Transcript Lawrence Paska: Coordinator of Technology Policy

Update from
Educational Design
and Technology
NYSCEA
Friday, May 20, 2011
Lawrence M. Paska, Ph.D.,
Coordinator of Technology Policy
Office of Educational Design and Technology
New York State Education Department
[email protected]
Policies and Regulations:
Where Do We Begin?
National Education Technology Plan
(November 2010)
http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010
Regents’ Statewide Learning Technology Plan
(February 2010)
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/edtech/
Aligning the Plans
NETP
Board of Regents
Learning
Digital Content
Assessment
Digital Use
Teaching
Digital Capacity and Access
Infrastructure
Leadership
Productivity
Accountability
Funding
Vision of Technology for
Teaching and Learning
Multiple environments will exist for teaching and learning,
unbound by place, time, income, language or disability.
The classroom, gymnasium, laboratory, library, theater,
and museum will be a workspace for teachers and learners
but will not always be a physical space. Students will
access learning resources anywhere, anytime through the
use of technology.
Regents’ Statewide
Learning Technology Plan
Goal # 4: Provide policies, standards, and guidance on quality
digital content development and delivery; accessibility;
information literacy; and ongoing, sustained professional
development in pre-service and in-service education.
Goal # 7: Develop and/or revise Commissioner's Regulations
and Department policies to promote sustained support for the
delivery of quality instruction for all learners through digital
means.
Goal # 9: Identify and/or develop incentives for the expansion
of digital learning across USNY.
Statewide Survey:
Online Learning
Needs Assessment
Results of the 2010
Online Learning Needs Assessment
The four most common reasons to use online
learning:
1.
Offer remediation or credit recovery courses
2.
Provide expanded curriculum offerings
3.
Address needs of homebound instruction
4.
Increase graduation rates
Reasons for Student Enrollment

For content remediation

They were unsuccessful in traditional classroom
environments

To take courses not offered at their local school

To earn college credit in Advanced Placement
(AP®) courses

Due to course scheduling conflicts
Why Students Do Not
Participate in Online Learning

State regulations do not address online
courses

Students are unaware that online learning
options exist

Lack of funding to cover the cost of online
learning
Current Regulations
to Support Online Learning
A minimum of 10.5 credits (out of 22 required) under
Part 100.5(d), each limited in scope:

Make Up Course Credit (allows additional credits)

Independent Study (3 credits in electives only)

X

Credit by Examination (6.5 credits where student must
score an 85 and complete an associated project)
X marks the spot….
Solving for X …

Updating the Board of Regents in policy and practice
(December 2010 and January 2011)

Determining next steps in policy and regulation (December
2010 and February 2011)

Engaging the field through regional forums (starting early
2011) and continued communications (ongoing)

Leveraging funding (starting with Race to the Top funding)
Draft 100.5(d)(10) Regulations
Awarding Units of Credit for
Online and Blended Courses
The Commissioner of Education proposes to
add a new section 100.5(d)(10) to the
Commissioner's Regulations to establish criteria
for earning credit for online or a combination of
online and classroom-based (blended)
coursework.
Credit for Online/Blended Courses
Part 100.5(d)(10)
Proposed regulations discussed by the Board of
Regents (and revised for publication in the
State Register, March 2, 2011):
(a) To receive credit, the student shall successfully
complete a unit of study and demonstrate mastery
of the learning outcomes for the subject, including
passing the Regents examination in the subject or
other assessment required for graduation, if
applicable.
Credit for Online/Blended Courses
Part 100.5(d)(10)
(b) The school district, charter school or registered
nonpublic school shall ensure that:
(1) courses are aligned with the applicable New
York State Learning Standards for the subject
area;
(2) courses provide for documentation of
student mastery of the learning outcomes for
such subjects, including passing the Regents
examination in the subject or other assessment
required for graduation, if applicable;
Credit for Online/Blended Courses
Part 100.5(d)(10)
(3) instruction is provided by or under the
direction and/or supervision of:
(i) a certified teacher from the school district; or
(ii) a certified teacher from a board of cooperative
educational services (BOCES) that contracts with
the school district to provide instruction in the
subject area where authorized pursuant to
Education Law §1950; or
(iii) a certified teacher from a school district who
provides instruction in the subject area under a
shared service agreement; or
Credit for Online/Blended
Courses Part 100.5(d)(10)
(iv) in the case of a registered nonpublic
school, a teacher of the subject area from a
registered nonpublic school; or
(v) in the case of a charter school, a teacher
of the subject area from a charter school
Credit for Online/Blended Courses
Part 100.5(d)(10)
(4) courses include regular and substantive
interaction between the student and the teacher
providing direction and/or supervision pursuant to
subclause (3) of this clause; and
(5) instruction satisfies the unit of study and unit
of credit requirements in section 100.1(a) and (b)
of this Part.
What is a unit of study and
a unit of credit?
100.1 Definitions
As used in this Part:
a. Unit of study means at least 180 minutes of instruction per week
throughout the school year, or the equivalent.
b. Unit of credit is earned by:
1. the mastery of the learning outcomes set forth in a New York Statedeveloped or locally developed syllabus for a given high school subject,
after a student has had the opportunity to complete a unit of study in
the given subject matter area; or
2. pursuant to section 100.5(d)(1) of this Part, a passing score of at
least 85 percent or its equivalent on a department-approved
examination in a given high school subject without the completion of a
unit of study, and the successful completion of either an oral
examination or a special project.
Issues to Consider
Course Alignment to NYS Learning Standards
 Broadband Capacity and Access
 Standards for Online Courses
 iNACOL’s National Standards of Quality for Online

