to STEM education, flip learning, and the adaptability of iPads in the classroom were just some of the interesting topics discussed at this year's Tech Forum held Oct. 19 at the Westchester Marriott hotel in Tarrytown.

The annual forum, which is sponsored by Tech & Learning magazine and the TechLearning.com website, attracts many of the region's educators as well as an impressive lineup of technology company sponsors who use the forum as an opportunity to educate teachers and administrators about their latest products and innovations in the instructional technology industry.

Approximately 50 district TLI members from many of the school districts the LHRIC collaborates with on a regular basis were in attendance.

Similar Tech Forum events are held in other cities throughout the country, including Austin, Atlanta, Boston and Chicago.

In his opening keynote presentation, Patrick Higgins, supervisor of Instructional Services for Caldwell/West Caldwell Public Schools in New Jersey, suggested that schools might want to consider branding their institutions, similar to the kind of branding that is conducted in the business world. Mr. Higgins noted that by leveraging social media, school administrators could learn to grow their districts' brands.

Other noteworthy talks included the growing use of iPads in classrooms in our region. Rob Miller, the director of information for the New Canaan Schools, said there's been a lot of innovation throughout his Connecticut school district. Its benefits include enhanced learning, more self-sufficiency among students, closer alignment to the curriculum as well as reduced costs.

One area that is reaping the benefits of this technology is the special education classroom. Vicki Windman, a special education teacher in Clarkstown High School, has been using the iPad for two years. Her students, while technically of high school age, are developmentally between the ages of 4 and 7.

With over 67,000 educational apps available for download, Ms. Windman said the choices are endless. She subscribes to a site called Moms with Apps, which shares information each Friday on apps that are free to users. Ms. Windman said her students have adapted quickly to the apps she's introduced, and most importantly, all of them align to the state's Common Core standards. "My kids can't write, but if you put them on that iPad, they're masters on it," she said.

At Xaverian High School in Brooklyn, Patrick Fogarty, advisor of instructional technology, said the iPad has been transformative in raising student test scores and generally creating an environment where they have control over their own learning.

The school started using iPads in the classroom after examining the 1:1 iPad initiative at the Cedars School of Excellence in Greenock, Scotland, the first educational institution to fully engage students with the Apple device.

Administrators at Xaverian got "all fired up about going one-to-one with iPads," said Mr. Fogarty, and in a short few months, the machines were deployed throughout the school. Mr. Fogarty said the device offers a much richer educational experience for the students, something the Whiteboard cannot provide. "We don't want them to cherry pick the knowledge; we want them to be active parts in that creation," he said.

The one-to-one iPad initiative works particularly well at the high school level, noted Mr. Fogarty, with students using it to search for information, do homework, and send and receive emails, among other tasks. According to the Fleischer Research Group at Princeton University, 82 percent of teachers said students do more in-depth research when using the device and 90 percent of students said the iPad has had a positive impact on their learning.

Despite the fact that some mistakes were made at the start of the project, Mr. Folgarty said schools should not be fearful of the transition to such an initiative. "When we went into this initiative, we purchased apps that we expected to use frequently, and we didn't use any of them. But in the end, we learned what does and doesn't work in a classroom environment."

"Our goal was to untether the classroom from the physical space, to create a cloud classroom and to move from teacher to facilitator," he added.

A number of roundtable discussions kept participants engaged throughout the afternoon, including information on using social media to flip faculty meetings, using the iPad for movie-making in the classroom, digital storytelling, creating iBooks and more. A number of industry spotlights and demos from various vendors were also scheduled during the day.

LHRIC Teams Up with NYSCATE to Host First Mobile Learning Summit

The much-anticipated Mobile Learning Summit held last month at the Edith Macy Conference Center in Briarcliff Manor was well received by many of the region's school district administrators, teachers and college faculty who are eager to implement the proper policies and support structures that will enable mobile learning to flourish in their schools.

The all-day event, co-sponsored by the LHRIC and NYSCATE, served as an opportunity for the K-20 education community to discuss, learn and share best practices in this growing area of technology, a niche that is quickly changing the face of education nationwide.

In his keynote presentation, "Designing Mobile Learning: Personal, Portable & Engaging," Richard Culatta, deputy director of the Office of Educational Technology at the U.S. Department of Education, talked about the need for cautiousness and planning when creating a mobile learning plan for students. He also described the opportunities for enhanced teaching and learning as a result of it.

"It's extremely important to think it through," urged Mr. Culatta, who has worked in the K-12 community, higher education, corporate and government training environments as well as private consulting. "If you can't answer the question, 'why are we doing this?' then I think it's time to stop and think about what we're doing with mobile learning devices."

Some, said Mr. Culatta, believe mobile learning is all about switching to electronic textbooks. The reality is that schools need fewer textbooks and more mobile learning technologies. In fact, they are "way better" than the classroom learning that has prevailed for hundreds of years, he noted.

