National Center for Information Technology in Education

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National Center for Information Technology in
Education
Affinity Learning An Introduction to NCITE

• Art Zygielbaum
• Roger Bruning
• September 6, 2001

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Agenda

• Education and technology
• An example Affinity Learning
• Introduction to NCITE and its history
• NCITE Organization
• Elements of NCITE
• Collaboration

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Knowing how to use content and technology
People commonly educate their children as they
build their houses, according to some plan they
think beautiful, without considering whether it
is suited to the purposes for which they are
designed
-- Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, Feb. 19, 1750
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Education is currently tied to a
turn-of-the-century factory model.
Information technology enables advancing from
that model.
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Technology is a part of a solution
I believe that the motion picture is destined to
revolutionize our educational system and that in
a few years it will supplant largely, if not
entirely, the use of text books.-- Thomas A.
Edison, 1922
Technology is not the whole solution
Denial aint just a river in Egypt-- Mark Twain
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Technology is a part of a solution

• Move toward interactive, dynamic media in
  education
• Inquiry-based learning
• Learner centered design Learner friendly and
  tailored to the style of the learner!
• Avoid the industrial lock-step now used to ease
  teaching and testing
• We sense that technology can make that happen
• It takes a team spanning research and practice to
  find out how
• Educators
• Technologists

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One ExampleAffinity Learning
Lets enable some technology-based learning
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Social Characterization
Learning Styles Learner Profiles
Knowledge Prerequisites
Content Assessment
Learning Style Assessment
Affinity Learning Environment Architecture
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Design Principles

• Adaptive instruction using technology to help
  students learn through real life problems, data,
  and examples of mathematical modeling
• Actively rather than passively involve students
  in deep conceptual questions
• Provide a resource to teachers and classrooms
• Enhance human interaction connections to peers
  and mentors
• Includes an ongoing assessment of student
  understanding
• Assist a systematic learning process based upon
  a students current level of understanding.
• Act as a non-threatening coach or assistant

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Fuzzy Nodes
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Knowledge Garden Framework

• Pick a topic to teach
• Develop the activity/assessment nodes as best you
  know
• Predict outcomes as best you understand
• As student uses the network of nodes, unexpected
  results can be expected
• Develop a new node to deal with the expected
  unexpected
• Add the node to the network
• Repeat
• In other words, seed the garden, then grow new
  elements as needed

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Mathematical Modeling Acceleration
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Network Sample
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So do it!

• Created web based presentation activities and
  assessments
• Basic structure and content Steve Hammersky (HS
  teacher)
• Educational rigor Neal Grandgenett (UNO)
• Instructional Design Char Hazzards (UNL)
  Instructional Designers
• Implementation NET Engineers Roger Feese
• Track the nodes visited, how long the student
  spends at any node
• See if learning is enhanced.or at least not hurt

Demonstration
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What do the students think about it?
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Students visit the nodes
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For some time
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For some time on the average
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Then we get a surprise
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Huh?
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The Eureka Moment
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Some people just get it.
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So what have we learned?

• We can build an expert assistant for educators
  that required simple technology
• We can help people learn
• We can watch people learn
• We have a lot of things to do
• Better assessment of learning progress
• Can early nodes forecast performance on later
  nodes?
• If so, can we tune the activities to fit the
  individual?
• This technology has promise

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So now where are we?
We have not succeeded in answering all of your
problems. The answers we have found only serve
to raise a whole set of new questions. In some
ways we feel we are as confused as ever, but we
believe we are confused on a higher level and
about more important things.
Omni Magazine, 1992
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Does it work?Responding to a need for research

• In a 1999 report, the National Research Council
  states "the complex world of education - unlike
  defense, health care, or industrial production -
  does not rest on a strong research base. In no
  other field is the research base so inadequate or
  so little used."
• In 1998, the National Science Board stated
  "systematic understanding of the social and
  cognitive complexity of computer-based learning
  is limited" and constrained by a lack of
  comparability between studies.

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National Center for Information Technology in
Education

• Teachers College and NET Collaboration
• Where, why, and how does educational technology
  apply to learning
• Basic research, applied research, technology
  transfer

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NCITE

• A national laboratory at the University of
  Nebraska performing research, technology transfer
  and training in educational technology
• Goals
• Conduct systematic programs of basic and applied
  research on using technology to improve student
  learning and assessment.
• Develop and adapt advanced technologies in
  partnership with education, technology, and
  business
• Bridge research and application through
  demonstration, dissemination, evaluation, and
  education.

