Patterns and beliefs in ICT school integration-

Article summary and a bit of my own thoughts

The article  Patterns of Beliefs, Attitudes, and Characteristics of Teachers That Influence Computer Integration, Julie Mueller and Eileen Wood,  which describes a well directed reaserch on technology integration at school level and its implications in staff training, suggests that technology integration is intricately intertwined with pedagogical knowledge. Well hello mate, I couldn't agree more, for I see that argument  daily supported around me by teachers’ discussions of pedagogy and child development every time they speak about ICT in school.

As results of  current studies, like this paper, support the hypothesis  identifying the teacher as the key to successful integration of technology, trying to understand why teachers did or did not support integration on a particular school based scenario, is essential if in pursuit of that aim. Usually if  teachers get the opportunity to explain their attitudes and beliefs, a richer understanding of the key factors to a successful integration is achieved. For example, rather than simply asking whether, or how much, technology fits, or does not fit in their classroom, or with their instructional style, we are able to extract the specific features of computer technology that may not support their teaching philosophy  providing a better insight into the matter of steering an integration programme and developing teacher training.

The reaserch showed that many of the themes that indicated computer technology fits with a teacher’s instructional style describe a constructivist approach to teaching (e.g., self-regulated learning, differentiated learning, motivates learning, practical/authentic), suggesting that an instructional  approach, content delivery style,  may be an important factor to inhibit adoption and integration of technology within the classroom. Usually in these cases the preferred use of "other resources" or lack of time are mentioned as barriers.

Generally, one hears  positive responses in terms of technology fitting with their instructional style, with teachers stating things like “I use computers to demonstrate concepts and show new ways of doing things;” “ I feel comfortable with this";  and “I like how computers engage my students and motivate them. I like how they allow students to be self- directed.” Yet this does not mean that the teacher has a high integration profile, for at the same time those same teachers do not see a fit due to citing restrictions as lack of time and suitable resources as reasons, rather than philosophical disagreements. For example, “Due to personal obligations at home, I truly do not always have time to plan for use of computes properly;” “I’d love to use it more but there are many restrictions such as not having enough computers to teach a class;” and “I do not think about using computers except for student research because it is such a hassle getting computer access. And they are slow. Waste too much time if they break down.” 

At the same time, excellent technology-using teachers can be usually described as having a different learning style themselves—being risk-takers, flexible, and continuous learners. This suggests that those teachers may have the personality as well as "the time" to overcome any barriers to integration that might stand in the way of their positive beliefs about computer integration while other teachers may not.

Clearly, just as the research shows, time and resources continue to be stated as ongoing barriers to successful integration. Yet these do not seem to be the true issues to focus in.

Teachers who integrate are usually considered “life-long learners” and “problem-solvers” who are “flexible" as well as being excellent teachers on the whole. In fact,  models such as Koehler and Mishra [1] suggest that “TPK [technological pedagogical knowledge] requires forward-looking, creative and open- minded seeking of technology, not for its own sake, but for the sake of advancing student learning and understanding” (page 17).

  Overall, this suggests that technology-using teachers need not only some level of technological expertise or knowledge but also need to be life-long learners who are willing to experiment and take risks. The question is, can a learning environment in school develop teachers into this direction?

If you are thinking of your own context, as I am, you must have tagged already high and low integration profiles, as well as the main issues regarding comfort with technology within teachers. This understanding may lead to thinking that some teachers may still require more training and support. It may be that those teachers need access to training that is “just-in-time” and addresses their current teaching methods rather than learning to integrate technology through a more independent, risk-taking approach that a high integrator might use. Individualized support and training that is directed at tasks that match the capabilities of the technology available may be necessary for teachers who do not integrate on their own.

I'm suggesting that, according to this paper's findings together with my own observation, learning about technology, then, needs to be directly connected to tasks, content, and the appropriate pedagogy when planning teacher training and support. If not we will remain forever subdued to "the time and better resources" to blame.

1. M. J. Koehler and P. Mishra, “Introducing TPCK,” in Handbook of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK) for Educators, AACTE Committee on Innovation and Technology, Ed., pp. 3–29, Routledge and the Taylor & Francis, New York, NY, USA, 2008.

