Written by John Moravec on Friday, April 25, 2008 at 8:32
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At yesterday’s Horizon Forum meeting at the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Steve O’Conner, Director of Instructional Services for Owatonna Public Schools, presented an overview of an initiative in a classroom in Washington Elementary School where a fifth grade classroom has gone mostly paperless. Desks are replaced with medicine balls and music stands, and textbooks, papers and pens are replaced with laptop computers. We then connected to the classroom by videoconference, and spoke with the students and their teacher, Matt McCartney.
What do the kids think? They love it!
Jeff Cagle from Owatonna People’s Press joined the conversation in Owatonna, and wrote:
Megan Andrist said she found the laptops helpful because she was able to access a number of kid-friendly Web sites for research.
Cam Muchow enjoyed using technology and adding other elements such as digital photography to his assignments.
By removing desks from the classroom, the students are able to instantly reconfigure their learning and work settings. In theory, the instant physical reorganization and software-enhanced environment allows for more individualized instruction. One kinesiologist at the University of Minnesota wondered if the medicine balls could help reduce the need to medicate children diagnosed with neurobehavioral development disorders (i.e., ADHD). Others saw instant potential in the cost savings that can be realized by eliminating traditional desks. Again, we asked: what do the kids think? They love the medicine balls. Cagle wrote:
Most students, including Brady Steinhorst, enjoyed sitting on the therapy balls.
“Usually when you’re sitting in a chair, you have nothing to do,” he said, “and then you talk to a friend.”
Despite the excitement and hope the classroom is generating, a troubling question looms: What will happen to these kids when they graduate from the 5th grade and enter a middle school with desks, and where computers and other resources are restricted to tightly-controlled laboratories?
Special thanks goes to Superintendent Dr. Tom Tapper, principal Mary Baier, and Matt McCartney for their collaboration on this event.
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Category: Innovation
Tags: 21st century, Horizon Forum, ICT, instruction, learning, Owatonna, students, University of Minnesota
Written by John Moravec on Thursday, April 10, 2008 at 8:02
You are invited to join us for the final Horizon Forum meeting for this school year!
Fifth Grade for the 21st Century
Hosted by Dr. Tom Tapper, Superintendent, Owatonna Public Schools
Thursday, April 24
11:15am – 1:00pm
Conference Room 325, Education Sciences Building (University of Minnesota East Bank)
Dr. Tom Tapper (Superintendent, Owatonna Public Schools), Dr. Steve O’Connor (Director of Instructional Services), Mary Baier (Principal, Washington Elementary School) and Matt McCartney (Teacher, Washington Elementary School) will lead a discussion on their experiences in purposively adopting technologies in Owatonna Public Schools. During this session, Mr. McCartney’s fifth grade class will join us by videoconference for student presentations on how they’re using technology in innovative, Leapfrog-oriented ways that better connect them with their future participation in the workforce.
Lunch and validated parking will be provided. Please RSVP your attendance to Carole MacLean at cmaclean@umn.edu or call 612-625-5060.
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Category: Public Policy, Technology
Tags: Horizon Forum, instruction, LeapFrog, Owatonna, videoconference
Written by John Moravec on Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 19:59
A full report from last Friday’s Horizon Forum meeting (see announcement) will be posted at Education Futures by Jeffrey Schulz soon. In the meantime, here’s the slides from North American Council for Online Learning (NACOL) vice president Allison Powell:
And, a picture from the event:
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Category: Technology
Tags: education, Horizon Forum, ICT, learning, online
Written by John Moravec on Wednesday, February 6, 2008 at 9:32
Education Futures readers in Minnesota are invited to join us for the next Horizon Forum meeting!
Online Education: Innovation or Illusion?
Facilitated by Jeffrey Schulz
Friday, February 22
11:00am – 1:00pm
Arthur Upson Room, Walter Library (University of Minnesota East Bank)
As online education continues to explode at all school levels, many questions arise. Is it valid? Does it take funding away from traditional sources? How is it different from what is being delivered in brick and mortar schools? What futures exist for online education? As an added bonus, Allison Powell, Vice President for the North American Council for Online Learning (NACOLplans to join us via Adobe Connect for a portion of the time.
