We're currently polling our members on their use of technology in schools. In addition to this poll, we'd like to hear about how you're using technology in your state, district, and/or school. What innovative use of technology does your state, district, or school uss to improve the educational outcomes of students? What technology would you like to see used in your state, district, or school that isn't currently being used? What technology would you like to see less use of? Are you experiencing problems with students abusing technology such as cameraphones? How is your state, district, and/or school addressing the issue of cyber-safety for your students?

On April 12th Ed Week conducted an online chat on how educators are dealing with the influx of new technologies in schools such as iPods. To view a transcript of the chat click here.A review of the transcript shows how the use of technology is moving beyond computers. The iPod or mp3 player has the potential to be an important instructional tool in the 21st century. The micro processor of today is just as transformational or perhaps more so than the transitor of the 1950s.

This conversation, regarding the use of technology in the classroom, is one that can't be placed into the same catagory as gum-chewing or wearing caps in class. If we keep it in this catagory, there will be the educators who advocate, the ones who tolerate, and ones who just have no opinion. Technology is here and we must capture the possibilities and the potential for positively impacting student performance, ASAP. Help us to learn of the best ways to do that and how to advocate for it to the "status quo".

Gary, you are so right. Technology used in the classroom (or anyplace) is a passion for me. So, are you suggesting to create a separate forum for Technology? I will keep my eyes open for new info as it comes out...and will try to take some time soon & dig up some "goodies" I've used in past presentations on the subject.

It seems to me that Gary is referring to non-instructional uses of technology by students in the classroom; e.g., cell phones, ipods for listening to music, text messaging, etc. Did I interpret your message correctly, Gary?

He probably was...given the chat material that was discussed on the link above. I guess I'm letting my technology passion run away with me.

Well, I've just read the transcript Art posted, and for someone who's a columnist on technology, Alan Warhaftig sure doesn't seem to like technology very much. He seems to see "gadgets" as distractions and very much want to keep them out of his classroom because of it. That's an attitude that I think is short sighted. Later in the discussion there was talk about how kids don't know how to appropriately use the technology. The example given was of a student who made her teacher wait until the end of a song. If we keep these gadgets out of the classroom how are we expecting these kids to learn what is and isn't appropriate? Do you think when they become adults they won't need that understanding? Do you think their bosses are going to wait until the end of the song?I also really didn't see him give any indication that he even thought about using "gadgets" in his classroom. He spoke of needing his student's full attention when teaching Shakespeare's The Tempest. Anyone I've ever talked to about reading Shakespeare has always agreed that to really get it you must hear it. So why isn't he encouraging his students to listen or watch it using iPods and other technology? How much more accessible would that make Shakespeare to students who learn better aurally rather than visually?They spent a lot time discussing the use of iPods in the classroom, but I think the panelists missed the boat when it comes to how iPods will be used in the classroom even when one of the questions asked of them brought it front and center. The question from Debra Pierce at IvyTech here in Indiana talked about how textbook publishers are offering: Now this is at the post-secondary level, but think of the power of this idea. I don't know about anyone else's experiences, but I'd have to say the majority of my teachers used less than half the chapters in any given textbook. So what happens when teachers have the option of giving just those chapters to their students, digitally, instead of handing out fifty pounds of textbooks at the beginning of the year? And when the schools are charged just for those chapters. Let's also think about this, backpacks featuring the Power Rangers and Barbie have wheels because our elementary kids are so weighted down with textbooks they can't carry them without hurting themselves! The cost of textbooks means schools use them over many years even history and science textbooks that are often out of date before the ink's even dry. So what happens when textbooks, just like your computer's virus protection, can be automatically updated overnight? Another consideration with these digitally published textbooks is the intellectual freedom. I'm sure I'm not the only one to read articles about how California and Texas determine the content of textbooks across the nation. That dominance will be hard to maintain when Mr. Smith the English teacher at Apple Valley Elementary can write his own textbook and publish it to the web. We're already starting to see the beginnings of this in "Web Quests" and other sites. Or what if Mr. Smith teamed up with a local historian to write and publish a textbook on history for your state? Or even your city?

Another thing I've wondered about from my perspective as a techie. If Microsoft can design an adaptive test that can tell within 27(?) questions whether or not I know the Windows operating system well enough to be certified an expert and deliver that test internationally via secured internet download to thousands of people every day, why can't we use the same technology to determine whether or not little Johnny knows how to conjugate verbs or has read and understood Shakespeare's The Tempest?

FYI, Education Week released their annual Technology Counts edition this month.

Yes, Gary mentioned this in his post that Technology Counts was out. I had to run & take a peek as I always love their reports. Thanks for posting the link.

In this month's Edutopia there's an article Taking Back the Class that gave "options for going off the script." One of those mentioned in the article is the Wikibooks project from the Wikipedia Foundation that offers an "open-content textbooks collection" in multiple languages. Watch out textbook publishers!

This month's Edutopia includes some more tidbits about technology in the classroom. One article highlights the website TeachersPayTeachers.com that lets teachers sell their lesson plans to other teachers. Another article discusses the pitfalls of "seeing is believing" on the web and offers advice to teachers on how to help students analyze whether or not a website is trustworthy. Another article looks at a subject we've already touched on in this thread...open source education resources.

On Oct 10th EdWeek hosted a web chat on new technology for teachers. The guest was Will Richardson, an education technology consultant and the author of Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for the Classroom. Click on http://www.edweek-chat.org/chat.php3 to view the chat.

We all know how the young people love their video games. Well the American Federation of Scientists have issued a report saying that video games can redefine education. The article at MSNBC goes on to discuss how education oriented video games might be used in education. To read more about this report click on Video games can reshape education.For a perspective on the American Federation of Scientists report check out this article from Newsweek, Look What I Learned!.

An interesting article. Though I disagree about private industry not making the investment. I got my younger brother addic...err...playing an online game many years ago, and I did it with the specific goal of helping his education. It was a text based game which helped not just his typing skills but also his reading and writing skills. It's been probably 8 years now since I originally got him playing that game, and he tells me it did help. This summer he did a turn about on me and got me playing a game called Puzzle Pirates. Unlike the one I got him playing, this is a commercial game (though you can play for free). It's been online for about 5 years now. It's certainly as addictive as other online games. It definitely builds the skills mentioned in the article "analytical thinking, team building, multitasking and problem-solving under duress". Groups of players form "crews" and "crews" form into "flags" working together to help each other in the game building those "team building" skills. It also teaches how to take orders from a boss (ship captain). These groups develop governance and political systems for their group (more team building...and a bit of civics). The game has puzzles within puzzles (multi-tasking, analytical skills). Many of these games build spacial reasoning and all involve strategy. The game also has a player run economy which not only teaches those analytical thinking, multi-tasking, and problem solving skills, but also mathematics and economic theory. It's kid friendly with "sword fights" being a tetris like game. The one who loses the game loses the fight. No fists flying. No blood. It also has a very amusing bad language sensor which keeps kids safe from foul language from adults. The game also has a built in system to report abuse to further protect players. Anyway now that I've given them a free advertisement. My first thought when he started me playing this was...I'd use this in the classroom. They're obviously making money at this as they've got over 2 million players world wide and the company is rolling out it's next game sometime in the near future. The article says "The gaming industry has already figured out that educational games don't make money in the consumer marketplace." I think the statement gives the answer to the problem and the Puzzle Priates game is an example of this. The gaming industry needs to first develop the game then find and bring out the "teachable moments" within it. Tammy