STSD Curriculum & Technology Update

Regular updates and musings on curriculum and technology in the Salisbury Township School District in Allentown, PA.

Learning to Change - Changing to Learn

There seems to be a new piece of media available on the internet pertaining to 21st century learning every week. Here is one that I most recently found. There are a number of well-known educational voices here sharing their thoughts around new ideas of teaching and learning. What do you think?

Interactive Whiteboards

It has been great hearing the excitement and enthusiasm building for the Advancing Plan. I thought today I’d pass along two links to websites that focus on using the interactive whiteboard in the classroom. These are two excellent sites to visit if you want to start thinking about how best to use this technology. You can also speak with any of the teachers currently using the technology. Seek out and connect with those teachers in your building for more ideas!

Teaching with a SmartBoard - Links for lesson ideas and SmartBoard Notebook files.

Smartboard Lessons Podcasts - Podcasts on using the SmartBoard!

A short portion of our June workshops will get you started feeling comfortable with the software. More hands-on work with the interactive whiteboard will be coming during the August in-service days.

Toward A Definition of 21st Century Literacies

On February 15, the Executive Council of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) adopted a statement titled, “Toward A Definition of 21st Century Literacies.” This professional organization has begun to articulate the shift that needs to occur in education if we are to teach literacies relevant in the real world. The connection between reading, writing, technology, social networking, collaborative problem solving, multitasking, information evaluation and ethics is addressed.

TOWARD A DEFINITION OF 21st-CENTURY LITERACIES
Adopted by the NCTE Executive Committee
February 15, 2008

Literacy has always been a collection of cultural and communicative practices shared among members of particular groups. As society and technology change, so does literacy. Because technology has increased the intensity and complexity of literate environments, the twenty-first century demands that a literate person possess a wide range of abilities and competencies, many literacies. These literacies—from reading online newspapers to participating in virtual classrooms—are multiple, dynamic, and malleable. As in the past, they are inextricably linked with particular histories, life possibilities and social trajectories of individuals and groups. Twenty-first century readers and writers need to

1. Develop proficiency with the tools of technology
2. Build relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively and cross-culturally
3. Design and share information for global communities to meet a variety of purposes
4. Manage, analyze and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information
5. Create, critique, analyze, and evaluate multi-media texts
6. Attend to the ethical responsibilities required by these complex environments

How will we carry these ideas into the classroom? What will an expanded view of literacy look like? What will be different? What are we already doing?

I believe the educational system must embrace changes that are bringing about the need for a new definition of literacy beyond simply reading and writing. These will always be important, but for the future viability of our students in a flat world with far fewer boundaries, a shift is necessary.

It is difficult to predict the future, but from examining past and current trends, futurists try to paint a picture of what we might expect. Futurist Ray Hammond in his book, The World in 2030, says this:

The speed of technological development is accelerating exponentially and, for this reason, by the year 2030 it will seem as if a whole century’s worth of progress has taken place in the first three decades of the 21st century.

Most of the world’s futurists, futurologists and computer scientists agree that at some point between 2030 and 2040 a milestone in technological development will be reached that will cause a rupture, a complete disjoint, in human evolution. Around this time we will build the first computer that is the intellectual equal of a human. Because of the accelerating, exponential nature of technological development (fueled entirely by faster and richer information flows) it follows that a short time after that we will be assisted by our super-intelligent computers to build a machine twice as clever as the most capable human. Shortly after will appear a machine four times as clever as a human, then eight times as clever, then sixteen times as clever, and so on.

A few things are certain: the speed of change (technological and otherwise) will continue to increase; and we can barely begin to imagine what the future will be like, but it will likely be significantly different than the world we live in. How can we prepare our students for this uncertain world? Think about it: in 2030, our current students (K-12) will be between the ages of 27 and 50. Will they have the skills necessary to navigate the world? Will those skills be sufficient to adapt to new literacies they will encounter in the future? Will their literacies be sufficient to grapple with and solve the problems of the planet?

