There are two kinds of teachers — ones who have ALWAYS loved school, and ones who found school an endlessly boring challenge, and yet, at some point, usually do to the mentoring of a great teacher, found themselves teacher. I fall into the first category. I have always loved school. I love the smell of new books, and fresh worksheets. I used to line my stuffed animals up and teach them.
I had been meaning to earn my Master's with the support of Napa Learns, since I first heard of the opportunity, but kept putting it off. I kept telling myself, "I'm too busy." The truth is, I AM too busy, but another truth is that I am ALWAYS going to be too busy! I have really enjoyed the challenge of being a student AND a teacher. It has reminded me of the struggles that my own students go through — trying to mange their school work, their friends, sports, and clubs. I have also love/loathed pushing myself to write in a style fairly foreign to me -- the Research Paper. As I fight my way to the finish line, I can say that even IN the struggle, I am appreciative of the ways that it has stretched me. I determined a few years ago that I would begin to push myself to try new things — to say yes to opportunities as they present themselves. This is how I moved from being a language arts teacher to the teacher in charge of the Technology Design Lab. I love being exposed to different types of learning apps and to all kinds of technology. I've spent the last two weeks, learning, using and even teaching classes on Google Classroom. I really enjoy breaking down new things to learn all the parts. I've enjoyed, so much all the tools that we've been exposed to this semester. I keep showing up at work saying, "Let me show you this new website I found where you can . . ." One of the biggest issues that I continue to think about is the idea of the opportunity/technology gap. It is clear that students from poverty are cheated if they have little or no access to technology. This could become a tremendous and deadly divide. Imagine a child from poverty who only has access to tech when at school -- she cannot get free tutoring apps unless at the library. She cannot play computer games like Prodigy which not only help her master basic facts but offer free test prep, she cannot access live homework help that is offered on thousands of websites, she cannot email her teachers, or work collaboratively on a project with her classmates. It is if the door to educational opportunities is closed to her -- worse still it is a sliding glass door; she can SEE the opportunities are there, but cannot attain them. This is troubling. Often when I talk about this opportunity gap, it is pointed out to me, "Everyone has a cell phone." This might seem true, but just because someone is holding a device in their hands — it doesn't meant they have the same access as everyone around them. My students have phones but they don't often have data plans, or sometimes even service. The phone gives them the appearance of normality, and while I might use my phone for quick research and to check my emails, I am NOT writing my paper on it. As I move forward in the program I am looking forward to learning more about innovative ways to use technology in the classroom — and especially to be exposed to more apps, websites, and tools for the classroom. I know that if I am going to remain effective as an educator - I must always keep moving forward.
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The idea of CBL is filled with hope and inspiration. The idea that students - even elementary students could not only recognize a problem, but come up with solutions to resolve it is powerful. Research shows that students who are engaged in a real-world problem not only are more engaged but the type of learning the experience is deeper and more meaningful. Students who struggle with rudamentary skills worksheets, will tackle complex math equations in order to solve a problem. If you've never read the story of Emily Pilloton - you should! It is the perfect example of how much learning can take place when students tackle a problem. Her first project took place in a rural community that had no where to sell the fruits and vegetables they produced. Pilloton had her high school students design and build a farmers market. Students had to study so much in order to manage this task, and then after months and months of hardwork they got to STAND in the building they had created. This deep learning will carry with it lasting effects. You can learn more about the project here: I've witnessed, first-hand the power of CBL. My own 5th grade students were tasked with solving a community problem. Our school was unsafe because of a lack of street lights and sidewalks. They spent months trying to manage the complex world of local politics -- WHO IS IN CHARGE OF PUTTING IN LIGHTS AND SIDEWALKS? They created health reasons and safety reasons based on reserach and then began reaching out to the community. In the end, they were able to stand under the light of street lights that they helped add to our campus. They not only learned tons of academic skills - computer research, letter writing, presentation skills, math and engineering skills - but they also found that they could have a voice in their own community - they became empowered because the problem that they solved was real, and therefore their efforts significant.
