Final Blog Reflection

Part 1

I came into this course with a strong familiarity with various forms of educational technology and how they can be integrated into the classroom setting. In fact, many of the module topics, such as instructional software presentations, video integration, and social networking, that we were introduced to during the course of this semester were not new to me. However, the concept that has influenced my learning the most is the discussion of relative advantage. As someone who likes the bells and whistles of new technology and quickly dreams up ways that it can be used with students, I often fail to slow down and identify whether such technology tools are needed. In other words, I overlook the importance of identifying a relative advantage. So, while I did not learn much about the devices and software themselves, my experience in this class drove me to reflect on where and when each technology tool could be appropriately used to enhance both teaching and learning in the classroom.

I am confident that the work that I have produced for this class demonstrates a comprehensive mastery of the AECT standards. For example, almost every learning artifact that I created this semester meets Standard 2: Development. Many, if not all, of my learning products demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to develop instructional materials and experiences. Likewise, each artifact demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to use processes and resources for learning as outlined by Standard 3: Utilization. Referring again to my focus on identifying whether or not a relative advantage exists in the learning process, the work that I have produced for this course was not arbitrary but instead applied principles of problem analysis and formative and summative evaluation to render quality products as outlined by Standard 5: Evaluation.

Through the direct and tangential learning experienced in this course, I have grown in my ability to be mindful of existing or perceived learning and teaching needs. As such, I have also developed an understanding for a systematic approach to pairing technology tools with a classroom need. Contrary to stopping there, I have also come to appreciate the need to continued evaluation of the effectiveness of integrated solutions and the importance of recognizing when an initiative is not working and should be substituted with something else.

Such professional growth has infused my own teaching practices and thinking by making me a more reflective practitioner. Again, as a result of my newfound understanding and appreciation of relative advantage, I now integrate technology into my work not because it is fun but because it adds genuine authentic value to teaching and learning. For some, it makes learning more engaging. For others, it makes it more possible.

My understanding of theory along with educational psychology has driven such efforts along with the development of the projects and assignments I created in this classroom. With each subsequent project, evidence of a deeper understanding of appropriate educational technology integration became more apparent and played a larger role in the design of such projects themselves. Consideration of the SAMR model influenced everything I created as a student in this course and the instructional strategies that I leveraged as a teacher during this timeframe. As I continued to develop and grow this semester, I noticed a more critical and evaluative practitioner’s mindset to develop within me. I believe that such transformation in approaching technology integration will serve me well in my professional practice and continued program study.

Part 2

Though I erred in minding some of the project details in the work that I produced in this course, my blogging did not suffer. Rather, I was very cognizant of the importance of synthesizing my new learning with my existing content area knowledge in each individual blog post. As you have seen, each blog post was rich in content supported by thought and genuine insight. Naturally, each blog post bridged the gap between theory and real life applications, demonstrating a depth of understanding and attention to detail. Additionally, each blog post incorporated resources from course texts and self-discovered readings to support my thoughts and findings. While my consistency with APA style was inconsistent, that does not reflect an inadequate understanding of course content, but a lack of consideration for the formalities of academic writing. And finally, in addition to publishing well-thought out blog content, I also offered insightful commentary on my classmates’ work as well. It is my hope that such support led them to develop their understanding of technology integration in the same way that my cohorts’ comments did for me. Of the 140 points possible for the final blogging grade, I believe that I deserve 130 of them.

Assistive Technology

As we further strive to differentiate and personalize instruction and learning experiences for our students, it is only natural that we include assistive technology in the process. Such tools make possible for students facing physical or cognitive challenges what others without such challenges take for granted. As educators and technology specialists, it is essential that we use our knowledge and understanding of assistive technology to provide equal access to information and learning experiences as well as additional support to enable learning, achievement, and growth.

In a TeachThought blog post, we learn that, “Computer programs have been designed to make it easier for disabled students to access material, communicate their ideas and work, and participate in educational experiences (TeachThoughtStaff, 2012).”

Such programs range in design and function. From virtual reality devices such as the Oculus that enable people with mobility issues to once again experience the wonder of walking around to screen readers and magnifiers to enhance the readability of digital content, assistive technology is “ending the isolation and limited opportunities disabled students have long faced (TeachThoughtStaff, 2012).”

