The Schoenblog

2010 & Beyond: Recommendations for #NETP16

Wednesday, December 16, 20155:48 PM

Last week, the US Department of Education released the new National Educational Technology Plan (#NETP16). It’s been a hot topic this week but was especially meaningful for me, as I spent most of my first semester in a doctoral policy class examining the 2010 plan (NETP10). In this class, I researched the policy, it’s history, and its impact, evaluating quality through equity, efficiency, political feasibility and effectiveness. My policy brief was due last Thursday, in my last night of class, and just a day before the new plan was released.

I’m eager to really dive into #NETP16 and really read it critically and thoroughly. While I haven’t had the time to do so yet--the PDF clocks in at 106 pages, I’ve dedicated so much of my past months to reading and analyzing #edtech policy, and thought I would share some of my findings here. I look forward to writing more on the topic in the coming weeks.

As we all learn in school, it’s important to understand history so as to not repeat it, and often to improve the future. Below, find the Executive Summary from my policy brief of NETP10, along with recommendations for future (now current) edtech policy. I’m eager to see how my ideas and vision lined up with that of the federal government and how it’s being realized in our schools. Overall, I was fond of the plan’s scope and vision, but critical of its lack of specific expectations, measures of evaluation, and plans to make the transformation reality with efficiency and equity.

NETP10 Executive Summary

The United States’ policy to address education reform in technology planning and integration is the National Educational Technology Plan 2010 [NETP], Transforming American Education Learning Powered by Technology. This five-year plan calls for widespread change that is intended impact education at all levels, focusing on reforms in five areas: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity (OET, 2010a). According to Dede, the NETP “presents an affordable, transformational, vision for 21st century education, infusing technology into every aspect of learning in school and out” (2011, p. 4). The Obama Administration argues that this plan will help to impact the achievement gap and improve college graduation rates (OET, 2010b, p. 8; OET, 2014a; OET, 2014b). The largest shift in the NETP affects funding, infrastructure, devices, and instruction in the call for all students and teachers to have access to high-speed Internet and devices at school (Waters, 2011; OET 2010a; OET 2010b).

The NETP calls for a number of large transformations in the use of technology in schools, but they lack clear plans for implementation or evaluation. With few concrete inputs and no timeline of expectations at any level, the plan lacks clear efficiency (Sloan, 2011; Shimbukuro, 2010) despite the Department of Education [DOE] and Office of Educational Technology [OET] having published additional complementary policies (OET, 2014a; OET, 2014b). Additionally, the plan does not do enough to address issues of equity and political feasibility, providing few details on how to support schools and populations that cannot afford to fund these expensive reform efforts (Margeau, 2014; Shimbukuro, 2010; Sloan, 2011; Boatright, 2014). This lack of financial guidance, changes in federal and state funding, and consistent budgetary shortfalls all create enormous challenges to how states and districts will plan for and execute these shifts (Nagel, 2010; Potts, Schlichting, Pridgen, & Hatch, 2010; Quillen, 2010; Waters, 2011). The vision that lies within the NETP, cannot be met without instructions or recommendations for the implementation and evaluation of educational technology at the state and district levels. Without a stronger framework for its execution, the effectiveness and overall quality of the NETP are called into question.

Recommendations

The NETP is one piece in the larger puzzle of school reform, and while it has meaningful and worthwhile vision, and may have success in the future, the vision for tomorrow must be more concretely applied and measured today. Still, the OET is looking forward, awarding $449,983 to the American Institutes for Research to develop a new NETP, (Future, 2014), still without a plan for evaluating or assessing current policy. Additionally, while the Common Core State Standards [CCSS] place value in technology and require its integration and use, they are being implemented at the same time as the Annual Professional Performance Review [APPR] process, which limits the impact for some schools (Cavanagh, 2013). Whereas the spirit of NETP encourages the use of data to drive technology integration, much of the technology is being used for testing rather than learning (Davis, 2015; Gewertz, 2015). Similarly, technology purchases are often geared towards standardized testing, leading to a problematic execution of the plan. Christopher (2014) found that

