Week 4 Reflection

This week we did a group work assignment on how different types of schools in the United States are run, and who makes the decisions in each type.  It was interesting to see the different types of schools and the advantages and disadvantages of each model, specifically the amount of autonomy each model has regarding funding and their budget.  With everything in education boiling down to budgets and money these days it was definitely a good project to see which types of school's can be more free spending and which ones have their hands tied by a strict budget.

Another thing we did this week was watch a video of a lecture by Ken Robinson called "Paradigm Shift".  I believe he raises some very key points about the current state of education.  He recounts the Enlightenment Period and how it was one of the most innovative, creative and productive times in history, and how we are no longer pushing students to become creative, individuals, or attempting to innovate.  Everything that is being done in education right now is attempting to generalize, standardize and make every student fit one specific model. 

Clearly those in positions of power who want teachers to follow such methods as differentiated instruction and to teach each student based on their specific needs are not following their own advice when they design one standardized test which every student must pass to decide if the student and teacher are performing at a proficient level.  How can they expect the teacher to differentiate instruction and tailor a specific lesson in multiple ways to fit every type of learner, and then the ultimate goal at the end of the year is that everyone passes the same test?

Perhaps the reason why billions of dollars are being spent on education and no progress is being made is because the tests which determine if you pass or fail are not of the same method of delivery which the student is used to from the school year?  After a year of differentiated instruction and having assignments designed specifically for them, to then be given a test which is written in a way which is nothing like what they've seen during the year seems very counterproductive. 

Week 3 Reflection

On July 11 - 17, one of our assignments was to do a group project on the types of schools in the United States.  This was an interesting and informative project, because until I was given this assignment it never occurred to me to really research how many types of schools there really are or how they specifically operate. 

Through this project, I now feel like I am more knowledgeable about how the different types of schools (Public/Private/Home School/Charter/For-Profit) operate, get their funding, choose their curriculum, and the types of freedoms or restrictions they incur based on what types of school they are.

Week 2 Reflection

On July 4 - July 10, we viewed a video called "When I Become a Teacher".

This video is filled with some of the unfortunate opinions and ways that many teachers act in today's society.  I feel that this video reflects some of the reasons why education is currently in the state of crisis that it is in.  I believe that teachers are just as responsible for learning as their students are, maybe even more responsible.  The fact that certain teachers are allowed to continue to teach today's children using the same teaching methods that they were using ten, twenty, thirty, even forty years ago, is ridiculous.

The word changes, information changes, technology changes, and the way students learn and react to things changes.  If a teacher is going to be an effective teacher, the teacher also needs to change and adapt to everything changing around him or her. 

I understand that some teachers who have been teaching for a long time may me scared or intimidated of change, especially change regarding technology that they may have no idea how to use because it did not exist when they starting teaching, but we live in a technological age and that is what most children respond to these days.  Technology makes learning and teaching easier and more fun, and I believe that those who resist technology and change would benefit from attempting to accept it, and their students would definitely benefit from that change as well. 

Week 1 Reflection

On the week of June 27- July 3, I had my first week of "Nature of Schools".  This is an online class about education which challenges the students to think about education in new, innovative, and creative ways.  In an always changing society, it is important that we continue to update our methods of teaching to stay in pace with the ways our students will be changing.

We did some interesting team collaborative work too.  It is a different experience having to collaborate with another person over the internet than how I am used to, which is normally in person in an actual classroom setting.  Once I got used to using the WizIQ program, it because easier. 

I am familiar with several of the programs and web sites we have been using so far because I remember them from Teaching With Technology from the Fall of 2010, so not all of this is as unfamiliar or intimidating to me as I'm sure it is to some of the other students.

A Community Letter

Community Letter

Dear Parents,

We are excited to inform you of a new aspect of our curriculum that will provide a more well rounded education.  As our student body continues to grow into an even more diverse and multicultural population, it is important that we continue to strive to provide each student with the highest quality of education, regardless of their background.

Throughout the school year we will be implementing aspects of the curriculum which will be taught from the perspective of another country or culture.  We already have innovative and exciting projects planned for Black History Month, Cinco de Mayo, as well as several other important holidays and historical events spanning a multitude of countries and cultures.  

We feel that this aspect of our curriculum will benefit the children by opening up their eyes and minds to the ways of other countries and cultures.  Through this new direction, we hope to not only educate, but to create an environment of knowledge and acceptance of things which may initially come as unfamiliar to our students.  It is important for the students to understand and accept that there are different cultures and aspects of life than what they may be familiar with.

We hope you will join us in ushering in this new and exciting aspect to our curriculum and please feel free to contact us with any comments, questions or concerns you or your children may have.

Thank you, and let’s all have a productive school year!

Sincerely,

Jeff Lampack
Chair of Curriculum

Learning Outcomes

At the beginning of this class, I was very intimidated by the thought of having to rely on technology.  I have always been weary of technology and assumed that it was unreliable and would fail on me when I needed it most.  Throughout the semester, I have learned that this is not the case, and I have learned and experimented with numerous ways that I can actually use technology to my advantage. 

I am now aware that as teachers in the Web 2.0 world, it is our jobs to keep up with the ways that the world is evolving and to adapt to the technology that students are using in their free time.  If a student can use technology to stimulate their interests in their free time, it would be unproductive to attempt to gain their attention with something that is dull and uninteresting.  Through the use of programs such as Voice Thread, powerpoint, and many different search engines and web quests, I have discovered numerous ways to make learning seem like something more than the same old lecture style or using a paper and pen.

I was intimidated at first, there were many things I was not sure of, and I needed help along the way, but I am proud to have been able to complete all of the assignments.  I have completed assignments and used resources that I had no idea existed or thought that they were too complicated for me.  I am glad that I had the opportunity to take this class now and get a head start toward being a Web 2.0 teacher.  I now have a "tool kit" of resources that I can use before I ever step into the classroom to teach for my first day. 

I still have a lot to learn, as is clear by the WoW presentations of my fellow classmates.  Everyone did a fantastic job, and it was a great experience to be able to see some of the things that everyone else was working on.  Now, in addition to what I learned on my own, I now have an every bigger "tool kit" of resources thanks to my classmates presentations, which made me aware of many other resources that I did not know existed.  I look forward to playing around with some of those resources in my spare time and being able to understand them even more and figuring out how I can use them to teach. 

WoW Projects

I thought that everyone did a fantastic job presenting their WoW Projects.  Being able to listen to presentations about these examples of technology made me aware of so many things that I never even knew existed.  We are all technological learners, and it can be frustrating at times to try and figure out what things online are legitimate and which things work for us, and being able to watch these presentations really made me aware of some of the truly great things that can be done educationally on a computer and using the internet. 

These projects, and this class in general, have provided us all with a "tool kit" as we either continue teaching or move closer to becoming teachers.  This will truly give us the advantage of having knowledge of technology and programs, web sites, and strategies that we have already experimented with and that we know work for us.  Personally, learning about this stuff know will take a lot of stress away from my life than would have been there if I tried to learn about technology in education while I was already teaching and didn't have the opportunity to really test it out and play around with so many different options like we were able to do in this class.

On my personal WoW project on "Research Tools and 21st Century Literacy Professional Development", it was a very rewarding experience.  These are tools that can help teachers and students to better organize their searches on the internet, as well as ensure that they are finding helpful and reliable information from safe sources on the internet.  I gathered all of my information directly from the web sites, so those web sites are my references. 

Click here to view my WoW project!!!!