Lessons taught by my Mobile students: my FIVE items list of "Do and Do Nots"...

BDS Library brings wings to the mind

There´s this old saying... we learn from our mistakes, and I´m no exception to the rule. I´ve gone over this past year of sharing the stage with mobile devices in our classrooms in my head and spotted some interesting conclusions to share. 

I´ve made some mistakes, probably out of sheer courage of plunging in, for no matter how much you read about it, nothing makes the school community ready enough for the real thing when you encourage a device friendly atmosphere in school. 

I must admit I get thrilled by the power of mobile devices in the hands of young learners, so I´m clearing out with myself what went wrong to become a better facilitator of knowledge in months to come. That´s what summer recess is for, reflecting, relaxing, reloading...

Anyway, here goes my list of FIVE (yes, just FIVE) things I´ve learnt so far about using mobile devices in Primary school.


ONE – Digital Literacy is not a gene.

Students do not need to be be taught how to use their devices, but rather how to get the most out of it for learning and creating by themselves. And most importantly, they need to be shown how to share their learning and connect it with the real word, and to promote deeper thinking.

Teacher training needs to be driven into this direction. Visible thinking techniques combined with media literacy, for instance, are paramount if we really want to make the most of these devices. 

TWO – a BYOD policy is not the end of trouble in the cloud.

Let´s face it,  Blogs, Twitter, Instagram all of these are already in our students´ backpack, so we´d better bring them to the surface to help them deal with their digital fingerprints. 

A BYOD school policy is beyond writing it, it means dealing every single day with new cases in which you need to identify if overruling should be considered. Mobile devices allow teachers and students to take REAL action in the REAL world, but they need help to walk through it within a set of rules for digital citizenshiph.

THREE –About ebooks: there´s no silver bullet.

The tablet alone will not make students love reading. We still need good titles to stir up the interest of a young reader, good apps that are up to their expectations. They won´t buy it just because it´s tinned in a 10" touchscreen.

FOUR – The tablet is what it is.

Let´s not overdo it. When it comes to word-processing, data handling or graphic editing – let students use a computer please! It is incredibly difficult to format pages on the iPad, edit long videos, or manage large amounts of data in any table or idevice. And the continual auto spell check can be very frustrating, indeed! 

Focusing on tablets-versus.-laptop comparisons stifles the ability to see how tablets facilitate student-centered learning.

FIVE – Beware of not taking advantage of the mobility of the device.

Mobility means that students can move about taking photographs, recording audio, and shooting video, in any number of places. Active creativity and personalized learning are some of the main assets of any tablet. So if you´re afraid of watching your students walking around with their devices in their palms, you´re refraining real transformation. Remember WiFi coverage in campus is essential.

One final thought

Sharing mobile devices between classes, is not the best scenario. Budget constrains drives you to thinking we can share mobile devices. The truth is that mobile devices were designed as a single-user device and are not meant to be shared. Don´t abandon 1:1 aspirations for lack of finances, rather move on to BYOD programmes, for sharing devices defeats the purpose. 

Try to make your own set of recommendations, it clears up the mind to keep on going.

Revindicating the Y in BYOD

"If mum lends me her tablet, is that BYOD, too, Ms Andy?"

This came from a 10 year old student, and however simple the question might seem at first sight, it's quite tricky to answer. Even more so if you´re trying to make a strong point out of the fact of the YOUR part of the acronym.

What does YOUR device mean exactly? Do we need to revindicate the Y? This young mind had definitely hit the point.

After a full three month term of using school owned tablets in all years in Primary, I think I'm beginning to draw some conclusions on the whole BYOD programme, which is happening only in the last years (Y5 & Y6),  and in its impact in every day life at school.

The fact the device is personal brings a richer experience.

We started using the mobile devices in reading sessions, once a week. Of course the school had its own lot of tablets to share with those students who couldn´t or wouldn´t bring theirs. And so the first hurdles popped up. Quite significant skills like making annotations, margin notes, even bookmarks became meaningless when using devices from the "public" school cart. 

