Educational Technology | Provocative Propositions

Technology can be used to enhance all aspects of teaching and learning, including school reform and making the campus a better place to be for all students.  In the tables below, you can ask the question "What can technology do to accomplish a given principle of good practice?" Fill in the blank "If we use technology to/by/for" then we will (accomplish the given principle).  Give it a try!

IF WE...	THEN WE WILL...
	... foster a common understanding that all students can and must learn mathematics, which should serve as a "pump," not a "filter."
	... listen to students and incorporate into their instruction what we learn from listening.
	... empower students to learn mathematics the best way known; that is, when they construct their own mathematical understanding
	... enable students to learn more and different types of mathematics.
	... facilitate mathematics discussion as a daily part of classroom activity.
	... be "informed guides" to the learner.
	... use calculators, computers, and related technology as effective tools in the teaching and learning of mathematics.
	... allow students to share their learning experiences; that is, learn socially.
	... align assessment strategies with curricular and pedagogical change.

Items 1-10 in the right column text are adapted from Lacampagne, C. B. (1993).  State of the Art: Transforming Ideas for Teaching and Learning Mathematics.  Washington DC: U.S. Department of Education.

IF WE...	THEN WE WILL...
1.	... empower children with the opportunity to construct their own meaning.
2.	... have effective reading instruction, which will engage readers who are knowledgeable, strategic, motivated, and socially interactive.
3.	... promote phonemic awareness, a precursor to competency in identifying words, which is one of the best predictors of later success in reading.
4.	... be modeling effective reading strategies, an important form of classroom support for literacy learning.
5.	... facilitate storybook reading to be done in the context of sharing experiences, ideas, and opinions — a highly demanding mental activity for children.
6.	... empower students to respond to literature, and construct their own meaning, which may or may not always be the same for all readers.
7.	... engage children in daily discussions about what they read, which is more likely to help them become critical readers and learners.
8.	... empower children, like expert readers, to use strategies to conduct meaning before, during, and after reading.
9.	... empower children to develop their reading and writing abilities together.
10.	... empower ourselves to use the most effective assessment strategies that reflect our collective understanding about the reading process, and which simulate authentic reading tasks.

The right column text is adapted from Sweet, A. P. (1993).  State of the Art: Transforming Ideas for Teaching and Learning to Read.  Washington DC: U.S. Department of Education.

IF WE...	THEN WE WILL...
1.	... facilitate collaboration and team building among faculty with the community to establish a shared vision.
2.	... upgrade the academic focus (i,e. teach more challenging, advanced and basic skills in all subjects) in our school for ALL students.
3.	... facilitate pre-implementation and ongoing planning and design of our schoolwide program.
4.	... improve our management system by increasing collaboration and accountability among teachers, parents, and administrators; and, enable greater flexibility in our school's organizational structure.
5.	... more closely align our professional development to our schoolwide program goals.
6.	... enhance our cultural inclusiveness (e.g. by incorporating diversity and promoting multiculturalism through planning, instruction, special activities, and the school environment).
7.	... actively engage parent and community involvement in planning and learning, and involve the community to help provide goods and services that enable schools to maximize resources (i,e. establish a comprehensive student support system to create a wisdom-centered, family-based. caring school community).
8.	... more closely monitor evidence of school and student progress, including linking evaluation to instruction and tracking student progress through multiple indicators and combined assessment strategies.

Adapted from Schoolwide Programs: A Planning Manual, monograph produced by RMC Research Corporation for the Hawai'i Department of Education, 1998.

IF WE...	THEN WE WILL...
	... use effective, research-based, replicable instructional methods and strategies.
	... improve on our comprehensive design with aligned components (including curriculum, instruction, assessment, and management plans).
	... enhance our ongoing professional development, training and technical assistance.
	... develop or improve our measurable goals and benchmarks for student performance.
	... have substantial support within the school by faculty, administration, and staff. (Students?)
	... capitalize on parental and community involvement in school improvement activities.
	... use external technical support and assistance from (source:_____________________)
	... administer evaluation strategies from (within or model) to monitor successful implementation and student performance.
	... maximize the coordination of resources (e.g. federal, state, & local) which support our reform efforts.

Adapted from Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, with the Education Commission of the States (1998). Catalog of School Reform Models: First Edition.  Portland, OR: NWREL