What and How
Tools
People
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History

• Responds to challenge from Sen. Bob Kerrey in
  1994
• Many, many discussions/presentations by Rod
  Bates/Art Zygielbaum
• 1996 meeting with President L. Dennis Smith
• Large scale study, July 1999 revised December
  1999 building study August 2000
• NET/TC MOU for collaboration in RD, production,
  distribution, and personnel development signed
  October 2000
• TC brings research capability and educational
  expertise
• NET brings technical and production expertise,
  national collaborations and opportunities
• Agreement to jointly develop the NCITE concept
• Mellon Foundation Grant 350,000
• Federal funding earmark 2,721,000 (through
  efforts of Sen. Kerrey and President Smith)
• NCITE became a reality on July 1, 2001
• NCITE was officially approved by the Board of
  Regents on July 28, 2001

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Start-up Goals

• Put NCITE on the map
• Take steps to ensure respected, sustainable role
  in educational technology
• Establish educational, commercial, and government
  collaborations and contacts
• Create initial organization, governance, and
  staffing

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Start-up Conditions

• Budget
• Federal Funds
• Department of Education 2.721 million (over 3
  years)
• Private Funds
• Mellon Foundation 350,000 (over 3 years)
• Faculty line in-kind
• Teachers College 1.5 FTE
• Computer Science yes level being discussed
• Leverage existing programs as part of NCITE
  start-up
• Examples
• Educational technology doctoral program
• Center for Instructional Innovation
• Temporary facilities requiring minimal renovation

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Initial Organization

• Governing Board
• Co-chaired by NET Director Rod Bates and Dean Jim
  OHanlon
• National Advisory Board
• Chaired by University of Nebraska President L.
  Dennis Smith
• Operating organization
• Founding Co-directors
• Education Roger Bruning
• Technology Art Zygielbaum
• Planning Team
• 12 members from UNL colleges, other NU campuses,
  NET, NDE
• Staffing
• Find people who will
• Refine NCITE vision
• Garner funding and support
• Provide formative evaluation
• Extend organizational participation

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Education RD Track

• Conduct basic and applied research on
  technology-mediated learning
• Establish a sustainable program
• Activities
• Seed Grants
• Possible Projects
• Develop rules, tools, methods for a public
  broadcast learning portal
• Develop technology-based learning tools
• Create assessment tools and strategies
• Form a team of nationally recognized researchers
• Participate in technical and educational
  standards setting organizations

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Technology Development Track

• Develop, test, certify and disseminate effective
  educational technology software
• Establish sustainable program
• Activities
• Seed grants
• Enhance tools developed under projects like CLASS
• Create implementation path through Blackboard,
  WebCT, leading to integrated interactive
  environments
• Integrate SCORM-based tools and methods
• Create structure for public broadcasting learning
  portal in cooperation with NET, TC, and other
  partners
• Develop software tools for school learning
  management system

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Service Track

• In cooperation with
• NUs education colleges develop improved
  technology education and certification courses
• Computer Science and Engineering and with
  education colleges, develop a specialty in
  development of educational technology
• K-12 and higher education facilitate technology
  application expertise through active
  collaborative inquiry
• Provide fee-based services Product and program
  review, evaluation, and assessment
• Create a sustainable program
• Activities
• Help NUs education colleges develop future
  educational technology researchers, leaders and
  developers
• Assist other educational entities in the
  development and application of educational
  technology
• Work with CSE to create a specialization in
  educational technology software engineering
• Evaluate and certify commercial products

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Other Activities

• Marketing and Program Development
• Help NCITE become and remain sustainable
• Aid in proposal development and submission
• Advise on economic feasibility and
  appropriateness of projects, programs, and
  products
• Identify and assess potential clients, markets,
  and opportunities
• Investigate and promote potential collaborations
• Facilitate distribution of NCITE products and
  services

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Research Opportunities and Proclivities

• Seed Grants
• 75K - 100K per year set aside
• Grants will most likely be 15 to 30K
• Selected based on probability of outside funding
  and relevance to NCITE
• Affinity Learning
• Wireless Palm Pilot proposal
• Real-time downloading exercises to student PDAs
• Students perform exercise, results uploaded to
  teachers computer
• Result real-time feedback on learning
• Wide Area Classroom WAC
• Research into the role of human teachers/coaches
  in computer-based learning
• At the current state of technology, having humans
  in the loop is vital

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Collaboration

• NCITE brings together researchers and
  practitioners to appropriately and effectively
  apply technology to learning.
• Possibilities for collaboration
• Joint proposals and projects
• Faculty affiliation
• Seed grants
• Seminars with discipline leaders
• Research linkages and support
• Research resources and infrastructure
• Publication and dissemination

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www.ncite.org