Horizon Report- K-12: 2012
From the Horizon Report K - 12 Edition, read "Key Trends," "Significant Challenges," and "Mobile Devices and Apps." Respond to the class Blog by identifying which of the trends, challenges, and mobile devices/apps you think deserve the most consideration.
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ReplyDelete1. Key Trends
ReplyDeleteI think the idea of BYOD is awesome in current classrooms. In Korea, about half of students have smartphones and most of them have laptops or PCs at home. Even if everyone cannot bring their own device, I suppose that I can design group activities for BYOD programs. Then one of the group members can bring his or her digital device to complete their work. In this case, the school does not have to spend a lot of money on technology and the students can learn how to use digital devices to facilitate their learning.
2. Significant Challenges
Actually, I don't know about the school system in the U.S. since I am an international student here. But regarding the school system in Korea, teachers have few opportunities to learn about technology for teaching. (That's why now I am taking DML Practicum.:)I'm so happy to learn a lot about technology. ) Almost every other month, Korean public school teachers participate in educational training programs about dealing with trouble-making students or counselling students. However, I haven't received any trainings in digital media literacy. So whenever I wanted to use digital media in my class, I had to google it or ask my friends's help in order to decide which program I would use and to learn how to use it. However, even though I learned how to use some computer programs, I was not able to create my own work but to copy or modify others' work. As mentioned in the article, digital literacy is dealing with thinking. Therefore, if teachers receive various kinds of training about various ideas of designing lessons with technology, they will be able to create their own ways of using digital media considering their students' interests.
3. Mobile Devices&Apps
All the apps mentioned in the article look fantastic. But the one that catches my eyes is Toontastic. Now, I'm working on creating a blog about learning English grammar, and I am looking for good websites and apps to support students' self-directed learning. I think Toontastic is the one. Toontastic is the app that people can create cartoons by making up a story with pictures. In an English classroom,for example, a teacher can design a group activity with using this app. The teacher divides the students into several groups and each of the groups is in charge of making a cartoon strip including phrasal verbs or grammar rules they want to teach other groups. This activity is student-centered and the students can learn about linguistic features with interesting cartoons drawn by their friends. I also found a similar app in Android markets, called 'RoidRage Comic Maker'. I will definitely use this app for my own RSG project and later in my class, too.
NMC Horizon Report is a yearly international publication that focuses on the impact of emerging technologies in learning environments and specifically in K-12, higher education, and museum education. The 2012 report is the tenth edition and it was developed by an extensive group of technology professionals, faculty leaders, teachers, writers, and thinkers from both education and business realms. The three first chapters of the K-12 report discuss key trends, significant challenges, and Mobile Devices and Apps, in a very direct and informative manner. Of all the issues presented, I found the increasingly presence of mobile devices in schools of special interest. This topic is repeated in all three chapters in more or less explicit forms. In the Key Trends chapter the third trend listed is the relevancy of the “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) programs. Mobile devices are becoming more accessible for students thanks to both a considerable drop in technology costs and more permissive policies from school districts. Economics is often a driving force in policy and in this case it is being significantly influential in breaking the still common policies banning on mobile devices in the schools. BYOD programs allow to schools to reduce expenditures while spending less money on technology overall . In the second issue of Significant Challenges, the increased blending of formal and informal learning is revealed. The paradigm of formal learning being composed of lectures and testing is being partially replaced by new approaches that include internet videos and the use of mobile devices, preserving class time for discussions and collaborations with classmates. Finally in the chapter about Mobile devices and Apps an important consideration again related to the use of mobile devices in class is formulated: a successful shift from a traditional to a mobile learning environment still requires considerable amount of planning and research. Economy is again a key factor is this educational shift as described in the The Wall Street Journal article “My Teacher is an App” when affirming that the growth of cybereducation is likely to affect school staffing, which accounts for about 80% of school budgets. But beyond this economic consideration I believe that many apps available in mobile devices can help students in combination with class curriculum to understand difficult material.
ReplyDeleteThe two key trends emerging I find the most relevant and compelling are 1) the shift in education toward more hybrid/collaborative learning and 2) the emphasis placed on more active/challenging learning. Considering the infinite possibilities, why would we not implement technology into some aspect of every lesson? I like the idea of leading students to a place where they can eventually select their own technology tools to complete tasks and assignments (duh, real life!). Considering global trends it's imperative that we prepare students to grow and become participants in this changing global economy. As we read recently, the students of today will need the knowledge and the wherewithal to tackle the world's problems... Increased collaboration, garnering resources from every available resource and the kind of complex critical thinking technology integration evokes are only the beginning of the skills they'll need.
