Why pay for software?

Most tech savvy schools understand that they need software to fully leverage (and thus justify the expense of) classroom laptops. Beyond MS Office, there are now LOTS of free Web 2.0 tools--my favorite being blogs, Google Docs, De.licio.us, and wikis. But what about software that is used during instruction that has an impact on teaching, feedback, material coverage, student achievement, retention...learning? Examples include SAS Curriculum Pathways, Atomic Learning, Plato Straight Curve, ANGEL Learning LMS, Waterford Early Learning, and DyKnow Vision/Monitor. The challenge is that many educators still expect this software to be free. Sure, I like free stuff, too, but often times the "solution" of open source software presents hidden costs, limited support, and difficult integration with existing infrastructure.

My view is that using technology with learning is a not a research project. Rather, it is a production-level, high stakes business that must work with consistency and efficiency. Buying licenses for any of the above commercial software only amounts to a paltry 2-7% of the cost of the laptop. This is clearly a good deal if you look at the financial commitment of the laptop itself. Yet this potentially invaluable instructional software still competes for funding with things like webcams or backpacks. Unfortunately, many schools still choose to allocate that last $40/machine to a branded laptop backpack instead of proven instructional software, and I'm not surprised when many of these students end up having very nice laptops that they use infrequently.

So why pay for software? To ensure reliability, high utilization of laptops, and meaningful learning outcomes. Education is not an experiment. Schools that invest a bit extra in the right tools can significantly increase their chance for success with technology and learning.

DyKnow and friends at NECC

A cadre of people from DyKnow will decend on San Antonio Jun 30-Jul 2 for the annual National Education Computing Conference. It is targeted at K12 tech decision makers and usually garners 12,000 people. However, I hear that attendance is down this year due to travel costs, but that just means the lucky folks who attend will get even more attention from us. :)

We are doing a couple things differently this year. We will not have a booth. Instead, we have rented out a meeting room with a partner and are bringing in several key customers to share their experiences using DyKnow software. I'm talking about everything from learning outcomes to classroom examples to network impact. I think it's always better for peers to hear from peers instead of vendor types, so I'm excited about this. You may see the schedule and sign up info here.

We will have a big presence with partner HP in their booth #8185, as well as involvement with a Tablet PC advocacy group called WIPTE. Check out this schedule for when you can use Tablet PCs in their lab and hear from other users.

DyKnow 5.1 is out!

Summer is here, and that means...software release time! I am very excited about our 5.1 upgrade that just came out, and I just have to do some shameless self-promotion.

The biggest change users will welcome in 5.1 is a drastically simpler UI designed after the ribbon bar from Microsoft. So instead of having 50 tiny icons littered on the toolbar, now we have only the most frequently used icons, and they are bigger and contain the name of the icon. Check it out:





Usability and adoption is our biggest focus for the product right now, and focus groups have really helped us get to this most recent usability innovation.

The other major feature is Audio Recorder. It is part of DyKnow Vision. It is so easy - no extra hardware or servers needed. The DyKnow teacher essentially talks into their Tablet or laptop (or external mic) during class and at the end of class uploads the audio to server. Students then download and sychronize the single Windows Media audio file with their DyKnow notes to replay the lecture. I use this during demonstrations and playback afterwards to make sure I didn't miss any follow-ups. This feature has been especially popular so far with foreign language teachers and HiEd faculty in general.

Full details of the 5.1 release are here. We welcome your comments.

Old school prof sees benefits of technology

This story from Campus Technology bucks the widely held belief that experienced teachers are against technology in the classroom. Virginia Tech professor Dr. Charles Bostian shares why in his own words.

Tablet PC Conference CFP Mar 14!

The Workshop on the Impact of Pen-based Technology on Education (WIPTE) will start accepting propoals March 14 for its fall 2008 event. I have attended the Purdue University-hosted event the past two years, and it has been the best single event to talk about Tablet PCs with educators. WIPTE has seen attendees representing 100 institutions from 5 countries covering 15 academic disciplines. Check out this info sheet for more reasons why you should send a proposal and attend.

