I got a preview of Lehmann’s remarks at the Special Interest Group Innovative Learning Technologies’ forum, “I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Innovation!.” He said technology should be like oxygen – ubiquitous, necessary and invisible. “You know you’re there when technology becomes invisible.”
Lehmann’s passion is palpable:
We’re not about raising test scores. We’re about raising kids.
And forget about waiting for Superman. Lehmann prefers to wait for the pizza deliveryman to feed the parents who come together on Saturdays to talk about teaching and learning.
Lehmann brought along a small group of SLA students, including Rashaun Williams.
Rashaun described Lehmann as his teacher and mentor. He’s applying the lessons he’s learning at SLA to the nonprofit organization he co-founded, Phresh Philadelphia:
Phresh Philadelphia is an organization focusing on making Philadelphia a better place to live. Our approach to making this dream a reality is through building a solid foundation in the Philadelphia communities by teaming up with local programs, volunteers, and city officials, ultimately to bring neighborhood plans of a Greater Philadelphia into action.
To get connected with Phresh Philadelphia, complete a short survey and as Rashaun says, make it happen.
I started out Day Two of the International Society for Technology in Education’s annual conference in the Exhibit Hall. Four hours later, I had visited less than half of the exhibitors.
I was a member of the coalition that advocated for affordable telecommunications and Internet access for schools and libraries, the E-Rate, in the Telecommunications Act of 1996.
In the era of Web 2.0, Internet access alone is not enough. I took this photo in the ISTE Press Room.
As I looked out over the Exhibit Hall, I got the blues knowing that classrooms with high concentrations of underserved students have access to few, if any, interactive tools and solutions.
This week, I am attending ISTE 2011, the world’s premier conference for education and technology.
As I watched this video at the kickoff celebration, I thought about how much I loved school and the teachers, particularly my 6th grade teacher Mrs. Williams, who unlocked my potential.
The walls of the classroom are coming down. Teachers have an obligation to help students see new possibilities.
Advocates similarly must help students unlock their potential. That’s why I am committed to producing an interactive video to promote STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) literacy among underrepresented students.
I go to a lot of hearings, policy briefings and summits on Capitol Hill. The information and ideas presented oftentimes feel like a scene from “Groundhog Day.”
Last night at Microsoft’s second annual Capitol Hill Family Game Night, I saw the future, Kinect Star Wars, which will be available Christmas 2011. No controller is required; instead, the lightsaber is wielded by facial and body recognition.
Fred Humphries is Vice President, U.S. Government Affairs, Microsoft.
Humphries said:
This is an exciting time for growth and innovation. Families and friends of all ages are embracing innovative technologies that change how we come together, play and experience entertainment. With Kinect, your voice and gestures put you in control, and you can share those experiences within your community and around the world.
Humphries underscored the importance of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) literacy:
We need talented people to continue to make these products.
Talented people like the members of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, the next generation of innovators. The young people have developed games for Xbox 360 using Kodu Game Lab. There were some technical difficulties so I wasn’t able to play their games.
Dan Rauzi, Senior Director of Technology Programs for Boys & Girls Clubs of America, observed:
It’s so important we provide our young people with real-world experiences that will help them build a great future. Through our partnership with Microsoft we are able to introduce our members to technology in a fun, meaningful way.
Indeed, game-based learning helps give STEM a much-needed makeover. So let the games begin.
At a time when our nation is committed to reclaiming its place as the world leader in higher education, we can no longer afford to ignore the plight of our young men of color. As long as educational opportunities are limited for some, we all suffer. We rise as one nation and we fall as one nation.
I’ll leave the endless talk of the challenges of black students who pitch a fit in the classroom to the “distinguished scholars, leading educators, policymakers and experts in the field.”
Instead, I want to introduce Ben Brown, an 11-year-old entrepreneur who pitched his mobile app at the recent Triangle Startup Weekend.
Instead, I took the ferry to Governors Island to explore the wonders of science with the next generation of inventors and innovators. As I walked around Governors Island, it was a pleasure to see the delight on their faces.
The World Science Festival is “designed to make the esoteric understandable and the familiar fascinating.” It is undeniable that African American children are fascinated with the esoteric. But that fascination fades by middle school. So educators, policymakers and advocates must reimagine STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) to restore its cool factor.
The Internet Generation is familiar with GoDaddy.com from its ubiquitous Super Bowl ads. It would be cool if students knew Go Daddy’s daddy is a black man, Emmit McHenry, the founder of Network Solutions, the go-to website for domain name registration in the 1990s.
Time magazine recently asked: The Future of Innovation: Can America Keep Pace?
We need innovation urgently. But if we are to get the U.S. back to work, we need perhaps even more urgently to rebuild American education, reform our training system, revive high-end manufacturing, focus on new growth industries and rebuild our infrastructure. In fact, finding new ways to do these old tasks might be the greatest and most important innovation of all.
Indeed, throwing money at the problem is not the solution. Education spending has doubled in the last decade. Meanwhile, the United States has fallen to 17th in science literacy and 25th in math literacy.
Studies show there is a link between performance on math and science assessment tests and economic growth. Given the changing demographics, it is an economic imperative that we encourage interest in STEM education among underrepresented students.
In a speech to the National Academy of Sciences in 2009, President Obama said “the progress and prosperity of future generations will depend on what we do now to educate the next generation.” He called on the National Academies to reimagine science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education:
I want us all to think about new and creative ways to engage young people in science and engineering, whether it’s science festivals, robotics competitions, fairs that encourage young people to create and build and invent -- to be makers of things, not just consumers of things.
Innovations and creativity in science, engineering, technology and math will be the drivers of tomorrow’s economy…And if you are not a participant at the frontier, you will trail behind it and possibly get left behind entirely.
Tyson observed that “math needs better marketing.”
Indeed, we must reimagine STEM education in order to stem the tide of joblessness in the African American community.
The Washington Post reports black joblessness is at a 40-year high:
The percentage of black men with jobs last month dropped to its lowest point in 40 years. The situation is worse for teens, worse again in the South and worst of all in late May as graduates swell the job market.
The result for black men ages 16 to 19 is a fate that now resembles a coin toss. Of those seeking work, 54.6 percent find jobs. More than 45 percent do not.
Consider: The academic achievement gap is well-documented. For background information, check out the report, “The Black-White Achievement Gap,” prepared by the Institute for Advanced Journalism Studies under the leadership of DeWayne Wickham.
Now consider this: The Pew Internet & American Life Project found there is no racial gap in the ownership of portable and console gaming devices. But few black students Americans know a black man, Jerry Lawson, developed the first video game console system. Or know that one of the top video game artists is a beautiful black woman, Lisette Titre.
To change the equation, education innovators should adopt culturally relevant web-based tools that will motivate black students and foster relationships with role models who can connect STEM literacy with their day-to-day lives and career opportunities.
Tyson told O’Brien:
The connection between STEM fields and the financial stability of the nation is what needs to be established. That connection somehow is broken and people don’t see it…You should value science, engineering, technology and math. If you do so, you get to innovate and invent new industries, new economies. If you invent new economies, everybody has jobs tomorrow.
