21st Century TechnologyThe Power of Collaboration

Tom’s 3 column Graphic Organizer

oh Aha OMG!

An upfront “oh”

I have not used the term “student” and “learner” interchangeably

“Student” – from studere – one who studies and attends school*“Learner” – from lernen – to gain knowledge or understanding of or skill in by study, instruction, or experience*

* From Merriam-Webster OnLine

Learning like you’ve never imagined it could be!

One Premise

Beliefs Determine Actions

Two Questions

What year is it?

Do you believe it?

The Premise

Beliefs determine actions.

I WISH I could fly!

I don’t jump off of a 20 story buildingBecause I don’t believe I can fly

Belief determines action.

I WISH I could gamble and know I would win

I don’t gamble.

Belief determines action.

Remember the two questions?

1. What year is it?

2. Do you BELIEVE it?

Do you BELIEVE it?

How many of you text regularly?How many of you have an iPod?How many of you use it personally for learning?How many of you are in the blogosphere as blogger or

reader?How many of you have uploaded a video to YouTube or a

picture to Flickr?How many of you have a page on MySpace or Facebook?How many of you play MMORPGs?How many of you know what that means?

Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games

How many of you think your students would have answered all of those affirmatively?

How many of you use Skype?In your classrooms?

How many of you believe that your classroom is the only place where learning is occurring?

How many of you link regularly for student learning with . . .A class or teacher in another country?A class or teacher in Nevada?A class or teacher in your building?

Do your students know these things can be done?

How many of you . . .

Believe it’s 2008?

What evidence would you use?

And don’t tell me you use instructional technology as evidence

Most technology in classrooms is just used to do 1950’s stuff

– MORE LOUDLY

What I saw in a “state of the art” school

Could your students offer evidence that they believe it’s 2008?

Let’s go back to those beliefs I mentioned …

How many of you believe in . . .

School Reform?

1990: I believe that all children can learn. I believe if we do the right things in school we can make it happen for every child. I believe that if we know what

works and show others, they will do it and schools will be reformed!

I acted on those beliefs.

Boy did I act on them!

“King KERA”Hundred conferences and

presentations

The teaching principalship

The active consultant

AND . . .In a few places, there has been

amazing success!

You can name them!

And it’s wonderful for kids!!!!

BUT,

It’s 2008 . . .

You saw the data – it’s not happening for kids the way it needs to!

That’s after working with the “easy” ones; the low-hanging fruit in the

reform process.

My Observations.

Every child deserves to be a great learner.

Jim Collins sent us down the wrong path

We don’t have the resources to make every school a GREAT school.

It’s 2008.

Let me ask . . .

How many of you live in an area with magnet schools?

What magnets?

What about the rest of you?

What about your students?

What about kids in Battle Mountain? Or Wendover? Or Hawthorne? Or Wellington? Or ____ ?

Don’t they deserve those opportunities to learn?

It’s 2008, Why would we continue to act as if we believe that geography is the main determining factor in what a student can LEARN???

I am the first to praise courageous school leaders

I WISH school reform were a viable model for bringing about change. . .

But remember Dorothy?

School Reform and . . .

The Wizard of Oz

We knew where we wanted to go

We believed in a myth

Put ourselves at great peril

Spent time on a difficult journey

The Secret of Oz• Have to have special glasses• If you wear your “school reform glasses” you can

almost believe it’s going to work!• The Wizard’s way won’t get us “home”• We need another way to reach our

destination• The answer was not in the Wizard’s system, the

solution was letting Dorothy use what she had!

What year is it?

The tsunami is on its way

There is another way

The Virtual Learning Magnets

What this is NOTNot NationalNot SchoolNOT school reformNOT school redesignNOT school reinvention

This is about the complete transformation of opportunities for learners.

What is it?

1. Under the auspices of CCSSO

2. Works with a learner’s local school

3. Works with state/district Virtuals

4. Focuses on learning not schooling

Characteristics of each VLM

Targeted to individual learners and their passion

Strong post-secondary emphasis

Strong link to business and gov’t partners

State Compact

1. Agree to Performance-based creditsA. Use of existing state policy

B. Use of Chief’s waiver power

2. Agree to fully credential the learning on the report card.

3. Agree to aim for diversity that matches the learner population in the state.

The first VLM

The Virtual Learning Magnet for Space Science and Mathematics

In Cooperation with NASA

Proof of Concept starting in Fall 2008

500 learners

PofC finished by Spring 2009

Course Design

Non-traditional

Based on Big Ideas and Essential Questions

Non-linear

Computer-game metaphor

One teacher of Record

First courseSSM Physics 101 (comparable to AP, but not AP)Not a general physics courseFor learners who are “rocket kids”Regular physics course, stripped of contentRepopulated by harvesting existing high quality NASA content

Essential concepts to understand

No formative and summative assessments

2 types of assessments

Gateway assessments

Readiness assessments

2 Different RepositoriesContent Repository

Initially with NASA contentThen partner contentThen learner contentQuality controlled through LMS

Learner Evidence RepositoryNever static

MSSM Physics 101

The Big IdeasKinematicsMechanicsGravityConservation of energy and momentumThermodynamicsWave theoryElectricity and MagnetismNuclear Physics

Order of UnitsUnit 1Unit 2Unit 3 or Unit 4Unit 5,6,7,8 in any order

Some will be learning in more than one at the same time!

How will learning take place?activitieslessonslabspodcastsdiscussionsreadingsvideos

Second Life tutoring . . .

How much does each learner have to do?

Whatever it takes to get through the gateway.

Evidence goes into the learner’s Learning Evidence Repository (ELR)

A Gateway assessment one place is a Readiness assessment somewhere else

Learning always has value

Extended learning has value

Learning is valuable and “portable”

The value is stored in the ELR

Other assessment requirement

Contribute to the Content Repository

Once as an individual

Once as members of a virtual cohort

Assessment as fractals of Fibonacci

Look for Evidence of Learning at each level

VLM down to individual concept

Link to 21st Century Skills

Independent study course linked to successive NASA missions

What EVIDENCE can you provide of your …Global AwarenessFinancial, Economic, Business and Entrepreneurial LiteracyCivic LiteracyLearning and Innovation skillsInformation, Media and Tech skillsLife and Career skills

The Learner’s Evidence Repository• Common currency (the Franc vs Euro)

– same evidence useful in other classes– leads to “compacting” of other courses– Spanish example

• Isn’t limited by time• Can add more into the evidence of

knowledge of physics after the credit

• Forget the myth that we must choose EITHER a mile wide or an inch deep!

• Learner may add to their knowledge in a course at any time – even after they have earned the credit!

• We’re not in KANSAS anymore!

What’s ahead?

The VLM for International Relations

Focus on Mandarin

CAN’T redo traditional programs

The AHA/OMG moment

Basic courses can be repopulated by anyone, anytime

So what about the teacher’s role?

WOW! For many this will be the golden age!

Match learners and teachers

Spend the time that each needs

Tangible rewards for both learners and teachers

What will it take to start?

It already has

And so . . .

What’s this mean for today . . .

and tomorrow?

Tomorrow’s ours . . . If we can free it!

tom@twelchconsulting.com