The Internet of Things

teach engage 21st-century learners technology

This PAGE One column features technology-in-the-classroom advice from tech-savvy Georgia educators.

Technology in the Classroom:

The Internet of Things: A Powerful Pathway to Personalized Learning

By Keith Osburn, Ph.D., CIO and Director of Special Programs for Jeff Davis County Schools

Keith Osburn, Ph.D., serves as chief information officer and director of Special Programs for Jeff Davis County Schools. He earned his bachelor’s in science education from Valdosta State University (1991), a master’s in instructional technology from Georgia Southern University (2001) and a doctorate in adult and career education at Valdosta State (2012). The 23-year public school educator, who grew up in Jeff Davis County, says that he was inspired in high school to pursue the profession as a result of exceptional educators, most notably his 11th-grade math teacher Leslie Mills, immediate past president of PAGE. Personalized learning is one of the ways in which the Internet of Things (IoT) is radically changing life as we know it. It describes the exchange and enhancement of data via the Internet. By developing a common framework, IMS Global Interoperability Standards enable software vendors to exchange information and thus lay the groundwork for a much higher level of interaction. The sum is greater than the parts.

Regarding personalized education, the root data are formative assessments that measure student understanding. Software such as Classworks, DIBELS or Scholastic Reading Inventory first measure student performance using universal screeners, benchmarks and diagnostics, such as Lexile levels. Secondly, software such as ExamView by Turning Technologies, analyzes the data to provide a real-time analysis of student comprehension. A third integrated software then offers up “smart” objects, such as video or audio clips, mini lessons or URLs, that facilitate meaningful instruction aligned with individual student needs. Safari Montage has a digital library capable of storing smart objects that teachers or curriculum specialists can incorporate into instructional design to construct standardsbased lessons. Other companies offering such tools include Discovery Education, Pearson

Consider a student who has just completed a benchmark assessment, the results of which are seamlessly passed to software that provides an immediate analysis in the form of a standards report. Another tool receives the data and then, based on the assessment results, suggests to the teacher a variety of digital resources that could help remediate or enrich the student’s learning.

Education and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Consider a student who has just completed a benchmark assessment, the results of which are seamlessly passed to software that provides an immediate analysis in the form of a standards report. Another tool receives the data and then, based on the assessment results, suggests to the teacher a variety of digital resources that could help remediate or enrich the student’s learning. This construction of prescriptive, personalized learning is already being used by my school district (Jeff Davis County Schools) and a growing number of others throughout the country.

Does your school or district have a pathway to personalized learning? If not, consider taking these steps to help your organization promote personalized learning:

1. Talk with your district’s technology leaders about drafting a softwareadoption procedure mandating that any software purchases embrace IMS Global Interoperability Standards, specifically Learning Tools Interoperability, Question and Test Interoperability and One Roster. 2. Ask your school or district leaders to consider becoming an IMS Global affiliate. 3. Research interoperability and visit neighboring school districts that are using such software. n

Amanda Miliner GSW M.Ed., Ed. S. 2015 Georgia Teacher of the Year

Wes Taylor GSW M.Ed. 2011 National HS Principal of the Year

The Choice for Leaders in Education

GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS

All programs are accredited by NCATE and meet PSC standards for certification.

Master of Education (M. Ed.)

Early Childhood Education Middle Grades Language Arts Middle Grades Mathematics Special Education

Education Specialist (Ed. S.)

Early Childhood Education Middle Grades Education For over a century, Georgia Southwestern State University has been providing quality education to classroom teachers and school administrators throughout the Southeast. This remains true today as more and more leading educators earn their graduate degrees each semester from GSW.

Southwestern’s commitment to quality and affordability is reflected in the School of Education’s rank as a “Top 5 Best Value” in Georgia by the National Council on Teacher Quality.

SCHOOL of EDUCATION gsw.edu/soe