Like the educators in the Wired video, I was overwhelmed by what my young students accomplished, and had to remember to take a step back, and really see all they were accomplishing, but I've no doubt of the research associated with the CBL approach - first hand exposure made me a believer. Part One: John Seely BrownThe last thing I expected to hear from a talk on creativity in the classroom was the story of the success of a "cohort" of groms. You don't expect your educational examples to come from the world of surfing. As a side note, I should mention that although I've only surfed once, I love. Surfers are probably some of the most creative people on the planet - finding a space to move, and fly where there appears to be none. So, I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that John Seely Brown, used surfing as an example. The idea that modern learning has become collaborative and collective is pretty profound. Looking back on my own education I can only imagine how powerful my learning life would have been if I had been able to turn to my desk neighbor and ask, "How did you figure that out?" or "What should I do next?" Brown argues that the best predictor of college success isn't test scores or grades, but the ability to find, create and build study groups. The modern learner must be able to build a collaborative, supportive cohort of learners with the common goal of propelling themselves forward to success. I have a personal connection to all of this (beyond a love of the art of surfing). In an attempt to better arm my students with real life skills, I had to learn computer coding. So, I taught myself, and then began teaching them and then this amazing and wonderful thing happened. As we struggled together our understanding and skills grew leaps and bounds. I've learned more about coding WITH my students than on my own. When I got stuck, or another student got stuck, we would collaborative join forces to code our way out. Collaborative learning which can involve social media and the power of digital learning groups multiplies learning beyond what one individual could ever manage alone. This kind of learning doesn't just spark creativty, but sets it aflame. That is the kind of learning I long to build into my own classroom, and inside my own consciousness - a learning that is always expanding and growing. Part Two: Sir Ken RobinsonI watch Sir Ken Robinson's TED talks often. I find both "Do Schools Kill Creativy?" and "Bring on the Learning Revolution" inspiring and so watch them often to remind me about the important things that need to happen in the classroom. Watching them was the beginning of expanding my PLN beyond teachers that I actually knew and could talk to, to a virtual world of educators all over the globe. My journey has led me to twitter chats, on-line conferences, and a daily goal of watching a TED Talk each day. Sir Robinson tops the list. He is able to communicate how important it is to allow our students the freedom to discover, enjoy and explore in their learning. It has reminded me the importantce of stepping back and letting students try and fail, as well as letting them try and succeed. My students grow so much more when they are free to ask and answer questions on their own. This has led to some interesting discoveries:
All of these were the direct result of exposing students to various ways to communicate both digitally and without digital technology. Once students were exposeds to different skills and tools, I then allowed them to decide the best way for them to express understanding. These students put more thought and effort into the products they produced for me, and more than that, many of them are still working on these products to this day. In other words, they did not simply produce something for their teacher and set it aside, but rather learned to communicate their ideas in a way that was empowering, and therefore they continue to build on that understanding and communication. Sir Robinson's argument that we must fan the flames of creativty by allowing students to explore those things that fill them curiosity. I think often about the story he tells about the young ballerina. If her mother had not been so proactive in her daughter's education, she would've spent her life trying to surpress her natural creative spirit just to conform to what was expected of her in a "standard" classroom. The world would've lost a great artists. This of course lines up completely with concept of equity. We need to ensure that the needs of all our students are met. We need to listen to all the voices, not just the ones that understand quickly or speak eloquently. The classroom should be a place where everyone matters. We cannot ignore the creative dispositions of our students - we shouldn't. We should instead encourage them. Real innovation happens in classrooms where creativity and questioning are encouraged. Why does that work? How does that work? Why are we doing this, this way? The modern classroom should be filled with millions of questions and very few answers. It should be place where students turn to one another for support and innovative approaches to problems are considered. Last year, I asked my students (3rd- 6th) to come up with an idea that would benefit their community. Later, I found myself in the Mayor's office, while a group of 5th graders explained that our school need to add some street lights and sidewalks. I was stunned to find myself there, and thrilled when just three weeks later, the peaceful quiet of the neighborhood was interrupted by the sound of bobcats, digging up dirt to lay the foundation of a new stretch of sidewalk. If I work late, I walk out to my car in a halo of pale yellow light from three new streetlights. They exist only because a small cohort of 5th graders pursued their installation relentlessly. Everyone loves a success story and my Lights and Sidewalks Project experience certainly is that, but to be honest my favorite cohort, was a determined group of 4th graders. I asked them to pitch me their project idea. "We are going to cure cancer." They explained with wide-eyed seriousness. When I asked them what kind of cancer, they responded emphatically, "All of it." I stood blinking for a long moment trying to determine