entrsekt October 2014 by Association Outsource Services, Inc.

Where learning, technology and community meet.

NEW HALLS OF

KNOWLEDGE MODERN LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS ACCOMMODATE TIME, SPACE, PLACE

GATHERING STEAM INTEGRATION OF ARTS INTO STEM INSPIRES NEW MINDSET

CITIZENSHIP – DIGITAL AND OTHERWISE THE RESPONSIBILITY LIES WITH OUR STUDENTS AND OURSELVES entrsekt

October 2014

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contents tm

October 2014 Volume one Issue two A quarterly magazine

Where learning, technology and community meet.

10 inquire

LeVar Burton Re-imagining the Reading Rainbow brand is his passion.

16 feature

Gathering STEAM The integration of arts into STEM is inspiring a whole new mindset.

28 feature

Citizenship â&#x20AC;&#x201C; digital and otherwise Whether student or educator, digital citizenship comes with personal responsibility.

22 cover New halls of knowledge We canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t reinvent learning to match the future without addressing three critical areas: time, place and space.

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contents

6 about us

7 invigorate Of teachers, time and gratitude

8 engage

Listen to the voice of students

15 worldwise Shared commitment

40 salute

Clayton Wilcox For ISTE member and superintendent Clayton Wilcox, technology is a strong strand in his professional DNA.

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nets new collaboration

33 feature Make room for makers 39 dispatch Find your ISTE tribe 44 backstory Go with the flow

Unleash the Power of Apple in the classroom

With Casper Suite and its free iOS app, Casper Focus, schools have the industry’s easiest way to manage every Apple device they control—and faculty and students can take advantage of the rich educational ecosystem that only the Apple platform offers.

Casper Suite and Casper Focus let educators and IT: • Inventory, image, configure, secure and distribute software and apps without ever touching the device • Personalize devices to each individual’s needs • Lock students to apps or webpages on their iPad, to keep them focused on the task at hand

• Distribute eBooks easily • Leverage Apple’s enhanced Volume Purchase Program • And more

To learn more, call 612-677-7075 or visit www.jamfsoftware.com/entrsekt entrsekt

Where learning, technology and community meet.

publisher Brian Lewis executive editor Julie Phillips Randles chief marketing officer Tracee Aliotti contributor Tim Douglas contributor Linda A. Estep contributor Lisa Kopochinski contributor Gail Marshall contributor Julie Sturgeon art director Sharon Adlis ad production manager Lori Mattas advertising sales manager Cici Trino cicit@aosinc.biz 916.990.9999 iste board chair Kecia Ray, Ed.D. Executive Director of Learning Technologies and Library Services Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools iste board chair-elect Matt Harris, Ed.D. Head of Learning Resources German European School Singapore

Facebook.com/likeISTE

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®) is the premier nonprofit organization serving educators and education leaders committed to empowering connected learners in a connected world. ISTE serves more than 100,000 education stakeholders throughout the world. ISTE’s innovative offerings include the ISTE Conference & Expo — the world’s most comprehensive ed tech event — as well as the widely adopted ISTE Standards for learning, teaching and leading in the digital age and a robust suite of professional learning resources, including webinars, online courses, consulting services for schools and districts, books and peer-reviewed journals and publications. For additional information, please visit iste.org and isteconference.org. Our vision. The vision of ISTE is a world where all learners thrive, achieve and contribute. Our mission. As the creator and steward of the definitive education technology standards, ISTE’s mission is to empower learners to flourish in a connected world by cultivating a passionate professional learning community, linking educators and partners, leveraging knowledge and expertise, advocating for strategic policies and continually improving learning and teaching. Letters to the editor. Letters to the editor in response to content in entrsekt are welcomed. All letters will be edited for length and AP Style. Please send your 200-word letter to entrsekt@iste.org. Copyright 2014 ISTE. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of the publisher. Published October 2014.

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ISTE.org/linkedin

Twitter.com/ISTEConnects

Editorial guidelines. entrsekt’s articles are written in accordance with the magazine’s editorial guidelines, which may be found at iste.org/submissions. Story ideas may be submitted to entrsekt@iste.org. Articles published in entrsekt are edited for style, content and space prior to publication. Views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent ISTE policies or positions. Endorsement by ISTE of products or services advertised in entrsekt is not implied or expressed. Subscriptions. ISTE members receive entrsekt each quarter as a membership benefit. Nonmembers can subscribe to entrsekt for $49 per year. To subscribe, please visit iste.org/entrsekt or contact our customer service department by emailing iste@iste.org or calling 800.336.5191. About entrsekt. entrsekt ISSN 2334-2587 (print), entrsekt ISSN 2334-2595 (online) is published quarterly by the International Society for Technology in Education, 1530 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22209, USA. Periodicals postage paid at Eugene, Oregon, and at additional mailing office. Send address changes to the ISTE membership department at 180 West 8th Avenue, Suite 300, Eugene, OR 97401-2916, USA.

invigorate

Of teachers, time and gratitude

photo by hope harris

Brian Lewis ISTE CEO

I’ve written a lot of columns over the years. But none like this. I haven’t had to. Until now. As we get older, if we allow ourselves to do so, we continue to learn. Not only from things we’re exposed to today, but from things we experienced many years ago as students. Because all the things we’ve experienced and learned since then puts a new lens on the experiences, people and places of yesterday. When the mental images of the great teachers I’ve had in my life float around this brain of mine, there is a recurring slide show of the ones who, in those precise, unforgettable life moments, changed me forever. And while I had some truly wonderful teachers in high school, there was only one Virginia Slone. She was known as Ms. Ralston at the time, or, more accurately, “The Ms.” The Ms. taught Spanish and journalism, and as a junior I was in the newspaper class. In both my junior and senior years, I was on the yearbook staff. These “classes” were the domain

of The Ms. You had to be selected to get in. And while she let you know you earned your spot, it was very clear that you were expected to live up to her standards. And that wasn’t hard to do. Not that it was easy, but each of us wanted so much to meet her expectations and make her proud of our individual and joint accomplishments. She had a way of inspiring us and making us believe in ourselves. That’s an impact that never goes away. Over the years, I’ve always shared with Virginia (yes, I call her Virginia now) any new publication that I’ve helped launch. After the rollout of entrsekt at iste 2014, I went back to California to vacation and, hopefully, connect with Virginia. On a Monday, my wife and I were going through old files and I found the letters from Virginia that spanned my college experience and another dozen or so years after that. We had stayed in contact and I was so happy about that. I regretted that in the last few years, as my kids grew up and I became increasingly busy, we lost touch and the exchange

of letters stopped. So, I was excited to travel to my hometown, look her up, reconnect and share entrsekt. On that Friday, I received an email telling me that Virginia had experienced a sudden health issue – that very week – and had passed away. I felt a huge loss and even more guilt that we had fallen out of contact. Luckily, because I was already on the West Coast, I was able to travel to her service. I was so pleased to be there to honor this woman whose impact on me and my life was beyond measure, and whose brilliance and humanity touched so many students’ lives. I’m so very grateful that mine was one of those lives. And I wish I had one more chance to tell her so. That’s the kind of impact teachers can have. That’s how teachers touch, and change, lives. That’s what makes the iste community extraordinary.

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engage

Listen to the voice of students

photo by annie weaver

Shannon McClintock Miller

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All over the globe, people are talking about transforming education. Lawmakers, activists, university professors, kindergarten teachers, school administrators, parents, millionaires and even movie stars are sharing their ideas about how to fix, change, reinvent and re-imagine the global education system to make it more relevant in the digital age. In this cacophony of thoughts, ideas, opinions and beliefs is a once-faint voice that is getting louder. The message of students is now resonating with those who are wise enough to listen. We are so fortunate to live in an era when social media and online networks allow our young people to connect with each other – and to the world. These powerful digital tools and devices not only let students create and collaborate but also share, learn and, yes, have a voice. My vision is of a world where students have a role in education transformation that is based on making a positive impact. And I’m already seeing it happen in my community and around the world.

At Van Meter Community School in Iowa where I was recently the district teacher librarian, students follow their passions and make a difference. Take, for example, members of the National Honor Society who started a program called Dreams to Life. They raised more than $7,000 to help a nearby school buy technology for disadvantaged students. A couple of years ago, a group of seventh graders at Van Meter wanted to get involved with an organization called She’s the First. They organized a fundraising effort that earned enough money to allow a girl from Africa go to school for a year. Another group of our students worked to help libraries around the country raise money for technology and books. All of these projects had two things in common: First, students – not adults – led the efforts. And second, students used technology to communicate, collaborate and solve problems. The lesson here is that our students love to get involved in the causes that move them, and it’s our responsibility as educators to offer guidance, but let the students lead the way. That’s how the deep learning happens. Last year, Ian Coon, a sophomore at Waukee High School, and Jack

Hostager, a junior at Dubuque Hempstead High School, organized the Iowa Student Learning Institute, an innovative education conference focused on student voice. More than 190 students, educators and community leaders from 35 Iowa school districts attended the event that was aimed at giving students a forum to discuss their ideas around how to make education more relevant and meaningful. Speakers included inspiring students and nationally recognized education leaders. But the real magic happened during breakout sessions, where students drove the discussion about developing a vision and action plan to map out the future of education. This movement isn’t just happening in my state; it’s happening everywhere. Last year, I was curious to hear what kids would say if I asked them what they wanted from school. I created a survey and shared it via social media with my professional learning network. I wanted to know not just what my kids at Van Meter thought, but what kids all over Iowa, all over the country and all over the world

thought. When I looked at the results, various themes emerged, but the most resounding message was that our students want to have a voice. They want a say in what they learn, how they learn, who they learn from, what tools they use and what their learning environment looks like. I’m sure those survey results came as no surprise to Zak Malamed. He is a great example of how one young person can make a tremendous impact. Zak is the 20-year-old founder of Student Voice, an organization that encourages young people to take a control of their education. His for-studentsby-students nonprofit organization believes that student voice can reduce absenteeism, enhance school climate, promote civic engagement and build character among all students.