Links: Toward A Definition of 21st Century Literacies; The World in 2030.

Videoconference Provides Students with Innovative Experience

Thanks to Kristen Kelly for contributing this article that originally appeared in The Falcon Courrier (Vol. 28, No. 2), Salisbury High School’s student newspaper.

Teachers are always looking for new and out of the ordinary ways to teach their students. Science teacher Cheryl Criscuolo has found a way for students to gain knowledge of hard-to-learn concepts during an enriching experience. Students in Criscuolo’s Anatomy and Physiology and AP Biology classes attended a virtual knee surgery videoconference on November 14. Criscuolo first heard of the knee replacement videoconference through Director of Data and Technology Randy Ziegenfuss. The webinar provided students with the opportunity to watch a live total knee replacement and interact with the surgeons and medical personnel by asking questions during the event.

While conducting the surgery, the staff went through a detailed, step by step explanation of what was happening, starting with explaining the anesthetic used to put the patient to sleep. The surgeon then opened up the patient’s leg and proceeded with the surgery which included shearing of the leg bones and placing of the metal prosthetics inside the knee joint. The surgery took place at COSI Science Center in Columbus, Ohio, and was sponsored by Cardinal Health Foundation and Mount Carmel Hospital.

Before attending the videoconference, students in Criscuolo’s classes went online and took on the role of a surgeon during a virtual knee replacement surgery. The online program allowed students to go through the motions of a knee replacement operation, foreshadowing what they would see in the webinar.

“The online virtual knee replacement program benefited me significantly because it allowed me to see what exactly happens during an actual knee replacement surgery,” said senior Angela Swavely.

Students agreed that watching the live webinar was beneficial to their learning. “It was a fascinating experience that vastly increased my knowledge of the inner workings of the human body,” said senior Brian Ludrof.

Criscuolo said the videoconference allowed her students, especially those in Anatomy and Physiology, to gain additional insight and preview future topics and concepts addressed in the class. She felt the webinar benefited her students. Criscuolo said, “It allowed them to experience something they would normally not have.”

In the future, Criscuolo plans on hosting another webinar; then, the students will watch a live autopsy. Because of the graphic nature of the autopsy, the webinar may only be viewed by her honors Anatomy and Physiology class.

Technology is Alive and Well at Western!

As a third grade teacher, I integrate technology into my curriculum as often as possible.  Our classroom experiences are not confined to the computer lab.  Allow me to share with you one of my recent technology adventures.

On Tuesday, January 22, the entire 3rd grade at WSE traveled via technology to the Mariner’s Museum in Newport News, VA.  The purpose of this activity was to supplement our Language Arts curriculum.  Our current reading program explores several disasters and this particular program offered insight into the voyage of the Titanic.

Our third grade students were active participants throughout the hour.  They were engaged with the presenter and found bits and pieces of new information regarding this historic voyage.  This program was originally scheduled during the disaster unit of study, however, the museum encountered several personnel and equipment problems which forced a cancellation on the day of the online reservation.

As with any outside presentation, there are always positive and negative issues to address.  The last minute cancellation was only one issue I had to bear.  Prior to the original booking, I was sent information regarding the presentation.  Several concepts sent up a red flag for me; suicide aboard ship, socially unacceptable gestures and the memorable “car” scene from the movie.  All three of these items were not appropriate for this age group.  After several phone calls, we were assured that the content would be appropriate.

I have found with integrating technology into my classroom, up-front work is necessary and often time consuming.  I spent approximately four hours investigating and planning with this activity.  I realize that this may not have been the normal experience, and I will try again this spring to bring another program into our class.  I now know more specific questions to ask when inquiring about a program.

Our technology growth is a team effort.  Debbie Caldwell, our building computer technician, spent time and effort testing our equipment for both scheduled presentations.  Planning and preparation from both the sponsor of the event and the school are essential to a successful production. 

Kathy DeBona - Third Grade Teacher, Western Salisbury Elementary School