Jun 30 2008
Urban School of SF 1:1 Laptops- Live Blogging
Live blog of presentation by Director of Technology, Howard Levin
Presentation available at http://howardlevin.com/disappearing/index.html
SF school in Haight Ashbury neighborhood. Private School.
Fully blocked schedule.
Laptop school 7th year— 9th year working toward 1:1.
10th year of wireless access.
1st school using Apple laptops with wireless.
They are leading a symposium- 3 days- for leaders (admin)- Superintendents.
Reasons:
- new tools enhance student and teacher organization – and therefore learning.
- new tools enhance communication – and therefore learning.
- new tools enhance access to information – and therefore learning.
- new tools provide many new opportunities for student production -and therefore demonstration of learning.
1:1, effectively used can address the areas that hinder performance.
Movie
suggestion: Born into Brothels. About a woman who gives children born
in brothels cameras and seeing how it changes their lives.
How does 1:1 help organization?
- access to schedules
- calendars
- No real need to organize… it is ubiquitous.
-Student video: “I would be pretty unorganized. Everything is on my laptop”. Student is described as unorganized. Dyslexic, learning issues.
Inspiration: A quality tool for non-linear concept mapping. Teachers do not point to it as a tool (required) but is often a recommended tool. About 1/3 of the students and teachers use it to bridge communications gaps.
Collaboration via communications… What happens when the ease of organization allows ease of collaboration via communications.
The foreign language dept. was the most resistant, but after discovering audio file exchange along with smartboards. The nature of the homework is now changing, the work is richer in content but also skills.
Math classroom example: Smartboards in conjunction with 1:1 is a strong link. Using the tool to demonstrate, or to link to prior day’s work provides a sense of security to the students. They have access to the notes, and in some cases play back the sequences.
English 2nd most resistant dept. Now 2nd most intense users. Writing is the key… using 1st Class Client as a collaboration tool.
Music department: using garageband, the tool allows for take home assessments and more rehearsal time.
Lab reports: Using virtual laboratory teacher gives laboratory directions in advance and student can go back to the directions during the lab if necessary. Advanced directions work in many of the classrooms… history, art, music, English, Mathematics, etc.
Production: uses the tools available on the laptop… audio, video, animation, etc. There is something important to arm the students and teachers with the tools to teach each other, especially the abstract concepts.
“Authentic Doing”
- Students as active participants
-Work has real meaning
-Students participating with a world wide audience… www.tellingstories.org
More information at www.howardlevin.com, hlevin@urbanschool.org
Thank you Howard!
Comments Off
adapting to the experiences that are aware. The kids are becoming “screenagers”. They understand that things on screens are suppose to be manipulated. They understand the medium as a place to interact with and not to passively sit and take in. Essentially, Digital is their first language. They are DFL (Digital as a First Language). They are digital natives while we (adults) are digital immigrants… we come from another country where no digital was (is) spoken.
Teaching for Tomorrow
