Smart Decision-Making for “Smart Classroom” Evolution Dr. Roger Von Holzen Ms. Darla Runyon Center for Information Technology in Education Northwest Missouri State University Maryville, MO

Today’s Agenda 8:30-10:00 10:00-10:30 1030-12:00 Teaching the 21st Century Learner The New Learning Technologies 10:00-10:30 Break 1030-12:00 The Tablet PC and Other Technologies for Teaching and Learning http://cite.nwmissouri.edu/presentations

Teaching the 21st Century Learner

Goals Describe 21st century learners Discuss how to teach the 21st century learner

Pop Quiz #1 What do these chat acronyms stand for? B4 LOL POS GNSTDLTBBB CUL8R KSUSHYGEMA

Pop Quiz #2 What do these emoticons mean? ;-) >:-( ^5 (((((name)))) >:-(  ^5 (((((name))))  (::()::) @[_]~~ 

Us vs. Them http://www.sciencemag.org http://www.brainpop.com http://www.yahoo.com http://yahooligans.yahoo.com http://www.ask.com http://www.ajkids.com http://www.hgtv.com http://www.nick.com http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com http://www.sikids.com

Children age 6 and under… Spend 2:01 hours / day playing outside Spend 1:58 hours using computers Spend 40 minutes reading or being read to 48% of children have used a computer 27% 4-6 year olds use a computer daily 39% use a computer several times a week 30% have played video games* Kaiser Family Foundation, 2003

By age 21… The average person will have sent 200,000 emails watched 20,000 hours of TV talked 10,000 hours on a cell phone spent under 5,000 hours reading played 10,000 hours video games* Prensky, 2003

Technology & the New Learner Do video games pose a challenge to education? The time and money that students spend on gaming indicates pervasive role of entertainment in our culture Insight into engagement, not entertainment Video games challenge K-12 and higher ed to foster engagement in learning*

Dependence on Technology Are students becoming too dependent on technology to do spelling and basic arithmetic? Technology empowers today’s students They can add, subtract, divide, and multiply faster and more accurately than past students*

Dependence on Technology If a device can do something better, more efficiently, more accurately, or quicker than we can manually, why not use it? Isn’t that the true purpose of technology (cars and electricity)? Our focus must shift from the tools themselves to the capabilities of these new tools to empower students to do new things*

Today’s Learners… Crave interactivity Read visual images Weak reading skills Visual-spatial skills Parallel processing Inductive discovery Fast response time Short attention span* Prensky, 2001

Technology & the New Learner By the time today’s kindergarteners graduate from grade 12 information will have doubled at least seven times technological power will have doubled itself nearly nine times*

Our Lives CHANGE We are here TIME Singularity: Digital Technology © 2005 Marc Prensky

Our Students’ Lives CHANGE TIME © 2005 Marc Prensky

Teaching the New Learner Requires: much less emphasis on the amount of material memorized much more emphasis on making connections, thinking through issues, solving problems*

Teaching the New Learner Learning now a life-long process of coping with change The content of a particular lesson less important than manipulating content resources Learning how to learn is the basis of education*

Teaching the New Learner Multimedia format pervades nearly every part of life Television Audio Animation Text Students live in a world of digital, audio, and text They expect a similar approach in classroom, which they often don’t get*

Students: Multitasking Pictures, sound, video Random access Interactive and networked Faculty: Single or limited tasks Text Linear, logical, sequential Independent and individual*

Teaching the New Learner Teacher’s Role: No longer the professor dispensing facts and theories Old model: primary challenge of learning is to absorb specific information A participant in the learning process Faculty role will be unbundled--teacher to mentor Facilitate peer-to-peer learning*

Teaching the New Learner Instructional implications Movement toward blended courses More collaborative learning approaches Continuous and formative assessment Greater flexibility and customization of course content to meet learner needs*

Teaching the New Learner Interactive course site features Online quizzes Forms for providing feedback or asking questions Online voting Games Features for sharing pictures or stories Virtual discussions through threaded discussion boards, blogs, wikis, and chat Features for creating/adding content Videoconferencing Online collaborations via whiteboards*

Learning Spaces Wireless technology enabled learning spaces within the classroom Projection screens Document cameras DVD players Video conferencing Tablet PCs Collaborative classroom software such as OneNote Student response systems*

Learning Spaces Library modules within the building and virtually within the course management system Dual monitors for group work and collaboration in pod designs Library research units/modules that can be duplicated into any course site Library course sites for specific content delivery Online library support*

Pedagogical Approaches Blended instruction and learning Face-to-face interaction and activity Online interaction and activity Experiential interaction and activity Allow learning to happen easily outside the classroom End of class is a transition to another learning space More time spent with content*

Pedagogical Approaches Collaborative learning through group/team projects Developed using multimedia processes Provides a more powerful learning approach than a term paper—authentic learning Looking for practical applications, real-world context Focus more on applying classroom lessons to real-life problems, institutions, or organizations Allows students to focus on their learning style strengths*

Faculty Training We need to have a new set of expectations of faculty Foster a technology culture Need for continuous faculty training Resources and support should be available Reward innovation in technology-rich learning environments*

Adults look at going online as entering a foreign place called cyberspace. 21st Century Learners look at it as where they live.

The New Technologies Can help create a learning culture in which the learner enjoys enhanced interactivity and connections with others Central issue: How can technology be organized around student learning? Use tools to help students think and communicate effectively*