"Welcome to EdTechAfterDark! Our community was born out of discussions for a rich EdChat type gathering for those of us who are thinking about the digital edu-landscape long after the sun has gone down. For us night owls, when the clock strikes 10PM EST, you’ll find us on Twitter over at #edtechafterdark. All are welcome! Our discussions range from our philosophies about EdTech, digital best practices, and simply sharing our stories." --www.edtechafterdark.com
Andrew, Personalize Learning Coordinator in Omaha NE. Proud that I’m still keeping up w my goal of one blog and one podcast per week this year! #goals#EdTechAfterDark
Evening, #edtechafterdark. I'm Brian. I teach middle-school students English in CO. Students & I have been (mostly) successfully creating proposals for new electives as our school plans to shift from 7- to 8-period day next year: https://t.co/mgLZwStBOO
Hey guys! Alex here from Citrus County FL where I serve @LecantoHigh as an AP... One success? Taking my first personal day of the year and committing it to my family! #edtechafterdark
Hiya from Connecticut. This is looking to be an intriguing #EdTechAfterDark chat already.
A1) Damn straight there are truths in this. It's not the only truth, but tbh my high school graduation felt like the thing you had to do. I didn't like school and didn't graduate at my best.
A1: In theory, graduation (at any level) serves as an announcement that one has “arrived”. However, when the system fails to embody the pertinent skill sets for the modern job market, the paper holds little to no value... #edtechafterdark
Hi! Popping in from South Texas...Will be in and out tonight but hyped because @danvkoch is moderating...Recently upgraded to some SmartBoard 7000 series...They are legit #edtechafterdark
A1 Many ways to arrive at that symbolic graduation finish line, with some routes evincing more conformity than others. I'm usually leery about statements that wield such broad brushes. #edtechafterdark
A1: Cs get degrees. When we live in a world where you can pursue your passion, film it, and post it and get paid...that speaks volumes.
#edtechafterdark
#edtechafterdark Happy Monday from Texas... Helen, Internet concierge and Instructional Designer just a bit late tonight (no surprise)... my big success recently was using the crock pot again after being scared after watching the holiday episode of This Is Us
A1: Cs get degrees. When we live in a world where you can pursue your passion, film it, and post it and get paid...that speaks volumes.
#edtechafterdark
Alfonso here dropping I late. A2 it’s model that has its pros and cons. Pro is you’re really evaluated using metrics IRL. Cons, you’re only evaluated once #edtechafterdark
A1: Graduation is more of an expectation than its ever been, but that doesn't mean you are guaranteed anything. As with anything, the work you put in goes a long way to what you get out of it
#edtechafterdark
A2: I don't agree that competition is as big a deal as some may think.
It's certainly not fostered by today's Ss. I think that comes from Ps and Ts.
#edtechafterdark
#edtechafterdark A1: much respect to Dr. Caplan, but I hope we as educators and lifelong learners have devised a better method of conformity signals... portfolios anyone?
A1 Graduation is its essence is a finality to something. However it mostly marks the beginning of something new again...So are we really done yet? #edtechafterdark
A2: The competition model is good for certain Ss, but not for every Ss. Companies are saying the need workers who are collaborative. We should be encouraging competition, but in appropriate places. Grading is it. #edtechafterdark
A2 I don’t think so. Competition means everybody is subjected to the same standard. Colleges should look into the skills a student has to offer and not just grades that we’re only given in one sitting. #edtechafterdark
A2: The “best” model? Not by any means. However, the mode does reflect the culture in which it was born. When capitalism is king, every measure is a competitive one and bottom lines are the focus. Education isn’t immune to its influence. #edtechafterdark
A degree matters if if something you need to pursue your passions, but to conflate that with a necessity or standard for hiring, that's increasingly not the case. The majority of recent college graduates don't even have a job in their field. #edtechafterdark
A2: Our current graduation requirements are narrow and lack specialization. Students who have passions outside the expectations of 4-year universities are underserved. Our current K-12 education model needs to better meet the unique needs of all students #EdTechAfterDark#tlap
A2 If we could use the same brush to paint all learning styles, measure progress, and even up demographics, than competition might have more merit... #edtechafterdark
Those rules and requirements may not be so simple and are constructed to lead to learning in many cases. It can be the culmination of something great. Depends on the school. #edtechafterdark
A2.1 Truth is, we can probably pick out who will be the top competitors from elementary and almost bet they will be there at graduation #edtechafterdark
I agree. My wife teaches biomedical sciences at a local highschool (applications to enroll in the program are necessary) and many of the students are extremely preoccupied with As - but not learning. #edtechafterdark
A1: Idea of "graduation" has always carried idea of "completion" or "arrival"... but it's no longer a truism that it guarantees a job (and maybe it never was). If arrival isn't at a place where you're relevant, we did it all wrong. #edtechafterdark
A2: perhaps this worked in a more industrialized economy of timed trials, timed tests, & Pavlovian motivation -perhaps a better fit for a global economy is Team collaboration toward shared or mutually constructed goals that meet an authentic need or solution. #edtechafterdark
A degree matters if if something you need to pursue your passions, but to conflate that with a necessity or standard for hiring, that's increasingly not the case. The majority of recent college graduates don't even have a job in their field. #edtechafterdark
Graduation is still oddly relevant but only because the old guard is still calling the shots.