“In light of CCSS, states and local school systems are expected to change their curriculum and professional learning programs to meet the changing needs of their teachers and students. Given the connections between policy, accountability, and professional development, advocates for effective technology integration must make the connections between CCSS and technology integration clear to decision makers and professional development planners” (p. 3)

To fully evaluate the quality of the NETP, more research is needed to measure both its qualitative and quantitative outputs, both for 2010-2015, and beyond. As the current plan expires and the future plan is released, the following recommendations could lead to future success in the quality and implementation of national educational technology policy and reform:

The OET must establish clear criteria for the success and evaluation of the 2010 NETP.

Through ConnectEd and other initiatives, the DOE must do more to address cost, access, and equity issues inherent in educational technology reform.
Technology integration must become a valued part of regular and purposeful teaching, learning, and professional development for all schools.
The DOE and OET must clarify concrete expectations for states’ participation in and timelines for implementation of educational technology policy and reform.
The next NETP must include a expand on the transformations described in the 2010 plan, while also including clear plans for funding, budgeting, and evaluation (Byron & Bingham, 2001, p. 2).

How do you feel about #NETP16? How is the vision of #edtech policy--past or present--realized in your professional practice or schools? Share your thoughts, questions, or comments here or on Twitter!

What I Learned in #HourofCode

Monday, December 14, 20158:32 PM

A week ago, I didn’t think I knew anything about code. I could handle HTML and tinker with javascript, but my technology interests have always been in classroom implementation. So for me, #HourofCode is a new experience, and one that I had sort of turned a blind eye towards before. I knew the big idea--introduce students to coding and computer science in a fun and accessible way, but hasn’t been a part of it before. While I recognize that coding could be meaningful in my English classroom, it was never a priority for me, and I simply didn’t think I had the time.

One of my goals this year is to try new things and step out of my technological comfort zone. I want to learn more about STEM, coding, maker spaces, and everything else in our ever-growing field of edtech, both for me and for my students. So this year, when two of my colleagues in the math department offered to help facilitate lessons, I jumped right in. And it was great.

Two of my classes learned about coding and practiced with the code.org tutorials, mastering Minecraft, Star Wars, and Frozen themed coding challenges. A third practiced 3D design with Tinkercad, creating caricatures of their favorite literary character. Using a template of a human body silhouette, they learned to add shapes, features, and colors with some basic 3D design. I was amazed at how much they already knew, how much they accomplished so quickly, and how much fun it all was. In one class, I was challenged by students and coded, too, building a galaxy with Star Wars javascript coding.

Not only was it fun, but I had some important takeaways from the experience:

What I Learned in #HourofCode

1. Students already know coding.

I was astonished at how many of my students knew how to build javascript codes and master these coding challenges. Many had some experience with Minecraft or other coding, and those that didn’t jumped right in. Code.org did a great job scaffolding for all students.

Lucas builds a galaxy with #HourOfCode #StarWars #SchoenTell #OssiningPride pic.twitter.com/jrGDIvguQi
— Adam Schoenbart (@MrSchoenbart) December 11, 2015

2. Coding is a Gateway to #FutureReady

My colleague, Mr. Goldberg, shared surprising facts about coding and computer science with us, and I explored further at code.org. I found the graphic below along with this statistic: there will be one billion computing job openings by 2022---around double the jobs available right now. We often talk about what it means to make out students #futureready, about the types of jobs they will have that don’t yet exists, and about the classrooms of tomorrow. I didn’t realize how much of an opportunity #HourofCode was to help prepare students or interest them in one possible future.

3. Coding is Fun!

I’ve always enjoyed codes, math, HTML, and logic. But I was amazed at how much fun all of #HourofCode exercises we explored were. Many reminded me of the old-school Mario games of my childhood, where you move the character in four directions to achieve a task, only now you are writing or dragging and dropping blocks of code to make that direction come to life. In so many ways it was like building a video game--a connection I hadn’t made before. The students seemed to really enjoy it, and although I loved watching them explore, I had even more fun playing and coding myself.

