Running head: APPLYING TECHNOLOGY DESIGN PRINCIPLES 1

Applying the Technology Design Principles of Marina Bers to the

2016-2019 Old Bridge Township, NJ District Technology Plan

Victoria Santos & Two Graduate Students

New Jersey City University

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As citizens of the twenty-first century, we recognize that technology permeates all

aspects of our culture. As adults, we stand from an interesting vantage point in history. We are

able to reminisce about the days before technology was omnipresent. To the children that we are

educating, however, that point-of-view does not exist they are not aware of an existence

without all-encompassing digital technology. We are teaching in interesting times, where

technology must undoubtedly be wielded powerfully, but skillfully, in order to meet the

educational needs of our young people and to help them become productive members of

society. To prepare for a future that will surely be saturated in even more digital experiences,

educational institutions must continually adapt and re-evaluate their technology plans and

curriculum to make sure that students will develop technological fluency.

In her work, Designing Digital Experiences for Positive Youth Development, Marina Bers

argues for the benefits of employing meaningful technology lessons to help students not only

develop effective digital skills and behaviors, but to also mature as citizens of the world by

building critically important interpersonal and intrapersonal characteristics. As educators, we

must design positive digital landscapes for children to become grounded individuals who can

contribute to society (2012, p. 4). We must integrate technological content into the curriculum

so that children are not just simply consumers of it - but are the producers. We need to create

digital landscapes where children can have positive interactions with technology and with the

world around them. Bers notes that it is not only about these developmental spaces that children

encounter, but rather the experiences that the spaces support (2012, p. 175).

Examination of the 2016-2019 Old Bridge Township Technology Plan and its curriculum

reveals that many aspects are in line with the ideals of Bers, while some gaps and inconsistencies

still exist. Although it is not the focus of our analysis, it is worth noting that much of the
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technology plans curriculum serves itself well to integration with the concepts of the Universal

Design for Learning (UDL). UDL provides for multiple means of representation, expression,

and engagement in the classroom the why, how and what of learning (What is

Universal Design, n.d.). UDL can serve as an appropriate, practical complement to the

philosophies of Marina Bers.

The Technology Vision Statement of the plan outlines mission and goals: Old Bridge

Township Public Schools highest priority must be the education and instruction of our students

in how to learn, live, and work in an ever-evolving world (Old Bridge, 2016, p. 5). The

overall shared vision is partially in line with some ideas Bers expresses. She explains the

importance of playground-like experiences where students can be autonomous and self-directing

and which encourage problem solving and logical thinking or exploration and creativity (2012,

p. 23). The technology plan makes this pledge:

By espousing an interdisciplinary approach to computer literacy education, we enable our

students to develop a more complete understanding of complicated problems and real-

world issues. An environment of active learning must be provided to our students,

facilitating the engagement in experimentation of new concepts and ideas while building

on the foundation of what is already known to be factual and proven. (Old Bridge,

2016, p. 5)

The district is clearly communicating that every educator's plan should include a commitment to

designing curricula and lessons that engage learners in meaningful ways. However, we do feel

the Vision Statement is strong enough for use of the term fluency as opposed to literacy.

Technology must be used as a tool to assist in problem solving regardless of the subject

area. Such integration must be continuous and encompass the importance of technology in our
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everyday lives (Old Bridge, 2016, p. 5). Bers makes a similar argument. Her Positive

Technological Development framework (PTD) attempts to provide a model for how

development can be supported by the use of technologies. This allows for the child to develop

character traits that will help them use technology safely to communicate and connect with

other people and to envision the possibility of making a better world (2012, p. 9). Her

insistence on the use of technology to do more than just achieve simple lesson objectives is

emphasized in the Vision Statement. A variety of students with varied learning needs, styles,

and interests must all be accommodated. Technology can be used to this end, to prepare students

at all grade levels and in all subject areas to make meaningful products and have authentic,

engaging classroom experiences with technology.