Education will look drastically different in 40-50 years - or sooner.
#edtechafterdark
A2: The “best” model? Not by any means. However, the mode does reflect the culture in which it was born. When capitalism is king, every measure is a competitive one and bottom lines are the focus. Education isn’t immune to its influence. #edtechafterdark
It’s also worth noting that “arrival” has become more and more of an illusion as society itself is in a constant evolution; forever in beta... adjusting to a moving target or redefining the target itself are the new norms. #edtechafterdark
A1: Idea of "graduation" has always carried idea of "completion" or "arrival"... but it's no longer a truism that it guarantees a job (and maybe it never was). If arrival isn't at a place where you're relevant, we did it all wrong. #edtechafterdark
A1 Graduation is its essence is a finality to something. However it mostly marks the beginning of something new again...So are we really done yet? #edtechafterdark
A3: I'm currently reading Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future Paperback
by Martin Ford. Currently, it definitely still pays to have a college degree; however, statistically speaking, we don't have much upward mobility in the US. #edtechafterdark
A2: The pressure to stay ahead can be crushing to some, perfect for others.
Being able to get the best out of Ss and show that to their colleges is optimal. I think https://t.co/beqhBfe2cU#edtechafterdark
A3: Still nothing better than a college degree when it comes to upward mobility, but the growing interest in alternative pathways via credentials, badges, and the like may help expand the options available to our students. #edtechafterdark
A3: If education, technology, and the internet have been sold as the antidote someone needs to get their money back.
The gap might be wider than ever.
#edtechafterdark
A3 Stretching analogy past breaking point to this dysfunctional thesis... If our environment's potentially growing more toxic might additional antidote be required to counter its deleterious effects? #edtechafterdark
A3: Access to technology remains highly unequal. Unlimited access to tech allows wealthy communities to grow exponentially faster than low income communities. This has the capacity to expand inequality when not addressed early #EdTechAfterDark
Funny, spring marks the end experience of the academic year, when it's a time of rebirth. You could argue that's why we call graduation a "commencement," soI think the academic spring should start looking toward the next year. #EdTechAfterDark
Q2 #resiliencechat As #spring approaches we think of new buds, new growth, and new life, What types of activities do you think we should focus on in our classes with students, for students, to help them reasses, and plan for their future growth?
A2: One thing that worries me about model of "completion" where it's all about competitive comparison w/ peers is a pitfall of averaging to the bottom, so to speak - relative success when compared with peers wherein you've NOT demonstrated competencies. #edtechafterdark
The other side of the same coin? A situation where you're compared with other competent individuals - averaging to the top, wherein you've demonstrated competencies and skills... but you're not outshining others and, accordingly, don't "shine". #edtechafterdark
A3 During a job interview what you have accumulated still matters, the school you graduated from still matters. Would be great if only your knowledge and abilities mattered but we are not there yet. #edtechafterdark
The other side of the same coin? A situation where you're compared with other competent individuals - averaging to the top, wherein you've demonstrated competencies and skills... but you're not outshining others and, accordingly, don't "shine". #edtechafterdark
A3: education, technology, and internet are still important and relevant, but when the bar keeps moving exponentially it isn't enough. There has to be support systems in place #edtechafterdark
A2: The current system asks all kids to do the same stuff as all the other top performers in school, just be a little bit better at it than the next kid. Playing the same game the same way is safe, but it's not the future. Suggested read: https://t.co/dqI6D7N6gE#edtechafterdark
@Kareemfarah23#EdTechAfterDark We are extremely rural but our tech director has strived to ensure that our “country” kids have the same opportunities that the urban students enjoy. @SCPS_Division
A4: We're absolutely not doing enough to teach media information literacy. The first step is recognizing that media information literacy should concern us just as much as more traditional literacies--if not more. #edtechafterdark
A4 Too much of this answer depends on the comfort level of teachers and admin... Operating out of fear is inhibiting our students to become literate of the world they live in. #edtechafterdark
True, and that gets back to Q1. Interviewer measures that knowledge based on his/her knowledge of the school’s name on that degree and what that implies. #edtechafterdark
A4: I don't think people in general really care about information bias.