The accessibility features on the Windows-supported computer that I use for this course provide an incredible opportunity to enhance the computer-based learning experience for all learners. While some may require the help of a family member or friend to set up, once this is done, they largely provide the ability to use the computer independently.

As mentioned before, magnifier tools can be used to increase the size of fonts and on-screen digital media. This tool enhances the visibility of digital content for students with visual impairments.

For those who are unable to see on-screen materials with the help of a magnifier, there is also a narrator setting (or screen reader) that reads text and the alternate text for links and images in a systematic fashion. This setting allows students to not only access and comprehend text but to also get a sense of how the on-screen content is formatted and connected.

My computer’s accessibility features also meets the needs of students with specific physical and cognitive needs as well. For students prone to epileptic seizures, moving animations and graphics can be disabled. This helps these learners to engage in computer use without the fear of having an epileptic episode, which greatly lessens the cognitive and emotional strain of performing such a task.

Additionally, settings can be enabled to allow students to type and move across the computer screen without actually needing to use a physical keyboard or mouse. As a substitute for using the mouse or other pointing devices, the Ease of Access Center provides a setting for using the number pad on the keyboard to navigate across the computer screen. Similarly, for those who are not able to type on a traditional keyboard, an onscreen keyboard display can be used with the help of a mouse.

Some students have auditory disabilities. To meet their needs while using a computer, text or visual alternatives for sound can be enabled. These include Sound Sentry which is an activation of visual notifications for sound. Likewise, text captions for spoken dialog can be used when available.

While assistive technology is not limited to the features on a desktop computer alone. These serve as an enhancement to the learning experience that is readily accessible. They also provide for the opportunity to participate in regular classroom activities and routines while simultaneously building social relationships with peers. “This endless opportunity is truly what education should be all about, for everyone (TeachThoughtStaff, 2012).”

References

The Role Of Assistive Technology In Supporting Disabled Learners. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://www.teachthought.com/technology/the-role-of-assitive-technology-in-supporting-disabled-learners/

Obstacles of Integrating Tech into Content Area

Though we often view technology integration as a solution to a problem, occasionally, there are problems that crop up as the result of incorporating technology into our classrooms. From policy issues to paradigm shifts, choosing to integrate technology into the curriculum of any content area can create its own set of problems requiring a unique set of solutions.

In the math classroom, technology causes students to adapt to new ways of thinking. Additionally, it has the same effect on teachers' instructional practices. While students traditionally move from a concrete to an abstract way of understanding numbers, mathematics, and problem solving, technology can support this development once various obstacles, including new learning curves, are removed or overcome.

As an example, students can leverage virtual manipulatives and simulations to scaffold higher order levels of thinking but only once functional technology literacies are taught and developed for accessing such digital tools. In other words, before a middle school math student can begin analyzing geometric structures in Geoboard, he or she will need to be able to download the app, access it, and appropriately interact with its user interface.

Similarly, obstacles to teachers' professional development in the math classroom, regarding allotted time and access to mentored instruction, prevents increased adoption and integration of technology tools. According to the Cited Research Center, "While teachers know the Internet could provide them with a vast database of free resources, they do not have time to search for them and feel overwhelmed by the amount of information available (2014)."

Additionally, "Time constraints and rigid scheduling also limit a class's access to a school's computer lab. Predetermined schedules and the high ratio of students to computers make it difficult for teachers to integrate their lab time into content area instruction in a meaningful way (2014)."

Solutions to both of these problems exist in the form of new professional development models and 1:1 and BYOD initiatives. Many educators are turning to social networks such as Twitter and Google+ to learn more about how to integrate technology into their specific classrooms and content areas. To do so, these connected educators rely on their online professional learning networks which are made up of educators around the world with whom a connection has been made.

1:1 and BYOD initiatives can alleviate the stress of sharing a computer lab or cart of laptops. By enabling students to bring their own personal computing device from home, teachers and students become empowered by access to digital tools, apps, and online content that can enhance and transform the math curriculum.

Though such initiatives are not yet the reality of all classrooms, Technology Director Paul Barrett, in an article for TeachThought says that, "Teachers [need] to become involved with their school boards in advocating for upgraded tech infrastructure." Barrett continues, "Policies must be updated. Infrastructure must be updated, and teachers must receive support (2014)."

