An undercover case study across different public schools reaveals why technology is failing. After our observations, we concluded that technology is failing primarily because: inattention to results and avoidance of accountability. To our surprise money is not the problem. We are including some ideas on how to improve academic achievement through technology. Your comments and ideas may help schools better serve their students.

1. 20 20
Learning
A strategic plan
to achieve our
VISION
Goal:
Improve academic achievement
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2. ―In public schools, there is nothing more
challenging, more perilous to achieve,
than to take the lead in the introduction of
new ideas for educational reform.
However, when we fail to meet the needs
of our children and fail to bring results, not
taking any action would be irresponsible.‖
Jorge Madrid

3. What’s essential for today’s technology programs?
Everywhere you look, there’s talk about the economy. While we don’t
know what’s ahead, we can guess that school districts will be dealing
with tighter budgets soon. Will technology programs feel the impact?
Planning in times of tight budgets is challenging, and to weather bad
times, districts need a strategy for choosing everything from systems to
hardware, software, professional development and other essentials.
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4. A fourth-grader today doesn't need intimate knowledge of
Microsoft's latest browser in order to succeed later in life. Kids
need to learn how to add, subtract, multiply and divide. They need
to know how to read and write. To be responsible citizens, they
―Despite millions and millions of need to know the basic facts of U.S. history and understand the
dollars spent on new learning ideals that inform our republic. They need to know how to learn.
And they need motivated, competent teachers. That's it.
technology, schools had not achieved
James Firedman 09/10/99-© Copyright 2002 USA TODAY
real improvements in teacher
productivity or student achievement .‖
February 28, 1994
The public has not seen much of a return on the federal
government's investments of millions of dollars in grants to
states and school districts for educational technology. [Education
Week, April 10, 2007]
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5. Technology has greatly changed our
society, culture, and workforce, but
surprisingly has had minimal impact
on K-12 education . . .
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6. Even with increased access to technology,
students in low-income schools performed
substantially below average on recent
assessments.
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7. Why haven’t computers reduced
achievement gaps between
students? Perhaps the answer to this
question is few clicks away. . .
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8. Problems:
Many schools today still reflect their Industrial Age origins with
rigid schedules, inflexible facilities, and fixed boundaries
between grades, disciplines, classrooms, and functional roles.
Twenty-first century learning cannot fully flower when
embedded in a rigid 19th century calendar.
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9. Facts:
•Despite millions and millions of dollars spent on new learning
technology, schools had not achieved real improvements in
teacher productivity or student achievement.
• Many Public Schools have been label as underperforming
and now they are facing Corrective Action.
• We are leaving Children Behind
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10. Have these schools been wired for failure or
improvement?
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11. =
Is chalk as effective as computers?
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12. www.edutechnia.org

13. Reality Check
Cutting the wires may not be a wise move. . . But when
parents (taxpayers or owners) don’t see results in their
investment, something wiser make happen.
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14. Choose the best answer:
1) Why has technology failed in schools?
A) Failing to make optimal use of technology
B) No appropriate objectives and goals for its use
C) Lack of training
D) We don’t realize its potential
E) All of the above
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15. Answer: E) All of the above
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16. In his inaugural address President Barak Obama warned about the need to cut programs.
―Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of
some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new
age. . . Our schools fail too many. We will transform our schools and colleges and
universities to meet the demands of a new age. Those who manage the public's dollars will
be held to account — to spend wisely. All this we can do. And all this we will do.‖
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17. The implementation of any technology in schools
should address, first and foremost, the priorities and
needs of our students. Unfortunately, we have
deviated from this principle and as long as we continue
to do so, we will never bridge the gap.
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18. ―The first rule of any technology used in a business is that
automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify
the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to
an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.‖
Bill Gates
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19. When students lack the academic language to meet any
standards, applying technology ineffectively will ONLY
magnify their inefficiencies.
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20. The rationale of technology in Public School
• The primary goal of technology in schools is to improve academics
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21. Rationale:
Technology is the application of tools
to solve problems that extend
human potential for the benefit of
society.
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22. Rationale:
Technology should be a tool to
help educators meet the
educational needs of all children.
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23. The goal of the technology standards is to
help students live, learn and work
successfully and responsibly in an
increasingly complex, technology-driven
society.
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24. quot;If we are serious about school
improvement, and indeed, the overall
educational performance of our
students, we must learn to apply
technology effectively. . .
As in any professional field, we must
take into account our demographics,
the nature and culture of the classroom.
But, most importantly the priorities and
needs of our children‖

