A Debriefing on Using Internet Research Resources

At the risk of interrupting the fine learning that is going on here, I thought I'd offer some of my experiences doing Internet research over the past several years. These are general hints that make me “functionally effective” and that incorporate “defacto standards” but is by no means the absolute last word on things. Those who want to check up on me will find that these tenets are not “correct everywhere” but they do work in most situations that you will come across. For the real answer on each of these items – explore the “help” or “how to search” or “search tips” page for your favorite search engine.

http://www.searchenginewatch.org is a great site to help you learn much of what you might like to know about your favorite search tools.

First of all I would like to admit (as many of you have as well) that I am a Google junkie. Why? – because it works. It helps me get things done, but I realized that I then often view the net through Googly Glasses. 0-0 When I break away I discover new things – that's good!

Always start with the “Basic Search” interface and progress to the “advanced interface” or Boolean queries only as needed.

Search Strings

Brainstorm with pencil and paper – go crazy!

“use quotes” for phrase searches – don't overuse or you'll over-limit your results

Do the plus minus dance. What will

+chocolate +cookie -chip

give you? (Other than a few extra pounds)

Combine the strategies above!

Use the singular form of words to broaden your search.

Use all lower case unless you want a proper name that will be found exactly that way.

Add details such as geographic place to limit results. +“radio shack” +”virginia beach” +VA

Search with unique values such as SKU or UPC code on products or phone numbers or other very specific data (e.g. Flight numbers, zip codes, dates, full names)

Use search engines for rather specific information queries.

Use directories for formatted / complied / sometimes reviewed sites and data. (Not a “broad source.”)

Use subject guides for expert information that has been reviewed by subject matter experts or guides. (e.g. http://www.about.com)

Use meta-search engines only when you need an exhaustive search or when the individual engines seem to be hit or miss on your query topic.

Use the “Deep Web” when you really need an exhaustive search of data that may be buried in .pdfs, databases, images or dynamically generated sites.

Make notes (electronic or hard copy) and bookmark or add favorites religiously when you search. Also print if you would like to read information offline or have a hard-copy record. Yes, I am appropriately ashamed but I still sometimes use paper.

http://www.dogpile.com has excellent white pages for finding folks who may have entered witness protection.

http://altavitsa.com is pretty good at finding specific media types like video, sound, etc.

http://www.youtube.com has a huge collection of varied video.

http://www.singingfish.com is another good media search engine.

http://www.google.com has an excellent image search engine.

http://ask.com is an excellent “natural language” search engine. You can just ask it a question like... Where can I find a periodic table of the elements? Try it! This sometimes works elsewhere as well.

Last but certainly not least I would like to register my opinion as to the http://www.wikipedia.com question.

I use it as a starting place for many searches that I perform. It gives me great background that I then amplify and confirm through multiple authoritative sources – at least when I have the time. If I don't have the time I am careful to limit my assumption of veracity/accuracy about what I have read. I personally think that we should teach kids of all ages to do the same in a developmentally appropriate manner.

Warm Regards on this “blustery day” (credit to Winnie the Pooh, aka Pooh Bear)

Tom Spencer

Technology Integration Assessment

Assess how technology is being utilized in “targeted areas of concern” based on SOL test performance. The questions that we will answer are:

Is there actual “integration” or is technology being added in to satisfy the requirement that technology be used?

Are students using the technology within the learning process, or is the teacher the primary user?

Are we getting students to “buy-in” to the learning activities that are conducted in service of the curriculum? Why or why not?

If there are differences – based on test scores – from classroom to classroom, we might want to find out what they are and use this information to prescribe a set of delivery models for curriculum that meets this data-based need.

We want to have students analyze the information in the curriculum, not just passively “receive it.”1 We want students to produce learning products that demonstrate their knowledge of the curriculum that has been covered. The immediate problem that this presents is that such project-based learning takes more time than typical lecture or worksheet methods of delivery. Therefore we must:

Carefully analyze and prioritize what areas of performance we need to impact
Develop in-depth learning experiences that target multiple areas of concern
Diligently prepare for the presentation of this content and the activities that the learners will perform to demonstrate their knowledge. Follow up at key points in time with activities that ask the learner to reflect on what they have learned prior to testing.