When technology is welcomed and supported in the mathematics classroom, relevancy and authenticity are produced as byproducts. That is because appropriate technology use in the curriculum takes content learning from rote memorization of algorithms and definitions and contextualizes it in project and problem-based learning strategies.

Within this framework, students no longer lament that they are never going to learn what is being taught. That's because they are using it to learn and problem solve as students in the classroom. An Edutopia articles suggests that, "Math teachers should feel affirmed in their commitment to pursuing a high quality PBL curriculum as a vehicle to developing and promoting 21st century knowledge and skills . . .[Because] those who use PBL are much better able than more traditional teachers to teach and develop those skills (2014)."

That problems arise when technology is integrated into a content are is obvious and should be expected. No integration effort will succeed without those involved incurring bumps in the road and occasional setbacks. However, whether the obstacle is due to policy or paradigm shifts, when a concerted effort to integrate technology into the classroom is done with vision, just as many, if not more, unique solutions will become evident as well. It's all about perspective.

References

Dissolving Barriers To Adopting Technology In The Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2014, from http://www.teachthought.com/technology/dissolving-barriers-to-adopting-technology-in-the-classroom/

Identifying Challenges to Technology Integration in Math Instruction. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2014, from http://www.cited.org/index.aspx?page_id=117

Math, PBL and 21st Century Learning for All Students. (n.d.). Retrieved April 14, 2014, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/math-PBL-21st-century-learning-jason-ravitz

Integrating Technology into Content Area

Technology doesn’t make kids smarter. It also doesn’t make teachers better. Rather, how technology is used can lead to greater engagement with content and wider access to information. Similarly, when used appropriately by educators, integrating technology into the content areas can enhance and even transform instructional delivery.

Effective implementation follows a linear pattern: identify a problem and then pair it with an appropriate tool. This is often referred to as identifying the relative advantage. Rather than incorporating an online simulation into your lesson because it is popular or because others are using it, savvy educators must select the digital tools that offer the best relative advantage.

Once relative advantage has been identified, a support structure for implementation, called the SAMR model, can help to support technology use with a primary goal towards learning. Dr. Kathy Schrock says, “Teachers need to both create tasks that target the higher-order cognitive skills as well as design tasks that have a significant impact on student outcomes (Schrock, n.d.).”

How tasks can be designed to do this varies with each content area. What higher-order cognitive skills are required in a math classroom might be different from those required in a literature classroom. However, a sound understanding of effective implementation practices will scaffold such design practices.

As Eric Sheninger attests, “An easy way to ensure this is to incorporate the four Cs--creativity, communication, critical thinking, and collaboration--into curriculum and lesson design (Sheninger, n.d.).”

In other words, the relative advantage of integrating technology into content areas isn’t in the tools themselves. It is in the broader context within which the digital tools play a part. Do they increase engagement? Do they open access to relevant information? Do they help students process and critically think about information? Do they grant the opportunity to observe or interact with an otherwise unobservable phenomenon?

Notice that the supporting questions above all refer to whether or not technology tools benefit our students. According to George Couros, “If we are to truly empower our learners, we have to ensure we help them figure out what works for them, not us (Couros, n.d.).”

References

The Principal of Change. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2014, from http://georgecouros.ca/blog/archives/4521

SAMR - Kathy Schrock's Guide to Everything. (n.d.). Retrieved April 11, 2014, from http://www.schrockguide.net/samr.html

Sheninger, E. C. (n.d.). Digital leadership: Changing paradigms for changing times.

Walled Gardens in Education

You can directly access my VoiceThread discussion by clicking here.

Internet Safety Guidelines

Digital citizenship and Internet safety are two topics gaining widespread attention inside and outside of the classroom. With our current generation of students being the first to grow up with the Internet, ensuring that they know how to safely interact online is imperative to supporting their socialization and overall well-being. As educators, we share this responsibility with parents due to the ubiquity and mobility of Internet-based technologies. This responsibility is intensified as classroom pedagogy continues to include accessing various Web 2.0 tools on both school and student-owned computing devices. So, how do we as educators support computer-mediated classroom learning while ensuring that our students remain safe online?

Teaching self-regulation is imperative. According to Common Sense Media, “Young teens don’t yet have an ‘off’ switch in their brains. That means that they often act impulsively. This lack of impulse control combined with online anonymity could lead [students] toward dangerous behaviors: cyberbullying, inappropriate photo or video uploads, illegal downloads, meeting strangers -- even cheating.”