We know that our young people need and want someone to support and lift up their passions. I want today’s students to have opportunities to learn, create, connect and teach anytime they want in the best possible environments we can provide for them. It’s time we helped them make that happen.

Shannon Miller is the former district teacher librarian at Van Meter Community School in Iowa. She is currently executive director of Library & Educational Services for Biblionasium, director of school and library strategy at In This Together Media and an educational consultant for Mackin Education Resources. Follow her on Twitter @shannonmmiller.

THE LESSON HERE IS THAT OUR STUDENTS LOVE TO GET INVOLVED IN THE CAUSES THAT MOVE THEM, AND IT’S OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS EDUCATORS TO OFFER GUIDANCE, BUT LET THE STUDENTS LEAD THE WAY.

Introducing K12IRC.org Over 2,000 carefully selected and annotated links provide you with the tools you need to create exciting, topical lesson plans and curriculum. Like an Instructional Resource Center in the real world, you will find...  a solid foundation for supporting standards and assessment practices,  classroom projects, lessons, units, field trips, extended studies, and international databases in almost every subject and across subjects,  resources to integrate video and interactive elements into your lessons,  tips for school, family, industry, and community partnerships,  ideas and tools for planning and managing your environment,  professional development and publishing opportunities. The K-12 Instructional Resource Center contains best-of-breed resources for designing, implementing, and refreshing your lesson plans and curriculum. Check out our new tablet and smart phone friendly access.

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inquire

LeVar Burton’s storytelling tells quite a tale Kickstarter campaign fuels new Reading Rainbow By Julie Phillips Randles

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LeVar Burton is an actor, director, producer and author perhaps best known in education circles as the host of the beloved pbs children’s series “Reading Rainbow,” and co-founder/curator-in-chief of the award-winning Reading Rainbow app. His acting career began in 1977 when the then-University of Southern California student was cast in the groundbreaking role of Kunta Kinte in the landmark television series “Roots,” based on the novel by Alex Haley. As a result of his performance, Burton found himself on the cover of Time magazine at the age of 19. In 1986, Burton achieved further acclaim for his role as Chief Engineer Geordi LaForge in the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” television series. Burton has also had roles in dozens of popular television programs, tv movies and films. But Burton says he’s most proud of his role as “Reading Rainbow’s” host and executive producer. The television

series ran from 1983-2009, making it one of the longest running children’s television shows in history. Throughout its run, the series garnered more than 200 awards, including multiple Emmys and a Peabody Award. That’s why, committed to improving children’s education through innovative uses of storytelling, he co-founded and launched the innovative digital educational publishing company RRKidz with business partner Mark Wolfe in 2012. Together, they hold the global rights to the Reading Rainbow brand through a partnership with series creator wned/Buffalo. Burton has used that platform to re-imagine Reading Rainbow, which now combines today’s forms of media and technology to inspire a new generation of children to read. The all-new Reading Rainbow experience is a digital reading service filled with more than 500 children’s fiction and non-fiction books and newly produced video field trips. New content is added every week.

LeVar Burton, actor, director, producer, author and the force behind the re-imagined reading Rainbow brand. Burton says a successful Kickstarter campaign provided the resources to put the Reading Rainbow product on every device available where kids consume content.

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inquire

If you could have a different career, what would it be?

I studied for the Catholic priesthood for four years, so it would have been as a priest. It was in the seminary that I decided to become an actor instead. The decision to step away from the priesthood was a matter of my universe having been expanded through a specific teacher and through literature, and I was eager to explore the world through a lens different than the lens of a cleric. Growing up, who were your heroes?

First among my heroes is my mom, Erma Gene Christian. I am the man I am today because she is the woman that she is. Sidney Poitier always was, and continues to be, a huge hero of mine. How were you inspired to become a reader?

The reading, that’s all Erma Gene. My mom is and always has been a voracious reader, so I was exposed to a lot of literature early on. I received a critical example from my mother because I always saw her reading. entrsekt

When people ask me how to get their kids to read, I ask them, “Do you know what your child’s passions are?” It’s through their passions that these choices are made. Buy them books on the topics they are passionate about; it’s the perfect entry point. The second question I ask is, “How often do your children see you reading?” It’s that primary modeling that helps us develop our own values as individuals.

Burton says the Reading Rainbow app has proven the theory that students can become more vested in their education through technology.

Were performing arts and fine arts part of your school day?

Performing arts were not part of my school day until I got to high school at St. Pius X seminary in Galt, California, where the arts were a strong part of the academic program. I was also in band in elementary school. I was a drummer back in the day when we had music in classrooms. But it really wasn’t until high school and seminary that my love of theatre blossomed. You recently completed a remarkably successful Kickstarter initiative to fund a restart of Reading Rainbow. Can you tell us about that? How many contributors did you have over what period of time?

In the course of 36 days, over 105,000 people donated to the campaign. That’s the largest number of backers ever for a crowd-funded campaign. The initial impetus was to raise $1 million to increase our footprint with the app product. We know the app is successful and that kids are coming to

photos by allen zaki

Burton’s instincts are proving accurate; Reading Rainbow is the No. 1 educational app on iTunes, where students have enjoyed more than 16 million books and videos since its launch. This summer, Burton turned to Kickstarter to bring the new Reading Rainbow concept to “every child, everywhere,” as he puts it – and especially to classrooms in need. The campaign met its 35-day goal of $1 million in less than 11 hours and has become the most popular Kickstarter campaign ever, boasting approximately105,000 backers and raising more than $6.4 million. As a result, RRKidz will soon be launching a new Reading Rainbow edu version, complete with engaging supplemental learning content for teachers and students. Burton, who has won 12 Emmys, a Grammy and five naacp awards, is often invited to speak at education and technology events. He’s provided presentations for iste, nasa and the National Head Start Association.

the app and reading over 200,000 books a week. So they will come to an app to read, and not just to play games. However, the app is only currently available on two platforms. In order to be really effective, we need to be on more than just two platforms. Kickstarter was about raising a $1 million to increase the accessibility of the product. If you come from a family with no financial wherewithal to be connected, your child is more likely than not to encounter these technologies in the classroom, and teachers know who we are, what we’re about and what our mission is – and they support it. So getting it on the web and making it something teachers can use every day is imperative. We raised that first $1 million on day one. A total of $6.4 million was raised over 35 days. One intention from the start was to identify schools that couldn’t afford a yearly subscription. We felt it was important to give a subscription to schools that couldn’t bear the cost and the more money we raised, the more classrooms we could give the product to. So today we’re looking at a donation of over 10,000 subscriptions when the product comes out. And it’s looking like the app will be ready in spring 2015. When Reading Rainbow first came on the scene, the major medium was TV. Today there are so many varied devices available. How does that variety of devices impact your plans for Reading Rainbow today?

When you talk about universal access, we now have the resources to nail that down. We now have the resources to put the Reading Rainbow product on every device available where kids consume content. We will be able to be wherever kids are. I’ve always believed in meeting kids where they are and then taking them where you want them to go. To reach kids today, you have to be on multiple platforms – on the web, on mobile devices, in schools, on Xbox – these are all important ways to reach kids. As we understand it, the new Reading Rainbow offers both an app and an online library, as well as print, audio and interactive formats. Can you tell us more about these and how they all work together?

The vision is for a seamless interface for the user and whatever device the user is on at the moment. The idea is that the content follows users seamlessly from device to device. Right now, we’re an app, but the Reading Rainbow app is the first of many products that we envision offering kids. We currently begin with entry-level readers, but we have an

interest in providing enriching content for preschoolers and middle school students in the future. You mentioned that you plan to roll out the Reading Rainbow app by spring. How do you plan to get teachers engaged?

My plan is that when we are ready to launch, teachers will not be able to avoid it! We have the strength of the brand itself and we have a brand ambassador. I have the interest, desire and determination to use all of the arrows in my quiver, including relationships with organizations like iste. We launched the app on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,” and it was the first app ever launched on television. I mean it when I say I intend to pull out of the stops in the service of launching this product and in addressing our dilemma around education. Regarding the rollout, we’re currently contemplating which partners we will be engaged with and how, and that will, in part, determine our strategy. The new Reading Rainbow materials are free to certain low-income schools. What are your plans to help learners in challenged environments?

“I’ve always believed in meeting kids where they are and then taking them where you want them to go.”