The district plan also emphasizes the importance of twenty-first century skills and how to

best implement them. It notes, curriculum, instruction, and assessment are based on clear

expectations that all students will leave the education system well staged for college acceptance

or for alternative paths to workplace readiness (Old Bridge, 2016, p. 11). The districts goals

are grounded in standards-based content, but also place an emphasis on critical thinking,

creativity, innovation and self-direction as part of a focus on authentic learning. Bers take is

that a digital landscape that promotes positive development must be a space where children can

make projects and develop new skills, a space that supports creative expressions and a strong

sense of confidence [and] where traditional approaches can be transcended (2012, p.

82). Bers and the district plan both emphasize the need for learning to go beyond traditional

curriculum goals.

Through innovative lessons that integrate technology, creativity can be espoused to help

students learn how to learn and discover and explore areas of interest. Students should not be
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passive recipients of education, but should rather be engaged in the process of their own

learning (Bers, 2012, p. 82). Bers emphasizes that open-ended constructionist types of software

help foster this necessary creativity. Edutainment-type applications do not always allow for

creativity, she explains, which is necessary to build confidence for future schooling and real-

world roles. Old Bridge attempts to fulfill the creativity component through an emphasis on

personalized learning. Some of the strategies outlined in their technology plan include:

incorporating digital tools and resources, differentiating instruction, and collaboration. There is

[analysis of] student work through digital portfolios, instructional design for digital assessment

planning and [creating] personalized learning through district-approved available platforms

(Old Bridge, 2016, p. 168). The plan also details ways in which the emphasis on creative

student-centered projects can be achieved at both the middle and elementary levels through

Appendixes D and E.

The emphasis on creativity is also the basis for the Framework for 21st Century

Learning. Besides mastery of fundamental subjects, it extols the importance of creativity,

problem solving and communication to help create authentic and meaningful learning

experiences. Learning and innovation skills increasingly are being recognized as the skills that

separate students who are prepared for increasingly complex life and work environments in the

21st century, and those who are not. (Framework for 21st Century Learning, n.d.). The focus

shifts to creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration as part of a way to better

prepare students for their futures. Old Bridge attempts to execute such goals through unique

activities at the elementary school level. For example, elementary students study a unit on how

technology impacts the environment. First, students discuss the benefits of technology as well as

its impacts. Then, they make a timeline of the evolution of Apple products as a way to showcase
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the exponential growth and impact of technological devices. Students then collaborate to

discover ways in which the natural environment is positively or negatively affected, which leads

to the design of their own environmental awareness posters to curb negative effects.

Another lesson that is examined has students discussing and brainstorming possible

inadequacies of a car. Students design a new car at ABCYA.com and then discuss the creation

process. Through such examples, the Old Bridge technology plan is applying Bers principle that

creativity builds confidence. Her take is that competence and confidence go hand in hand

and that self-efficacy [is a] necessary component for successfully using technologies to

complete tasks (2012, p. 84). These goals can be achieved in much of Old Bridges elementary

curriculum. This is also in line with the Partnership for 21st century Learnings Project

Management initiative. This program explains that since the world runs on projects, managing

and leading projects are essential life skills, learning skills and career skills (Project

Management, n.d.). By beginning an introductory process in the elementary years that

continues through middle school, Old Bridge is devising a plan for technology integration, which

supports student engagement, student voice, creativity and collaboration.

Another tenet of Bers ideology for elementary level education is the idea of industry vs.

inferiority. Children of elementary school age must work hard to succeed but begin to realize

they are not as good as others in some areas, which in turn can affect self-esteem

negatively. However, when tensions are solved, a positive reaction results, as competence is

achieved. With these ideas in mind, it is important to allow for unfenced education that fosters

choice and active engagement. Students should learn to master the piano rather than learn

about music through turning on a stereo (Bers, 2012, p. 38). In their technology plan, Old Bridge

school district attempts to implement this type of learning. Students write their own stories and
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illustrate them using the Photo Collage and Write About applications. Students are also given

the opportunity to explore using educationcity.com. These activities allow for self-expression

and exploration while learning about cultures and how to properly use technology.

