Supporting Innovative Classrooms Grant Recipient Meeting
Highlights of the Day
9:00-10:30 Welcome
Lessons Learned
Roles & Responsibilities
Communication
10:30-10:45 Break
10:45-12:00 Research
Reporting
12:00-1:00 Lunch
1:00-3:00 Breakout Sessions
Project Overview• 26 Projects
Theme 1 (12) Theme 2 (1) Theme 3 (3) Theme 4 (8) Theme ¾ (1) Theme 5 (1)
Participants Theme 1
• Black Gold• Calgary Public• Edmonton Catholic• Elk Island Catholic• Elk Island Public• Foothills
• Holy Spirit Catholic• Lethbridge• Medicine Hat• Parkland• St. Albert Protestant• Westwind
Enhancing Educational Leadership Capacity
Participants Theme 4
• Wolf Creek• Chinook’s Edge• Edmonton• Greater Southern
Separate Francophone
• Lakeland Roman Catholic
• Prairie Land • Prairie Rose • Red Deer Public• Sturgeon
Innovative Technology Management Solutions
Participants Theme 5
• Northern Consortium– Peace Wapiti– Fort Vermillion– High Prairie– Northland
Shared Services Solutions
INITIATIVE - Purpose
• To explore innovative practices in the areas of leadership development for the effective use of technology and
• To explore technology management in Alberta school jurisdictions.
INITIATIVE - Background
• Technology use in Alberta schools is on the rise, resulting in a growing emphasis on the critical role of leadership in fostering innovation and managing change
• Highlighting the need for new approaches to managing and maintaining the technology to support today’s learning environments.
Goals and Strategies in Alberta Education's 2008-2011 Business Plan:
• Core Business One: Lead and Support the Education System So That All Students Are Successful at Learning.
• Strategy 1.10: Work with school authorities to promote innovative learning and teaching through increased access to classroom technologies.
— Don Knezek, ISTE CEO
Integrating technology throughout a school system is, in itself, significant systemic reform. We have a wealth of evidence attesting to the importance of leadership in implementing and sustaining systemic reform in schools. It is critical, therefore, that we attend seriously to leadership for technology in schools.
1.Love Your Employees2.Connect Peers with
Purpose3.Capacity Building
Prevails4.Learning is the Work5.Transparency Rules6.Systems Learn
Michael Fullan: The Six Secrets of Change
Learning is not doing…Learning is reflecting on doing.
The Six Secrets of Change
The Implementation Dip
PERFORMANCE
TIME Herold & Fedor 2008
Depth of Decline
Change is Introduced
Perceived Performance Gap
Actual Performance
Myth
Duration of
Recovery
Study: Ed tech leads to significant gains when
• the teacher had 10 or more years of teaching experience,
• the teacher had been using the technology for two or more years,
• The technology was used 75 to 80 percent of the time in the classroom.
The Wisdom of CrowdsWhy the many are Smarter than the few and How Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies,
Societies, and Nations
• Groups are remarkably intelligent
• Groups are often smarter than the smartest people in them
– James Surowiecki
The Unexpected: Some EUREKA moments
1. While researching influenza Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin
2. Sucralose was discovered as a result of ESL BLIP
3. Scotchguard was an accident
Innovation: Embracing New Approaches
The desire to innovate fuels collaboration. In turn, collaboration enhances innovation.
The best collaboration produces new approaches.
Organizations like humans, often cling to the familiar, so it’s a constant struggle to ensure that we develop, recognize, polish and implement great new ideas.
Lessons Learned from Previous Projects
Karen AndrewsSenior Manager, Research and Planning
KEYS TO A SUCCESSFUL PROJECTTop 4 Challenges and Lessons Learned
From Previous Projects
Challenges from…Applied Research Projects in Alberta
• Videoconferencing Research• Emerge: One-to-one Laptop
Learning• AISI (Technology and
Learning)• Technology and High School
Success • + SuperNet Snapshot
Lessons Learned from Previous Projects
• What is the top challenge identified in the implementation of learning technology initiatives?
• Hint: NOT time or resources
2 min table talk
Top
Challenges
Lessons Learned from Previous Projects
• Maintain lines of communication
• ***Plan for staff turnover ***
• Clearly communicating the expectations, roles and responsibilities of each members (project leads, teachers, administrators, school and board technical staff, etc).
• Clearly outline the communication strategy (procedures for sending/receiving information). AE Communications.
• Instill the power of a Community of Practice (COP). Sharing of information/strategies. Sharing of experiences both successes and
challenges is how we learn from each other.
#1 COMMUNICATIONSTop
Challenges
Lessons Learned from Previous Projects
• Build capacity for how to use technology to support innovative learning experiences
• Moving From…• An expensive chalk board
• Use it to type up the good copy• Only difference is a camera in the room
• Worksheets with buttons
#2 Instructional Design-Professional LearningTop
Challenges
Lessons Learned from Previous Projects
• Ongoing focus on building instructional practice in the design of rich authentic learning experiences
• Educators Proficiency: Need to look at professional development plans related to how to integrate technology into teaching.
• What is needed to transform teaching and support critical thinking skills for students?
#2 Instructional Design-PDCont’d
Top
Challenges
Technology
Construction Tools.