And on the other side, those bringing their own devices not only became experts in using their own reading apps, and dictionaries, but also started developing other important abilities related to keeping track of their learning; such as self reminders, highlights and customized explanations, among other things.

Even using their own picture gallery proved an asset as the whole thing became integrated beyond simply reading into blogging, book club activities, even dowloading other books or stories related to the topic or author. So without really meaning it, we created a gap between the owns with their big Y and those using the schools´ devices.

Teacher planning is paramount. No big wonder in this statement. Yet...

Even if I´m a big fan of a student centred approach for the classroom, I strongly believe that it´s the teacher´s responsibility above all to set clear goals and make full meaning of the devices. Why? Well, to make sure you´re ever going to get closer to those aims. It´s also true that kids make wonders when using technology, creativity unveils and almost anything that they do will certainly motivate them and teach them something. But does it match the original intention for that particular learning session? 

So I´ve seen fabulous lessons with mobile devices that got carried away, not complying with anything but pure magic. Yet, as teachers we hold the responsibility of guiding students´ production towards a clear aim, which needs to become clear to them as well sooner or later. I like John Dewey´s quote that goes "We do not learn from experience.... we learn from reflecting on experience."

Take a look at this webpage from Edutopia for more advice on mobile devices in action.

Another important aspect lies on the motivational side and the essence of our 21st century students. So far, the BYOD policy the school has implemented hasn´t been on the way. On the contrary, I believe having one written down, to share with parents and teachers has brought down quite a lot of prejudice and hesitation on what was accepted and what was not as part of the programme.

Let´s wait and see what happens in our next term with the Ys in the non-standarized-multi-platform environment that we are building in our classrooms.

As the image says, I do not expect peace and quiet, but we are learning here!

Secondary School signed up for BYOD, and what about Primary?

First graders reading an interactive story at BDS Library

Being part of a K-12 institution that takes pride in having a very high profile towards ICT integration in the classroom poses different challenges for everybody around school. Teachers, wondering "what´s next?", students who feel skeptical about the true meaning of BYOD at least for now, parents trying to fall in the line, administrators trying to figure out the budget.

This of course includes me, the Headmistress in Primary, former ICT Coordinator and Systems Manager - mind you I´m still not sure whether this last statement is actually making things any easier for me or not. Our Secondary School (Middle and Senior) is finding its way in the initial phases of a BYOD programme launched this term, back in February 25th, and that is BIG news for us all.

Of course, I feel part of that development. Even if I´m not able to be hands on right now from my present position, I would like to think I´m still its god-mother or something like it (so typical, motherly comment, you´re right). In that sense, I can still see the effects of my actions -good and bad-  a few months back in terms of setting the grounds technologically  speaking (infrastructure) and also thinking about my strong vision to devote all necessary resources for teachers to the lead the change. I´m grateful I can still participate in different ways in the project, as I was recently invited to write out a draft for the mobile device policy for students and hold weekly meetings with key actors in the staff.

Back in Primary, the point is how to adapt BYOD to the early years all throughout Year 6 and yet not think of Secondary school as the crossing line, but looking beyond it. We are moving together, not in batch processing. 

For now, the plan is to use the school´s mobile labs with 10 inch Android Tablets as early as first form, while inviting the eldest students in Primary, i.e. Year 6 for now, to bring their own devices certain days of the week. Both English and Spanish teachers are getting involved, especially our Librarians who have proved to be invaluable players in the team providing the most fabulous contents for students to experiment, learn and have fun. This is probably a keypoint: digital resources. Ebooks, apps, websites, even Britannica Online, they are all essential to offer teachers alternatives while they come up with their own production. We are lucky to have an LMS already well established in all Primary, with teachers being able to design their courses, add content, mentor groups in forums and ignite class blogs in a safe environment, this last something particularly important considering the ages of Primary students, ranging from 6 to 12. So teachers are given the tablets first, to try them out, to play with them, to discuss content with @BDSLibrary, to understand how they can be integrated with the IWB in the classrooms. In a month´s time teacher training will come dealing with specific issues of key content areas like maths and  English, tablet in hand. 

