Technology Use in Education & the Public Sector

WIKI use in Government

2011-11-09T06:59:00.000-08:00

This morning I learned of this Web posting, Using Wikis in Government: A Guide for Public Managers and wanted to share it here in this blog (& Ines Mergel is from the Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs at Syracuse University... & for full disclosure, yes, I'm a Syracuse grad...). This 43 page Web accessible pdf has been published by the IBM Center for the Business of Government. Mergel provides 9 case studies on the intra- & inter-organizational use of Wikis as well as how they can be used to engage the public. She also addresses legal considerations, privacy and security and how to encourage participation. This guide for the use of Wikis in government specifically references the need for public entities to use new media technologies to better model Collaboration, Transparency and Participation in government in response to President Obama's 2009 Transparency and Open Government Memorandum and the Open Government Initiative. More on these, in another posting!

Use of Social Media... by Law Enforcement

2011-04-07T04:49:00.000-07:00

Police departments around the US are scrambling to develop rules around the use of social media for officers. This morning's article in the NYTimes provides good examples of how social media has gotten officers in trouble & on how police departments are trying to balance First Amendment protections with the responsibility of being public officers.

What students say about barriers to use of Technology in Schools

2011-04-04T05:39:00.000-07:00

This is a good overview of results of a survey done on almost 300,000 students (along with 43,000 parents, 35,000 teachers, 2000 librarians and 3500 administrators) from over 6500 private and public schools last fall, trying to answer the question, "What are top barriers to the use of technology in US schools today?"

Educational Resources in Celebration of the International Year of Chemistry

2011-01-17T12:03:00.000-08:00

In Celebration of the International Year of Chemistry, STEM Weekly Chemistry has been created to help educators with a series of engaging online multimedia & video resources designed to help connect what we do & experience every day with chemical bonds & reactions. Check out NBCLearn.com's Tools for Teachers, Inspiration for Students or NSF.gov's Chemistry & Materials Classroom Resources or see other resources available by The American Chemistry Council.

UW-Arboretum's interactive educational site

2011-01-11T18:06:00.000-08:00

In December 2010, the Isthmus published a story on the University of Wisconsin's Arboretum's new interactive Web site. I made a note to check this out but hadn't done so yet. I just did. It's really excellent and can be a wonderful resource, whether you are a teacher, teaching about maps or geography or about plant communities... or about just how to make a Web site very interesting & highly interactive. Check it out & enjoy. I know I'll be watching it closely in the spring to best time visits for the magnolia blooms (especially, my favorite, the Elizabeth Magnolia).

For Minorities, new 'digital divide'

2011-01-09T08:10:00.000-08:00

In an article published on Jan.9th Jesse Washington in The Associated Press says, "some see a new 'digital divide' emerging with Latinos and blacks being challenged by more, not less, access to technology. It's tough to fill out a job application on a cell phone, for example. Researchers have noticed signs of segregation online that perpetuate divisions in the physical world. And blacks and Latinos may be using their increased Web access more for entertainment than empowerment.

Fifty-one percent of Hispanics and 46 percent of blacks use their phones to access the Internet, compared with 33 percent of whites, according to a July 2010 Pew poll. Forty-seven percent of Latinos and 41 percent of blacks use their phones for e-mail, compared with 30 percent of whites. The figures for using social media like Facebook via phone were 36 percent for Latinos, 33 percent for blacks and 19 percent for whites.

A greater percentage of whites than blacks and Latinos still have broadband access at home, but laptop ownership is now about even for all these groups, after black laptop ownership jumped from 34 percent in 2009 to 51 percent in 2010, according to Pew.

Increased access and usage should be good things, right? 'I don't know if it's the right time to celebrate. There are challenges still there,' says Craig Watkins, an associate professor at the University of Texas at Austin and author of 'The Young and the Digital.' He adds: 'We are much more engaged, but now the questions turn to the quality of that engagement, what are people doing with that access.'" See a video of Craig Watkins talking about his area of research, here:

American Academy of Certified Public Managers' newsletter

2011-01-09T07:55:00.000-08:00

The American Academy of Certified Public Managers has it's Winter 2010 newsletter, "Connections" posted, in which I was able to include a short article on Web 2.0. Please check out that article along with others in the Connections. If you too believe public sector managers should be exemplary in their use of new, online social media, and you want to make sure your state's Certified Public Manager program includes training in social media, then visit the Web site of the National CPM Consortium, look up your state's program via their link on "Member Programs" and contact the program in your state. If your state doesn't have a CPM program, the Web site for the National CPM Consortium can give you valuable information on how you might help get one started!

