Reflective Blog No. 4: Technology Plans

The task of comparing the National Educational Technology Plan 2010, the 2010 State of Michigan Education Technology Plan, and the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) Strategic Plan (http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/standards/informationliteracycompetency.cfm#iltech) was a bit daunting at first. But upon closer examination, common themes began to emerge.

The most common theme among the three plans was learning. For example, the National Educational Technology Plan (2010) calls for "engaging and empowering personalized learning experiences for learners of all ages" as well as "leveraging the power of technology to support continuous and lifelong learning" ("Executive Summary", para. 3). Additionally, the first of the five essential components referenced throughout the document is Learning: Engage and Empower.

Likewise, in the State of Michigan Educational Technology Plan Goals (2010), Teaching for Learning is listed as the first of the five goals (p. 3); while the ACRL Strategic Plan cites Learning as its first goal under for the Higher Education and Research strategic area.

Of particular note, I was surprised to find that the state plan didn't emphasize assessment as much as the national plan. "The National Education Technolgy Plan 2010 (NETP) calls for revolutionary transformation rather than evolutionary tinkering"...and "urges our education system at all levels to be clear about the outcomes we seek" (p. 7).While the second component listed in the national plan is Assessment: Measure What Matters, the state plan only alludes to assessment under the their fifth of five goals: Data and Information Management. I was pleased to see that the ACRL Strategic Plan recognizes the need for assessment by "improving techniques for assessing learning outcomes" ("Strategic Area: Higher Education and Research", para. 1).

Perhaps most pleasing of all, was the discovery that the ACRL Strategy Plan recognizes the importance of technology as evidenced by their goal of Information Technology described as "Academic and research librarians are leaders in using information, academic and instructional technologies to create and manage information resources and to deliver library and information services" ("Strategic Area: The Profession", para. 1).

The ACRL Strategic Plan also highlights what they call "mega - issues" which are defined as "questions that span areas with the the Strategic Plan". The forth mega issue listed is "What role will ACRL play in ensuring that the professional is leading technology change rather than responding to it?"("Strategic Area: The Association", para. 7).

I'd like to think that ACRL and its members will rise to the challenge and lead the way as innovative technology leaders in the library profession. As an ACRL member myself, my choice to pursue a masters degree in Educational Technology has been reaffirmed just by knowing that this well respected professional association acknowledges the importance of becoming technology leaders and innovators. I'm on my way!


Bibliography:

2010 State of Michigan Educational Technology Plan: Teaching for learning in a digital age (2010, February 9). Retrieved from http://techplan.org/STP%202010%20Final.pdf

ACRL Strategic Plan 2020: Charting Our Future. (2004, June 26). Retrieved from http://www.ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/acrl/about/whatisacrl/strategicplan/index.cfm

McKenzie, Jamie. "The New Texas Miracle." 2005. JPG file.

U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology. National Education Technology Plan 2010: Transforming American Education Learning Powered by Technology. (2010, November). Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010

Reflective Blog No. 5: Educating the Millennium Generation

Before examining the opportunities and challenges in educating the Millennium Generation, I decided to see how this particular generation is defined by Wikipedia. What I discovered is that the Millennium Generation is referred to by many different names, including Generation Y, Millennial Generation, Millennials, Generation Next, Net Generation, and Echo Boomers ("Generation Y", n.d.). Regardless of what you call this generation, the characteristics they share are generally undisputed: "an increased use and familiarity with communications, media, and digital technologies" ("Generation Y", n.d., para. 2).

So what does this mean for educators? In order to effectively teach this generation, it behooves us to consider the opportunities, as well as the challenges, we are likely to face. According to Horne (2010), "these [are] high-tech students, many of whom have short attention spans and very little interest in their teachers' 'antiquated' teaching practices" (p. 10). The YouTube video entitled "Joe's Non-Netbook" (Lehmann, 2008) confirms that many Millennials view the traditional printed textbook as "antiquated".

Fortunately, the Michigan Educational Technology Standards for Students (2009) aims to move beyond the printed page. Consider a few of the expectations outlined therein: (1) communication and collaboration, (2) research and information fluency, and (3) digital citizenship. Setting well defined technology standards supports the shift in education as described by Horne (2010), "...educators and students benefit from this exciting shift in education that emphasizes application, rather than just acquisition of knowledge" (p. 11).

However, despite the many opportunities afforded by the implementation of technology in the classroom, there are many challenges too. For example, although technology enhances research and information fluency, the students I help everyday often lack the fundamental, underlying knowledge of the research process itself.  These students are at a great disadvantage despite their comfort level with technology in general. Case in point, if a student is unaware of how to construct a search strategy using Boolean operators and truncation, they are likely to retrieve far too many results from a database search (assuming they know which database to search in the first place).

Another challenge is related to the concept of digital citizenship. Although technology enables students to explore the world like never before, it also exposes them to more dangers. These dangers go beyond online predators. I was shocked to discover that "more than a quarter of young people have been involved in some form [of sexting]" while the prevalence of sexting is even greater among young adults ("Poll finds sexting common," 2009). What I found most disturbing of all was the students' nonchalant attitude. Has it become so commonplace that it is now the new normal for so many of today's youth?

