Notes from Thursday Afternoon Sessions at SITE 2010

A smorgasbord of sessions from SITE 2010 with the notes I was able to catch from each (some more than others)… enjoy!

Technology Enhanced Collaboration – Schools and Teachers Engaged in Professional Development
Tim Frey, Kansas State University
  • Context
    • Two districts that are 65 miles apart and both rural
    • 20 teachers, K-12 (web cam and stipend)
  • Online facilitation through KState Online
    • Primarily used video postings
  • Project-based professional development
    • Series of relevant tasks that serve as a stimulus for critical thinking and knowledge building (Howard, 2002)
    • Relatively long-term, problem-focused, and integrate concepts from previous learning
  • Design of TEC-STEP
    • Structured a step-by-step intervention project
    • Collaborative learning community
    • Extended engagement in activities
  • Project examples
    • Using webcam to improve reading fluency
    • Student created video for parent/teacher conferences
    • Students recording stories to be “read” to preschool classroom
    • Peer tutoring videos in math via VoiceThread
    • Teachers recording lessons and allowing students to view them as podcasts
    • Using video projector to add to content presentation
    • Social skills modeling and role play
    • FFA recording for presentations
  • Preliminary results
    • Developed collaborative relationships across districts
    • Creating a supportive group of professionals who are willing to take risks
    • Most teachers chose to use the web cam as a part of the project
    • Most projects were student-centered
    • Even minimal project reports were inconsistent and seemed challenging
Developing a Framework for Teacher Professional Development Using Online Social Networks
Kinnis Gosha, Clemson
  • The main point:
    • To develop an application that enhances professional development by harnessing teacher connections on online social networks
  • Current PD process:
    • Required by admin, options given by admin, self-initiated, hybrid
  • Challenges:
    • Teacher diversity and different interests
    • Teacher feedback is inconsistent
    • Milestones vs. Opportunity — some see it as something they have to get through, others see it as a real opportunity to learn and grow
    • Various teacher groups within and across districts
  • Online social networks (OSN)
    • How do I make it? From scratch? Customize existing networks such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube
    • Do teachers really use online social networks? Do they use them for personal reasons, or professional ones? Would they be willing to participate and give feedback in an OSN?
  • Survey results
    • Many used Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and YouTube, but in different ways
    • Only about 50% likely to give feedback, and split on comfort level in participation (35% willing, 35% not willing, 30% said it depends
    • Teachers don’t trust Facebook
  • Goals:
    • Fill in domain gaps
    • Learn more regional PD trends
    • Distinguish pre-recession and post-recession PD procedures
    • Recommendation of tool features

Mobilizing Educational Technologies in a Collaborative Online Community to Develop a Knowledge Management System as a Wiki
Nancy Copeland and Anne Bednar, Eastern Michigan University

Digital Storytelling Viewed Through a Post-process Lens
Martha Green, Texas A&M
  • Educational context
    • NAEP Writing Assessment showing 33% proficiency at 8th grade
    • Integrating technology into all methods classes
  • Post-process theory: Writing is public, interpretive, and situated; communication is a cultural activity; reading and writing is an active construction
    • Seeks to use life experiences that students bring into the classroom
    • Places interest in the meaning of the work at the core of the experience
    • Trimbur — university classes have lost the view on the “circulation of writing”
  • Connecting post-process to digital storytelling
    • Adaptation of oral storytelling
    • Intentionality, reflection, self-evaluation, and revision
    • Written to be shared; private to public
  • Methodology
    • Culminating project of the semester
  • Observation
    • Sharing their stories was an important part of their experience
  • Results
    • Pre-service teachers felt empowered by the process of reflecting on a past event and constructing a digital story about it
    • Would use digital storytelling in their own classroom
  • Digital Storytelling Resources from WorldRoom Website

Effectiveness of a Hypermedia Video Case-Based Library for Inservice Teachers’ Professional Development
Mary Cockburn, Purdue

  • Hypermedia resources for pre-service teachers have shown documentd benefits
  • Ten preschool teachers had access to 100 video cases of best literacy practices
  • All teachers felt positive about the use of hypermedia; there was no current resource available and “… it was much better than having to search through Google to find teaching strategies.”
  • Implications
    • Improving in-service PD via hypermedia may be effective
    • Minimal training is required
    • Familiarity with computers is not a prerequisite
    • More research with a larger and more diverse sample is needed

Preparing Teachers to Purposefully Plan Technology Integration that Encourages Curiosity, Creativity, Independence and Collaboration
Dina Rosen, Kean University

  • What does it look like when you are using technology to really encourage creativity and collaboration?
  • Four key characteristics of quality tech integration
    • Learner centered
    • Representation centered
    • Community/real-world centered
    • Build on existing practice


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