Video on use of Google SketchUp to design green homes

2011-01-04T11:18:00.000-08:00

This is a wonderful demo of how you can use Google SketchUp to design green homes. Check this out!

Hans Rosling and 200 countries in 200 years

2010-12-14T05:28:00.000-08:00

This 4 minute video of "Hans Rosling and 200 countries in 200 years" is a remarkable demonstration of using statistics to communicate big ideas, while providing viewer comments to critique the presentation. Check it out...

New Facebook HomePage

2010-12-05T17:37:00.000-08:00

60 Minutes this evening was interesting, mainly because of the announcement of the new Facebook HomePage redesign. Information posted and a guide about it is available from this link. More, soon.
Mark

Note on Cell Phone use in Schools

2010-12-02T07:25:00.000-08:00

The WI State Journal has an article on use of cell phones in schools. More on this issue, soon.

Educators' Ethics Code: Addresses use of Social Media

2010-11-29T12:39:00.000-08:00

I just saw this article & thought it worth sharing. The Texas Education Agency released a new ethics code for educators in mid-November to deal with the use of social media. Under this code, teachers must refrain from inappropriately communicating with students through the use of social media. An over-view of why the Texas Education Agency considered it necessary to create this code is presented. Then, the code defines social media and then lists factors which may be considered when assessing whether a communication using social media would be deemed inappropriate. I will update this blog segment with any related articles...

5 things for each of us to do!!

2010-10-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

... & about that assignment for each of us CPMs: per an example of a personal learning network, as described by Sue Waters, each of us should commit to trying to implement this graphic above as personal assignment...

Web 2.0 in Government: our presentation at AACPM in OK City, Oct. 2010

2010-10-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

As promised, our notes from our AACPM Conference presentation in Oklahoma City from Mon.18 Oct. 2010, follows. (Note: This is full of hyperlinks to info we hope will be useful, so please check them out & make any comments you believe are useful or email us directly.)

Web 2.0 in Government

[& staying out of jail, with Social Media]

What is Web 2.0 & why do we care?

A. Definition Web 1, 2, 3: URL; online collaborative environment (& see paragraph’s 4-6) [3.0 is when “...’the computer is generating new information’, rather than humans”... &/or an “integrated world”]

B. Framework for comparing applications:

· Directional sharing text, graphics, pics, videos; delicious.com; [see Mark’s acct]; check on Google Reader

· A glogster on Internet safety & another Internet Safety [or step x step to make one...]

· Asynchronus interacting via Nings, Blogs [see WI S.J.: Home > Blogs link], Wikis, … Facebook, LinkedIn…

· Both aschyronous & real-time interacting:

a. Skype (need video & can share screen)

b. Wiggio (Hollywood Squares)

c. Google-docs (live co-editing docs with Cathy from GreenBay & spreadsheets)

d. Elluminate has “3 for Free” (= 3 people able to use... Skype-like... without recording also has 30 day trial use with all training info access [$50k annual maint., for unlimited use by 1,800 users; can record & keep mtgs & training sessions online)

e. twitter

C. Demographics of users

K-12 demographics: URL

demographics of 20-60 yr olds
demographics of use in private vs public sector
use by different government levels: local, state, federal
Social aspects of the Internet: links to research & hundreds of resources; blog on ”random Web statistics”

D. fall 2010: HALF of Public Sector is embracing Government 2.0 & Govt.Tech (on 29Oct.2010) reports on the perceived value of transparency with eGovt.

Things IT (& administrative) people are concerned about:

A. security: see

· Cloud computing risks by Greg Shipley… who is CTO of an IT risk consultancy in Chicago: Information Week, 12Apr.2010: contends that all networks & storage methods have risks… it’s how we understand & then mitigate risk; assess security controls (like SAS 70 & letters of attestation… which are of limited use (need to describe liability); not yet in place is a standard security model; one is being developed… called CloudAudit A6, a team of security professionals, spearheaded by the Cloud Security Alliance, directed by Chris Hoff

· social networking & safety: (site created by Girl Scouts); or Common Sense Media [for children & parents]

B. legal compliance (... legal issues or Web 2.0 legal issues) for records retention & destruction (RDA = destroy after 7 years) records destruction authorization period = destroy after xx date; e.g. “7 Year Retention”, retrieval, access security; compliance with HIPPA, …. PII (personally identifiable information; many examples of databases being compromised for credit card info, identity theft); managing liability costs…

C. throughput capacity: from Internet to network operations centers (NOCs)… from NOCs to bldgs… within bldgs to desktops; provide graphic showing APs & via G3/4 network

D. AUPs; & our’s at the Madison Metro School District

E. goof-off potential as an issue to balance ... by DOD

F. culture change: see www.socialtext.com & “5 Mistakes...”

Examples of use in Public Sector:

· see Digital Communities

· MA: Boston

· IL: Boone Co.