#SchoenTell is working on 3D design with #Tinkercad for #HourOfCode #OssiningPride pic.twitter.com/D6XiQhRQDV
— Adam Schoenbart (@MrSchoenbart) December 11, 2015

Here are three snowflakes I designed with the #SchoenTell #HourOfCode. pic.twitter.com/HW3IeXCP0a
— Emma San Martin (@emma_poet) December 11, 2015

4. Coding is for Everyone

From the geeks who shall inherit the world to NBA stars or from high school seniors to elementary students, anyone can code. I was so impressed by the variety of activities I found on code.org, the ages they appealed to, and the creativity I saw from my PLN online. Below is a video and Tweet from a colleague at the middle school, and it was great to see #HourofCode embraced throughout my district, and to experience it as shared learning throughout the year.

We are coders!!! #HourOfCode @ossiningpride @dougalb @jluft1 @OssiningSchools @oufsdtech @psmirra37 pic.twitter.com/ZSb6bsULDe
— Mrs. Kelly Douai (@knv80) December 9, 2015

Monique helped me but I learned how to move Anna in four diamonds #schoentell pic.twitter.com/6s6efyrCox
— Nadia Lau (@nlau0327_) December 12, 2015

Looking Forward

This day really opened my eyes; I can see such great applications for my students just in the few activities we explored: Storyboarding in Tinkercad. Depicting characters from textual evidence. Convey elements of plot by building a Star Wars universe. Exploring shapes through the Frozen ice skating challenge. These fun, easy, and intuitive exercises could have big gains in teaching students #futureready skills and in bringing a different side of technology into my classroom.

I had a blast with the #HourofCode and would love to hear how you implemented it into your schools or classrooms.

Improve Feedback & Student Work in Google Classroom with the Blank Doc

Thursday, December 10, 201512:09 PM

Google Classroom is a powerful tool to help teachers assign and provide feedback to student. For me, using Google Apps to help communicate about student progress and organize work and workflow is a huge time saver and stress reducer. Instead of leaving school with 75 essays, papers or project--plus rubrics--I now have a nearly paperless classroom where all of my students’ learning is online. Now it’s organized and documented, ready to be shared, with a higher expectation of accountability and communication. And I love it.

But effective educational technology should do more than substitute or augment the way we used to do things; it should transform our teaching and learning. Google Classroom is a great tool to help teachers manage this transformation because it seamlessly organizes and shares work for us, taking care of the managerial aspects of teaching and grading. Now we can focus on doing this differently, all with the help of the blank document.

For more about doing things different with Google Classroom, take a look at all of my posts on Classroom here. Some of the more recent articles include Google Classroom Calendar Integration, Managing Late Work, and Responding to Student Writing.

Making Summative Formative

All of the work in my classes goes on Google Classroom---EVERYTHING. This helps my students and me stay organized, with a clear and consistent understanding of class goals, content, and work. When I started using Classroom, though, most of the assignments I posted were summative in nature, i.e final products--essays, paragraphs, etc. I intended to read them, provide feedback, and a grade, and then return them to students. Sometimes students could or would revise their work, but often after it was submitted, the work was done. I would offer help in progress, mostly when it was asked for, but the formative worked and growth belonged to the student, closed off in their notebooks or on flash drives.

But with Classroom, the work never needs to be done and feedback can always be formative, pushing students to improve. With the right assignment settings, teachers are able to view and comment on all student work in Classroom, so we know where students are BEFORE the work is submitted. Instead of waiting for student to submit work that then needs revision, teachers can proactively intervene, offer feedback, and allow students to revise the work in progress. When my students submit work in Classroom, it had better be good because we have discussed it online, and students have revised before ever hitting the turn in button.

