Look before You Leap

Look
Before
You Leap

This article points to a full-day workshop planning session designed to guide a school community through careful consideration of technology choices.

The actual workshop materials may be found at http://questioning.org/laptop.html

What is the best way to equip and support a school's learning goals using a judicious blend of classical and new technologies?

Which strategies will work best with these tools?

How do we fund the combination of tools and learning needed?

It is fashionable in some quarters to jump on an untested technology bandwagon without challenging the assumptions and presumptions embedded in the proposal.

While it might appear on the surface that the possession of laptops by all children in a school is a good thing, likely to produce good learning, it turns out that there are many times when "less is more."

It is possible to "flood" a school and its classrooms with too much digital equipment in ways that may distort the educational agenda and warp the classroom culture. There is danger that a flood of laptops will have many unanticipated outcomes that may disappoint, frustrate and anger those who have paid the bills for the equipment.

Binging on equipment invariably leaves program and professional development underfunded, and those who starve these elements usually awaken to disappointing usage as reported in Larry Cuban's study.

Any time we see political and educational leaders putting the cart before the horse, we should ask them to slow down and change their focus to learning, teaching and the elements of effective practice that are likely to enhance student performance.

Discerning Use

The workshop activities were designed to help a school team to develop a local commitment to the discerning use of new technologies. The team would engage 15 students, 15 teachers, 8 administrators and 20 parents in thinking about wise choices.

Discernment
1. The act or process of exhibiting keen insight and good judgment;
2. Keenness of insight and judgment.

Sorce: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

Workshop Hand-On Activities

Challenge One: Enjoying Digital Riches

Challenge Two: What's in a Word?

Team Discussion One:
Reactions to Design Scenarios

Team Discussion Two:
Reactions to Design Scenarios

Next Steps - Further Learning

Instructions for Group Facilitator

(download as Word file)

9:00 - 10:00 AM - Large Group Presentation on Literacy and Purpose

"First Things First" at http://fno.org/nov00/f1.html

10:00 - 10:25 AM - First Learning Challenge:

Enjoying Digital Riches

In order to maximize the value of these hands-on sessions, swift movement to the small meeting rooms is essential. Groups will make use of different amounts of laptops for this activity.

Within your group, there will be different types of laptop teams depending upon your group's size.

Groups with eight participants.

1) A trio working in a team with each person using a personal laptop.

2) A trio sharing a single laptop.

3) A pair sharing a single laptop.

Groups with seven participants.

1) A trio working in a team with each person using a personal laptop.

2) A four person team sharing two laptops.

Groups with six participants.

1) A trio working in a team with each person using a personal laptop.

2) A trio sharing a single laptop.

10:25 - 10:35 AM - Debriefing the First Challenge

Without moving from the room where you did the first challenge, lead the group in a discussion of the following questions and ask one member of the group to record comments on the flip chart.

1) How did the different concentrations of laptops influence the success of each team? Did anyone have too much equipment? Did anyone have too little equipment? In what ways?

2) What were the best aspects of this type of learning challenge?

3) What were some of the frustrations?

4) Did the learning task bring any surprises?

10:35 - 10:50 AM - Break

10:50 - 11:15 AM - Second Learning Challenge:

What's in a Word?

Your group will maintain the same types of groups as before, but members will swap places so that those who had their own laptops earlier can taste learning with shared laptops.

11:15 - 11:30 AM - Debriefing the Second Challenge

Without moving from the room where you did the second challenge, lead the group in a discussion of the following questions and ask one member of the group to record comments on the flip chart.

1) How did the different concentrations of laptops influence the success of each team? Did anyone have too much equipment? Did anyone have too little equipment? In what ways?

2) How did the print dictionary compare with the online dictionaries?

3) Which source seemed most efficient and useful?

4) Did any groups elect to use paper to write the 3-4 sentences explaining why "haunches" was or was not a good word choice for this poem? Why or why not?

5) Did the learning task bring any surprises?

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM - Lunch

12:00 - 12:20 PM - Group Reports

The facilitator of each group will share the 3 most important new insights that emerged from the morning. Please prepare a simple report consisting of no more than a three sentence list - 50 word maximum.

Example . . . We learned that . . .

1) You can never have quite enough electricity to support long-winded explorations;

2) The length of essays is often influenced by the weight of the thought;

3) Imagination can flow even when electricity stops.

12:20 - 12:50 PM - Opportunity Costs, Strategic Deployment and

Total Cost of Ownership

12:50 - 1:20 PM - Team Discussions

Reactions to several design scenarios.

Teams 1-4 will read these scenarios online. The facilitator will lead discussion of the tasks. One member of the group will record comments on the flip chart.

Teams 5-8 will read the scenarios on paper. The facilitator will lead discussion of the tasks. One member of the group will record comments on the flip chart.

1:20 - 1:50 PM - Team Discussions

Reactions to several more design scenarios.

Teams 1-4 will read the scenarios on paper. The facilitator will lead the discussion of the tasks. One member of the group will record comments on the flip chart.

Teams 5-8 will read these scenarios online. The facilitator will lead the discussion of the tasks. One member of the group will record comments on the flip chart.

1:50 - 2:10 PM - Next Steps, Further Learning

What additional research does your group consider necessary now? List 5-6 important questions that deserve more thought and review. The facilitator will lead the discussion. One member of the group will record comments on the flip chart.

2:10 - 2:30 PM - Group Reports & Closing Remarks

The facilitator of each group will share the 2 most important new insights that emerged from the afternoon along with two items calling for additional research. Please prepare a simple report consisting of no more than a 3-4 sentences - a 50 word maximum.

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Credits: The photographs were shot by Jamie McKenzie.

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