Transcript Slide 1

Advanced Learning Technologies:
Opportunities and Challenges
Dragana Brzakovic
National Science Foundation
Office of the Director/Office of Integrative Activities
[email protected]
OIA URL: http://nsf.gov/od/oia
The Big Picture
Good news-opportunities
 Education, innovation and technology are high
priorities for current administration
Not so good news—challenge
 Budgetary issues
Technology in Education
Broad Understanding
 Computers/wired classroom
 Distance education
 Virtual schools
 Collaboration over network
BENEFITS: access, flexibility, personalized education,
lifelong education
CHALLENGE: requires rethinking education
Change does not come easy
‘’Students today depend to paper too much. They don’t
know how to write on a slate without getting chalk dust all
over themselves. They can’t clean a slate properly. What
will they do when they run out of paper?’’ Principal’s
publication, 1815.
‘’Ballpoint pen will be the ruin of education in our country.
Students use these devices and then throw them away. The
American values of thrift and frugality are being discarded.
Businesses and banks will never allow such expensive
luxuries.’’ Federal Teachers, 1950.
Technology in US Education: Current State
Good News
 Access to the internet in US schools in nearly universal
 Most of the states have implemented standards for
students’ understanding of computer technology and
teacher’s use of technology of instruction
 An increasing number of students have access to
distance education opportunities
Challenge
 Research on whether technology improves students
achievement shows mixed results
Administration View
Use Technology to Drive Innovation
 ``The Federal Government should create a mission-driven,
advanced research projects agency for education (ARPAED) housed either in the Department of Education, in the
National Science Foundation, or as a joint entity…... ARPAED should propel and support (i) the development of
innovative technologies and technology platforms for
learning, teaching, and assessment across all subjects and
ages, and ... ‘’
 The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and
Technology in report: PREPARE AND INSPIRE: K-12
EDUCATION IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY,
ENGINEERING, AND MATH (STEM) FOR AMERICA’S
FUTURE—Sept. 2010
`
Primary Funding Sources for Education
Innovation in the Federal Government
 Department of Education
 National Science Foundation
Department of Education
 Created in current form in 1979
 Establishes policy and administers and coordinates
most federal assistance to education
 Annual Budget: $60-70B
Department of Education: Examples of
Programs Relevant to Technology
 Enhancing Education Through Technology—
technology infrastructure, training, curricula
development, development of instructional methods;
budget $100M
 Ready to Teach –development and distribution of
video educational material, online professional
development for teachers; budget $10.7M
National Science Foundation
 Created in 1950
 Original Goal: To promote the progress of science; to
advance the national health, prosperity an welfare; to
secure the national defense
 Annual Budget: about $7B
Origins of NSF
 “The Government should
accept new responsibilities for
promoting the flow of
scientific knowledge and the
development of scientific
talent in our youth.”
 Science, The Endless Frontier, 1945
 1947: Congress Approves,
Truman Vetoes
 1950: Compromise Bill
Approved & Signed by Truman
NSF Act of 1950
 To promote the progress of science…”
 NSB (24) and 1 Director, appointed by the President
 Encourage & develop a national policy for the
promotion of basic research and education in the
math, physical, medical, biological, engineering and
other sciences
 Initiate & support basic scientific research in the
sciences
 Evaluate the science research programs undertaken by
agencies of the Federal government
 Provide information for S&E policy formation
NSF Organizational Chart
National Science Board
(NSB)
Director
Deputy Director
Office of Cyberinfrastructure
Office of Equal Employment
Opportunity Programs
Office of the General Counsel
Office of Integrative Activities
Office of International
Science & Engineering
Office of the
Inspector General
(OIG)
Office of Legislative &
Public Affairs
Office of Polar Programs
Biological
Sciences
(BIO)
Social,
Behavioral
& Economic
Sciences
(SBE)
Computer &
Information
Science &
Engineering
(CISE)
Education
& Human
Resources
(EHR)
Engineering
(ENG)
Geosciences
(GEO)
Budget, Finance
& Award
Management
(BFA)
Mathematical
& Physical
Sciences
(MPS)
Information
& Resource
Management
(IRM)
From NSF Strategic Plan 2011-2016
Innovation for Society Performance Strategic Goal includes: Support
the Development of Innovative Learning Systems.