Meet you at FETC

The New Year is here and that means...planning for FETC, among other things. Yes, it is 20 degrees here and I will soon have to suffer through a +60 degree change in Orlando. I bet Floridians like visitors because they are always in a good mood. You might see me in the HP booth #814 or buzzing around the exhibit floor talking with customers and partners. I am excited to give some hints about our upcoming release. The 5.1 upgrade is scheduled for GA in June, so January is a good time to get some informal feedback to compare to our alpha and beta testing. Drop me a line if you want to meet up!

Being a student in the 21st century

Students are multitasking. The lecture hall is passe. The world is getting flatter. A friend passed me a profound video on this topic.

State of PA laptops keep rolling out

The second wave of laptops and interactive whiteboards are being doled out in Pennsylvania as part of the governor's Classrooms for the Future program to put a laptop on every desk in state high schools. PA's program is the latest to give laptops to students following Maine, Michigan, and South Dakota.

The PA project started last year with these 79 high schools and now we are starting to hear some reactions from schools on how things are going.

First off, you probably know that each awarded school gets money to purchase some or all of the following products:

• Lenovo(R) ThinkPad(TM) laptops


• Software including Microsoft Office 2007, Inspiration, Adobe Creative Suite


• Futurekids, Inc. professional development and training


• Promethean or Polyvision interactive white boards


• D-Link access points


• HP multimedia printer and digital camera


• Canon video camera


• Bretford mobile laptop carts


• Epson projector


• Logitech webcam and speakers

There is potentially lots of great stuff here, but are schools being educated on how it all fits together? Not to point fingers at program organizers because this is a huge job, but I think they would agree that not all the equipment available is appropriate for every school. I personally believe that laptops are the ideal, but what if school network infrastructure isn't ready? Also, one school reminded me that interactive whiteboards can work against classroom laptops. Why? Well, an IWB is teacher-centric and laptops are student-centric. Other schools are going beyond the state grant and purchasing integrated PRS or "clickers" from the whiteboard companies, but I am afraid this will seal the fate of student laptops to be in a storage closet.

Of course I am biased toward screen-sharing or classroom management software, but I noticed that no software of this kind is included on the laptops. MS Office is required, Inspiration is ok for personal concept-mapping, what what about software that would give teacher and students a reason to use laptops interactively in the classroom? What about teachers who dread having to compete with students emailing or IM-ing? Sure, software like DyKnow is not magical but it sure can be relevant for both teacher and student in the laptop classroom.

One thing is for sure: there is much more to come from Classrooms for the Future and many lessons to learn, too! Stay tuned.

Intel does Academy Awards for schools

Congrats to the recipients of the Intel Schools of Distinction Awards. Since DyKnow was a sponsor of this year's awards for exemplary math and science education, I happen to know that our president was invited on stage to present this past week in D.C. I gotta tell you that I would have been nervous up there in a penguin suit reading from the teleprompter. However, when the champagne is gone and diamond purses put away, it comes down to these school leaders making things happen in a largely ordinary setting. Best of luck specifically to Conyers Middle School and Escalante Elementary as they start their DyKnow deployments.

New 1:1 in Wilson County, North Carolina

Congrats to Hunt High School and the press that just came out on their 1:1. story. Teachers sound pretty excited about using this mystery software:

“They can actually do assignments in class on the computer, and send it directly to my computer.

“It's going to make the class more interesting for the kids because they're going to be actively learning,” said Angie London, an English teacher.

Even with laptops at their fingertips, students can’t just randomly surf the internet or check email in the middle of class. Through a special program, teachers can keep a close eye on every computer screen.

“We have a program where we can look on our computers and see what's on all of their computers,” explained London. “We can look and say, ‘You’re supposed to be on this website, but you're checking your email.’ We can automatically lock their computers and send them a message, ‘Get back to work.’”

Ok, I give in: I am proud to say that they are using DyKnow software!

