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Seating arrangements in the future will be flexible so that they are appropriate for the task that students are working on, and there will also be more focus on the comfort of the students. This includes Standing desks for students who have difficulty maintaining focus while sitting and other accommodations for students who need more movement.

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Learning Environment-           Mark Jayne

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Learning Environment-           Mark Jayne

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What kind of learning environments do you think the next generation would learn best?
The next generation is motivated by rewards that are changed frequently to meet changing expectations and demands. They have more of a global and visual perspective. They crave regular and tech-enhanced learning opportunities while looking for opportunities that use visually enhanced methods of teaching. The next gen is high maintenance and wants high intensity in relationships with authority. Characteristics to consider in the learning environment include the students decide to pay attention within 8 seconds to learning materials. They crave simplicity and flexibility. Visuals and videos are the new norm. They need immediate response in feedback and answers to questions. They want bite size bits of info during communication.
-Dr Vickie Cook
UIllinois Springfield

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With technology constantly changing, it is hard to provide consistent professional development that will keep staff on their toes. The best way to get the most out of professional development is to make it meaningful to where the faculty can use it the next day.  Another tip is to provide resources on a website for the school and constantly update that website.  Even have the staff subscribe to get email updates or even provide input.
-Sarah McCafferty

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If you hadn't already noticed, education is in the midst of a turning point: Today's learning environment looks nothing like it did five years ago, and there's no doubt in my mind that it will look completely different in another five years.

Technology, of course, drives this ongoing transformation.

Expanding connectivity, the rise of one-to-one computing, new developments in personalized learning software and the adoption of hands-on classroom technologies provide students with new and exciting learning opportunities. Teachers benefit, too, as new innovations streamline their workloads, provide real-time insights into student performance and empower collaboration among educators - or at least that's what we'd like to think.

In many cases, students and teachers miss out on some of these important advantages. In the race to stay up to date on all the latest and greatest technologies, some school and district administrators forget two very important pieces of the puzzle: professional development and training.

The Problems with "Professional Development"

Educators put a lot of stock in, well, education. According to an infographic from Samsung Electronics America and market research giant GfK, 91 percent of teachers believe their success in the classroom depends heavily on having access to technology training. Unfortunately, 60 percent of teachers don't feel adequately prepared to integrate technology into their lessons.

The reasons behind these sentiments are probably a bit mixed. I imagine that, in some instances, the teachers surveyed wished they had more technical training on the features and functions of different applications and devices. That style of programming is often positioned as, and confused with, professional development - when in fact it simply addresses the "how" of using technology.

I also find it likely that most teachers who responded to the Samsung and GfK survey recognized the larger problem: Schools and districts often prioritize the basic training I just described and do not spend ample time explaining the implications for learning, or the "why" that is driving the educational technology rollout. This misstep can increase teacher resistance and negate the power of technology implementations.

How to Improve Outcomes

So what's the solution? Tom Daccord is the director and co-founder of EdTechTeacher, a professional development company he helped launch in 2008 dedicated to helping teachers effectively incorporate technology into the classroom. In an essay penned last September, Daccord suggests that technology-focused professional development must be built around a "meaningful pedagogical framework." He explains:

A defining trait of effective technology programs is a well-defined, actionable, and motivating vision of technology-aided teaching and learning. If teachers understand, accept, and embrace an educational goal, it can become a focal point for a change in practice.

Beyond defining teachers' learning goals at the start of each training program, schools and districts can research, vet and provide science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) lesson plans and other materials that give teachers a clear picture of how technology implementation might look. It shouldn't come as a surprise that 80 percent of the teachers surveyed by Samsung and GfK said they would appreciate having access to these sorts of ready-made lesson plans.

To account for the fact that each teacher absorbs information differently, schools and districts might want to consider providing a variety of professional development options, including in-person and online training programs, as well as just-in-time training videos and other on-demand resources. And because stand-alone programs simply can't have the same impact as ongoing education, administrators should offer continual professional development and training opportunities, even after a hardware or software rollout ends.

Finally, I suggest that schools set aside time during the strategic planning process to create attainable benchmarks for teachers. It is important to involve stakeholders in this discussion to gauge their needs related to both the "why" and the "how" of technology deployments. Doing so will not only improve grassroots acceptance throughout the process but also help ensure the sustainability of schools' curriculum and technology initiatives.
This article is part of the "Connect IT: Bridging the Gap Between Education and Technology" series. Please join the discussion on Twitter by using the #ConnectIT hashtag.