the best way to explain that their idea was impossible, and then I said nothing. Should I only allow students to work on projects that had clear success in their path, and if I did what was I teaching my students? So much learning can come from a difficult struggle; so much learning can come from failure. Those 4th grade girls did not cure cancer - or at least they haven't yet, but they know more about cell replication and biology than any 9 year old you've ever met. They were able to create an informative web site that explained the process of cancer growth, and tip-toed bravely into the waters of connecting with research scientists through email. They built relationships with some very patient scientists who answered their questions and responded to their emails. They learned more than they or I could have possibly imagined, and a million times more than what they would have learned if I had stopped them. A cohort of determined students is a powerful thing.. They can accomplish so much more if we allow them the freedom to explore their creative ideas, and to express themselves fully. Both those groups worked harder on their projects than on any schoolwork they had ever done. I asked one of my 5th graders, a tall, thoughtful quiet girl, what was next for her. "What do you mean?" She asked. "Well," I told her. "You had a private meeting with the mayor when you were in the 5th grade, so what is next?" She considered the question thoughtfully, and then said with a firm, clarity, "The White House." Students who are allowed to use their voice and dive deep into their own creativity are empowered to do great things; they are people who believe they can change the world. “What the best and wisest parent wants for his own child, that must we want for all children in the community. Any other ideal for our schools is narrow and unlovely; acted upon, it destroys our democracy” -John Dewey Education would be greatly changed if we converted our learning experiences to follow an engineering design model approach, or to implement the concepts of video game building. This would bring about a transformation in education as a whole, but specifically it would create a tremendous impact on testing. As the system works now, students struggle through a set of lessons, or activities, and then take a separate test. Tests, in general, are separate and distinct from the day to day experience in the classroom, and unless a school has shifted the learning experience to prepare students for that test, it is often even disconnected from the details of learning in the classroom.
The belief that testing should be an embedded part of the learning experience, brings an authenticity to that testing. Results are no longer a disconnected set of data for that moment in time, but rather are a part of the learning process. For example, if you want students to learn to code a website, the test should not be a series of multiple choice questions about proper strings of code, but rather a website that students have built. This type of learning is n0t only the type of hands-on problem solving that promotes deeper understanding, but has an integral part of it, a way for students to demonstrate understanding. Can they build the website? This is not a subjective evaluation of a written, descriptive response but an easily demonstrated application of new knowledge. It is interesting to consider the ways in which the gaming industry has mastered the concepts regarding what works for students to develop rapid understanding of new and complex ideas. I did not teach my son how to play Pokemon, in fact when I studied the directions, it made little sense to me, and yet, at nine, he quickly mastered a deep understanding of the game and how it works. His first lessons were brutal -- involving his quick and heartless defeat by those who knew the game better, and yet this "failure" led to his increased "study" and the development of a deeper understanding. This is precisily the type of learing we seek in the classroom, and yet we endeavor to achieve using the same methods we have been using for over a century. As understanding of the development of the human brain, and the process of learning grows, we must adjust our approach to the classroom. Great understanding should lead to change in the classroom because our understanding of how learning takes place has shifted. Learning is connected to clear goals and problem-solving, and curriculum must being to reflect that. And yet, this not truly "new" information. This effective approach to learning has been evident in the classroom -- ask any student who has participated in a hands-on activity that required problem-solving skills. The process of working and reworking the problem, brings about a deeper understanding that remains with them, long after the multiple-choice answer to a test ever could. This type of learning experience must be available to ALL students. It cannot only be the experiences of students who are exposed to the best education has to offer, but ALL students. Statistically, these "real world" experiences are less likely to happen in schools who are batteling the effects of poverty, and as Dewey mandates, all students in our community deserve what we want for our very own children. And in a larger sense, all children in the community are OUR children. We will either pay to make sure that all students experience this type of education so that real, and effective learning takes place, or we will pay to care for students who have been ill-educated in the form of our prisons and other subsidies provided for those who cannot independently function in society. We pay either way, so it is imperrative, for our own survival that education shift and change to make sure that learning is powerful and effective, and available to all. It would be impossible for me to ignore the presence of technology in the American classroom, as I am teaching in a technology classroom. Looking at both TPACK and SAMR are truly a part of my analysis of my own classroom. Is the tech I am using beneficial to students? Am I enhancing learning or simply just substituting the computer for a pencil? Will the activities done on technology benefit a students understanding in the subject? Will it aid in their learning?