While parents have primary responsibility for supporting this cognitive development at home, teachers still play an integral role in doing the same at school. One way to begin this process in the classroom is helping students to set personal boundaries for online use. In an article titled, “The Teacher’s Guide to Keeping Students Safe Online” published on Edudemic, Jeff Dunn suggests that teachers, “Walk your students through hypothetical situations and ask them to set their boundaries and tolerance levels.” Dunn goes on to rationalize this instructional approach saying, “They can’t defend their boundaries unless they know where they stand.”

To help adolescents and teens develop a conceptual understanding of boundaries in the context of appropriate Internet use, maintaining a relationship of open discourse is key. iSafe.org encourages parents to  communicate with their children about their online experiences, stating, “There is no better tool to bridge the Digital Divide.” Additionally, the e-Safety organization recommends that parents “Talk to your child about online dangers. Let them know you are there to help them get out of a bad situation.” Though directed at home use, these practices can easily be transferred to classroom expectations as well.

Nevertheless, we must understand that digital citizenship and Internet safety education aren’t solely the results of adult-intervention. Though this constant support is critical in helping our children and students to safely navigate the digital landscape, many teens are effectively doing this themselves. As a report created by the Family Online Safety Institute reveals, “Teens are taking many steps to protect their privacy and information online, particularly when it comes to the use of social networking sites.” The report titled, “The Online Generation Gap: Contrasting attitudes and behaviors of parents and teens” points out that that “Large proportions of teens say they have set privacy settings on their social networking account (81%), placed limits on who they share their posts with (65%), removed a tagged photo (54%), blocked someone from seeing posts (52%), unfriended someone due to an offensive post (50%), or marked a comment as ‘private (49%) .”

As the Internet and mobile technologies continue to pervade the classroom and all areas of students’ lives, it is crucial that the adults around them create a support system for safe Internet use. In the classroom, this begins by establishing an environment where students feel safe talking openly about their online lives with their interests, questions, and concerns. Once students realize that their teachers see their digital existences not as a waste of time, but as an extension of their identities and relationships with the world, then a positive relationship can be leveraged to further enhance the positive decisions regarding online interactions that students are already making.


Resources:

Dunn, J. (2011, October 24). The teacher’s guide to keeping students safe online. Edudemic. Retrieved from: http://www.edudemic.com/student-online-safety-guide/.

Heart Research Associates. (2012, November 14). The online generation gap: contrasting attitudes and behaviors of parents and teens. Family Online Safety Institute. Retrieved from: http://www.fosi.org/images/stories/research/hart-report-executive-summary-online.pdf.

Knorr, C. (2012, March 19). Internet safety tips for middle school kids. CommonSenseMedia. Retrieved from: http://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/internet-safety-tips-for-middle-school-kids.

(n.d.) Internet safety tips for students and parents. iSafe. Retrieved from: http://www.isafe.org/outreach/media/media_tips.

Relative Advantage of Multimedia in the Classroom

Relative Advantage of Spreadsheets

While spreadsheets don’t have the appeal of other instructional software, they still have a lot of potential value to add to the teaching and learning process. “Teachers use them primarily to keep budgets and grade books and to help teach mathematical topics (pg. 122).” However, such tools as Excel and Google Spreadsheets are not confined to accomplishing simple managerial tasks alone.

Spreadsheets can “help people visualize the impact of changes in numbers (pg. 122).” For instance, teachers and students can input data for a given trend and manipulate variables to observe resulting changes. This application is effective in showing how the average of a range of numbers might change when a new outlier is introduced into the data set.

Additionally, “Teachers can use spreadsheets to help them prepare classroom materials...that they would otherwise have to do by hand (pg. 125).” Examples of this include self-grading assessments and inventories enable by Google Drive, student-created reading logs, and school-home communication requiring parental input and feedback. In addition to providing for a more efficient manner of creating materials, cloud-based spreadsheet software also creates a safe and accessible place for data and information to be stored.

In various classrooms, teachers and students are finding incredibly innovative ways to utilize spreadsheet software for improved learning and demonstrations of mastery. Students are now using spreadsheets to “create neat timelines, charts, and graphs, as well as products that require them to store and calculate numbers (pg. 125).” In other words, these active participants in the learning process are identifying ways to use spreadsheets to meet their own learning needs.