And it’s all because of the blank document.

The Blank Document in Google Classroom

Whenever I create an assignment in Google Classroom, I always make a copy of a document for my students. When the assignment involves questions or any worksheet-type assignments, this is standard practice for most teachers. But when the assignment involves students creating their own work--an essay or original piece of writing--I also make a copy of a document. But this time it’s blank.

When teachers assign a blank document to students to write in, they always have access it it for viewing and commenting. Now teachers can review student work in progress at any time rather than waiting for students to turn in, share, or ask for help. If a student adds a document from their own Drive, which was not assigned and copied by the teacher in Classroom, it is not shared by default.

UPDATE:

Thanks to the readers who reached out to let me know that students can create documents in Classroom that automatically have the same sharing rights. Having students create the doc is the better strategy to build independent learners, and if you navigate the work through Classroom, it's easy to access them all. The original post and workflow are below, but keep this change in mind as an option for your students.

My Workflow

Create an assignment and add a blank document. Assign it, making a copy for all students.
In Classroom, instruct students to complete their work in this doc--brainstorms, formative, summative, or anything else. It all goes here.
While students are working, open up students’ work from Classroom. Students might ask me to look, I might open docs at random, or sometimes I open them all. Often I do this in class while they are working and provide feedback right there.

As long as you make a copy of the doc in classroom, you have rights to it all. If students are writing in class, you can now preview and comment on them all. Sometimes this means specific feedback for a handful of students and other times it’s quick comments for them all. With the blank doc, I know where students are all the time and can provide the feedback to get them to where they need to be before the writing is ever done or turned in, and all of the work is better for it.

The Power of the Blank Doc

A blank doc is a blank canvas for student learning. Sometimes, students need more instruction or context or a more focused activity to demonstrate knowledge and learning. Either way, making a copy of the doc in Classroom allows for improved feedback to improve student achievement and success. Face-to-face interaction with students is essential but with this strategy, I know more about my students’ progress as individuals and as a class than ever before. Technology allows us to do things differently. When different can also do it better, we should let it. The blank doc is one tool for your edtech tool belt to reach students with more ease and efficiency than ever before.

Do you use the blank doc strategy? What’s your #GAFE trick for improving feedback or achievement? Comment below or share on Twitter.

5 Mistakes I Made With Educational Technology

Monday, December 7, 20155:08 PM

Technology is a powerful tool in our classrooms but it can also sometimes be intimidating. Since effective edtech implementation often involves a big shift in teaching, it can bring about some discomfort and change. I’ve written before about how I’m a “jump off the cliff” kind of teacher, and eagerly took the plunge into the world of Google Apps and Chromebooks a few years ago. But my willingness to try it doesn’t mean it all went perfectly. Teachers tend to celebrate success on blogs and social media--as we should--but sometimes a reminder of our challenges and mistakes is just as valuable.

This post was inspired by a recent episode of the Pro Blogger Podcast, “Writing Challenge: Write a Mistakes Blog Post,” which was the first episode I listened to. I enjoyed it a lot and plan to listen to more, with hopes of improving my blog and writing. I encourage you to check it out if you’re a blogger, too.

Here are five mistakes--of the many--I made with educational technology. They deal with shifts in instruction and vision for teaching and learning, purposefully leaving devices and content areas out of the equation for now. I tried to be relatable and reflective, focusing on the big picture of education and technology.

My Mistakes

1. Making Assumptions About Student Comfort

Too often, we assume that since students know how to use technology, they know how to use it in our classrooms. Most of our students don’t need lessons on using the internet, iPhone, or YouTube, but that doesn’t mean that the on-demand technological skills of Generation Z transfer to classroom learning without work. Knowing how to use technology and knowing how to use it for learning, let alone content specific learning, are very different things.

It’s important to build class time into instruction to assess students’ comfort, skills, and transferable skills with technology. Let them play, customize, and practice early in the year to develop these skills and apply them in new ways so you can be sure that the tech is most effectively used for all learners.