Rethinking projection in the classroom

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of basic classroom technology? A projector, of course. Any why? So all students can see digital content, of course. However, projection technology has evolved and I think schools should revisit their position on this topic.

From the hardware side, many projectors are now wireless-ready. Others allow the teacher to display any PC in the room. Others are integrated into interactive whiteboards (IWBs). And then there is the Tablet PC, because it, with a projector, is an alternative to an IWB.

What about software? In lab, cart, and 1:1 settings, there is software that can display the teacher screen on student PCs. This not only solves the problem of seeing content - it can also be more engaging. For example, DyKnow software delivers teacher content to student PCs for native annotation and the ability to return work. Many DyKnow customers have saved money by not purchasing projectors or IWBs.

Is there something affirming for a student to see his answer up on the "big screen?" Sure, if it is a good one. However, most students are mortified about having their work pulled up for fear that it will be wrong or simply that they will be singled out. Again, this could be another point for screen-casting software for labs, carts, or 1:1s.

Another thing to remember when considering projection is the type of pedagogy it reinforces. A projector or an IWB tends to promote a teacher-centric model that yields less interaction with students than recommended by modern learning research. I understand that a student-centric model sounds scary to many teachers, but it often produces more active learning. I will concede that having younger kids come up to an IWB to manipulate digital content (i.e. frog dissection) can be quite active and engaging, but I believe that this is not the typical usage of projection. However, I'm a bit skeptical that touching material in front of the class produces the best educational outcomes. Research does show that student PCs facilitate student-centric learning, but laptops aren't the only way. Active learning can also be accomplished through things like group work, Harkness Tables, debate, experiential learning, field research, etc.

A bare bones cost comparison:

• desktop PC + projector = $3,500
• IWB + desktop PC + projector = $6,000
• Tablet PC + projector = $4,500

At the end of the day, there certainly are applications for projectors in the modern classroom, but not every classroom. The debate will continue. For now, here are some good resources:

• http://schoolcomputing.wikia.com/wiki/Projectors
• http://schoolcomputing.wikia.com/wiki/Interactive_White_Boards

The best thing you can do for your 1:1 program

There are a lot of tips out there about how to implement a teacher and/or laptop program. Educating stakeholders, establishing time lines, setting up a WLAN...the list goes on. These things are good things, but there is one step a co-worker suggested that many schools brush over or even purposefully neglect. He believes--and I now agree--that a laptop program can rise or fall depending on this: a staff member dedicated to 1:1.

From a personnel perspective, many schools mistakenly believe that the "executive sponsor" who works to lobby for and approve a laptop mandate should be the same person to manage the day-to-day activity of the resulting project. In my experience, this is not a good recipe for success. Usually an [asst] principal, [asst] dean, or even director of technology gets the project approved but a person in any of these roles already has a full plate of other responsibilities. Focus is so important when implementing a 1:1 project. Administering a successful 1:1 encompasses many responsibilities, most of which are new to the school or department sponsoring the initiative:

• arranging visits to other 1:1 schools
• cultivating teacher buy-in
• negotiating the hardware package with vendors
• building the software image
• communicating to parents
• organizing and conducting initial PD/workshops
• meeting with individual teachers to start related tech projects
• setting up a help desk to fix laptops
• troubleshooting issues and corresponding with vendors
• interfacing with the network manager and/or database manager
• promoting the project to the media
• building and implementing an assessment/feedback rubric
• offering ongoing PD

Clearly there is enough here to warrant someone who is focused on carrying out the 1:1. I expect that the first thing most HR departments will want to do is put someone on the project part time. While not ideal, this is certainly a good step, especially if the role is designed intentionally. For example, you could take an experienced teacher, decrease his teaching load to one course, and put him on as "1:1 specialist" for the majority of his time.

