Question:
How is a KITE case different from other technology integration
cases?
Answer:
Answer: Many other technology integration cases are displayed
as a story, rewritten by an outside observer who tells a story
of the experience. KITE technology integration cases are transcribed
interviews that describe, in the storyteller's own words,
the experiences. While this may not seem to be a significant
difference, it is the difference between reading about someone's
experiences in a book and talking to a colleague who has actually
participated in the experience. |
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Question:
How is KITE different from other technology integration
case libraries?
Answer:
The KITE case library has a very different search mechanism
for retrieving cases from the library. The search engine
utilizes Case-based Reasoning (CBR) that allows for more
flexibility in selecting cases as they relate to a user's
situation. While there may not be an exact match, (i.e.,
no cases that discuss a 4th grade class learning about bugs
using an online learning environment) there are always cases
with some similarities which can help the user consider
various options that would not otherwise be considered (i.e.,
studying bugs using Inspiration and digital cameras). |
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Question:
How is learning from Case-based Reasoning different from
case-based learning?
Answer:
Case-based Reasoning in learning incorporates the concept
that, when faced with a problem, humans typically assess
various situational features presented in the problem, search
for memory of past experiences with similar situations,
seek out similar experiences of peers and colleagues, and
apply the lessons in these experiences to develop new solutions.
After the new experience is proven to be satisfactory, it
is added to successful knowledge and retained in memory
for future use. The process is similar to what Aamodt and
Plaza (1996) describe as the CBR process, which includes
the cycle of the four RE's - REtrieve, REuse, REvise, and
REtain.
Case-based learning is different in that it involves the use
of a scenario as the starting point in a learning experience.
The scenarios are fact-based, complex problems written to
stimulate classroom discussion and collaborative analysis.
They are open-ended and encourage students to problem-solve
to complete the case. Students are actively involved in solving
the case by imagining themselves in the situation, making
decisions, and explaining their rationale for the choices
they make. Students are encouraged to come up with multiple
solutions to a single problem. In contrast to CBR, students
do not seek out other cases with similar characteristics,
revise the cases they use, or retain what they learn to reuse
at a later date. |
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Question:
How can I use KITE as a pre-service teacher?
Answer:
As a pre-service teacher, you can use KITE as a resource
for planning future teaching experiences, completing education
course assignments, and evaluating teacher practice with
the intent of developing better teaching skills. KITE cases
can help you better prepare to enter your future teaching
experiences ready for technology integration. You can also
use KITE to learn more about how teachers involved in various
teaching situations handle difficulties that arise in different
activities. This will help you to know how to respond when
you have similar situations.
In addition, KITE cases can provide you with a "reality
check" for the strategies, methods and pedagogies that you
encounter in your studies as a pre-service teacher. For
example, in an education methods course, you learn about
technology standards and how they are used to improve teaching
and learning situations. You can then search the KITE system
for cases as they relate to teaching situations involving
technology integration. How do those real teaching cases
relate to the expectations and standards you have been taught?
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Question:
How can I use KITE as an in-service teacher?
Answer:
As an in-service teacher, you can use KITE cases as an information
source about technology integration. For instance, if you
are searching for an answer to a problem or situation in
technology integration in your teaching, you could ask your
fellow teachers what they would do, or what they have experienced
in a similar situation. The KITE cases can serve the same
purpose. You can search through the case library to find
similar situations and how teachers integrated technology,
problems they may have encountered, and solutions they developed.
You can also use KITE as a resource for evaluating teacher
practice with the intent of developing better teaching skills,
and as a comparative tool to view how your teaching experiences
measure up to other teachers' experiences in similar situations.
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Question:
What is the purpose of the KITE project?
Answer:
The purpose of the KITE project is to provide a knowledge
repository or a gathering place for information about technology
integration experiences. The KITE project worked with a
group of seven partner universities to visit schools, interview
teachers about their technology integration experiences
and organize those stories into cases for use in the KITE
Case Library. The cases are intended to be used by teacher
educators, in-service and pre-service teachers to support
them as they learn more about how to use technology in learning
situations. |
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Question:
What is a KITE case?
Answer:
A KITE case is a story. It consists of demographical information
about the teacher being interviewed and the students in
the learning situation, contextual information about the
experience and information about the technology integration
experience. The teachers are asked to share the learning
activity, the technology that they used, the students' role
in the activity, the teacher role in the activity, the reason
for using the technology and other information about the
story. |
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Question:
Where does a KITE case come from?
Answer:
KITE cases are stories collected from actual teachers as
they share their technology integration experiences. The
teachers come from a variety of locations across the US.
A "knowledge scout" or interviewer meets with the teacher
and discusses the technology integration experience. The
interview is then transcribed and organized, or indexed
for placement into the knowledge repository. |
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Question:
Can I contribute my own story?
Answer:
To share your own story, contact Tawnya Means at tsmeans@mchsi.com.
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