Overview of presentation to give to teachers about using constructivist appo

1. Santa Lucia Middle School
Using 1:1 iPad Program
To move to Constructivist
Learning.
John Calandro Principal
Where we were, where we are, where we’re going.
Coast Unified School District
February 3, 2012

2. Santa Lucia
Middle School
✤ 171 Students
✤ 6th through 8th grade
✤ Core concept in 6th
✤ 7 period day

8. Getting to 1:1
iPads
-Basic Aid District
-Tech Plan based on
-commitment to Technology
-developing 21st century skills
-390 purchased on 3 year lease
-Apple cut a deal for iPad 2
-creative funding for teachers iPads
-$1,000,000 e-rate infrastructure grant

9. Science, Computers/Media
✤ Zack’s Rock Cycle Story
✤ iBook Author

10. WHERE WE’VE BEEN
✤ December 2008 iPod Teacher Apple Inc. to get representatives to meet with ✤ June 2011 iPad meeting with sixth grade
Training at CLMS Conference attended by Coast Unified team
Henry Danielson and Joe Sassaman
✤ January 2011 Apple Inc. sends ✤ July 2011 Community members, students, and
✤ June 2010 District K-12 Technology representatives to Cambria to present iPod parents use iPads on trial basis for review.
Standards presented by Sean Spradley, Ron and iPad solutions Kathe Tanner, Chris Gutierrez,
Poulos, Walt Vickrey
March
✤ 2011 One Call Survey completed ✤ August 2011 iPads brought to middle
✤ July 2010 iPad Training at CLMS Conference to all households to determine if wireless is school for 6th grade pilot program
attended by Chris Adams and Bill Clough available
✤ October 2011 John Calandro presents to
✤ August 2010 Technology Update to school ✤ March 2011 Henry Danielson, Shaunna school board how iPads are "game changers"
board including Game Room and curriculum Ames, Colleen Poynter, Michael Lant visit in the 6th grade
and technology tools 4-8 grades Avery to observe iPads in middle school
✤ November 2011 SLMS hosts "Meet the
✤ September 2010 iPad introduced to Special ✤ March 2011 Persuasive essays sent from iPad" evening
Education for home use students to Apple and school board
✤ December 2011 iPad Expansion Plan
✤ October 2010 Toby Cinque and Henry ✤ March 2011 Board Workshop and iPads discussed at school board meeting
Danielson present to school board how iPads
✤ April 2011 44 iPads purchased and to be ✤ December 2011 Strategic Action Plan
are helping Physical Education
distributed to teachers at SLMS and approved by school board calling for iPads at
✤ October 2010 Apple Special Education stakeholders 6th grade and iPods at 3rd grade
training attended by Henry Danielson and
✤ April 2011 Request from 1st grade teachers
Adam Helfand
for iPads in first grade
✤ November 2010 Surveys Completed via
✤ May 2011 Board members receive iPads to
Survey Monkey to all test participants for
save paper and time for board agendas
netbooks
✤ June 2011 1 to 1 learning with iPad webinar
✤ November 2010 District K-12 Technology
for 6th grade teachers
Standards approved by school board
✤ June 2011 Meeting with 1st and 2nd grade
✤ December 2010 Steve Burnside contacts
teachers to discuss iPads in primary grades

11. Where We’ve Been Continued
✤ February 2012 Henry Danielson and ✤ September 2012 Plan approved calling for iPads
Patti Stroh visit St. Genevieve's Classified/Certificated iPad implementation at SLMS grades 6-8
(Panorama City) to observe iPads in Training and Deployment (16
school participants)
✤ November 2012 12 iPads
deployed to CGS 3rd grade
✤ June 2012 Apple October 2012 Thirty iPads from
✤
Representatives present option to 2011-12 pilot at SLMS given to CGS
purchase all remaining iPad 2 for 1st grade ✤ December 2012 Site Visit for
grades 6-12 expansion County Educators looking to adopt
iPad program
✤ October 2012 Henry Danielson and
✤ June 2012 Purchase of ? iPads Patti Stroh attend Ventura County
for iPad expansion grades 6-12 Office of Education Planning and ✤ January 2013 Deploy iPads for
Deploying with iOS 6 CUHS students
✤ August 2012 Letter to Parents
from Superintendent explaining ✤ October 2012 Textbooks loaded ✤ January 2013 Site Visit for
iPads in middle and high school onto iPads at SLMS international educators planning to
adopt iPad program
✤ September 2012 iPad ✤ October 2012 Parent University -
deployment and distribution at iPads and Digital Citizenship ✤ February 2013 Site Visit for
SLMS California educators looking to
adopt iPad program
✤ October 2012 iPad Training Show
✤ September 2012 Certificated and Share (26 participants)
iPad Training and Deployment (51
participants)
✤ November 2012 Strategic Action

12. Significant Factors-
Getting to 1:1
✤ 21st century skills awareness and prioritiziation
✤ Technology use seen as necessary and beneficial
✤ Overcoming fear for benefit of students
✤ Seeing it in action
✤ Piloting (see Fear above!)

