Digital Learning Leadership Pre-Conference Workshop
TOM DRISCOLL
INSTRUCTOR, EdTechTeacher
DIGITAL LEARNING DIRECTOR, Bristol Warren Regional School District
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Context....
Workshop Collaboration Document
Slides: bit.ly
In a few words, how would you describe an innovative learning environment?
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REFINING A VISION FOR TRANSFORMATIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING
RIGHTBORO SCENARIOS
Each group will explore one of the four Rightboro scenarios.
Spend 5 minutes writing some notes in response to the following questions:
What seem like strengths of the approach?
What seem like weaknesses of this approach?
If you really wanted this to be successful, what leadership moves you would engage in to help make it work?
SOURCE: Launching Innovation in Schools MITx
SCENARIO 1: FOCUS ON STEM
Rightboro believes that STEM fields will offer the greatest opportunities for its graduates in the decades ahead. It hopes to prepare students who are familiar with design thinking, engineering principles, and project management. Rightboro’s new high school will include a number of “maker spaces” that are outfitted with a wide variety of hand tools, building materials, electronics components, small computers, 3D printers and laser cutters. During freshman year, students take a combined humanities/physics class that culminates in a major class project, such as short play performed on a set built by the class or moving dioramas of life in ancient civilizations.
SOURCE: Launching Innovation in Schools MITx
In subsequent years, students are encouraged to take computer science and engineering electives that focus on programming robots to complete complex tasks, like cutting fruit, folding towels, or competing in obstacle courses. All classes are encouraged to offer students “20% time,” where they can spend one class period a week devising projects of their own choosing for presentation at the end of the semester. Rightboro judges the success of their program by evaluating the quality of final projects from courses, electives and independent projects; and by evaluating the number of students, especially girls and students of color, who go on to pursue STEM majors in college.
SCENARIO 2: SELF-PACING & SPECIALIZATION
Rightboro believes that every student should be able to advance through the academic curriculum at their own pace, and that they should be able to specialize in particular fields during high school. Rightboro’s new high school provides an iPad pro and keyboard for each student, and the core curriculum in English, Math, and Science is available for students online. Students spend much of their time working independently on learning modules and assignments—each student has their own cubicle space for independent work, and they proceed at their own pace. In the core courses, the primary role for teachers is to evaluate student data from these assignments and identify students who need additional support: such as small group instruction or one-on-one tutoring.
SOURCE: Launching Innovation in Schools MITx
In the upper grades, students are encouraged to take online courses through partnerships with local community colleges to begin earning college credit. When certain courses are not available, students are encouraged to find MOOCs or other open online courses that fulfill their interests, and faculty work with students to all students to earn credit for these courses through an “Independent Study” program overseen by faculty mentors. Rightboro judges the success of their program by evaluating the number of students who can enter college with advanced standing, to graduate earlier or pursue more advanced specializations.
SCENARIO 3: FOCUS ON COMMUNICATION SKILLS & BUILDING A PORTFOLIO
Rightboro believes that successful graduates will have strong multimedia communication skills, and leave school with a portfolio that vividly illustrates their learning and accomplishments. Rightboro has a one-to-one iPad program and students are taught to see the tablet not as a simple replacement for notebooks or textbooks, but as a powerful multimedia creation and publishing device. In all courses, students use the iPad to document their learning: they take photographs of observations in science labs, make screencast recordings of problem solving in math class, and publish reflective literature blogs with snippets of annotated text in English class.
SOURCE: Launching Innovation in Schools MITx
All classrooms have at least two Apple TVs that allow students to easily project and share their work. Every semester, courses have “capstone projects” that involve creating some kind of summative performance of understanding, curating key assignments from throughout the semester, and publishing a reflective multimedia essay about their semester. All of this work is published on a school platform, and students are encouraged to publish their best work publicly online. Rightboro judges the success of the program by evaluating the quality of student portfolios, and by Googling the names of the graduates and evaluating the character of their online footprint.
SCENARIO 4: BLENDED LEARNING & FOSTERING INDEPENDENT LEARNERS
Rightboro believes that successful students are independent learners who are capable of demonstrating mastery of skills and knowledge within the core subject areas. Faculty have invested heavily in creating faculty-produced open source video textbooks, where teachers explain core ideas in their subject areas. Classes are then run using a “flipped model” where students watch video lectures, do online activities, and read source material at home, and then come into school for discussions, projects, and assessments. Each course has a defined set of standards, and students are evaluated on the coverage and depth of mastery of those standards.
SOURCE: Launching Innovation in Schools MITx
Any assessment can be retaken or revised, and a student’s final grade is determined by the proportion of standards mastered by the end of the semester, not the quality of work produced in developing mastery. Most classrooms are designed as “agile classrooms,” with movable furniture that allow students to organize into working groups of different sizes, or to work independently. Rightboro provides student with iPads where students can access the open course digital textbooks from home and school. Rightboro judges the success of their program by evaluating the total number of standards mastered by all graduating students as a proportion of the total number of possible standards to be mastered.
RIGHTBORO DEBRIEF
What are the dimensions of difference across these scenarios?
How could each scenario be considered an example of personalized learning?
Do any of the scenarios represent a plausible path forward for your school?
SOURCE: Launching Innovation in Schools MITx
PILLARS OF FUTURE READY LEARNING
Digital Learning Amplifies the Impact of Great Teaching
When carefully designed and thoughtfully applied, technology accelerates, amplifies and expands the impact of high-quality teaching.