ReplyDeleteThe key challenge to building technology skills into the classroom BY FAR is teacher support and development. Min wonders about U.S. public schools and I can attest that the situation sounds very similar to what she describes in Korea. U.S. public school teachers are so overwhelmed with the day to day that they don't often have the space to tackle new curriculum development, let alone learning a whole new technology to boot. What I think education really needs is a whole new arm of the system devoted to curriculum design, development and implementation coupled with paid teacher time to get the professional development classes needed to learn these skills. Furthermore, so much is mentioned about collaborative learning in the classroom... What about more collaborative teaching? I mean, what business in the private sector ever performs in a vacuum the way some teachers are expected to do?
As for most interesting apps, I thought it might be more challenging for English teachers to find useful tools, but I'm noticing (pleasantly) that there are are seemingly a lot of options once you start to open your mind to the possibilities. For instance, I could see myself using some of the social networking sites available creatively (goodreads, etc.) to get students to get together online and talk about books, respond to literature, etc. I also, like Min, am drawn to Toontastic. I think it would be a great assignment (especially for ELLs) to visually recreate a key scene of a novel in order to help deepen comprehension and foster long term learning.
Related to using tools creatively, another challenge to implementing tech in the classroom lies in how tools and platforms will be used. The report states that, "this challenge is exacerbated by the fact that digital literacy is less about tools and more about thinking, and thus skills and standards based on tools and platforms have proven to be somewhat ephemeral." I couldn't agree more.
I also worry about the BYOD trend, although I also have a hard time seeing how to adequately start integrating technology into the classroom without it. I don't like the idea of having to wait for state budgets to pass in order to start implementing some of this stuff. Furthermore, I worry that making public schools wait for all access may further increase the digital divide... From what I can see, more affluent schools are already getting ahead
I’m glad that there is a Horizon Project that considers emerging technologies for their potential impact in teaching and learning. All Educators, I believe, benefit from this kind of investigation. It shows the serious nature and importance of anticipating these trends. When you try to predict and identify what will be the key trends and applications of tomorrow you can be sure that you can’t be sure. Overall however, the Horizon Report seems to make out cloud computing, collaborative environments, mobiles and apps, and tablets as the immediate implementation technologies. This is the case at my school as we have a one to one iPad program. iPad tablets allow the students to easily share content and they replace more expensive and cumbersome desktop computers. It is an affordable solution especially when they contain inexpensive textbooks and note-taking applications. We have been moving away from a centralized server based school as smart phones and tablets begin to emerge.
ReplyDeleteThe Report further forecasts that, game-based learning is starting to gain traction as it demonstrates its effectiveness for learning. Games like Minecraft and SimCity are being used in classrooms at my school to help students relate to course content. It appears that right now game based platforms are being driven mostly be motivated teachers interested in experimenting with games in their lesson plans. There is a great Biology teacher, Paul Andersen in Montana that is trying to make his whole Biology Course into a game. Check him out on TED Talks.
Natural user interfaces are pretty cool. They allow computers to respond to motions of the body and voice. This might replace the keyboard and mouse. Personally I can’t wait for this technology. It seems that it would make the interaction far more intuitive which is perhaps perfect for K-12 students and teachers. No instructions needed! Examples of this are found in games that use gesture based controls and Apple’s voice activated virtual assistant Siri on the iPhone and IPad 3.
It is becoming increasingly common for students to bring their own cell phones to school. Today students expect to be able to learn, and study whenever and wherever they want. There is a concern about students bringing ‘their own’ device. I can’t even start to imagine the problems that teachers will have with getting everyone organized. Maybe that’s me just being old. The students might be just fine. I’m just glad at my school they all have the same iPad for the time being.
Digital media literacy is important in every discipline and in every school, not just the wealthiest. Poor districts face the biggest challenges. Public schools have institutional barriers that present formidable challenges to moving forward with emerging technologies. It is so much easier for private schools like mine. I’ve found that at my school the only divide is between teachers with digital media literacy and some without.
Will the average educator today recognize the importance of collaborative work environments and thus find their own online tools that provide students with opportunities to work creatively, develop teamwork skills, and tap into the perspectives of people around the world with a wide range of experiences and skills that differ from their own? It is not only scary for educators but I believe that teachers need have time to integrate these tools into their lessons. Are some teachers doing this? Absolutely. Are more educators doing these things than before? Yes, thank goodness. Are these tools now in the mainstream of K-12 educational practice? Not yet, except in isolated schools of excellence.
