The Principal as Technology Leader

Richard Smyth

Library Media Specialist

Cathedral High School

Boston, MA

Artie Gribbins

Technology Coordinator

St. Mary Jr./Sr. High

Lynn, MA

Agenda

Part I: Why should we support technology?

9:00am – 12:00pm

Richard Smyth Part II: How do we support technology?

1pm – 4pm

Artie Gribbons

Part I: Why Support Technology?

I. Analogy Exercise II. Defining Technology III. The Webquest Model IV. Resources

I. Fill In The Blanks

Pen : Computeras

_________ : _________

Analogy Activity

Write down one or two analogies that come to mind.

Share your answers in small groups of three or four.

Choose the one in the group that you like best and prepare to share with the larger group

Large group sharing(10-15 minutes)

II. How Are We Using "Technology"?

How does this question change if we accept the following equation:

Pen = Technology

???

Can you please repeat the question?

If pen = technology, then

How are we using technology?

becomes

How are we teaching?

Complaints About New “Tech”

“Students today depend on paper too much. They don’t know how to write on a slate without getting dust all over themselves. They can’t clean a slate properly. What will they do when they run out of paper?” (Principals’ publication, 1815)

More complaints….

“Students today depend too much on ink. They don’t know how to use a pen knife to sharpen a pencil. Pen and ink will never replace the pencil.” (Teacher’s journal, 1815)

More complaints…

“Students today depend too much on store-bought ink. They don’t know how to make their own. When they run out they will be unable to write words or ciphers until their next trip to the settlement. This is a sad commentary on modern education.” (Rural American Teacher, 1928) 

More complaints…

“Students today depend on these expensive fountain pens. They can no longer write with a straight pen and nib. We parents must not allow them to wallow in such luxury to the detriment of learning how to cope in the real business world which is not so extravagant.” (PTA Gazette, 1941)

More complaints…

“Ballpoint pens will be the ruin of education in our country. Students use these devices and then throw them away. The American values of thrift and frugality are being discarded. Businesses and banks will never allow such expensive luxuries.” (Federal Teachers, 1950)

More complaints…

“Students are being exposed to a way of life that does not require them to use a lot of creative thinking or to reach out to other resources because it can all be found on the computer.” (Catholic school teacher, 1999)

“…it can all be found on the computer”

III. The Webquest Model: History

Bernie Sanders and Tom March

Developed in early 1995 at San Diego State University

Webquest: Increasingly Popular

Google results—comparison to other education terms

lesson plan 1,340,000WebQuest 664,000standardized test 469,000cooperative learning 427,000multiple intelligence 402,000problem-based learning 398,000high-stakes testing 129,000Bloom's Taxonomy 53,300

Webquest Activity

Go to http://webquest.sdsu.edu/ Click “Training Materials” Under “Overview and Underpinnings,”

click A Webquest about Webquests MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL

The Children's Machine

". . . computers serve best whenthey allow everything to change."

Seymour Papert. The Children’s Machine: Rethinking School in The Age of Computers. New York: Basic Books, 1993.

Computers: Regressive or Progressive?

"Paradoxically, the same technology has the potential to detechnicalize learning. Were this to happen, I would count it as a far larger change than the appearance on every desk of a computer programmed to lead the student through the paces of the same old curriculum."

Papert. The Children’s Machine, pp. 55-56.

Sociomedia vs. Hypermedia

The neologism sociomedia suggests "that computer media exist for 'social' purposes."

Edward Barrett. "Sociomedia: An Introduction." In Sociomedia: Multimedia, Hypermedia, and the Social Construction of Knowledge." Ed. Edward Barrett. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1992. 1-10.

Engagement and Construction

Engagement --> "interaction with people"

Construction --> "students create a product from their collaboration"

Ben Shneiderman. "Education by Engagement and Construction: A Strategic Education Initiative for a Multimedia Renewal of American Educa- tion." Sociomedia pp. 18, 20.

Example #1 of Sociomedia

Biology– Issue: Global Warming/ The Kyoto Accord– Partnered with an English class in

Germany– Used email to co-write persuasive letter– sent to respective government

representatives– Won state award for environmental

education

Example #2 of Sociomedia

English– Issue: Rights of the Child/Universal

Human Rights– Classes argued for which right should be

most important in 21st century and why– Created video of play or plea to present

during a videoconference with a class in the Netherlands

– Technological failure/Pedagogical success

Example #3 of Sociomedia

Webquests

– webquest.org– http://webquest.sdsu.edu/

IV. WWW Resources

A. Jamie McKenzie– http://www.fno.org– http://www.staffdevelop.org– http://www.questioning.org

WWW Resources

B. Other Models– Thinkquest

http://www.thinkquest.org

– CHS School-Wide Collaborative Project http://www.cathedralhighschool.net/specialprojects/collabproj.html

WWW Resources

C. Further Reading– High School Journal special issue

"The Future of Secondary Education" http://horizon.unc.edu/projects/HSJ/

– Smyth, Richard. “Students as Producers.”http://horizon.unc.edu/projects/HSJ/Smyth.asp

Contact Information

Richard Smythrsmyth@cathedralhighschool.nethttp://www.cathedralhighschool.net

Artie Gribbinsagribbins@smhlynn.orghttp://www.smhlynn.org

Sources

Spenser, Kathy A. “Teacher and Administrator Technology Training.” NCEA Conference Presentation, 15 April 2004. Boston, MA.