As with any other technology tool, the value for teaching and learning is created in the ways that it is applied by the user. No single tool has a relative advantage for student achievement in and of itself. The same can be said for spreadsheet software. However, often, we overlook valuable educational technology because it does not brandish bells and whistles. For educational purposes, spreadsheet software has a lot to offer to students and teachers. Its relative advantage might just be dependent on whether or not we are willing to accept that.

Resources:

Roblyer, M.D., & Doering, A.H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching. Boston:

Pearson/Allyn and Bacon Publishers.

Relative Advantage of Slide Presentations

"PowerPoint is dead!" has been declared ad nauseam in education circles. The idea fueling the remark is that Microsoft's slide presentation software (and other slide presentation software for that matter) is too passive of a means for sharing and learning new information. But as with any other technology tool, the value or lack thereof isn't determined by the design alone. It is determined by how we choose to use it. In other words, PowerPoint is not dead. We just suck at using PowerPoint.

In the classroom, visual slide presentations offer additional entry points for learners to comfortably access content knowledge and learning. Again, the relative advantage of these presentations highly depends on how they are used. Patti Shank, PhD points out that, "text is where most PowerPoint users start to get into trouble." She goes on to say, "[teachers] put too many words on slides and tend to put them into dreaded bullet lists."

Still, PowerPoint and other slide-based presentation software can make teaching and learning more effective and efficient, even with a little bit of text here and there. If they couldn't, then how would we explain the popularity of online presentation sharing websites like SlideShare? The key to creating a meaningful presentation is not in the platform you use, but in the presentation's design and the presenter's preparation.

Good slide-based presentations generally adhere to a set of common design principles that work together to amplify the content over the presenter. As Jesse Desjardins shared in his presentation titled You Suck at PowerPoint, "You're not giving a document, you're giving a presentation. If your audience is reading what you're saying, then what's the point of you being there?"

To effectively share content through a slide presentation in the classroom, we must remember to build significance into our presentations. By doing this, we move beyond simply passing on information to actually making meaning with our students. If transformative learning is our goal for instruction, then we must understand that "Significance creates passion. Passion attracts attention. [And] attention leads to action." For our students, action means applied learning in varying situations.

PowerPoint isn't dead. When used the way it was intended to be used, PowerPoint creates opportunities for nonlinguistic learning, interactive participation, reflection of learning, active assessment, and efficient preparation and delivery of instruction for teachers. Though slide-based presentations should not be relied upon in every lesson, utilization of the medium is an integral part of a diverse teaching and learning experience.



Resources:

Desjardins, J. (2010, November 3). You suck at power point: 5 shocking design mistakes you need to avoid [SlideShare]. Retrieved from:
http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/view/5652173?login=jessedee&title=you-suck-at-powerpoint

Kapterev, A. (2007, July 31). Death by PowerPoint and how to fight it [SlideShare]. Retrieved from: http://www.slideshare.net/thecroaker/death-by-powerpoint

Shank, P. (2011, May 6). Using PowerPoint effectively in your courses. Retrieved from: http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/instructional-design/using-powerpoint-effectively-in-your-courses/

Relative Advantage

Instructional software is nothing new. However, the ways that teachers and students are utilizing many of its tools are. Roblyer & Doering claim that "it used to be easy to classify a software package by the type of teaching function it served--drill-and-practice, tutorial, simulation, instructional game, or problem-solving program. But many of today's software packages or systems fulfill several different functions (p. 78)." As teachers, we need to adopt an active role in responsibly analyzing available instructional software packages to "ensure it supports [our] specific teaching needs (p. 79)." In other words, we need to determine whether or not a given instructional software legitimately creates a relative advantage for teaching and learning.

Instructional software generally offers multiple advantages to the teaching and learning process. To list them all would be quite a task. However, some that are included are 1) providing work examples for students and receiving immediate feedback on correctness, 2) enabling students to learn a topic in a self-contained instructional unit, 3) gaining an understanding of how a real life system works through a computerized model of that system, 4) adding elements of gameplay to learning activities, and 5) providing opportunities for students to foster component approaches to problem-solving. To learn more about what instructional software can offer, along with a list of related resources, view my VoiceThread presentation here.