25. Research has shown that if technology is used in an active and engaging student-centered
environment within high poverty schools, it can have a positive impact on the nature and culture
of the classroom (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 1999; Bruner, 1996; Cradler, McNabb, &
Burchett, 2002).
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26. Our technology should address activities to improve literacy and develop academic
language for ELL students particularly the building blocks of reading:
• phonemic awareness
• phonics
• comprehension
• fluency
• vocabulary
• writing
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27. Action Plan
• Modify current schedule to allow a systemic change
• Leverage the power of technology and resources
• Implement the 20/20 Learning
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28. What is the 20/20 Learning?
• Is an strategy to leverage the power of technology and library resources
• Evaluates the Needs + Resources + Time and maximizes them to improve
results
• 20/20 is adding 20 minutes of Educational technology and 20 minutes of Library time
for 1st through 8th. Graders.
• These additional 20 minutes of library will be used exclusively to check out books.
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29. The strategies and activities in the computer lab during 20/20-ITS will include
but are not limited to:
• ReTeach,
• Challenge
• Remediation and
• Language acquisition
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30. In medical terms 20/20 is a measurement that states a perfect vision.
20/20 Learning is a school-based strategy focusing on teaching and learning
using current school resources and technologies.
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31. In mathematical terms 20/20 is equal to a whole. Therefore, the
implementation of the 20/20 Learning will be equal to ONE new
resource position.

32. Learning environments need to move away from a model in
which schools mimic factories with their fixed structures,
inflexible schedules, and various barriers designed for uniformity
as both a means and an end. Instead, education systems should
embrace the concept of quot;whole environments for the whole
child.quot;

33. 20/20 Learning is the result of an analysis for more than five
years in a underperforming school. We evaluated the
component parts of the whole and their relations in making up
the whole. Our findings were that the conditions and the
structures do not exist for a cohesive technology plan to
succeed. The application of technology dysfunctions because
we do not share a common and cohesive vision.
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34. •
•
•
•
•
•
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35. Continue
• While technology has made considerable strides in the
business world, it is not clear whether the impact of this
evolution has been felt or understood by the educational
decision makers.
• Unless there can be an awakening of the true role of
technology in the minds of the decision makers, there will
not be any shift in student achievement. Instead there will
be new wine in old bottles
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36. For technology to be effective, truly cohesive teams is a must:
1. trust one another
2. engage in unfiltered conflict around ideas
3. commit to decisions and plans of actions
4. hold one another accountable for delivering against those plans
5. focus on the achievement of collective results

37. 20/20 Learning Community
Students
A 20/20 learning community shares
common values and beliefs, and it’s
actively engaged in learning together
Curriculum
from each other.
Staff
Library
20/20
Resources/
In a 20/20 Learning community, a
Time
Learning shared vision is created, embraced and
Community understood to solve their problems using
technology.
The goal is to create the necessary
structures and conditions that will ensure
Parents
Technology
time, space and resources are made
available.
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38. In a learning community, these five elements are interconnected and
interdependent similar to the Yin and Yang Chinese philosophy.
Students
Curriculum
Staff
and Library
=
Resources
Technology Parents
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39. After a thorough analysis of the Needs + Resources + Time (schedule)
We can create something Greater that the Sum of its Parts.
Conclusion: 20/20 is equal to a whole learning community.
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
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40. The 20/20 Learning is an strategy to improve academics and a
modification of the current schedule to allow systematic change.
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41. 20/20 Learning is aligned and complies with the 5
priorities recommended by the Solutions Team for
school improvement.
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42. Conclusion:
Critical-thinking skills, problem-solving, and decision-making are necessary to
create new knowledge. To effectively engage our students in the learning process,
we must:
• use technology to access primary sources
• expose our students to a variety of perspectives
• enhance the overall learning experience through:
• multimedia
• simulations
• interactive software and
• library resources
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43. 20/20
• 20/20 Learning is a school based strategy focusing on teaching and learning
using current school resources. 20/20 Learning is about differentiating
instruction through technology.
• During 20/20 Learning, computers are used to tailor instruction to meet the
needs of individual students. 20/20 Learning provides a variety of ways for
individual students to take in new information, assimilate it, and demonstrate
what they have learned. 20/20 is about ReTeaching, challenging, and engaging
students
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44. Recommendations:
• Flexible, shared, and sustainable learning spaces
• Flexibility in time and schedules, including the length of class periods
and seat time
• Full access to digital tools and media resources
• Expanded teacher and student support for technology use; and
• A reconsideration of what makes a community of learners, including
learning communities for education professionals.
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45. During 20/20 Learning students will be using engaging technologies in
collaborative, inquiry –based learning environments to transform
knowledge and skills into products, solutions and new information.
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46. By: Jorge Madrid
M.S. Educational Technology
Phoenix, AZ
jamadrid@yahoo.com
This presentation is dedicated
to all my students.
Mr. Madrid is a school teacher,
entrepreneur and founder of
EduTechNia a 501 c 3 nonprofit
educational organization.
One of our goals is to improve learning
through technology.
To learn more visit us at:
www.edutechnia.org