530

My Final Refection

Below are links to my final reflection for 530 class. This class has been at times difficult for me and yet also enlightening. Watch my screencast to see why.

Reflection Part 1

Reflection Part 2

Learning in New Media Environments

Dr. Wesch, in his video on Learning in Media Environments, really brings home the idea that we need to use technology in a way that enhances students’ critical thought and problem solving skills rather than trapping them in the walls of an archaic classroom where all they want to know is if this information is going to be on the test. Media has the ability to change society, but will it change in a way that will open up our learning about society, the problems in the world, and how to begin to solve them? Will it make us understand? Will it makes us “knowledgeable” or “knowledge – able?”

As teachers and leaders, we need to view our students and the people in our society as opportunities to find solutions to our world problems. We need to use technology to open the doors of the mind and encourage collaboration world wide to solve our world’s problems. Too often educators just use technology to perpetuate current learning styles in education. Students may have the technology, but they are still asking the same questions—what is going to be on the test? How many pages does this paper need to be? Learning is just the acquiring of information. Students need to know how to use and apply the information we give them in ways that are meaningful to our society—they need to be “knowledge-able.”

We need to use technology to get the students out of the classroom and thinking beyond the typically classroom walls. We need to use technology to create problem solvers and innovators—to teach our students to be participants in our world.

#ntchat and #teachchat - Using Twitter to discuss teaching

On May 9, 2012, I participated in two chats on twitter. The first was the new teacher chat, #ntchat, and the second was teacher chat, #teachchat. From class discussions, I was expecting that one or both of these would be moving at a pace that is too fast to keep up with, but both of these chats went at a great pace. I was also really impressed with how organized both chats were. I was expecting a bit of chaos, but they both were structured with question prompts for people to respond to and a system to make following and responding easy. The questions were delivered at set intervals during the hour long chat, and the many users would indicate which question they were answering by placing “A1, A2” etc. before their response. It was easy to following and I also got some really useful information from both.

Some questions and good answers from ntchat were:

Q1 - from a Parent- Teachers: do you begin building relationships w/ families from day 1 of the school year?

A1 Good idea for teachers to contact parents before school starts. Also send a post card to incoming students as well

I'd really really really like to do home visits. Worried about language barrier - high ELL population. Anyone have this issue?

I've had this issue in my schools. I've invited native speakers who are also educators along with me.

Q2 - Families have various social-economic backgrounds, are there any that make you uncomfortable? Please elaborate

A2 I feel not being able to communicate with parents especially if they speak another language would be a challenge

A2: Uncomfortable w/ heavy smokers & visibly dirty ppl, esp w/ body odor. Hard to appear open & friendly when grossed out.

A2: Despite discomfort w/ sights/smells, I still believe ppl do the best they can. My job is to let them know I care & will support.

Q3 - If a student’s family & u did not agree, is this be a deal breaker in communication professionally & positively?

A3. If anything, when a family and I disagreed it opened up the line of communication even more to find a solution

Nothing should ever be a deal breaking in communicating positively and professionally with parents. Listen and compromise

A3: It can't be a deal breaker, b/c in the end the child would suffer. A comprimise should always be found.

A3 It is very important to let people vent & then use "I feel messages" & avoid confrontations

Q4 - Out of a typical week, how often do you engage your students in experiences outside of the traditional classroom?

A4: Important, especially for older studnts. Newbs should be supported to keep the learning real. Bring the world outside into CR!

A4: baseball, basketball games, recitals and plays to support my students. They love feeling supported in and out of class

A4: Newbs can plan walking field trips w/ a buddy. Get the kids out in the neighborhood. Explore their surroundings in a safe way.

Some questions and good answers from ntchat were:

Q1: What do you find to be the most challenging aspect of connecting with other teachers?

There is never enough time

Teachers who are stuck in their old ways!!!

finding time mostly to connect - hard to balance family/ teaching life/ connecting

After school I just want to dig in & focus on my classroom- hard to take the time to meet and collaborate

Q2: What would you like to see in terms of communication between other teachers in your bldg?

observing other teachers not only in our grade level is part of our professional development plan

I have never seen my teammates actually teach because I'm tied up in my classroom. Would be nice to see how they present material

The principal at my school actual wants us to go and observe other teachers and gets coverage for our room while we go observe

Perhaps record yourselves!

Q3: What is your biggest challenge in connecting with the parents of your students?

when the don't speak English!

keeping parents involved is so important... through newsletters, open houses, showcases, make it take it, etc

motivating parents to be involved in their child's education can be challenging

Q4: What is your best tip for encouraging parents to stay connected to the classroom?

I would love to do "just because" calls

I have found going to my students sporting events, concerts, church programs, etc. really wins the parents over

I tell them that their feedback and involvement means so much to their kids!

iPads in the Classroom

Our cohorts visited Oceanside and El Camino High Schools in the Oceanside school district to observe their pilot program integrating iPads into the classroom.

