Math education is failing too many students.
We are owners and participants in an entrenched school system that is tough to change, and we could all list the thousands of reasons why. Big systems have a lot of inertia, like the Titanic heading towards its icy fate.
But proving that the system is working by showcasing the few students who make it through is like saying that the Titanic was a success because some of the passengers made it to New York.
Sylvia
Social Media and Peer Learning: From Mediated Pedagogy to Peeragogy
Discover how giving students more responsibility in shaping their own curriculum can lead to more active participation.
I’m going to be on the panel for this webinar from Connected Learning, moderated by Howard Rheingold and Mimi Ito. I hope you can join us for a lively conversation!
When: Tuesday, April 10, 9AM Pacific (find the time in your time zone)
Howard Rheingold is the author of Tools for Thought, The Virtual Community, Smart Mobs, Net Smart and teaches at Stanford University, Communication Department. Mimi Ito is the author of Hanging Out, Messing Around, and Geeking Out and a cultural anthropologist of technology use, focusing on children and youth’s changing relationships to media and communications.
UPDATE: Webinar archive here…
I’m excited! See you there -
Sylvia
Webinar: Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act: What Schools Must Do
Date: April 5, 2012
Time: 7PM Eastern time (90 min)
Price: $39 (includes archive access and 2 page issue brief)
Participants will gain insight into:
Participants will understand the practical steps their districts and schools should to take to translate this insight into effective strategies that work in real schools.
The webinar is Thursday, April 5, 2012 at 7 p.m. Eastern time. It is necessary to register at least 2 hours before and registration also includes the archived webinar access and a 2 page issue brief.
More information and registration information here.
This is an extremely cost-effective way to get the information you need to keep your e-rate funding!
Sylvia
At the COSN conference earlier this month, 20 educators from around the nation were named by The National School Boards Association’s (NSBA) Technology Leadership Network (TLN) as “20 to Watch” Educational Technology Leaders for 2011-2012. These education leaders from across the country were recognized for promoting the incorporation of innovative technology into high-quality classroom learning and school district operations.
Hearing the stories from all these educators was inspiring, but it was especially wonderful to see Greg Partch stand up to accept the honor.
Greg Partch is Director of Education Technology, Hudson Falls Central School District in New York. As early as 1996, he led his district’s technology strategy and implementation of a new technology infrastructure. Greg has been a frequent presenter at CoSN and he and his students have been frequent presenters at a number of conferences on education.
In his video, Greg mentions his GenYES students as one of the essential elements of the district strategy to provide excellent technology infrastructure, integration, and support. Be sure to watch Greg’s video (you have to click on the thumbnail on this page.)
Of course, all twenty of these educators are worth listening to, but we just happen to know and love Greg here at Generation YES!
Congratulations to Greg and his team at Hudson Falls on this well-deserved honor.
Sylvia
GenYES Student Volunteers at NCCE 2012
Local GenYES students came to NCCE 2012 in Seattle, Washington, and showed attendees how they support teachers at their schools with technology integration projects. Students helped with tech support, took video, did speaker and session support, and more! Their t-shirts were designed by another GenYES student interning in the Generation YES office.
Thanks to NCCE for walking the talk of student empowerment!
Sylvia
From NCWIT (National Council of Women in IT) -
Did you know that a recent study using data on 15,000 students from the National Center of Education Statistics found that teachers consistently rate girls as less good at math than boys, even with similar grades and test scores? Researchers in the study found that while on average teachers rate minority students lower than their white male counterparts, these differences disappear once grades are taken into account. However, they found patterns of bias against white girls that can’t be explained by their academic performance. According to one of the study’s authors, the misconception that white girls can’t handle math persists “Because the idea that men and women are different in this regard is considered natural, and not discriminatory.” At the same time, teachers may be more aware of race and ethnicity – and the problems of racial discrimination – than they are when it comes to gender.
Why are High School Teachers Convinced that White Girls Can’t Do Math? – Forbes.com
The research (the abstract is free at least) – Exploring Bias in Math Teachers’ Perceptions of Students’ Ability by Gender and Race/Ethnicity - University of Texas at Austin
A recent post by danah boyd, social media researcher announced some new resources in the effort to combat bullying, created for the new Born This Way Foundation, created by Lady Gaga and her mother.
“The Foundation wants to create a kinder, braver world so that youth can be the change-agents that we all need them to be. For youth to be empowered, the Foundation recognizes that 1) youth need to be safe; 2) youth need to have skills; and 3) youth need to have opportunities.”
danah, along with many other notable folks, are working with the new foundation. In her post, she announced a working paper series, starting with five new resources that synthesize research for the Foundation – and help schools and communities easily get the best, accessible advice to inform their local efforts. Best of all, the foundation and these working papers emphasize that youth empowerment needs to be a main focus for these efforts. This kind of insight and commitment is admirable - this is NOT a feel-good celebrity cause for the cameras.