PERSONALIZED LEARNING
Tailored content, pacing, and feedback to the needs and interests of students.
Anytime, anywhere access to learning resources.
ENHANCED ASSESSMENTS
Make thinking visible.
Timely and meaningful feedback on learning progress.
Multiple ways to show what they know.
DEEPER LEARNING
Create, communicate, collaborate, and engage in problem solving grounded in real-world challenges.
Amplify student voice by learning with an expanded, authentic audience.
DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP
Learn effectively and live productively as responsible citizens in an increasingly digital world.
CYCLES OF EXPERIMENT & EXPERIENCE
“If you're a principal, if you're a coach… your task is not to tell teachers how to teach better. Your task is to create the conditions where teachers can learn from one another.
For administrators, the most important role is providing the time, resources, encouragement, and support to accelerate this cycle. Your job is to empower teachers so that they can conduct experiments, share and learn with colleagues, and then plan further experiments.”
SOURCE: Launching Innovation in Schools MITx
INNER LOOP
SOURCE: Launching Innovation in Schools MITx
BRISTOL WARREN REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
Digital Learning Teams (4-6 / school)
Short Cycle Action Research Projects
ACTION RESEARCH CHARACTERISTICS
ACTION RESEARCH CHARACTERISTICS
DESIGN FOCUS
SKILL / STUDENT OUTCOME
TEACHING STRATEGY
EDTECH TOOL / RESOURCES
OUTER LOOP
SOURCE: Launching Innovation in Schools MITx
“When researchers interviewed teachers about how they adopt new pedagogical practices and where they get the ideas for new pedagogical practices, who has the most influence on them? The number one response that teachers give is other teachers.”
SOURCE: Launching Innovation in Schools MITx
TEAM LEARNING
Systems & Structures For Sharing Ideas, Classroom Observations & Looking at Student Work
SOURCE: Launching Innovation in Schools MITx
Support & Encourage Early Adopters
Lead digital learning share-out sessions for educators in each school.
Open classrooms to colleagues via site-based walkthroughs to provide them with access to innovative digital learning environments and teaching strategies.
TEAM LEARNING
INSTITUTIONAL LEARNING
How do we create time and space for teachers across the institution to share experiences?
SOURCE: Launching Innovation in Schools MITx
INSTITUTIONAL LEARNING
Sharing Educator Experiences in Archived, Asynchronous Ways
Promote Voice & Choice During Professional Learning Days
INSTITUTIONAL LEARNING
#DLDayBWM
INSTITUTIONAL LEARNING
Promote Collaborative, Blended Learning Opportunities
Professional learning networks (PLNs) leveraging both onsite and online communities of practice & social media
Redesigning Educator Roles
INSTITUTIONAL LEARNING
Digital Learning R & D Team (Job Roles)
PURPOSE: Digital Learning R&D Team members will collaboratively develop and model innovative instructional strategies and approaches to digital learning aligned with the district’s Future Ready Plan.
Digital Learning Coaches (Job Roles)
PURPOSE: Digital Learning Coaches will provide personalized professional support to teachers in their school throughout the year.
SHARED VISION & INSTRUCTIONAL LANGUAGE
What guardrails and guidelines have been established?
Effective school leaders ensure that innovation has a trajectory that's guided by a shared vision.
It is less important to pick the “right” system than it is to get one system right.
SOURCE: Launching Innovation in Schools MITx
Help Teachers Connect EdTech tools to Effective Teaching Strategies
SHARED VISION & INSTRUCTIONAL LANGUAGE
Document & Share What Works
SHARED VISION & INSTRUCTIONAL LANGUAGE
Practical Applications &
Classroom Examples
R & D
What is your R & D Budget?
How do you allocate time, resources and energy to support teachers in trying new things?
Administrators can always offer enthusiasm and protection. (See Video Clip Starting at 1:09)
SOURCE: Launching Innovation in Schools MITx
CYCLES OF EXPERIMENT AND EXPERIENCE DEBRIEF
What are your school/district’s strengths in these areas? What foundation can you build off of?
What specific leadership moves can you make to enhance both the “inner loop” of teacher experimentation and “outer loop” of institutional supports and environments conducive to scaling innovation?
EVALUATING PROGRESS & SUSTAINING INNOVATION
SOURCE: Launching Innovation in Schools MITx
EdTech Evaluation
Tools & Process
EdTech Evaluation
Tools & Process
EdTech Evaluation Tools & Process
BUDGET & RESOURCES
What is your school / district’s R & D budget?
Are there network / infrastructure / & device refresh plans in place that align with your school’s vision of transformative teaching and learning?
Is your technology department designed to support modern learning environments?
Have you analyzed your edtech spending and broken it down by “type” or “use?” (Ex. Adaptive learning, Creation tools, Assessment Tools, LMS, SIS)
USE OF SPACE & TIME
Is there a plan in place for redesign of physical space and instructional time?
COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
DATA, PRIVACY & INTEROPERABILITY
1) Help Students and Families Transition to Connected Classrooms
2) Advocate for Data Interoperability to Empower Teachers, Students, and Families
3) Accelerate Progress Toward Data Interoperability for All Classrooms
4) Provide Access to Quality, Data Standard Aligned Digital Content
TAKEAWAYS & NEXT STEPS
Boston Summit 2017 Workshop Feedback
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TOM DRISCOLL
INSTRUCTOR, EdTechTeacher
DIGITAL LEARNING DIRECTOR, Bristol Warren Regional School District
THANKS!