February 14, 2020: Empowered Digital Learning in PK-12 Schools

14 Feb 2020

Attendees

Presenter: @Joan E Hughes

Note Taker: Corson, Sara L

Discussion Notes

Joan was a computer teacher in elementary and middle schools before stepping into academia. She carries out research on how teachers learn about technology, how to teach teachers to teaching using technology, etc.
- How people learn, how people teach, curriculum/content knowledge, technology expertise (media/software/hardware)
Definition of educational technology: technology resources leveraged to support educational processes involved in teaching and learning
Generally, nationally, there is equality in student to computer ratio (3:1) but access to technology has inequalities and inequities
- This has been shown in FL and TX – low tech use, low tech prep. Teachers in those schools have lower technology integration readiness. Keep in mind that many decisions about technology use in schools are made at the district or state level, not at the individual classroom level. It may be out of the hands of the teacher.
- Fully online schools had weaker gains in reading and math. They had 72 fewer reading days and 180 fewer math learning days.
- This applies to all Socioeconomic Status, Special Education, English Language Learner, and Under-Represented Minority students.
- In Texas, we have the largest majority of Hispanic students (52%) and 60% of Texas students are economically disadvantaged so we need to pay attention to these inequities.
Passive use vs. active use (each administration creates a national plan of focus)
- Passive: unempowered digital learning – tutorials, test prep, worksheets, personal/adaptive learning environments (big tech companies produce these, they can adapt to learning via “quiz” feedback) – teachers are using the technology and students are consuming
- Active: empowered digital learning – agency to select/decide. Technology is in the hands of the children vs. the teacher, use tech to engage and learn with others
Question to us: What have we noted in our kid’s schools with passive vs. active
- See handout, attached at bottom
Some examples of active technology for the family:
- Travel: make digital scrapbook, write stories about your trip, pre-trip research as a group, hiking trail apps, iNaturalist to log what you find in nature, LeafSnap to identify plants, geocaching
- Digital painting and art creation, virtual world building, tracking physical activity and health

Question: How are teachers are using technology as supplement teaching aids for specific needs? instructional software instructions are very complicated
JH: better for a student to work on a software for a short time for a specific need than as an entire curriculum. Consider how much support is built into the software. Best software has content specific support for wrong answers to enable learning

Question: Should parents get students apps they are using in schools?
JH: Don’t need to mirror what’s happening in school. If you don’t agree, find other active technology uses. Is the child engaging in a fulfilling, cognitively active way? Is there a specific thing you want them to learn or a specific learning need? More learning when you are learning with the child because you can interpret and guide for the child in the learning moment. Similar to reading a book with your child.

Question: Do you have a list of good apps by grade?
JH: No, but I have a list of how to evaluate software geared towards teachers. Will share with group. Will send some resources. Catch 22- can’t get access to the software to evaluate until you pay and then you are committed.

Question: Sister in law is bilingual kinder teacher. How can she find resources for bilingual learners?
JH: District should have curriculum specialist, technology specialist in school or district. Mamalingua is a set of resources to help moms raise bilingual children.

Additional Thoughts & Resources from Joan Hughes

I do not often work with parents (mostly teachers), which I’m sure was reflected, but am really inspired to possibly create some resources for parents. Toward that end, I created an open GoogleDoc where your moms could list their burning questions about educational technologies.https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w6dh-8Vo_OQCQ4By9cGMHOWzIl6NPIIURoK8IqiuXTw/edit?usp=sharing

I recommend the following site for reviews of edtech software: https://www.edsurge.com/product-reviews

Also, CommonSenseMedia has great Parent resources: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/

A resource for children’s digital book library with loads of books in languages other than English: http://en.childrenslibrary.org/

Slides from the talk:

Handout from the talk:

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