Foreseeing the future is admittedly difficult work. In a world that’s changing as quickly as ours, predicting even a few years out is extremely challenging. While commendable, the vision of the Horizon Report toward more divergent, student-centered uses of technology runs into the realities of school practice and educator belief systems.
Ray Cinti
“People expect to be able to work, learn, and study whenever and wherever they want.”
ReplyDeleteI think that this trend deserves the most consideration because it has the greatest potential to transform our learning institutions. Students are trying to balance demands from home, work, and family, and they expect to be able to use mobile technology to facilitate this balance with their school obligations. I have absolutely witnessed this trend increasing over the past 5 years among my adult students. At school and at work, people want easy and timely access not only to information, but also to tools and resources. Universities have always been seen as the standard for educational credentialing, but I think that certification programs from other sources, especially online sources, threaten to erode the value of that mission.
As part of a study I’m doing at work to identify and analyze providers of online arts certificate programs, I’ve been researching a very interesting school called Animation Mentor (animationmentor.com), which capitalizes on several of the key trends presented in the NMC Horizon Report. Specifically, they provide solutions to the logistical challenges students cope with (work, home, school) by delivering an entirely online complement of services and support like those found at a brick-and-mortar school. Lectures are always available via online streaming, as are a library of reference materials and videos. Live tech support is provided 24/7. Access to resources is available via downloads; for example, a student can download Maya software and integrated tools, as well as prefabricated characters to animate. Mentoring is provided via one-hour live Q&A webcam sessions with professionals who can provide real-time help to struggling students. Additional Q&As are provided for “peeking in” during office hours, asking software questions, and “looking over the shoulder of animators as they guide you live through important concepts and workflow techniques.” Mentors provide weekly one-on-one review of homework via screen-sharing tech, and “can draw directly on top of your animation to illustrate fundamental key points.” They compensate for the disconnect that many online students experience by touting their community-building efforts, such as their mentor/apprentice teaching model, networking opportunities through the online community, and personal support. They also provide instruction in resume writing, demo reel polishing, and interview practice -- all online. Graduates receive a certificate approved by the BPPE – a well-known accrediting body.
I’m fascinated by this model because it seems to be the first of it’s kind to meet the promise of delivering a full-featured certificate program entirely online. The reviews I’ve read on Yelp and on blogs are very positive – students really appear to be thriving in this program, provided that they’re committed and willing to work hard and make the extra effort to manage their time effectively. I wonder if this approach would be effective in home schooling programs for K-12 students.
Regarding Min's observations about Toontastic, yes, I agree, developing a graphic representation to help guide the learning could be very effective. Also interesting to bring an app with "RoidRage..." in the title into a classroom! It could work.
ReplyDeleteRafael, as always, a beautifully analytic "connection of the dots" from within a variety of different areas. I agree with you about mobile devices being emphasized, however subtly, in all the sections. I personally have an initial reaction of "How can a mobile device be effective as a learning tool?". But then I see the possibilities when the article points out that the convergence of so many tools that complement learning is rapidly escalating within mobile technology development. For example, tools for annotation, apps for creation and composition, GPS and location, accelerometers (for heaven's sake!), digital capture, video editing, etc. Perhaps an iPad mini is just too BIG for kids to have in school, and an iPhone MAXI is what they really need!
Katie makes a great point about how the challenge of bringing technology into the classroom is directly related to teachers having support and development to do so. In a recent series of phone interviews for one of my other classes here (DML-645 PDD), this issue was prominently mentioned by all three of the tech. coordinators who I spoke with! Also including what Katie indicated about teachers already being overwhelmed with the amount of work they have to do in a day! This seems to be a very significant issue, how teachers manage to access need professional development. At the career college where I teach, it is entirely up to the teacher to provide their own professional development. This despite the need for the teacher to keep pace with accelerated software development and upgrades within the various programs that we must teach!
I like that Ray is already onto another biology teacher in Montana who is hoping to use gaming approaches in his classrooms! Ray seems to be well ahead of the curve just using his own initiative to incorporate these new learning models into his own classroom. He points out the Natural User Interfaces as a cool area for development, and I fully expect to hear from Ray how he has incorporated this into his class...by the end of this semester, Ray! Come on! You can do it!!!