2. Treating Technology As Something Special

In today’s world and classroom, technology is the new normal. Today’s students should expect regular access to and use of technology in schools. We can’t keep treating ed tech as an exception or a special event; it’s an essential part of 21st century learning. Of course, not all schools are as ready or able to embrace technology yet as others, but to treat it as something special is a disservice to our students.

Effective use of technology is not the once a week special event or a extra in our classrooms--it’s a purposeful part of instruction and learning. In my first year or two with 1:1 Chromebooks, I treated it as something special and different, and that was a mistake. It made my class and teaching the exception and the outlier. Instead, treat technology as if it’s as normal as opening a book or taking good notes, and students will see it that way, too. And many already do, as the tech is so prevalent in their lives. Schools should mirror the worlds of students, not contradict them.

3. Putting Technology Before Learning

Some days, technology simply isn’t the answer. It’s important to think of ed tech as an instructional tool, and like all tools, it must be used with purpose. The specific tech you choose, like any learning activity or assessment, must also be the best one for the job.

There are definitely days where I chose technology because it was easier or less work for me. And maybe that’s okay sometimes. But don’t forget the basics of good teaching and backwards design: start with the learning goals and then decide if technology--or which technology--is most effective to achieve them. I wrote about this recently in When the Internet Fails: 4 Non-Tech Strategies for Student Engagement & Learning, reminding myself that we can’t let tech become a crutch or busy work. As I’ve been reminded in my classes recently, if post it notes are the most effective annotation tool for some learners, then it’s okay (and maybe better) to have our screens off.

I love tech but sometimes post-it annotation is the best strategy #SchoenTell pic.twitter.com/nsOF3IWNHF
— Adam Schoenbart (@MrSchoenbart) November 19, 2015

4. Asking Google-able Questions

One of the most powerful things about the Google generation is that we all have a world of knowledge at our fingertips. If we can look up virtually anything in seconds, then is it worth the time we often spend in schools to memorize it all? Of course, I’m not advocating for no content, facts or memorization in classrooms, but that we instead prioritize knowledge and skills.

Last year, I had students research Holocaust and World War II background knowledge before reading Elie Wiesel’s Night. Instead of simply Googling their topics, I realized that the students needed to be able to apply the new knowledge throughout the unit. Sure, they researched and looked up facts, but then they developed presentations without technology to teach their classmates. This isn’t a particularly innovative idea, but it’s one worth remembering: if students can Google all of their answers, the questions aren’t good enough anymore. Don’t forget about the higher end of Bloom’s Taxonomy and push for application, synthesis, evaluation, and creation. And I’ll admit, this is one I need to get better at focusing on more regularly.

5. The Problem of Choice

If all the knowledge is at our fingertips, along with hundreds of tools to organize, share, and reflect on that knowledge through technology, how much choice is right? We are no longer limited to the information in the text book or school building, but opening up to the collective hive-mind of the internet is overwhelming for many adults, let alone students.

When should we restrict student choice? When should we open those doors? Is there such a thing as too much choice? Whatever your stance, be purposeful in the tools you use with students, teach them to use, and the online resources that enhance their learning. For example, I love Google. I could use a dozen different tools for feedback, but I rarely find one that works better for us than a Google Form. My students don’t need to learn a new platform, and there is no change in their learning. But Haiku Deck, Pear Deck, and Nearpod? I see the potential in opening up these doors, for both students and for teachers. Of course, privacy laws, district policies, and third party apps are a concern, too. Know what works for you, and for your students, and make your choices matter.

These are just some of the few--of let’s face it, many--mistakes I’ve made using educational technology in the classroom, but I’ve become a better teacher by making and reflecting on all of them. As I've learned, it's more important to make change and impact students' learning, even when it gets messy.

What mistakes have you made?

How have you overcome them? Grown from them? Share in the comments or on Twitter!

