TECHNOLOGY AND OUR STUDENTS
A Rationale and Proposal for Expansion
Expanding the 1:1 program already in grades 5‐8 to Mira
Costa High School with a Bring Your Own Device Model
June 5, 2013
BYOD AT MIRA COSTA IN 2013‐14: A PROPOSAL As our 8th grade students from MBMS move to the high school next year, we considered expanding the iPad 1:1 program into 9th grade. We initiated the iPad 1:1 program at MBMS in September, 2012. All of our current 8th grade students have been using technology daily for one year. In addition, a small 9th grade cohort of approximately 80 students already exists, and some of our 9th grade teachers have developed expertise in using iPads in the classroom. The question is, how do we expand the program in a challenging fiscal time for public education in California? Based on the same percentages that we experienced in middle school, the District could have provided each 9th grade student with an iPad for somewhere between $100,000 and $150,000. In this difficult budgetary time, however, the Board of Trustees is unable to allocate this amount. So we had to think of a different way to put the power of technology in our students’ hands. Instead, the District seeks to capitalize on the devices already owned by over 70% of the students coming to Mira Costa from MBMS. These students have been using iPads in class for two years (Science classes in 2011‐12, and all classes in 2012‐13), and most of these students are now highly adept at using iPads for learning. We also believe that this is the opportunity for us to make the move to give students in grades 9‐12 the option to use technology in school. For those students who do not have an iPad, there are many options. Some high school students still prefer using a laptop. In addition, according to a recent survey of MCHS students, an overwhelming percentage (84%) own a smartphone, and 74% have a laptop, tablet or some other personal electronic device that they could bring to school to use for educational purposes. The goal, without expending a significant amount of additional funds, is to give every Mira Costa High School student the option to use an electronic device next year in every classroom. Electronic and mobile devices will be welcomed teaching and learning tools utilized to provide our staff and students the ability to participate and compete in a 21st century global community. In an effort to bring more technology tools into our classrooms and to leverage student‐owned technology, the Manhattan Beach Unified School District will allow personal technological devices to be brought onto the Mira Costa High School campus and onto the MBUSD network. Students bringing such personal devices to school must follow all State and Federal laws, the Acceptable Use Policy and the guidelines set forth in MBUSD Board Policy 6163.4. In addition to the rules outlined in these guidelines, students will be expected to comply with all class and school policies and procedures while using personal devices. Authorized student use includes educational purposes such as note‐taking, file storage, content research and production. Furthermore, teachers and students are encouraged to use electronic and mobile devices for sharing, access, communication and collaboration. WHAT KIND OF “D” IN BYOD IS ACCEPTABLE? A personal technology device is any privately‐owned technology that includes, but is not limited to: laptops, iPads, smart phones, iPod Touches, tablet devices, or other current or emerging devices that
can be used for word processing, wireless Internet access, recording of images/sound, email, and more. Essentially any mobile device that has access to the District’s wireless network is considered a personal technology device. WIRELESS INFRASTRUCTURE The Mira Costa wireless Internet system is installed and ready for use. Any student who has signed the appropriate use policy has access to our Internet, subject to Board Policy 6163.4. TECHNOLOGY IN THE HANDS OF MBUSD STUDENTS: RATIONALE AND PURPOSE The Manhattan Beach Unified School District is preparing students for the 21st century. We recognize that our information‐based world is becoming increasingly complex. Students must develop skills in creativity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration and digital literacy that better prepare them to be successful citizens of the global community. Placing technology in students’ hands means moving away from the computer lab model, where students have sporadic, inconsistent and infrequent access to technology. It means moving toward a model where, just like our students have in their lives outside of the classroom, technology can be frequently utilized as a tool for learning, exploration, creativity and organization. In The World is Flat, Thomas Friedman (2007) believes that the following should be inscribed on every school doorway in America, “Nobody works harder at learning than a curious kid.” He goes on to say, “Some kids are just born this way, but for the many who are not, the best way to make kids love learning is either to instill in them a sense of curiosity, by great teaching, or to stimulate their own innate curiosity by making available to them all the technologies of a flat world platform so they can educate themselves in an enormously rich way.”
Here in MBUSD, we say, “Imagine what you can get if our students benefit from both great teaching and the power of technology.”
Dr. Mark Edwards, 2013 National Superintendent of the Year, calls this “Power Teaching.”