Andy's observations helped me to overcome an apprehension which I have about "...whenever they want wherever they want." AnimationMentor is a good model for that (but, not all reviews have been positive, truthfully.) I understand how accommodating the time needs within our day is an important method for increasing our learning possibilities. However, the expectation that I should get "what I want when I want it" seems to be an increasing part of our cultural, consumer expectations. I'm finding that adult learners who don't get what they want in the classroom when they want it will swiftly reveal behavior traits that are far LESS than adult. My cable provider provides me with "On-Demand" viewing for my television shows, but does that same "On-Demand" mentality facilitate learning? I'm still not convinced that it does, but I'm will to listen to the arguments!
From my own experience of working with software company, I can see a huge shift to web based platforms from data management systems to communication tools between schools and students. Online learning has become more popular since it gives students power to learn anytime from anywhere. I used website Lynda.com to learn software skills such as Photoshop, HTML and CSS. I saved time and money when I took these classes online. Online forums are great for exchanging ideas and collaborate with people around the world. In the near future, I expect to see online learning is getting more sophisticated to enhance the learning experience.
ReplyDeleteThere are many great tools out there which can help teachers with their teaching, but time is always an issue. There are also great deals of trial and error when it comes to try new technique in the classroom. Teachers’ willingness to adopt technology into classroom is based on their technological competencies. Most teachers are not trained properly or lack of IT support from their schools. Schools need to provide teachers more opportunities to learn about technology integration within the context of their own pedagogy.
Ebook readers and note taking apps enrich the learning process and create collaborative learning environment between students and teachers. Last semester, we used Subtext app to read the assigned textbook for our class. We not only could see each other comment, but we also could reply with a link to a particular website or YouTube video within the book. Reading textbook was more interesting than before and it helped us to engage with the content.
Having read all the trends related to the implementation of technology in the learning process made me even more convinced that teaching is similar to cooking. There is a wide range of ingredients and the chef needs consider which one to use for which dish. There a lot of circumstances that need to be considered before deciding what to use and how to prepare it. In case of teachers, they need to take into consideration various factors when designing their curriculum and decide which technological tool to use in the classroom. They need to consider the needs of 21 century learners, how their learning process is different, more precisely how they learn. Since there is a trend that students learn a lot outside the classroom, it is more essential than ever for the teacher to get information about what the students are interested in and what resources they have access to. Fortunately, more and more schools can afford to purchase devices that help the educators create more engaging and more importantly, a better built and more through curriculum. Obviously, it also means that those students who do not have access to all these programs and devices may fall behind. In my opinion, schools should invest in some devices, not necessarily every student should use one by themselves, they can share a computer or an iPad and complete their tasks together. It also improves their cooperative and social skills. As long as some schools are not willing to admit that these devices are just as essential and as useful as a blackboard or a textbook, the kids attending them need to put more effort in keeping pace with the requirements of the digital age.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the tools, I think it greatly depends on what device is available in the classroom. Fortunately, there are really nice and useful apps just as for the iPad as for laptops, there are also some for smartphones. Teachers can use according to what sources the kids have access to. Obviously, it requires a lot of time and effort to explore which app and program can be used the most efficiently for which topic or for which age group, but isn't it something a good chef would also do?
The Horizon Report was interesting in that how some schools are incorporating a face to face/online hybrid. What successful models have proven is that learning environments are becoming wall less. Students are able to collaborate with other students through the internet as well as empowering students with digital skills needed in today's world. It seems ludicrous to give technology into the hands of students and then not letting use it in a classroom setting. It seems that as adults our office or place of work is changing all the time. We are able to perform our job duties outside of the job site. Our homes our slowly transforming into our offices because we are able to perform our tasks for work not only at home, but on the road while traveling or just in a neighborhood park. Why shouldn't students have the same opportunity to learn in the same way. As an employer I could see productivity increase by offering an alternative to a working environment. For students, I would imagine the same would occur, by placing a student in a learning environment not only are they preparing themselves for the working world, but also I would think that school assignments would be more intriguing but they would also become more productive as well.
ReplyDeleteSignificant Challenges that I see are district policies about having mobile devices turned on while at school. As a substitute I will sometimes sub at my children's school. In my last assignment there I posed a question to a sixth grade class. If I presented a lesson where I have five or six questions on the board that the students would have to find the answers to using there mobile device. The response I received was a little mixed. Some students thought it would be a great idea, other students flat out said we could never be able to do that. One student said Ms.Sanders(the principle)would never go for it. She is adamant about the non use of mobile devices. That is the policy at all schools that I have been to in West Contra Costa School District. One thing that I have noticed is that it does not matter what school I go to all students and it does not matter what socio-economic background they are from have a mobile device. At my children's school, they get to go to the computer room once a week to work on typing,math,writing,or answering questions about a certain topic. The children are engaged and produce good work, however they are only able to go to computers once per week because they have to rotate all the classes through. My children have told me that they would love the opportunity to work on more assignments in the computer room opposed to the classroom. If we were to incorporate mobile devices inside the classroom then students would not have to wait once per week to access an ocean of information.
