The 2016 CRDG Summer Programs featured an experimental course entitled, “Taste of Technology for the 21st Century.” This is the third year that Summer Programs offered this course. Taste of Tech is targeted towards students in grades 5–8, who are interested in emerging educational technology. This year 12 students participated in the course from various public and private schools.
The Taste of Tech students were immersed in a multi-platform experience using modern tablet technology and notebook computers. All of the class activities fostered creativity, innovation, critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration skills using Google Apps for Education. The course incorporated Future Ready themes such as 21st century skills, college and career readiness, and innovative/inspiring spaces are embedded into the course. The structure of the course examined technology by looking back at its history while exploring its current and future applications. Each week had a theme and multiple technologies were covered throughout the week.
Week 1 “Connected World. Connected Learning”
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Create Ethernet Cable Configure WIFI Router University of Hawai‘i – Information Technology Services Belkin Wemo Amazon Echo |
Week 2 “Convergence of digital and physical”
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Microsoft Hololens Oculus Rift Google Cardboard Theta S 360° Camera 3D Printing |
Week 3 “Computer Science”
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Code.org Sphero SPRK and BB-8 Raspberry Pi |
Week 4 “Design”
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Seaquence |
Week 5 “Information communication”
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Apple Keynote TEDx Style Presentation |
Taste of Technology for the 21st Century sought to increase students’ knowledge and abilities through the integration of the six International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) student standards into daily activities.
ISTE Standards
1. Creativity and innovation
2. Communication and collaboration
3. Research and information fluency
4. Critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making
5. Digital citizenship
6. Technology operations and concepts
The course incorporated the future ready themes of 21st century skills, college and career readiness, and innovative/inspiring spaces from the federal Department of Education – Office of Educational Technology’s Future Ready initiative (tech.ed.gov/futureready) to help prepare our students for a future in which many of them will end up in careers that have not been created yet! Each day, students were guided through the past and present of a particular technology. They then envisioned the future use of that technology and shared their ideas about potential careers and what skills and knowledge someone would need to know in that career with the class. Taste of Tech students were immersed in a multi-platform experience using modern tablet technology and notebook computers. All of the class activities fostered creativity, innovation, critical thinking, problem solving, communication, and collaboration skills using Google Apps for Education.
Lead instructor Matthew Baylor was assisted by Robert Nakama and Mark Yap, the principal investigator for the course. This year’s course featured a research component using John Keller’s Attention, Relevance, Confidence, and Satisfaction (ARCS) model of motivational design theories for affective domain research. The research was entitled “Student perceptions of emerging technologies in a summer course” (Protocol ID: 2016-30047), which utilized Google Forms to survey students on their thoughts about each week’s technology themes and activities.
Instructor Bios
Matthew Baylor has a wide variety of teaching experience. Over the last six years, he has been a substitute teacher for K–12 public schools, a robotics coach, a community service coordinator, and an International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge teacher. Having a background in IT and teaching at all grade levels, Matthew has been able to put into practice a variety of teaching strategies which involve technology and engaging learning environments. From Global Simulation Games where students participate as heads of state, to Knowledge Quest, where students become medieval heroes to learn algebra. As a current graduate student at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s Learning Design and Technology program, Matthew’s hope is to inspire creativity and curiosity in the pursuit of knowledge and 21st century skills in all of his students.
Robert Nakama has more than ten years of experience in both information technology and in education. He is an alumnus of our University Laboratory School and a graduate from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, with a bachelor in business administration degree in management information systems. As a former student assistant in IT and former instructor for a digital multimedia design course, he has helped to lead the way in bridging technology and education. Robert is known for his passion for finding solutions, and making it successful. His expertise extends the knowledge, and implementation of GAFE into the Chromebooks arena.
Mark Yap has over twenty years of experience in information technology (IT) and in video/multimedia production. He has a bachelor of arts in communications and a master’s in education in learning design and technology. is various roles over the years have included assistant teaching in multimedia for grade six students for seven summers, consulting on IT and audio visual needs, creating multimedia content for K–12, and bridging IT in a blended K–20 environment. Mark has been a part of a team that works with schools to go Google. He is currently the IT manager for the Curriculum Research & Development Group (CRDG) at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.