Authe
ntici
ty
Real-W
orld
Artifi
cial
Productivity
Tools
Expression/
Visualization
Com
plex
ityB
asic
Ski
l ls
Instruction ConstructivistDidacticCoaching
Hig
h O
rder
Thi
nki
ng
eCommunications
Video/Audio/Data
Online Environments
Technology in Schools: A Range of Use
Online Research
Problem Solving w/ Data
Sets, Probes, etc. Simulations
Online
Courses
Integrated
Learning
System
Drill &
Practice
Stakeholder Technology Branch
Cognitive Learning Tools
$1000Pencils
Learning
Passive Learning-LittleImprovement
Engaged Learning-SignificantImprovement
High
Low
Tech
nolo
gy P
erfo
rman
ce
High
Low
Tech
nolo
gy P
erfo
rman
ce
PassiveLearning
Engaged
The Learning and Technology Framework
Quadrant D Quadrant B
Quadrant C Quadrant A
Stakeholder Technology Branch
Professional Learning Continuum
Lessons Learned from Previous Projects
•Technology does catalyze new teaching methods and to change teaching and learning. These new teaching methods have a positive impact on student engagement and learning.
•Technology projects increased the focus on meta-cognition, where new technology prompted teachers to look at how students learn and not just what they learn.
•Student learning moved from lecture to small group, inquiry and one-on-one training, which proved successful in all projects.
•Professional development was embedded in daily classroom activities, as opposed to only providing one-time professional development or technology workshops
Research Sound Bites
Lessons Learned from Previous Projects
Tracking, Measuring, Analyzing
• How do we know if it is working?• How do we measure impact?• Will we have anything to say at the
end?
#3 Evaluation and AssessmentTop
Challenges
Lessons Learned from Previous Projects
• Providing flexible technical environments, to support innovative teaching and learning, that are also secure and supported.
• Locked down systems –not allowing student-owned devices
• Access at home (take home laptops)
• Access anywhere, anytime (24/7)
#4 PROCEDURES AND ACCESSTop
Challenges
Lessons Learned from Previous Projects
1. Shared Vision 2. Equitable Access3. Skilled Personnel 4. Professional Development5. Technical Assistance6. Content Standards and Curriculum Resources7. Student-Centered Teaching8. Assessment and Accountability9. Community Support10. Support Policies11. External Conditions
Essential
Conditions
Roles and ResponsibilitiesProject Manager
Manage the project on a day-to-day basis
Overall project schedule, budget and quality of deliverables
Provide Support to participantsTrack ProjectsCollect and summarize
reports/deliverablesShare information and research
among project participants
Roles and ResponsibilitiesProject Manager
AuthorityReview proposals and assist with defining the work breakdown structure and deliverables to be produced by the Project Team.
Accept or reject project deliverables in fulfilling first level quality assurance procedures.
Reject /approve changes to planned scope or deliverables.
Ensure the project is managed to the business case and the deliverables result in the business case requirements, goals and objectives being met.
Roles and ResponsibilitiesProject Manager & Project Lead
• Listen and learn• Engage in fact finding and joint problem solving
• Carefully diagnose the situation• Address people’s concerns• Be enthusiastic, genuine and sincere about the change
• Obtain buy-in for what needs fixing• Develop a credible plan for making that fix
Herold & Fedor, 2008
Roles and ResponsibilitiesJurisdiction Project Lead
• Manage communications among project team and stakeholders
• Monitor timelines and offer “encouragement” when needed
• Prepare and submit reports and other deliverables
• Maintain “the vision”• Manage change/challenges• Celebrate Success
Roles and ResponsibilitiesJurisdiction Project Lead
• Be aware of the project timelines and deliverables
• Implement the project• Develop the necessary
technological AND Leadership skills
• Use those skills with participants• Evaluate success• Communicate successes and
challenges• Celebrate Success
Project Opportunities
• Innovate
• Collaborate - Project sharing •Information concerning PD opportunities
•Emerge Summer Institute 2009•August 19-21
•Featuring John Seely Brown•Sessions on topics such as
•21st Century Learning•Leadership•Web 2.0 tools
Project Supports
• Alberta Education offers support to project participants through.
• Project Manger – Marilyn Steier• Meetings – Theme Meetings• Project sharing• Facilitate communication• Research and disseminate best practices and challenges.• Field visits• Alberta Education website
Communication Plan
Videoconference Meeting Room
Within Supernet - [email protected] Internet –139.142.188.3##3011
Research Goals
• Piloting innovative practices in the areas of leadership development for the effective use of technology and technology management in Alberta school jurisdictions.
• Sharing of expertise related to the development of leadership capacity and IT service management and its resulting impacts on learning and teaching.
• Informing technology implementation across the K-12 education system.
• Successful applicants must agree to: • o Participate in research activities in
collaboration with Alberta Education;
• o Participate in knowledge sharing activities in collaboration
with Alberta Education
Research Design: Participant Input
1. What are the key things that we are doing that need to be captured within the research? (general or specific by theme)
2. What data should we capture?
3. What methods should we use to capture the data and share our experiences?
Deliverables & Timelines
• Interim Report 1 – November 30, 2009• Interim Report 2– August 31, 2010• Final Report – October 15, 2011• Project Closure Event - January 2012
Deliverables & Timelines
Meetings
• January 2010 Theme Mtgs• November 2010 Theme Mtgs• Project Closure Event January 2012• Field Visits TBD• Provincial Research Participation - TBD
Please remember• Recycle your badges at the
end of the session– Leave at registration table
• Complete the event evaluation form– Leave at registration table
Themes
Theme 1- Enhancing Education Technology Leadership Capacity
Theme 2 - Enhancing Information Technology Leadership Capacity
Theme 3 - Software As a Service
Theme 4 – Innovative Technology Management Solutions
Theme 5 – Shared Services Solutions