An important new study by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has just been released based on the Foundation's Digital Youth Project. The full report is available online along with a 30-page white paper and a two-page summary.
From the research summary:
"Over three years, University of California, Irvine
researcher Mizuko Ito and her team interviewed over
800 youth and young adults and conducted over 5000
hours of online observations as part of the most exten-
sive U.S. study of youth media use.
"They found that social network and video-sharing sites,
online games, and gadgets such as iPods and mobile
phones are now fixtures of youth culture. The research
shows that today’s youth may be coming of age and
struggling for autonomy and identity amid new worlds
for communication, friendship, play, and self-expression.
"Many adults worry that children are wasting time online,
texting, or playing video games. The researchers explain
why youth find these activities compelling and impor-
tant. The digital world is creating new opportunities for
youth to grapple with social norms, explore interests,
develop technical skills, and experiment with new forms
of self-expression. These activities have captured teens’
attention because they provide avenues for extending
social worlds, self-directed learning, and independence."
For some provocative questions about implications for education, schools, and classrooms, read Will Richardson's weblogg-ed post: http://tinyurl.com/5gyapz.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
What's Wrong With This Picture?
Found this shot among the street views of directions I requested on Google Maps. I'm not sure whether to be more concerned about the lane I'm supposed to be in, the fact that I'm supposed to hop the median strip, or that the turn will take me into the trees beyond the ramp.
Just goes to show -- you need to be a critical consumer of information on the Internet!
Now, where did I put my crash helmet???
Saturday, June 28, 2008
San Antonio Trip -- NECC 2008
Photos at NECC 2008 in San Antonio, Texas. See more on my Flickr photostream (click entry link above). More will be added!!!
Enjoy!
Friday, June 27, 2008
Why D.I. -- "Ah Ha" Moment
I can't speak for others, but I know I always learn so much by preparing for and leading workshops and presentations for colleagues. Right now I'm preparing for a session I'll be leading at NECC 2008 in San Antonio -- Technology and Differentiated Instruction (Monday, 6/30, at 3:30 pm), and as I was reflecting on the Tech4DI wiki and other material I'll be sharing I had one of those "Ah ha!" moments.
I was thinking about the purposes of Differentiated Instruction (DI) as I was editing an LMSD Podologue episode (embedded below) from a similar session I presented at PETE & C in Hershey, PA, in February. I knew from presenting this topic a number of times previously and talking with many educators about the DI framework that a number of misconceptions persist about DI and what it is. One teacher told me her principal was pushing DI as a means of addressing under-achieving students and raising their test scores. Other teachers are surprised to learn that DI is intended to meet the needs of all learners -- including those traditionally considered gifted (through enhancement, enrichment, and extension opportunities, for example). Some teachers think of DI as a way to individualize education for each student in a classroom -- it is not practical, not feasible, not possible; DI is not an individualized plan for each student.
But as I was considering these misconceptions, and the fact that DI is meant to be an efficient and effective collection of strategies to provide a range of learning opportunities appropriate for the range of skills, experiences, learning styles, and interests of a classroom full of students, it struck me. Even understanding this, one might still think the primary purpose of DI is to increase student achievement -- as reflected on standardized assessments or inclusive of classroom assessments and grades.
Now it's a fine goal to improve student achievement -- and we should not lose sight of that goal, but I believe that Differentiated Instruction can and should serve an even broader purpose -- to help students understand and hone their own learning styles and best strategies for learning and problem-solving (meta-cognition), to help develop in students a love of learning and a passionate curiosity they will carry with them for a life-time, and to appreciate the value of working together and sharing diverse understanding and skills to achieve a common goal. As we develop these qualities in our students, I also believe their achievement scores on standardized assessments will go up -- that goal alone, however, is just not sufficient!
I was thinking about the purposes of Differentiated Instruction (DI) as I was editing an LMSD Podologue episode (embedded below) from a similar session I presented at PETE & C in Hershey, PA, in February. I knew from presenting this topic a number of times previously and talking with many educators about the DI framework that a number of misconceptions persist about DI and what it is. One teacher told me her principal was pushing DI as a means of addressing under-achieving students and raising their test scores. Other teachers are surprised to learn that DI is intended to meet the needs of all learners -- including those traditionally considered gifted (through enhancement, enrichment, and extension opportunities, for example). Some teachers think of DI as a way to individualize education for each student in a classroom -- it is not practical, not feasible, not possible; DI is not an individualized plan for each student.
But as I was considering these misconceptions, and the fact that DI is meant to be an efficient and effective collection of strategies to provide a range of learning opportunities appropriate for the range of skills, experiences, learning styles, and interests of a classroom full of students, it struck me. Even understanding this, one might still think the primary purpose of DI is to increase student achievement -- as reflected on standardized assessments or inclusive of classroom assessments and grades.
Now it's a fine goal to improve student achievement -- and we should not lose sight of that goal, but I believe that Differentiated Instruction can and should serve an even broader purpose -- to help students understand and hone their own learning styles and best strategies for learning and problem-solving (meta-cognition), to help develop in students a love of learning and a passionate curiosity they will carry with them for a life-time, and to appreciate the value of working together and sharing diverse understanding and skills to achieve a common goal. As we develop these qualities in our students, I also believe their achievement scores on standardized assessments will go up -- that goal alone, however, is just not sufficient!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Instructional Strategies Online
I just discovered Saskatoon Public School Division's Online Learning Center and it's excellent Instructional Strategies Online. If you're looking for how not to throw the baby out with the bath water as we attempt to improve teaching practice, here's a great site that puts direct instructional methods in perspective with the full array of instructional strategies that are necessary for project-based learning, differentiated instruction, and student-centered learning in general.
Too often the side-by-side charts of traditional vs. constructive or teacher-directed vs. student-centered instruction gives the impression that lecture, explicit teaching, didactic questions, and the like are no longer viable or that they are inherently bad or out-dated. Rather, I believe we need to emphasize the importance and value of adding more student-centered strategies to broaden teachers' repertoires. Exploring the Instructional Strategies Online site, I believe, will do just that without threatening or unnecessarily demeaning teaching strategies that still have and will continue to have value and utility.
Too often the side-by-side charts of traditional vs. constructive or teacher-directed vs. student-centered instruction gives the impression that lecture, explicit teaching, didactic questions, and the like are no longer viable or that they are inherently bad or out-dated. Rather, I believe we need to emphasize the importance and value of adding more student-centered strategies to broaden teachers' repertoires. Exploring the Instructional Strategies Online site, I believe, will do just that without threatening or unnecessarily demeaning teaching strategies that still have and will continue to have value and utility.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Video2: Curricuplan QuickTour
Second video tutorial in the series for Lower Merion School District teachers.
Video 1: Welcome to Curricuplan
First in a series developed for Lower Merion School District teachers.
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