Mobile devices and Apps have become increasingly more sophisticated and more applicable for students. We have become authors,cartographers,food critics,as well as movies makers. children can help me navigate directions by using a mobile device app where as before I would have had to sit down with them and teach them how to even read a map. When apps are being made to help one improve their understanding of Math, Literature, Writing, Science. The only downside I can see in using a mobile device in school is whether students can stay engaged in assignments as opposed to sending texts, checking out music or playing games during class time. Lessons would have to be closely monitored to ensure that students are staying on task. This is an exciting time for educators as well as students because we have a wealth of information at our fingertips that needs to be fully tapped into to reap the benefits that technology has to offer.
The Horizon Report talked about several subjects I am very passionate about. The first one is the use of mobile devices in schools. The report talked about how information was available at a persons finger tips. The availability of information is changing in our society. You no longer have to go to an expert for everything and the wait time is almost none for retrieving the information. Because of the availability of information, education needs to change. Our public schools are so in entrenched in the old ways of teaching it is a very painful process to adapt them to the new society. Their technicques have become obsolete by having students memorize a bunch of facts they won't even remember after the test. The only thing the memorization of facts is good for is being on a game show like Jeopardy. When I was young, people would talk about how smart the people on Jeopardy were, but I know now memorizing fact does not make a person smart. It is the ability to think and solve problems that shows real intelligence. So the public schools need to adapt and utilize small mobile devices so that students can forget about memorizing and can focus on creating and problem solving. Possibly the answer is project based schools. It is working well for the top end private schools.
ReplyDeleteMost of the project based schools we have looked at in class utilize digital technology. They give the students a problem pertaining to the subject of the class and as individuals or small group they set out to solve the problem. In a traditional classroom the students never learn how to use the information they are memorizing, so higher level thinking is not encouraged. With a project based lesson they can gather information quickly with things like small mobile devices and instead of memorizing the information they can spend the majority of their time thinking about how to solve and create a solution and then implement their solution. This type of learning achieves higher level thinking.
The second subject from the report I am interested in is the use of games in learning. This is not a new concept. Critics talk about the subject like it is a new idea. The only new thing about it is the games are now digital. There are thousands, if not millions of games that teachers have created to help teach. A couple of examples are Life and Monopoly. Life game was created to teach people about how to live life. You learned things like how to start a family and provide for that family. How to deal with medical bills and so on. Monopoly teaches people how money works. Games have historically worked very well in education. The student learns in a way that is more likely to keep their attention and teaches problem solving. With digital technology education with games is only going to increase the possibilities.
Marc Robertson
The NMC Horizon Report offers readers an in-depth and wonderful insight into the growing presence of technology and digital media in the current K-12 educational field. Given that the use and presence of technology is consistently changing and evolving in main stream society, I thoroughly appreciated how the report presents their timetable of when they believe “technologies to watch” would be adapted into main stream. It is a great resource for educators, as we prepare ourselves for the challenges that await a 21st century education. More importantly it can serve for those in “the system,” as a means to begin to understand the complexities, and bountiful opportunities that technological appreciation can offer our educational system.
ReplyDeleteThe “Key Trends” portion of the report, unsurprisingly, seemed to reflect the many of the topics and discussions we have had throughout our DML program, and are indeed viable current issues in the K-12 educational field. Yet what I felt deserved the most attention from the report, are the challenges that the K-12 field face, or will face, when handling the appropriate utilization of technology in the classroom. In my opinion, the most profound challenge educators face is challenge 4: “Institutional barriers present formidable challenge to moving forward in a constructive way with emerging technologies.”
Without a doubt our society is plagued by a belief that “test scores” accurately reflect that abilities and aptitude of our students. Legislative and political endeavors such a No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, serve as barriers to both students and teachers. As the report states, “Too often it is education’s own processes and practices that limit broader uptake of new technologies.” Our teachers are too stifled in their work teaching to the test that they have little to no opportunities to actually engage their students in productive and beneficial learning opportunities. If our society, and government, would understand the incredible damage this testing has on children and their actual education, we could maybe move forward and prepare children for the actual future they will be a part of. Accordingly, if we can place some value and appreciate for educators and the work that they do, or can do, then maybe teachers would feel the need and necessity to stay atop of such resources...and actually implement them