Find out more about key findings and results from CTL's research in our September newsletter.

Developing a New National Educational Technology Plan

SRI International is supporting the U.S. Department of Education in developing a new National Educational Technology Plan to provide a vision for the use of information and communication technologies in transforming American education. In addition to coordinating the activities of a technical working group of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners developing a framework for the plan, SRI has launched an interactive website at www.edtechfuture.org to enable public participation and promote transparency in the plan development process.

The site leverages Web 2.0 technology to solicit recommendations for written resources, technology tools, and exemplary case studies in key focus areas identified by the working group. The public is invited to share ideas and rate and discuss others’ submissions, with the goal of drawing on the field’s collective expertise to identify particularly innovative contributions that can inform plan development. Learn more and participate in the National Educational Technology Plan.

Participate in the important
National Educational Technology Plan effort.

www.edtechfuture.org

Studying “Socially Centered” Designs in LIFE

How can we make sure that powerful designs for learning can be implemented in a wide range of classrooms? A team of SRI researchers led by Bill Penuel, Britte Cheng, and Christopher Harris are studying three cutting-edge designs for improving science learning as part of the Learning in Informal and Formal Environments (LIFE) Science of Learning Center. The designs, developed by researchers at Stanford and the University of Washington, leverage social interaction in the classroom to improve student learning in elementary science. “Studying the professional development and other supports needed to implement these designs is critical,” says CTL researcher Bill Penuel, “because we know that all too often, powerful designs can’t stand up to classroom realities. Implementation research can inform design by making new curricula more usable and useful to teachers.” Read more about the framework CTL researchers are using to study implementation.

Expanding the Scope of Implementation Research in Education to Inform Design

CTL Highlights:

• SRI-authored a report on online education featured in New York Times article, "Study Finds That Online Education Beats the Classroom."

• CTL launched the new SunBay Digital Math Pilot Project in Pinellas County, Florida. This project focuses on implementing effective mathematics resources in select middle school classrooms, and setting the direction of the future of middle school math education for Pinellas County.

• Watch CTL Researcher Bill Penuel discussing his recent article in Teachers College Record focused on using social network analysis to describe how the structure and dynamics of teacher professional communities affect the implementation of school reforms.

• A team combining the talents of CTL and Miguel Nussbaum and Susan Claro from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile received the CSCL Best Conference Paper award for their work on designing a handheld classroom tool for collaborative learning of important mathematics. Read the award winning paper.

Don't miss upcoming CTL Research Updates featuring Raising Readers!

Working with EDC, SRI is studying how public media materials might help preschool children from low-income backgrounds learn literacy skills and prepare for school success. In coming newsletters, read about the what we have learned from the project, Raising Readers.

SRI International (www.sri.com) is an independent, nonprofit research institute. The mission of SRI’s Center for Technology in Learning (CTL) is to improve learning and teaching through innovation and inquiry. Much of our work is conducted in educational settings such as classrooms, after-school programs, and teacher education programs. Visit ctl.sri.com.