Key Points from Tech Plan Readings

As I read through the resources posted, I jotted below topics we have not discussed in depth as a district.
-Laurel

New Horizons - Key Trends

• "There is increasing interest in just-in-time, alternate, or non-formal avenues of education, such as online learning, mentoring, and independent study."
• "Innovation and creativity must not be linked only to arts subjects, either; these skills are equally important in scientific inquiry, entrepreneurship, and other areas as well."
• Augmented Reality  http://wp.nmc.org/horizon-k12-2010/chapters/augmented-reality/

Media Literacy

• "One important goal of media education should be to encourage young people to becomemore reflective about the ethical choices they make as participants and communicators and theimpact they have on others." 

".. it assumes that children are actively reflecting on their media experiences and can thus articulate what they learn from their participation (what we call the transparency problem).The third problem with the laissez faire approach is that it assumes children, on their own, can develop the ethical norm needed to cope with a complex and diverse social environment online (the ethics challenge).Any attempt to provide meaningful media education in the age of participatory culture must begin by addressing these three core concerns."

•  students also must acquire a basic understanding of the ways media representations structure our perceptions of the world; the economic and cultural contexts within which mass media is produced and circulated; the motives and goals that shape the media they consume; and alternative practices that operate outside the commercial mainstream. Such groups have long called for schools to fostera critical understanding of media as one of the most powerful social, economic, political, and cultural institutions of our era.What we are calling here the new media literacies should be taken as an expansion of, rather than a substitution for, the mass media literacies

National Technology Plan, 2010, page 11

Making learning experiences accessible to all learners requires universal design, a concept well established in the field of architecture, where all modern public buildings, including schools, are designed to be accessible by everyone. Principles and guidelines have been established for universal design in education based on decades of research and are known as Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The UDL principles reflect the way students take in and process information (Rose and Meyer 2002). Using them to develop goals, instructional methods, classroom materials, and assessments, educators can improve outcomes for diverse learners by providing fair opportunities for learning by improving access to content. The UDL principles are as follows: Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (103 U.S.C. § 42) has come to dominate the field because of its broad applicability and its research foundation in the learning sciences, both cognitive and neurosciences.

• Universal Design for Learning

• Provide multiple and flexible methods of presentation of information and knowledge. Examples include digital books, specialized software and websites, text-to-speech applications, and screen readers.
• Provide multiple and flexible means of expression with alternatives for students to demonstrate what they have learned. Examples include online concept mapping and speech-to-text programs.
• Provide multiple and flexible means of engagement to tap into diverse learners’ interests, challenge them appropriately, and motivate them to learn. Examples include choices among different scenarios or content for learning the same competency and opportunities for increased collaboration or scaffolding.
The definition of UDL that appears in the

•  Using cell phones in the classroom for learning. p. 55
• Figure 4: Framework for software services in a technology-empowered learning environment
  

  Users of Services: Students, Teachers, Administrators, Parents
  Internet Access Devices
  Resources and Applications
  Education resources & services (open & proprietary) digital textbooks • digital libraries • tutoring systems • simulations • augmented reality • interactive visualization • educational	Authoring, editing, disseminating & content management text processing • audio/video capture/edit • programming platforms • blogs• wikis • instructional/course management	Administrative scheduling • personnel/HR • plant/facilities management • procurement • attendance • student records
  Assessment and Reporting
  Social Networking and Collaboration
  software services, data libraries & repositories Public and Private Network-connected Clouds –

21st Century Partnership (P21)

Core Subjects and 21st Century Themes

Mastery of

include English, reading or language arts, world languages, arts, mathematics, economics, science, geography,

history, government and civics.

In addition, schools must promote an understanding of academic content at much higher levels by weaving

core subjects and 21st century themes is essential to student success. Core subjects

21st century interdisciplinary themes

into core subjects:

• Global Awareness

• Financial, Economic, Business and Entrepreneurial Literacy

• Civic Literacy

• Health Literacy

• Environmental Literacy

Learning and Innovation Skills

Learning and innovation skills are what separate students who are prepared for increasingly complex life

and work environments in today’s world and those who are not. They include:

• Creativity and Innovation

• Critical Thinking and Problem Solving

• Communication and Collaboration

Information, Media and Technology Skills

Today, we live in a technology and media-driven environment, marked by access to an abundance

of information, rapid changes in technology tools and the ability to collaborate and make individual

contributions on an unprecedented scale. Effective citizens and workers must be able to exhibit a range of

functional and critical thinking skills, such as:

• Information Literacy

• Media Literacy

• ICT (Information, Communications and Technology) Literacy

Life and Career Skills

Today’s life and work environments require far more than thinking skills and content knowledge. The ability

to navigate the complex life and work environments in the globally competitive information age requires

students to pay rigorous attention to developing adequate life and career skills, such as:

• Flexibility and Adaptability

• Initiative and Self-Direction

• Social and Cross-Cultural Skills

• Productivity and Accountability

• Leadership and Responsibility

•