Leadership Matters December 2013

Technology in the classroom

Technology in today’s classrooms not really about   devices, but about new ways of teaching, learning  By Jason Smith, Director of Business Services & Technology, Coal City District 1

“This is the real power behind technology in today’s classrooms. It engages and empowers students in ways that have never before been seen.” — Jason Smith, Coal City District 1

As many districts are moving toward 1:1 learning environments, it is important to realize that these initiatives are focused on changing instruction and not on the devices being made available to students. Schools all across the state are implementing iPads, Chromebooks and Android tablets for students to access information and create products for assessment of learning. Bring your own device (BYOD) allows students to utilize their smartphones and laptops to make them more efficient. Platforms like Google and Edmodo have made sharing resources between students, teachers and the world, a simple and effective day-to-day practice. Classroom teachers are creating opportunities for students to collaborate, communicate, express creativity and to critically think as districts deliver Common Core curricula to students from kindergarten through high school. In elementary classrooms, iPads are used in centers, as part of Daily 5, and for interventions. Apps are leveraged to reinforce, practice and explore concepts from handwriting to phonetic awareness, a n d c o nceptual mathematics to digital music. Interactive whiteboards are being replaced by iPads as common workspaces that can be shared and accessed wirelessly. These mobile devices, along with their Android counterparts, allow students to access the web, acquire curriculum content and express creativity as they build products that articulate their understanding. Teachers are using these devices to monitor progress of students and provide appropriate differentiated experiences for their students by accessing a multitude of apps that meet students where they are. In higher grades, students are using iPads as their backpacks. This single piece of glass and aluminum takes the place of notebooks, folders, textbooks and, in many instances, the need for full computers. Students take their notes, write their essays, produce their videos, take their quizzes and surf the web easily, eliminating the need for even a single #2 pencil. Tablets and smartphones will soon become the primary tool for learning in most middle

and high schools. Chromebooks give students the ability to access the web and be productive as they create word- processing documents, webpages and podcasts. In tandem with Google Apps for Education, schools can manage both content and devices from a single dashboard. This powerful partnership makes the Chrome operating system a viable and economical alternative to other full operating system devices. Students can collaborate as they write and create presentations. On today’s web, students are able to be productive in any medium. From video production to real-time collaboration, sites like Twiddla.com or InfuseLearning.com, Chromebooks offer the best of the web on a device that is just around $250. Schools have realized the power of technology as a tool for learning. They have also come to see that the device is not as important as the skills the device allows them to learn. Those 21 st Century fluencies and skills become the context in which schools are delivering the Common Core. This transition to 1:1 learning environments is about giving students the opportunities to collaborate, communicate through social media, be creative and create products that demonstrate their understanding. Further, it allows for critical thinking. As students explore a topic, they can identify gaps in their understanding, and then use the Internet to find information that they can apply just in time and in a contextually appropriate manner. This is the real power behind technology in today’s classrooms. It engages and empowers students in ways that have never before been seen.

9