September 2005 — Editorial
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Old Trends, New Twist
Looking out for all students. The other instance of paying attention to students and how they are different was an outstanding keynote presentation by Diana Oblinger at the Syllabus2005 conference in LA (www.campus-technology.com/conferences/summer2005). Oblinger, VP of Educause (www.educause.edu), looked at information technology from the perspective of different types of students and university faculty. Obviously, university students are different ages, but the stereotypical 18-year-old entering freshman is no longer the only, or even the dominant, student. Many students are now working and/or parents, and their needs for classes and services, including IT services, may differ. This is an additional challenge for campus IT professionals. But, to me, the good news was that attendees at Syllabus2005 were paying attention to the different needs and looking for ways to serve all students.
Focusing on Technology Integration
The second positive trend-let focuses on integrating technology. Despite years of saying that technology is only a tool in teaching and learning, I have observed that a large number of us, including myself, have looked at the technology and how cool it was, without a close examination of how it really could impact the classroom. As technology has become more complex and pervasive in education, there is a natural tendency for tech coordinators to be more concerned with technical support, as well as bits and bytes. Yet even with this change, the interest in integrating technology has remained. Policymakers have heard the drumbeat for integrating technology from professional organizations like ISTE, as well as from in-the trenches professionals, and the result is the NCLB Act’s requirement for technology to be integrated throughout curriculum and instruction by Dec. 31, 2006. Fortunately, NECC was filled with presentations about using technology in all subject areas.
Bridging the gap between education reform and technology. Further evidence of these trend-lets is two small conferences coming up in October. First, the Council of Chief State School Officers (
www.ccso.org), the Education Commission of the States (www.ecs.org), and CELT Corp. will hold a National Education Summit 2005 on “Leadership, Learning, and Technology for the 21st Century,” Oct. 6-8 in Brewster, MA (www.celt.org). The invitational summit will examine education reform and technology, NCLB requirements, and reporting/accountability systems. The summit differs from a traditional conference in that teams from states have been invited. A typical team will include representatives from the governor and/or legislature, state department of education, and one or more local school districts, including the superintendent, an assistant superintendent, a principal, local community member, school board member, and education technology leader.Spotlight on assessment. The other conference is the Midwest Assessment Forum (harcourtassessment.com/haiweb/Cultures/en-US/Events/Midwest+Assessment+Forum.htm) held Oct. 20-21 in Evanston, IL. At this conference, educators, testing coordinators, and researchers will provide case studies of using assessment to inform instruction. Formative assessment and data-driven decision-making really are coming together in schools to look at how each child is doing against every standard. This is a task that would not be possible without the effective use of technology.
These two trend-lets (focusing on students and integrating technology) are inextricably linked, given that technology coordinators, CTOs, and many faculty recognize that kids are different today. It’s enough to make this obnoxious optimist hopeful about the progress we are making in technology and education.
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