In September
2011, the U.S. Department of Education sponsored a new project called Digital Promise. The bipartisan, public-private initiative
will fund research in educational technology and will bring leading technologies
into the classroom to help students with problem areas such as STEM subjects.
Review the main directions of this project using the provided link and post
your thoughts on which initiatives could be particularly helpful for the
development of next-generation learning environments in Alabama schools and
colleges. (Focus on your own subject area and grade level.)
I must admit, I sigh inwardly when I start to read something filled with buzzy words and the tone of a grant proposal. "Innovation"! "Iteration"! "Faster Delivery"! As I scanned the outline of the Digital Promise initiative, I saw very little to do with students and meaty learning. It mostly addressed "markets", "entrepreneurs" and the need to break down barriers allowing new products into new markets. Whether the initiative ultimately helps students (or is simply a way to reduce costs for schools and enrich tech entrepreneurs) remains to be seen.
ReplyDeleteOverall, bottom line, what I hope can be achieved in Alabama:
1. Reduce the absolutely obscene costs of textbooks in higher education
2. Deliver fresh, relevant, content to students–particularly in fast-changing subjects such as science (see the Nature Conservancy grant), journalism, social studies and economics.
3. Challenge and engage STEM students and innovators through games and grants
4. Use technology to turn certain instruction into game-based fun (ex. I have improved my French fluency ten-fold by using the game-based app Duolingo compared to my years of traditional lecture/book learning).
5. Continue connecting students with peers in other parts of the world, but also diverse groups in their city, state, or country (too often I think we neglect the diversity at our own doorstep).
I think that the STEM video challenge would be an initiative that would be very helpful in the state of Alabama. Many students love their video games and I think that by using that as a way to teach a student would really go far. I think it could be used in a multitude of ways for a math class, from elementary up to high school. I would hope that the video games would help the students not only crunch the numbers, but also start to see the patterns in the different maths and be able to really begin to understand the concepts. I think that would truly help a lot of students that possibly struggle in mathematics.
ReplyDeleteI would like to see the tech support enhanced. When you are a teacher or student using the system and something begins to go crazy with a program or the machine itself, you should be able to make a quick phone call or email to someone that can help get things back on track. When you are learning math, you really don't want a student to get incorrect information. Also, if the computer is messing up, you wouldn't want the student to get frustrated and just not do anything. I think it is imperative that if the schools are going to use technology, then they should have a support that is available 24 hours a day for students, teachers, and administration.
I also hope that Alabama would be able to figure a way to reduce the cost of the growing technology. I think it is a cost that not only do the schools struggle with, but also the parents that must pay astronomical fees. Many parents don't have the money to pay a $200.00 insurance on a MacBook per child. I think I would prefer to go and buy my own and use it every year.
I think that the Digital Promise would be most helpful in my field of study through the "digital tutoring" initiative. I hope to teach on the 12th grade level, and I want my students to be prepared for life after college. Having access to professionals in their field for learning experience is something that only happens on the job. With this technology, students would have the opportunity to become experienced before ever having a job.
ReplyDeleteThis technology can also help in my content area. I would like to teach Government and Economics, so if any political official or economist was willing to tutor the students in certain areas of interest it could be very effective.
The rapid testing of new technologies will also help us insure that we are using the best and most efficient technology available in our teaching. This will help our students remain up to date when they reach the next level of education or enter the work force.
Most of the programs and initiatives brought up within Digital Promise seem to emphasize technical skills. As a future history teacher, I found few things that directly related to my field. However, several points are of interest to me. First off the goal of decreasing costs of school supplies- namely textbooks. Digital books and online resources would greatly reduce the costs to schools and therefore make said resources more available. Online tutors would also be of great help to students.
ReplyDeleteI am also intrigued about the use of video games- not creating them, but playing them. A number of games already market themselves on historical accuracy and I'm sure students would jump at the chance to explore digitally-constructing places and periods from history. (JBelina)
I was very impressed by the Digital Promise initiative. K-6 grades have been completely left behind in tech advancements. For many schools SmartBoards are as advanced as they have. SmartBoards are useful, but they are also far from cutting edge. Also, students rarely interact with them. Teachers I have observed use them for little more than Powerpoint projecting. Students have mobile devices that are more advanced and interesting to them than anything they will see in school.