This working paper series offer practical, ground-level resources based on the best available research. The first five documents are:
They are looking for comments and feedback on these documents - send them to kbw-feedback@cyber.law.harvard.edu
Sylvia
from Nancy Willard of Embracing Digital Youth: Addressing youth risk in a positive and restorative manner
Embracing Digital Youth is proud to announce our first two Webinars. Through these Webinars, Embracing Digital Youth will seek to help educators, mental health professionals, law enforcement, and policy-makers engage in prevention and intervention activities that are grounded in research insight, focus on influencing positive behavior and implementing restorative practices, and encourage effective evaluation.
A 2-page Issue Brief for each Webinar will provide insight and recommendations for practice. The Webinars will be available for later viewing in our archive. Documentation will be provided to support professional development continuing education requirements.
Register online at: http://embracingdigitalyouth.org/webinars (Cost $39)
*Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act: What Schools Must and Should Do* - April 5 at 7:00 P.M. Eastern Time.
The Protecting Children in the 21st Century Act added a provision to the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requiring that schools receiving E-Rate funding provide students with instruction in Internet safety, including cyberbullying and social networking safety. School agencies receiving E-rate funding must update their policy so they can certify they are providing Internet safety instruction, beginning with funding year 2012 (July).
This Webinar will provide recommendations on how districts can engage in effective multidisciplinary planning to ensure that the manner in which they will provide Internet safety instruction is grounded in accurate research insight, uses effective approaches to promote positive norms and transmit effective skills, and incorporates evaluation to ensure effectiveness.
Presenters:
*Positive Peer-based Approaches to Address Cyberbullying* - April 26th at 7:00 P.M. Eastern Time.
Schools are struggling to address a new challenge–the hurtful behavior of students when using digital technologies. Addressing this new challenge is difficult because much of this hurtful behavior occurs in digital environments where adults are generally not present. Hurtful interactions frequently occur when students are off-campus, with the damaging impact at school.
How can educators ensure the development of a positive school climate and support positive actions by peers that will be necessary for prevention and early intervention? These three professionals are working on innovative new approaches to enhance these positive peer-based approaches.
Presenters:
>> Registration and more information
I’m heading to Washington DC (and actually composing this on a bus hurtling down I-95) to present at the COSN conference starting March 5, 2012. The presentation is about the College YES i3 grant we are involved in with the Alliance for College-Ready Public Schools in Los Angeles. In College YES, middle and high schools in the Alliance are building on their success with getting students ready for college – both to enter and to graduate!
The grant focuses on introducing more hands-on, project-based work in STEM classes, and helping students create e-portfolios of their work in STEM and college-readiness classes.
College YES uses a coordinated support system of planning, collaboration, training, and on-site support to help make this happen.
The role of Generation YES is to help each campus build a Student Technology Leadership program so that the PD and collaboration the teachers do has a built-in support system of students. These students are trained to become Student Technology Leaders (STLs), and are taught how to mentor peers, help students with projects, and help support teachers with technology integration. The STLs are each given an iPad to help them do their work.
We are also providing an easy-to-use online system for the STLs, students, and teachers of the Alliance schools to use to manage, track, and assess their projects. The system also provides messaging and forums, online portfolios for the students, and assessment of projects using the ISTE NETS standards for student technology literacy. Next year we are planning to add alignment to the new Common Core standards for these projects.
There is more information here about College YES.
If you are going to be at COSN – please come by our session! It’s combined with another successful technology integration project from Forsyth County in Georgia:
Shared Vision – Two Cases Studies Using BYOT and Mobile Devices to Transform Learning
Wednesday, 8:45AM – Congressional B Room
This session will present two case studies of schools using innovative models of technology as leverage to create a shared culture of learning and leadership across multiple campuses. Forsyth County Schools (GA) is working with schools and teachers to implement the practice of allowing students to bring their own technology (BYOT) to use in the classroom. College YES (a federal i3 grant) is creating a culture of high quality tech-infused STEM education, career and college readiness, and student leadership in 20 Los Angeles area middle and high schools.
The ultimate goal of both initiatives is to accelerate student learning and increase rigor, high order thinking and inquiry through the use of student-owned technology. This session will explore the use of technology tools, leadership experiences at all levels, and Professional Learning Communities to make the vision a reality.
As you can see, we are emphasizing technology (it’s a technology conference, after all!) but like any successful initiative, there has to be a well-rounded support system that creates lasting ownership, cultivates local expertise, and builds towards a self-sustaining project.
I look forward to sharing more as College YES goes along – but now it’s time to push the “Publish” button and hop off the bus at the Delaware rest stop!
Sylvia
The Girl Scout Research Institute has released Generation STEM: What Girls Say about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (2012).
Generation STEM is a national research report investigating girls’ perceptions, attitudes, and interests in the subjects and general field of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) from the voices of girls themselves. The report consists of a literature review, as well as qualitative (focus group) and quantitative (survey) research with 1,000 girls across the United States.
The study finds that girls are interested in STEM and aspire to STEM careers, but need further exposure and education about what STEM careers can offer, and how STEM can help girls make a difference in the world.
Generation STEM: What Girls Say about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (2012). Check out this page for the free download, a place to order a print copy, and a nice PDF summary of the full report. The summary would make a great topic of conversation with teachers, school board members, or a parent group!
Sylvia
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