Technology in Education: The Houston Landscape

Stephanie Sandifer, Technology Coach, Houston A+ Challenge

February 2012

“As educators, our challenge is to match the needs of our learners to a world that is

changing with great rapidity. To meet this challenge, we need to become strategic learners

ourselves by deliberately expanding our perspectives and updating our approaches.”

– Heidi Hayes Jacobs, Curriculum 21, 2010

In alignment with Houston A+ Challenge’s values of creativity, innovation and collaboration, and

within the scope of the work throughout the Challenge Network schools, this document provides an

overview of the current landscape of technology in education across the Houston area with

respect to the levels of technology integration, learner-focused activity, and “connectivity” as it

relates to pedagogy, andragogy, and professional collaboration activities. This document also

outlines a vision and potential “action steps” and policy recommendations for developing 21st-

Century "Connected Learning" – at all levels and among all stakeholders – using a variety of

emerging technologies.

Advancements in technology have impacted all aspects of our world. We have transitioned from an

industrial-based society to a globally connected information-based society. While many aspects of

our life, our work, our economy and society have shifted to include – by necessity – technology-

facilitated and technology-enhanced connectivity, the general structure, arrangement and pedagogy

of our classrooms have remained primarily “industrial” in nature. Based on an understanding of

these facts, Houston A+ Challenge is adopting and promoting models of and for “Connected

Learning” and “Connected Working/Collaboration” that leverage available emerging technologies.

We must “become strategic learners ourselves by deliberately expanding our perspectives and

updating our approaches” across all of our work, collaboration, and initiatives.

Observations, interviews, and teacher surveys conducted in Challenge Network schools for this

analysis indicate a relatively low level of technology use in the classroom that is primarily teacher-

centered, and a level of technology use for professional learning that is primarily limited to the use

of email for communications, the use of standard productivity software, and the use of district-

provided applications for administrative tasks (eg: gradebooks, SIS). These six campuses (which

span five school districts) are representative of many Houston-area schools in terms of available

resources, current state of technology integration, and instructional methods used in the classrooms.

Overall, the general landscape of educational technology across Houston is very uneven, with some

exciting pockets of innovation and promising pilots scattered across districts. However, these

pockets of innovation and pilot programs are few and far between. Many students in our

classrooms, especially in low-income areas, are not experiencing powerful, authentic, and

meaningful student-centered use of globally connected digital tools.

Teachers’ self-reported use of

technology was in agreement

with observations and

walkthrough data. The chart at

left shows how teachers' self-

reported use of dozens of

different digital tools indicates

that the uses of the tools are

limited primarily to teacher-

centered use such as

PowerPoint or SMART Boards

for lecturing or whole class

instruction. Student use of

technology is often limited to

skill-specific software or word

processing.

However, during interviews and within the teacher survey results, there is an expressed interest in

expanding the use of technology use for professional activities, professional learning, and student-

centered "connected learning" in the classroom at all campuses. This highlights the need for policy

changes that impact professional development and support for adult learning and access to a variety

of tools and resources.

Observed Potential & Existing Resources Observed Challenges

Standard classroom setup: teacher

workstation, ceiling mounted projector,

screen, document camera

Other available tech on campuses: Mobi

tablets, Smartboards, labs located in

library/media center or in other areas of

campuses, basic wifi connections

Campus Technologists on staff – specific

roles & responsibilities vary across

campuses

Leadership generally supportive of

increased use of technology, but may need

more support to fully understand next steps

and their role

Few or no student workstations in

classrooms, few or no mobile devices

available, limited wifi

District policies on use of personal mobile

devices varying, but generally prohibit use

even by faculty & staff

Level of observed teacher tech integration is

“Early Tech” – teacher-centered mirrored

after more traditional instruction (document

camera in place of overhead projector)

Awareness of existing pilots or innovation

“pockets” is very low

No central or shared “showcase” to highlight

promising practices across all districts for

purpose of sharing and learning from each

other

Funding & budgets

In order to achieve the goal of transformed classrooms and transformed schools, we must create a paradigm

shift to transform professional behaviors, practices, and habits among education professionals at all levels.

