Shifting the Paradigm:Shifting the Paradigm: Using Educational NetworkingUsing Educational Networking

to Transform Learningto Transform Learning

Allen David BordelonLamar University

EDLD 5362

January 25, 2010

What Paradigm Shift?The term “paradigm shift” has been overused in education: We were told in the 1980’s that computers in the

classroom would create a paradigm shift and transform learning.

We were told in the 1990’s that the use of multimedia in the classroom would create a paradigm shift and transform learning.

We were told in the New Millennium that the Internet would create a paradigm shift and transform learning.

Did any of these innovations transform teaching and learning in and of themselves? Was there a paradigm shift?

A Paradigm Shift in ToolsThe technology innovations we have experienced in education during the last three decades changed the tools we use in our classrooms everyday: Computers in the classroom replaced typewriters

and slide rules, increasing the speed, accuracy and volume of student work.

Multimedia in the classroom replaced overhead projectors, photographic slides, film projectors, VCRs and tape recorders, increasing the quality of and ease of access to media.

The Internet replaced research resources including encyclopedias and spawned online collections of works previously only available in print.

We have experienced a paradigm shift in tools. We have integrated technology into the classroom, but we have not implemented technology in a way that transforms or enhances instruction.

Critical QuestionsThere is no doubt that the paradigm shift in tools, the integration of technology, significantly improved the way information is conveyed and work is performed in our classrooms.

But, increasingly, we find ourselves asking critical questions: What do we teach our students? Does it make

sense in light of the job and life skills they will need? How do we reach our students? Is placing

technology in the classrooms enough? Despite all this technology, why are our students

continuing to fall behind?

Seeking AnswersWe always look to our leaders for answers. And, you guessed it – as a CTO (Chief Technology Officer), your teachers and staff are looking to you for many of these answers.

As district leaders, we have come together to form a community of learners seeking solutions. We need to answer those critical questions. We want to share our best practices, and seek new ideas and knowledge from one another. We want to network.

Today, we will seek answers to those critical questions by examining two online educational networks. Through these virtual communities, we can gain access to a global repository of ideas, knowledge and best practices. We can find ways to partner and share without physical constraints.

The TICAL CommunityThe first online educational network we will examine is The TICAL Community – For Administrators, By Administrators located at:

http://portical.ning.com/

TICAL is an acronym for Technology Information Center for Administrative Leadership.

The TICAL sight provides excellent resources for all CTOs, and is geared towards helping you become a better administrator through peer mentoring.

Topics include: 21st Century Skills Project-based Learning Integrating Technology in Standards Based

Curriculum

The TICAL Community (continued)Screenshot of http://www.portical.org/ - just one of many great TICAL Community web resources.

The TICAL Community (continued)The TICAL Community facilitates collaboration and sharing of best practices through the use of blogs, forums, discussion groups and online chat sessions. Best of all, the content is indexed and searchable, so you can find answers fast.

TICAL serves as a resource repository, containing instructional videos and links to ed-tech standards-bearing institutions such as ISTE (the International Society for Technology in Education).

All of the TICAL resources are geared towards improving instruction through the implementation of technology. It is no longer sufficient to merely integrate technology into the classroom; we must implement technology by integrating it into the curriculum in ways that transform the learning process. That is how we reach our students.

The TICAL Community (continued)Schacter and Fagnano (1999) state that “Applied effectively, technology implementation not only increases student learning, understanding, and achievement but also augments motivation to learn, encourages collaborative learning, and supports the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills.”

TICAL also helps us by providing one-stop shopping for timely and critical information. An example of particular interest is their overview of and link to “The ISTE "Top Ten in ‘10" Educational Technology Priorities”, posted by TICAL member Travis Taylor on January 13, 2010 http://portical.ning.com/profiles/blogs/the-iste-top-ten-in-10

The TICAL Community (continued)The TICAL Community website is a rich resource promoting cooperative learning, and cooperative learning is essential at all levels. Johnson, Johnson and Stanne (2000) note that “When students work in cooperative groups, they make sense of, or construct meaning for, new knowledge by interacting with others.”

As we collaborate and cooperate in an online community of administrators via the TICAL website, we take bold steps towards finding answers to those critical questions of what we should be teaching our students, and how we can implement technology in order to reach our students.

Classroom 2.0The second educational network we will examine is Classroom 2.0 located at:

http://www.classroom20.com/

Classroom 2.0 is, in their own words, “the social network for those interested in Web 2.0 and collaborative technologies in education.”

What is Web 2.0? According to Wikipedia, “…Web 2.0 is commonly associated

with web applications that facilitate interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web.” Further, “A Web 2.0 site allows its users to interact with other users or to change website content, in contrast to non-interactive websites where users are limited to the passive viewing of information that is provided to them.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Web_2.0&oldid=339927470

Classroom 2.0 (continued)Screenshot of http://www.classroom20.com/ introducing the site and its many web-based resources available to community members.

Classroom 2.0 (continued)Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, is a good example of the type of Web 2.0 tools highlighted and discussed on the Classroom 2.0 site. A feature all Web 2.0 tools share is collaboration. Web 2.0 tools foster creativity and promote communication in an asynchronous collaborative environment; that is, you can work with others when you want, on your schedule.

Gwen Solomon and Lynne Schrum (2007) explain that “The old way of doing things is presentation-driven; information is delivered and tested.”, and emphasize that “The new way is collaborative, with information shared, discussed, refined with others, and understood deeply.”

That “old way of doing things” is the answer to our final critical question regarding why our students are falling behind. We must embrace these new, collaborative learning methods for the sake of our students, and that is where Classroom 2.0 shines.

Classroom 2.0 (continued)As technology leaders, we must lead by example. We must learn and model the use of these technologies; some of our more advanced faculty members are already doing so. According to Emily Rhoades (2009) “Today's faculty members (elementary through college) are using podcasts, wikis, chat rooms, online curricula and virtual realities to help students become successful in the classroom.”

Classroom 2.0 is a cornucopia of information regarding collaborative online learning tools. The fresh perspective, friendly atmosphere, and game-changing strategies found on this site are invaluable to us as technology leaders. With the help of Classroom 2.0, we can learn best practices, use Web 2.0 technologies, connect with colleagues, and improve our schools.

Shifting the Paradigm… Again

As Chinese Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu said, “There are many paths to enlightenment…”

The solutions presented herein, The TICAL Community and Classroom 2.0, are not the only educational networking sites of value; far from it. However, these two sites provide ideal steps on your road to enlightenment as an exemplary educational technology administrator.

It is time to go forth and revolutionize teaching and learning, to use the tools from our first paradigm to bring forth a new educational paradigm; a paradigm of transformed instructional practices.

Join your peers, and you will see, collaborative learning is the key.

Thank You for Your Time!

"As for the future, your task is not to foresee it, but to enable it."

- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

ReferencesSchacter, J., & Fagnano, C. (1999). Does computer technology

improve student learning and achievement? How, when, and under what conditions? Journal of Educational Computing Research, 20(4), p. 331.

Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., & Stanne, M. B. (2000). Cooperative learning methods: A meta-analysis. Minneapolis, MN:University of Minnesota. Retrieved January 24, 2010, from http://www.co-operation.org/pages/cl-methods.html

Wikipedia contributors (2010). Web 2.0. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved January 25, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Web_2.0&oldid=339927470

Rhoades, E. B. (2009). Can Web 2.0 improve our collaboration? (TECHNOLOGY USAGE IN THE CLASSROOM) Techniques, 84(1), 24.

Solomon, G. & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New Tools, New Schools. Washington, DC:ISTE p. 20.