How was technology integrated into the curriculum?  Do you feel that it promoted student learning?

The iPads were incorporated into two classrooms at each school, chemistry and physics at Oceanside and in math at El Camino. The bulk of my observation time was in the science classrooms at Oceanside and I will focus my discussions around the practices there.

There were iPads at each desk so that every student had access to the iPad. Additionally, apple TV was installed into the rooms to allow the teachers to have information from individual iPads displayed through the classroom projector to the front of the room.

Currently the teachers are integrating the technology in the classroom for assessments. In chemistry, the students would begin the class on the iPads by answering a question that involved the calculation of a problem. Each student would get the same question, but with different numbers. This allows the students to collaborate on setting up the problem without copying the answers. 

In physics, the students had a series of problems that they had to work through. As they completed each problem, the results for each student were immediately delivered to the instructor. This allowed the instructor to monitor the progress of each student as they progressed through the assessment and provide individual attention to those students who were struggling or needed additional support. I felt that the ability to gain that instantaneous feedback would be incredibly beneficial. As I watched the instructor, I could see that he would be able to determine which students were falling behind in completing the assignment, potentially indicating that they are struggling with answer the questions. It also showed him which problems each student was answering incorrectly. By having this information, he could more easily target those students who needed more individualized instruction and provide it to them. That was a very powerful tool for effective teaching.

However, I felt that the full potential of the iPads enhancement of student learning had yet to be reached. I felt that these students could use these iPads to view and participate in digital labs or demonstrations as well as in other types of assessments such as written assessments or digital journaling. Both teachers expressed that with each year they planned to expand the use of the iPads in the classrooms and hoped to be able to include those types of activities soon.

Is there anything you saw that makes this classroom/school unique?

I was impressed with how comfortable and competent the students were with iPads. Just integrating this kind of technology into the students’ everyday activities makes this school unique. I applaud Oceanside School District for taking this leap and putting together a pilot program to evaluate the use and effectiveness of using this kind of technology in the classroom. I know both schools were looking to expand the number and kinds of classrooms where iPads would be used. I think as they expand into other areas, the ways in which these iPads can be used will expand greatly.

What did you learn and how does it relate to the class questions?

I was very intrigued to see how effectively the iPad were used in effectively assessing the students and providing better opportunity for the teacher to assist those students who needed it most. It was not an application that I had originally envisioned when I thought of iPad use in classrooms. However, I do feel that these schools have only begun to tap the learning potential that these tools can provide. I hope to stay in touch with the teachers at the school to see how they are expanding the student use of iPads and what additional ways they are able to use the iPad effectively. 

Disrupting Class: How disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns
by Clayton M. Christens

This post address several prompts on the first five chapters of the book.

Chapter 1: Why Schools Struggle to Teach Differently when each Student Learns Differently

1. Explain the difference between interdependence and modularity.  How is education currently organized?  

To understand the differences between interdependence and modularity, we must first understand that all products and services have an architecture, or design, that determines the different parts and how those parts will fit, interact, and work together. Education is a service and the parts that make up that service are the teachers, students, administrators, textbooks, content, and the physical school itself, to name a few. Part of the design, or architecture of our schools, is how these parts fit together and interface with each other, and this is where the problem lies.

An interdependent design requires that the components, or parts, are designed specifically to each other and are dependent on the way each one is made. It cannot accommodate differences. In contrast, in modular design, the fit and function of each component is design to coordinate with a multitude of different components. The way they come together may be the same, but each component is very different. It allows for a large variation in the types of components that can work together.

Our schools are currently run on an interdependent design. When we began teaching large groups of children, we standardized the way we teach and expected that all the parts, i.e. the students, would conform to this one standardization. However, many of our students can’t conform, and are lost in the process.

Over the years, our schools have developed multiple levels of interdependency that will be difficult to break. The first is temporal; we continue to build on our knowledge throughout the entire process, so that if something isn’t covered or learned early on, it makes it impossible to learn later. Another is lateral interdependency, which force us to teach certain subjects in a particular way so that it also conforms to the way other subjects are taught. There are hierarchical interdependencies that are in the form of mandates from the local, state, and federal level of governments, and also physical interdependencies in the layout of our schools, which are designed for one teaching and learning style.

Unfortunately, there are multiple ways in which our students learn, and we are rarely providing education in way in which they can be successful, and are instead expecting them to conform to the current standardization.

Chapter 2: Making the Shift:  Schools meet Society’s need

2. Explain the disruptive innovation theory.  What does this have to do with schools?

Disruptive innovation occurs when a product or service is developed that can benefit the non-consumer. It basically takes a product or idea and modifies it in ways that it can reach a new market of consumers that had previously not been tapped or reached. A good example was the personal computer. At the time that Apple began to bring its personal computers to the marketplace, computers had been in existence. However they were large and only served large companies and research institutions. Apple couldn’t compete with the companies, like IBM, who were already supplying the product to the current consumers, but instead developed a new computer that could be used by the average person from their home. These individuals were previously non-consumers of computer technology. So Apple successfully moved computer technology into a new niche.

