Author: mthies

Article: Computer says no: New Jersey is using an algorithm to make bail recommendations

Computer says no: New Jersey is using an algorithm to make bail recommendations

By—February 24, 2017 4:21 PM

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March 07, 2017 at 08:53PM
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Greedy alogarithms already on my mind

I’m actually rather glad we have ‘come back’ to this topic at this stage in the course. It was in the very first week of our interaction that I relayed a story about my debate with colleagues over a wine bottle or two about the danger (in my opinion) of not fully evaluating the amount, kind and frequency of data collected through alogarithms about users of the web on a daily, hourly and, probably, minute by minute basis. My positions was that scheming and unscrupulous marketers and  peddlers of various wares were potentially using this freely provided data to manipulate our behaviors and seduce us, unwittingly, into buying more stuff. And this doesn’t even being to touch on the use of alogarithms by governments and their affiliated agencies to potentially keep watch over us and society in general.

However, this aside, I have recently become quite intrigued with the process behind the now very commonplace GPS and its ability to indicate and present traffic flows for road users who make use of them. The gargantuan flow of data and the persistent analysis of that data using alogarithms must certainly be fantastic to visualise f that were possible. I wonder what manner of alogarithm it could be and juts how quickly does it sort its was through such massive amounts of ever changing bits and bytes.

Sounds like a question to be answered this week….

Image result for google maps traffic flows

Article: A Pedagogical Shift Needed for Digital Success

A Pedagogical Shift Needed for Digital Success

In a previous post I discussed in detail strategies to help ensure the effective use of technology to improve learning outcomes. You don’t have to be a fan of technology, but you do need to understand that it’s a catalyst for some exciting pedagogical changes.  The purposeful use of technology can innovate assessment, transform time frames around learning, increase collaboration, enable learning about information and research thanks to unprecedented access, and provide a level of student ownership like never before. These are all outcomes that any educator would (or should) openly embrace. 


I get the fact that technology can increase engagement, but if that engagement does not lead to evidence of learning then what’s the point?  Like it or not, all educators are being held accountable in some form or another for improvement in learning outcomes that result in an increase in achievement.  This is why evidence of a return on instruction (ROI) when integrating technology is critical. Just using it to access information is also not a sound use. As teachers and administrators we must be more intentional when it comes to digital learning.  If the norm is surface-level integration that asks students to demonstrate knowledge and comprehension the most beneficial aspects of digital are missed. A recent article by Beth Holland for Edutopia reinforced many of my thoughts as of late on this topic. Below some words of caution from her:

 

Student agency is one of the most powerful improvements that technology can provide.  This is the ultimate goal in my opinion, but to begin to set the stage for consistent, effective use a uniform pedagogical shift has to be our focus when it comes to digital learning.  The Rigor Relevance Framework provides a solid lens to look at the learning tasks that students are engaged in and redesign them in ways that move away from telling us what they know and instead showing whether or not they actually understand.

This simple, yet powerful shift can be applied to all digital activities. Now I full understand there is a time and place for basic knowledge acquisition and recall, especially at elementary level. However, the goal should be an evolution in pedagogy, especially assessment, where students can demonstrate conceptual mastery in a variety of ways. Instead of using technology to ask students what the capitol is of a state or country ask them to create a brochure using a tool of their choice and explain why the capitol is located where it is.  When designing digital learning tasks think about how students can demonstrate understanding aligned to standards by:

  • Arguing  
  • Creating
  • Designing 
  • Inventing
  • Concluding
  • Predicting
  • Exploring
  • Planning
  • Rating
  • Justifying
  • Defending
  • Comparing

It is important to understand that the verbs above should apply to a range of innovative learning activities, not just those involving digital tools.  By moving away from the use of technology to support low-level learning tasks we can really begin to unleash it’s potential while providing students with greater relevance through authentic work.  This shift will take some time, but the ultimate learning payoff is well worth it. Below are some examples of how my teachers made this shift when I was the principal at New Milford High School:

Lend a critical lens to your digital learning activities to being to develop more activities where students demonstrate what they understand as opposed to what they just know. As pedagogy evolves in step with technology, a key to success will be to ensure that meaningful, high-level, and valuable learning results. 

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February 27, 2017 at 12:51PM
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