Courses






Content
Instructional Design
Student Assessment
Technology
Course Evaluation and Management
21st Century Skills
Some NYSED Recommendations for
Teaching and Learning Online

District-level committees to examine online learning policies

Ensure adherence to principles of universal design

Assess student needs and interests for online courses

Assess online program availability compared to student need

Create and adopt local district policy for online courses

Provide professional development opportunities

Develop a district process to evaluate online content

Use common evaluation standards, like iNACOL and ISTE

Communicate with parents on online learning

Evaluate district-created and vendor-purchased content
Contracts for Instruction
The Department issued a July 29, 2009
memorandum on contracts for instruction in
which it stated that school districts cannot
contract with private entities to deliver “core
educational programming/instructional
services” to students.
Contracts for Instruction
Q: Can school districts contract with non
profit or other entities to provide distance or
online learning opportunities for students?
A: Yes, provided that the distance or online
learning program is used as a supplementary
or additional resource to assist a district’s
certified teachers in delivering instruction.
What is your
relationship to
the Internet?
Internet Safety Resource Toolkit
Internet Safety Program Evaluation Rubric
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/technology/internet_safety/Internet
SafetyProgramEvaluationrubric.html
Learning Standards and Internet Safety
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/technology/internet_safety/Learning
StandardsandInternetSafety.html
Internet Safety Learning Experience "Call for Content"
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/technology/internet_safety/call/
home.html
Internet Safety
Program Evaluation Rubric
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/technology/internet_safety/Internet
SafetyProgramEvaluationrubric.html
Conduct a Practice Evaluation

How does your school or district score?

What does that score mean?

What are next steps based on that score?
Learning Standards and
Internet Safety
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/technology/internet_safety/
LearningStandardsandInternetSafety.html
Call for Content:
Learning Experiences
http://www.p12.nysed.gov/technology/internet_safety/call/home.html
Using the Toolkit to grow a
virtual learning network . . .

An honest look at current capacities,
priorities, and interests.

An alignment (a transformation?) of the
instructional program to those capacities,
priorities, and interests.

A sharing of “promising practices” to build a
statewide professional learning community.
Social Networking:
Motivation or Menace?

Public records law and educators – or, do Tweets
need to be archived?

Balance between the personal and professional.
(Setting up “professional” accounts)

Understanding software security settings.

Information Literacy: What you post today could
come back to harm you tomorrow.
Recent Findings
School Principals and Social Networking in Education
http://www.edweb.net/fimages/op/PrincipalsandSoci
alNetworkingReport.pdf

In-depth survey, online discussion conducted by
edWeb.net, IESD, Inc., MMS Education, and MCH
Strategic Data.
Research Finding 1
Most principals believe social networking
can provide value in education.

A way for educators to share information and
resources with an extended community of
educators.

Creates professional learning communities;
improves school-wide communications.
Research Finding 2
Most principals think social networking tools
make a substantive change in students'
educational experience.

Increased social/collaborative view of learning.

Improved motivation, engagement, and active
involvement.

Connected to real-life learning.
Research Finding 3
None of the principals had school or
district policies in place on social
networking that were deemed adequate.
Current Usage

Nearly three-quarters of teenage Internet users
spend time on social networking websites.

60% of students use social networks to talk about
educational topics.

50% of students use the networks to “talk
specifically about school-work”.
Conclusion
Timely need for conversations and
collaboration on establishing policies to
facilitate social networking in schools for
educational purposes.
So….
Is teacher “friending” of students on
Facebook the solution?
Policy and Program Development
Online learning challenges the relevance of traditional
classrooms.

Rigor: traditional reading and writing literacies are more - not less –
necessary.

Professional development: teacher modeling of safe, efficient,
effective inter-connected technology use is required.

Challenge of multiple environments: photos, videos, audio, tags,
social-book marking, hyperlinks.

Challenge of diversity in online networks: not echo chambers of
like-mindedness.
Embracing
Educational Networking

Coined by Steve Hagardon, the founder of Ning.

The use of social networking technologies for
educational purposes.

Aligns with federal and state goals to promote
innovative and collaborative technology.
Benefits
BENEFITS






Early recognition of
student needs and
formative assessment
Establishment of classroom
community
Student engagement
Sense of student
achievement
Information management
Access to marginalized
students
Benefits … and Concerns
BENEFITS






Early recognition of
student needs and
formative assessment
Establishment of classroom
community
Student engagement
Sense of student
achievement
Information management
Access to marginalized
students
CONCERNS




Legality
Privacy of educators
Equity of access
Lack of resources
Implementing Educational
Networking in New York State





Develop a pilot program.
Set a criteria for pilot schools.
Develop an agreed-upon Appropriate Use Policy
(AUP) for Educational Networking.
Deploy pilot with an accompanying evaluation
process in place.
Develop a network with schools, community-based
organizations, and cultural institutions.
THANK YOU!
Office of Educational Design and Technology
Phone: (518) 474-5283
Fax: (518) 486-9070
E-Mail: [email protected]
Web: www.p12.nysed.gov/technology