Mr. Culatta suggested that today's schools have a good chance at getting the mobile learning revolution right. "When we transition to mobile, we need to step back and redesign for that environment, and when we do that, phenomenal things happen."

To make this a reality, however, he suggested that schools capitalize on mobile learning's ability to engage students and to realize the advantages it offers because of its portable nature and its focus on personal learning.

Some strategies to follow include:

• having learners interact with experts in the form of real-time feedback
• allowing them to collaborate with peers, therefore instilling competitiveness in the learning process
• offering interesting content for them to learn from
• initiating a form of personal learning that means adapting to students' individual learning styles, offering differentiated instruction and leveraging their interests and experiences.

As these strategies develop, Mr. Culatta said schools will gather more tools that will help them enhance the kind of personalized learning that is needed in today's classrooms. Citing the Detroit Schools and the New York-based School of One as good examples, Mr. Culatta said those students are learning at their own pace and participating in projects designed around their interests and needs.

"As this happens in more schools nationwide, it will become easier to do the right things in teaching and learning," he added.

In the second keynote of the day, Travis Allen, president and CEO of iSchool Initiative, talked about his own experiences as a mobile learner. In his presentation, "Becoming a Mobile Learner," Mr. Allen described his foray into technology after getting an iPhone a couple of years ago. "I, like many others, enjoyed the endless list of applications on it and shortly after, I began looking into educational apps to help me in high school. I soon realized the amazing capabilities this device would have in education."

Mr. Allen, 21, wanted every student to realize the unlocked potential of the iPhone and shared his opinion on the topic by producing a video, titled "iSchool Initiative." The company is a student led non-profit dedicated to revolutionizing the nation's education system through innovative technology.

Participants also had the chance to explore a number of breakout sessions that took place throughout the morning and afternoon. They included information sessions on the use of mobile devices in the interactive classroom; the implementation of iPads for administrators, teachers and students; a step-by-step guide for administrators and instructors on how to use the iPad; using the Barnes and Noble Nook reader as a learning tool in the classroom; the advantages of using Prezi, a free software for educators and students; recording, composing and learning about music with iOS devices such as the iPad, iPhone and iPod, and much more.

A number of educational technology companies that partner with the RIC and with local school districts were also available to showcase their latest products and services.

LHRIC Offers More to Districts with Updated Model Schools Service

The Lower Hudson Regional Information Center's Model Schools service released its 2012-13 professional learning catalog earlier this month highlighting its many course offerings for local educators and school district administrators and adding some exciting new opportunities for members as well.

The 42-page directory, with a focus on supporting teaching and learning in the 21^st century, includes some new additions to the Model Schools lineup of professional development opportunities. They include sessions on flipped classroom models, a form of blended instruction that uses technology to leverage learning in the classroom instead of the teacher delivering content; teaching with mobile learning devices; social media for educators; virtual coaching; and night owl ed chats (#edchat), a Twitter group that serves as a collaborative tool for educators to debate and evaluate solutions to various problems in education.

As in previous years, teachers who participate in any of the Model Schools professional development opportunities are encouraged to ask questions of facilitators and to try out the new technologies being taught. All of the sessions are intended to highlight critical elements of teaching as well as learning and assessment.

Many of the courses available to Model Schools members will be face-to-face sessions, although a variety of topics will be covered through a series of webinars.

To kick off the school year, the LHRIC will partner with NYSCATE (New York State Association for Computers and Technologies in Education) Sept. 28 for the Mobile Learning Summit, a daylong event designed for the K-20 education community to discuss, learn and share best practices in mobile learning. That includes information sessions on the value of teaching with iPads, using iBook Author and GPS technology to instruct.  

New also this year is the opportunity for Model Schools member districts to take advantage of keynote speakers from the Technology Leadership Institute (TLI) series by participating in afternoon breakout sessions for selected TLI events. These seats at the breakout sessions are available to Model Schools districts at no additional charge.

TLI provides school district leaders with the opportunity to engage with nationally known educational technology experts in an effort to learn, share best practices and communicate the value of technology in education.

Virtual coaching sessions are also available to Model School participants. Members can schedule between 30 and 45 sessions by logging on to the LHRIC website at http://www.lhric.org/forms.cfm?myForm=21.

The LHRIC's technology lab at 50 Executive Boulevard in Elmsford has also been updated to include a bank of mobile learning devices so that educators can learn more about the practical and instructional aspects of iPads, iPod touches, Droids and other mobile devices that are being used in the 21^st century classroom.

To register for any of the Model Schools courses, visit http://lhric.org/instructional_tech.cfm?subpage=771

LHRIC Wins Award of Honor from New York School Public Relations Association

The Lower Hudson Regional Information Center's quarterly newsletter, Alliance, has been recognized by the New York School Public Relations Association for outstanding achievement in the Community Newsletter category.

The prize, an Award of Honor, will be handed out at the 33^rd-Annual NYSPRA Communications Awards luncheon, to be held Oct. 26 in Rochester.

