No longer do students fill out worksheets during museum trips–today’s spaces are going digital

Museums are a popular field trip destination, but as learning becomes more digital, more and more museums are offering digital learning programs designed to engage students and give them enhanced educational experiences.

During an Alliance for Excellent Education webinar ^[1], Barry Joseph, the associate director for digital learning at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York City, offered an overview of how digital learning programs are taking root in museums.

AMNH’s digital learning program grew out of a MacArthur Foundation grant that resulted in a framework of connected learning, which focuses on what digital media can enable youth to do, especially when those students are able to learn about their passions and interests, Joseph said.

(Next page: Five digital learning strategies at AMNH)

AMNH encourages students to learn about science with their peers and with real-world science educators and museum staff in a variety of ways:

1. Last fall, the museum conducted a program in which students played games with scientists in order to pique their interest in different areas of science.

“This has been a really exciting, rich area for us to explore,” Joseph said. “They learned how to think critically about how games can be designed to teach.”

After students played the game, museum staff gave them information about upcoming exhibits and associated learning materials, and tasked students with creating their own games–both physical and app-based–focused on the upcoming exhibits.

“For us, it was a great experiment to see what happens when we use games to teach,” Joseph said.

2. Museum staff also use Minecraft with students.

“It means so many different things to so many people. For us, what it meant was an opportunity to think about how to create something to relate to our exhibits,” Joseph said.

Last year, AMNH had an exhibit about food and food production, so museum staff created a Minecraft game about growing and trading food, which students played before experiencing the museum’s exhibit. Students went back to the Minecraft game and automatically applied what they learned in the museum to their Minecraft games.

One of Minecraft’s main benefits is museum staff’s ability to use it to teach new content to young people, Joseph said.

3. Students also use 3D printers to create objects that relate to subjects that they have studied and explored in the museum.

They return to their classes and spread that knowledge and share what they’ve created, which helps to engage peers.

4. Digital badges are in use at AMNH as well.

“We don’t have grades we give to young people–no one would expect to get grades coming through a program like this, and many informal learning programs are similar,” Joseph said. This is where digital badges come in.

“Badges give us an opportunity to not only give youth feedback about places where we think they’re achieving the educational goals we’ve set out for them, but it puts them in charge,” he said.

5. The museum runs a program that helps train teachers to go into schools and bring physical and digital resources from the museum back into classrooms. It also offers a graduate program and a program for urban schools.

Additional educator resources include internships, seminars, professional development workshops, and more, all designed to help educators connect students to digital learning experiences, both at the museum and in the classroom.

Other museums across the country are creating similar digital environments for students and teachers. Stay tuned for a list of museum resources for educators.

A roundup of best practices from CTOs can help those hoping to start mobile initiatives

Mobile learning is on the rise, and school leaders recognize that mobile initiatives, when implemented correctly, give students a distinct advantage as they enter college and the workforce.

But sometimes, roadblocks such as infrastructure challenges and access barries complicate mobile device deployments.

This issue was covered in depth during the most recent Connected Educator Month, and in case you missed it, we’ve decided to highlight these valuable tips, straight from chief technology officers (CTOs) across the nation.

(Next page: CTOs’ mobile tech tips)

These CTOs shared tips and advice for fellow school administrators and technology leaders who are embarking on mobile device deployments such as one-to-one initiatives or bring-your-own-device (BYOD) programs.

Panelists included:

• Sam Farsaii, CTO of Coppell ISD in Texas
• Joanna Cook, technology director, and Josh Walters, one-to-one manager, in the East Noble School Corporation (ENSC) in Indiana
• Bailey Mitchell, CTO of Forsyth County Schools in Georgia

1. Invest in network infrastructure and upgrades

CTOs hoping to make mobile deployments a success shouldn’t miss this critical step, panelists said. It’s important for district leaders to ensure all school buildings can support an influx of devices accessing the network.

When implementing a BYOD initiative, it’s also smart for CTOs to assume that some students will use multiple devices, such as a tablet and a smart phone. Making sure school networks are prepared for two devices per student is a smart move.

A network upgrade is a “critical” part of a one-to-one initiative, said Coppell ISD’s Sam Farsaii. Coppell operates a one-to-one iPad initiative in its high schools, and the initiative is moving down to the middle and elementary schools.

The district maintained a BYOD initiative before implementing its one-to-one program, Farsaii said. “We realize that we may give students an iPad, but they may have their own smart phone or laptop as well, so the network as to be built to carry that capacity beyond the devices we’re providing.”

“Install as many wireless access points as possible—at least one per room,” said Josh Walters of ENSC. “Purchase as much bandwidth as possible.” ENSC began its initiative with 150mb connection speed, is currently at 355mb, and will move to a 500mb speed in fall 2014.

“Each student does not have one device,” Walters said. “Most kids have a cell phone in their pocket and are bringing in an iPad, tablet, or eReader, and you really want to plan on two devices per student.”

“We’re seeing, on average, about 30,000 unique student-owned devices on our network each day,” said Forsyth County’s Bailey Mitchell. “Infrastructure is incredibly important.”

2. Know that technology isn’t a fix-all

Every CTO must remember that technology alone will not solve a district’s challenges. Technology is a tool, but it has to be used correctly.

“I believe technology amplifies the strengths and weaknesses in the classroom,” Farsaii said. A great teacher will be able to thrive with technology, but a mediocre teacher won’t improve his or her instruction simply through technology access—it should be accompanied by intensive and ongoing professional development.