After gaining an awareness of the potential uses of instructional software in education, we must effectively turn inward to identify any existing needs in instruction that are currently going unmet. Only after we do this should we begin looking for appropriate instructional software packages to remediate such deficits in the classroom. However, once a need is identified that instructional software has the potential to meet, how are we supposed to go about locating and evaluating the effectiveness of a given instructional software design? To answer this, I've embedded a SlideShare presentation addressing that issue below. You can also find it to share at it's original URL.

Instructional software evaluation from fawzif2000

As with identifying the presence of an instructional need, determining the effectiveness of instructional software has multiple components. Important to consider in this evaluation process is the existence and quality of the following seven characteristics:

1. Content
2. Design
3. Use among different ability levels
4. Assessment
5. Ease of use
6. Technical quality
7. Documentation and support

It is a comprehensive approach to the integration of instructional software in the presence of a legitimate need that results in improved teaching and learning. When relative advantage is identified and the necessary prerequisite steps are taken in the technology integration process, effective instructional design can create "learning environments that provide learners opportunities to apply their knowledge to solve practical problems and invite exploration [that] can lead to faster learning, greater retention, and higher levels of motivation and interest (Van Dam, Becker, and Simpson, 2005)."

Resources:

Fawziff2000. Instructional software evaluation criteria [Slideshare]. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/fawzif2000/instructional-software-evaluation

Roblyer, M.D., & Doering, A.H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching. Boston:
Pearson/Allyn and Bacon Publishers.

Van Dam, A., Becker, S., & Simpson R.M. (2005) Next-generation educational software: why we need it and a research agenda for getting it. Educause Review Online,  40 (2), 26-43. http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/next-generation-educational-software-why-we-need-it-and-research-agenda-getting-it 

Acceptable Use Policies

It comes with registration at the beginning of each new school year. Students and their parents are handed a piece of paper outlining the school district's Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) which they must sign in order to use computers and peripheral technology at school. While such an effort might create the allusion of intelligent digital citizenship practices, many schools simply provide this information and require parent and student consent in order to comply with the federal government's E-Rate program, which provides low-cost Internet access, along with its Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA).

Traditionally, Acceptable Use Policies have been used as a means of building walls around open Internet access in schools (One element of CIPA's requirements is to utilize an approved Internet filter on district networked computers). Much of this has been done out of fear for exposing students to inappropriate or offensive content. As with any preventative measure, one must ask at the risk of what?

In a 2012 Mindshift article, Rich Halverson, a learning scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison claims, "It's a historical hiccup in the history of learning . . . Here we had the most historical advances in the history of learning banned from schools out of fear."

In that same article, the author adds to Halverson's observation, stating, "Fear was definitely the word you heard when talking to school administrators--no doubt partly because in the age of the Internet, 2001 was a long time ago, and the Web was still unknown territory for plenty of people back then. Also, all it takes is one student downloading pornography and sending it around the school, or one case of sexting that makes it in the news, for a school to find itself in serious hot water."

In light of such a dilemma, school districts throughout the country are beginning to look at AUPs with a different frame of mind. Rather than unilaterally protecting students from exposure to content online, some are starting to see AUPs as an opportunity to help students develop an active sense of responsibility as they learn to function in an ever-connected world.

In the Katy Independent School District in Texas, the focus has been placed on online connections opening up a world of opportunities. Rather than a formal Acceptable Use Policy, Katy ISD grants access to student, parent, and teacher education regarding online access with multiple district-developed resources including cyber safety webpages for all stakeholders in their district. Here, visitors will find the district's policies on privacy, social media, cyberbullying, and copyright issues. But contrary to what is seen in many AUPs, Katy ISD hasn't simply assembled a list of blacklisted activities. Instead, their AUP insight on how to know whether or not one is infringing on policy standards while also identifying ways to engage in safe and responsible Internet use.

In New Jersey, the New Milford School District utilizes a more conventional AUP for their parents, teachers, and students. As with many others, it delineates inappropriate uses of technology in school and explains the consequences of such actions. However, as can be seen at their flagship New Milford High School, the existence of an AUP does not deter from responsible and engaging use of technology as an integral part of the learning process. Not only are students enabled by a trusting relationship with school administrators and faculty when it comes to Internet access, they are encouraged to bring their own personal computing devices, which are subject to the district's AUP, to school to support their own learning. Such a practice is successful in the context of New Milford's approach to teaching user responsibility and accountability as a digital citizen in the 21st century.