``Innovative learning systems can bring authentic scientific data
immediately to learners, which enable learners to experience
science through modeling, simulation, sensor networks, digital
telescopes and remote instruments. Technology has the
potential to transform science learning as effectively as it has
transformed science itself. Learning can occur anytime,
anywhere, and for anyone.’’
Near Term Actions:
 Expand initiatives across NSF to develop research-based innovative
learning systems
 Promote partnerships among computer scientists, other STEM
disciplinary scientists, learning scientists, and education
practitioners to catalyze new technologies for learning
Relevant Directorates/Offices to
Advanced Learning Technologies
 Directorate for Computer and Information Science
and Engineering (CISE)
 Office of Cyber Infrastructure (OCI)
 Directorate for Education and Human Resource (EHR)
 Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE)
 Cross-cutting programs
Foundations of NSF Approach
http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2008/nsf08204/index.jsp
NSF Homepage
Funding of Learning Technologies at NSF
 Infrastructure grants
 Human Resource Development
 Research grants for developing new technologies
Examples: Support for
Infrastructure
 OCI-Cyberinfrastructure resources, tools ad services
 Major Research Instrumentation-development
proposals
Examples: Support for Human
Resource Development
 Advanced Technological Education (ATE)—workforce
Development
 Integrative Technology Experiences for students and
Teachers (ITEST) — new models of classroom,
research to understand STEM development, scale-up
projects
 Teacher Learning for Future (TLF) – new program
under development
 Computing Education for the 21st Century (CE-21)computer science education
Examples: Support for Research
 EHR-Transforming STEM Learning (TSL)—Study
efficacy of existing types of education, develop new
STEM learning environments
 EHR-Discovery Research K-12 (DRK-12) –development
of materials that use advanced technologies
 CISE—Human Centered Computing (HCC) programs
 CISE-Robust Intelligence program (RI)- investigation
of roles of robotics in promoting learning
 Center programs
Cyberlearning: Transforming
Education
 New program, cross-directorate (CISE, OCI, EHR, SBE)
 Goal: integrate advances in technology with advances in
what is known about how people learn
 Project characteristics: interdisciplinary, with the research
team including members with the full range of expertise
needed for success. grounded in existing learning and
education research; seek to answer questions about
learning with technology; measure learning gains, take
into account appropriate elements of the learning ecology
in designing its innovation, evaluating its innovation, and
answering research questions and use appropriate
methodologies to evaluate innovations and measure
learning gains.
Cyberlearning: Transforming Education (cont.)
Three level of awards:
 Exploration Projects, duration 1-3 years, up to $550k
 Design and Implementation Projects, duration 1-5
years, up to $1,350k
 Integration and Deployment Projects, duration up to 5
years, up to $2,500k
Science of Learning Centers
 Goal: to advance the frontiers of all the sciences of
learning through integrated research; to connect the
research to specific scientific, technological,
educational, and workforce challenges; to enable
research communities to capitalize on new
opportunities and discoveries; and to respond to new
challenges.
 http://nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5567
&org=SBE
Science and Technology Centers (STC):
Integrative Partnerships Program
 STC features
 supports innovative, potentially transformative, complex
research and education projects that require large-scale,
long-term awards;
 supports the NSF vision of advancing discovery,
innovation and education beyond the frontiers of
current knowledge, and empowering future generations
in science and engineering;
 foster excellence in education by integrating education
and research, and by creating bonds between learning
and inquiry so that discovery and creativity fully support
the learning process.
Microlens technology
Unstained blood smear
20x microscope
Microlens technology
Smartphone Microscopy
20x microscope
Microlens technology
Crystals – polarized light
20x microscope
Plant stems
Crystals – polarized light
20x microscope
Microlens technology
20x microscope
Microlens technology
Taste buds
Microlens technology
Daphnia eggs
20x microscope
Microlens technology
Plant stems
Science and Technology Center
Example
 UCLA’s Center for Embedded Networked Sensing
(CENS) is a major research enterprise focused on
developing wireless sensing systems and applying this
revolutionary technology to critical scientific and
societal pursuits.
 Recent Focus: participatory sensing for health and
education
CENS Success Stories
 Personal Environmental
Reporthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-ItfpA3XiY
 Project MOBILIZE: Mobilizing for Innovative
Computer Science Teaching and Learning is a targeted
National Science Foundation Math Science
Partnership funded for 2010-2015.
http://www.mobilizingcs.org/
Project MOBILIZE