Choices, choices, choices

"How to Choose the Right Tablet for Your School" <-- Check out this link for further reading!

Due to some of our discussions concerning price-points, money, and financial strains throughout our class time, this particular article caught my eye. The writer of this article, Tanya Roscario, begins her writing by encouraging educators "to consider five key factors when thinking about starting a tablet initiative."

I found this article to be interesting because I know that every student, every class, and every district will look different. Thus, necessary (and beneficial) resources and technologies will vary from one school to the next. And more than that, we need to address what are the meat and organs and what is the skeleton of the classroom.

Furthermore, Roscario quotes Tim Williams (director of product management for Absolute Software) who said that the most important question is "Are we going to change our whole attitude to how we're delivering lessons to students?" I know that this is a question I have been challenged with this semester. Where is my focus? I think it has been on the physical technology in the past rather than what I can do with these tangible resources.

The article describes Crothersville Jr. Sr. High School's focus on digital curriculum. After these teachers had created a digital curriculum, students received KUNO Droid tablets. I think our instinct is to throw whatever is new and shiny and will entrance students into the classroom. And I have no problem with using new technologies if they do the trick when traditional teaching methods aren't working. BUT, I completely agree with this Indiana school's perspective. Devise the meat of the program and then bring in the skeleton to give the curriculum and meaning some structure and efficiency.

How to Cope

Customization, interaction, and learner control.

Truly, I believe that if we can encourage and maintain these three specific imperatives in the classroom, then we are destined to be successful teachers. So then I ask myself, what should success be for a teacher? I don't consider success being a famous educator or having all A+ students or making intricate lesson plans. I think a successful teacher is one that pushes his or her students to take ownership of their learning. Someone who challenges students to make choices and justify their decisions. Someone who pushes students to interact with others, especially those who are different from them and/or difficult to work with.

The main conversation we've had throughout this semester has focused on this idea of "rethinking education." I have been challenged to rethink my view of the classroom, especially in regards to the use of technology. I think it is very easy to write off technology when it seems to be too hard or overwhelming to understand. I think it is also a pride issue on my part because I want to be good at teaching in our culture today without needing "new stuff," yet these newer technologies can be powerful tools in and out of the classroom.

One obstacle all teachers will face is assessing their students. How should I assess them? When should I assess them? How can I assess them meaningfully? Harder than that - how can I assess them efficiently? Technology is a great tool when it comes to allowing teachers one-on-one interaction time with students, so that they are teaching themselves while having the ability to have in-depth conversations with their teachers. If technology is used properly, it can help teachers to assess students based on performance and depth instead of assessing primarily based on standardized testing.

So, how do we cope with new technologies? We embrace what they have to offer; we learn about them, explore programs and websites, and teach our students how to use technology safely, efficiently, and excitedly. Giving ownership and embracing the old idea of apprenticeship will allow us to be successful teachers.

The Touch Screen

We live in a culture where people want to touch screens and make things happen. When my mom and I were researching and trying out the different models of the Kindle around Christmas time, I asked my mom if I should get the Kindle with the touch screen or the Kindle with the keyboard.

My mom said, "We're touch screen people...if we touch a screen and nothing happens, it's weird."

I noticed she was right; it felt weird when I was maneuvering with the Kindle keyboard. All of this recounting to say that iTunes U is designed perfectly for this culture and generation. If I were in middle or high school and offered the option of iTunes textbooks, I would choose it immediately. Even though some people are old school and believe in the power of words written on paper, the reality is that our world is moving away from this traditional way of learning.

Sometimes I find this shift discouraging because I am not always a fan of change, but after exploring some of the iTunes U, I found that you can highlight, add notes, and place bookmarks - just like you can in a physical book. Another encouraging aspect of iTunes U is that a student can explore material more so that it is a hands-on experience. Students can click on links and view videos to explain difficult material or show something that one might need to visualize in order to understand.

One iTunes U series that I found interesting was the "What is Religion?" series. When I was in high school, we had a World Contemporary Affairs class, but we focused a lot on different religions of the world and how they have affected countries, people, and cultures today. One aspect of "What is Religion?" is the videos and pictures of artifacts and architecture reflecting or symbolizing major world religions, such as Hinduism or Buddhism. Looking back at that CWA class in high school, I would have loved get a more "hands-on" experience with these religions to better understand the people and groups involved. Another neat facet of this series is the music (specifically Sikhism music) that students can listen to in order to learn more.

Although I can be reluctant to change, I believe that iTunes U is great for this coming age. Students can have a better learning experience while taking ownership over their learning and even having more power to customize their learning!

Phases

Most things seem to come and go. And one might call these things "fads" - or phases that people experience. At the same time, some abstracts, ideals, desires stay consistent, standing the test of time. Ways of teaching, growing, and reaching students seem to alter, depending on technology and , yet there are also some constant, underlying themes that play a huge role in educating children.

One issue that has been debated for centuries now is what is being taught to adolescents. Parents, reformers, and educators have argued what is most important and why, which has evolved the school system and the adolescents in it. Dating back to apprenticeship, parents had a lot of control over their own children and could control their children's skills, morals, and futures. After Horace Mann came into the picture, the phase turned into universal schooling; a place where parents had less control, especially over morals. I'm torn because part of me wants to feel for these parents, reminding myself that parenting is one of the hardest jobs out there and the other part of me wants to side with Mann and socialize students while standardizing some of their learning.

But I think the issue is deeper. Yes, it is important to remember that those first 18 years of your child's life is precious and shouldn't be taken for granted as a parent, and yes, it is also the crucial to give students a more "equal" opportunity to succeed and climb the socioeconomic ladder. Despite all of the issues presented in this chapter, I believe that the deepest need within education is providing one-on-one, individualized interaction with students.