The 12 Days of Fringe: Supporting @OssiningHSDrama & Performing Arts!

Wednesday, December 2, 20153:50 PM

You’re in for something new today, faithful reader, as I’m writing about an entirely different side of my passion for education: the cultural arts. For most of my career in Ossining, I worked as the Assistant Director of the school’s theatre program, helping produce 2-3 shows each year. The program’s director, Jessica, and I started at the school and then with the productions together, building it into an award-winning program and supporting many different performing arts electives, grant programs, and more.

And it was one of the greatest things I’ve ever been a part of. I often write about the power technology has to transform learning, but I’ve never seen anything as powerful as the collaborative efforts of the students in our program, whose individual talents and personalities come together year after year to build something unforgettable. In my time with the program, we put on five high school musicals, six plays, middle school performances, outreach programs, and so much more. I saw students who struggled in academic classes soar on stage and grow into talented, passionate, and exceptional young men and women regularly. If we want to education the whole child, make change, and help build independent and passionate learners, we need to value the cultural arts.

I left the program last year, instead committing my time to my doctoral work. It was bittersweet because theatre really defined my career and identity in Ossining for so long, but I’m so incredibly proud of our work and the work that is going on right now with the program and students.

And that’s why I’m asking for your help.

Ossining Drama was selected from over 3,000 schools to perform at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as part of the American High School Theatre Festival in August 2016. This once in a lifetime opportunity doesn’t come cheap, sadly. To help fundraise for this trip, the students have put together an online auction, raffling dozens of great prizes, and are also accepting tax deductible donations.

Welcome to the 12 Days of Fringe!

Each day, the drama club is releasing a new promotional video, asking for support over the next 12 days. I know most of my readers aren’t in the NY area, but some of the prizes include trips and services that can be used all over. They are also accepting tax-deductible donations. Some of the auction items include dinner at nice NYC City restaurants, NHL tickets, and so much more.

At the least, watch their videos and give them a like, share, or retweet on YouTube or Twitter. But if you’re passionate about education, the cultural arts, or just in a holiday spirit, consider supporting these kids. I may no longer work with the program but I want to do everything I can to support their hard work and talents. I hope you will, too.

Support the 12 Days of Frings

Make a Tax Deductible Donation: https://www.nycharities.org/fundraise/Screens/Donate.aspx?id=84
Bid/ Purchase Items in the 12 Days of Fringe Auction: https://www.biddingforgood.com/ossiningdrama

(The auction opened on Cyber Monday and will remain open until Friday, December 11th at 11PM)

For more information please check out www.ossiningdrama.org.

The Schoenblog

2010 & Beyond: Recommendations for #NETP16

More Reading

NETP10 Executive Summary

Recommendations

How do you feel about #NETP16? How is the vision of #edtech policy--past or present--realized in your professional practice or schools? Share your thoughts, questions, or comments here or on Twitter!

What I Learned in #HourofCode

What I Learned in #HourofCode

1. Students already know coding.

2. Coding is a Gateway to #FutureReady

3. Coding is Fun!

4. Coding is for Everyone

Looking Forward

I had a blast with the #HourofCode and would love to hear how you implemented it into your schools or classrooms.

Improve Feedback & Student Work in Google Classroom with the Blank Doc

Making Summative Formative

The Blank Document in Google Classroom

UPDATE:

My Workflow

The Power of the Blank Doc

Do you use the blank doc strategy? What’s your #GAFE trick for improving feedback or achievement? Comment below or share on Twitter.

5 Mistakes I Made With Educational Technology

My Mistakes

1. Making Assumptions About Student Comfort

2. Treating Technology As Something Special

3. Putting Technology Before Learning

4. Asking Google-able Questions

5. The Problem of Choice

What mistakes have you made?

The 12 Days of Fringe: Supporting @OssiningHSDrama & Performing Arts!

And that’s why I’m asking for your help.

Welcome to the 12 Days of Fringe!

Support the 12 Days of Frings

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