· Virgina

· E-communication services for elected officials nationwide http://www.iconstituent.com/

· Charles Co., MD: Digital Counties Award 8 yrs. in a row!

· CoSN: Consortium of School Networks

· City of Madison, WI: Mayor’s blog; proposal to have all alders maintain blogs

· Facebook use around sit-in protest & link to discussion on educational paradigm in Am.

· a blog for ISTE: International Society for Technology in Education

· a WIKI used for technical education issues by the Wabeno School District in WI

· Govt. Tech. (8Oct.2010) article: Google apps in govt.

· The Learning Registry Blog by US Dept. of Ed to build &access better, more interconnected & personalized learning solutions

· an example of 2.0 use in K-12... & another

Examples for you to use:

A. mtg scheduling: doodle.com

B. Google-docs (you must 1st, create your own Google acct.)

C. Skype for free video phone calls

D. Blogger.com; mine is 1 sample

E. on-line project management: Basecamp ... & use of Basecamp by CoSN

F. using Google sites: a series of turorials

G. PLN’s (Personal Learning Network):1 example that I like & has steps to take to get started & another example; or www.classroom20.com is an extremely widely used Ning, also ck http://edupln.ning.com or http://web20-21stcentury-tools.wikispaces.com/ www.freeconferencecall.com

Future: Since 1983 (get dates of 1st PC, … 1986: MacSE…)

· driving development of computing SW has been around dramatically collapsing time it takes individuals to produce a finished product (from a draft doc. to the publication of a nicely formatted document… which yielded a revolution in personal productivity…

· now the question is whether the shared use of real-time tools, like Google-docs, can make a revolutionary change in organizational productivity [see Down to Business from David Berlind, editor of InformationWeek: 12Apr.2010] …

· & for that matter, for those of us in the public sector… can this help us better interact within & between governmental agencies so we better interact with those we serve and advance the idea of a participatory democracy? Challenge is how we develop ideas of thoughtful, respectful and constructive public participation in a democratic government trying to foster (? or not inhibit) sustainable economic growth and innovation within a free-market economy … develop effective role of expertise vs “rabble-babble”, effectively use our elective process with roles for elected officials without use of recall elections; how we continue to use our legislative, executive & judicial branches….; to listen, inform, advance learning

· value in transparency of govt.

· 5 ways to think about Gov 2.0 (after Fed.Comp.Wk Sept.2009; Note: several FCW articles on Gov.2.0 are avail.): a.) Gov. as a process: using technologies to promote internal sharing; ex. Spacebook, a social network for NASA facilities; b.) Gov. as a provider: citizen-focused as gov. as a giver of products & services; c.) Gov. as a partner: how organizations & people can collaborate with gov.; d.) Gov. as a product: how gov. is a storehouse of valuable info... raw data, ex. the Sunlight Foundation; e.) Gov. as a protector: law enforcement & courts... ex. as used by Food & Drug Admin. & CDC

· Gov 3.0: The Future revealed in 7 lists: [from Fed.Computer Week, Vol.23, No.23] 7 IT bloggers, 10 blogs on IT beat (includes Muniipalist, a coll. of Web 2.0 uses by fed, state & local govs.) Top 10 agencies on Twitter, Top 10 agencies on YouTube, 10 social-networking sites for gov. [including Gov.IT WIKI; also, see Social Media in Gov.], Top 10 agencies with the most Facebook friends

Credits & other resources:

Ø Presenters:

Kathy Skiera, IT, WI Dept. of Administration; President-Elect WSCPM; kathy.skiera@wisconsin.gov

Cathy Williquette, Register of Deeds, Brown Co, WI; Past President WSCPM; williquette@brown.co.wi.gov

Mark Evans, Dir. Technical Services Division, Madison Metropolitan School District; Immediate Past President WSCPM; morpho6@tds.net

Ø some other Web sources:

· www.delicious.com/markevans & then check out the Web 2.0 tab for links to 93+ other sites

· Web 2.0 Computing Evolved: book (!)