There are many ways that the Old Bridge technology plan can be improved and adjusted

to be more in line with Bers ideology. Some of the programs Old Bridge uses create a playpen-

like situation for children rather than the ideal playground or park. Activities such as TuxPaint

and BrainPopJr encourage students to master simple subject and technology skills, but do have

them creating for themselves. In these cases, the students are simply consuming what others

have created. To improve their plan, Old Bridge could consider Bers as well as the ideas

presented in Learning By Design (LBD). This study combines the ideas of constructionism and

scaffolding to improve cognitive development, increase learning readiness, and actively engage

students in the elements of their own learning.

In the LBD study, the goal is to give students the opportunity to encounter design

challenges that would serve as compelling contexts for learning science concepts and skills. Such

design challenges would provide opportunities for genuine engagement and learning complex

cognitive, social, practical, and communication skills (Kolodner, Crismond, Gray, Holbrook &

Puntambekar, 1998). The lemonade stand project described by the Old Bridge technology plan

could be turned into a business creation plan instead. Students could, on their own, choose to set

up lemonade stands, sell cookies, mow lawns or sell crafts. The students themselves would base

their choices on individual interest areas and goals. Then, they construct the business model in

its simplest terms. Students would need to use problem-solving to address and solve issues they

come across. In this way, the Old Bridge technology plan curriculum would build self-esteem

while allowing for student voice through constructionism.

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As Old Bridge students progress from one of the twelve public elementary schools to

either Jonas Salk or Carl Sandburg Middle School, they face a whole new set of challenges

academically, socially, and psychologically. Students are leaving childhood and firmly planting

their feet into early adolescence. This is a crucial time, where there is increasing pressure on

the student to live within a more complicated and demanding educational system, but early

adolescent determination to act more independently makes this adjustment harder to do

(Pickhardt, 2011). Students this age are working toward picking up new social and academic

skillsets that are interesting to them all the while beginning to realize that their peers may excel

faster or further than they do. They may also be starting to struggle with the idea of what their

role in the world may be as they grow older. Erik Erikson, a developmental psychologist and

psychoanalyst, illustrated these two struggles as Industry vs. Inferiority and Ego Identity vs.

Role Confusion (1963). Adolescents are wrestling with internal concepts of competency and

clarity at this stage of their lives.

The middle school curriculum laid forth in the technology plan has much potential to

enable adolescent students to succeed in these formative years. Old Bridge has scored

excellently - 8.8 out of 10 - on Gear 1 of the NJTRAX Digital Learning Readiness Tool which

concerns the topics of curriculum, instruction, and assessment (Old Bridge, 2016, p.

8). Providing multiple sources of high-quality academic content offers all students greater

opportunities to personalize and reflect on their own work, think critically, and engage frequently

to enable deeper understanding of complex topics (New Jersey Digital Learning, n.d.). Great

student achievement can be found by integrating constructionist classroom content while

employing Bers PTD concepts of helping students engage in positive behaviors - such as
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collaboration and creativity - all the while fostering students personal growth - such as by

building confidence and character.

To fulfill the NJCCCS 8.2 standard of computational thinking, curriculum activities are

suggested utilizing robust technologies such as Google Sketchup, LEGO Mindstorms NXT and

LEGO Simple Machines. Students will be building robots and machines, designing bridges and

playgrounds, planning malls, and even tearing apart and modifying the creations of other

groups. With classes like this, students are exposed to the expansive world of the engineering

and design process. A number of adolescents will certainly take to developing new skillsets

here, through learning programming languages to power their machines or developing an artistic

eye with 3D design principles. Those students of an identity mindset may start to formulate

future career choices in the myriad of forward-thinking fields they are immersed in from these

activities, such as in engineering, computer science, architecture, and digital design. Explorative

courses like these are important not only to help foster ideas about careers, but to also help

students find a deeper purpose and meaning in what they are doing (Bers, 2012, p. 9).