“[Power Teaching is] teaching that is turbocharged by the digital environment, our culture of caring, our relentless focus on student achievement, and our commitment to evolutional capacity building. Teachers are creating learning environments that hum with the interactive engagement of students and a new flow of energy.” (2013)
In the Manhattan Beach Unified School District, a 1:1 iPad program already exists for every student in grades 5‐8. Each student in grade 5 has an iPad in his/her classroom, and each student in grades 6‐8 has
an iPad for use at home and at school. All of the 9th grade students entering Mira Costa High School in 2013‐14 who come from MBMS have already been using iPads in school every day for one year. Let us be clear. Having technology in the hands of students and teachers does not, by itself, create an improved learning environment for students. The most critical element of student learning is a high quality teacher in the classroom. As one of our middle school teachers stated,
A Great Teacher + Technology = MAGIC
Currently, MBUSD teachers are at various levels of expertise in the use of instructional technology. There are already many teachers in MBUSD who are advanced users. Teachers from around the nation have learned from our expert teachers. Over time and with proper training and support, more teachers will begin to incorporate technology into daily instructional delivery. The following implementation pyramid illustrates this progression of technology in instruction.LEVEL 1: STUDENT USE OF TECHNOLOGY AS A LEARNING AND ORGANIZATIONAL TOOL Even without teachers using technology as an instructional tool, our students can gain by using personal technology as a powerful learning and organizational device. Some of the key ways it can be used by students include: PRODUCTION: Students can use personal technology for note‐taking, writing, problem‐solving, projects and portfolios. STORAGE: Students can use personal technology to store notes, documents, photos, screenshots and other essential information on their device, or better yet, in the cloud. SHARING: Students can use personal technology for collaboration and communication inside the classroom and beyond. RESEARCH: Students can discover answers or access information, real‐time, in‐class or at home. This mirrors how the world operates in the 21st century. ACCESS: Students can access all information anytime and anywhere. The backpack, textbooks and the locker will decline in importance, as all documents, data and information become accessible via personal technology. FLEXIBILITY: Students now have many new means of learning. The learning environment is expanded and altered. Students have more forums through which to communicate, with peers and their teachers, inside and outside of school. LEVEL 2: PAPERLESS EXCHANGE OF DATA Like it or not, the world is going paperless. Electronic communication is making the US Mail service irrelevant. Complicated communication tasks are now taken care of without paper. Since 2012, Amazon has sold more e‐books than paper books. There are many employees and executives now who are virtually paperless. Even the DMV has online services! We can move in a paperless direction in education as well. In MBUSD, advanced systems already exist that allow students and teachers to exchange information paperlessly. Teachers can grade student work and provide feedback online. We have teachers doing this already. Parents can access student assignments so they can assist and support their children. There are no more lost papers. There are fewer dogs eating homework! The move to a paperless exchange of data does not dramatically alter how teachers teach and how students learn, but it does simplify how students and teachers exchange and store information. It also just might reduce backpack weight, slash copy expenses, save teacher time at the copiers, eliminate the need for lockers, save money on textbooks and supplies and eliminate a great deal of frustration.
LEVEL 3: A TRANSFORMATIONAL TEACHING TOOL How can technology enhance teaching? Technology is a transformational teaching tool that can significantly alter the way we help our students attain the skills needed to succeed in the 21st Century, including: ● Collaboration ● Communication ● Critical Thinking ● Creativity ● Global Connectedness ● Digital Literacy What do you not see there? Memorization. Memorization certainly plays a key role in becoming an educated person. Succeeding without knowing your times tables is extraordinarily difficult. Memorizing key literary terms, essential historical events or dates, critical science formulas and more has its place in developing educating people, but it isn’t the most important feature of an outstanding educational program. Teachers teaching 21st century skills can make the most of teaching and learning with technology. If most of what you are teaching can be viewed on the first search page on Google, you are teaching the wrong information. In other words, memorizing the dates of a war or the years of a president doesn’t matter nearly as much as understanding how that war or that president impacted the course of history. So how can technology be used to engage students, enhance learning, meet the objectives of the Common Core and develop 21st century skills? The strategies below are all excellent teaching and learning strategies that can be employed without the use of technology; however, if a teacher utilizes technology effectively with these strategies, the impact can be spectacular. 1. Formative assessment. There are a multitude of programs and apps which allow teachers to know, quickly and efficiently, whether students are learning the information. Teachers can utilize that data to adjust their teaching to better meet the needs of all learners. Teachers can give quick tests of student comprehension before, during or at the end of the lesson, and adjust their teaching based on how students learn. As we all know, just because it has been taught does not mean that it has been learned. We believe that formative assessment is one of the most essential elements of effective instruction. 2. Online discussions. There are classroom discussions that are highly effective, such as effectively taught Socratic Seminars. But in other discussions, a few students, usually the ones, who raise their hands, dominate the discussion, while others can be all but invisible. In an online discussion, all students are expected to participate. Not only do students respond to teacher questions, but they also respond to others’ comments and questions. And the teacher can see the understanding level from each student. There are safe, secure online forums, such as Edmodo, where teachers can manage a page for only their students to access.