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Tips for Transforming Educational Technology through Professional Development and Training

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If you hadn't already noticed, education is in the midst of a turning point: Today's learning environment looks nothing like it did five years ago, and there's no doubt in my mind that it will look completely different in another five years. Technology, of course, drives this ongoing transformation.

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Adaptive learning is a new technology based tool that helps teachers to modify and assess based on different students' needs.  This tool is a mix of flipped learning and learning management.  Students are provided with personalized material based on previous assessments and adjusts that experience as they grow.
-Sarah McCafferty

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What is adaptive learning?

Adaptive learning is a computer-based and/or online educational system that modifies the presentation of material in response to student performance. Best-of-breed systems capture fine-grained data and use learning analytics to enable human tailoring of responses. The associated learning management systems (LMS) provide comprehensive administration, documentation, tracking and reporting progress, and user management.

What is Intelligent Adaptive Learning™? Unlike any other adaptive learning technology on the market today,the pioneering Intelligent Adaptive Learning™ of DreamBox Learning© platform adapts in real time to every interaction a student makes, both within and between lessons.

Read our white paper on the technology behind Intelligent Adaptive Learning™.

The history of adaptive learning platforms

Adaptive learning has been with us for a while, with its history of adaptive learning rooted in cognitive psychology, beginning with the work of behaviorist B.F. Skinner in the 1950s, and continuing through the artificial intelligence movement of the 1970s. Now, technologies once confined to research laboratories are being adopted by progressive industries, including online services that drive consumer sites like Amazon and Netflix to anticipate preferences, and forward-thinking organizations. As a proven learning modality, it's being used in many different environments to teach and train more effectively.

For example, adaptive learning technology is used by NASA for simulation training, safety models, and has been used in various branches of the U.S. military, including the Army Learning Concept 2015, that trains and educates soldiers for asymmetric warfare. Adaptive learning's greatest potential to help the greatest number of people is in in K-12 and higher education.

Read a Cheryl Lemke/ Metiri Group authored white paper about the most recent research into adaptive learning technology in 21st century education.

Read an extensive practice guide from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES)about Using Student Achievement Data to Support Instructional Decision Making.

Read about how the U.S. government and the Army Learning Concept 2015 is using adaptive learning in the Army because of its proven efficacy.

Adaptive learning in U.S. education

The U.S. Department of Education has a national technology plan (NETP) that endorses the use of technology, and adaptive learning in particular, for its ability to simultaneously teach and assess for continuous improvement. The use of adaptive learning is closely tied to the Race to the Top early learning reform initiative, alignment with Common Core State Standards, and to teach 21st century skills to increase U.S. student competitive advantage. One of the key benefits of adaptive learning is its ability to personalize learning. Take a look at the U.S. Department of Education technology plan (NETP)that endorses the use of data and devices to advance learning and achievement. Read recent Fraser Institute information about U.S. education policy and adaptive learning.

How adaptive learning technology personalizes learning

Advances in adaptive learning systems and platforms with their powerful feedback loops are used in blended learning environments for greater personalization. The ability for students to track their own learning means that they can develop valuable self-monitoring skills, and engage in their personal learning progress.

Learn more about recent Speak Up and Project Tomorrow research into adaptive learning and personalization.

Read more from EdSurge about how school districts including Baltimore County Public Schools are using adaptive technology.

Adaptive learning technology for math intervention

The same feedback that improves student learning success is also good for teachers. The ability to see current data allows teachers to understand each student's performance.

Using current data as part of Multi-Tiered Support Services (MTSS) and Response to Intervention (RTI) helps identify students who are not making adequate progress in the core curriculum and are at risk for poor learning outcomes. Armed with true understanding, teachers can provide interventions appropriate to the student's level of need and responsiveness.

Continuous formative assessments formed by adaptive learning systems throughout the learning process also help shape the process itself. Because every interaction is tracked in real-time, there is parallel insight into student strategies. Then, based on that insight, individual learning paths are dynamically created to guide the student to advance through the curriculum.

Read a DreamBox Learning white paper about adaptive learning and effective intervention

Evaluating adaptive learning systems and platforms

Many adaptive learning systems and platforms deliver textbook content at variable speeds, but don't have the ability to tailor learning and seamlessly provide assessment. As you consider various adaptive learning programs, keep these criteria in mind:

Many different curriculum sequences - When teachers or learning guardians work one-on-one with students, they are able to change the sequencing of a curriculum in a way that makes the student's learning experience most effective. It's important that whatever adaptive learning system you choose, it's able to accomplish the same feat.