Looking at several classroom examples, I particularly focused on one teacher's use of Google Hangouts in the classroom. http://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/technology-to-help-students-ousd She used it in order to provide students with ways to communicate with students in other schools. Her goal to build students' communication skills through technology. This particular lesson struck me because my students frequently use Google Hangouts to "play" together after school and on the weekends - whether playing videos games corporately or just to "hang around" together. In other words, using this technology would involve taking something students ALREADY value and putting it to use in the classroom. WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE CASE The teacher is trying to increase student communication. She is looking for ways to stretch student teaching skills and finding new ways for them to communicate with other students not just in their own class but all over the United States. Her hope is to not only build connections between students, but also to build her students confidence in expressing their ideas and opinions in clear ways. DETAILS Students meet up on-line in Google Hangouts to discuss and assignment with students and teachers with a similar assignment at another school. Students then share their responses and discuss together. They then can form their final response based on shared discussion and feedback. Groups are kept small, just five or fewer students, to keep communication clear and effective. USEFUL INFORMATION I am quite familiar with Google Hangouts and have used it for class presentations - career day with professionals speaking with classes remotely, or meetings with other educators to discuss lesson planning, and effective teaching. I hadn't thought about the benefit of using it to connect with other students to discuss an assignment. WOULD YOU USE IT I was thinking of several applications. I would like to find a way to create a Google Hangout with professionals in the tech industry during Hour of Code next year. What better way to expose students to the benefits of coding than allowing them to speak to the people who actually write code. It would also be interesting to connect with schools either locally or somewhere else in the United States to discuss a particular topic either from history, STEM or even reading -- you could conduct a Google Hangout book club with students who had read the same book. It would be very interesting to see some applications of Google Hangouts in the classroom. FILM EXPERIENCE: 3 I would love more details and more examples. This brief video was just an overview. The most profound need for the "modern" classroom would involve an understanding that students approach the classroom from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. No assumptions can be made about previous learning and thus, educators must be focused on providing the support necessary for students to navigate a rapidly changing world.
For example, students in my classroom walk in the door with cell phones in their backpacks. One could easily assume that therefore, they have access to technology and those phones are connected and have data plans. However, in most cases this in NOT accurate. My students may have a phone, but that does not mean they have access to technology. I cannot, therefore, assume that they will have any access to technology outside our campus. This has two major impacts: 1. It forces me to be thoughtful about planning and building tech lessons. I must set aside time for instruction on HOW to use the technology as well as what to use it for. 2. It limits what I can plan for outside of the classroom. I cannot "flip" my classroom and expect them to complete videos or explore websites at home because not only of my students can accomplish this task. It is essential to keep this in mind when teaching students; not all of them have access to technology. Another key element it the idea that the classroom should always be evolving and changing. I have an obligation as a teacher to be in a continual cycle of learning myself. As the world around my students change, I must change with it. Education is not a static profession. It is one that changes exponentially as the years go by, and teachers must continually be in a position to explore, discover and learn new things. What technology is available today? What technology will be available tomorrow? EQUALITY is the most essential element of any classroom. All students must have access to education. All. Students come to the classroom with a variety of background experiences. This also means that we must strive to provide students with all the supplies they need. Not every family can afford to provide a device for their child, and schools must find a way to make sure that their school is truly one-to-one if they are to present themselves as a one-to-one device school. Whatever innovations or whatever type of technology is added to the classroom to transform learning, it is useless if it is not available to ALL students. Equality, therefore, is the most crucial element in any and every classroom. DO YOU THINK ABOUT YOUR ZIPCODE? You don't or probably not too much. The truth is, your zipcode determines your fate. It really matters where you live. It determines what opportunities are availbe to you, and, shapes your future. I was watching the PBS Nova epsidoe about Schools of the Future today, and they really hit that point home.
