Tweet this!

With all the "Race to the Top" coverage in the US media as of late, there's a resurging interest in using technology to enable breakthrough innovations in education. But let's make sure the national, state, and local district discussions get it right: If we want to positively impact student achievement through the effective use of technology, we have to ensure that the strategy, planning, and implementation begins with (learning) VERBS, not the (technology) NOUNS...

I first heard this described to me by Dan Gilbert, who at the time was working with faculty using Stanford's high-tech Wallenberg Hall experimental classrooms. It's only natural to get intrigued and excited about the gadgets, and as Dan pointed out to me, the IT department is typically focused on the NOUNS - the technology in the classroom. But he was quick to coach instructors that their focus needs to first be on the VERBS - what you, as the instructor, and your students as learners, need to be DOING. Once you define the verbs, the best (tech) nouns can be identified and deployed.

I blogged about this topic two years ago, but I think it's time to revisit the idea. Here's how I explain it:

At the bottom of the transformation continuum is the classic lecture, where the instructor talks and the students listen. With MS PowerPoint, the instructor now "talks and shows" slides while the students listen, watch, and transcribe. These verbs describe a scenario often referred to as "Death by PowerPoint" (there's a great stand-up comedy routine posted on YouTube that demonstrates some of the worse PowerPoint offenses).

Higher on the transformation continuum are more powerful learning verbs such as Debate, Compare, Discuss, and Create. These are only a few examples of learning verbs that lead to more powerful learning experiences that develop higher order thinking. I have more examples described in my presentation about the HP Innovations in Education initiative.

Once we know what verbs you're intending to activate in the classroom, then we can start talking about the technology nouns that will support these activities and experiences. For example, if you're pre-recording lectures so you can have more time for discussion and debate during class, you can choose from a wide variety of approaches for screen-cast recording using free webservices or high-end professional software like Camtasia. (Many thanks to Tami Brasst, @brasst on Twitter, for sharing a blog with links to 40 free screen capture tools).

I heard this important distinction between VERB-centric vs. NOUN-centric edtech planning again when I participated in the Leadership Retreat held last week at the University of Illinois at Chicago. During his keynote remarks, Marc Prensky talked specifically about education VERBS and technology NOUNS. He brought out another important point: While the technology nouns are ever changing and improving, the educational VERBS remain the same. Powerful learning VERBS do not go obsolete, so neither will your instructional plans designed around them.

Marc explains this much more eloquently in his blog posting, "Verbs vs. Nouns", where he says:

In teaching, our focus needs to be on the verbs, which don't change very much, and NOT on the nouns (i.e. the technologies) which change rapidly and which are only a means. For teachers to fixate on any particular noun as the "best" way (be it books or blogs, for example) is not good for our students, as new and better nouns will shortly emerge and will continue to emerge over the course of their lifetimes. Our teaching should instead focus on the verbs (i.e. skills) students need to master, making it clear to the students (and to the teachers) that there are many tools learners can use to practice and apply them....

This is exactly how successful technology-using educators I know are making a measurable improvement in their students' academic progress. Three cheers for powerful learning VERBS, and the technology NOUNS that enable them.

Jim Vanides, B.S.M.E, M.Ed.
Worldwide Education Programs
HP Global Social Investment
Hewlett-Packard
Twitter @jgvanides

For information about the HP Global Social Investments, visit www.hp.com/hpinfo/grants