Our relationship with Title i schools will help inform how we continue to support our mission of bringing Reading Rainbow back for every child, everywhere. We don’t have all the answers, but I defy you to find anyone more passionate or more committed to solving this problem. This is not a job for me. This is my life’s mission. This is what I do. This has become my vocation. This is why I didn’t become a priest. We have been in the process of capturing feedback from all types of teachers for the past year in preparation for our upcoming education product. This summer, we did some initial testing with a Title i school in which our current digital library was part of a summer reading intervention program for incoming first graders. We learned quite a bit regarding what features they need for the classroom and how we can expand the library. We plan to launch a pilot program this fall to provide more feedback that will inform our product development team. Research and user testing is an important part of our process and will ensure that we meet the needs of learners in all types of environments. Clearly, Reading Rainbow has had great reach within the United States. Do you believe it can extend into classrooms globally?

We know we have a tremendous opportunity to establish an international footprint when we have additional bandwidth. The app (as it is now) has been downloaded in over 50 entrsekt

“Education technology can play a pivotal role if we take any content we want our kids to learn and put it in the storytelling format.”

countries and has already proven to be valuable for those who want to learn English as a second language. We know that the digital library could have an enormous impact globally. Our company is just two years old and we still have fewer than 25 employees. We do believe we can be a strong presence in the international marketplace, and we’re having conversations with some players right now to answer how we’re going to get there.

self-select. Like I said, we have kids reading 200,000 books a week. We’ve proven this theory that through technology we can get kids interested in their education. Reading Rainbow is about educating kids while they don’t know they were being educated. It’s also about having fun, and all we need is to just do more of that.

You’ve been quoted as saying, “It’s unacceptable that one in four children in the U.S. will grow up illiterate.” What important role do you believe education technology has to play in changing this statistic?

We don’t share what our business model looks like; that’s part of our secret sauce. But I can say it involves using everything at our disposal to further our mission. Three ingredients that help us succeed in this challenging marketplace are the stellar nature of the brand, an extremely loyal fan base and the ability to have an ambassador who truly cares about curating quality content. I will also say we have a phenomenal, dedicated team that wants to make a difference in kids’ lives, and that’s a prerequisite for being here at RRKidz.

Education technology can play a pivotal role if we take any content we want our kids to learn and put it in the storytelling format. Storytelling is universal and part of every culture in the world. We have an opportunity to use engaging technology for storytelling, as well as some of the mechanics of game play to make the process of education an activity that kids will entrsekt

What business model do you envision to keep the new Reading Rainbow project growing?

worldwise

Shared commitment nets new collaboration Anjlee Prakash, Ph. D.

Human progress revolves around effective education – professional learning for teachers, true learning for students and the transformation of education systems. Backed by a shared commitment to leading education transformation through pedagogical excellence that is ably supported by technology, ISTE and the Learning Links Foundation (LLF) have entered into a collaboration that will empower education stakeholders. The goal of this exciting alliance is to incubate, promote and evaluate initiatives that will inform educational technology thoughts and practices, while also creating robust and future-ready learning environments. LLF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing wellresearched, evidence-based innovative solutions to transform the way education is transacted, and thereby stimulate optimal learning. The foundation works with partners across the education ecosystem to identify opportunities, address challenges and pave the path to transformational learning. Established in 2002, LLF has been working across India and Asia and has built a reputation as one of the largest and most respected education foundations in India. LLF’s advocacy for the role of educational technology in creating transformational learning experiences supports ISTE’s vision of a world where all learners thrive, achieve and contribute. The foundation believes that a strong collaboration with ISTE involving the leveraging of the ISTE Standards and Essential Conditions for schools and education systems in India will positively impact the way education is delivered and unlock the power of true learning. We look forward to collaborating in five areas: Connect. Recognizing the need for educators to connect and collaborate with peers, LLF will build, moderate and sustain new communities within a Professional Learning Network for Indian educators, administrators and policy makers, as well as all others interested in further conversation about contemporary educational technology thinking. Our hope is that the professional learning communities formed online will lead to future informal, face-to-face events such as meet-ups and edcamps. Advocate. Intending to promote change in communities across India, LLF will collaborate with ISTE to develop, adapt and

disseminate information about digital age learning policy and tools. Building upon existing relationships with national and state curriculum bodies, the foundation envisions collaborating with these and other organizations to develop long-term policy priorities and advocacy plans that are informed by the ISTE Standards and Essential Conditions. Lead. Helping innovative leaders work together so that all learners benefit, LLF will share expertise and new approaches that power its effort to transform learning and teaching. The foundation will encourage Indian educators, leaders, experts and companies to take advantage of all the benefits that ISTE membership offers. Leveraging a network of over 900,000 K-12 teachers, student-teachers and faculty of higher education institutes, LLF also will provide ISTE-developed professional learning opportunities that are educationally rigorous and localized for the Indian context. Resources. With a belief in the importance of offering resources to help educators and organizations gain new skills and achieve their vision for digital age education, LLF and ISTE will collaborate to expand relationships with key contacts in India’s national department of education and in the states, providing local language and context resources. The foundation will introduce and recommend ISTE education technology be used to support teacher trainees at the graduate and master’s level. Standards. Recognizing the importance of national standards for learning, teaching and leading in the digital age, LLF will drive efforts for adoption of the ISTE Standards in India, as well as assist with any necessary customizations to meet national and state requirements. Forging symbiotic relationships between organizations such as ISTE and LLF – ones that merge world-class practices in local contexts and simultaneously provide scale and depth – is critical for transforming learning, teaching and leading. LLF is excited to work with ISTE and to inspire, innovate and learn with those we seek to empower. Anjlee Prakash, Ph. D., is the CEO of Learning Links Foundation, based in New Delhi, India.

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feature

Gathering STEAM Integration of arts into STEM inspires new mindset

By Linda A. Estep

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Melissa Edwards, an instructional technologist for Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools and an iste member, and Natalie Strange, media coordinator at Piney Grove Elementary School in Kernersville, North Carolina, surveyed their resources at hand and began to wonder. With grant money already exhausted for technology support at the k-5 school of 600 students, how could they create and sustain an inter-

active learning environment with just seven leftover Kindle Fire tablets and a storage room filled with discarded teaching tools? Wonder meets creativity

Their imaginations kicked into full gear and suddenly those dusty world globes with the Soviet Union boundaries took on new relevancy. What if they covered them with chalkboard paint and used them to draw jet

streams or ocean currents? What if the Kindles were used as exploration stations and not-so-new plug-in laptops were brought back to life for research? A creation station could host students who wanted draw or build things using technology. And the Piney Grove Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (steam) Lab was born. With little or no extra cost, these two educators transformed a storage room

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Gathering STEAM

The integration of the arts and technology is not about teaching software, but rather establishing a mindset that a computer is a tool, not unlike charcoal and paint.

into a space for integrated learning, and teachers, using a steam strategic plan they’ve developed, now clamor to reserve time for their classes during regular school hours. Less than 10 miles down the road, energetic, dedicated principal Shawn Gaillard has opened Wiley Intermediate this fall as a steam magnet school after guiding his building under a steam pilot for two years, first with just sixth graders and then with seventh and eighth graders. But when his magnet application for federal funds was denied, he asked the school board for permission to operate as a magnet school anyway and received support. By the end of the enrollment application period for the new school, he had 200 additional student sign-ups and a waiting list for 2014-15. “I’m one of those guys who thrives on change in education,” he explains. That is how you grow. “steam is good teaching with a niche,” Gaillard says. “If you tour here, you will see teachers inspiring and developing innovations. Problem-based learning is key and the collaborative link is huge if you’re going to roll with steam.” Beginnings of an idea

So what exactly is steam? It’s definitely not just another vowel to the science, technology, engineering and math (stem) movement. Stemtosteam.org defines steam as a movement with three objectives: transforming research policy to place art and design at the center of stem, encouraging integration of art and design in k-20 education, and influencing employers to hire artists and designers to drive innovation. entrsekt

Although Georgette Yakman founded and developed steam education in 2006, the movement gained momentum with a push by artist John Maeda, then president of the Rhode Island School of Design (risd) and today a design partner at Kleiner Perkins Caulfield and Byers, a venture capital firm based in California’s Silicon Valley. He promoted stem to steam in education when he realized that technology, business, design and art are all intertwined when it comes to creating innovative products and equipment that not only enhance lives, but improve economies. You need only look at Apple’s success under the creative chops of Steve Jobs to understand how technology products designed with an artist’s touch have such mass appeal. The artistic influence “humanizes” and simplifies the user experience, making it more desirable, in Maeda’s view. According to Mark Milloff, a professor of foundation studies at risd, his school is training students to use technology as 21st century artists. “Most students today are pretty advanced in technology. Ten years ago only a few had laptops. Today, 30 to 40 percent are familiar with coding.” Milloff emphasizes that the integration of the arts and technology is not about teaching software, but rather establishing a mindset that a computer is a tool, not unlike charcoal and paint. iste member Gigi Johnson’s work in digital media through the Maredel Institute and teaching at the University of California, Los Angeles, Herb Alpert School of Music gives her a unique perspective on integrating the arts and technology. She believes that coding should be in every student’s learning

environment because being able to create from the backside of computers is a form of creativity. “There is a movement that kids should learn to code as if they were learning a foreign language,” she explains. “All cultural arts are massively impacted by technology. I spend a lot of time with artists who struggle with using and understanding technology.” Johnson also believes the reverse is true: Technologists can benefit from integrating and understanding the arts. But although much is happening as a result of the steam movement, professional development in the area is fragile. Purposeful integration

