PastKent’s Technology Initiative
A priority for Kent School District is to give its students personal laptops. Kent School District commenced a study to determine the efficacy of computers in the schoolroom. The districts preliminary objective is to observe the challenges and successes schools districts across the nation experience with their one-to-one program. The goal is to increase Kent school district students’ technology competence before completing her or his principal education, irrespective if the learner wants to attend university.
Kent’s Current Goals
Liu, and Yen, (2014) noted that in such an information society, information literacy and the application capability are the essential intelligence for modern people; and, the applications of information technology to enhancing national competitiveness have been the common objective of advanced countries (Liu, and Yen, 2014).
With this in mind, Kent’s pilot program initiative in 2005 was on track based on Liu, et al. (2014) previous statement. Herman (1999) also stated that ‘The United States Department of Education documented the increase in worldwide use of computers and computer companion technologies and therefore deduced that the United States labor force would need 21st century computer related skills to succeed in today’s workforce’ (Ch. 6).
In addition, The International Society for Technology in Education described the 2007 skills needed to learn and live in an increasingly digital world. ‘The ISTE Standards for Students’ now includes creativity and innovation, communication and collaboration, research and information fluency, critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, and digital citizenship along with technology operations and concepts (Billings, Nielsen, Snyder, Sorensen, & West, 2012; ISTE, 2007). As a result, Kent School district is adhering to the United States Core Curriculum Content Standards for education and the "The ISTE Standards for Students.’
Goals. Furthermore, the districts focus is to increase peer-to-peer collaboration and digital citizenship through technology. Kent School District (KDS) is slowly upgrading the classrooms and now all classrooms come equipped with photo projectors, webcams, laptops and basic internet as the minimum. Each new school year the district intends to expand their technology base with the latest learning software, upgraded computers and the newest Smartboard upgrades. Kent is also expanding their digital and technology initiative to the elementary schools where one-to-one programs will be the next step (Past, present, future, 2017). Meanwhile, KSD is working with software developers to design learning programs individually tailored to individual learning styles. Subsequently, KSD student’s individual ‘Learning Style’ (LS) falls in line with the Department of Public Administration’s view that enhancing the design of interactive systems reinforces ‘LS’ of students and promote curriculum instruction and student participation (Liu, et al. 2014). However, there are many who cannot afford internet access at home, so teachers have been instructed that homework completion is not dependent on the internet. The district has now partnered up with CenturyLink to provide low socio-economic students free high speed WiFi.
Technology Used for Educational Training
Web 2.0. Web 2.0 is termed as intelligent web or semantic web with technologies like big data, linked data, cloud computing, 3D visualization, augmented reality and more to make passive learner into active learner in the learning process (Dominic, Francis, and Pilomenraj, 2014). Lassila, and Hendler, (2007) describes Web 2.0 tools as a way to extend the communication beyond the classroom and the primary focus is sharing and collaboration (Lassila, and Hendler, 2007). Lassila, et al. (2007) view is that physical objects will become Web-accessible in that users will be able to describe physical things and Web 2.0 tools will expand their scope beyond the current Web (Lassila, et al. 2007).
Applications. Kent school district is using new technologies in the classrooms to enhance their teaching abilities and students experience concepts and facts previously unknown to them through various Web 2.0 tools. There are many ways in which Kent students benefit with and from new technologies. Today, students are benefiting from soft technologies like online networking with teachers and peers, class blogs, social networking via Facebook , Snapchat , and Instagram as well as hybrid classes using learning applications, email, and podcasting, in addition, hard technology like student-centered whiteboard collaboration, computers and mobile devices. Forgoing an internet connection, Microsoft OneNote is being used for homework and then synced when the student returns to school.
Technology Analysis
Kent has discovered many ways it has benefited from using technology in the district. One of the more important discoveries is that using technology can make distant learning much easier. In addition, technology provided a much faster feedback.
Analysis. Currently, technology used in the classroom opens up collaborative efforts for large group of students. Websites, applications, to name a few provide more opportunity for students to engage themselves in dialogue. Class blogs and wikis increase the venue of discussion, which gives the students a chance to get involved beyond the classroom. The interactive Smartboards or whiteboards alleviated instruction and presenting course material becomes easier, in addition, Smartboards provide improved visual aids.
