Office of Curriculum, Technology, & Assessment

Overview: Using multiple interactive media can enhance students' learning and motivation in powerful ways. Some learners who are passive observers in classroom settings "find their voice" in "groupware" collaboration media, threaded online discussions, or shared virtual environments. Overcoming the "tyranny of time" in face-to-face communication and empowering increased student-to-student interactions also improve educational outcomes. By using free applications that require only web access, teachers can foster student learning in and out of school, linking classrooms with homes, workplaces, and communities. In this session, Dr. Chris Dede will discuss how and why to use multiple interactive media, including links to free resources for obtaining and using these tools effectively.

Chris Dede is the Timothy E. Wirth Professor of Learning Technologies at Harvard's Graduate School of Education. He is also Chair of the Learning & Teaching Area in the School. His work with schools includes service on the National Technology Advisory Boards for the Milwaukee and Cleveland districts. He was the Editor of the 1998 Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Yearbook, Learning With Technology. His research includes two grants from the National Science Foundation (1) to aid middle school students learning science via shared virtual environments with digitized museum artifacts and (2) to study the effectiveness of using modeling environments in science to enhance students' educational outcomes. He also has a grant from The Atlantic Philanthropies to infuse learning technologies into HGSE's teacher education program through creating a virtual community of practice, and a grant from the Joyce Foundation to use Internet-2 interactive media for guidance and mentoring across distance. Chris recently served as a member of the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Foundations of Educational and {Psychological Assessment and a member of the U.S. Department of Education's Expert Panel on Technology. He is on the International Steering Committee for the Second International Technology in Education Study spanning approximately thirty countries. He serves on the Advisory Boards of ThinkLink, BigChalk, Celt, and World Book, as well as several U.S. Department of Education regional Educational Labs and Regional Technology Centers.

NSDC Standards for Staff Development

Context Standards
Staff development that improves the learning of all students:

• Organizes adults into learning communities whose goals are aligned with those of the school and district. (Learning Communities)

• Requires skillful school and district leaders who guide continuous instructional improvement. (Leadership)

• Requires resources to support adult learning and collaboration. (Resources)

Process Standards
Staff development that improves the learning of all students:

• Uses multiple sources of information to guide improvement and demonstrate its impact. (Evaluation)

• Prepares educators to apply research to decision making. (Research-Based)

• Uses learning strategies appropriate to the intended goal. (Design)

• Applies knowledge about human learning and change. (Learning)

• Provides educators with the knowledge and skills to collaborate. (Collaboration)

Content Standards
Staff development that improves the learning of all students:

• Prepares educators to understand and appreciate all students, create safe, orderly and supportive learning environments, and hold high expectations for their academic achievement. (Equity)

• Deepens educators' content knowledge, provides them with research-based instructional strategies to assist students in meeting rigorous academic standards, and prepares them to use various types of classroom assessments appropriately. (Quality Teaching)

• Provides educators with knowledge and skills to involve families and other stakeholders appropriately. (Family Involvement)

NOTE: Each site must audio mute upon connecting to the session to prevent voice activated moving of the cameras from site to site.

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