Although there were a smaller number of participants this week as participants were on a well-deserved vacation, the conversation was active and engaging. Diana Nunnaley opened the discussion with a blog post outlining a few of the structures needed for high capacity data use, the most important being human structures (teams of teachers). In addition, there’s a strong need for a “structured process” for analyzing data. Questions she led with dealt with the biggest challenges and successes to building the human capacity for analyzing data, structures of data teams, and what the processes and protocols are for analyzing data at participants’ schools.
The conversation began there and then broadened into other avenues of the topic.
Human structures:
- Teachers need to participate in the analysis of data, not just receive the findings. Deep content and pedagogical experience great for quick analysis of students’ knowledge
- Students should also be receiving appropriate forms of feedback and have access to some data, in addition to the teachers
- Administrators’ support: THE most critical aspect of effective data use and needed for ongoing data analysis
- “Time is essential”: One participant’s schools spends staff days from Sept to Nov. reviewing state data
- Needs assessment for curriculum, instructional, student needs
- Modeling
- Universal screeners and progress monitoring
- RTI teams look to guidance from school psychologist
- A good LMS is essential. Data needs to be “social.”
- Students work with Title 1 tutors in small groups
- Resources:
- Case studies of TERC schools using data: http://ow.ly/42HpJ
- Building Trust Through Data: http://ow.ly/42G4F
Catalysts for getting the processes going?
- Common vision
- Buy-in from admin and staff
- Needed to help people see the value of data to decision making.
- Class for teachers on developing a digital Professional Learning Network – on Twitter!
- Adaptive assessments – will they help students’ motivation?
- Formative, Summative, Benchmark Assessments – understand the differences
- Assessment Resources:
- Attributes of Formative Assessments from CCSSO: http://bit.ly/e0r93t
- REL-NEI Reference Desk response: http://bit.ly/g0PRf1
- National Ed Tech Plan - Assessment Section: http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010
Establishing a Vision for Data Use in a District or School: February 18-22
As we moved into the content portion of our learning experience, we were still working out some of the technological logical kinks that are to be expected with a course conducted entirely in an online environment. That said, over these five days it was evident that our group was becoming more comfortable with Twitter as a medium for dialogue, and began to see glimpses of its potential for as a venue for a professional learning community.
In kicking off the discussion, Ellen asked the group if they had a particular vision for data, and, if so, whether this vision was explicit. She also wondered what might be included in a vision for effective data use. Our group had a number of thoughtful Ellen's prompt.
On what a vision for data should include:
- Professional development and data management system
- Culture of collaboration where teachers can regularly
- Time for adequate analysis and reviewing
- Clearly articulated ends
- Modeling can make buy-in significantly easier
- Focus on contextual and local data
- Important to be mindful of difference between "data-driven" and "data-informed"
- How and when will teachers use it?
- Will it be implemented systematically?
- Is there a general agreement of vision and implementation among key players?
- Time, staffing, and training are key challenges to implementation
- Must be a system (i.e., an LMS) that will allow for gathering and analysis to happen quickly and easily
- Challenge for teachers to get administrators to take "soft" (not easily quantifiable) data seriously
- Can be presented as a method of identifying potential mentors
- Setting up small data teams with an "expert" can lend structure
- Vision from the top can make a huge difference
- It's critical to know the question in order to identify the data that you need
- External accountability
- School-level internal decision-making
- Teacher-led instructional development
- Personalized instruction
- One course participant noted that data use in their district comes with significant professional development
- This participant also noted that their K-5 had analyzed the data, but they had no idea what to do with it from there
- Another participant's organization uses a four phase dialog process to dig into each aspect of the data
- One participant noted that while they didn't have an explicit vision, they have provided PD time in order to help teachers understand the importance of data use
- "Soft" data might be relied upon too often when people don't necessarily like what the "hard" data is showing (should be used in a complementary manner).
- It would really be nice to be able to hire a data specialist!
The Policy Governance Model
Is Google Making Us Stupid?
Data-Driven and Off Course
VT Frontier Blog
Great work, everyone! As Kirsten noted below, and I'd just reiterate:
- Don't forget to "follow" your colleagues to see the group conversation. Click the "Follow" button for each person at: http://bit.ly/ejOGOd%20
- Remember to include our hashtag at the end of all tweets: #edcmdata
Getting Started: February 14 - 17
Our Mobile Professional Development Course, Using Data to Inform Learning, kicked off on Valentine’s Day (we must all have a particular affection for our work or at least our mobile devices) with 14 participants and six facilitators. It is clear from the registration process and the initial tweets, that as a group we are interested in the following:
• Meeting new people
• Learning about interesting things
• Exploring how we use data to inform learning and instruction
• Taking part in an interesting experiment using mobile devices and Twitter
• Determining if we can engage in PD via mobile devices
• Can we have deep dialogue via tweets (140 character limit)?
• Seeing if there is a common definition of a “mobile device”
We’ve been using our blog http://mobilepd.blogspot.com/ as a landing spot for thoughtful posts/questions by the facilitators, who then tweet a key question or two to begin the conversation. From there, as a group we have been getting up to speed on using our mobile devices to share ideas and resources with each other.
Chris Dede started us off with two questions, and I’ve listed the key responses (by theme, not by person) under each:
Which opportunities mobile learning can provide are most interesting to you?
• Limited time (this is an opportunity because it allows us to learn when we can)
• Being able to follow a conversation/contribute as it happens
• Accessing information in a way we never considered
• Flexible (re time and space) way to receive professional development
Which initial barriers are most problematic, given your situation?
• Getting used to our phones/mobile devices
• Small text/screen size on phones
• Too much access: why use phone when computer is available and easier?
• Staff feeling like we are asking them to do “one more thing”
• Twitter is confusing, this format feels counter-intuitive
• Web filters that block OS and app Accessories
We had an interesting conversation around whether the 140 character limit imposed by Twitter would allow for meaningful dialogue. Chris wondered if we could effectively condense our thoughts or if the format was too simplistic. Several people noted that initially, they doubted depth of conversation could occur but after some experience have found they learn a lot. Others said it forces us to be concise, which is a blessing (think beauracratic meetings be gone). Some of us wondered about being “present” in the conversation when we’re trying to keep up with Twitter between meetings, and others expressed general frustration with what felt like a disjointed/counterintuitive process for conversation and learning. Still, there was nice conversation around how quick chunks of information and ideas can lead to connections and reflection. One person tweeted, “We "learn" by consuming lots of small pieces of information throughout the day, but long-term gains come from reflection.”
As one who values the learning community aspect of online professional development, perhaps the most heartening outcome of this early conversation was some fun community-building evidence in Chris’s quip that perhaps we should tweet in haikus to make things interesting. Almost immediately, Ned responded in perfect 5-7-5, “the I-pad is sleek: the I-phone is quite unique: so go be a geek!”
Before this “summary” becomes a novel, let me end by saying we’re off and running! We’re tweeting, we’re sharing resources, answering each other’s questions and even being funny. Keep the questions coming and don’t be afraid to tweet what’s hard or frustrating. Alex is updating the blog with answers to Twitter questions, and we’re trying to reach you by email as well. Let me end with two tips (via Alex):
- Don't forget to "follow" your colleagues to see the group conversation. Click the "Follow" button for each person at: http://bit.ly/ejOGOd%20
- Remember to include our hashtag at the end of all tweets: #edcmdata
