Managing the Media-Rich Classroom

Managing Student Learning the Media-Rich Classroom in the 21st Century School

Professional Development by Susan Belgrad, Professor of Education
Consultant in Engaged Learning and Assessment

Already a decade into the new millennia and the preponderance of P-12 schools have yet to begin the critical shift toward creating classrooms that embody the principles for 21st century learning--core subjects; creativity and innovation; critical thinking and problem solving; communication and collaboration; information, media and technology skill; life and career skills. In other words, students must be continuously engaged in dealing with abstraction, experimentation, collaboration and information production. But even when private, public and charter schools equip their classrooms and centers with digital and media technology, the metaphors from 20th century learning (the factory and the assembly line creating widgets) continue to serve as barriers to optimal learning and achievement of the goals of 21st century learning in free societies.

Preparing students to become effective and ethical consumers and creators of information while also acquiring the character and virtues of life-long learners and productive citizens may continue to occupy a subordinate status to the outcomes of standardized testing of discrete skills in reading, writing and mathematics. But wise educators who are users of more and more media and digital devices in their classrooms recognize that technology is gradually transforming the landscape of how we truly develop the mind, skill, character and knowledge of students in P-16 schooling. "Smart" interactive whiteboards, IPAD--note pad individual computers, audio and video-recording media that promote podcasts and vodcasts as early as the lower elementary school years are just some of the emergent technologies that bring the potential for achieving the goals of schooling in democratic societies. An appropriate new metaphor for the 21st century school could be viewed as "the school as a ‘network’." Australian educator Steve Wison asserts that "the metaphor of the ‘network’ captures the complexity and context of contemporary schooling. ..builds upon and extends the current metaphors we employ to describe effective schools .....as ‘learning communities’. To become successful in living this metaphor however, it is important that educators become effective designers of ‘networks’ within classrooms, among teaching teams and throughout schools..

John Naisbitt forecasted over twenty years ago that the quality of learning (and working) while utilizing emerging technology would depend upon the metaphor of "high-tech; high touch." This becomes realized in technology-rich classrooms where formerly one-dimensional, teacher-directed lessons are turned upside down in order to promote active student engagement and production of learning outcomes that are both satisfying to students and measurable by educators and the assessment bodies that oversee them. Within the effective media-rich school, networks become the fundamental building blocks to community--within the classroom and throughout the school.

Managing student learning in the media-rich classroom, therefore, can be best achieved by balancing the potential of technology/communication tools such as Web 2.0, video, web design, podcasting, digital imaging, and blogs, with the human capacities, needs and dispositions of the students (integrated technology). By using the principles of cooperative learning, team building, class building and positive discipline, educators can successfully transform schools and classrooms from the individual competition and solo performance behaviors of the "school as a factory" to the school as a "community of learners."

The professional development series in managing the media-rich classroom provides teachers with tools and strategies to engage students in creating a community of learners who design and monitor the classroom technology rules that will guide their cyber-learning at the beginning of the year. Participants will learn how to utilize cooperative learning base groups, informal and formal task groups to promote positive interdependence, interaction, engagement and peer support.

Participants will learn how to determine the best match of technology uses with the grade level and curriculum in their school. They will learn how to balance technology with students' social interaction and opportunities for reflection and metacognition. They will be enabled to develop grade-level appropriate checklists for introducing students to the use of media devices and to create lessons that ensure that mixed media (Document cameras, Smartboards, netbooks, Ipads, and Web 2.0 tools) is managed in an integrated manner that clearly directs student attention. Promote authentic learning activities and lessons that engage students in cooperative learning and production of information in partners or teams; reduce competitive activity and maximize experimentation, creativity and collaboration.

These workshops place emphasis on the effective integration of technology and social media tools into subject-area curriculum.

Strategies for promoting collaborative student engagement in the production of podcasting, wikis,, video production (vodcasting) and team us of cutting-edge productivity tools will be included.

For information, contact Susan Belgrad susan.belgrad@csun.edu Telephone: 818-677-4901