The newsletter, which is written and edited by Colette Connolly of the Southern Westchester BOCES Office of Public Information, was chosen from a myriad of other entries in that category. The newsletter is designed by Crispin Hamilton of Denver. Colo.

The publication is designed to provide trusted advice and information on the ever-changing field of instructional and administrative technology, with a particular focus on LHRIC-sponsored events and workshops that provide information on best practices and how they transform education.

School districts and other BOCES throughout the state submit entries in a number of categories, including annual report, budget/bond newsletter, calendar, community newsletter, DVD/video, electronic newsletter, excellence in writing (for a single article), overall graphics and design, photograph, poster, p.r./marketing campaign, special purpose publication and website.

NYSPRA is a statewide group of professional school communicators committed to the development and dissemination of communications designed to engage parents, staff, community residents, partners in education and other stakeholders.

YouTube for Schools: A Good Bet for the Future?

You might remember a time when YouTube was, like its friend Facebook, the bad kid in the schoolyard. Those days might just be over for the video-sharing website once best known for documenting fistfights and piano-playing cats.

In March, The New York Times published a story about Google’s new tool, YouTube for Schools. Thought you’d never hear the words “YouTube” and “schools” together in the same sentence? Largely because of the support of tech-savvy teachers, YouTube has introduced a new tool that permits school districts to use a “gated” version of the website. With it, teachers and administrators are able to view all videos on YouTube, but students can’t log in, at least not in school. Still, the tool allows them to watch YouTube EDU videos like Khan Academy, PBS, TED Talks and Steven Spangler Science, along with videos posted by their school district.

This is a major step forward for YouTube. The site has gradually transformed its reputation by introducing YouTube EDU several years ago in a partnership with the country’s major universities, then by working closely with the fabulous Khan Academy to make its videos accessible to the world. Already, a number of school districts around the country have signed up YouTube for Schools, including the Chicago Public Schools.

Go to YouTube for Schools to learn more about signing up. To view some of the YouTube channels your teachers are just dying to use in the classroom, check out Khan Academy, Steve Spangler Science, PBS, Stanford University or TED Talks. You’ll find it hard to step away from the computer. Then advocate on behalf of your teachers, if necessary.

YouTube for Teachers is another useful resource, which includes hundreds of video playlists, organized by subject and grade, with many aligned to common core standards.
Here’s a video explanation of YouTube for Schools:

 Originally posted by Evelyn McCormack, SWBOCES director of public information, on NSPRA: Social School Public Relations blog.

David Warlick's Keynote Talk Urges Educators to Think like "Digital Natives"

A well known speaker in education circles and one of the "10 Most Influential People in Ed Tech for 2011" kicked off the LHRIC's annual Tech Expo held at the Edith Macy Conference Center in Briarcliff Manor April 27.

David Warlick, the author of four books on instructional technology and contemporary literacy, and a sought-after speaker throughout the world, gave a thought-provoking presentation on the emerging new information environment titled, "Cracking the 'Native' Information Experience."

Mr. Warlick, a former teacher, recalled a time when the desktop computer had not yet been invented and when calculators cost approximately $200. "I taught in an information-scarce learning environment," said Mr. Warlick, adding that the new technology available today has empowered students to perform better and to accomplish more.

"Today's environment is abundant with knowledge, is networked and digital and has a direct impact on what it means to be literate today," he said.

"Cracking the code" on the environment that young people exist in outside of school and using that to develop new learning experiences inside the classroom is something that Mr. Warlick strongly advocates. Hyper-connected learners, he said, find each other and then share their knowledge, ideas and skills, turning them into what he described as "responsive learning."

Society, he said, is very much in tune with the responsive learning experience. "Google has turned us into a question-asking culture," noted Mr. Warlick, adding that there is a real sense of connection between people and learning through conversation. This generation of learners wants to know the rules that exist in order to reach their goals. "In the traditional classroom, we never did that. We need to approach these children in their native information environment."

An example of how students can invest themselves in the learning process, said Mr. Warlick, occurred when a teacher at Beacon High School, a progressive public high school in New York City, had a problem getting her students interested in Shakespeare's play, Othello. The solution: ask them to create a movie trailer based on their understanding of the play and then get other students, presumably those who will be studying the play in the future, interested in it.

Mr. Warlick said the purpose of school has changed. "Part of the native information experience means that students often succeed best by getting it wrong," he added. In fact, students should be thinking about what they did and then considering how they might change it.

In many ways, he added, it's about making formal learning more playful and giving students permission to make those mistakes. "It is a learning experience that is responsive, that provokes conversation, inspires personal investment and is guided by safely-made mistakes."

This, added Mr. Warlick, is requiring educators to rethink education. "It's not a race to the top; it's about being joyful, explorative, discovering information, and being inventive. Sometimes that can be as simple as the teacher who says, 'surprise me'."

To find out more about Mr. Warlick's work and to subscribe to his blog, visit http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/