Biology Teachers Association of NJ President’s Message
Part 1 Bridging the Digital Divide 
Spring 2008

In the winter of 2007 I was invited to join the Education Sector of New Jersey Connected formed by New Jersey Network (NJN) Public Television & Radio.  On March 11, 2008 New Jersey Connected was to host Governor Corzine’s Statewide Broadband Summit- a multi-faceted technology conference where my eyes were focused on the implications to teachers in the classroom. 

My task was to find teachers who used technology to go beyond the walls of their classroom to showcase at the Summit. I was to become focused on technology, broadband, Facebook, Wiki’s, blogging, webcasts, webinars, and teleconferencing.  I found out about teachers who were running educational experiences from their classrooms in NJ with classrooms in Argentina, another who featured a twenty four hour classroom and others who used a robot that followed the school schedule of  hospitalized students so that these students could “attend class” during their medical confinements.  I was amazed! 

I knew that I had to share my experiences with you so that you could mull over how you could use technology or, better yet, share how you were already well into this “learning curve.” Through the NJN connection I got to meet some very fascinating individuals. 

The two individuals who profoundly affected my technological understanding during the Summit preparation meetings were Karen Archer Perry,(Electrical Engineering Cornell University), founder and principal consultant in Karacomm and Dr. Michael Searson, Executive Director for the Center for External Education and Development  at Kean University and is also co-director of Kean's PT3 (Preparing Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology) program, that enhance the technological background of all pre-service education majors at Kean before they venture into the field.

Karen and Mike introduced me to four WWW connections in an essay that they co-authored that I want to share with you.  Why? The answer is because in NJ utilizing technology has been identified as one of the key issues facing K-12 education, higher education and workforce development.  Look at your students and see the future workforce of science technicians, regenerative medicine researchers, pharmaceutical lab specialists and more in our “biotech oriented” state.  Their success in biology is your success and NJ’s success in our global economy. 

In a fabulous essay entitled Protocol of Inquiry, Our work in progress, Karen and Mike shared thoughts on a common theme: “a workforce and educational system that must find a way to move its citizens and students toward 21st century skills and literacies.”

If you haven’t read Thomas Friedman’s book, The World is Flat, then you can get the gist of his cogent message by listening to the Webcast.  (Keywords:  Thomas Friedman: Book Fest 05 Webcast Library of Congress) or Go to:  http://www.libraryofcongress.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=3796 
My whole view of education in today’s world was altered by this experience.  Friedman identifies the “merging of globalization and technology as key factors that will shape the 21st century and the role of the United States. Central to the U.S. preparing its citizenry to succeed in the developing global sphere will be how its educational system and workforce adjust to a rapidly changing world.”

Karen and Mike further elaborate that “A number of recent reports indicate that the current educational system and many in the workforce are ill prepared to develop students for the 21st century. To succeed we must use technology in innovative ways and develop "…a deep vein of creativity that is constantly renewing itself, and…a myriad of people who can imagine how people can

  • use things that have never been available before,
  • create ingenious marketing and sales campaigns,
  • write books,
  • build furniture,
  • make movies and
  • imagine new kinds of software that will capture people's imagination and become indispensable to millions."

Perhaps Time magazine put it most succinctly in a December 2006 article when it stated that we need to consider, "…how to bring our schools out of the 20th century [emphasis added].” As schools struggle to meet a number of content-based goals, they also need to consider ways to integrate and assess 21st century learning skills into their curriculum.”

I leave you with a question:  How are you integrating 21st century learning skills into your curriculum?

Is there any interest out there to have BTANJ plan to set up a workshop and or a wiki to help you start to become a “techno geek” if you haven’t already?  I await your feedback at bunny@btanj.org .

In the Extension of this President’s message I will take you blogging in a fishbowl (of sorts). 

Jump into the FISCHBOWL
An Extension of the President’s Message
Three more links to visit
Topic:  Enriching Educational Delivery and Content

Here is a site to visit, visit, visit and re-visit.  According to Karen Archer Perry and Mike Searson, “technology and broadband have revolutionized the way we shop, order services, communicate and get our news. But the use of these capabilities in education is still somewhat nascent. In order for our students to be prepared with globally competitive 21st century skills, educators need to move way beyond using PowerPoint presentations and assigning bits of Internet research.

Perhaps the need for changes in educational objectives and methods is best stated by Arapahoe High School teacher of Constructivist Thinking Karl Fisch in his blog, the “Fisch Bowl” http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/ from Saturday January 05, 2008 and his viral presentation “Did you know?/Shift Happens ” which can be viewed at http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2006/08/did-you-know.html .  

Move on to “What If?”  http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2006/09/what-if.html  and round your education with “180 days”  http://thefischbowl.blogspot.com/2007/04/180-days.html  or simply go to www.btanj.org and download each of these three powerpoint presentations.  They cannot but affect your current perspective especially if you have listened to the Thomas Friedman Webcast mentioned in my President’s Message first.  I shall await your feedback.  Write me back with your impressions at bunny@btanj.org.

       
WIRED site