Get the RSS feed | Jim Forde Archives

Ed Tech and the Common Core!
by Jim Forde


     I don’t know about your school district but around here it is all common core all the time!  The realization of a 2013 – 2014 full implementation has really taken hold and some fantastic thinking and planning is starting to turn our vision into a reality.  The question that I am wondering though is what role does ed tech play in the coming Common Core State Standards (CCSS)? 

Two common (no pun intended) technology related concerns appear to emerge almost immediately as one contemplates the implementation of the CCSS.

      The first one relates to the state of educational technology in the school district.  If you are having infrastructure, bandwidth or hardware issues you might be concerned about your ability to deliver the on-line assessments that are apparently on there way in 2014 – 2015.  This is a very real issue for many districts.  There will have to be out of the box thinking to make sure all kids have access to appropriate technology during the assessment windows that will be set. This might act as a lever for some much needed technology spending in certain communities.

     The second conversation has to do with technology and test taking.  One related concern is keyboarding skills.  Taking a test on-line at a desktop is not exactly the same as writing free hand.  What impact will the transition have?  Could the medium literally affect their message?  This is leading to a renewed interest in keyboarding at a younger age.  Math may have other concerns.  An esteemed colleague of mine pointed out that kids often do not respond to math problems in the same way during an online experience.  They may be less likely to work out the problem and this could hurt their test scores.  This is a real area of concern as we transition to online summative assessments to be developed for 2014 - 2015.

    Although both of the above are very real concerns, I am more interested in with what will happen to the curricular use of educational technology in schools.   Fear not!  The use of educational technology is thoughtfully embedded in the CCSS.  

Here are a few examples of where Ed Tech is specifically referenced.

 • Writing Standard 6 in Kindergarten  <or W6 (K)>  states, “with guidance and support from adults, explore a variety of digital tools to produce and publish writing, including in collaboration with peers.”

• Speaking and Listening Standard 5 in Grade 3 <or W5 (3)> states, “create engaging audio recordings of stories or poems that demonstrate fluid reading at an understandable pace; add visual displays when appropriate to emphasize or enhance certain facts or details.

• Writing Standard 8 in Grade 4  <or W8 (4) > states, “recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.”

•  Reading Informational Text Standard 5 in Grade 3 <or RI5 (3)> states, “Use text features and search tools (e.g., key words, sidebars, hyperlinks) to locate information relevant to a given topic efficiently.”

     Now, your homework is to go to the common core web site (http://corestandards.org) and get your copies of the ELA and Math standards.  Then find the Ed Tech connections by perusing them.  I think you will be impressed with the number of times that Ed Tech is specifically infused into the standards! 

Here are some additional resources:

For an excellent vision of a cross walk from a set of  state educational technology standards to the CCSS go to the following web site. It provides a great example of how you can align your ed tech goals to the CCSS.

 http://www.k12.wa.us/EdTech/Standards/edtechcoresubjects/CCSS.aspx

For one districts vision of a K – 12 look at integrating technology into the common core state standards check out this slide share presentation.  http://www.slideshare.net/lhuff/ccss-technology-k12

The views expressed are those of the author alone and they are not presented as the position of the Stamford Public Schools.

About Jim

Jim Forde is a science and technology teacher at Scofield Magnet MS in Stamford, CT. He is a past teacher of the year and an educational technology enthusiast. You can reach Jim at jforde@ci.stamford.ct.us

Post new comment

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>