From a financial perspective, schools can't afford NOT to budget for headcount to manage a laptop program. Most laptop or Tablet mandates I work with have 700-1,000 users, so a $1,000,000 price tag is not uncommon for starting a laptop program - and that's just the start-up cost. Spending big money to buy the laptops and hoping that the "tech folks" figure it out will likely result in big money down the drain. Hoping is not a good plan. Let me put it another way: if you had $1M in the stock market and you could ensure yourself a successful return by spending another 5% on an advisor, wouldn't you do it? The stakes are even higher in education because projects are usually deemed a success or a failure. A successful 1:1 reflects well on the school, administration, board, and community while a failed project makes all the stakeholders look silly.

Two of our 1:1 customers that are doing a good job are Duchesne Academy and Auburn City Schools. Duchesne is a private Catholic girls school in Houston, TX that has had a 1:1 for several years. Auburn is a public K12 system in Alabama that just started a 1:1 Tablet PC project in one high school. Both schools rolled out the laptops to teachers before students and both schools have former teachers managing the day-to-day of their 1:1. Each of these people works closely with his or her respective tech director and both have been intimately involved with their DyKnow software installations. Having a 1:1 specialist doesn't mean things won't go wrong, but if and when they do, schools like Duchesne and Auburn City are ready. We are proud to be associated with both schools and their successful 1:1s!

How to digitize your textbooks

The folks over at Student Tablet PC have a very detailed "how-to" for using Adobe Acrobat to scan and digitize texts in masse. This is a good read for schools with a 1:1 or hoping to go paperless.

DyKnow on Facebook

I just accidentally ran into a DyKnow group on Facebook. Nate just posted a fun video. Check it out!

VT update

Our customer care manager just shared an update on Virginia Tech's DyKnow/Tablet usage:

Tom Walker called and thought you all should know that they have 13 classes over 125 students each (one of which has 309 students). The professor of the co-taught 309 student class loves DyKnow so much that during a short trip to Portugal, he decided to use DyKnow + Skype to assist with the class from afar and had great success.

VT continues to lead with computing in the lecture hall. Let me know if you'd like to know more about the innovative pedagogies faculty are using to engage so many students.

Summer is for travel

My wife tells me that summer is for traveling, but she is a teacher. I think she is a biased. Work travel to Atlanta, Memphis, D.C., and Colorado Springs has been interspersed by personal trips to Alaska and the Smoky Mountains. Even though I value my time at home, this summer has reminded me that our great country has such diverse beauty.

Where have you been this summer?

Monitoring classroom PCs

As you may know, DyKnow develops a software solution for monitoring and controlling classroom PCs. This puts us in an interesting position as schools grapple with issues that classroom PCs can cause: distraction, cheating, cyberbullying, teacher frustration, etc.

I still believe that the best teachers find ways to engage their students through active learning and don't worry about competing with PCs. Regardless, looking up a quiz answer on the Web is quite tempting for many students. The thing that is frustrating to me is that even if there was a perfect tech solution to eliminate or curb negative outcomes, some school officials would not agree to use it. They know students need digital access (aka 21st century skills) yet they don't really want to install PCs for fear of what students will do. This has created a quickly-growing philosophical debate that K12 and HiEd officials see very differently.

K12 technologists generally believe that they have a right to monitor and control computers, regardless of computer ownership. I suppose this is justified by the age of the students and the fact that they are using school bandwidth, networking, etc. HiEd technologists, however, are in a much tougher position between frustrated faculty and adult students with a sense of entitlement. I have heard from administrators worried that students will rebel against faculty using classroom monitoring tools and create legal action over privacy. Other administrators say that their faculty want to ban classroom PCs because either they refuse to compete with email and IM or they just don't want to deal with students complaining about privacy.

One of our customers tackled this sensitive issue by holding a forum for students who felt that their privacy and rights were being compromised. He asked a student if a professor was allowed to walk through the classroom during an exam and look at what students were doing. The student quickly agreed that this was ok. The administrator then said that classroom monitoring software simply automates this process with classroom laptops. He continued by suggesting that students are custodians of knowledge, not university customers. That was a bold move! Really, though, this may be where HiEds differ: who is the university's customer? Is having a classroom laptop a privilege or a right for students?

