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March 2017 Newsletter     

The mission of One-to-One Institute is to transform education by personalizing learning through universal access to technology.

newsletter

Welcome to the March edition of  One-to-One Institute's newsletter!

This quarter's newsletter focuses on w hat higher ed needs to be doing to ensure teacher & student preparedness.

We hope you find the information valuable and informative!

Change Leadership: A New Focus for Administrator Preparation Programs
by Dr. Michael Gielniak, COO, One-to-One Institute
One-to-One Institute's newsletter this month focuses on the role higher education can play in the transformation of learning and teaching in the K-12 system. When discussing higher education programs the bulk of the conversation, rightfully so, tends to focus on teachers. We learned, however, through our  Project RED research  that principals play a paramount role in whether or not a 1:1 implementation is academically successful and financially sustainable.

We have been investigating the beliefs and actions of principals for the past couple of years, and the effects these beliefs have on teachers, students, and learning. When I started formulating my ideas for this article I decided to match the course content being taught in a couple of popular graduate programs for school administrators with the list of Key Implementation Factors, and other essential elements and best practices we have gleaned from our work. I found that there are pieces missing in the area of pedagogy and instruction, but there are two areas that seem to have been completely left out, namely change leadership, and project management.



Have you missed any of OTO's previous blogs?
You can find them  here!
Talent: Must Develop and Deliver
by Leslie Wilson, CEO, One-to-One Institute
I recently participated in an event sponsored by numerous automotive industry leaders in the Detroit area.  They invited superintendents from Michigan to collaborate with them on how to develop the talent needed to fill the thousands of 'new' manufacturing/auto/tech jobs that are emerging across sixteen state counties.  The event organizers presented data and profiles about these jobs.  They discussed different avenues of preparing high schoolers for these positions.  They sought the district leaders' ideas regarding the same.

I learned a lot about how manufacturing jobs have been transformed.  To be employed in this pathway one needs to be highly technically skilled and experienced. This includes knowledge of content, technology application, and systems integration.  These are highly complex jobs that require expertise not only in core standard curricula but in relevant uses of technology tools within the same.



Leslie also blogs for Intel's K12 Blueprint!
Find them all here
Teaching with Technology
by Stein Brunvand
Teacher preparation institutions have an obligation to develop teachers who, among other things, are competent in their respective subject matter, capable of creating a safe and productive learning environment and proficient in the effective integration of technology across a broad range of instructional settings.  In particular, the preparation of teachers to effectively integrate technology is the primary focus of this article.

Before delving too deeply into this topic, it is important to understand the difference between "teaching technology" and "teaching with technology".  Teaching technology simply means helping someone learn how to use a particular piece of software or hardware.  Admittedly, this can involve a high degree of complexity or be quite simplistic depending on the technology being taught.  Teaching with technology, however, involves helping people develop the pedagogical knowledge required to make informed decisions about what technology to use, and how to use it, based on variables such as the content being taught, the learning needs of the students and the overall objectives of the lesson being planned.  It is in this realm of teaching with technology that teacher preparation institutions need to devote more time and attention in order to develop teachers that are competent in technology integration.


Paving the Way to Success
by Patrick Cooney
The economic world that our students will be entering is one marked by rapid change. Jobs consisting of routine tasks, be they cognitive or manual, are increasingly done by machines or cheaper labor elsewhere in the world. To thrive in this new economy, workers have to be adaptable, have a broad base of knowledge, be creative problem-solvers and be able to communicate and work well with others. In other words, workers need to be really good at all of the non-algorithmic skills computers aren't good at yet.
 
The best definition we've found for this complex set of skills comes from the book Becoming Brilliant, by learning scientists Roberta Michnick Golinkoff and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek, who label these skills the 6 Cs. They define the 6 Cs as follows:
  • Collaboration, or the ability to work and play well with others, which encompasses a wide range of "soft skills" necessary for success in the modern workplace;
  • Communication, or the ability to effectively get your point across and back it up with evidence, both verbally and in writing, and the ability to listen and be empathetic;
  • Content, by which they mean deep understanding and a broad base of knowledge in a range of subject areas, rather than simply surface knowledge of reading and math skills;
  • Critical Thinking, which they define as the ability to sift through mountains of information and get a sense of what's valuable and not;
  • Creativity, which they define as the ability to put information together in new ways;
  • and Confidence, which encompasses capacities like grit, perseverance, and a willingness to take risks.
These are the skills students will need in order to complement rather than be replaced by machines, solve today's problems, and create new solutions to problems we can't yet envision.

Continue Reading
 
Other Resources on Higher Ed


To see what Brandy Johnson, Executive Director of Michigan College Access Network, and recipient of the  AACRAO Centennial Award for Excellence has to say on the subject, click here.
From the Office of Educational Technology

A Higher Education Supplement to the 2016 National Education Technology Plan that examines learning, teaching, leadership, assessment, and infrastructure in the context of higher education.



About One-to-One Institute

One-to-One Institute grew out of Michigan's successful, statewide one-to-one initiative, Freedom to Learn.  One-to-One Institute is a national non-profit committed to igniting 21st century education through the implementation of one-to-one technology in K-12 settings.  Our mission is to transform education. We believe that by personalizing learning through universal, uninterrupted access to technology, students will take ownership of their learning and maximize their potential. 

 

One-to-One Institute offers professional learning, consultancy, expertise and hands-on experience in all aspects of developing learning environments that meaningfully integrate technology. Based on the latest research, and our experience in hundreds of 1:1 environments, OTO has crafted a set of best practices for leadership, infrastructure, and instruction to help ensure that your program is successful and sustainable.

In This Issue

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Out 'n About
with OTO
School District Work
 
Dr. Michael Gielniak continues to collaborate with various districts across the nation! Here's some of the things people are saying about his work.

"Thank you for a wonderful day yesterday! We truly enjoyed meeting you and working with you on crafting a vision of teaching and learning that as you so eloquently stated is a 'moral imperative'.
Your knowledge and insights are inspiring. We could not ask for a better partner to help us re-imagine education at Parkland."

- Parkland School District

Dr. Michael Gielniak (right) with Parkland Superintendent Richard Sniscak (left)


"Thank you for an excellent day of thinking about our future vision. The day was tremendous and was a positive kick off to our process."

- Hampton Township School District
AASA 2017

Leslie Wilson  is looking forward to speaking at the HP sponsored Superintendents Luncheon, Ed Tech ROI - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, at the AASA NCE on Thursday, March 2nd in New Orleans!


Click image for event details
MACUL 2017

Michael Gielniak will be a panelist at the 2017 Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning conference on March 16th at 4 PM in Detroit, MI!


Click image for event details
Other Upcoming Events

Curious about our other events? Check out what's coming up here!

One-to-One Institute Approach
One-to-One Institute recommends a comprehensive approach when considering the implementation of a 1:1 program. This approach requires complex strategic planning and project management, as well as building sustainability and providing extensive professional learning opportunities for teachers, administrators, and all stakeholders.


One-to-One Institute Board of Directors

 

Dr. William A. Hamilton

President

 

Dr. Brian A. McNulty

Vice President

 

Dr. Eileen Lento

Secretary

 

Ms. Camille Jones

Treasurer

 

Mr. Matt Williams

Board Trustee


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