Weaving the arts into an established, integrated curriculum is a natural in the eyes of many educators, but still not everyone is convinced. At least not at first. In Pittsburgh, iste member Jamie Kasper serves as the associate director of the Arts Education Collaborative (aec), bringing a broad background as a musician and classroom teacher, as well as a fine arts and humanities adviser to the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Kasper has been with the aec since 2010, where a primary goal is to “strengthen education by making the arts central to learning through collaboration,” according to the aec website. The aec offers professional development training through its Leadership Academy, where participants can network and progress to become leaders in their schools and the community. Kasper believes the arts can be integrated into the original stem movement “if it is purposeful, and not

just thrown in to see what sticks. We need to be careful not to just toss it into another subject,” she says. “That cheapens the integrity of both the art and the other subject.” She cautions that collaboration in the initial stages means bringing everyone to the table to express ideas, then establishing a partnership. “People sometimes think that because they ‘consume,’ they know all about the subject. Usually they don’t. We must pair with those who have true expertise.” Sure, some people will see integrating the arts into the studies of science, technology, engineering and math as only a trend and “fluff,” Kasper recognizes, but she she points to museums that eagerly talk about how technology works in that environment and how art makes a person think dif-

ferently. She says art is a communicative tool, whether delivered through movement, sound or words. Kasper heads up a professional learning network within iste called Arts Educators Network where members share resources and ideas. “It is our little space to hang out, a place for people to talk about things they might not be able to talk about anywhere else,” she explains. Resources available

Arts Integration Specialist Susan Riley travels the country speaking to groups large and small about what integrated curriculum is and what it is not. She is the founder of EducationCloset.com, an e-magazine focusing on teacher professional development that includes arts and technology integration,

free lesson plans and annual online conferences. A frequent contributor to print and online publications including EdWeek and Edutopia, Riley’s most recent book is titled “No Permission Required: Bringing steam to Life in k-12 Schools.” “When we authentically integrate across content areas, we are connecting, teaching and assessing two or more standards with intention and equity,” she wrote last year in Edutopia. In a recent interview with iste about the correlation of arts and technology, Riley said, “When we look at technology, we look at the application of a tool. What can we do with it? It is hard to imagine design without technology. It is really about the process of arts and technology and what we get in the end. How are you communicating

Art is a communicative tool, whether delivered through movement, sound or words.

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Gathering STEAM

Full steam ahead

“How are you communicating your intention via art and technology? STEAM teaches (that) process.”

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your intention via art and technology? steam teaches (that) process.” A former music teacher, Riley acknowledges that there is some nervousness about adding the arts to stem, but she attributes that to the pace of integration, evaluations, revamped standards and budget cuts. Concerns that the steam movement focuses mainly on design, visual and media arts are addressed by Riley, who acknowledges “Lots of people concentrate on design, but there are other areas too, such as music paired with math, dance choreography with science and theater scenery with engineering. Looking only at design shortchanges steam. “People get excited about steam when they truly understand it,” she says. “Aligning standards takes work.

Most have not seen steam in practice and there is a curiosity about it. Teachers want to see it.” Riley provides free lesson plans specific to arts and technology integration on EducationCloset.com. One such plan involves students discovering or designing a font that is representative of a famous artist. The students then discuss how technology can be used to market the artist using the font, how the fonts are used to convey a message and how print and multimedia uses technology to market messages. But Riley insists that meaningful integration will require professional development. “People need collaborative time, time to reflect and not be evaluated right away. We must shift how we address an initiative like this.”

“Art is all around us,” says New Hampshire’s Marcia McCaffrey, president of the State Education Agency Directors of Arts Education. “One of steam’s goals is to show the role that technology drives in arts. This is not just another way of integrating the arts. It is about bringing parity to each subject. steam is about ‘I see it now.’ ” McCaffrey was instrumental in working for a revision of the National Core Arts Standards to include media arts. She serves the New Hampshire Department of Education as an arts consultant and has a personal background in dance, including instruction. That’s one reason an initiative in New Hampshire called steam Ahead, a collaborative partnership between the Manchester School District, the University System of New Hampshire, Manchester Community College and the local business community, is receiving attention. The idea is to increase the number of graduates with skills in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics to drive economic development. steam Ahead has been implemented at Manchester High School West, where the expertise of all partners is infused in curriculum. Unlimited heights

From coast to coast, the st e a m movement has its believers who passionately teach the connectivity of science, technology, engineering, art and math. As with most new ideas, there were skeptics when it was first introduced, and some remain. But experts, such as Kerry Dixon, whose multiyear professional development trainings in the Columbus Public Schools in

Ohio has had marked success, know that teacher buy-in is the key and that directives from above are inhibitors to acceptance. “I have worked with teachers in both rural and suburban school districts, some who chose these new strategies and others who had them imposed. The most success is where administrators support the teachers who want to participate. Sometimes there is screening and even extra compensation, but those who participate over time have the most success,” she says.

Dixon admits some people do not see arts integration as viable, but she gives an example of how putting cameras in students’ hands is a way to tell a story and study the intricacies of camera technology and storytelling as an art. “Technology is not the end game – it is the powerful tool to tell the story,” she explains. Dixon’s observation is not lost on corporate America, and certainly not on Robert A. Iger, chairman and chief executive officer of Walt Disney Co. In a recent article for the Wall Street

Journal, Iger summed up the pairing of technology and art. “Technology is lifting the limits of creativity and transforming the possibilities for entertainment and leisure. Today’s digital era has unleashed unprecedented innovation. … In the years ahead, this fusion of technology and creativity will allow us to deliver experiences once unimaginable.”

linda a. estep is a former reporter for mccl atchy newspapers and was the public information officer for a l arge school district in california. today, she works as a freel ance writer covering education policy.

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New halls of Modern learning environments accommodate time, space, place

By Gail Marshall

hen Kecia Ray of Nashville, Tennessee, was on a team charged with finding out what schools of the future should look like, she did a dangerous thing: she asked the students. In order for you to be excited about school, what would it look like? “We got a ton of ideas,” she says. “None of them were more rigid seats. None were, ‘Give us more textbooks – we love them!’” Instead, the answers were more like this: We want to be comfortable. We want fewer textbooks. If we want a book, we want to be able to have one. But if we don’t, we want a device that has all the information on it. We want more flexibility. We want to choose our own pace for learning. We want to choose our own place for learning. Those answers, and many more, were incorporated into a blended learning program now being rolled out in the highly praised Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, where Ray, iste board chair, serves as executive director of learning technology. Three anchor schools are open as models so everyone interested can see a working example of what lies ahead. entrsekt

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And the payoff?

Three critical issues

“To see the pride in their faces, that we took the time and cared enough to improve the physical space where they go to school is priceless,” Ray says. Instead of walking into schools intended for students born half a century – or more – ago, there is a new energy and youthfulness to the culture. “They respond very positively to the blended side. There is nothing more powerful than a student telling you where they are in their own learning process. We have flipped the switch; they are owning their learning.”

Ray and many other global educators are demonstrating that we cannot reinvent learning to match the future without addressing three critical areas: time, place and space. Time. Schools internationally are

blowing up the long-held “cells and bells” idea – an agriculture-based school calendar that lines up students at 8 a.m. weekdays, shuts the door

behind them, rings bells every period and locks up the campus at the end of the day. Many schools in the United States are getting creative with the timing, such as block scheduling, four days of classes and one day of community service, going to school for three hours and working at home in a blended home school. An aspiring rocket scientist in Atlanta, Georgia’s, Lovett School, for example, can take classes at school and still make time to tap into nasa resources to pursue his passion. Students can often adjust their

New halls of knowledge schedules to learn the toughest things when they have the most energy. The whole notion of formal learning versus informal learning is taking on a new shape. Place. Learning doesn’t just happen

in the classroom. Online lessons or flipped classes using mobile devices mean students may also be watching their teacher explain multiplication in a garden, a coffee shop, in a hammock or on the top bunk in their bedrooms. Students who take a minimum class load and spend the remaining time doing a service project in the community can apply for grants. Other students may take two weeks to study at a sister school in Ecuador during the school year. Perhaps there will be an embedded semester in an engineering department of a local university. In short, learning walls have come tumbling down. Space. The learning spaces of the

future will encourage students to read on the floor, rock safely in their chairs, collaborate in small groups, walk around, make things, talk out loud, write on the glass walls or work in a garden. Tables and chairs often are mobile so they can accommodate learning stations at 8 a.m. and be quickly moved aside for collaborative projects at 10 a.m., and restructured again when there is quiet reflective time at 1 p.m. Finishes, textiles and technology are being redesigned to meet students’ physical and aesthetic preferences – not just the custodians’ needs. Look back to move forward

We cannot look at where we’re going without looking at where we’ve come from, according to iste member Christopher Johnson, Ph.D., associate

professor of educational technology at University of Arizona South, and chair of advocacy and public policy for the iste affiliate Arizona Technology in Education Association. In his popular writing, teaching and presentations, he takes us back to prehistoric times when we used the honored tradition of learning by storytelling; then he moves us on to the Henry Ford ideas of assembly-line efficiency – a row-by-row, be-quiet-inyour-seats, top-down approach that prevails in many school districts today. Now, Johnson appreciates the philosophies of the authors of “The

Third Teacher,” which focus on a very important word in his estimation, “interactions.” On the website, thethirdteacher plus.com, the team of educational design consultants explain it this way: “In the 1940s, pioneering Italian teacher and psychologist Loris Malaguzzi founded the Reggio Emilio approach to learning on the premise that children develop through interactions, first with the adults in their lives – parents and teachers – then with their peers, and ultimately with the environment around them. Environment, said Malaguzzi, is the third teacher.” They have a simple idea: “It seems obvious but is often forgotten:

“It seems obvious but is often forgotten: Teaching and learning should shape the building, not vice versa.”