Isn't that what it is all about? When apprenticeship was seen as best, students were given lots of one-on-one time with a role model who lived life with them, teaching them what is important in life, what isn't, values, purpose, etc. When Mann guided us into the universal schooling stage, I believe the ideal of individual learning was still thought of, but too much focus has been placed on the what not the how. It might be a good idea to flatten the playing field so that people can break free of family boundaries, but this standardization can also be detrimental to students. Finally, this phase of life-long learning seems to focus too much on the individualization, encouraging students to learn how to attain information via technology versus placing more emphasis on one-on-one time with teachers.

All in all, it is interesting to read about the history of education. It is also eye-opening to see how it has evolved over the years, sometimes for the better and other times for the worse. And I think my main take-away from this chapter of Rethinking is knowing that we must adapt and cater to our students so that they are invested in what they are learning, but we must also emphasize individual time with students because that is what students will remember years down the road, not the poem by Poe that we read in class.

"Seeking the Nightingale" Webquest

As I was perusing some webquests on the internet recently, I came across this one in particular and decided to explore it. This webquest, created by Virginia Hinkle, is based on the novel Of Nightingales that Weep by Katherine Paterson. (Although I have not read this book yet, I loved Bridge to Terabithia,which was written by this same author.) Similar to the webquest focused on dinosaurs that I had the opportunity to explore within the My Education Kit setting, this webquest is designed to prepare students for a group oral presentation at the end. I love this concept because it (1) gives the group a common purpose to work together as a team and (2) gives the individual a specific task to prepare for as a group member.

I believe that many "webquests" evolve into questionnaires, which come across as "busy work" for students. And simply by its name, a webquest must be a "quest" - students need to find it interesting, fresh, and purposeful. I believe Hinkle created this activity with a purpose in mind, and in her introduction she explains, "understanding the culture of a time and place will deepen your interpretation of the literature, and strengthen your connections to the march of humanity." These are the characteristics of a webquest that an educator should want their students to experience.

Hinkle makes this webquest more than simply hitting different links and filling in blanks on a worksheet. Because Paterson's novel is based in Japan, she has students explore Japan's culture, from playing virtual Japanese instruments (like the koto) to working with an interactive site about Japanese castle structure to viewing famous art pieces from Japan. There is enough information for students to learn dfiferent things and share them with peers during oral presentations. The tasks vary so that students with different interests can relate to one another. And students are who learn in different ways (visual, audio, etc.) have opportunities to use their strengths.

Lastly, I love how she still has reading questions involved in this webquest because I believe that once students have a backdrop from historical and cultural research that Hinkle has provided for them, they will understand and feel more connected to the novel, even the simpler questions. All in all, I enjoy how Hinkle provides general tasks, specific links, and connections between language and culture!

Affected by the Past

As I continued reading Rethinking Education, I was challenged as a future teacher to know the history of my potential career. Why are schools the way they are today? Collins and Halverson describe the shift in learning through apprenticeship (schooling responsibility on families' shoulders) to learning through universal schooling. They argue, "Universal schooling was ultimately a product of the printing press, and hence, education is centered on the major products of literate thought - namely reading, writing, history, mathematics, and science."

I think it is fascinating to know why things are the way they are. It is so easy to forget the history behind people, places, values, and institutions, yet most things are highly affected by society and culture. Because universal schooling has evolved due to patterns within society, we need to be mindful as educators to adapt to societal changes so that we can ensure that students are best prepared for the real world once they finish schooling.

What does this mean for me? It is not "good enough" to have adequate equipment; I need to research, get my hands on, and understand technology and programs that I can use to equip my students. Although universal schooling is the system we must have currently, I think the one-on-one and in-dept experience of apprenticeship is effective. Thus, while teaching students as individuals, one needs to be implementing differentiation as well.

Rethinking Technology

Teachers face the difficult task of educating students in an ever-changing world, full of technological advances and short attention-spans. Our society has become much more advanced, and in order for students to enter the "real world" after years of schooling with the skills and knowledge to succeed, teachers needs to make changes in the classroom.

As I have been reading the book Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schooling in America, Collins and Halverson have been schooling me in the advantages of incorporating technology in the classroom. One specific point they have made is the fact that school has become an information source that doesn't apply as much to the real world as it has evolved over the years. They discussed a poll they took with Harvard students, asking them what they knew about the moon, its phases, and the seasons. Only 1-3 students (out of 24) knew the correct answers, yet these are facts students are taught in elementary school. Their point? In today's world, we need to make the best use of our time in the classroom, teaching students things that they actually need to survive and prosper in our evolving world.

Not only do Collins and Halverson discuss the importance of life application in the classroom, but they describe the endless possibilities that technology has to offer teachers and students. It was interesting to read about "just-in-time learning" and "customization" because both of these concepts correlate directly with the concept of differentiation, which we are taught is one of, if not the most, important ideas on which to base our teaching. Just-in-time learning describes the process of searching for specific information that we need, as individuals, in order to know in order to react to a situation or accomplish a task. Every student is different, so using technology to fit specific needs is both helpful and somewhat essential for each individual to grow and learn in their own way. Customization is similar to this concept in that it we have the ability to customize what each student desires and needs to learn. Personalization and differentiation are difficult tasks for teachers to address with classes of fifteen to thirty students, but technology can be used to assess, give feedback, and encourage reflection for specific students when teachers use the proper and adequate computer programs!

Although I agree with a lot of what I have read so far, I will continue to encourage face-to-face interaction with peers because technology cannot replace that entirely. I do not think Collins and Halverson are implying that it substitutes for group work and conversation as a class, but I want to emphasize that technology should not replace reality, and real-life interaction and experience!