Regardless of the format or presentation of an Acceptable Use Policy, in order to provide a non-restrictive, yet safe learning environment for students online or off, certain principles should always be present. Purpose, policy, and scope, as can be seen in the AUP for Boise State University, form the framework for successful policies. Still, within such a framework, education must be the focus as opposed to restriction. The specific details of such education should be subject to legal use of Internet technology and published online content with much consideration given to ethical treatment of other Internet users.

Our goal shouldn't be to identify the pitfalls of Internet and technology use and barricade our students and staff from falling prey to such threats. Instead, we should direct our efforts toward creating an understanding of acceptable, ethical, and responsible use which serves as filters in the minds of those who operate in our district organizations.



Resources:

Boise State University. (2010, October 21). Policy 8000: Information technology acceptable use. Retrieved from: http://oit.boisestate.edu/aboutoit/governance/policies/policy-8000/

Bonneville Joint School District #93. (n.d.). Computer use agreement. Retrieved from: http://www3.d93.k12.id.us/media/42287/3270f.pdf

Katy Independent School District. (n.d.) Cyber safety. Retrieved from: http://www.katyisd.org/dept/technology/instructionalinnovations/cybersafety/Pages/default.aspx

Mindshift. (2012, April 6). More school districts welcome cell phones in class. Retrieved from: http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/04/in-the-digital-age-welcoming-cell-phones-in-the-class/

New Milford School District. (n.d.). New Milford acceptable use policy. Retrieved from: http://www.newmilfordschools.org/nmhs/media/Internet_Acceptable_Use.pdf

Vision Statement

Change has become an integrally woven thread in our social fabric. The ability to recognize, adapt to, and leverage change is essential to not only surviving in the 21st-century, but thriving as a contributing member of our global economy. Nowhere is change occurring more rapidly than in the field of technology, and no one is demanding technology to be part of their lives as much as our students. Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching states what young learners already know, saying, "Better technology demands that we become critical consumers of its power and capability" (pg. 10). When we do this in the classroom, we find, as Edutopia points out, "[that] when effectively integrated into the curriculum, technology tools can extend learning in powerful ways."

More than being just another fad or a concession to a younger generation, effectively integrating technology into the way that we learn and teach, transferring our focus from content delivery and consumption to collaboration and knowledge construction, is a reflection of current society-wide conditions. Consequentially, access to educational technology and training on how to effectively use it to connect, communicate, collaborate, and create is an essential skill set whose importance is communicated in bodies of educational standards such as ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NETS), P21 21st Century Skills, and ICT Competency Standards for Teachers.

Developing technological literacy, information literacy, and visual literacy is no longer an extracurricular endeavor for those innately interested in these topics. Instead, it is as imperative to learn as text-based literacy and numeracy in the math classroom. As with both of these, technological, information, and visual literacies are to be explored and extended by students to "participate in projects and higher order learning activities that have meaning outside of school." To do this, school districts must have the infrastructure in place to support teachers' training and students' learning of educational technology so that each of us can use technology to transform our teaching and learning in a goal directed environment.

Introducing and infusing educational technology into the curriculum isn't a means to an end serving only the educational process. It is an opportunity for students to develop the skills, critical thinking, and problem solving mindset to interact with a rapidly changing world inside of school and beyond. On one level, educational technology can engage students in meaningful learning. On another level, it can prepare students to enter a competitive technology-oriented work force. Still, on even another level, educational technology in the curriculum can bridge social and economic gaps that were previously beyond repair. With access to tools, software, and information granted by educational technology, it no longer matters where you live or what your primary language is. With access and training to appropriate technology tools, all students have the opportunity to explore, discover, learn, connect, and create, each of which is a behavior that leads to a more engaged and promising way of life.



References:

Edutopia. (n.d.). What is technology integration? Retrieved from
http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-description

Roblyer, M.D., & Doering, A.H. (2013). Integrating educational technology into teaching. Boston:
Pearson/Allyn and Bacon Publishers.

Technology Integration Matrix. The Technology Integration Matrix. Retrieved from
http://fcit.usf.edu/matrix/matrix.php