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Teaching and learning should shape the building, not vice versa.” Ray and her team certainly get it. Their intention is to reflect all the students’ needs in the Nashville school experiences. The design is based on maximum choices and connections. Desks in Nashville and elsewhere are being traded for comfortable chairs around tables. Stools and chairs swivel and adjust to easily accommodate wiggles and conversations. Surfaces may be tile, wood or carpet to encourage stocking feet. There are charging stations, internet cafes. The classroom design encourages students to move to different centers to solve problems. There are production rooms to create videos, maker spaces, maker movement projects. At each center in the classroom, Ray says, the students are exposed to different types of content or activities. For young students, about 30 percent of their instruction will be in a digital format. entrsekt

“Parents are not comfortable with children having excessive access to the internet,” Ray says. “It’s a different generation. They don’t want their children to be on devices all the time. So we took that into consideration.” Middle school students get direct instruction from their teachers, and, using a blended platform, they progress at their own pace. By high school, 70 percent of their instruction is on the internet. School is becoming less a place for direct instruction and more a place to collaborate and partner with teachers and peers on projects. “This is the evolution we have going on in our school today,” she says. Structuring the school day

iste member Laura Deisley is the director of 21st century learning at the Lovett School, an independent k-12

school with nearly 1,100 students in Atlanta, Georgia. The students at Lovett aren’t lashed to a rigid schedule of prescribed classes at inflexible times and places any more than the television audience that was once required to show up at 6 p.m. to watch Walter Cronkite deliver the evening news. A school structure based on student goals needs to be imperative in modern schools, Deisley says. “We need to make the experience of learning more expressive of who they are,” says Deisley. Lovett puts a priority on accommodating the personal choices of students with time, space and place. So when a talented young gymnast in their school has to spend eight hours a day in the gym, they make the school day work for her. Deisley says one of the students wants to be a rocket scientist. Lovett doesn’t have a course in rocket science, but he is encouraged to use his school

time learning from to nasa-supported resources and even to connect with the robotics team at Georgia Tech. His associated activities needed a more informal learning space, so the school was able to devise a maker space out of an old shop that is now working out quite well for him and others. More innovation is ahead. They recently acquired a grant to create a semester school in Atlanta that would immerse students from throughout the city in one of the design colleges, also a collaboration with Georgia Tech. The students will be exploring questions around water, transportation, cultural issues, sociological issues, race and segregation and what that means for the city’s sustainability. “They will spend a good chunk of time working on prototype solutions,” Deisley says, “which they will come back and share and hopefully create an incubator for those ideas to move forward. That is a different look at the school day.” Fluid learning environments

Global Online Academy (goa) is the Cirque du Soleil of time, space and place options and Amy Hollinger, director of professional development, is a high-wire performer. Her daily schedule is nothing short of acrobatic, enabling her to teach video online to students in nine time zones. goa has 53 schools around the world. She brings a new perspective to the discussion. How does the fluid learning environment affect the teachers and administrators? A mother of three children ages 13, 11 and 8 who lives with her husband in Redmond, Washington, Hollinger may begin her

New halls of knowledge day with a 6 a.m. conference call, go into the office in Seattle, meet with employees in the office on projects and talk with people all over the world. From 4 to 6 p.m., she takes the bus home. Later in the evening, she may check in on work again. “I have to be flexible,” she says. “Someone might need me at 11 p.m. It’s like triage. I don’t have normal work hours. My defining question is ‘Can this person move forward?’ I may be working with someone in Japan who is waiting for an answer from me.” Good communication is critical. “It’s a matter of letting students know, for example, that I will be looking at the online discussion from 4 to 6 p.m. in the evening. You have to be very clear in your expectations for yourself. I find it very freeing. I can go to the dentist for two hours in the morning and not worry about it. I like it a lot.” Start with the students

Architect Moa Dickmark also has a global perspective. She is Swedish and lives in Copenhagen, Denmark, where she has a studio called MoHo in partnership with her colleague Heidi Lyng. She speaks five languages. She consults internationally in designing, redesigning, projects in schools, cities and youth centers. Her advice very much closes the circle back to Ray’s experience in Nashville: Always start by asking the students. As she says, “No one is as good at being a 7-year-old girl as a 7-year-old girl.” But she doesn’t stop there. She asks everyone; in her world, custodians, teachers, students and principals are also experts. Her process when working with students is realistic. In a recent blog post titled

“Working with kids: The good, the bad and the awesome,” she noted that students have short concentration spans, they need breaks, they sometimes have already lost their imagination in school. They are afraid of giving wrong answers. In addition, they are hilarious, they get cool and crazy ideas, and they are fun. So in the awesome category, she believes education can overcome all of the negatives. Dickmark begins by asking them to take pictures of three to four types of areas: Where they work well in a group. Where they work well alone. Where they get inspiration. Where they go to think. The students then break into small groups and discuss why things work and don’t work. They discuss temperature, light, colors, materials, location. And the design process starts to cook. Above all, she says there are no formulas. The goal is to create an environment where children want to learn. “Unless we learn how to use space as an active part of learning and teach the students subjects such as empathy, sustainability, creativity, problem solving and teamwork, it doesn’t matter how mobile or tech-oriented the classrooms are.” Johnson in Arizona also has concerns about the big picture. He is observing the big move to put everything online, a race to turn everyone into individual, independent learners. The one-size- fits-all approach doesn’t sit with him. A lot of personalized, individual learning in digital spaces

“has potential at the secondary level.” But for k-8, he says, “Students need guidance, they need more inclusive places; they have to be taught to be independent learners.”

gail marshall is a writer and editor for the fresno bee, a major metropolitan newspaper in california. she also owns and operates a freelance business, marshall arts communications consultants.

“Unless we learn how to use space as an active part of learning and teach the students subjects such as empathy, sustainability, creativity, problem solving and teamwork, it doesn’t matter how mobile or tech-oriented the classrooms are.”

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CITIZENSHIP —

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DIGITAL AND OTHERWISE The responsibility lies with our students and ourselves By Tim Douglas

Citizenship has always been complicated and hotly contested. In early American history, one’s citizenship determined voting rights, and citizenship was tied to race, class and gender. It’s been so controversial, in fact, that our Constitution has an amendment dedicated to the notion. The 14th Amendment provides a broad definition of national citizenship and requires states to provide equal protection under the law to all persons (not only to citizens) within their jurisdictions. The amendment

was used in the mid-20th century to dismantle legal segregation in Brown v. Board of Education. Clearly, it’s an overwhelming idea that has provoked arguments and pushed our country, but what does citizenship truly mean? Citizenship is personal, not legal. It is belonging to a nation or a community and contributing to that society’s well-being. For many, it also adds to a sense of self. Who we are is at least partially determined by where we are and what we share with our fellow inhabitants.

But whether someone needs to fight for it, or has citizenship thrust upon them, the responsibility is enormous. It is the common thread that connects us all in a particular area, region or space.

DROPPING THE MODIFIER In today’s world there’s another layer of accountability that our Founding Fathers, elected officials and civil rights leaders couldn’t have foreseen, but it is just as important: digital citizenship.

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To be a good citizen anywhere, you have to be a good person everywhere.

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It is so significant that some educators feel the phrase doesn’t do the issue justice. “We need to drop the term digital,” says Marialice Curran, assistant professor in the School of Education at the University of Saint Joseph in Connecticut. “We’re online and we’re connected.” “A good citizen is a good citizen,” agrees iste member Susan Bearden, director of information technology at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy in Florida, “online or not.” No matter what it’s called, digital citizenship transcends borders and bridges countries in profound ways. Like it or not, ready or not, we are

connected. Thanks to technology, we are citizens of the cyber world, entitled to all the benefits and subject to all the complications, and we need to make sure we wield this power wisely and teach our kids to do the same. “Once you hit send, you have no idea where [the message or post] will go,” says Curran. “This is an incredible responsibility with potentially incredible impact. It is your digital tattoo that you can’t take back, and it will never go away.”

