Northwest PA Association for Educational Communication and Technology
Edweek Report on STEM
http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2008/03/27/index.html ( I have attached PA report)
Some of the stats in this report steer our conversation in a different direction. The thought that computer access is still limited is countered by US Dept of Ed finding that 95% of PA students have computers in their homes. We can safely assume that the other 4.99% have access through school, the library, or a friend. I truly believe that if teachers made it a priority to use the web to disseminate information and assignments that students would follow suit. I have worked with many teachers that assigned out of class work only to bend when 6 out of 10 come back with clever excuses for why they could not perform. Those same teachers would never accept an excuse if this had happened to be a paper assignment.
The wide spread adoption of computers and the near wide spread use of high speed connections says that we can have a hybrid element to every class, but I understand why most would be hesitant to believe so. Most folks that think this is impossible are still looking at school as 7-9 periods a day, with every class meeting every day. That would be lunacy. Hybrid learning allows for a block model to be extremely successful. Keeping in touch via the web means that T-Th or M-W-Fri classes are possible just like in higher education. (not to mention complete on-line courses)
The rise of PA STEM initiative and initiatives like it across the US tell us that we are also in for a curricular change. July 28th at the Hershey Lodge a Governor's Institute will convince in an effort to develop new curriculum and benchmarks related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. http://www.pasteminitiative.org/
Will any of this change our day to day? Not immediately, but we are driven by data. I hope PDE is not satisfied with a B- overall. The stats on teachers teaching subject out of their content area are troublesome. This report and the moves made within the last 3 years have signaled changes happening and changes to come. The key will be to remain flexible.
Thoughts? Anything pop out at you in the reports?
-Ken
Some of the stats in this report steer our conversation in a different direction. The thought that computer access is still limited is countered by US Dept of Ed finding that 95% of PA students have computers in their homes. We can safely assume that the other 4.99% have access through school, the library, or a friend. I truly believe that if teachers made it a priority to use the web to disseminate information and assignments that students would follow suit. I have worked with many teachers that assigned out of class work only to bend when 6 out of 10 come back with clever excuses for why they could not perform. Those same teachers would never accept an excuse if this had happened to be a paper assignment.
The wide spread adoption of computers and the near wide spread use of high speed connections says that we can have a hybrid element to every class, but I understand why most would be hesitant to believe so. Most folks that think this is impossible are still looking at school as 7-9 periods a day, with every class meeting every day. That would be lunacy. Hybrid learning allows for a block model to be extremely successful. Keeping in touch via the web means that T-Th or M-W-Fri classes are possible just like in higher education. (not to mention complete on-line courses)
The rise of PA STEM initiative and initiatives like it across the US tell us that we are also in for a curricular change. July 28th at the Hershey Lodge a Governor's Institute will convince in an effort to develop new curriculum and benchmarks related to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. http://www.pasteminitiative.org/
Will any of this change our day to day? Not immediately, but we are driven by data. I hope PDE is not satisfied with a B- overall. The stats on teachers teaching subject out of their content area are troublesome. This report and the moves made within the last 3 years have signaled changes happening and changes to come. The key will be to remain flexible.
Thoughts? Anything pop out at you in the reports?
-Ken
- Attachments:
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30PA_STR2008.h27.pdf, 387 KB
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