ReplyDeleteI understand the fear of letting tech into classrooms until it has been thoroughly tested for pedagogical value. That process is killing any chance of innovation. If a company has an amazing cutting edge tech, why would they bother marketing it to schools? Their product would be caught up in endless testing and research loops. By the time the product ever reached the market, it would be completely out of date. As this initiative encourages, the process of tech development and deployment into classrooms needs to be streamlined. Neither the technological innovator nor the government bureaucrats should be deciding the best classroom application for students. As teachers, that is our job.
Alabama K-6 schools are particularly behind in STEM. The state should be fully investigating how to get involved with initiatives such as this. I would love to teach at a test site school. Not every innovation would work out, but I could offer teaching through and with next generation technology to 1st or 2nd grade students. Young children from all backgrounds could have access to tech that has been the traditional bastion of the privileged. For some, it might open avenues to STEM careers, which have good salaries.
The Digital promise appears to be helpful when fully enacted. Learning speed and efficiency would increase and the methods used to better learning would be improved. Allocating grant money to aid researchers in developing technology such as systems for children with hearing disabilities would greatly improve the learning outcome by students of all learning speeds. Using technology in education such as the Geo Games can appeal more to the students because the work appears to be a game. The method that I found to be the most helpful was the STEM Video Game Challenge. This program will make STEM subjects more appealing to kids by incorporating the subject material into a video game.
ReplyDeleteThere are times when I feel that I may be "old school" when it comes to technology in the classroom. I do not always like the thought of using a lot of technology. However, I recognize that the students will respond well to using technology. They like it. They understand it. Therefore, to best help my students, I have to do my best to find ways to incorporate the use of technology in a math classroom.
ReplyDeleteThis all being said, I am typically hesitant to new technology. I do not want my students to be using something that is unreliable. I like the part of the Digital Promise that wants to research and test the usefulness and effectiveness of a new technology as quickly and accurately as possible. Some technology will work and others will not, and I like that this initiative wants to quickly find the best technology so it can be put to use.
The link mentions early on about the use of a digital tutor and how it can help a student understand material faster. While I prefer face to face tutoring, this would be an incredible tool if it truly helps the students. Math is probably the most common subject that students need a tutor for. I want my students to succeed and if a digital tutor helps them, then I want them to have the best. I believe the Digital Promise's goal is to find what is best for all students.
In my reading, I found the New Investments by NSF, the League of Innovative Schools, and the STEM video game challenge to be potentially helpful for the development of the next generation learning environments, especially in math. The investment that NSF is making in the development of the next generation learning environment is going toward online tutors that check to see what level of learning a student is on and tailors strategies and lessons after the information gained on the student. At our school, we used IReady as an initiative. It assesses students using a diagnostic test, and then, it introduces lessons to the students that were on their level of learning. This was a great initiative when the students took it seriously. We definitely could use more of those type of programs, in addition to a live online tutor.
ReplyDeleteThe League of Innovative Schools is great because the entrepreneurs who create these amazing products for our schools need a way to test their product to prove that it is beneficial for our students and the upcoming learning environment. The entrepreneurs need what I call an open door policy to encourage them to continue on with the inventing of their new tools and products. If they do not see an opportunity to test it and sell it, they can very well move on to another industry that has nothing to do with learning technologies or improving educational outcomes. There should definitely be more schools collaborating like the League. I really wonder if Alabama have schools that are used to test different learning technologies before they are introduced to administration. I was also interested in the challenges brought up by the Council of Economic Advisers in their new analysis. Their number on challenge involved the producers of the learning technologies not having a way to show the benefits and effectiveness of their product. I believe if more schools would collaborate like the League of Innovative Schools, these producers would have no problem finding a school(s) to test or try the new product to help them get data and stats to prove the effectiveness of their product.
The STEM Video Game Challenge is definitely my number one choice from the list of initiatives. Let's face it, this generation and the upcoming generation is more into video games than any other generation. It is what sparks our students' interest, especially the young men. It could very well do the same for more young ladies, if the characters and themes were appealing to girls. If the Common Core Standards are incorporated into the games and if students are allowed to create their own video games pertaining to standards, this can make STEM more exciting.