Old Bridge middle school students are presented with infinitely configurable, powerful,

and modern tools to use in these classes. When combined with open-ended design challenges

such as creating a mall or engineering a bridge or car, they are given the ability to take what is

new and make it [their] own: Make something new with it, play with it, build with it (Papert,

1980, p. 120). With this type of exploration, students are encouraged to be creative while

learning and becoming competent in the skills needed to succeed, such as understanding the

concepts in NXTs programming languages or employing the lifecycle of the engineering

process. As students start to make these connections, their confidence levels will

flourish. [Students] create a project based on their ideas, play with materials and their creations,
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share their ideas and creations with others, reflect on their experience - all of which leads them to

imagine new ideas and new projects (Bers, 2012, p. 84). An exceptional opportunity to display

burgeoning skillsets and creativity can be found in the activity where student groups rebuild and

potentially repurpose LEGO projects from other groups.

Bers states that collaboration, socializing, and developing connections in new and old

relationships is also an important process in the digital landscape for adolescents. Although this

happens in the classroom, perhaps efforts can be made to share students discoveries and

creations outside of the schools walls. Students could connect with cohorts throughout the

world by: posting updates on their projects through social media, publishing engineering blogs,

or producing videos that illustrate their thought processes. Certain projects, such as building a

house or playground for handicapped children in Google Sketchup, help promote the sense of

building caring communities. By incorporating important issues such as this, we are using

technology to help students build a strong sense of character. These types of social issues - and

their inevitable intertwining with social media technologies - will become more important to

them as they transition to high school age (Bers, 2012, p. 53). Further student character

development can be encouraged with seemingly small efforts, such as limiting the amount of

LEGO hardware in a class to make sharing mandatory or allowing students to make choices of

whether or not to help other groups debug their projects (Bers, 2012, p. 144).

Section 8.1 of NJCCCS states All students will use digital tools to access, manage,

evaluate, and synthesize information in order to solve problems individually and collaborate...

(2014 New Jersey Core Curriculum, 2014, p. 1). This collaborative aspect of this standard

coincides well with Bers philosophies, and good effort has been made in the technology plan

curriculum to address it. Certain classroom activities are straightforward and developed to build
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necessary competence and confidence in popular software packages and technologies. Examples

of this include: using Microsoft Excel for a stock market exercise, creating an iPod playlist in

Microsoft Access, and presenting a local current event in Prezi or Microsoft Powerpoint. After

these core skills are built, the curriculum opens up to more collaborative, creative, and open-

ended projects, and avoids the pitfalls of technocentrism.

Technocentrism is when the conversation is centered on the use of technology itself,

instead of what was actually achieved from the use of technology (Papert, 1990). The middle

school curriculum does a good job of addressing this pressing issue that is still evident in many

school systems. Many of the activities students participate in embody praxis-based, immersive

experiences that use technologies as a means to an end. While knowledge-based models

might focus on the facts, concepts, and skills that need to be taught and learned, praxis-based

models look at how young people can be given opportunities for experiencing the world (Bers,

2012, p. 136). In the middle school curriculum, students are given opportunity to develop

technical fluency, collaborate, and express themselves with projects that allow for a wide-berth

of creativity. Examples include: developing web pages to share information on global issues,

brainstorming a business idea and creating its digital presence, and identifying local issues and

using technology to present solutions to an audience.

However, there is room for improvement in terms of the student activities recommended

for digital citizenship and cyber ethics. Although the classroom discussions and assessments

suggested can be effective in their own ways, deeper understanding is needed. Students need to

engage in what-if discussions on topics like these (Bers, 2012, p. 94). To this end, instead of

students simply taking a pre-defined assessment on cyber bullying, have them collaborate to
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create their own custom quizzes on the topic that their classmates can then take. They can utilize

a number of technologies to create quizzes, like: Socrative, Kahoot, and Google Classroom.

High school is a period when adolescents enjoy hanging out with their friends.

According to Erikson, the need to socialize is a developmental milestone at this age. These

students are facing issues with identity. Socializing can work hand-in-hand with helping an

adolescent start to develop a sense of what his role will be in the world (1963). Bers adapts this

concept for the digital world as the theory of Wireless Hangouts vs. A Palace in Time (2012, p.