My opinion is that even if a laptop is student-owned, he is still using school resources and until he can resist Googling answers [and respect his teachers], schools have the right to monitor and control PC activity in the classroom. Sure, college students pay for most everything, but if your goal as a student is to get a degree and a good education, why would you argue that it is your right to waste your dollars on surfing the Web at every possible moment, including during class?

The debate will go on. We would like your suggestions for how our software can help, so please contact DyKnow.

Summer conference craze!

Just coming off of WIPTE and the DyKnow UGM, I cannot believe that NECC is next week. As the biggest K12 ed tech conference in the world, this one always gets me excited. I expect to see many customers there. DyKnow staff will be doing presentations with HP, Gateway, Microsoft, and other partners. If you are interested in a free exhibit hall pass, let me know.

Just around the corner is Laptop Institute, a think-tank hosted by Lausanne Collegiate School that brings together over 500 attendees from around the world engaged in laptop/Tablet programs. This year will be my first visit to this event so I am expecting big things. I will be discussing teacher uses of DyKnow software as well as conducting several hands-on humanities classes in the Lenovo laptop lab. I am anxious to gauge attendees' views on new mobile devices like the UMPC.

User Group Meeting in review

Wow, the fourth annual DyKnow UGM exceeded expectations once again. Thanks to those customers who attended! There were several highlights for me:

Elizabeth Helfant from MICDS overcame stage fright to have one of the most interesting and useful presentations of the event. She talked about using DyKnow and Tablets to create Civil War presentations in 4th grade, to facilitate data collection in outdoor labs, and for distance teaching when teachers are sick. And they have only had the software for five months!

Jim Vanides from HP, Julia Williams from Rose-Hulman, and Terri Bonebright from DePauw led a rather lively session on assessment. The main problem discussed was the fact that most people want to see statistically significant grade/performance increases for teaching with technology vs. no technology...and this is nearly impossible to show. Perhaps this isn't the holy grail. Perhaps we cannot separate the teaching from the technology. Beyond measuring test scores, there are many other relevant assessments from tracking retention rates to leading focus groups to videotaping classroom instruction. Panelists agreed that the effective assessor must start with the end in mind because there are many different indicators of success that each require a different type of assessment. Grant makers are looking for very specific goals and corresponding assessments that support the goals. Jim stressed that assessors must get beyond the jargon of "engagement" and instead dig deeper and tell the story of how technology changed a facet of the teaching and learning environment.

Our friend Ben at TaylorU has already posted on what he learned from UGM. Customers can sign on and find out more on our community site. There are several posts in the forum and we will also be uploading mp3s or videos of many of the sessions.

Taylor School District a new ed tech leader

While deep state funding cutbacks cast a shadow over most Michigan schools, there is one bright spot that I am very excited about: Taylor School District. Now you may be thinking, "I have never heard of this district let alone anything about tech use." Maybe so, but new Director of Technology Scott Jacobs has other plans.

Jacobs and Deputy Superintendent Dr. Lynette Sutton are creatively using special ed monies to revolutionize English and math instruction across their district with Tablet PCs. About 10 mobile carts will be deployed throughout the middle schools and high school this fall. I believe that this represents the biggest commitment to Tablet PCs by a Michigan K12 district to date. But they aren't stopping with computers.

On the infrastructure side, Jacobs tells me that they are upgrading their Internet pipe to fiber, as well as ensuring that each cart has two commercial-grade APs. They are investing in training for teachers as well as centrally-managed classroom management and interaction software built for the 802.11x environment.

However, the main reason that I'm going to watch this one closely is due to Jacob's extensive experience in IT and in the classroom. As a former teacher, he has the unique ability to understand how technology is adopted by all types of teachers and students. Tablet PCs and Ink-enabled software show much promise in helping visual and tactile learners--many of whom are in special ed programs--succeed. I imagine that Jacobs is thinking through not only how this program will affect classroom instruction but also how it will promote parent participation or even distance learning (which Michigan students are required to do).

Look for more updates on Taylor's project this fall.