The diagram above provides an overview of a process to create this paradigm shift or transformation in

professional behaviors and practices.

The overall process requires a pathway that builds support for each successive step. For example, Classroom

2.0 cannot exist until teachers have been transformed or have shifted to Teacher 2.0. The transformation

process to Teacher 2.0 requires Leadership 2.0 – principals and technology specialists who have already

transformed into Principal 2.0 and Technology Coaches.

Some Characteristics or Behaviors of Educator 2.0 (Leadership 2.0 & Teacher 2.0)

Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness

Model collaborative knowledge construction by engaging in learning with colleagues and others in

face-to-face and virtual environments

Demonstrate fluency in technology systems and the transfer of current knowledge to new

technologies and situations; use 21st century tools in own learning and leading

Communicate relevant information and ideas effectively to students, parents, and peers using a

variety of digital-age media and formats

Model and facilitate effective use of current and emerging digital tools to collaborate and locate,

analyze, evaluate, and use information resources to support research and learning

Participate in local and global learning communities to explore creative applications of technology to

improve learning; understand how to build a personal learning network

Exhibit leadership by demonstrating a vision of technology infusion, participating in shared decision

making and community building, and developing the leadership and technology skills of others

Evaluate and transparently reflect on current research and professional practice on a regular basis to

make effective use of existing and emerging technologies

Adapted from The Connected Educator by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach and Lani Ritter Hall (2011)

Recommendations

For Individuals

Change your language -- from “yes, but...” to “yes, and...” or even better: “What if...”

Become a learner first and an educator second – play, explore, connect, ask questions, reflect, and

collaborate within own personal learning networks and WITH students.

Explore use of Google Docs or a wiki as a better option for working on collaborative documents

(curriculum or lesson plans) with colleagues.

Stop waiting for policies to change or for test scores to improve – act now!

For Schools

Make this a priority and emphasize the urgency of moving forward now. Our Five-Year Plans do not

matter to the 11th grade students sitting in our classrooms right now.

Administrators & other campus leaders must model the use of digital communication, collaboration,

curation and creation.

Require the use of a wiki or Google Docs to develop and share all lesson plans.

Create webinars instead of “sit-and-get” faculty meetings.

Revise campus-based device policies to allow classroom use of student devices.

Provide flexibility in how, when and where professional learning occurs – encourage development of

PLNs (Personal Learning Networks) and implement Google’s 20% flex time (or a shorter version –

15%, 10%, 5%) during collaborative planning to allow free exploration of tools or strategies for use

in professional work or in classroom instruction.

Seek out “early adopters” and develop these teachers into “Peer Coaches” around innovation and

technology integration.

Increase student-centered use of technology – get technology out of the hands of teachers and into

the hands of students (even if only one device is available in the room).

Redesign learning spaces and classroom arrangements to model more innovative spaces that

encourage and spur creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and connecting. Think about space

design and how space can be used differently in order to change behavior and interaction patterns.

District-level Practices & Policy Recommendations

Revisit technology device policies to take advantage of student-owned devices for learning.

Revisit filtering and blocking policies that prevent easy access to powerful digital tools.

District leaders must become models of 21st Century Connected Learners & Leaders; change the

tools and practices that you use to lead, collaborate, communicate and curate information.

Redefine “Technology Specialists” as “Technology Coaches” and provide training to help those

individuals change how they coach & collaborate with teachers.

Scale up successful technology pilots and innovative practices to impact more students.

Recommended Reading

Personal Learning Networks: Using the Power of Connections to Transform Education by Will Richardson

and Rob Mancabelli

The Connected Educator: Learning and Leading in a Digital Age by Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach and Lani

Ritter Hall

Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing World by Heidi Hayes Jacobs

Teaching 2030: What We Must Do for Our Students and Our Public Schools by Barnett Berry and

Teachersolutions 2030 Team