The 4 Es of tech workshops

There is an old story told about the King of Mars who sent a scout in his flying saucer to find out about American schools. When the scout returned, he reported that these "schools" were the strangest places. It was where young people gathered to watch old people work.

Just finished two days of workshops for the 21st Century Learning Conference in Hong Kong. And despite feeling my head was in a bag of cotton all day because of jet lag, I really enjoyed the experience. And judging from comments and tweets, the participants did as well. At least some of them.

I have been giving workshops at conference for probably 20 years or more. I've thought about what separates those that motivate, inspire, and give participant practical value - and those that don't. Some of my reflections are in this old article: Top Ten Secrets for a Successful Workshop Library Media Connection, October 2006. And I stand by all 10 of my "secrets."

I am not a big fan of conference sessions that show "the top 50 sites/apps/devices in 50 minutes." I know they are popular but so are beer and potato chips. I am not terribly sure they are very good for the professional. What I find is that most teachers* would prefer to learn a few simple tools and actually have time to learn to practice with them and discuss how they might be used in the classroom. My recipe is in the graphic below:
 

Using some comments I received at Jeff Utech's fantastic Learning2.014 conference in Addis Abeba last September, I changed up the order of my creativity workshop. In the session I alway ask the participants to do a simple activity (make a poster, an Animoto movie, etc.) which shows creativity. I moved the activity to the beginning of the workshop instead of at the end. That way we have a recent frame of reference when discussing the challenges of both the student and the teacher when it comes to being creative - especially evaluation. It worked much better, thank you.

The only downside I see is that as a product of an education in which I as the student usually watched the teacher work, I feel incredibly lazy during work time. Yes, I circulate, answer questions, do technical trouble-shooting, etc., but I can't help wonder if I am actually earning my money. I'll do my best to get over it.

*For some reason I tend lose old guys and administrators at break when there is a lot of hands on time.

What else would you buy instead of tests?

In a recent exchange on the AASL Forum...

David Loertscher:

If there are 50 million students in U.S. schools and $ 2.5 billion is spent on testing, then, I think that computes out to $500 per student. Just think what we could do with that kind of money in the library learning commons!...here is the note and links from Edsurge:

HERE'S A TEST: How much are schools spending on assessments? Data from SIIA's annual vendor survey show the PreK-12 testing and assessment market has grown 57% over the past three years. Sales totaled almost $2.5 billion in 2012-13, making these products "the largest single category of education technology sales," according to the executive summary (PDF). Among the drivers of this growth is Common Core testing and increasing demand for better digital formative assessments. The full 20+ page report will set you back $350.

Stephen Krashen: 
Right you are, David, but I'm afraid it will cost a lot more than 2.5 billion. Testing will all be online, which means every student must be connected to the internet. The popular plan is "one laptap for every student" and these computers need to be upgraded and replaced (every three years). We are already paying for connecting schools to the internet through our phone bills, but we will also have to pay for all new "improvements".  The boondoggle will continue forever - if the brave new technology and tests don't help, teachers will be blamed and there will be a call for more testing and technology. 

There is no evidence at all that the new tests and technology will hep, and previous studies show no increase in achievement with more testing.  The evidence supporting libraries keeps increasing, while funding for libraries continues to decrease.

Christine Norris:
Right now I can't even get a laptop cart so that my 7th graders can do their research project. Because PARCC starts in December. Really? They want me to teach them to research but won't give me the tools. 

Paige Jaeger:
RttT money equaled $4.3 billion.  Not, 2.5 billion  -- Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. See my SLJ article on this topic: http://www.slj.com/2014/01/opinion/on-common-core/the-wrong-villain-critics-should-focus-on-race-to-the-top-on-common-core/#

OK, readers. If somebody handed you an extra $500 per student in your school, how would YOU spend it? (For our district, that's about $4.5 million dollars - almost double what we spend on all of technology - machines, infrastructure, tech support, admin systems, etc.)

My vote would to devices for all students along with a learning management system that tailors their resources and activities in math and reading specifically to them along with plentiful high-quality digital resources (managed by the librarian) to populate the system. And training for teachers in how to use it.

Pearson, I'd even buy it from you.

Image source

3 elevator pitches

An elevator pitch, elevator speech, or elevator statement is a short summary used to quickly and simply define a person, profession, product, service, organization or event and its value proposition. Wikipedia 

A value proposition is a promise of value to be delivered and acknowledged and a belief from the customer that value will be delivered and experienced. Wikipedia

My school district will be asking its taxpayers to vote in favor of a $2.5 million technology operating levy in February. A board member at work session suggested we develop an elevator speech that we can give to any citizen who asks why this funding is needed.

That's a good idea.

My problem is that I can think of at least three good elevator speeches that explain why this funding is critical.

1. All students need to be technologically proficient. I can't think of a single job that pays a living wage that doesn't require some kind of technical skills. Business, medicine, law, teaching (yes!), engineering, agriculture, entertainment, film making, marketing - you name it - all use technologies that require high level tech skills. Readin' writin' and 'rithmatic are now the low bar of an educated person. Along with "computer skills" students need to be able to do quality research, exhibit high-level thinking and problem-solving skills, and creativity. With ongoing access to technology in the classroom - and teachers who can demonstrate, teach, and evaluate these skills, our graduates will lack vital employment skills. 

2. All students can have an individualized education. Every child should have an IEP, not just those with extreme needs. Technology can change education from a factory model in which every student is treated as an "average" student to one which can customize learning based on ability, learning styles, and interests. Truly culturally proficient schools will harness resources that make a child's culture an asset rather than a liability. Adaptive and adoptive technologies open doors to students with special needs. Everybody on the same page at the same time learning in the same way has proven to leave too many students performing below capabilities. As a community we cannot afford this - economically or morally.

3. All students need classrooms that are engaging. Many of today's children have grown up immersed in technology that engages the mind, then come to school to find learning to be a passive experience. Students need to be creators of information, effective communicators, knowledgeable coders, and collaborative learners and producers. Our children are visual learners, are motivated through gaming, and like to make, not just consume. Even whole-group instruction can come alive when led by teachers who use technology that make kids active learners. It would be a shame that school is the place where kids stop learning in the ways they find most engaging.

Issues of equity, infrastructure, staff development apply to each reason as well. 

What's a the core of your mission in using technology in thoughtful ways? Individualization and personalization has been increasingly driving my thinking, but each use is important. I believe there can be as many powerful reasons for using technology well as there are thoughtful educators.

So what's your elevator pitch?