13. Significant Factors-
Getting to 1:1 continued
✤ Seeing it in action- leveling the playing field
✤ Training, teaching, learning
✤ Creating satisfied customers
✤ Forging ahead
✤ Training, teaching, learning

14. Successes:
✤ Went from 6th grade to schoolwide
✤ All students competent in using them
✤ Peer-to-peer learning increased
✤ Widespread use of technology
✤ Leveled playing field
✤ Lighter backpacks
✤ Fewer “lost” assignments
✤ Increased creativity and student engagement

15. Students need 21 st Century Skills

16. A quick example of how kids can
demonstrate learning under a
constructivist approach!

17. Basic Understanding Behind
Constructivist Approach:
✤ We are attempting to prepare students for jobs
they can’t even imagine for a world WE can’t even
imagine.
✤ Without preparing them to be OPEN, FEARLESS,
and PROBLEM SOLVERS, they won’t ever be
able to get ahead in the world.

18. Basic Understanding Behind
Constructivist Approach:
Knowledge is important, but21st century
employers are looking for people who
have
TRIED TO DO IT FOR THEMSELVES
and learned from their experiences.

19. REVELATION:
In order to move forward we must be
fearless.
It doesn’t matter if our students
realize we don’t know. It only matters
if they think we are afraid to learn.

20. Discussion Points:
✤ WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST
IMPEDIMENTS TO IMPLEMENTING NEW
CONSTRUCTIVIST LEARNING IN OUR
SCHOOL?
✤ WHAT IS ONE POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO
OVERCOMING THIS IMPEDIMENT?

21. What gets in our way?
✤ THE LEARNING CURVE
✤ TIME
✤ RESOURCES
✤ FEAR
✤ NOT KNOWING ENOUGH
✤ KIDS WON’T RESPECT LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

22. What We Have to do:
✤ Stop teaching like we used to
✤ Use the tools you have- as the powerful tools
they are
✤ We must teach our students to be FEARLESS
✤ We must give them the opportunity to
EXPERIENCE

23. Teacher training:
✤ Difficult to do- not many teachers out there
✤ Lots of learning on their own time
✤ Better to know a few apps very well, than to know a little about many
✤ If you create an assignment to fit the technology, you’re doing it wrong
✤ Learn from the students
✤ Most/Best learning is done on-the-job
✤ BE LIKE THE WILLOW!- mistakes will occur!
✤ Use the web and networks (Twitter is great for this.)

24. To Prepare Students for the Future:
✤ Unknown and unknowable jobs
✤ Technology we haven’t dreamed of
✤ A global and instantaneous world
We must train them in century21 st
thinking, and provide a foundation in
Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Math

25. STEM and Constructivism.
✤ Knowledge can make them FEARLESS
✤ Learning is about exploration and discovery
✤ Engineering is about applying scientific principals
to a purpose
✤ Math + Science + Engineering = Technology
✤ When students understand these
concepts, technology is a valuable asset in their
learning

26. Moving from traditional teaching to
Constructivism.
✤ In School
✤ Coursework in foundational skills
✤ math and science:Earth, physical and Life
Sciences are taught
✤ Algebra in 8
th grade
✤ Computer class
✤ Scratch programming
✤ Presentation tools
✤ Video editing
✤ Web page design
✤ Rockets
✤ Bridge building

27. Shift in Classroom Pedagogy
✤ Allows kids to learn, explore, have fun
✤ Develops 21st century skills through group
activity and more STUDENT DIRECTED
mixed-group learning
✤ Opens students to new ideas by working
with them where they are in THEIR world

28. CONSTRUCTIVISM HELPS KIDS TO
BE FEARLESS
✤ By introducing them to new
experiences in non-threatening, low
stress, non-graded environments
✤ By providing students with mentors
and support outside the classroom

29. A TRUE CONSTRUCTICIST APPROACH
GIVES KIDS VALUABLE EXPERIENCES
✤ Provides opportunities for learning
without the scheduling constraints of
the classroom
✤ Builds on classroom knowledge
✤ Allows students to find what they love
and encourages them to keep at it

30. Avoid the Trough of Disillusionment!
Don’t get too swept up in that Inflated Expectation piece.

31. Tips to a successful
Constructivist Learning program
✤ Clearly understand your reasons for using the approach (21st Century
Skills)
✤ Give everybody the opportunity to get comfortable with the tools and
idea
✤ Start SMALL: take on projects that are manageable
✤ Good teaching must still occur
✤ Get out of your own way- Teachers do not have to know it all
✤ BE FEARLESS

32. Student Training:

33. Student Training:
✤ Establish rules and stick to them
✤ Use your technology to your advantage (filters, restrictions)
✤ Allow them time to explore
✤ Expect problems
✤ Find your experts

34. Challenges
✤ Day to day troubleshooting
✤ Moving target
✤ Student attention
✤ Managing the learning curve- edmodo, new apps, new thinking
✤ Getting buy-in from those who are fearful/oppositional
✤ Broken/Malfunctioning technology
✤ Jumping to the next level- true innovation