We're operating in a world based on taking and believing what we give should be valued by anyone who sees it.
Like this tweet ;-)
#edtechafterdark
A4) Not much a discussion if this answer were "yes"!
Since it's no, #MediaLiteracy is where schools really need to open up their classrooms. Library media specialists should have an expanded role (so stop cutting these positions!) Tons of outside expertise, too. #EdTechAfterDark
A4 cont.: Think about it--how do people interact with information today? How much more will people interact with information online? Networked information has huge implications for media information literacy. #edtechafterdark
A4 To paraphrase Cameron in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off": Literacy practices move pretty fast. If you don't stop & look around once in a while, you could miss them. 1 way not to: Emphasize processes over products, putting how/why before what in literacy learning. #edtechafterdark
A4: As a prob/stats teacher I can assure you we need to do more to teach kids evolving literacy practices. The advent of “fake news” and heavy use of social guarantees that students will be bombarded with a variety information sources that they need to decode #EdTechAfterDark
A4: Definitely not doing enough! Ss & Ts should be encouraged to create online content & to question it thoroughly. It can only happen through practice with authentic resources & audiences. #edtechafterdark
A3: The sentiment doesn't hold true b/c the finish line keeps moving.
Technology & education are important... but the system is fundamental changing alongside these advancements. While they seem to be antidotes, they're really just tools for new inequity. #edtechafterdark
A4: Unfortunately, in most of our schools, if the topic is addressed at all, it’s addressed as its own separate entity. Instead, we should view digital creation and design as THE conduit of ideas in the modern era and, therefore, part & parcel of all disciplines #EdTechAfterDark
Schools shouldn't do or not do something out of fear, but they also don't have to do anything alone. SO many resources and contacts out there who could guide them along. #medialit#EdTechAfterDark
A4: We can (and must) do more. Critical analysis is especially important in today’s world, one that is generally suspicious of authority and where falsehoods frequently trump the truth https://t.co/pKxHjg4eEG#edtechafterdark
A4: I'm unsure that we're doing enough. Many of our action steps involving the idea of #medialiteracy involve restriction or an assumption that children just "know" how to navigate these spaces because of the generation they were born in. False. #edtechafterdark
A4: These practices have to start at elementary in specific and intentional lessons that are fun at that level. Without that base, it becomes tougher for Ss and Ts.
Bias information had its start in basic opinion and argument writing.
#edtechafterdark
You're reminding me of something else I'd like to say about the competition question: A lot of kids simply don't care to compete for that. The system favors those who like the competition aspect. And for what? To value competition over learning? #EdTechAfterDark
A2: The current system asks all kids to do the same stuff as all the other top performers in school, just be a little bit better at it than the next kid. Playing the same game the same way is safe, but it's not the future. Suggested read: https://t.co/dqI6D7N6gE#edtechafterdark
A2: Competition occurs because people deep down don’t believe in equality. People always want more than someone else. We don’t know contentment. #edtechafterdark
A5: Modeling and discussing it. In our House program the topic is discussed with Ss & Ts. We use mistakes as examples of what not to do. #edtechafterdark
A4: I don’t think teachers can keep up. Overall there is a complete lack of training and information dissemination about what tech products are available #edtechafterdark
A5: Right now media literacy is taught organically through individual courses. We need to make sure our standards are constantly changing to meet the needs of our political and economic climate. Education needs to evolve at the pace of economy #EdTechAfterDark
Both important sides to consider. It's kind of preposterous when you think about it -- learning becoming competitive, and all by age- and grade-level comparisons. When our kid took her first steps, did we cheer her on or put her in a race with another 1-year-old? #EdTechAfterDark
The other side of the same coin? A situation where you're compared with other competent individuals - averaging to the top, wherein you've demonstrated competencies and skills... but you're not outshining others and, accordingly, don't "shine". #edtechafterdark
A5: First, great quote!
