Reading and writing for an audience

The discussion of a common reading experience for all students and faculty in the upper-school (grades 9-12) and the recent article adopted by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) with regard to 21st century literacies raises an idea that is not necessarily original but also not something going on yet at D-E as far as I know.

Update on 3/3/07: I'm pleased to report that my statement above was incorrect. D-E's first experiment with student blogging started in our Middle School in early February with the Umpleby Independent Reading Book Review Site. The blog was setup for a similar purpose to what I am suggesting except that students read and wrote about a variety of books rather then a common reading experience.

While I would prefer this comment to come from a full-time classroom teacher and not me (as some people see me as having a "techie" agenda), here it is anyway rather than risk the idea not occurring to others who might support it.

It is worth kicking around the thought of encouraging or at least providing a place for students and faculty to publically share thoughts on the book that is chosen while it is being read or shortly after finishing it. Doing this in the one-shot, adult-lead discussion group fashion like has been done in Community of Readers has value. However, an asynchronous opportunity to write might appeal to different students (and maybe faculty) in different ways and might also prolong the conversation.

One way to do this that has seen increasing use in schools nationally and internationally is through a web log (blog). (What you are reading now is a blog although it is not a good example of what I'm suggesting.)

Teachers or students can write "journal" entries that anyone on the Internet can read and comment on. (For example, you can click on Comments or Post a Comment at the bottom of this blog article to write your reaction on what I'm saying.) In addition to the obvious benefit of just encouraging students to write, posting articles publically can give some students extra incentive because they consider the audience more authentic than writing just for their teachers. In some cases, others outside of the school who have also studied or have experience with the work (including professionals and sometimes even writers) have commented on students writing presented this way and that could be quite a motivating factor for students to continue to write.

While we could also do this with a Blackboard discussion group, it would not have the public access that has the potential to make a positive difference in some students interest and engagement in writing about what they are reading.

That fact that the Executive Committee of the NCTE adopted a statement on February 15 that includes using communication technologies as an essential skill for twenty-first century readers and writers is also interesting and relevant. (Will Richardson, a prolific educational blogger, writes more about this NCTE statement and literacy at the blog Weblogg-ed.)

Writing scores increase for one-to-one laptop students

A recent article in eSchool News directed my attention to an October 2007 research report on the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (MLTI). The MLTI is a one-to-one laptop program started in 2002 by the state of Maine. The program provides laptop computers to all seventh and eighth grade students attending public schools and their teachers. In addition to the computers being available to students in school, each student has access to the laptop at home on nights, weekends, and breaks during the academic year.

The report titled Maine's Middle School Laptop Program: Creating Better Writers (available here) describes quantitative results indicating that the MLTI program has improved middle school students' writing.

The study compares the results of the Maine Educational Assessment (MEA) writing scores from 2000, which is the year before MLTI began, and 2005 for all eighth graders statewide. Results show a statistically significant improvement in the 2005 scores -- an average student in 2005 scored better than about two-thirds of all students who took the test in 2000. With regards to scores indicating student proficiency in writing, 41.4% of eighth graders reached that standard on the MEA in 2005, which is up from 29.1% of eighth graders who took the test in 2000.

Also, the researchers examined the 2005 writing scores against an independent variable measuring the level of use of the laptop in the writing process as reported by students. This analysis found significantly higher scores from students using a laptop more fully in the writing process such as for writing drafts and the final copy as opposed students who used the laptop for only part of the process or not at all. With regard to comparing the extremes, the average "Best Use Group" student scored higher than 75% of the "No Use Group" students. Writing proficiency as measured by the MEA scores was achieved by 43.7% of the students in the Best Use group and 21% of the students in the No Use group.

Here are a few other items from the report that I found interesting:

• Many people debate the merit of using standardized tests, which are often more about recalling knowledge than demonstrating skill or high-order thinking, to measure the learning that is important for students growing up in the 21st century. However, the researchers make a good point that the MEA writing test used for this study actually uses writing samples from students and is scored in a double-blind fashion.
  
• It is difficult to attribute the increase in writing proficiency to one-to-one laptop use because may other contributing variables could be present in any particular school. However, the report points out that the results are likely to be due to the laptop program, at least in part, because the increase in proficiency scores occurred across the total population of eighth graders in all Maine middle schools where other contributing variables are less likely to be a constant in all schools.
  
