ISTE Journal #3: "How to do More with Less"

Pape, L., Sheehan, T., & Worrell, C, (2012). How to Do More with Less. Lessons from Online Learning. Learning and Leading with Technology. 39(6).

In the article, “How to do More with Less: Lessons from Online Learning,” (2012) authors Liz Pape, Tracy Sheehan, and Colleen Worrell, explain ways for educators to juggle the responsibilities of delivering digital-age instruction and incorporating more students with the limited resources available to educators in the times of budget crises (p.18). The authors recommend the following: “Make time” and “Free the resources, with multiple examples from real classrooms (pp. 18-22).

The authors’ recommendations were progressive in their capabilities to reach today’s learners. Recommendations included stretching the learning day to the home environment through video teacher demonstrations, using web tools to engage and give academic choices, and post assignments to allow for student organization (p. 19). Through blogs, students have the opportunity to use a different way of demonstrating mastery in an engaging way. Blogs are also used as a way for peers to engage in an academic dialogue through comments. Wikis “promote collaboration skills and creativity by enabling groups to work together and create and publish a work online (p.19). It allows them opportunities to be authors. Social bookmarking tools allow students to organize research and “share information, collaborate, and discuss” (p.20). Among the most useful are the tools for creative expression, such as Prezi, a PowerPoint-like tool with 3D capabilities, My Fake Wall, a fake Facebook for fictional or historic figures, and Fotobabble, a photo uploading website which includes dialoguing capabilities (p.20).

I agree that, in a time when budgets are tight, we need to look at what we can do. It is useless to say, “We do not have what we need,” because it will not solve the issue. Instead, educators need to be aware of what is out there that we can use and that others are using. I specifically like the example of “digital storytelling” in Jeanie Keyes-Plant’s class (p.20), in which students created their digital narratives including multimedia presentations. As a function of behavior, I know that giving choice to students, especially students with special needs, is a valuable tool in fostering success.

This article aligns with the NETS standards of “Facilitating Student Learning and Creativity” as well as “Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments.” I will absolutely follow up with the authors’ recommendations in my own classroom.