Second, not nearly enough. I am one of the few Ts at my school using tech and talking about the differ audiences, peers and parents, but I know there's more to it...
I think I'm printing this out to put up
#edtechafterdark
I feel your pain, Rosa. The task is insurmountable. As such, teachers should view their role not so much as masters of the tech but as masters of the mindset. Being able to innovate, grow, and embrace change is essential #edtechafterdark
A4: I don’t think teachers can keep up. Overall there is a complete lack of training and information dissemination about what tech products are available #edtechafterdark
A1: Idea of "graduation" has always carried idea of "completion" or "arrival"... but it's no longer a truism that it guarantees a job (and maybe it never was). If arrival isn't at a place where you're relevant, we did it all wrong. #edtechafterdark
A5 Phrase I like: "use our judgment to maintain awareness"
One pattern at school where I teach... Use scaffolding tools & close-reading procedures as stepping stones to more organically mindful literacy habits. #edtechafterdark
A5 Digital Literacy is partly about the skills but it is much more. Ignoring the skills would be a mistake. It is about learning how to use those skills to solve problems, work collaboratively, practice having a safe and positive digital footprint etc. #edtechafterdark
A5 It should be done in every discipline as it best fits. Tech is not needed for this (we’re doing it with characters in Julius Caesar right now) but can be practiced everywhere. #edtechafterdark
A6 This is the driving question for each lesson, followed by “How will my students best learn this?” Knowing your students is the key to being able to answer both. #edtechafterdark
So agree. We were one of the first school to go 1:1 when we opened 7 years ago. The new apps and programs coming down the pipe have been daunting. Just have to keep moving. There are always a new batch of kids to reach. #edtechafterdark
I feel your pain, Rosa. The task is insurmountable. As such, teachers should view their role not so much as masters of the tech but as masters of the mindset. Being able to innovate, grow, and embrace change is essential #edtechafterdark
A4: I don’t think teachers can keep up. Overall there is a complete lack of training and information dissemination about what tech products are available #edtechafterdark
A6: Too often in a math setting we tell are students the reason they need to learn the content is that it improves problem solving skills. The reality is our national math standards are outdated and disconnected from most student lives #STEM#edtechafterdark#iteachmath
I think this is correct and is often the misconception. You don’t need extensive technology know-how to understand that fetching things from websites and media creation are skills that most people exhibit daily on their phones. #edtechafterdark
A5 It should be done in every discipline as it best fits. Tech is not needed for this (we’re doing it with characters in Julius Caesar right now) but can be practiced everywhere. #edtechafterdark
A6 I work with ELs and for the most part they are motivated to learn English. They know it will help them in many waye Ss need to know the value of what we are teaching them. #edtechafterdark
A6 More important, I'd argue, to coach students to create as many meaningful justifications as possible that satisfy such Qs. Therein lies purpose, fuel for movement forward: What can I do next now that I've learned this? #edtechafterdark
A6: I feel like I just typed out and erased like... 7 responses to this question. It can be challenging to convince a teenager that reading for pleasure is fun and that being able to find information to answer questions that matter to you is power. #edtechafterdark
A6: Learning should always be purposeful unfortunately it often is not; this is why I do like that in high schools students have some choice. Some schools are better than others in this area. #edtechafterdark
A6) Students have the right to know why. In a sense, asking why they must learn something demonstrates their curiosity. I don't teach, but every learning experience is justifiable if you can connect it to any type of growth--in literacy, social-emotional, etc. #EdTechAfterDark
#edtechafterdark A6 - I flip the statement and have them explain why it’s not important to learn it. Helps me understand their point of view, starts a conversation and that creates common ground.
A6:My answer has always been an enthusiastic, “I DON’T KNOW!” that’s the beauty of teaching a hundred stories waiting to be written. You don’t know the path any one of them are going to take. Regardless, you foster a sincere love of learning for the fun of it. #edtechafterdark
A6: At the elementary level, it is easy to talk about the skill bases they will need moving forward. You still need to get them to buy into it
#edtechafterdark
#edtechafterdark A6 - I flip the statement and have them explain why it’s not important to learn it. Helps me understand their point of view, starts a conversation and that creates common ground.
A6: When the wealth of human knowledge is available at the tip of your finger, this question becomes especially important. How we answer it carries huge implications for both learning and ownership. #edtechafterdark