As educators, I believe that we must first understand how technology has affected this generation so that we can better guide them in how to use it more effectively and, in some cases, more wisely. We are teaching in an exciting time when the opportunities and challenges are great indeed. While watching Joe's reaction to the printed text in Joe's Non-Netbook, the phrase "the world is flat" came to mind. Those living so many ages before us thought the world was flat. Joe's perception of the printed textbook was that it too was flat. But Joe and his generation know that the learning experience doesn't have to be that way. As educators, let's explore the possibilities that exist when we use educational technology to make learning a more interactive and "less flat" experience. After all, the Millennium Generation expects nothing less.

Bibliography:

Chris Lehmann (Poster). Joe's Non-Netbook [video]. (2009, March 28). Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkhpmEZWuRQ

Generation Y. (n.d.).  Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Y

Horne, M. (2010). A new role for CTE. Techniques: Connecting Education and Careers, 85(4), 10-11.

Michigan Educational Technology Standards for Students (METS-S): Alignment with NETS 2007 and the 21st century framework (2009). Retrieved from http://techplan.edzone.net/METS/

Poll finds sexting common among youth (2009). eSchool News. Retrieved from http://www.eschoolnews.com/2009/12/03/poll-finds-sexting-common-among-youth/

Extra Blog No. 6: First Online Wimba Session

Unable to attend the very first online class session via Wimba for EDU 590, I was disappointed and, to be truthful, somewhat afraid that I'd be at a disadvantage. But circumstances made it impossible to participate in that particular synchronous chat session: I was on a flight returning from the American Library Association (ALA) conference in San Diego. So I made arrangements with the instructor to view the archive of the session and write a blog on the experience. But before I comment on the archive itself, I should share my previous experiences with archived Wimba sessions to give some perspective.

As a distance learning librarian, I have presented more than a few bibliographic instruction sessions via Wimba, both synchronous and asynchronous. Each time I do an online session in Wimba, I archive it for those students who are unable to attend; and also for those students who might want to refer to the session again. Sometimes I forgo the synchronous session altogether and create an archived session for a class to view asynchronously as time permits. Either way, I was quite familiar with the concept of a recorded archive. But the idea of viewing one as a student myself was intriguing, not to mention I was excited to get started with the first course of the Educational Technology program!

So what was my overall impression? The thing that struck me the most was how quiet the students were. I expected there to be many more questions asked and a lot more chatter. But upon reflection, I realized that my previous experience with Wimba might have made me more comfortable with the whole experience. Even though I was a new student like everyone else, I wasn't new to the technology known as Wimba. So instead feeling like I was at a disadvantage, I began to see that maybe I had a bit of an advantage simply because of my previous experiences with the technology. Whether or not this was the case, I also soon realized that any advantage I might have would be short lived as the rest of the class began to feel more at ease with the technology. And isn't that the point of Educational Technology anyway? "To enhance teaching and learning for all [emphasis added] students" (Professional Standards for Michigan Teachers, 2008).


Professional Standards for Michigan Teachers (2008, May 13).

Reflective Blog No. 3: Technology Standards

When comparing the 7th Standard (Technology Operations and Concepts) of the Professional Standards for Michigan Teachers with the objectives of this course (EDU 590) and my education (master's degree in Library and Information Science), I was a bit overwhelmed with the among of detail contained in the Professional Standards for Michigan Teacher document alone. However, upon closer examination, I realized that there were keywords and concepts throughout the Technology section that were very meaningful.

The introductory paragraph of the Technology Operations and Concepts section challenged the way I have viewed technology thus far: I'd always considered technology to be an application of some sort. But the way in which technology was referenced in this document forced me to take a much broader view. For example, "technological operations and concepts" not just "technological tools" are referenced throughout.

Another insight garnered: The fact that educational technology is intended not just to enhance learning, but to enhance "personal/professional productivity and communication" as well as the ability to perform and enhance a variety of educational activities.

To be honest, I've been questioning whether educational technology referred to (1) the technology used to teach or (2) the technology students use to learn or complete a task. But upon further reflection, it's both -- and so much more!

The objectives of EDU 590 are well aligned with the seven objectives listed in the Standards document (a-g). For example, "Implement curriculum plans that include effective technology-enhance methods and strategies to maximize student learning" (Professional Standard for Michigan Teachers, 2008) aligns with the "design, delivery, and evaluation of an action research project.....accurately reflecting on the key elements found in good instructional design related to the technology-based lesson plan" (Umpstead, 2011).

Another example, "Apply technology to facilitate a variety of effective assessment and evaluation strategies" (Professional Standard for Michigan Teachers, 2008) correlates with ""Designing and utilizing appropriate rubrics to assess learning with technology activities" (Umpstead, 2011).

Having earned my master's degree in Library and Information Science in 1995, we were just beginning to explore the possibilities of the World Wide Web and the use of Archie, Veronica, and Gopher in library school back in those days. The fact that we were contemplating whether or not the Web would "catch on" outside of government applications left little room to imagine the far reaching applications for technology-enhanced learning in schools today.

Professional Standards for Michigan Teachers (2008, May 13).

Umpstead, B. (2011) Syllabus - EDU 590.