A Purposeful Change:Utilizing Digital Age

ResourcesBy: Jennifer Casazza

Should we be worried? Let’s look globally first…

Let’s unpack what this means for the United States...The United States is lagging significantly in

terms of students attending higher education

“Looking ahead to 2020, the U.S. proportion of that global talent pool will shrink even further as China and India, rapidly expand their secondary and higher education systems” (Stewart).

United States Fails World StandardsNot only falling behind in terms of “quantity, but

there is also increasing alarm about the quality of its education”

Compared to the rest of the world, the United States ranked:17th in Reading31st in Mathematics23rd in Science

What are other countries doing?

What’s the solution Digital Age Resources “Research shows that if at-risk students gain ready

access to appropriate technology used in thoughtful ways, they can make substantial gains in learning and technological readiness” (Hammond et al 4).

“Through the use of technology, students see content in many forms as it comes alive with maps, videos, hyperlinks to definitions, additional content, and more” (8).

Digital Age Resources Continued...“A number of studies have found that students

demonstrate stronger engagement, self efficacy, attitudes toward school, and skill development when they are engaged in content creation projects (Hammond et al 9).To increase student motivation with technology ideas

include: creating reports, graphic representations, PowerPoints, websites, video productions, digital storytelling, and more.

Summary of Positives of Digital Age Resources:❏ Helps at-risk students make substantial gains❏ Can view content in many forms-- caters to a

variety of learning types❏ Increase student motivation, which will increase

learning❏ Fosters content creation projects ❏ Offers a rigorous and relevant curriculum

Should we be worried? Let’s look at North Brunswick ...

Insert pie chart here

Should we be worried? Let’s look at North Brunswick ...

Let’s unpack what this means for North Brunswick...

27% of teachers are either not using technology at all or hardly using it

60% of students do NOT have a computer or laptop at home

40% do NOT have an Ipad or a tablet at homeTherefore, a large portion of students are not utilizing

technology nearly enough. North Brunswick students are missing out on necessary digital age learning.

Proposed Professional Development PlanOur goal at Linwood Middle School is to improve the quality of instruction and foster student learning. In order to achieve this goal, we plan to increase the amount of technology used, and provide professional development to ensure that digital age resources are used both wisely and intentionally.

Potential Roadblocks➔ Roadblock 1: “One important aspect of this

problem is that more than 70 percent of public K–12 schools do not have sufficient broadband to allow most of their students to engage in digital learning activities at the same time” (Hammond et al 3).

➔ Roadblock 2: Educators not utilizing technology correctly

➔ Roadblock 3: Not enough technology for each classroom

How will we achieve this?Upgrading North Brunswick’s bandwidth

plan Providing useful and thoughtful

professional development concerning ways to incorporate technology in the classroom

Increasing the amount of chromebooks within each building

Increasing our bandwidth plan...The State Educational Technology Directors

Association suggests that schools have at least 1 Gbps per 1000 students

Because we have around 2000 students, we need to increase Linwood’s bandwidth to 2 Gbps

This will allow for robust & reliable bandwidth to access online learning opportunities

Professional Development Ideas for Teachers:Google Apps for Education

Google Drive, Google Classroom, Google Sites, Google Scholar, Google Hangouts

How to Flip Your ClassroomScreencast (Jing, Snagit, Camtasia Studios)

Educreations

Evernote Digital Notebook

Edmodo

Classroom Engagement/AssessmentPlickers

Kahoot

Google Apps for Education

The Flipped Class: Which tech tools are right?

Using Plickers in the Classroom

Using Kahoot in the Classroom

How much do chromebooks cost?Chromebook devices start as low as $229 depending

on the type of chromebook.When buying in bulk, North Brunswick can get a deal

of about $100 per chromebookLooking to add a chromebook cart per department (5

chromebook carts total)Total price for chromebooks= $12,500

This may sound like a lot but...We would be saving money on paperSchools spend about $50,000 a year on

paper

Now $12,500 does not sound like too much...

Chromebooks for Education

Overview/SummaryIn order to increase student motivation & learning,

we must foster a digital age learning environmentWe will achieve this goal by:

Increasing bandwidth

Providing Professional Development for teachers

Providing more chromebooks for each department