There is no magic bullet. We will find the most intractable problems – one at a time – and bang on them until they fall over. We will then proceed to the next problem, and the next. Along the way we should always be mindful that what we would like to create is a “distributed learning community,” where ideas are heartily debated on the basis of their value to the learning process that benefits the student.2 Where we encounter obstacles, the rubric that informs our decision-making process should be based on engaging the student in the learning process to the highest degree possible. Through this long-term concerted effort a culture of learning that values technology integration for its contribution to the learning process will emerge. Delivery models that were once thought of as indicative of “technology integration” will give way to new methods that engage students in higher – level thinking and move the performance of students beyond what is required by the SOL and demonstrate the Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) required of our schools.

1. "The results show significantly higher scores on measurements of information management, communication, and presentation of ideas for experimental groups with online access than for control groups with no online access. It offers evidence that using Scholastic Network and the Internet can help students become independent, critical thinkers, able to find information, organize and evaluate it, and then effectively express their new knowledge and ideas in compelling ways."
The Role of Online Communications in Schools: A National Study

http://www.cast.org/udl/index.cfm?i=121

2. " 'Distributed learning' is a term used to describe educational experiences that are distributed across a variety of geographic settings, across time and across various interactive media. Professional development via distributed learning involves an orchestrated mixture of face-to-face and virtual interactions, often centered on a “learning communities” model. Research shows that, in general, the integration of interactive media into student instruction or teacher professional development shapes the learning experiences of those involved (Dede, Whitehouse and Brown-L’Bahy 2002)."
Enabling Distributed Learning Communities Via Emerging Technologies - Part One

By Dr. Chris Dede, Harvard University

Technological Horizons in Education (T.H.E.) Journal

http://www.thejournal.com/magazine/vault/A4963.cfm


Copyright Tom Spencer 2004

Technology Integration Assessment

Assess how technology is being utilized in “targeted areas of concern” based on SOL test performance. The questions that we will answer are:

Is there actual “integration” or is technology being added in to satisfy the requirement that technology be used?
Are students using the technology within the learning process, or is the teacher the primary user?
Are we getting students to “buy-in” to the learning activities that are conducted in service of the curriculum? Why or why not?
If there are differences – based on test scores – from classroom to classroom, we might want to find out what they are and use this information to prescribe a set of delivery models for curriculum that meets this data-based need.

We want to have students analyze the information in the curriculum, not just passively “receive it.”1 We want students to produce learning products that demonstrate their knowledge of the curriculum that has been covered. The immediate problem that this presents is that such project-based learning takes more time than typical lecture or worksheet methods of delivery. Therefore we must:

Carefully analyze and prioritize what areas of performance we need to impact. Develop in-depth learning experiences that target multiple areas of concern. Diligently prepare for the presentation of this content and the activities that the learners will perform to demonstrate their knowledge. Follow up at key points in time with activities that ask the learner to reflect on what they have learned prior to testing

There is no magic bullet. We will find the most intractable problems – one at a time – and bang on them until they fall over. We will then proceed to the next problem, and the next. Along the way we should always be mindful that what we would like to create is a “distributed learning community,” where ideas are heartily debated on the basis of their value to the learning process that benefits the student.2 Where we encounter obstacles, the rubric that informs our decision-making process should be based on engaging the student in the learning process to the highest degree possible. Through this long-term concerted effort a culture of learning that values technology integration for its contribution to the learning process will emerge. Delivery models that were once thought of as indicative of “technology integration” will give way to new methods that engage students in higher – level thinking and move the performance of students beyond what is required by the SOL and demonstrate the Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) required of our schools.

1. "The results show significantly higher scores on measurements of information management, communication, and presentation of ideas for experimental groups with online access than for control groups with no online access. It offers evidence that using Scholastic Network and the Internet can help students become independent, critical thinkers, able to find information, organize and evaluate it, and then effectively express their new knowledge and ideas in compelling ways."
The Role of Online Communications in Schools: A National Study

http://www.cast.org/udl/index.cfm?i=121

2. " 'Distributed learning' is a term used to describe educational experiences that are distributed across a variety of geographic settings, across time and across various interactive media. Professional development via distributed learning involves an orchestrated mixture of face-to-face and virtual interactions, often centered on a “learning communities” model. Research shows that, in general, the integration of interactive media into student instruction or teacher professional development shapes the learning experiences of those involved (Dede, Whitehouse and Brown-L’Bahy 2002)."
Enabling Distributed Learning Communities Via Emerging Technologies - Part One