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP DEFINED To be a good citizen anywhere, you have to be a good person everywhere. This means, among other things,

showing respect, having a good attitude and being a positive influence. In the digital landscape, it’s easy to get lost, hide behind a keyboard, exhibit poor behavior, avoid accountability and make poor decisions. To help people better understand digital citizenship and to guide educators, adults and students through this world, Common Sense Media, an iste corporate member, has developed eight categories based on the work of Howard Gardner, a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education: internet safety, privacy and security, relationships and communication, cyberbullying, digital footprint and reputation, self-image and identity,

CITIZENSHIP – DIGITAL AND OTHERWISE

creative credit and copyright, and information literacy. “Teachers, parents and administrators need to understand what [digital citizenship] means. We all have a responsibility to educate ourselves and our students about being online and engaged in social media,” says Rebecca Randall, vice president of education programs at Common Sense Media. “Students, adults, teachers – all of us – need to get more involved in technology and how it works,” says iste member Mike Ribble, director of technology at the Manhattan-Ogden School District in Kansas and chief operator of digitalcitizenship.net. “We’re surrounded by technology, and too often, it runs people, but people should run technology, and a significant part of that is to be good digital citizens.” Ribble, also chair of advocacy and public policy for iste affiliate Arizona Technology in Education Association and co-author of the book “Digital Citizenship in Schools,” (http://goo. gl/lxmCL4) adds that good digital citizens show respect for self and fellow students, educate themselves and others, and protect their information and reputation. Curran agrees and says it’s important for students to always think and act locally, globally and digitally. Any online conduct that is contrary to the terms of sound citizenship – be it unproductive, attacking, unprofessional or just foul – undermines the work and credibility of all it touches. “It’s especially critical that teachers have the knowledge and insight to guide students in building responsible online identities. Students do not necessarily get this support at home,” notes Wendy Drexler, Ph.D., iste’s chief innovation officer. “A teacher

may be the only adult role model students have to navigate the online social landscape. As such, teachers must exhibit savvy and personal responsibility as they build their own personal professional networks.”

HEALTHY HABITS Once users better understand the issue, the positive character traits of digital citizens and the consequences of actions, it’s much easier to teach good habits through timely, hands-on lessons that occur in a secure environment and provide immediate, positive feedback. For example, Randall says teachers can teach digital citizenship in context by integrating social media in a safe network, where a blog report from a student allows others to see the work and make comments in real time. The comments are monitored and evaluated for accuracy, fairness and tone. “If a student creates a fake social networking profile of Abraham Lincoln, it serves a dual purpose,” Randall says. “Lincoln just got a whole lot more interesting and students get handson, real-time experience about what kind of information is ok to post on a profile and what you want to have on there that creates a positive digital footprint.” Lessons learned early are often lessons learned well. “We need to have these conversations with young children,” says Randall. “We need to make schools a place of kindness and compassion. We should start in kindergarten. By the sixth grade, it’s too late.” “All kids can’t hear about [digital citizenship] enough,” says Bearden. “We all can’t hear this enough. Par-

ents, students… we all need to work together.”

PROVIDING STRATEGIC ASSISTANCE Career development and strategic school assistance can play an integral role in preparing teachers to help students, and make sure educators can share this knowledge beyond the classroom. Bearden says her school communicates with the community through video recording sessions shared online, by hosting technology nights with a student-led discussion and via roundtables on the topic, but for her and Curran, one method is particularly effective for both students and parents. “We need to practice what we preach,” Bearden says. “The more we as educators can model, the better off our students and parents will be. I am active on several social media channels – Instagram, Twitter, Facebook – I encourage kids to Google me to see my activity.” “I’m very active online and in the social media space,” adds Curran. “In particular, I share digital citizenship resources on Twitter. We shouldn’t just talk about good behavior, we need to show it.” Meanwhile, organizations like iste, with the help of Ribble, serve as vast warehouses of useful and timely information for educators. iste has a Digital Citizenship Academy and is in the process of creating a Professional Learning Network on the topic. Digital Citizenship is also a core topic within the iste Standards. “Digital citizenship flows through every standard of education,” Ribble says. “iste connects professionals and helps them stay ahead of the issue and

Any online conduct that is contrary to the terms of sound citizenship – be it unproductive, attacking, unprofessional or just foul – undermines the work and credibility of all it touches.

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work more effectively with students and parents.”

THE BULLY THAT NEVER RESTS Just as in the real world, unfortunately, cyberspace has its share of bad actors despite these best efforts. There remains a dark cloud related to digital citizenship: cyberbullying, which can be devastating, even deadly, as it was for Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi and many others. Clementi was 18 years old when he committed suicide after being cyberbullied by his roommate and one of his dorm mates. Cyberbullying is especially insidious because of the power of the digital world. It never rests, there’s no escape – even at home – and it can go viral in an instant. As frightening as these truths are, one stands out. With the playground bullies of old, the tormented knew the tormentor. Not so now. “Imagine the emotional toll of not knowing who is targeting you,” says Randall. “It could be anyone, which makes you question everyone.” However, positive posts have tremendous power to thwart cyberbullying. Educators should get beyond lessons founded in fear and move to student empowerment by encouraging thoughtful tweets or writing a well-informed blog on a respected site. Students should respect technology and be cautious, but they shouldn’t be afraid of it. “We can’t just shut, block and ban social media,” Curran says. “We need to use these tools to help children use social media to change the world in a positive way.” Curran points to the Twitter account @westhighbros as a shining entrsekt

example of positive behavior. Via this account, students at West High in Iowa tweet out compliments to classmates and friends. It’s even been featured on the “Today Show.” Randall says sites like Change.org, dedicated to spreading the word about social issues, and Kickstarter, which is a crowdfunding platform, are also good examples of sites where students can go to be productive as opposed to destructive.

BUILDING A MOVEMENT Or students can take it a step further and build a movement, as Ellie Smith is doing. Smith is the reigning Miss Nevada and she was bullied in school. From the fourth through the eighth grade, Smith was the target of verbal, physical, social and cyber abuse. Among other things, her fellow students dropped books on her head and threw basketballs at her. Finally, it

simply became too much, and Smith told her parents. The pain she endured eventually turned into passion, and a campaign, Bullying: Don’t Let it Get to You, was born. As both a cyberbullying victim and a graduate of an online school, Smith makes the topic a prominent part of her campaign, which has a simple message for targets of abuse. “Bullies are cowards, but we give them power,” she says. “It starts with self-love and self-confidence. If a victim has a positive self-image, they are less likely to be bullied. And if a bully has good self-esteem, they are less likely to bully. This comes back to being a good digital citizen or just a good citizen. If we love ourselves, it’s hard for someone to hurt us, and it’s hard to harm someone else.” A noble goal for cyberspace or any space as the death of distance continues to connect us.

tim dougl as is a former television news producer who also served as a senior media consultant for several speakers of the california state assembly. today, dougl as is a freel ance writer who covers a wide range of topics.

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MAKE ROOM FOR MAKERS Movement engages students, energizes learning By Lisa Kopochinski

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MAKE ROOM FOR MAKERS

and things like an Arduino and Raspberry Pi motherboard and other core tech products have come down and are in the reach of normal consumers.” For the less tech savvy, there are literally thousands of magazines, podcasts and YouTube videos for those wanting make their own products, and, if they choose, sell them online. Nearly anything can be used – from junk to complex tech tools – because the aim is to create something meaningful and connect the physical world to the digital realm.

owning the environment

“the movement is about giving kids the opportunity to explore, do hands-on learning and use hands-on media to create solutions.”

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Make magazine founder Dale Dougherty certainly provided the impetus for the maker movement when he launched his publication nearly a decade ago – but the grassroots effort, albeit on a much more basic level, has existed for as long as humans have created things. “Everyone makes at some level, but we have forgotten about it,” says Dougherty. “Once we understand who the makers are, we can find them in history. People like Benjamin Franklin and Henry Ford might be considered makers. Apple founders Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs were tinkerers and designers.” Whether we cite Franklin and Ford or Seymour Papert, who in the 1960s defined constructionism and

studied how technology can provide new ways to learn, makers have been forging inroads for years. What is new is how quickly the maker movement – the technology-influenced diy community – has gained momentum, especially in recent years. Technology has rapidly accelerated, providing more people with access to innovative devices that enable them to create, rather than just consume. With the technological ability to have more creators, Zach Kaplan, ceo of Inventables, an online hardware store for designers in the maker movement, says, “The key driver is that the cost of tools such as 3d printers, cnc (computer numerical control) mills,