Adjust to the pace of student learning - Research has shown that allowing students to work at their own optimal pace is an effective learning strategy. Students should progress through the system only after they have demonstrated mastery of the concept they are currently learning.

Take prior knowledge into account - Any adaptive learning program you choose should have the capability to target a student's starting point based on prior knowledge, and help that student make steady academic progress toward desired learning goals. This strategy prevents students who are struggling from becoming frustrated, and students who are gifted from becoming bored.

Strategies to increase student engagement - In a digital age when so many students are used to using technology in every aspect of their lives, gaming has been shown to be an important means of engaging students in learning. Adaptive learning programs that emulate strategy games help students see learning as something that is fun, not tedious.

Interactive support when problem solving - Rather than telling students what they should do next, it's important that the system emulates a live tutor, prompting students to rethink strategies that may not be working.

Customized presentation - Adaptive learning systems should customize the presentation of lessons to suit each individual student's needs. By constantly analyzing students' responses to and ways of thinking about problems, the presentation of new material is adapted to make sure it makes the most sense to that particular student.

Analysis of student solutions - An online learning platform that retrieves data based on student answers at the end of the lesson is not helpful for the student or the teacher. IALs interact with students as they solve problems, explore new concepts and make decisions, and they analyze the data in real-time to change their approach to instruction.

Intelligent adaptive learning technology in the classroom

Pedagogically and research-based intelligent adaptive learning technology accesses and stays in the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) for each learner. That means it provides the right next lesson at the right level of difficulty at the right time.

When work is easy, learners can do the work on their own without any help. It's in their "comfort zone." If all the work a learner is asked to do is always in the comfort zone, no real learning will take place and the learner will eventually lose interest. Conversely, when the work is too hard, the learner becomes frustrated and will likely give up.

The area between the comfort zone and the frustration zone is the one where true learning will take place - the optimal learning zone. It's the area where a learner will need some help or will need to work hard to understand a concept or complete a task.

By keeping the challenge appropriate, the learner is guided to be a mathematical 'doer' - someone who thinks and strategizes in ways they can apply in school and in their real life experience. This is optimal teaching and optimal learning.

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What is adaptive learning? Adaptive learning is a computer-based and/or online educational system that modifies the presentation of material in response to student performance. Best-of-breed systems capture fine-grained data and use learning analytics to enable human tailoring of responses. The...Read more ›

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Having a school-wide LMS makes connecting with students, parents, and other teachers so much more convenient for everyone! One place that students can find everything; a calendar of assignments, assessments, notes, videos. A strong LMS can replace the use of many apps that can cause log in fatigue. It is important to set faculty goals for how much the LMS is integrated into the classroom. This ensures that students are getting the same experience across the board. Time must be given to train teachers how to properly use this LMS.
-Rachel Robson

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Every student having their own device can make adding technology into the classroom so quick and easy! Chromebooks are compact, relatively inexpensive, and resilient even in a classroom with teenage boys. Keeping the same device for all students can help teachers quickly learn one type of device and more easily troubleshoot any tech issues.
-Rachel Robson

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360 Math Classroom is a room that includes white boards on all the walls.  It gives students a chance to work out math problems on a white board as teachers can look around the room at students' work.
By: Margo Laseak
Example of a teacher using 360 Classroom

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mr. oliver; math 360; desert heights preparatory academy

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What's it's like in Mr. Oliver's math class!

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Flexible seating is a way to give students alternative seating options instead of always the metal chairs.
By: Margo Laseak

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18 Flexible Seating Ideas for your Classroom!

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Ideas, lessons, products, crafts, and more for the kindergarten classroom!

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If funding is not an issue for our schools, then I would see our schools moving towards having a computer or tablet for every student. My school is a Google school and having personalized devices would streamline the process.
By: Nick Jones

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Makerspace classroom will start to be used in districts for students to be hands on learning. Students use this time to create, build, think, invent, and explore using different tools and materials.
By: Margo Laseak

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Makerspace at Michael Wallace Elementary School

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At Michael Wallace Elementary, many students in Grades 4, 5 and 6 are choosing to spend their lunch breaks inside the old portable classroom turned Makerspace. Lead by teacher and VP Suzanne McKenzie every lunch hour, you can find kids imagining, creating, coding, building, problem-solving, collaborating, connecting circuits and even making pigs fly!

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What ideas do you have for a classroom “utopia”?

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What ideas do you have for a classroom “utopia”?

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INCLUDE YOUR NAME
Share your thoughts!  Feel free to also add a picture or graphic if it helps to illustrate your ideas!