3. Personalizing student learning. With on demand assessment and instructional resources like Khan Academy and IXL Math, students can explore online programs tailored to enhance their strengths and/or address their weaknesses. Students can receive immediate and individualized feedback. A personalized learning environment allows students to work at their own level and pace and allows time for creativity. Programs like Symbaloo allow teachers to organize teaching resources for their students for easy access and empower students to customize their own learning. 4. Creative demonstrations of learning. Students now have a multitude of ways to demonstrate mastery of key concepts and skills. One of our students created a California Mission using the popular video game, Minecraft! Students can develop Keynote or PowerPoint presentations. Students can create movies and create electronic books. All of these examples have been accomplished already by students in our district. 5. Exposing students to a wide variety of learning resources. Technology can allow students to go beyond the textbook. Teachers can develop sources using National Archives, paintings, primary sources, videos, Discovery Education, virtual science lab experiments, music, and more, and have those resources at students’ fingertips. 6. Using video for learning. Now students can have access to video explanations of critical topics. Students can repeatedly watch a video explanation until they understand the concept. Some teachers “Flip the Classroom” and/or provide access to their presentations so students preview material before the lesson or can learn on their own time. 7. Students produce work designed for authentic audiences. When student work is presented to someone beyond the teacher, students know their work actually matters. Student work can be presented to peers in the class, peers across the school, peers around the nation, parents, other teachers, or even to citizens around the globe. Students can be connected to content experts who can review their projects and provide authentic feedback. 8. Students deserve to leave a legacy. This is one of the main points of technology guru Alan November. Students can produce their own textbook. Students can write a book containing their best work. A class can create their own textbook or journal of learning and each student can be part of that legacy. Again, these are all means of making student work matter more. 9. Extending learning beyond the classroom walls. When our students connect to the outside world beyond the walls of the classroom, they become global citizens in search of learning. Student learning should not be limited to one textbook, one teacher, and one classroom. There is a whole world of students, teachers, experts, leaders and people in our county, our nation and our globe from whom our students can learn.
10. Everyday Tools. Devices now have the capability of transforming into everyday tools that students use in the classroom. A graphing calculator, compass, timer, camera, video recorder, binders, notebooks, and many other items can be replaced by one single electronic device. MIRA COSTA TECHNOLOGY TIMELINE The use of technology at Mira Costa High School has been expanding over the last two years. The timeline below contains highlights in preparation for next year’s BYOD program. Spring 2011 ● 10 teachers received iPads. Fall 2011 ● 20 teachers received iPads. ● 4 iPad carts deployed in English, Math, Science, and Social Science. ● Phase 1 of wireless installed on the campus in 30 classrooms plus the library. ● 1 technology‐centered staff development day. Late Fall 2011 ● 30 teachers received iPads. Spring 2012 ● 25 teachers received iPads. ● 40 new iMacs installed in the library. ● Invited 5 teachers to CUE conference. ● Apple TV pilot initiated in 2 classrooms. Fall 2012 ● 20 teachers received iPads. ● 20 Apple TV devices purchased for pilot in Math/Science. ● Wireless installation completed on the campus. ● 2 technology‐centered staff development days. ● 3 iPad carts redeployed: ○ Foreign Language, Model United Nations, Mustang Morning News ● 1:1 iPad pilot with 4 teachers and 73 students. Spring 2013 ● Invited 12 teachers to CUE. ● Wireless bandwidth expanded.
FAQS FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS 1. What if my child’s device is lost, stolen or damaged? a. Just like all personal items, students bring electronic devices to school at their own risk. Mira Costa High School and MBUSD will not be responsible if an electronic device is lost, stolen or misplaced. Purchasing insurance for the device is recommended. 2. Are there filters on the wireless system at Mira Costa High School? a. Yes. If you are connected to the MBUSD wireless network, or use any MBUSD device, any Internet activity is filtered. 3. How will I get Internet access to my device? a. In order to access the wireless network, students would join the MBUSD Student network and obtain the password in the Mira Costa library. 4. What if my child does not bring a device to school? Is it required? a. It is not mandatory for students to bring a device to school. When electronic devices are used to enhance learning in the classroom, students who do not have one will have full access to the curriculum via other means. The District is also considering making available for checkout personal electronic devices that access the Internet. 5. If a student needs help with a device, is there anyone at school who can provide that assistance? a. The library has a student‐led “geek squad” that keeps weekly office hours for desk help. 6. How can I save my work? a. Students can save their work on their device, or on the cloud through services such as: i. Email ii. Dropbox iii. Evernote iv. Edmodo v. Google Drive 7. What about printing? How can I print my work? a. While it is the hope of the District to move to more paperless sharing of assignments, teachers may require assignments to be printed. Students are expected to print their assignments at home. In the few instances where students do not have access to a printer at home, they may email their print job to our copy room by using the address [email protected]. The turn around time is the next day.
8. What about academic honesty and classroom discipline issues? How will teachers monitor what students are doing? a. Teachers will implement the same protocols they are now. It will mean monitoring by walking around, but many teachers have already begun to adapt to the use of electronic devices. Teachers also are sharing best practices on how to control/monitor when and where students go on their devices. Students that use their electronic devices to break any of the rules at Mira Costa will be disciplined in accordance with our established guidelines for student discipline. Links: http://edudemic.com/2012/08/byod‐classrooms/ http://www.t3onlinelearning.com/ http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/enhanced/noted/nmc_horizon_report_2013_released.html http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
