The 2009 Horizon Report

ALRIGHT
I, luckily, did not have a heart attack, though this one is about 1/8^th the quality of the first one. But on the bright side, that’s also 1/8^th of the quantity so it’s less for you guys to read :-D! If you want more information, the article is 34 pages long and says a whole lot more than I do.

Hope you all had nice breaks,

Nandi

The Horizon Report: 2009 K-12 Edition

Summary

The Horizon Report summarizes six emerging technologies that are potentially useful in the K-12 classroom.

The technologies are chosen from hundreds of potential technologies that have been written about as being upcoming technologies in the field of education. The researchers first read many articles and other research about each of the technologies being considered.Next, the advisory board, which made up of leaders in business, industry and education, is asked a set of questions to help the researchers narrow down what to include. From there, 12 technologies are chosen for further research. The six found in the article are the most promising of these 12.

The emerging technologies are organized into three adoption horizons that predict when these technologies will be adopted into mainstream education.

One Year or Less

Collaborative Environments

Collaborative Environments are virtual workplaces that students and teacher can use to communicate. They range from relatively simple online tools like wikis and Google Docs to complex three dimensional virtual worlds and multiplayer gaming environments.
The value given to collaboration is increasing around the world as people are expected to collaborate across an increasing number of geographic and cultural boundaries. These online tools help support this societal trend.

An example of collaborative environments that pertains to elementary education can be found at:
http://mscofino.edublogs.org/projects
In this example, students from kindergarten to fifth grade collaborate with peers from around the world using technologies such as social networking tools, blogs and wikis.
Further examples can be found on pages 11 and 12 of the text.

Online Communication Tools

Online communication tools are exactly what they say, software or websites to communicate using the internet. Included are instant messengers (AIM), video conferencing (Skype), and micro-blogging (Edmodo or Twitter) technologies. Online communication tools put students in contact with distant family members, experts and peers. This is useful because students need social interaction and meetings with experts in the fields. This is not always possible since field trips are expensive and take a lot of time. These communication tools are usually very cheap or free and can be used from anywhere in the world at any time of the day.

An example that can be used in an upper elementary setting is Zoey’s Room. This is an online community for middle school aged girls that deals with science, mathematics, and technology.
More examples can be found on page 15 of the text.

Two to Three Years

Mobiles

Features of modern cell phones such as GPS, third party applications, and web browsing capabilities make them ideal for use in the classroom.
While many school systems ban personal cellular devices, some are learning that they can be useful, with some school systems opting for small devises like iPhones rather than personal computers for student web browsing.

An example of an activity for the elementary classroom can be found in the form of the iPod Touch Application, Kids’ Fraction Fun. This application helps students practice the skills they are learning in class.
Examples of how to further incorporate mobile phones into the classroom can be found on page 18.

Cloud Computing

The cloud refers to computing resources resulting from large “data farms,” which are data centers that host thousands of servers. Many large scale websites like Google and Amazon use the cloud to host a large amount of information that can be found relatively quickly. This requires multiple computers for data storage. This storage is usually very cheap, making the tools that rely on the cloud often very cheap or free. A downside to this is that data storage is in the hands of outside providers rather than on your own computer. So, if the providers of Facebook decided to no longer provide storage, all your data would be lost.

A website that could prove useful for elementary teachers is CloudTrip: Education. This is a directory of cloud based applications. Teachers can download cloud based applications that deal with digital storytelling, student portfolios, and many other aspects of education.
More examples of how to use cloud computing are shown on page 21.

Four to Five Years

Smart Objects

A smart object is any physical object that includes an identifier that can track information about the object. Any item can be made into a smart object by attaching radio-frequency identification tags. More complex smart objects contain computers and have the ability to sense position, light, heat, color, and proximity to other smart objects among many other capabilities. These are very relevant to teaching because any object can become a source for learning. The technology to create a smart object out of anything is not yet readily available in the mainstream for teachers.

The LeapFrog Tag “pen” (I think we talked about this in reading) is an example of a smart object tool that is useful in a primary setting. With this pen, the student can interact with special books to listen to the story, play games, and learn about the pictures.
Further examples can be found on pages 24 and 25 of the text.

The Personal Web

The personal web refers to a collection of tools, widgets, and services that handle developing and organizing online content. These tools try to take the large amount of information on the web and tailor it to an individual’s personal needs.
Many web browsers use this on a small scale by providing personalized start up pages and the technology is readily available. Policy designed to protect students from encountering harmful material on the internet helps to hinder these technologies by limiting access to valuable educational content.