• Writing for students who had used laptops improved regardless of whether they were tested by producing a writing sample on computer or with paper and pencil. Therefore, it seems the students became better writers in general as opposed to just when they have to produce on word processor.
  
• It is noted that teacher professional development related to integrating technology into curriculum and practices, and teachers helping students learn how to use a laptop as a writing tool were a necessary condition for success.
  

If any of this interests you whether you agree or not, I suggest reading the report. The main content is about 9 pages long (including figures and tables).

Constructivist classroom procedures

Well, I did not meet my goal with regard to participating in and possibly drawing others at D-E into the K12 Online Conference as I proposed in my previous post. However, I still think the conference is a resource with potential so I'm going to keep it in mind.

Anyway, what I have been doing is a lot of reading of research articles related to using computers in the classroom, one-to-one computing, and constructivist pedagogy. When I started my review of literature for a research proposal related to one-to-one computing and faculty professional development, I didn't expect to find a lot. I was pleasantly surprised (and occasionally overwhelmed) by what I did find. While every useful article and research study I've read does not specifically deal with one-to-one computing, I've learned that articles on constructivism and, of course, use of computer technology in classrooms with more students than computers also have a lot to offer on this subject

Since teachers who practice constructivist pedagogy or tend toward establishing a student-centered classroom seem to be the most successful with using computers in a a one-to-one environment, I've become interested in trying to finding ways to help faculty move in that direction. I don't have any magical answers, but here are some techniques consistent with the constructivist learning model that are worth keeping in mind:

• Seeking out and using student questions and ideas to guide lessons and whole instructional units;
  
• Accepting and encouraging student initiation of ideas;
  
• Promoting student leadership, collaboration, location of information, and taking actions as a result of the learning process;
  
• Encouraging the use of alternative sources for information both from written materials and experts;
  
• Using open-ended questions and encouraging students to elaborate on their questions and their responses;
  
• Encouraging students to suggest causes for events and situations, and encouraging them to predict consequences;
  
• Seeking out student ideas before presenting teacher ideas or before studying ideas from textbooks or other sources;
  
• Encouraging students to challenge each other's conceptualizations and ideas;
  
• Using cooperative learning strategies that emphasize collaboration, respect individuality, and use division of labor tactics; and
  
• Encouraging self-analysis, collection of real evidence to support ideas, and reformulations of ideas in light of new experiences and evidence.

These are all quoted from Robert Yager (a professor of science education at the University of Iowa in 1991) originally published in a 1991 article specifically talking about science education. The article may seem a little old to some and was not written about using computers in classrooms, but the statements are relevant now and to more than just a science classroom. The article contains more techniques than I listed. I included the ones I believe are most relevant to my local colleagues in all academic disciplines.

While going through the history of those who have written about cognitive construction, Yager raises one point I particularly like. He says of Giambattista Vico, a philosopher who wrote a treatise on the theory in 1710: "[Vico] substantiates this notion by arguing that one knows a thing only when one can explain it."

All good teachers know that to be true even if they struggle with how to provide students that opportunity in the classroom while still working within the perceived and real constraints of time, meeting standards, and covering subject specific curriculum.

Reminding ourselves how much we have learned about our subject from teaching it, should encourage all of us to find ways to bring at least some constructivist techniques into the classroom.

References:

Yager, R. E. (1991, September). The constructivist learning model. The Science Teacher, 58(6), 52-57. (Get from ProQuest)

Yager, R. E. (2000, January). The constructivist learning model. The Science Teacher, 67(1), 44-45. (Get from ProQuest)

(Excerpts from the 1991 article were republished as the 2000 article.)

The "Get from ProQuest" link should work if you are on-campus at D-E or first access the D-E library databases web page from home. If you are not a member of the D-E community, the links might still work if you have access to a ProQuest research database.

What is this blog? and K12 Online Conference

Ok, the title and description of this blog doesn't always hit the mark with regard to the content here. When I have enough content that I can look at it and say, hey here's my purpose, I'll change the description. So for now, I'll just charge ahead . . .

