Just check out this link for tips from ASCD.... basically lots of links and tech tips, maybe handy for some.
https://sites.google.com/site/amescsdtech/tttopics/googledocs
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Grappling's Exploration of BYOD
http://www.bjpconsulting.com/files/MAPPSpectrum.pdf
Basically check out Grappling's PDF to see how to fully use BYOD in the classroom. There are 3 levels that are explored varying from Tech Literacy uses to Adapting uses to Transforming Uses.... This document explores technological use with hierarchial levels of understanding. Three areas are described Technology Focus, Instructional Focus and Technology Use.
The first level, Tech Literacy is basically using the technology for the sake of using the technology. Basically, the tech use has not gone beyond the "bells and whistles" phase in it's integration. For example, using an on-line interactive "presentation poster" like Glogster, for the sake of using Glogster, not because it's the best way to present a project.
In the second level, Adapting uses, the focus is using programs for drill and practice or for games that fit into what you are currently studying. It may also be using word to type a document, rather than writing it. An example of this would be practicing math drills with Khan Academy, Manga High or Mathletics.
Finally in the third level, students use the technology to collaborate and extend their understanding. The technology is more of a tool that is found to fit the purpose of the activity. For example, using blogs, like kidblog, to compose Reader's Responses because it allows peers the chance to collaborate and give feedback, plus it allows for sharing in an authentic way with peers as the audience. Another example would include using Google Docs to collaborate for a group assignment or Wallwisher.
Just to clarify, I believe that classrooms have to operate at all of these levels at different times. If you are just learning how to use an on-line form of software, you might just do a small project, with the main objective being learning how to use the software. Once students have attained a level of mastery, then they are ready to use the software when it is best suited for different projects. There is of course logical times when a student would be in the Adapting phase, sometimes, drill and practice is just what's required to practice basic math concepts and it does have it's place in learning concepts better. And we all know it's not a central focus of the curriculum. When students have been exposed to a variety of forms of technology in the classroom and have had a chance to use these forms on a regular basis, and not just as an activity for that particular lesson or unit, then they can move into the transformative phase. Honestly, with our students being the "Digital Natives" we will probably find as teachers, they can help guide and teach us... as the "Digital Tourists".
Anyways, read the post previous to this one from Scoop it! It's far more engaging and explores the Grappling document more effectively.
Basically check out Grappling's PDF to see how to fully use BYOD in the classroom. There are 3 levels that are explored varying from Tech Literacy uses to Adapting uses to Transforming Uses.... This document explores technological use with hierarchial levels of understanding. Three areas are described Technology Focus, Instructional Focus and Technology Use.
The first level, Tech Literacy is basically using the technology for the sake of using the technology. Basically, the tech use has not gone beyond the "bells and whistles" phase in it's integration. For example, using an on-line interactive "presentation poster" like Glogster, for the sake of using Glogster, not because it's the best way to present a project.
In the second level, Adapting uses, the focus is using programs for drill and practice or for games that fit into what you are currently studying. It may also be using word to type a document, rather than writing it. An example of this would be practicing math drills with Khan Academy, Manga High or Mathletics.
Finally in the third level, students use the technology to collaborate and extend their understanding. The technology is more of a tool that is found to fit the purpose of the activity. For example, using blogs, like kidblog, to compose Reader's Responses because it allows peers the chance to collaborate and give feedback, plus it allows for sharing in an authentic way with peers as the audience. Another example would include using Google Docs to collaborate for a group assignment or Wallwisher.
Just to clarify, I believe that classrooms have to operate at all of these levels at different times. If you are just learning how to use an on-line form of software, you might just do a small project, with the main objective being learning how to use the software. Once students have attained a level of mastery, then they are ready to use the software when it is best suited for different projects. There is of course logical times when a student would be in the Adapting phase, sometimes, drill and practice is just what's required to practice basic math concepts and it does have it's place in learning concepts better. And we all know it's not a central focus of the curriculum. When students have been exposed to a variety of forms of technology in the classroom and have had a chance to use these forms on a regular basis, and not just as an activity for that particular lesson or unit, then they can move into the transformative phase. Honestly, with our students being the "Digital Natives" we will probably find as teachers, they can help guide and teach us... as the "Digital Tourists".
Anyways, read the post previous to this one from Scoop it! It's far more engaging and explores the Grappling document more effectively.
Levels of use of BYOD or BYOT
all info from...
Levels of Use in BYOT – Transforming Learning Experiences
When students are encouraged to bring their own technology to school, this initiative has the potential to empower students and teachers in their learning experiences. We now have BYOT being implemented in all 35 schools in my district, and it is still gradually spreading from classroom to classroom. 