The personal web can be used in an upper elementary classroom by using a custom social networking application like Elgg with which teachers can create a class-wide student network for research links, discussion, media files, and other information.
Further examples can be seen on pages 28 and 29.

Discussion

Based on the grades you hope to teach in the future, which of these technologies, if any, do you think will be the most useful in your classrooms?
Are there any other technologies that you think would be useful in the elementary classroom?

Activity Types Approach

As we are all aware, the usage of technology in elementary schools is minimal and unfamiliar to many teachers. I believe our generation of teachers will be able to change this perception as we become more educated in our curriculum classes and further immersed into our field experiences. Even if teachers are not particularly well versed in technology, they can still incorporate it into their lessons. Knowing your students’ needs and interests, however, are by far the most important facets to consider when constructing a lesson plan. Tech-Integrated Planning, by Judi Harris and Mark Hofer, highlights the proper steps to take when integrating technology into the classroom. First, the technology must align with the nationwide and statewide curriculum standards. Since much of the world in which we live centers on the progression and development of technological resources, technology in the classroom should be reinforced by content-based learning activities. I have summarized the article’s technology planning instruction for your benefit and future usage.

1) Choose learning goals.

a. Teachers should align their planning with the district, state, and national content based curriculum standards.

2) Make pedagogical decisions.

a. Consider eight pedagogical decisions when you are planning.

1) Who will direct the learning? Student or the teacher.

2) Are you able to draw inferences from previous lessons?

3) How can you activate students’ background knowledge? Ways to Engage?

4) Is higher-level thinking addressed?

5) How long does your lesson last?

6) Does this lesson need step-by-step directions? Or are the students able to explore the topic for themselves?

7) Who would this lesson best be directed towards? Whole group, small group, or individual instruction.

8) What other resources will be needed in order to complete this lesson?

3) Select activity types to combine.

a. Varying subjects differ in terms of inquiry, instruction, and learning activity types.

4) Select assessment strategies.

a. Formative and summative assessment should align with the standards just like the pedagogical decisions.

5) Select tools/resources.

a. The main goal of Grounded Tech Integration is as follows: “ If teachers choose learning goals in accordance with students’ learning needs, if they make pedagogical decisions according to instructional and contextual realities, and if they select learning activity types (including assessment strategies) to match those goals and realities, then the instructional plan is likely to succeed.”

The underlying question arises, “ How do we integrate technology effectively in K – 6 literacy learning?” Technology should not be used as an addendum to regular curriculum, but integrated within our lessons on a continual basis. Students will then become more familiar with the educational technology accessible to them, as well as, become better readers and writers in the process. In the article, Grounded Technology Integration Using K – 6 Literacy Learning Activity Types, Schmidt et. al concludes, “Grounded technology integration is based in content, pedagogy, and how teachers plan instruction.”

The first three subcategories include: Pre - Reading activity types, During –Reading activity types, and Post – Reading activity types. The subcategories for writing mimic those of the reading categories. It is not always necessary for teachers to implement technology in all three categories. I do believe, however, teachers could potentially use technology in at least one of the three subcategories. Although not all 88 activity types are included in this article, sample activity types are classified to support the two literacy processes: reading and writing.

The pre-reading activity I found to be the most interesting were the literature circles. I believe this activity would be most effective for upper elementary students (grades 3 – 5), during book clubs or small cooperative groups formed by interest or ability level. Furthermore, “digital book talks” could be implemented in order to connect schools across the world. As a result, students will be able to build ideas and knowledge upon cooperating with their peers within their class and beyond their own classroom boundaries. What reading activity could you see using in your classroom? How could you use this activity for different types of learners? The writing process learning activity types were all thought provoking. I found the brainstorming activity type to be the most useful across all grades. Concept-mapping software is a simple, yet effective way of outlining important topics and their supporting details. I believe you could use concept-mapping software in all disciplines. What writing activity could you see using in your classroom? How could you use this activity for different types of learners?

In conclusion, knowing your students instructional needs is the most important when planning a lesson. I believe it is important to have a balance between traditional instruction and technological instruction. Traditional instruction is appropriate when learning basic math facts or writing a paragraph on character development. What subjects would be more effectively taught in terms of instruction and learning activity types? When using technology appropriately and within the confines of the standards, the positives of integrating technology outweigh the negatives. For example, technology provides students with automatic feedback. Students are able to print out what has been completed on the computer to share with their peers and teacher. The Activity Types approach allows teachers to classify their activities found in textbooks with the current standards.

Thank you! J