The 2007 K12 Online Conference has started. I had heard about this conference last year but did not really dive into it mostly because when I'm sitting in front of a computer, I usually have a specific purpose or task to complete. Since I sit in front of a computer a lot, I found it difficult to spend more time to attend a "virtual" conference. (This is the same problem I have with reading blogs. At least, driving and a digital audio player have worked well for staying engaged with some podcasts.)

I watched David Warlick's opening keynote this past weekend and the recording of the related Fireside Chat, and the themes of the conference seem connected to what at least some faculty here at D-E have been thinking and talking about informally and during formal professional development days we've already had.

So this year, I am going to try to "attend" at least three sessions (and maybe one a day as a "reach" goal) each week. A purpose I'm affiliating with this is to identify some sessions that faculty here at D-E might find interesting and motivating. I still haven't figured out how (mostly the problem is when) to do this yet, but I'd like to get some groups of teachers into a room together to view some of these presentations to generate ideas and conversation. Maybe also to "sell" the conference a bit as a way for those motivated enough to find the time outside of school to dive deeper through a self-guided "tour".

As part of my attempt to focus more time on faculty professional development and training, I may write a little here on the conference presentations as a possible guide to sessions D-E teachers should check out. Maybe this post will be buried at least a few messages deep under newer posts in two weeks? Stay tuned and see how this works out.

If you are interested in learning more about the K12 Online Conference, the First-Timers page is a good place to start. The easiest way to jump into participating or viewing the sessions is via the schedule. Note that links to sessions are posted as each session is "released" or started. While the sessions are released at the date and time specified, you can participate in the sessions any time after that. If you just don't know where to start or get overwhelmed by all the different links and information on the conference website , heed these suggestions quoted from one of the conference guides:

• Don't try to take it all in at once. Pick a strand and follow it. View, perhaps, only one presentation per day.
  
• There is approximately one synchronous [live] activity per week but remember, these are archived so you can always catch up later, if the timing does not work for you.
  

The strands are described here.

As always, if you see anything here that you want to know more about stop me and talk about it (if you are at D-E) or post a comment if you are not or that's your preference.

Comment on Warlick's post on teachers teaching themselves

I still have not caught up with reading all of the interesting reactions and comments resulting from the Times story on one-to-one computing. Even those who have criticized the author should acknowledge that she incited some interesting conversations.

In David Warlick's weblog post Of Course I think it Matters, which is a reply to comments on the story, he raises an occasional frustration with teachers who are not prepared teach themselves and mentions it may be that they are from a generation that learned how to be taught more than how to learn independently. Some comments on that post and the original about the Times story say teachers should be teaching themselves new technology skills.

As a provider of professional development to teachers, I had never thought about PD in that way. However, now that I have, I am thinking that argument provides another reason to developing training resources that can be made available to teachers as they want them. I've been thinking that at D-E we need more resources such as written tutorials and short recorded demonstrations available to teachers asynchronously. While I am not ready to put the entire responsibility of learning new technology skills onto teachers by themselves, I believe we should make the resources available for independent learning and review of new skills.

Another comment on the Times article on one-to-one computing

If you'd like to read another reaction to the May 4 Times article from an advocate of classroom computing, see David Warlick's entry about this on 2 Cents Worth. He raises a point common to media reporting that good news is no news. In addition, read the comments to the article, they add a lot to the conversation including a disagreement about the need for teacher professional development.

In the spirit of trying to understand both sides of an argument, I would be very interested in reading reactions from someone who believes one-to-one computing is inappropriate, which is contrary to my opinion and my post on May 6. If anyone reads this and knows of a link to a differing opinion, please include them in a comment here. Thanks.

OneNote 2007 Tips for the Tablet

I don't personally know a lot of OneNote users who have upgraded from OneNote 2003 to 2007 yet, but when you do, these tips published on The Student Tablet PC blog are great. I noticed this article when trying to figure out how to change the color of ink I had already written, and there it is as tip number four. Thanks Tracy!

P.S. If you are a student at D-E who purchased a Tablet PC during the 06/07 school year or if you are a teacher, the upgrade to OneNote 2007 is available to you. Also, students receiving tablets in Fall 2007 will get OneNote 2007 and a version (to be decided) of Office 2007 .