In the education realm, iste member Robert Pronovost, stem coordinator for the Ravenswood City School District in East Palo Alto, California, says the maker movement is giving students more ownership of their environment. “In a society where so much is mass-produced and locked down, the movement allows everyone to realize they don’t have to take things the way they are presented to them.” Lisa Abel-Palmieri, an iste member and director of technology and innovation at the Ellis School, an all-girls school in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, says the movement is about giving kids the opportunity to explore, do hands-on learning and use hands-on media to create solutions. “It provides hope for reigniting how we look at education in a progressive way, and assists students with the skills they need for the future in terms of experimentation and hav-

ing a growth mindset where they fail fast and are able to bounce back,” she explains. Abel-Palmieri says her school has gone through a shift in its curricular program in the last two years. To stay relevant, educators focus on experiential learning and partnerships, design thinking and maker education to define and solve problems. “stem is a huge focus,” she says. “By incorporating maker education, we’ve seen a huge uptick in science and math course enrollment.” There’s also the tinkering process, she adds, which is a great way to get younger students engaged in making. “It empowers them to learn where they are creators and experimenters. There may not be a bigger project in mind. It doesn’t have to be about the technology or creating a project or solving a problem , but it is a great way to show kids they can make things.” Pronovost agrees and says the maker movement gets students reenergized about learning. “It is truly about the integration of so many of the curricular subjects that were siloed as high-stakes assessments became more prominent. The con is that learning is not so cut and dry, as it’s not easily assessable on multiplechoice assessment. Additionally, the movement has a lot more avenues for individual paths – even toward the same goal – so it can be hard to assess individual work and progress in comparison to peers.” Still, Abel-Palmieri says students can feel like they accomplish something quickly and gain competency in what they are doing while being engaged in a way different from a written assignment. “Say a student is an artist,” she explains. “In the past, they might have felt

that science wasn’t their thing. This engages students in new ways where they otherwise have not been engaged.”

authentic learning Another huge advocate of the maker movement is Sylvia Martinez, author of the book “Invent to Learn” and a past iste member. Martinez has worked in schools around the world to bring the power of authentic learning into classrooms, particularly in stem subjects. She calls the movement nothing short of a global, technological and creative revolution that will change the way we produce, market and sell goods and services worldwide. “Plus it’s cool!” she says.“Want a new watch? Don’t ship it across the world, just print it out! Better yet, design it yourself and then print it out. Using gee-whiz technology to make, repair or customize the things we need brings engineering, design and computer science to life. Something this epic should be on every educator’s radar.” Martinez says the maker movement overlaps with the natural inclinations of children and the power of learning by doing. “For educators, I believe that being open to the lessons of the movement holds the key to bringing the best learner-centered teaching practices back to the classroom. This is a way to dramatically change the conversation back to authentic learning.” She adds that in too many cases, science and math have been stripped of practical applications because of a false premise that practical math is only for students who don’t go to college. “This is a recipe for disaster, and I think we see the results in students who gradually lose interest in stem subjects over the years. We cannot and must not continue to pretend that success in stem subjects means memorizing the textbook.”

Brian Jepson, publisher of Maker Media’s book series, says making has made him wish he paid more attention to geometry in high school. “From a personal experience, a lot of times when I am working with a cnc or a 3d printer or a modeling program, I think, ‘This is why they taught geometry.’ Why do I need to have these realizations in my mid-40s? Why didn’t I learn this when I was a kid. I wouldn’t have this incorrect attitude about the math I was taught.”

getting started For educators wondering where and how to start implementing the maker movement, Pronovost offers these words of advice. “Just dive in. Try giving your students a little more flexibility in a traditional project, such as a poster presentation, and rather than have them present on a topic, ask them to solve a particular problem based on your curriculum. Students may lean toward digital tools or hands-on materials. Allow that variety.” When it comes to what makes a good makerspace, practically anywhere will do. “Our first one was in an abandoned portable classroom,” recalls Pronovost. “While many of the six others I’m building this month will also go into an empty classroom, we have to be more flexible due to space at a couple of our sites. We’re also considering a small trailer modeled off the school’s Sparktruck.” Abel-Palmieri says to have a maker mindset in your school, you don’t actually need an official makerspace. “It can happen in existing classrooms with recycled materials. Materials don’t have to be expensive. [However], to develop a makerspace

the maker

movement defined There is much discussion about what the maker movement is, exactly. One of the best descrip tions comes from Adweek magazine: “The maker movement, as we know, is the umbrella term for independent inventors, designers and tinkerers. A convergence of computer hackers and traditional artisans, the niche is established enough to have its own magazine, Make, as well as hands-on Maker Faires that are catnip for DIYers who used to toil in solitude. Makers tap into an American admiration for self-reliance and combine that with open-source learning, contemporary design and powerful personal technology like 3D printers. The creations, born in cluttered local workshops and bedroom offices, stir the imaginations of consumers numbed by generic, mass-produced, made-in-China merchandise.”

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MAKE ROOM FOR MAKERS

“making sits at the intersection of art and science, and at the crossroads of technology and design.”

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before a maker mindset is there does not set you up for success. It’s about creating a space in the curriculum for maker education to be a part of what they are doing.” For instance, The Ellis School has two “innovation stations”in middle and high schools where students participate in pre-selected activities every month. At the high school level, projects tie to what is happening in class. At the middle school, students make projects that are not tied to the curriculum, such as creating an origami animal that lights up.

While the benefits of a maker education are numerous, funding remains a challenge. “Even though our Ravenswood Makerspace Collaborative was just awarded a stem Innovation Award by the Silicon Valley Education Foundation, funding our work has been difficult,” says Pronovost. “Many of the skills learned are critical-thinking skills, not rote facts. That has made it harder to get the foundations and com-

panies we have reached out to for support to say, ‘yes,’ as they rightfully want a simple way to judge if their money is being invested well.” Jepson suggests jumping in simply to prove that your group can build something around it. “Funding varies so much,” he says. “One thing that seems to be common is starting out with something that is easy to get. For some people, that’s a vinyl cutter that allows you to make signs or decals. Those are $3,000. One group did a Kickstarter campaign to buy a laser cutter to cut various materials.”

The good news is the maker movement has been elevated to the national level. Just this past June, President Obama held the first-ever W hite House Maker Faire. Dougherty told Phil Larson, senior adviser for Space and Innovation in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, “Making sits at the intersection of art and science, and at the crossroads of technology and design. Makers are using new tools and technologies that are democratizing production. With better tools, more people can make things because it is easier to take an idea and develop it into a physical thing.”

cool creations Many wonderful things have been created from the maker movement. When asked what the stands out in her recollection, Abel-Palmieri says, “I would say that would be the artificial limbs using autodesk and a 3d printer. Our school worked with the Quality of Life Technology Center on developing assistive technology devices for those with disabilities.” Another team at The Ellis Schoolcreated an assistive hair-tying device for a woman with Parkinson’s who was unable to lift her arms to style her hair. “This had always been important to her, so the students developed a hair prototype device that would help her pull her hair back.” For Jepson, it was seeing a 17-yearold student make a Segway clone from scratch that one could actually ride. “That was pretty amazing,” he says. “I would not have expected that. Technology often separates us from the real world, whereas when you approach it as a maker, you have a lot more control and ownership to the technology. It doesn’t own you anymore.”

introducing the maker movement Sylvia Martinez, author of “Invent to Learn,” offers these 10 tips for educators looking to introduce the maker movement into their classrooms.

1. start with your kids. What are their interests? What would they like to make? 2. bring in the cool. A 3D printer is cool, but there many things out there that

might make your students wonder, “How did they do that?” leading to, “How can I do that?”

3. shop. Bringing new things into the classroom can be fun and spark a lot of new

making potential.

4. check in with other maker educators. For instance, visit Twitter, #makered, k12makers.org, or blogs like John Umekubo’s Creatorstudio.org or Aaron Vanderwerff at the Lighthouse Community Charter School.

5. see what others have shared and share your own. There

is a growing list of maker education resources created by the members of the K-12 FabLab Google Group.

6. read up. Start with “Invent to Learn: Making, Tinkering, and Engineering in the Classroom,” because this is exactly why we wrote the book.

7. check local. Your local museum, library or community college may be planning

or implementing a makerspace. Many are sprouting up.

8. give it a go. The maker movement for education is like channeling MacGyver.

Remember that ‘80s TV show where the hero’s superpower was fixing the world with paperclips and twisty ties? You can do more than you think just by trying something and refining it.

9. be brave, not a martyr. Decide what to do and then be bold. Then, take it

20 percent further.

10. involve parents and students. The most effective allies and advocates

for your cause will be students. Share your newfound insight and enthusiasm with them.

lisa kopochinski is a freel ance writer and editor who has writ ten for numerous publications in many different industries in the united states and canada. She has covered education topics for more than 15 years.

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REGISTRATION NOW OPEN Transforming education together Technology transforms learning, teaching and you! Stay on the leading edge by collaborating with us at ISTE 2015 in Philadelphia.

