Harnessing the Power
of Technology to
Engage Learners
202 Mann Hall
248 Colchester Avenue
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405
www.uvm.edu/~tiie
Made possible by the Richard E. and Deborah L. Tarrant Foundation
Penny Bishop, Director
John Downes, Associate Director
Middle School Matters
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Students are at greatest risk for disengagement
in middle school
Students who choose ultimately to drop out often
make this decision in middle school
We can identify almost half of all potential high
school drop outs as early as 6th grade
8th grade achievement predicts later life success
more than any high school academic factor
TIIE Goals
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to increase middle school student
academic engagement;
to increase adolescents’ likelihood of
school completion; and
to prepare students for 21st century
citizenship.
History
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2006-2010: Developed/evaluated technology-rich,
student-centered model (I-Leap) in Site 1: Milton Middle School
2009: I-Leap Site 2 established at Edmunds Middle School
2010: Tarrant Institute for Innovative Education (TIIE) established
2010: TIIE engaged 6 e-Learning sites statewide
2010: I-Leap Site 3 established at Manchester Middle School
2010: TIIE began innovation planning with Burlington and Winooski
School Districts
2011: TIIE begins to offers wide-ranging professional development
TIIE’s I-LEAP Model
Teaching and Learning Should Be…
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Technology-Rich
Personalized
Relevant
Authentic
Diverse
Active
TIIE Principles
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Effective middle schooling
Effective technology integration
Effective student voice and involvement
Interactive effects of all three
Effective middle schools are
characterized by…
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meaningful student involvement in the design of schooling
relevant and integrative curriculum taught and assessed in
varied ways
healthy relationships across stakeholder groups
courageous and collaborative leaders
safe, inclusive, and supportive culture
interdisciplinary team organization
common planning time
flexible block scheduling
flexible grouping
teacher-based guidance
service learning
Effective technology integration
means…
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drawing on the talents and dispositions of ‘digital
natives;’
closing the “widening gap,” or integrating into school
the technologies and learning habits that students
use out of school;
looking more deeply into society's technology use for
clues about effective teaching and learning; and
understanding that today’s students often learn best
through trial and error, process information quickly,
connect with graphics before text, and require
relevance.
Types of Technology Integration
“Type I educational computing uses computers
to mimic the same behaviors and procedures
that teachers use without the technology.”
“Type II applications make available new and
better ways of teaching” (Muir, 2007).
Types of Technology Integration
Students learn "from" computers—
technology used essentially as tutor to
increase students’ basic skills and
knowledge;
Students learn "with" computers—
technology applied to a variety of learning
goals and serves to develop higher order
thinking, creativity and research skills
Technology as Media
for inquiry (such as data modeling, spreadsheets, access to
online databases, access to online observatories and
microscopes, and hypertext),
for communication (such as word processing, e-mail,
synchronous conferencing, graphics software, simulations, and
tutorials),
for construction (such as robotics, computer-aided design,
and control systems), and
for expression (such as interactive video, animation
software, and music composition).
Technology Levels of Use
Rubin R. Puentedura, http://hippasus.com/
Redefining Learning?
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Student collaboration beyond school day
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Student participation in classroom learning
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Google Apps
Backchanneling
Student Response Systems
Understanding teaching and learning
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Timesliders
Revision histories
Video annotation
http://justpaste.it/nzaims
Student Voice: The Gap
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“What would happen if we treated the student as
someone whose opinion mattered?” (Fullan, 1991)
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“We educators and educational researchers must
seriously question the assumption that we know
more than the young people of today about how they
learn or what they need to learn in preparation for
the decades ahead. It is time that we count students
among those with the authority to participate both in
the critique and in the reform of education.”
(Cook- Sather 2002)
When we seize upon the positive interactions of the
middle level concept, technology integration and
student voice we find:
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Technology rich, community-based projects provide powerful
learning opportunities for all kinds of students, including those
who have historically underperformed in other contexts.
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Presentations to authentic audiences, such as members of the
community or on-line peers, motivate students to achieve levels
of quality not seen in their prior school work.