I hope I can slowly see the number of tablets in students´ hands grow, safely and meaningfully, but I´d also love to see staff hugging theirs around school, at a parents´meeting, in the playground and labs, and in the classroom.

Happy Easter for all Christians in the world.

The journey to transformation

Technology is leaving its trace in very different ways for each of us who are part of the world´s education system. Some might be painstakingly trying to adjust to the inevitable,  that is 21st century culture taking grip of schools. Some of us may have already set mind to change, yet clinging to the old paradigms without realizing. Rearranging the deck chairs is how Sir Ken Robinson puts it so cunningly in his article arguing if we really need to keep on trying to adjust old structures or do we really need to be looking at a new beginning. Being part of the transition is never easy... 

So where are we precisely? Even if we agreed with Sir Ken when he argues that the majority of the ‘players’ of world class education seem content with more of the same, but only want it faster, smarter and brighter.... Look out! We should be preparing for reform, not simply redesign.

At an individual level, the path from redesign to reform is a winding trail that takes you from replacement, to enhancement and finally transformation. There´s a very graphic way to pin down your current status as a professional educator in this journey. We usually start using ICT as a replacement tool: apps and devices help us replace something we could do at a table or with paper, laminated cards, etc. It´s just providing extra motivational features. This is not a negative, on the contrary, as these tools engage children. The point is, replacement does not enhance the learning and therefore a transformation in the learning culture doesn't happen.

So enhancement comes next, when we start to use tools which allow us to 'do more' than we could do with physical resources. Technology opens up new dimensions for it´s uniqueness in terms of multimedia and global communications capabilities.

When are we really at a transformation stage? Or better still, are schools ready for that or are we content with simply rearranging the deck chairs in the Titanic, even after it had hit the iceberg, for it will take time to sink? While we still have schools run under the Industrial Revolution´s standards the key might be if we really use ICT to empower students to become self-motivated, creative individuals who can produce knowledge as well as consume it, even if it´s beyond the syllabus.

This, they way I see it, is one of the most crucial areas of staff training: to get teachers to accept that in a fast-moving, hi-tech world, they are no longer the "sage on the stage". How am I preparing my students for the workplaces they will be employed in? How am I preparing them for jobs which don't exist yet? 

In a BYOD environment, teachers will be at different stages from replacement, to enhancement or striving to transformation. All of this takes time and regular training. It´s good news that there seems to be a global consensus to recognize that the 19th Century paradigm of education is no longer fit for purpose and to forsee that all phases of education serving all sections of the population will undergo enormous changes. 

Even if we are uncertain of the future, the important question is – what to do about it NOW and get started in your own journey to transformation.

Time for planning, time for a fresh start

The beginning of a school year is an excellent time for innovation and reshuffling of class plans and projects and even take the plunge with new ways of approaching our teaching.

Even more so if you have got an excellent excuse, like a brand new BYOD programme at school, to re-think your resources and classroom dynamics.

So here's my humble penny for the endeavor. I've chosen 4 tips to turn your classroom more interactive and digital in a BYOD environment, inspired by one of Edutopia's stared posts.

Tip #1: use a digital icebreaker
A good way to tell your students you're in for productive and creative productions with digital devices is to try out VoiceThread. Tell them you want to hear everyone's voice asking them to follow a VoiceThread prompt. What do you expect of this school year? What are your main interests in this subject? Can you share an image to describe your expectations at this point? You can also model positive feedback by leaving them your own comment online and use this material for reflective practice during the year.

Another interesting tool to gather instant information about what's going on in the classroom is using an online survey tool like surveymonkey.com. Ask your students how much they know about your subject, invite them to share their favourite research links, detect your ICT experts that will help you in your boldest digital acts and save it all in a spreadsheet to register results.


Tip # 2: open a back channel of communication
If want to flip your classroom and foster a collaborative learning atmosphere where the teacher is no longer the only expert, you might be ready to implement a private chat room with a microblogging tool like Twitter. You can even try first with a classroom account, depending on the challenges you're ready to take on (mainly in terms of informal chatting and netiquette).

