Lifelong Learner

Lifelong learner.  That has such a nice sound and brings to mind such a wonderful picture of people constantly at awe and treasuring each and every new discovery.  How can we possible get to that place?

I must admit that at this point in time, I lean toward Horace Mann’s vision of education.  By providing a common curriculum to students, they have the opportunity to become successful American citizens.  I agree that learning the same body of knowledge teaches the same body of values, those being American values.  I agree that a broad base education gives students the opportunity for social mobility.  Although it has been noted that universal education led to a discrepancy between parents’ and their children’s attitudes & values, I do not believe that this is necessarily a bad thing.  Students are presented with the same information and then asked to form their own opinion about it.  This allows students to become independent thinkers and not just regurgitate what they hear either from their parents or their teachers in school. 

I think a combination of approaches at different ages could provide an overall better education.  At lower levels, I think the universal approach is most appropriate.  Let’s face it, students can not go on and investigate what interests them if they can not read.  All students need the same foundation of reading, writing – that being the process of putting thoughts down on paper in a coherent manner  not penmanship- and arithmetic.  I think through the middle grades kids should be exposed to all sorts of topics.  If a student finds a subject which interests him, he will most likely always be interested in it.  He should not stop there but continue to explore.  As much as he may enjoy trains, once he learns about planes and flight, he may have a new love.  In the upper grades as students prepare to head to college, trade school or the workforce, education could become more interest led.

I do believe that at any age, technology must play a role.  It is simply how knowledge is now acquired.  There is no denying this.  As the students progress through their years of school, the technology will change but it will never cease to exist.  To ignore that fact is not doing the students justice in their education.  I am just hesitant to give complete control of the direction of education to the individual students. 

Too Many Choices

Home schooling, workplace learning, distance education, adult education, learning centers, educational television & videos, computer based learning software, technical certifications and internet cafes have all come about as the result of the perceived deterioration of the current educational system.  All are “an answer” to the same problem which is that the current educational system is not working.   The problem with that is that not everyone sees the same problem within the system.

The home schooling movement which has been fueled primarily by a number of Christian churches believed that the absence of morals in the public school system was at the root of the problem.  Workplace learning has come about because employers believe that employees have not been given the proper set of skills to be effective or productive workers.  Distance education is on the rise for busy people who want to return to school to further their education but do not have the time to attend traditional universities.  Adult education is there for retirees and older Americans who want to further their education in a fun or recreational way.  Learning centers help average or above average students get ahead or to help the students who are lacking to catch up.  So on, and so on, and so on.  With so many different approaches trying to reform education, does it increase learning or not?  Do these different approaches address the “problem” with education today or only specific pieces of the problem?

As I see it, there is no one problem with our educational system. But a variety.  There are some school districts that are right on the money and then there are others that don’t have a clue.  What is lacking in one building may not be in another.  I agree that when a deficiency is identified, it needs to be rectified.  However, all of these different and private approaches don’t solve the problem for the school body as a whole.  It only solves the problem for the student who is fortunate enough to be able to take advantage of a Sylvan Learning Center or the like.  Computer based learning only benefits those with a computer. 

I know that education means different things to different people and that a variety in learning has the potential to reach the most people.  But, at the same time, is too much choice a bad thing?  With only pieces of a framework, would the individual student get lost?  Each of these new ways of learning address parts of the problem but I don’t think that it makes for an all around well balanced education.  If the method of teaching is centered on a technical certificate, the result will be a person who is very knowledgeable in a small area.  If an employer wants an individual in a technical position to also in an area that depends on communication skills, then that person will need to go for more training because one set of skills may be stellar but the other lacking.  It doesn’t seem to make sense to spend more time to retrain.  If a person is given a broad and varied education the first time around, then the employer would have an employee who is adequately trained in multiple areas.

Go SCRATCH!

Creating an interactive reusable learning object (iRLO) with SCRATCH was a major pain in the dupa!  Of all the assignments this semester, I have to be honest and say that this was my least favorite.  I just don’t know what to do with this at the grades I would like to teach. 

My first complaint was the software itself.  I understand that the majority of the programming was packaged into chunks and all I had to do was put the chunks together in the order I wanted them.  That sounded a lot easier than it turned out to be.  And, of course, I wanted to do certain things but could not find the right chunk to make it happen.  As I worked with the program, it did become somewhat easier, but I could not figure out how to get the sprites on the screen to do what I saw them doing in my head.  I suppose that there are limitations to all software and no one will completely do what I want it to do.  Getting close to what I envision will have to do until I learn to program everything for myself. 

Once I accepted the limitations and realized that my end product was not going to be exactly as I had envisioned, then things came together a bit more.  After looking at some of the examples and playing around with the program, I was able to figure out how to import my own pictures and even add my voice.  In the future, that may help me produce iRLOs that are more like what I see in my head.  (You should see what is in my head!)