3. Realize that access remains a challenge

One of the major problems a CTO will encounter is the issue of access and equity. Giving students devices through a take-home one-to-one program doesn’t ensure that all students will have internet access at home. Instituting a BYOD initiative most likely means that some students won’t have their own devices to bring to school, and even if they use a classroom device, they might not be able to take it home or might not have internet access even if they are allowed to take the school device home.

Technology also gives access and skills to students who might not have the chance to use these devices at home, ENSC’s Joanna Cook said. While access challenges remain, CTOs can help students develop real-world skills through a school technology initiative.

“This provides students with the 21st century learning tools and skills they’ll use in college, vocational schools, or in the workforce,” Cook said.

“Lots of times we’ll see kids sitting in the school parking lots, working on their devices, because they don’t have internet access at home—more wireless access points help that,” said Walters.

“It is a challenge,” Farsaii said. “[Coppell] still has 10 percent of our students who are at a socioeconomic disadvantage.”

“Forsyth is a fairly affluent area, so you could argue that a lot more students would have the potential to have the devices, but we do have efforts to look at the equity issues,” Mitchell said. The district established a BYOT Equity Taskforce to that end.

Forsyth also is collaborating with local businesses to establish free Wi-Fi zones so that students without home internet access can find off-campus internet connectivity.

4. Know your goals

Cook said ENSC decided to implement a one-to-one initiative because it “creates limitless educational delivery systems, uses the enthusiasm and skills of digitally connected students, challenges students through engaging and relevant lessons, and leads to continued improvement of instruction by moving toward project-based learning and away from teacher-led instruction.”

ENSC began its one-to-one initiative in 2011. The district has 600 iPod Touch devices for kindergarten and first grade, 900 iPads in grades two through four, and 2,400 laptops in grades five through 12.

“Choose a device that does what you need,” and CTOs should outline the district’s needs at the beginning of planning the initiative, Walters said. Offering extensive professional development to accompany that device’s implementation is crucial. ENSC maintains technology staff along with peer coaches who help teachers integrate technology as effectively as possible.

Georgia’s Forsyth County maintains a bring-your-own-technology (BYOT) initiative. Mitchell said district officials differentiate between BYOD and BYOT to allow students to bring any form of technology that enhances their learning.

“We see this fantastic opportunity for personalization,” Mitchell said. “It helps our teachers think about differentiation and personalization in a different light. It gives teachers more time to facilitate and take advantage of the fact that students are empowered by their own devices. Teachers will admit, over time, that giving up control is not a bad thing.”

California is adopting the Next Generation Science Standards and many teachers and administrators applaud the push into the 21st century.

The fields of science and technology have proved to be catalysts for many industries in Silicon Valley.

Concurrently, educators have felt the urgency to implement new technology into their classrooms. While the entire world is using innovation to promote their respective products or marketing plans, educators are working closely with their districts to stay abreast of these advancements and to find the dollars to acquire today’s technologies for their classrooms.

I’ve been teaching science for 26 years, and am currently a 7^th grade teacher at Jordan Middle School ^[2] in Palo Alto. Although my students have always enjoyed using traditional microscopes, some students struggle to transcribe images they see in the microscope to paper. Students often draw dissimilar images rather than what is in their scope.

I was offered the opportunity to field test Exo Labs Cameras ^[3] in my classroom. It was exciting to consider a tool that could lessen the struggles of some students, and help them to be more exacting and successful. I couldn’t help but envision the camera in the hands of my students.

I knew immediately I needed to incorporate this technology into my science labs and lesson plans. The Exo Labs camera is easy to use, simple, and sturdy; yet, it has very sophisticated capabilities.

(Next page: How the Exo Labs camera can transform the classroom)

Over the course of my career, I have seen students advance with the use of a variety of technology and equipment. I am also aware that districts across the United States struggle to keep up with the technological advances. California is adopting the Next Generation Science Standards ^[4] (NGSS). Many teachers and administrators applaud the push into the 21st century.

Educators need the proper tools, training, and technological support to change/enhance teaching methods. I feel so fortunate that my District has really tried to provide the technology we need in our classrooms and support its teachers with workshops for many technologies.

I currently have nine Exo Lab Cameras in my 7^th grade science classroom and have incorporated the cameras into several of my science lab lessons. The Exo Lab Camera enables group participation and collaboration, as multiple students are able to see the same organism at the same time. Students can interact with the camera, explore various organisms for example, interpret what they are seeing, and present their findings as individuals or groups promoting collaboration and differentiation.

The camera allows my students to easily import multiple images into visually appealing presentations on Prezi ^[5], iMovie, or Google presentations. This further enhances the immersive classroom experience while encouraging students to share their excitement about what they are learning.

Since bringing the Exo Lab Cameras into the classroom, I have seen significant quantifiable improvement, including:

• Classroom Engagement: Students are at least 25 percent more engaged in science labs
• Test Scores: 100 percent of the students passed the lab exams using the microscopes (prior to using Exo Labs on exams, not all students would pass)
• Curriculum Knowledge: Students have increased their knowledge of microorganisms and other specimens by 30 percent.
• Quality of Work: The quality of student projects has increased by 50-percent.
• Comprehensive Understanding: Overall comprehension of the subject matter has increased by 20 percent

It’s as if a light has been turned on for my students. The Exo Labs Cameras have completely transformed my classroom into an interactive learning environment. Students are in control of exploring and driving their collaborative learning experiences, utilizing this 21^st century technology.

Tami Warr is a 7^th grade science teacher at Jordan Middle School in Palo Alto, California. Tami has been teaching science for 28 years, including high school courses on biology, advance biology, applied science, and general science.