We have noticed varying levels of use of the technology devices that the students are bringing to school, yet our goal is to achieve the optimal potential of BYOT to impact student learning. To describe the use of instructional technology in our classrooms, we use Bernajean Porter’s Grappling’s Technology and Learning Spectrum to differentiate between Literacy, Adapting, and Transforming uses of technology. In fact, this spectrum has been incorporated into the classroom observation of our teachers to help focus on areas of strength and potential areas for future growth.
We have noticed varying levels of use of the technology devices that the students are bringing to school, yet our goal is to achieve the optimal potential of BYOT to impact student learning. To describe the use of instructional technology in our classrooms, we use Bernajean Porter’s Grappling’s Technology and Learning Spectrum to differentiate between Literacy, Adapting, and Transforming uses of technology. In fact, this spectrum has been incorporated into the classroom observation of our teachers to help focus on areas of strength and potential areas for future growth.
Here are some ways that this spectrum can translate into instructional activities of the BYOT classroom as well as some suggestions for encouraging higher levels of use.
Literacy Uses
Bernajean Porter describes Literacy Uses of technology as the focus on the technology itself rather than on the curriculum. When the students first bring their own technology into the classroom, they have to learn how to connect them to the districts wireless network. They are excited about the apps and capabilities of their devices, and they are eager to share and discuss them with each other. The students often have to help each other with using the technology within the infrastructure of the school district. This is part of the process of encouraging BYOT in the classroom, and the amount of time that it takes to progress through this level of use varies based on the experiences and abilities of the students. In my observations, I have seen this level of use quickly pass, and then the students look for some direction about new uses for their technology tools. The students are often not used to learning with their own devices. They may have used them for playing games, texting, and consuming content, but they need their teachers to facilitate some educational and productive uses.
A classroom can get stuck in the literacy level when BYOT is relegated to one day of the week or when it is seen as something extra to be used as a diversion or a reward in the classroom. To help BYOT progress to the next level of use, the teacher needs to brainstorm with the students how their devices can assist their learning on a regular basis in the classroom.
Adapting Uses
When students begin to use their technology tools to do the same types of assignments they completed without BYOT, then they are engaged in Adapting Uses of their devices. Some examples of adapting BYOT to the classroom can include the following: entering assignments on the calendar of a smartphone instead of writing them on an agenda; taking notes during a lecture with an app; using a word processor to complete writing assignments; making use of the calculator on a cell phone to finish a math worksheet; and researching facts on a topic. When a student logs into a website to play games with the sole purpose of improving their basic skills in grammar and math or even to watch instructional videos on a topic, they are also using their technology on the adapting level.
In typical 1 to 1 programs where every student has been provided with the same device, classrooms can easily get stuck in the adapting uses of technology. Instead of reading from a paper textbook, the students are sometimes given the assignment to read the digital textbook and then to enter their answers to questions at the end of the chapter on the device. Another example of an adapting use is when the teacher directs all of the students to complete the same project using the same software, and the end products all end up being basically the same. BYOT can help to encourage higher levels of use because assignments have to be more open-ended to account for the students’ differing devices. To move to the next level of use, the teacher has to provide flexibility for student choices and to be willing to learn alongside the students.
Transforming Uses
As teachers begin to empower students with the Transforming Uses of their technology devices, the tools seem to disappear in the classroom, and the focus becomes centered on the construction of new meanings. The teacher’s job shifts from teaching about technology or directing instruction into a more facilitative role of learning. The most important ability a teacher needs to possess in this BYOT classroom is knowing how to ask the right questions to help students collaborate in inquiry, to decide on the right tools, and to create original products that show what they have learned. The process of learning in this environment is as important as the end product, and the technology that is used is essential to the ultimate outcome of the learning experience. In addition to being consumers of content, the students now become producers of information to be presented in exciting new ways.
An example of a transforming use of technology in a high school classroom that I observed was that after reading Shakespeare’s Othello, the teacher had the students watch the modern movie adaptation. This would just be an adapting use of the technology; however, the experience became transforming as the students watched the movie and participated in a back channel discussion on their devices. They compared the movie to the original play via Skype. The teacher actively monitored the thread of the discussion on his own laptop and promoted further in-depth dialogue in the online chat by commenting and asking thought-provoking questions based on the students posts. In this instance, the activity could not have been completed without the use of the technology, and the discussion progressed to higher-levels of thinking.
The Next Steps…
When you begin your BYOT initiative, realize that teachers and students will naturally move back and forth among the above uses of their technology tools. If teachers, do not have a goal for BYOT or provide opportunities for students to own the learning, they will sometimes just stop bringing their devices to school. Explore ways to implement BYOT as a regular part of the class day, and be open to transforming learning.
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