Pennsylvania Technology Inventory
Glossary
Have a term in the PATI survey you would like defined? Let us know.
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| Term |
Definition |
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21st Century Skills
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21st Century Skills are a set of literacies, habits of mind and personal qualities that students will need to have to be successful in a competitive global economy. These skills include such diverse elements as global awareness, self-directed behavior, scientific literacy and more.
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Blogs
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Web logs or "blogs" are web-based diaries that are written to express personal points of view.
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Digital learning objects
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Digital learning objects, often referred to as "applets" as they are small computer-based applications, are short computer programs that focus on a particular skill, usually through interaction or simulation.
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Electronic information sources
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The Web, ERIC, EBSCO. Searching for these efficiently, for example, by using “and” / “or” to narrow/expand a search, identifying synonyms or keywords
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Experiential learning
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Experiential learning refers to learning through activity and experience as opposed to learning simply through reading and listening.
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Formal online learning communities
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Groups of people with a common interest who use digital communications media to learn together and share their experiences within a formal, predetermined structure. |
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Informal online learning communities
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Groups of people with a common interest who use digital communications media to learn together and share their experiences within an informal environment.
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Integrated Learning Systems (ILS)
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Software systems that introduce students to content
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Interactive instruction
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Debates, brainstorming, think/pair/share, jigsaw, problem solving, conferencing, etc.
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Learning objects
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Small programs that allow students to explore very specific concepts and simple flash animations that help students learn
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Modeling software
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Software that allows users to create functional conceptual models of content being studied. In STELLA, for example, a student might create a model for a food chain that would demonstrate the impact of introducing a new predator on other organisms.
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Online collaborative projects
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Online projects that allow students and teacher to work collaboratively with others at remote sites that may be national or global in reference.
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Skill development/Exercise type work
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This work might include pages of math problems, writing a summary of a book just read, or answering a set of questions at the end of the chapter.
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Student developed/defined
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The student has created the task either independently or with facilitation/guidance from the teacher.
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Teacher developed/defined
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The teacher has created the task and students are told fairly explicitly what to do. This category could include: worksheets; essay questions; or PowerPoint presentations where the teacher gives the students a topic and outline.
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Technology Literacy
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Knowledge about what technology is, how it works, what purposes it can serve, and how it can be used efficiently and effectively to achieve specific goals. Students who are technologically literate demonstrate a sound conceptual understanding of the nature of technology system and view themselves and proficient in these systems; understand and model positive, ethical use of technology in both social and personal contexts; use a variety of technology tools in effective ways to increate creative productivity.
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Virtual Learning Opportunities
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Online courses, BlackBoard access or professional development offered through video-conferencing
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Virtual social networks
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Including Facebook-style sites; character sites such as Second Life; etc
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Work that results in a Complex Product
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This work would encompass complex projects or products such as a Ken Burns-style video on changes in youth culture over the last 50 years; creating a Web-based interactive presentation on the life in a local pond; or using geometry skills to design a high school of the future.
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