Web 2.0 tools expedite the delivery of information to students. The mobile devices provides an easy way for students to check grades, check on course information, do homework, check email, log into learning management systems, and access more than 300 applications.
Recommended Change
Many of the students in any level of education learn at different levels and pace. Individuals in the public education system have resources to help out those with disadvantages in learning. Many of these technologies in the classroom require some degree of comfort from the user, but often I have witnessed, especially in such a diverse public education system as KSD, that many of the student are not native to the United States and therefore lag behind the rest of their peers. One of the issues is a language barrier. Much of the work presented to students on a Smartboard is primarily in English, often separating those with limited comprehension of much of what the lesson or assignment is and or about. One of the options available to the teacher and subsequently the student is to provide a downloadable version of the day’s activities so that this enables the student to translate the information into their native tongue, in some aspects this could be considered a flipped lesson. In addition, creating assignments in class combining technological tools as well as oral presentations and collaboration, this will teach students to be dynamic in how they learn and interact with others. Continuing on, students who have special challenges, use applications that ensure some form of equity. Again, KSD should be able to provide a location, software, and or hard technology for the special needs student to access the information as the student takes responsibility for learning at their own pace, if not addressed could leave the student disconnect from social interaction. Additionally, an idea revamped from a classic approach which is to use an exit slip, but instead of a hard copy, have the student email or even text their issues with software challenges being deployed in the classroom. In this way, the student feels more comfortable when reporting their technological challenges.
Technology Recommendations
The amount of technology residing in today’s classroom has exploded. The use or soft and hard technologies has provided the classroom with boundless opportunities for disseminating information faster with more efficiency. Every year the classroom makes advances in educational tools and technology. According to Front Row Education (2017) three out of four teachers use some form of technology. Out of that, 80% feel that technology makes for a positive influence (2017 Technology in the classroom survey results, 2017).
With that in mind, two technologies have been chosen to assist or even improve on the existing technologies in Kent School District. Having witnessed much of the technology in this district, the most used form of hard technology for the district is the laptop and for student’s personal technology would be the mobile ‘smart’ devices.
Gamification. It can be to motivate students when so much of the online world becomes a distraction and a majority of the distraction is gaming. The concept is referred to as ‘Gamification.’ Gamification works best when course material has been transformed into a game. The concept is to apply thinking and gaming into classroom tasks. The idea behind this is to engage students through fun and engaging learning. Gamification provides the same rewards as a game might, the rewards for advancing and advancing becomes increasing more challenging. As the challenges increase so do the rewards (Davis, 2014).
To be more precise, Microsoft has developed Kinect which provides educators an option on how students can benefit from motion-sensing technology which enables students to learn and play by detecting their movements which gives the students first-hand experience of learning through their motions which are captured by Kinect. Along with successful devices like Wii Remote and PlayStation Move, the motion-sensing technology is believed to be able to provide the necessary level of interactivity for students to feel more engaged with learning (Kissco, 2013). http://www.kinecteducation.com/
Second Life. One of the other technologies that appear to working for schools is called Second life . This is a virtual world where anyone with access to the ‘Cloud’ and a set of virtual reality glasses (VR) can participate.
Several Universities, including Stanford have deployed this soft technology through their library system. Second Life provides a virtual online presence. This newest technology will afford Kent School District’s student body increased socialization, which will permit students to interact with other students in an online format; Second life also provides a certain amount of autonomy. The technology will empower students as well as change student’s perception of what learning is and then realize who is be responsible for their learning. Teachers will take an active part as facilitator and moderator. In addition, student will collaborate and teachers can augment lessons, for example, virtual field trips to places where they were unable to go before. You can see an example on Stanford’s University Second life interactive page (Second life, 2017).
Conclusion
To conclude, since 2005, Kent School District has been taking small technology integration steps so that today’s teachers can begin to capitalize on the benefits that technology brings to their teaching and increased student learning progress. Teachers can successfully use technology to enhance their teaching and connect ‘learning to life’ for their students. Technology serves as the great equalizer for students, regardless of what those challenges might look like. What is clear to the author is that technology integration is here to stay. The question is not how to integrate technology into the Kent School Districts classrooms, but what are the best approaches to make technology work better, in essence, ‘work smarter not harder.’
It is worth noting, that when the author asked the students about their favorite technology application they use for entertainment, they could recall at least five applications. When asked what their favorite application or any application for that matter, for doing school work, the students could not recall a single application.
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