Let me evaluate the Capstone Course - it is poorly designed, dated, and the organizers make the participants feel like an after thought. Now I sound like one of those angry online people. On to something more exciting.
One of the tools my school division is in the process of gearing up is Microsoft Sharepoint. I am really excited about teachers using this tool as a collaborative communication medium. The tool comes equipped with capability to use discussion boards, blogs, wikis, document sharing, photo sharing, calendar sharing, annoucment sharing, and surveys. I think these tools have the ability to drastically reshape my division's educational enviornment. Many teachers don't do a good job of working on lessons collaboratively and sharing styles of teaching that are effective with various types of students. If the division can get teachers to utilize the Sharepoint site as a collaborative learning environment, I think a shift will occur in the standard of teaching in my division. If teachers had a repository of tried and true lessons on which they could continue to build and expand, I think we would finally start to see more consistent learning among students. The idea that you can go into your classroom, shut the door, and teach on your own for the whole day needs to stop. If teachers can work together collaboriatively the profession of teaching would drastically improve its product.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Session 4 Creativity part 2
This post is going to be specific to e-learning 2.0 - how Web technologies are shaping education an article written by Steve O'Hear. When I read through this article the first time, I got excited about all the different ways that technology can create really awesome learning environments. Then I thought about the schools I work in and wonder how to translate these ideas into things that these teachers will use. I see a big disconnect between technology and the classroom. My job is to bridge that divide, but I am still struggling on how to do that.
The first step, which is outside of my control, is getting the resources into the hands of teachers. So far my division has been doing a pretty good job of getting tools for teachers. The second step is getting teachers comfortable using the tools. I see blogging as a good first step here. Particularly with the Elementary students, a multi-authored blog around some of their reading in language arts would be a good digital step for teachers and students. I was really impressed with the one teacher who managed to get the author to join the learning environment. That is where I see real power in these tools. The third step, is to truly incorporate these tools. I was really impressed with the flickr annotation tool. That has great applicability in the classroom. Also, the ability to create podcasts of information which can then be shared with others increases the learning opportunities even further.
Refelecting more on the barriers to these projects, I really see a need to encourage teamwork and cooperation in the classroom. These are the kinds of projects that need teachers working together. Yet all to often I still see teachers on their own, shutting the door to their classroom when they teach. Administrators need to find a way to encourage more teamwork.
The first step, which is outside of my control, is getting the resources into the hands of teachers. So far my division has been doing a pretty good job of getting tools for teachers. The second step is getting teachers comfortable using the tools. I see blogging as a good first step here. Particularly with the Elementary students, a multi-authored blog around some of their reading in language arts would be a good digital step for teachers and students. I was really impressed with the one teacher who managed to get the author to join the learning environment. That is where I see real power in these tools. The third step, is to truly incorporate these tools. I was really impressed with the flickr annotation tool. That has great applicability in the classroom. Also, the ability to create podcasts of information which can then be shared with others increases the learning opportunities even further.
Refelecting more on the barriers to these projects, I really see a need to encourage teamwork and cooperation in the classroom. These are the kinds of projects that need teachers working together. Yet all to often I still see teachers on their own, shutting the door to their classroom when they teach. Administrators need to find a way to encourage more teamwork.
Session 4: Creativity
Creativity seems to be all the rage in education these days. This summer Newsweek had a whole magazine dedicated to the issue. Yet, I wonder how much of this focus is coming about as a counter balance to the government mandated standards that are in place? It is hard to encourage creativity when students have a set of facts they are required to memorize.
For this course, I was asked to take a look at Ken Robinson Says Schools Kill Creativity. Intermixed in this comedy routine were a few points worth mentioning. Ken says we should treat creativity as importantly as we treat literacy. He wonders out loud how we manage to kill a childs ability to take a chance and be wrong as they progress through the years of schooling. Then he says that the education system punishes mistakes. I agree with that point because the government mandated standards are either right or wrong. You don't have room to make mistakes. Students who make mistakes cost schools. I particularly liked his comments about the hierarchy of subjects in education. He says that math and science are at the top, followed by the humanities, with the arts bringing up the rear. Even in the arts some like music and visual arts are more important than something like dance. This jelled nicely with a comment I heard recently from Diane Ravitch. She said every child should be required to learn to play a musical instrument just like we require math or science. Her arguments in favor of this were that it required practice to get good, brought benefit to society, and when you got good at it you could do it with others. I digress, the final point from the talk that I agreed with was his comment that our educational system was designed for the 19th century industrial world. On this I agree whole heartedly. We can not prepare students for 21st century work in a 19th century system.
As part of this session, I have also had the opportunity to explore the TED videos more closely. So far I am pretty impressed. I plan to spend more time exploring some of these short informative videos.
For this course, I was asked to take a look at Ken Robinson Says Schools Kill Creativity. Intermixed in this comedy routine were a few points worth mentioning. Ken says we should treat creativity as importantly as we treat literacy. He wonders out loud how we manage to kill a childs ability to take a chance and be wrong as they progress through the years of schooling. Then he says that the education system punishes mistakes. I agree with that point because the government mandated standards are either right or wrong. You don't have room to make mistakes. Students who make mistakes cost schools. I particularly liked his comments about the hierarchy of subjects in education. He says that math and science are at the top, followed by the humanities, with the arts bringing up the rear. Even in the arts some like music and visual arts are more important than something like dance. This jelled nicely with a comment I heard recently from Diane Ravitch. She said every child should be required to learn to play a musical instrument just like we require math or science. Her arguments in favor of this were that it required practice to get good, brought benefit to society, and when you got good at it you could do it with others. I digress, the final point from the talk that I agreed with was his comment that our educational system was designed for the 19th century industrial world. On this I agree whole heartedly. We can not prepare students for 21st century work in a 19th century system.
As part of this session, I have also had the opportunity to explore the TED videos more closely. So far I am pretty impressed. I plan to spend more time exploring some of these short informative videos.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)