Reading the Digital Promise fact sheet is exciting to know what is currently occurring and how students learn technology. Out of the three challenges listed "Learning faster what's working and what's not" is the most important. This is an issue that plagues public schools where leadership is stuck in their own ways without putting more effort to adapt to modern times. Their examples of Amazon and Netflix set an ideal goal of how fast technology courses should adapt to their audience.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate how the sheet acknowledges STEM video game challenge and Valve's Portal 2 challenge. This market is innovative, lucrative, and appeals to all ages. I see great potential in this market for young students to become young entrepreneurs using STEM skills in order to create Portal 2 puzzles and/or start new video game franchises. I want to see the full potential in the video game market to its fruition, and notice more STEM influence in the production as well.
After reading the article called Digital Promise I found new investments by NSF on cyber-learning pretty interesting. The part I found most interesting was where it stated they supported research in developing next generation learning environments, and one way was through online tutors. I find that fascinating. This could come very helpful for students in my science classes. I hope that the way I present information all my students we be able to obtain the information, but this isn't always the case. With students having the resource to an online tutor who can track their progress, maybe he or she could explain the material in a different way that the student can understand better.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the article called Digital Promise I found new investments by NSF on cyber-learning pretty interesting. The part I found most interesting was where it stated they supported research in developing next generation learning environments, and one way was through online tutors. I find that fascinating. This could come very helpful for students in my science classes. I hope that the way I present information all my students we be able to obtain the information, but this isn't always the case. With students having the resource to an online tutor who can track their progress, maybe he or she could explain the material in a different way that the student can understand better.
ReplyDeleteThe Digital Promise has several interesting topics in it. The digital tutor is a great idea. It is not always easy for a student to find a qualified tutor that can work with their schedule. This opens up doors for students to get the extra help when it is convenient and for as long as needed. We should provide as many resources as possible to our students. The projects funded from the new investments by NSF will also open up many doors. I really like that some of the projects are directed towards those with disabilities. We have to make sure we are giving all of our students opportunities to grow and succeed. The STEM Video Game Challenge is a point that just makes sense. What better way to get students motivated and learning than to do it through a video game. Our generation today loves video games. I plan to work with K-6, and I think it is a great way to promote learning in Alabama or anywhere. I work with Pre-K in the Baldwin County school system. Our students do a program called Waterford that helps them with math and reading. They enjoy getting on the computer, and we can see the results from them working with the program. The program also keeps records, so we are able to see if there is an area that needs more attention.
ReplyDeleteThe Digital Promise has both positive and negative sides to it, as does most everything. To begin, I feel that the "three key challenges" are ongoing challenges that may never be fully mastered. With that being said, this is why they are "challenges" with this program and should be viewed as such and should almost just be overlooked. We all know technology is rapidly changing and with that comes outdated material every few months and/or years. This makes presenting new technology (after being tested) and being able to bring that technology into a system much more of a challenge in the long-run.
ReplyDeleteOverall, I believe having technology in the learning environment is, with today's tech-run world, a lucrative development and should be implemented. Although the cost of equipment may be on the higher side in the beginning, once in place it can cut down on other material costs the system uses (books, paper, etc.). With the help of partnered technology companies and the NSF, I feel digital learning will continue to become more of a success.
Much of the primary school age children of Alabama, and I suspect the rest of the states, have an increasing infatuation with technology and video gaming systems making it easy to assume that incorporating education into this infatuation will further the education department's main focus. The STEM Video Game Challenge is but one of the many great ideas that will continue to help stimulate learning in children. What child doesn't love to "play" on a computer as well as see results?
Research and prototypes are a great factor within the Digital Promise and I believe some of the ideas will be useful. Family learning is a good idea, but my concern is with that comes risk of damaged or wrongfully used equipment. This would be something that would need much consideration before putting into place.
In conclusion, I fully agree with the use of technology in the school system and the Digital Promise is using the correct portals for growth. Although Alabama's public school system doesn't have unlimited funds at hand, this is something they should continue to use. We use simple programs on iPads at the school I am currently employed, but would like to see more added to that as there is financial help to be made use of. Using these systems will not only help children of today, but hopefully the help from these companies on board will make learning fun from now on. As long as they are making sure progress is continually being made (through periodic studies), the Digital Promise will make drastic changes in the future.