By Dr. Chris Dede, Harvard University

Technological Horizons in Education (T.H.E.) Journal

http://www.thejournal.com/magazine/vault/A4963.cfm


Copyright Tom Spencer 2004

Professional Development Design Proposal

Development of a "Distributed Learning Community" (Dede 2004) where teachers implementing structural change in the delivery models of technology - infused curriculum can find support for their efforts.1 This would be comprised of:
a series of planned face to face interactions an asynchronous collaboration environment that scaffolds their development process via (CMS) schedule of synchronous collaborations via H.323 videoconferencing "Virtual Office Hours" where synchrounous collaboration methodologies will be employed - whiteboarding, application sharing, chat and IM
This process will serve to support efforts to revamp curriculum delivery methods while modeling many of the collaborative twenty-first century communication skills that we want to impart to students. Teachers will find themselves becoming more comfortable with technology as they find support from instructional leaders and each other in this environment.2

1." 'Distributed learning' is a term used to describe educational experiences that are distributed across a variety of geographic settings, across time and across various interactive media. Professional development via distributed learning involves an orchestrated mixture of face-to-face and virtual interactions, often centered on a “learning communities” model. Research shows that, in general, the integration of interactive media into student instruction or teacher professional development shapes the learning experiences of those involved (Dede, Whitehouse and Brown-L’Bahy 2002)."
Enabling Distributed Learning Communities Via Emerging Technologies - Part One

By Dr. Chris Dede, Harvard University

Technological Horizons in Education (T.H.E.) Journal


http://www.thejournal.com/magazine/vault/A4963.cfm

2. "Integrating technology into teaching practices creates new roles for teachers. Technology offers just-in-time access to a vast storehouse of information and online learning communities for teachers' own professional growth and development. Teachers who have access to multime-dia resources, interactive tools, and online learning communities can stay abreast of the latest research information, changing pedagogical practices, and professional events. They can share lesson plans and seek each other's advice on a wide range of classroom topics and problems. One of technology's primary benefits is that it all but wipes away great physical distances and/ or time constraints by allowing teachers, either individually or in groups, to interact with other educators and experts in virtual learning communities when it is convenient for them."

Connecting to Information and Professional Development Opportunities

http://www.ncrel.org/tplan/handbook/sup7.htm

Copyright Tom Spencer 2004

On the Integration of Technology into the Learning Environment

The phrase “technology integration” strikes fear into the hearts of some and relief and excitement in others. Your perspective may be generalized loosely by your responsibilities associated with the phrase and might even be affected by your generation. Regardless of where you lie on the spectrum of reaction, the need to effectively use information technology in the educational and academic environments is not likely to go away any time in the near or even distant future. Business uses information technology to make gains in worker productivity and to leverage the analysis of digital information for decision support, often with a shrinking work force.

In the halls and classrooms of our schools our needs are very different. We are engaged in a process of indoctrinating the youth with our culture and values while preparing them for a changing economy and work force. The need to meet state and nationally mandated standards verified by high-stakes testing is the order of the day. The process of education is morphing to meet these new challenges in ways that are surprising to veteran practitioners. While we do not produce a “product” that is measurable in currency in an immediate way, we are engaged in efforts that will have a profound effect on the economy and character of the nation for decades to come.

Our youth are changing their expectations of the learning environment as well. Engaging the youth of today may take more than the best that lectures of yesterday had to offer. Contemporary learners are engaged by a high degree of individual control over the learning environment and tasks that are as authentic to the “real-world” as possible. The amount of information available to the young today and the variety of channels through which this information can be delivered has had a profound impact on the expectations that young learners have of the educational process. Fighting this process of change may prove to be futile, although there are adherents to this mentality. The future is here and it promises a process of constant change.

So how does one proceed to attempt effective integration of technology into the learning process? The conversation is best had about a specific discipline, thoughtfully and with reflection on the character of a specific group of students. There are however some general principles that can be stated.

There are three principles that should be applied when integrating technology into lesson planning. They are as follows:

Start with the curriculum in mind. We are all charged to teach something in particular. Regardless of how much latitude we have in defining exactly what the curriculum consists of, we must plan according to its content. Doing anything else is “missing the boat.” Furthermore standards - local, state and national help to define what is / should be acceptable in curriculum – thereby informing the process of curriculum development and associated teaching practice. In many cases – for better or worse – high stakes tests serve to evaluate the teaching of curriculum aligned with these standards.
Utilize all appropriate methods to deliver content to students. There is no reason to stop doing what works – e.g. using manipulatives or accessing hardcopy resources in the library. Stating that we are going to integrate technology into a lesson means that we are going to continue this process by including tools that will support varied learning styles (multiple intelligences), allow for acceleration of a process that is less efficient when done manually – e.g. writing a paper, and enhance critical thinking on the part of a learner. There are valid reasons for the integration technology into the business sector and more recently into our private lives. Technology helps us get things done, gives us added capabilities and access to a very powerful variety of information that when appropriately managed – gives us the knowledge to make better decisions. To ignore these facts is to be left behind. 1
Reflect on what learners need then study and use the body of current research to give it to them. Use this reflection and study to validate and improve on what you present to your students. There are many ways of looking at teaching and learning. B.F. Skinner believed that “expert knowledge” could be integrated into curriculum then be broken up into “digestible” bits of information which the learner could handle in sequence. (programmed instruction) He also promoted the use of teaching machines, with which the learner could interact to accomplish learning tasks, negating the need for a teacher. These theories have been eclipsed by both cognitive and social constructivism – whereby learners make their own meaning from their environment and through interaction with their peers and others. This has led to a changing role for the teacher. No longer are we asked to be a “Sage on the Stage” who knows everything about a specific subject area, we are now encouraged to be facilitators of learning “a Guide on the Side.” 3
These transitions are hard for some to accept. Resistance to change has been somewhat of a social constant in its own right. Taking the “long view” reminds us that we must learn from history rather than be doomed to repeat it. Change will happen whether or not we decide to accept it. The question is – what will we choose to do about it?

So what does effective “technology integration” look like? How would an administrator, fellow teacher or parent know they were seeing “effective technology integration” if they happened upon such a lesson being taught in any given classroom? The answer lies at the crossroads where mandated curriculum, designed to meet state and federal standards, and learner engagement with a well-prepared lesson delivered by a motivated and thoughtful educational professional using technology appropriate to the subject and learning that will take place meet. 2

The learners will be visibly and audibly engaged. Questions are not foisted upon the learners – they are likely to be generated by the learners. The curriculum rather than the technology is the centerpiece of the lesson. The learners want to know more, and they are engaged in an assignment where they will ultimately be able to demonstrate that they do. Cooperation and communication between students is emphasized in being able to complete the culminating tasks. The learners will not need a one to one computer to student ratio; rather they may divide the varied tasks required of them amongst themselves and then pursue them individually before coming back together with the group to negotiate the integration of the parts into the most meaningful whole.3

There is not an individual technology or use of a specific set of technologies that will be the “magic prescription” for technology integration. There is however, a thoughtful and deliberate process to engage learners using every means available most effectively. There is the motivation on the part of all stake-holders to see that the learning process informed by curriculum is at the center of our efforts at all times. The desire to achieve beyond our perceived limitations is evident in what we aspire to accomplish.

Copyright Tom Spencer 2006

1. "Schools, like many businesses today, are leveraging the power of technology to make their own operations- just like their students - smarter and more resourceful than ever."

'Smart' Technology Offers Schools New Solutions to Save Time and Money in the Changing Landscape of Education
Kevin Hunter, Director of Marketing Support, RISO Inc.
T.H.E. Journal September 2004

2. "In A Theory-Based Meta-Analysis of Research on Instruction, Robert J. Marzano analyzed the results of more than 100 research reports on instruction, involving more than 1.2 million subjects. The goal of the analysis was to identify those instructional strategies that have a high probability of enhancing student achievement for all students in all subject areas at all grade levels. [] Based on this meta-analysis, Marzano, Debra Pickering, and Jane Pollock identified and subsequently reviewed nine categories of instructional strategies that are most likely to lead to enhanced student achievement in their book, Classroom Instruction That Works: Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement. Many teachers are using these strategies, and they are asking how technology can be integrated with these strategies to improve student learning. In this article, we review the research-based instructional strategies and give concrete examples of readily available technology that support them."
Building Better Instruction
By Kathy Brabec, Kim Fisher, and Howard Pitler

http://www.iste.org/LL/31/5/06b/index.cfm

3. "Teachers in Papert's view, should serve as guides for students, immersing themselves in projects that bring together multiple areas of the curriculum." From Papert - "The goal should be to connect rich projects with powerful ideas."

The Daring Dozen
Compiled by the Edutopia Staff
Edutopia Volume 1 Issue 2 November / December 2004 pg.49
Tom Spencer Copyright 2004

Welcome to Learning With Technology

Welcome to "Learning With Technology" - a forum for those who are willing to experiment with anything that will help them conncect with their students. There is no need to be an expert in this space. We are here to help one - another in one of the most noble professions on the planet - teaching someone "how to learn."