Discussant Presentation:

The Change AgentsEDUC 5205

Laurie CorriganMarc Longo

Joyce Thomas

Article Summary

Change agent 1: Democratization of Learning

• With a plethora of free and easily accessible info available to students, teachers are being challenged on their knowledge but some embrace it as a way to identify student interests and expand on topics• Teachers need to assess student prior knowledge and design

instruction with individualized learning paths• Include digital content whenever possible, but choose content by

filtering it through the school curriculum

Article Summary

Change agent 2: Participatory Learning

• Collaboration is important to learning, and currently this is underutilized• The internet could facilitate additional collaboration• International connections: Students can learn about things like media

bias by speaking directly to the people in different areas of the world that are making news• Collaboration should be stressed over competition within education

Article Summary

Change agent 3: Authentic Learning

• Students want to know about the complexities of the world today, and this type of learning is very engaging• Three things that are critical to authentic learning:• Work must have meaning to students outside of the classroom• In-depth study into the subject area so that students can become experts• Students use what was learned to produce something

Article Summary

Change agent 4: Multimodal Learning

• Learning is improved through a combination of text and visuals because the brain processes these two things differently• “Students need to be prepared not only to interpret and analyze such

media, but also compose and produce communication using such media”• Teachers should encourage the inclusion of visuals (eg. graphs) in student

work• Digital Storytelling is another useful medium for classroom use

Democratization of Learning…

Please welcome our special guests!

Cheryl Lemke

• Cheryl Lemke is the CEO of the Metiri Group, a learning technology consulting firm based in Los Angeles, California.

• Earlier in her career she taught high school mathematics for nine years, in both inner city and rural settings.

• 25 years’ experience in public education, she has held positions as the state technology director in Washington, the associate superintendent for learning technology for the Illinois State Board of Education and the executive director for the Milken Exchange on Education Technology for the Milken Family Foundation.

• Cheryl has published articles and appeared in a variety of media outlets such as Education Week, eSchool News, THE Journal, and numerous other publications.

• Cheryl has served on the Executive Board for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) for two terms and has been honoured by professional organisations throughout the United States.

• Tech Forum. (2014). Insight and Innovation for Technology Leaders. Retrieved from http://www.techlearning.com/events/techforum/Sd06/speakers#sthash.yZHmW4T5.dpuf

Edward Coughlin

• Ed Coughlin is the Senior Vice-President of the Metiri Group. Mr. Coughlin has over 20 years of experience in professional development related to technology at the local, state, and national levels.

• He is the primary author of a recent publication of the Milken Exchange, The Professional Competency Continuum: Professional Skills for the Digital Age Classroom.

• One of the principal Designers of a web-based assessment tool that will be used in large-scale professional development initiatives in several states in the United States.

• He is a frequent presenter at national and regional conferences and is currently serving as a consultant on statewide training projects in Washington, North Dakota, and Illinois.

• Ed was previously the director of the Area One Learning Technology Hub, an intermediate state technology support office, which served more than 1300 schools in the Chicago area.

• Metiri Group. (2014). Metiri Group Educational Technology – 21st Century Skills. Retrieved from http://metiri.com/team/ed-coughlin/

Question 1

Given that it has been five years since you have co-authored the article, what barriers still exist to the democratization of the learning process? What barriers have been eliminated?

Question 2

Given the focus in the US and Canada on the standardization of learning through state and provincial assessments, should we be using technology and its applications as a part of the standardized tests in use. In other words, if these elements are 21st century necessary skills, then why is the evaluation of technology and its applications, not part of state and provincial assessments?

Question 3

Research has indicated that teachers typically use technologies they are familiar with, often as a result of colleagues’ influence. How can this technological design process be implemented in secondary and elementary schools, and/or adult learning environments using the technologies you discussed?

Question 4

E-learning is a viable learning opportunity, however, all too often it turns into a correspondence course. How can e-learning be used more effectively, given current technological resources in schools?

Question 5

The article stated that now is an ideal time to initiate changes because funding has "opened a window for opportunity". If funding is an issue (whether in the United States or other countries), how would the strategies that you have outlined be modified? What is your take on the BYOD (bring your own device) policy that is becoming common in many schools in Ontario?

Question 6

What will the K-12 classroom look like in 10 years? 20 years?

Question 7

What could be the biggest challenges facing school leadership? For example, hiring the next generation of teachers when we are facing declining enrolment? (A year fifteen teacher, who graduated from university between 1995 and 2000, may very well still be teaching in 20 years.)

Question 8

Recently, educational theorists have espoused on the value of collaboration as an essential 21st century skill. Currently, both Skype and Twitter have great potential as participatory learning venues. Interestingly, their value may be greatest in terms of both an out of classroom learning experience and a socially motivated method of communication. Please comment.

Question 9

In the article the democratization of knowledge is listed as change agent one. Is the implication that the foundation of 21st century learning is an individualized learning pathway, WHERE ACCESS TO KNOWLEDGE IS LESS PRECRIBED (not a textbook) AND TEACHER CONTROLLED? What is the balance between an individualized learning pathway and an opportunity to collaborate with others?

Question 10

With the overwhelming amount of technology available, why do gaps in the understanding of how to use this technology for educational purposes persist among students? Is the use of technology at the point of learning, a ‘GAP CLOSER’ and ‘EDUCATIONAL PLAYING FIELD LEVELER’, or another way in which the socio-economically disadvantaged are falling further behind?

Question 11

How can teachers ensure that authentic learning takes place using technology?

Question 12

Given the status of our new generation of students as digital natives, the extreme amount of digital content that they process everyday can often amount to "white noise". However, this bombardment of media has not shown an increase in Ontario students' skills in the interpretation and analysis of graphical text. This seems counter-intuitive. How can three-dimensional learning be achieved from learning experiences based primarily on digital content?

Question 13

In a final reflection, based on your development and testing of Dimensions21, the comprehensive tool for evaluating school or district status in supporting 21st Century Skills, what starting point would you advise leaders to focus on understanding first before implementing a school or organisation plan for technology?

Questions from the class…

Final Reflection Activity

Please go to the link below and give us your input on Padlet:

http://padlet.com/wall/jwbrk9frbd

References

Lemke, C. & Coughlin, E. (2009). The change agents. Educational Leadership, 67(1), 54-59. Retrieved from: http://mrborden.edublogs.org/files/2012/07/Tech_M3_Reading_The_Change_Agents-w1hzma.pdf