Jeffrey Schulz, Curriculum Coordinator for BlueSky Online Charter School (now a Leapfrog Institutes partner), will lead a discussion and working session regarding online education, current trends and research, along with visioning for the future. You are invited to join the discussion as we envision education for the 21st Century and beyond.
Lunch and validated parking will be provided. Please RSVP your attendance to Carole MacLean at cmaclean@umn.edu or call 612-625-5060. We look forward to another rich conversation and hope you can join us!
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Category: General
Tags: Horizon Forum, Innovation, LeapFrog, learning, online, University of Minnesota
Written by John Moravec on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 at 6:22
The Preparation to Practice Group is pleased to announce that the first Horizon Forum meeting of this year will be held on October 3 from 8:30 – 11:00am in the historic Upson Room at the Walter Library on the University of Minnesota East Bank campus.
Two visiting speakers from the Faculty of Latin American Social Sciences in Mexico will discuss initiatives to bridge technologies between classrooms (co-seminars), and the use of electronic media in classrooms to completely replace traditional textbooks to transform pedagogies:
- Giovanna Valenti, Director General, FLACSO México
Internet-mediated co-seminars: Reflections on the Mexican experience
- Cristóbal Cobo, Communications Director, FLACSO México
Enciclomedia: Redesigning curricula with videos, text, virtual visits, sounds and images
Space for the event is limited! RSVP to me at moravec@umn.edu.
The Horizon Forum is an ongoing discussion group, focused on the role of innovation and the future of PreK-17 education. The Forum is sponsored by the Preparation to Practice Group in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota.
Validated parking and a light breakfast will be provided.
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Category: Public Policy
Tags: classroom, FLACSO, Horizon Forum, Mexico, seminar, technologies, University of Minnesota
Written by John Moravec on Friday, April 27, 2007 at 13:54
Some troubling news has appeared in media over the past 24 hours. Many news sites and blogs have been citing an Associated Press article that claims that teachers and administrators are dismayed by students’ use of mobile devices to cheat in the classroom. The question is, why not “cheat?” If students will use similar or better information retrieval tools and knowledge generation tools in the workforce, why should they be prevented from using them in the classroom? In the world of desktop and handheld supercomputing, why are we limiting students to primitive pencil and paper technologies? Furthermore, why are we subjecting students to rote memorization when they could produce new knowledge and solve personally meaningful problems?
The Chinese have already figured this out, and are building mobile learning (m-learning) devices for use inside and outside of the classroom. On Monday, I will demonstrate two Chinese m-learning devices, the Noah NP890+ and the Ozing V99, at the Horizon Forum. Reviews of each device will follow on this blog later in the week.
If the Americans can’t figure it out, we will leave all our children behind?
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Category: Innovation, Technology
Tags: classroom, futures, Horizon Forum, m-learning, students, technologies
Written by John Moravec on Friday, March 2, 2007 at 10:02
At Monday’s Horizon Forum meeting, Dr. Ursula Zurita (FLACSO Mexico) presented her research on social participation and educating for social participation in Distrito Federal and her plans for further investigation nationwide in Mexico. Dr. Cristobal Cobo (FLACSO Mexico) followed-up with a presentation and discussion on technologies and education in Latin America. Dr. Arthur Harkins, Garth Willis and I closed the session with a discussion on future collaboration University of Minnesota-FLACSO collaboration.
You can also download these files as a podcast:
Click here to download an mp3 of Ursula Zurita’s presentationClick here to download an mp3 of Cristobal Cobo’s presentation
UPDATE: The wrong files were uploaded. I’ll work to get the files with the FULL conversations online.
Additional files related to Cristobal Cobo’s presentation:
SECOND UPDATE: Additional video formats are available at http://www.colaboratorios.net/video
The Horizon Forum meeting will be an all-day event held on April 30, 2007. Stay tuned for more details!
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Category: Globalization, Public Policy, Technology
Tags: FLACSO, Horizon Forum, Mexico, podcasting, University of Minnesota
Written by John Moravec on Wednesday, January 31, 2007 at 12:39
Join us for the next Horizon Forum meeting!