· technology tidbits blog

· a moodle acct at Hartford SD (WI)

· NPR’s The All Songs 24/7 Music Channel; a non-stop mix of every song ever played on 10 years of All Songs Considered

· other tools & examples: creating photo books on-line... or another site; or creating videos

· Mark’s wiffiti ...or http://wiffiti.com

· see Jane Bozarth’s blog [who presented at the AACPM Conf. in OK in Oct.]

· CNN weekly tech-related podcast

· Free “true colors test” http://www.truecolorstest.com/ [I was told that I am green...; you be the judge.]

Notes on Technology Use in Education

2010-10-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

As I was reading parts of the most recent issue (Oct.2010) of The Journal [dedicated to Transforming Education through Technology], I thought I'd share some of my notes on the topics of:

a. what is technology literacy

b. Fed spending on the development of new, high-stakes language arts & math assessments

c. some useful examples of modeling uses of technology in education

d. some good online sources of information on the use of new technologies

See my notes below & hopefully you'll find this interesting.

Editor’s note [from The Journal]: technology literacy is “proficiency with the larger system of our invented world…” & citing an author from the NYTimes, the editor said, “… minimum technology that will maximize options is for every student and teacher to have instant access to the Internet… If we listen to technology and learn to be able to harness it’s ways, then we will be able to harness the most powerful force in the world. If not, we will be stuck at the bottom of the class.

Fed. $330 mil funding to 2 orgs to develop alternatives or supplements to existing high-stakes testing methods & find alternative assessments focused on math & language arts for grades 3 through 12 & expected to be in use by 2014-2015; see http://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/facts.html

See tech-in-ed.ning.com with 3k members designed to show teachers what Web 2.0 tools they could use

How music teachers got their grove back: Sunset Ridge Shool in Northfield, IL & Sherwood High in Sandy Spring, MD & Greenwich High in CT: changing the way music is taught from performing art to creating art; interact with it digitally; sources of info:

· Music Ed.’s Prof. Learning Network: misicpln.org: free online social network for peer support

· Tech. Instit. for Music Educators: ti-me.org

· Nat. Assoc. for Music Ed, menc.org

Dream on, by John Waters: Visionary: either one whose ideas are impractical or on having unusual foresight & imagination must imagine & guide technology-driven initiatives, some of which may be considered impractical… but must have knowledge & skills required to make the vision happen; visionary: “one who sees” ck Latin root

· Teaching how to be intelligent consumers of Web-based info as well as creators of it; focusing on 9^th & 10^th grade journalism: features, reviews, opinions & news: see The Paly Voice: Palo Alto H.S.

· Defining what 21^st Cent. Classrm should be: call it a “responsive classroom”; a place enabling the coordination of on-line & clsrm teaching; Hornell City School District (NY) uses OK-based Advanced Academics; don’t call it “virtual learning” as that can turn teachers off; rather call it using a “blended model” in which teachers are coaches & guides working with students on projects individually & in small grps; use project-based learning ; physical traits of rms: use moveable glass dividers that can be made opaque; every rm with interactive whilte board & projector & a Harkness table (ck) with built-in touch-screens for interaction between students & teacher; telepresence system from Cisco to host experts & people from other countries; their grad rate from 58 to 86% in past 4 yrs

· Albuquerque P.S.: 139 bldgs/90k students: APS e-learning initiative & efforts to get funding for LMS (learning management system); encouraged by Gov.Bill Richardson & backed by both Dems & Reps; to be an inclusive state-wide e-learning initiative through NM Pub.Ed.& Higher Ed.Dept.: IDEAL-NM: 1^st to encompass all stages of learning for teacher prof devel., continuing ed & workforce ed; uses a single state-wide LMS Web conf. system & helpdesk open to all schools, higher ed & govt; designed to facilitate internal collaboration & coll. Between school districts

· HTH: in San Diego Co., High Tech High: purpose of tech our schools is about production, not consumption; it’s about doing & building; students use leading edge technology to research, produce & present across disciplines; inquiry-based; some traditional “vocational” training segregated students… we are under-utilizing human capital; we all know that the level of educational attainment is the strongest predictor of wage rates; the single biggest source of opportunities to rise above economic & social disadvantage is education; what can technology do? Through simplicity, elegance, ubiquity & access, provide children with the ability to do things they could not otherwise do… providing options