One of the essential skills we need our students to develop is to convey a message effectively. So if you bring in a tool that challenges them to synthesize their ideas, find the right words, and answer others if they can, builds up everybody's digital literacy skills. You will also discover that some of your low profile students feel more comfortable with this mediating tool and begin to participate actively in your lessons.

Tip # 3: get your digital stuff organized

The best way to define common grounds with students online is to use an information hive. If you already have a learning management system solution like Moodle running in school, make the most of it turning it into a real e-portofolio for your students. Ask them to leave the links to all their digital production there and turn the virtual class into an interactive place. There are various free platforms to create your own virtual course like Edmodo, too, apart from the well known content managers.

Tip #4: be their model, work together

Collaboration is a 21 century must. We need to develop the abilities in our students for them to be part of the global society in an active way, contributing to their time. The way out is through collaborative learning and production.

Be part of the learning process, bring your own device! Use wikis and google.docs to create work teams, and model positive feedback.

Having your students with a device on their desks is a huge thing. Can be scary at times, so I thought I might contribute with this post as a way to trigger some ideas on how to start small but on track, and get warmed up for the school year ahead.

Visit http://www.slideshare.net/mem2009/edutopia-10toptipsforteachingwithnewmedia1 for edutopia's complete resource.

Planning and building blocks

Metaliteracies, opportunities and challenges for BYOD

Even if the school year hasn´t started yet, we are in fact in the middle of Summer holidays right now, the beginning of the school calender ahead, with all its new projects linger in the air, posing a few question marks that accompany the implementation of a BYOD model.

An issue which I still need to come to terms with is the question of whether this new model will really bring benefits academically speaking or just distraction in the classroom. 

For middle and senior school teachers who need to train students to communicate and do research better, how are they going to incorporate digital technologies and devices on a 1 to 1 basis to improve these skills? 

Teachers usually characterize the overall impact of digital technologies being highly positive for students. But they also show mixed feelings about it, for they also think that the use of search engines have conditioned students to expect to find information quickly and easily with a negative impact in research. A very interesting and detailed survey conducted by the PEW Research Center (pewinternet.org) to AP and the National Writing Project teachers shows that most teachers agree that the amount of information available online today is overwhelming for most students. But at the same time they strongly agree that internet enables students to find and use resources that would otherwise not be available to them.

"Today´s students are not skilled enough at thinking critically about or synthesizing the information they find online". Have you ever heard this comment? Well I have, but what worries me is this other question: who has got to address the needs our students have about competences and abilities they need to succeed today and in the near future, including information and media literacy skills?

"Conducting research online can present too many distractions for students  preventing them from fully focusing on the task at hand", referring to online multi-tasking behavior that teachers describe as interference and lack of concentration on a given task. 

My question is, as Marc Prensky puts it beautifully in his paper "Engage Me or Enrage Me”, is it a question of relevance or engagement? Can we capture most of our students attention with old ways? I have a serious doubt here: why is it students don’t have short attention spans for their games, movies, music, or Internet surfing? More and more, they just don’t tolerate the old ways— are we doing better by them? 

So, I think we have to start discussing how to present our curricula in ways that engage our students—not just to create new “lesson plans,” not even just to put the curriculum online. We need to model students and teach them to become information and media literate so that they learn the skills they need to succeed: judging the quality of information,  writing effectively, being responsible online, understanding privacy issues, communicating ideas creatively with a variety of media, finding information quickly,  working in a networked way, understanding the symbols each media gives to the message...

Of course, time is always the issue: time to prepare new lessons, time to implement them and yet meet content restrictions. Let´s not make of it an eternal alibi.

Whether or not we think "digital natives" are different to prior generations, the truth is we need to teach students to be active participants in their surrounding culture so that they (and us!) can contribute with our time.

So I think it´s compelling that we address including meta-literacies accross the curriculum as a great opportunity, empowering students and teachers with plenty of devices at hand. 

I´d love to hear people´s views about this.