Technologies and education in Latin America:
Changes in the infrastructure and not in the teaching methods
Monday, February 26, 12-3 p.m.
Room 319, Coffman Memorial Union
University of Minnesota, East Bank Campus
300 Washington Avenue, S.E. Minneapolis
Cristobal Cobo, Ph.D., is a specialist in information technologies, faculty member and Manager of the Communication and Information Technology Department at Flacso-México. He completed his Ph.D. (in communications science) at the Universidad Autonoma de Barcelona. In addition, he has been a teacher at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México, Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey and Universidad de Colima. He manages projects involving innovation, distance education, and knowledge management supported by information and communications technologies. His current research is centered on “collective intelligence,” the “architecture of participation,” and the phenomenon of the “wisdom of crowds” and its application in learning environments.
The Horizon Forum is a “mold breaking” round-table initiated by the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota to facilitate action-oriented discussions on how we may design outstanding educational futures for Minnesota.
Lunch and validated parking will be provided.
Please RSVP by February 19 to John Moravec, 612-625-3517 or moravec@umn.edu
Map to event: http://www.sua.umn.edu/reservations/directions/cmu_directions.php
Horizon Forum on the Web: http://www.education.umn.edu/cps/Horizon/
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Category: Accelerating Change, Globalization, Innovation, Public Policy, Technology
Tags: architecture of participation, collective intelligence, FLACSO, Horizon Forum, technologies, University of Minnesota, wisdom of crowds
Written by John Moravec on Wednesday, December 13, 2006 at 15:31
At yesterday’s Horizon Forum meeting, Chris Dede delivered a presentation via Skype on using multiple-user virtual environments in educational contexts. These environments, he argues, allows students to co-design and co-instruct their own educational experiences, allowing for guided social constructivism and learning that goes beyond what traditional schools try to accomplish through test-based assessments.
Scott McLeod continued with a discussion on preparing students for the new millennium rather than the industrial age. With the pace of change accelerating, schools, by design, are not able to keep up with society. Schools are in danger of becoming irrelevant unless if they do away with reactionary, compliance-based management and build future-oriented, proactive (and preactive!) leadership.
Finally, with Garth Willis’ help, we experimented with recording the session as a Macromedia Breeze meeting. The recording is available online at: https://breeze5.umn.edu/p44056320/ (sorry, the first twenty minutes of audio are missing).
The next Horizon Forum is scheduled for February 5, 2007, and will focus on advances in innovative learning in Latin America.
Related posts
Category: Accelerating Change, Globalization, Innovation, Public Policy, Technology
Tags: Horizon Forum, LeapFrog, Minnesota, online, pedagogy, virtual reality
Written by John Moravec on Wednesday, November 22, 2006 at 11:57
Join us for the next Horizon Forum meeting!
Tuesday, December 12, 12-3 p.m.
Room 303, Coffman Memorial Union
University of Minnesota, East Bank Campus
300 Washington Avenue, S.E. Minneapolis
Dr. Scott McLeod, Director of the University Council for Educational Administration Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), will discuss the skills that students need to survive and thrive in the digital future. Dr. McLeod will highlight disconnections between current schooling practices and future workforce needs and will emphasize leadership practices necessary to bridge the gap. Dr. McLeod also will focus on the policy, political, and organizational barriers that impede schools’ ability to be future-oriented.
Introduction by Dr. Chris Dede, Harvard University, Timothy E. Wirth Professor in Learning Technologies
The Horizon Forum is a “mold breaking” round-table initiated by the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota to facilitate action-oriented discussions on how we may design outstanding educational futures for Minnesota.
Lunch and validated parking will be provided.
Please RSVP by December 5 to John Moravec, 612-625-3517 or moravec@umn.edu
Map to event: http://www.sua.umn.edu/reservations/directions/cmu_directions.php
Horizon Forum on the Web: http://www.education.umn.edu/cps/Horizon/
Related posts
Category: Innovation, Public Policy, Technology
Tags: futures, Horizon Forum, technologies, University of Minnesota, virtual reality
