EdReform

A Point for Reflection: NMC 2016 Report

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Each year the NMC Horizon’s report provides a solid frame to view our evolution of pedagogy with changes in technology.  Some of the key trends(the one year adoption horizon stand in the report) you can see unfolding at the US such as: the Makerspace development and more use of virtual reality.

As we work to attack some of the three to five year challenges, including the wicked ones, this short video gives perspective on the evolution of specific changes in the way schools work.

Refinement Challenge Week 8

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Click here to see the post about how it works and the previous weeks aims of inquiry or here for last weeks challenge. This weeks series of questions is aimed at inquiry related to assessment:

Assessment

  • Assessment Alignment. Are all assessments aligned cognitively with standards, learning goals, instruction, and learning activities?
    • Yes / No / Somewhat
  • Authentic Assessment. Are students creating real-world products or performances?
    • Yes / No / Somewhat
  • Assessment Technology. Are digital technologies being used to facilitate the assessment process?
    • Yes / No / Somewhat

Discipline-Specific Inquiry – April

Authenticity/Relevancy- April

Deeper Thinking- April

Personalization-May

Agency-May

Communication-May 

Collaboration-May

Assessment-May

Refinement Challenge Week 7

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Click here to see the post about how it works and the previous weeks aims of inquiry or here for last weeks challenge. This weeks series of questions is aimed at inquiry related to collaboration:

Collaboration (co-working, co-creating; more than just communication)

  • Collaborators. How are students working?
    • Alone / In pairs / In triads / In groups larger than 3
    • If with others, with whom? (circle all that apply)
      • Students in this school / Students in another school / Adults in this school / Adults outside of this school
    • If with others, who is managing collaborative processes (planning, management, monitoring, etc.)?
      • Students / teachers / both
  • Collaborative Technologies. Are digital technologies being used to facilitate collaborative processes?
    • Yes / No / Somewhat
    • If yes, in which ways? (circle all that apply)
      • Online office suites, email, texting, wikis, blogs, videoconferencing, mindmapping, curation tools, project planning tools, other

Discipline-Specific Inquiry – April

Authenticity/Relevancy- April

Deeper Thinking- April

Personalization-May

Agency-May

Communication-May 

Collaboration-May

Assessment-June

Refinement Challenge Week 6

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Click here to see the post about how it works and the previous weeks aims of inquiry or here for last weeks challenge. This weeks series of questions is aimed at inquiry related to communication:

Communication

  • Audience. How are students communicating?
    • Alone / In pairs / In triads / In groups larger than 3
    • If with others, with whom? (circle all that apply)
      • Students in this school / Students in another school / Adults in this school / Adults outside of this school
  • Communication Technologies. Are digital technologies being used to facilitate the communication processes?
    • Yes / no
    • If yes, in which ways? (circle all that apply)
      • Writing / photos and images / charts and graphs / infographics /
        audio / video / multimedia / transmedia

 

Discipline-Specific Inquiry – April

Authenticity/Relevancy- April

Deeper Thinking- April

Personalization-May

Agency-May  

Communication-May

Collaboration-May

Assessment-June

Refinement Challenge Week 5

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Click here to see the post about how it works and the previous weeks aims of inquiry or here for last weeks challenge. This weeks series of questions is aimed at inquiry related to agency:

Agency

  • Talk Time. During the lesson/unit, who is the primary driver of the talk time?
    • Students / Teachers / Both
  • Work Time. During the lesson/unit, who is the primary driver of the work time?
    • Students / Teachers / Both
  • Interest-Based. Is student work reflective of their interests or passions?
    • Yes / No / Somewhat
  • Initiative. Do students have the opportunity to initiate, be entrepreneurial, be self-directed, and/or go beyond given parameters of the learning task or environment?
    • Yes / No / Somewhat
  • Technology Usage. Who is the primary user of the technology?
    • Students / Teachers / Both

 

Discipline-Specific Inquiry – April

Authenticity/Relevancy- April

Deeper Thinking- April

Personalization-May

Agency-May

Collaboration-May

Assessment-June

Refinement Challenge Week 4

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Click here to see the post about how it works and the previous weeks aims of inquiry or here for last weeks challenge. This weeks series of questions is aimed at inquiry related to personalization:

Personalization

  • Learning Goals. Who selected what is being learned?
    • Students / Teachers / Both
  • Learning Activity. Who selected how it is being learned?
    • Students / Teachers / Both
  • Assessment of Learning. Who selected how students demonstrate their knowledge and skills and how that will be assessed?
    • Students / Teachers / Both
  • Technology Selection. Who selected which technologies are being used?
    • Students / Teachers / Both

 

Discipline-Specific Inquiry – April

Authenticity/Relevancy- April

Deeper Thinking- April

Personalization-May

Agency-May

Collaboration-May

Assessment-June

Refinement Challenge Week 3

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Click here to see the post about how it works and the previous weeks aims of inquiry or here for last weeks challenge. This weeks series of questions is aimed at inquiry related to deeper thinking:

Deeper Thinking

  • Deeper Thinking. Do learning activities and assessments allow students to engage in critical thinking and complex, messy (not simple) problem solving?
    • Yes / No / Somewhat
  • Creativity. Do students have the opportunity to design, create, make, or otherwise add value that is unique to them?
    • Yes / No / Somewhat
  • Metacognition. Do students have the opportunity to reflect on their planning, thinking, work, and/or progress?
    • Yes / No / Somewhat
    • If yes, can students identify what they’re learning, not just what they’re doing?
      • Yes / No / Somewhat

 

Discipline-Specific Inquiry – April

Authenticity/Relevancy- April

Deeper Thinking- April

Personalization-May

Agency-May

Collaboration-May

Assessment-June

Refinement Challenge Week 2

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Click here to see the post about how it works and week one aims of inquiry. This weeks series of questions is aimed at inquiry related to authenticity/relevancy:

Authenticity / Relevancy

    • Real or Fake. Is student work authentic and reflective of that done by real people outside of school?
      • Yes / No / Somewhat
    • Contribution. Does student work make a contribution to an audience beyond the classroom walls to the outside world?
      • Yes / No / Somewhat

 

Discipline-Specific Inquiry – April

Authenticity/Relevancy- April

Deeper Thinking-May

Personalization-May

Agency-May

Collaboration-June

Assessment-June

Take the Refinement Challenge!

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Here is how it works-

Pick one unit or activity you are willing to refine. Review the  following series of questions (one phase in each TT until June) to help you reflect on your use of technology by finding a colleague and talking through the questions and refining accordingly (*if you need help Liz or Kevin are happy to assist):

Discipline-Specific Inquiry – April

Authenticity/Relevancy- April

Deeper Thinking-May

Personalization-May

Agency-May

Collaboration-June

Assessment-June

This weeks series of questions is aimed at inquiry related to discipline-specific knowledge:

  • Domain Knowledge. Are students learning discipline-specific and -relevant knowledge, skills, and dispositions?
    • Yes / No / Somewhat
    • If yes, is student work focused around big, important themes and concepts that are central to the discipline rather than isolated topics, trivia, or minutiae?
      • Yes / No / Somewhat
    • If yes, are students utilizing discipline-specific and -relevant research, inquiry, and information literacy strategies?
      • Yes / No / Somewhat
  • Domain Practices. Are students utilizing discipline-specific and -relevant practices and processes?
    • Yes / No / Somewhat
  • Domain Technologies. Are students utilizing discipline-specific and -relevant technologies?
    • Yes / No / Somewhat