The problem with schools is that they are not a private organization; they are a public institution and the laws and regulations surrounding education, makes them a virtual monopoly. This can make it very difficult to disrupt the current designs in place. Additionally, there is no large, untapped pool of non-consumers that could drive the disruption.

However, these laws and regulations have been able to drive some change from within and public schools have been able to reinvent their desing in the past when societal and political demands have presented the need to change the design. Schools have moved from teaching the basics to a small portion of the population to teaching all children in ways that expand beyond the basics of education to ways to keep America competitive and to try and eliminate poverty through education. But now the design needs to change again

Chapter 3: Crammed Classroom Computers

3.  Why doesn’t cramming computers in schools work?  Explain this in terms of the lessons from Rachmaninoff (what does it mean to compete against nonconsumption?)

Schools need to find a tool that is going to allow them change their design to a modular model; one where we can meet the diverse learning needs of all of our students. Computers have the potential to be this tool—the light bulb stem. There have been many leaders that have recognized the potential for computers to change the entire landscape of learning, and as a results, a great deal of money has been invested in providing computers in the classrooms. However, this change to a student-centric teaching in education has yet to occur.

Instead, of instigating new models and educational design as they were intended, the computers have been used to marginally improve the way we already teach. They are being used in ways that sustain the current system. For computers to succeed in the classroom as a disruptive technology, they must be used in ways where the alternative is nothing.  Unfortunately, teachers have implemented computers into their teaching in ways that sustain their existing teaching pedagogies instead of replacing them. In order to for computers to become a disruptive technology, there must be a person, a manager, within the educational system to oversee the design use of these tools to ensure that they are not being shaped into a sustaining innovation, but are revolutionizing the way we educate our students.

Chapter 4: Disruptively Deploying Computers

4. Explain the pattern of disruption. Explain the trap of monolithic instruction.  How does student-centric learning help this problem?

Distruptions begin in the new non-consumption niche, or new “plane of competition.” During this time, while free of competition from the larger established companies, these new companies are able to improve their technology while their cost declines. This allows them to expand the application of their products from the original niche into other areas that were originally dominated by those earlier established companies. This transition usually begins slowly as the disruptive innovation is carving out its new niche and further developing the technology, but that is usually followed by rapid expansion when the disruption innovative technology is able to expand into other areas. When graphed, this pattern usually presents itself as an “S” shaped curve, showing the slow start, rapid expansion, and then slows again as it asymptotically approaches a full share of the market.

In education, this is beginning as online courses are filling an educational void in classes that are not offered in High School, such as AP or language classes, and also in assisting students who are either home schooled or needed courses in credit recovery. Computer-based learning will continue to improve through better interactive elements and by layering different learning paths into their programs. As these improvements occur, the learning will move from a more teacher-centric to student-centric learning. This will begin to create a greater demand for these products and that will drive down prices of online schooling. It is then that you will see the “flip” and a rapid increase in the dominance of on-line instruction over the older monolithic instruction currently in place.

Our current monolithic instructional system is set up to teach large batches of students in a very set and timed order with almost no accommodations for varying learning styles or paces. This system has molded the teaching job to preparing to teach, teaching, and testing the entire class where there is little time or availability to assist students individually. It’s a one size fits all scenario that doesn’t really work.

As we begin to move to a more student-centric model through the use of technology and computers, the teachers will be able to become more of a learning coach, where they can spend their time guiding the students through their own instruction and assisting individuals when and how they need it.  

Chapter 5: The System for Student-Centric Learning

5. Explain public education’s commercial system.  What does it mean to say it is a value-chain business?  How does this affect student-centric learning?

An education’s commercial system includes the materials it creates and uses, the decisions about which materials to adopt, and which methods it will use to deliver the content through these materials to the students. Our current system is a model of the value-chain business system. Value chain business, like manufacturing plants, bring raw materials into a plant, add value to them, and deliver the high end product to their customers on the other end. Most value chain companies are successful in producing their products because they set their business up with strong, standardized processes. Unfortunately today, education is also working like a value chain business, where we herd our students into the classroom, add value to them, and then send them on up to the next grade level.

This system cannot and doesn’t support a student-centric system. From the creation of the materials and textbooks we use to the way in which we use them, we are working toward teaching a large batch of students in a singular way, not as individuals with separate needs. It begins with the creation of our textbooks, which as it’s own value chain business, cannot create multiple versions of textbooks that aligned with different learning styles and needs of the students. To make matters worse, these books are often written by the experts in the subject area and presented in a way that continues to teach the material to the dominant intelligence. Additionally, the decision on which books to adopt is often made at the state level, where the needs of individual students cannot and are not part of the decision process. Once we finally get down to the teacher-student level, we are still using methods which teach and assess students en mass and individuals are lost.

However, as we see the application of technology in our classrooms increase, we will see this shift away from monolithic instruction to a more student-centric learning.