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Student voice, choice and project-based learning help
effectively differentiate curriculum and expectations, leading
students to improve their work and enhance their sense of
competence, confidence, and group pride.
What Teachers Say
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“For the first time in the history of my teaching career, every student’s
hand was raised.”
“With this technology I am seeing new opportunities to differentiate
instruction for all levels of my students.”
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“I am seeing kids that never engaged in class discussion chime in. I
was teaching the concept of slope and students were able to
manipulate the line on the graph and watch the coordinates change.
Every student wanted to come up to the SMART Board.”
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“It’s 4:30 now and I know my kids are over there working on their
PhotoStories. We’re reaching kids. It’s not just the top of the class
who’s staying after school to work on their PhotoStories. It’s fun for
them.”
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“The shift isn’t in the students. The shift is in the teachers. We don’t
have to convince the students that this is the way to learn.”
What Parents Say
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“This is the first time he ever wanted to come to school.”
Parent of a 7th Grader
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“My daughter’s grades have improved since being involved in
this program. She has always had a problem with focusing, but
now with the laptop, I have seen her sit, focused, completing
her work. I really see the advantages of bringing our teaching
methods current with technology. It is making a difference,
engaging my child into learning again. School is fun again and
interesting. If this can bring my daughter to that conclusion,
then you know that it has major potential to be successful.”
Parent of an 8th Grader
What Students Say
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“There’s a point to what we are learning.”
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Projects “show what we are interested in,” and are “more
interactive and involved.”
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A student with a history of behavioral difficulties noted, “It’s
easier to be an individual on this team. You don’t have to fit
into a mold.”
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“You get to use your voice and express yourself.”
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“Usually in class, you know, you do a project and you throw it in
the trash the next day because you’re just there to get the
grade and then be done with it. When we actually put it out to
the community, now it’s kind of like it’s going somewhere,
there’s an actual point to it.”
“One-to-One Computing Has Failed Our Expectations.”
District Administration, May 2010
“One-to-one computing has not lived up to its
expectations. Providing each student with a laptop
computer has not resulted in significant achievement
gains. In an analysis of previous studies on 1:1,
Boston College researchers found that the impact of a
one-to-one computing implementation is largely a
function of the classroom teacher. Some teachers
know how to make good use of a one-to-one situation,
and some don’t. If extracting value from an innovation
is dependent on the teacher, then the value added by
the innovation per se is limited.”
(Norris & Soloway, 2010)
TIIE Strategies
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Technology Assistance
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Professional Development
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1:1 ubiquitous computing, e.g. netbooks, laptops, iPads
Additional hardware and software supporting project goals
Graduate coursework
Coaching model
Conference attendance
Ongoing Support
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Virtual professional learning communities
Regular convening
Currently Participating Schools
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I-LEAP
– Milton Middle School
– Edmunds Middle School
– Manchester Middle School
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Vermont e-Learning Project
– Barnet School
– Riverside Career and Technical Center
– Manchester Elementary/Middle School
– Enosburg Middle School
– Woodstock Middle School
– Peoples Academy
Examples of I-LEAP Technology Use
Personal Timelines (xTimeline or Prezi)
Team Image (Digital Photography, Voicethread)
Personal Speaking Avatars (Voki)
What I Want to Be When I Grow Up (Prezi, PowerPoint, Moviemaker)
Personal Note Taking (Evernote)
Collaborative Writing, File Sharing, Surveys, Quizzes (Google Docs)
Collaboratively Constructed Topical Web Pages (Google Domain)
Student Email, Electronic Student-Teacher Communication (Google Domain)
Functions of a Cell (Claymation)
Public Service Announcements (FlipCams, Moviemaker)
People of the Revolutionary War (xTimeline)
Species Web Pages (Google Domain)
Harnessing the Power
of Technology to
Engage Learners
202 Mann Hall
248 Colchester Avenue
University of Vermont
Burlington, VT 05405
www.uvm.edu/~tiie
Made possible by the Richard E. and Deborah L. Tarrant Foundation
Penny Bishop, Director
John Downes, Associate Director