52). There are a myriad of ways for teenagers to spend time socializing through technology,

however only the most quality and genuine interactions will help guide them towards truly

discovering themselves. Many digital interactions are just Wireless Hangouts where teens

interact in typical fashions. Bers concept of A Palace in Time refers to the Jewish Sabbath,

which is a day meant for introspection and reflection. Engaging students in more thoughtful

social experiences, akin to Bers A Palace in Time, are crucial to helping them on their quest

for identity (Bers, 2012, p. 52).

When looking at the technology plan, there is great detail about the education and

instruction for the elementary and middle school levels. But there is a glaring hole; there is no

mention of how technology will be integrated on a high school level. This omission in a three-

year technical plan is puzzling. With some searching on the Old Bridge Public Schools website,

there are short descriptions about the technology courses that are offered to high school students.

It does seem that learners are able to take courses in architectural design, computer-aided

drafting (CAD), web page design, and computer science. The technology plan lacks further

descriptions about the mechanics of how these courses are run. However, the very natures of

these types of classes tend to interweave content knowledge with creativity and collaboration.
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Coupling rich and immersive digital experiences while leaving room for digital socialization

conducive to Bers philosophies would prove to be very fruitful for the students in these high

school classes.

Conclusively, Marina Bers uses her work in Designing Digital Experiences for Positive

Youth Development, to present new ideas to help us understand the role of the digital landscape

in youth development (2012, p. 175). Technology, when used in positive and engaging ways,

improves education by making learning more meaningful for students. Bers also notes:

Although praxis-based programs are at the heart of what I consider powerful educational

experiences using technology, this view is not always in agreement with current trends in

the American educational system that push for knowledge-based programs. Knowledge-

based approaches are well suited to test-driven curricula; however, the metaphor of a

digital landscape invites us to think beyond curriculum. We must think about

experiences. We must think about immersion. (2012, p. 136)

The Old Bridge technology plan, like many others in New Jersey, dedicates a lot of resources

and efforts toward state testing initiatives and readiness. However, there is plenty to be pleased

with - especially in terms of elementary and middle school curriculum. The Old Bridge Public

School system is well on its way to encompassing the ideals of Bers to enable its students to not

only increase their technological skillsets, but to develop as digital citizens who will one day

make the world a better place.

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References

2014 New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards - Technology. (2014). Retrieved June 20,

2017, from http://www.state.nj.us/education/cccs/2014/tech/8.pdf

Bers, M. U. (2012). Designing Digital Experiences for Positive Youth Development: From

Playpen to Playground. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Erikson, E. H. (Ed.). (1963). Youth: Change and Challenge. Basic Books.

Kolodner, J., Crismond, D., Gray J., Holbrook, J., & Puntambekar, S. (1998). Learning by

Design from Theory to Practice. Retrieved June 21, 2017, from

http://www.cc.gatech.edu/projects/lbd/htmlpubs/lbdtheorytoprac.html

New Jersey Digital Learning Framework. (n.d.). Retrieved June 22, 2017, from

http://dl.njtrax.org/digital-learning/framework

Old Bridge District Technology Plan For Digital Learning 2016 2019 (Rep.). (2016). Retrieved

June 12, 2017, from Old Bridge Township Public Schools website:

http://www.oldbridgeadmin.org/files/filesystem/Tech%20Plan%2016-19%20

%20COMPLETE.pdf

Papert, S. (1980). Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas. New York: Basic

Books

Papert, S. (1990). A Critique of Technocentrism in Thinking About the School of the Future.

Retrieved June 21, 2017, from

http://www.papert.org/articles/ACritiqueofTechnocentrism.html

Partnership for 21st Century Learning, Framework for 21st Century Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved

June 21, 2017, from http://www.p21.org/about-us/p21-framework.

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Partnership for 21st Century Learning, Project Management and Education

Transformation. (n.d.). Retrieved June 21, 2017, from http://projectmanagement.p21.org

Pickhardt, C. (2011, April 18). Adolescence and the Transition to Middle School. Retrieved June

23, 2017, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/

surviving-your-childs-adolescence/201104/adolescence-and-the-transition-middle-school

What is Universal Design for Learning? (n.d.). Retrieved June 24, 2017, from

http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl/whatisudl