The Digital promise makes large promises, which, if fulfilled would benefit schools greatly. I enjoyed seeing that people were thinking financially as to how we can get more for less. In education it seems that money is constantly being siphoned away instead of given to, so any time I see people working smarter for the advancement of their students, even in testing, it seems intelligent. I work on the elementary level, so I was also interested in the "GeoGames". I think that learning about other places at a younger level is very beneficial to all students. It also brings the standards alive as we are teaching about maps. It allows students to have an entry point. I look forward to them bringing more STEM challenges to the lower level. I think that programming is very helpful to teaching problem solving and pushing understanding to a deeper level. Many of the new investments with Cyber-learning will be amazing! The question is, how will they get the information out, and how will they work when classrooms begin using them. I am very excited to see the benefits of these amazing websites and this initiative.
ReplyDeleteI think ever changing technology is important in the world of special education. I think learning through up to date games is really cool and could see if being really nice for a lot of general education subject areas. I think one of the most important areas that digital promise will benefit is the area of communication for non-verbal students. Currently there are a lot of apps that give audio feedback when a certain button is touched and student can request or give information with this technology, but there are still many areas that need improving. If there were constantly people out reviewing and updating technology this would be very helpful for the students I teach.
ReplyDeleteI can think of a lot of areas that would benefit from digital promise. A good example would be the student that does not have the skill to drive a car, but needs to learn in order to become as independent as possible. Keeping up to date and improving real life situation such as this would be a huge benefit for that population of students. There could also be countless areas that we could use current technologies to teach job related skills for students that need that extra help learning those type of skills.
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ReplyDeleteI think that the STEM video challenge or digital promise, would be extremely helpful in really any level of education. I have always been told great teachers should be able to adapt their teaching styles and be able to use all types of learning methods to reach every student in his or her classroom. I also believe that any time you can integrate (and not solely rely) on technology in your classroom, you are only benefiting your students. Every student when they leave your class and eventually go into the “real world” They will have to be able to have tech literacy and be able to adapt to using any new or updated software out in the market at the time they choose their desired carrier. This initiative also preaches learning faster by being efficient. We all know that no matter if you are rich or poor everyone has 24 hours in a day, I am all on board for efficient teaching so we can fit in as much needed information within the time the students are with you.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this is was a little confused. It focused more on marketing, development and sales more than it did on education. The article did not make a lot of sense to me. From what I understood the idea of Digital Promise is to develop new techniques of teaching and software that are not out of date and produces quicker and better results.
ReplyDeleteEducation like the everything else is the world is being to drift toward being tech dominant. Digital Promise would be great for secondary education students but for elementary education students that i hope to teach it would be harder getting them use to the software than getting them to learn from. Its would be a great way to get younger kids excited and show them fun ways to learn. The Robots that use nonverbal ques to teach vocabulary would be great for younger children who are really beginning to learn to read. The virtual tutors would also be great because it adjust to the kids comprehension level and develops teaching strategies for that level. Digital Promise in theory is a pretty good idea but think it might be more trouble than it is worth.
Within this article the information that I found most interesting (and applicable to my content area) would be the National Stem Video Game Challenge. Not only are the games these students creating geared towards STEM education, but also they are applying principles of art and elements of design to their game concepts. So truthfully, the act of creating these games is in line with STEAM education.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of creating video games definitely piques student interest, as many of them play video games. The career field of animation and game design is increasing, and more universities are expanding those particular departments. This Video Game Challenge also provided game design workshops to students, educators, and parents throughout the nation. The Challenge encourages those students interested in game design to compete and in turn, interested other students who enjoy playing video games in playing the finished products, all while learning STEM based education. Through the creation of these games, doors were opened for students who may not otherwise have access to STEM based education
I think that the National Science Foundations impact on cyber learning will be an enormous asset to all of us in the educational field. With its financial contributions that will allow the advancement of technology to be used in helping students take advantage in the use of robotics. I think that the use of using the online tutors will accommodate students in a more comfortable environment in implementing learning strategies that works best for them. I find the STEM video challenge to be an exciting concept to get students to engage in a more in-depth avenue into the core subjects, where they enjoy learning more because the concept is something they are familiar with and can identify themselves using that as a learning tool.
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