Wednesday, November 15, 2006

MassCUE Breakout Session : Deneen Frazier Bowen

Engaging the Digital Mindset: Conversing with the "Savages"

"Using the technology as a fast track to involving students to promote the student voice." The discussion needs to be at the system level and students can play a big part-- they have good ideas about learning in the digital age.

Nike shoe: instructional feedback unit to help you "learn"

Used a CPS system to poll the group from the NetDay SpeakUp Day session.

"Which of these statements best describes your feeling about using technology?"
24 entries and a histogram of the results was shown-- this room used it a lot.
From the student data (K-12), more of a middle of the road use, enjoy it but don't use it all of the time.

"Do you have a cell phone?"
Everyone in the room had one.
Student responses from 2004: about 50% did not have a cell phone

"How many email accounts do you have?"
Teachers in room: most 1-3, some 4-6
Student info: most 1-3, 2% had 10+

Student voice
We are not leveraging this to the maximum in our schools.
How do you recognize when students have a voice? What does it look like?

Three part strategy (do each of these in a new way)

Ask with: use their techology to ask also what they are doing with tech outside of school; have students help you design questions to make sure you get the context
Think about existing mechanisms for gathering feedback from students
Think about undeveloped mechanisms for gathering feedback from students
How can we think about using technologies to ask questions about the curricular side

Listen with: give them a voice in their learning-- both content and process; give them a voice in their area; let them tell their stories; How do we listen in various realms? Curricular feedback usually through testing; perhaps think of other ways

Act with: get students to brainstorm and bring their projects to the classroom
Project-based learning, if it is systemic, and meaningful to students, is more common. Culturally, the tech groups in schools are happening. How do you "bleed" this out to other students to bring the cultural and curricular ideas of students forward

Choice and access are the two things that students say they have outside of the classroom, but they don't have it in the classroom. The teacher often decides when they get access and how they use it. How can we bring in choice?

CPS: Immigrant Status II

"Thinking about the other people at your work, do you consider yourself...(level of technology use)"
Most in the room are high level users.
The student responses: most said average users
Perhaps students perceive that there are higher levels, and you find this out in the conversation

"How often do you access the Internet?"
Everyone in the room: several times per day
Student responses: several times per day (41%), about once a day (24%); several times a week (22%)

"How many IM names do you have?"
In the room: 0 was a high percentage (non-users)
Students: many had 1-3 and 4-6

Help students understand how to make themselves more in control of the technology

Taking IT Global: more about students being who they ARE versus who they WANT to be

Want to manage their life by using a different name for study groups, family and friends, etc.

Perception Gap suite of assessments that you use within a single district and correlate the data (Gates Foundation uses)

The Big Disconnect: access and choice are what transform the learning environment both curricular and culturally

Why should we care? 88% of kids who drop out have passing grades--> boredom
Technology is the highway to engaging student voice
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