Expand your horizons with more than 1000 sessions and learning activities including: • Lectures, panels and snapshots • Hands-on workshops, forums and roundtables • Exhibiting companies, agencies and organizations • Poster sessions, bring-your-own-device workshops and experiential playgrounds • Meetings, social events and networking opportunities

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isteconference.org

#ISTE2015

dispatch

Find your ISTE tribe

photo by steve smith

Jessica Medaille ISTE Chief Membership Officer

In the early 1970s, a small band of forward-looking educators at the University of Oregon had a vision of how digital technology could enhance learning and teaching. Word spread, and soon graduate students and teachers from across the country came together to study what was then the nascent field of education technology. iste’s early roots were planted by these innovative pioneers in classrooms and informal gatherings in homes and backyard barbecues in the Pacific Northwest. Fast forward to 2014 and the debate about technology’s relevance to education is over. u.s. districts are investing equipment and lobbying for more bandwidth. Around the globe, an impressive range of technology infrastructure initiatives are happening. And while these foundational elements are among the Essential Conditions for the iste Standards for students, teachers and administrators, the critical last mile requires building a systemic and sustainable approach, including professional learning, to support the creative application of new technologies to enhance learning and teaching. iste membership provides all educators a gathering place for just this kind of learning and helps them “find their tribes” – those colleagues with whom they can learn, teach and share best practices for technology integration. Our new iste website with enhanced navigation provides streamlined access to hundreds of standards-aligned resources for members, including recordings from iste’s weekly professional learning series. In the Connect section of the website, members can quickly find their tribes among the more than 25 Professional Learning Networks (plns) made up of individuals who share their interests, challenges and successes. From topic-based groups to role-based groups, there’s a pln you’ll

want to connect with, and access to these networks is always free for iste members. The new EdTekHub offers daily, expertly curated, practical content created by members for members – ideas you can use in your school or classroom tomorrow. And entrsekt, iste’s new quarterly print and digital magazine, dives deep into the issues and individuals transforming education today in our connected world. The iste Conference in June hosted over 16,000 iste members, many of whom were engaged with each other virtually throughout the year. At the conference, members have the joy of connecting face-to-face with their year-round tribes. With nearly 800 sessions, the learning opportunities are vast and innovative. Still, some say their richest learning takes place in the un-conference environments where participants – more than 22,000 from 67 countries in 2014 – can talk shop on a more personal level. A group from iste’s Young Educator Network made a post-conference video that included comments like, “The learning was amazing!” “I’ve found my soul mates!” and “We’re going to stay connected this year and do whatever it takes to be at next year’s iste conference!” Perhaps iste member Tom Whitby said it best: “If you are not a connected educator, quite honestly, you’re irrelevant. In order to keep up, you have to continue to learn. We often say that we want our students to be lifelong learners, and we have to have our teachers be lifelong learners. iste is the kind of organization that connects people and keeps them relevant.” Now that most of us in the Northern Hemisphere are back in school, I hope you’ll use all the resources and connections that iste membership provides to improve the learning experiences of those you impact. entrsekt

Clayton Wilcox says technology is the natural outlet for his curiosity and competitiveness when it comes to educating students.

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salute

Clayton Wilcox Grudge against complacency drives his career

photos by jamie turner

By Tim Douglas

Forty motorcycles in a row, engines revving. Riders look to the left and right, sizing up the competition, ready to seize the moment. It’s this moment that drives these racers. The moment that tests courage, fuels competition and challenges – no, forces – the racer to be absolutely locked into the finish line. The adrenaline is addictive. The buzz mesmerizing. How can you leave this sport and turn your back on such a rush, when all the unique elements – track, fellow racers, weather – conspire to push you in ways you never dreamed? The answer is simple: You find other opportunities that provide the same juice. Of course, you also realize that the years peck away at boldness, and you need to seek out safer challenges. For Clayton Wilcox, Ed.D., a one-time motorcycle racer turned superintendent of Washington County Public Schools in Maryland, this is easy, because Wilcox has a grudge against complacency. He likes to compete, especially on an inward level. It’s who he is. “[When I raced motorcycles], it was a series of crazy moments,” Wilcox says of his college fascination. “You have to fully commit to the task at hand. There’s great liberation in the moment of competition. I get the same feeling flipping the switch on a new project or new technology for students as I did when I raced… I think if you talked to my staff and colleagues, they would say I’m present to a scary degree.”

For Wilcox, when it comes down to it, it’s the students who provide the juice, followed closely by his peers. It’s not the technology or the projects or the results – all very important, to be sure – but the people who matter most to Wilcox. And thanks to his adventurous nature, he knows a thing or two about building relationships. Born in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and raised in the Midwest, Wilcox, now 58 and a father of two, has lived all over the country, held a variety of positions, and understands the value of creating and maintaining connections and putting these skills to work on behalf of his students. His résumé is proof. After a successful stint at Scholastic Inc. in New York, where he rose to the level of senior vice president of education and corporate relations, he returned to his roots when he took the job in Maryland. After all, he started his career in education as an elementary instructor in Waterloo, Iowa, where he later became a middle school science teacher, assistant principal and principal. He would later become the superintendent of schools in Pinellas County, Florida, the 22nd largest district in the country, and the superintendent in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana. And now he’s back where he feels he really belongs. “I worked for the best education publishing company in the world,” saysWilcox, a three-year member of the local affiliate of iste. “But my heart is in the service of kids. They are my constituency. I would sell great books, but I couldn’t see [the learning]. Now I get to see the results of my work.” entrsekt

salute

Clayton Wilcox

“Any educator’s” job is to help” the student” see that they” can be more.” We are more” aspirational” and we should” be. The world” is the world.” It’s not the” classroom.” Our students” can travel the” world. They” can visit the” Louvre.”

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His constituents are not only the beneficiaries of his passion, they also benefit from his love for technology that began in the gas station his father owned when Wilcox was growing up. The station also serviced cars, and young Wilcox was fascinated by how things worked and how to make things better. One of his first successes came when he worked with his peers in Waterloo to devise a modern “phone tree” to contact substitute teachers on school days. The new system was more efficient, worked more quickly, blazed a trail – it was the second one developed in the 1980s – and struck a particular note with Wilcox. “I saw how technology could become a force multiplier,” he says. “I saw how even something like this can change the way we educate our kids.” Wilcox is a long way from his days in Waterloo, but technology remains a strong strand in his professional dna. So strong, in fact, that he recently received the Outstanding Leader Award from iste. The award recognizes someone “outside the classroom who is leading efforts to implement and use technology to improve education and achievement.” “This award really surprised and humbled me,” Wilcox says. “I don’t have any roles in iste, and I never dreamed I would receive it. Frankly, I won this award because of others. I stand on the shoulders of others who do great things.” Wilcox says he’s most appreciative of the network iste provides. “iste helps me connect with kindred spirits who have the same values and the same struggles,” he said. “We can come together and solve problems and improve conditions for our students.” Technology is the natural outlet for Wilcox’s curiosity and competitiveness when it comes to educating kids. The collaboration with like-minded professionals iste affords helps channel his inner fire. The results are limitless. “We’re advancing the ball, through technology, on a lot of different fronts,” he said. “Any educator’s job is to help the student see that they can be more. We are more aspirational and we should be. The world is the world. It’s not the classroom. Our students can travel the world. They can visit the Louvre.” And thanks to educators like Wilcox, they can do so even faster than a 125cc motocross bike.

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backstory

Go with the flow “Flow chart” has to be the most overlooked oxymoron in the English language. Flow is a higher state of mind, a brain utopia of focus, involvement and sheer joy. According to psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi, the champion behind this positive concept, it is in the state of flow that we do our best work — the projects we’re most proud of. So while we can’t pronounce his name, we can thank him for showing us that Oz exists. And that’s why ISTE is calling this common phrase out on the carpet right here – there’s nothing charted about flow. It’s free. It’s messy. It’s elusive. It looks like this when you capture it:

THE FEEL OF FLOW You lose your sense of self and all of your worries and concerns drift away.

There’s a sense of being outside of everyday reality.

You lose track of time and you’re completely focused on the present moment.

There’s a great inner clarity: you know what needs to be done and you get immediate feedback on how well you’re doing.

There’s an intrinsic motivation – whatever produces flow becomes its own reward.

sources: mihály csíkszentmihályi and marelisa fabrega

You’re completely involved in what you’re doing, fully focused and concentrated.

You know that the activity is doable, that you have the necessary skills to complete the task successfully.

On-ramps to flow Find a challenge. Choose anything you enjoy doing: playing the piano, writing a novel, skiing, dog training, etc. Develop your skills for the challenge. Remember, if something is too easy, you’ll be bored, your mind will wander and you won’t go with the flow. And if something is too hard, you’ll be too overwhelmed to achieve that subconscious competence necessary for the flow state. entrsekt

Set clear goals. Be very clear on what you want to achieve so you can gauge whether you’re succeeding. For example: In this article, I’m succeeding if I clearly explain the flow state, its major components and how to achieve it.

Set aside sufficient time. It usually takes at least 15 minutes to get your foot in the door with the flow state and longer still until you’re fully immersed. With that kind of time investment, make sure you can make the most of your visit.

Focus completely on the task. Eliminate all other distractions. The moment something breaks your concentration, you’re on the exit ramp out of the state of flow.

Monitor your emotional state. If you meet all these requirements but still haven’t broken through, take a gut check of your emotions. If you’re agitated, try doing something that will calm you down. Feeling sluggish from a low energy level? Get your blood flowing to reclaim your mental groove.

Schools must create the conditions that result in deeper learning for educators if they hope to foster deeper learning in their students. —Deeper Learning

Read this book to: • Confront an important issue that profoundly affects educators at every level and impacts student success. • Get firsthand accounts from an impressive slate of education thought leaders. • Learn how research supports the need for more intensive curriculum, instruction, assessment, and leadership practices to further develop 21st century skills. • Prepare your students for college and careers.

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... and an Ed Tech Coach’s best friend Tools, tips, and professional development to support today’s students using tomorrow’s technologies

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