Kids who live in poverty have less opportunity thatn kids who don't. Huge shock, right? We all understand this. We understand the impact of our address within the various cities and states in America, but also understand it on a global scale as well. If I were a woman born in Yemen, my life would be vastly different than the one I experience being born in a Northern California town. My address has shaped my opportunities. One of my most beloved books, Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton states this of his beloved home, South Africa: "Yes, there is only one thing that has power completely, and that is love. I see only one hope for our country, and that is when white men and black men, desiring neither power nor money, but desiring only the good of their country, come together and work for it." I love that quote. I was going back through my copy of Paton's book; the copy I used to teach out of when I taugth 9th grade -- it's got sentences like that underlined all over the place. It is hard to believe that it was published in 1952, just before Apartheid became law. It is harder still to belive that Paton wrote this wonderful, beautiful story as he tried to understand his nation, and then tucked it into a drawer; hiding it from the world. Good friends sent it to a publisher behind his back. They apologized profusely when the publisher made him an offer. Paton was a school teacher, just like me. His early career was spent teaching the boys of the rich Dutch families of South Africa. However, he became bored with this. He wanted something deeper; something with greater meaning. He spent the second half of his career teaching the boys of Diepkloof Reformatory School. His work there carried so much meaning for him, and inspired him to write one of the best books I've ever read. He was struggling to understand how these two worlds, one of opportunity and one bereft of hope, could exist within his beloved South Africa. We have the same problems here in America. How can it be that I can spend my Saturday driving my children to birthday parties, and to the park, while another mother somewhere in the same town, is trying to find a way to explain to her children that they are being evicted. It is difficult to fathom. How can it be acceptable that my son practices his cello, while another child somewhere else across town cowers from a closed fist? How can we turn a blind eye to those suffering within our nation; within our city and even within our own neighborhoods? Sal Khan, the founder of Khan Academy, an organization dear to my heart, has also struggled with this equation. How can we give all children a fair start? How can we close the gap between address and opportunity. His solution, a world-class on-line education that is FREE TO ALL, provides some stellar instruction for anyone willing to click on the screen. He was featured in the Nova piece I watched tonight and was why I was watching it. Khan Academy has been very good to my students, and so we keep it close to our hearts. I'm taking 90 students on a field trip next week, that is direct result of our connection to Khan Academy. This is an opportunity that my students would never have had -- if there weren't hard-working, intelligent people thinking about the gap in education. You've no idea how hard those folks at Khan Academy are working, and you should, but more than that, you should be aware of how hard they are working to level the playing field of your nation. It is a company born out of the hope. Sal Khan might be invited to some amazing destinations to meet with some really impressive people, but he made his start in his walk-in closet, desperate to encourage one little girl that ANYONE can learn math. There is a very old saying "That when you save one life, you save the world entire." I like to extrapolate that thought out even further: When one child perishes, we all do. Lin-Manuel Miranda says in Hamilton, through his character, John Laurens, "Until we end slavery, we will never be free." He was speaking of American as a nation. I make the same empassioned plea: America can never truly be a great nation when we allow a portion of her citizens to recieve a substandard education. We must adhere to the belief that every child is our child, and must be loved, protected, cherished, and provided every opportunity. It is not just our children that we save, but our futures as well. It is painful to think that somewhere sleeping on the cold streets of our great nation, is a lonely, hungry child, who if given different opportunities could develop a mind great enough to end alzheimers, or cure cancer. The only thing that held her back was her zipcode. --Jen The way the world functions has changed so much since the first public school classrooms opened their doors. We have access to every bit of information - usually in our back pockets. There isn't anything we can't access through our cell phones or computers. Seven of my former students were told by their employees that they could live wherever they wanted. It did not matter where their physical location was -- all their work is created in a digital world. We are all easily connected.
It sounds fantastic, doesn't it? It is, as long as you have access to technology. The new gap between those who have and those who do not -- centers on access to technology. My students do NOT have access to technology - except when they are at school. Many of them do not have internet at home, and although they might clutch a cell phone in their hands -- it is often simply that - a phone with not data or internet access. On the surface, this might seem like a small thing, but in reality, it is everything. These students cannot easily look something up when working on homework. They can complete any digital work unless they are on campus or at the public library. They can't access review or instructional videos to help them when they are struggling with new concepts. The distance between students who have a house filled with devices and access to information and support, and students who do not, is an endless chasm. The world is becoming smaller, closer and more interconnected, and yet at the same time, a generation of children are being squeezed out and pushed aside. It might be the information age, but only if you can reach that information. True education in the public school system must include education for ALL students -- and this involves the tremendous challenge of bridging this technology gap. |
AuthorJen has been teaching school for awhile now. She's learned some stuff, but she's got tons more to learn. Archives
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