My first iRLO was a bit off the mark as far as meeting the state standards and making it reusable.  I was so consumed with manipulating the program that I missed the mark as far as making the object age or grade appropriate or considering if the same student used it again, would he see the same or be asked something different.  For my revision, I started from SRATCH.  (Yes, bad pun intended.) My first attempt was simply a question and answer format with questions that were below grade level.  Also, if the same student used my object two times in a row, he would see the same questions.  I approached my revision with the same mind set as my IWB lesson.  I picked poetry because I could include some instruction with an example of what the end product would be, and then, the student would have opportunity to produce an original piece.  I felt the content was much more appropriate and if the student used the iRLO more than once, a new piece in that particular style could be produced each time.

I am sure that with more practice, I could master this tool, but again, I need to think hard about how to use it and make the activities grade appropriate, as well as useful.  Allowing students to use SCRATCH to produce their own iRLO may help solidify their understanding of the content and their projects may help others in the class who are struggling.

The Goal

So, what does it all mean?

It means, things are changing.  The way students are taught is changing.  The way that teachers teach is changing.  The way teachers, students and parents communicate is changing.  School is changing.

Change isn’t necessarily a bad thing.  Sure, it is a bit scary to branch off and try something new.  But, it can also be exciting.  One of the beautiful things about change is that it doesn’t have to happen all at once because change will always be there.

So, what does it all mean for me?  Well, as a teacher I need to be willing to change for the betterment of my students.  I will need to constantly evaluate the tools I use and the way I help my students learn.  I need to keep what works and be willing to replace that which does not.  Some changes may be huge shifts and others may be baby steps.  But, it in the end, if it benefits the students, then change is necessary.  As I become more familiar and more comfortable with using technology, then my students will only benefit.

I have had great concern about reaching students with different learning styles.  As I have found, technology is not synonymous with video or visual media.  Other senses can be stimulated.  I also found that many sets of skills are used when using the different technologies and higher order skills can be challenged.

So, what does it all mean?  It means that it is just the beginning.  It is always a beginning!

I look forward to my journey to become the tech savvy teacher in the epilogue.  Once all the pieces are in place, it makes for a nice picture.  Everything is organized and manageable.  It helps the teacher stay on top of things, it allows the students different, more engaging ways to demonstrate understanding of concepts and it reaches the parents in a timely manner all without losing contact with the students. 

I suppose I am still trying to break away from my presumption about technology in the classroom.  Mention technology infused classroom and a picture of a silent classroom where no one is interacting with each other but instead everyone is looking at a computer screen jumps to mind.  I would not want to lose that personal contact with the students.  Technology does not drive a wedge between teacher and student.  If anything, it can connect teachers and students by helping the teacher excite students about learning.

Exit Slip 12/6

We watched a video of a teacher who has transitioned her classroom from a traditional environment to a technology infused environment.  She did not do anything groundbreaking, but put together a nice combination of tools to make her room a more engaging environment for students.

One component was creating an “open classroom.”  She employed tools such as teacher and student blogs as a way to showcase students’ progress.  As a parent, I greatly appreciate good communication from my children’s teachers.  It does me no good to know what they did last week.  It doesn’t allow me to help my children if I find out 2 days after the fact that they did not finish an assignment.  As a teacher with an open classroom, everyone would know everything.  Parents would be able to keep track of what is going on in the class as well as how their student is doing.  An open classroom would help to engage the parents the same that other technologies would engage the students.

Exit Slip 11/22

Today was fun!  My group led the discussion on chapter 9 of Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology.  Our approach was to take a look at where we started and where we were at this point.  At the beginning of the semester, the following statement was presented to the class: “Technology makes life more difficult for teachers.”  We all had to say if we agreed, disagreed or had no opinion.  I was not surprised that I was one of only two students who agreed with that statement.  What did surprise me was the large number of students who had no opinion on the matter.   I assumed, perhaps based on age, the majority of students would be very pro-technology and most of the class would disagree.

My group revisited this discussion.  We asked the class to consider what had been learned over the previous weeks and regroup.  I was very surprised that only 2 students from the “no opinion” group joined the ranks of those who originally disagreed with the statement.  I really expected a greater shift.  My greatest surprise was my own opinion.  I knew that technology could provide useful tools for teachers.  I was surprised at my own anticipation to try these in my own classroom. (I know, I should have warned you.  You’re jaw is probably on the floor at this point.)

I do intend on incorporating technology in my classroom but only if it adds to the learning environment.  I will not use it just to use it.  It needs to have a specific and useful purpose.  I suppose that is true of anything I do in my classroom, technology driven or not.

Exit Slip 11/15

The topic of discussion was the idea of interest based learning.  We were asked to conduct an internet search on a science topic of our choice.  I froze.  Without more direction, I had no idea what to do.  The next search we were asked to do had more specific directions.   I responded much better to that as I believe students would also.  As any parent will tell you, children respond well to boundaries.  They push to find the line because they want to know what they can and can not do.

I understand that the theory is that if you let students chose the topic, they will learn more because they are interested in the topic.  There is, however, the possibility that the students will have an interest in something that has yet to be introduced to them.  Dave Brubek had decided to follow his father into the cattle industry by becoming a veterinarian.  While attending college he was required to take a music class, and as I had heard the story told, he was not too happy about this.  During the course of that class he found he had an immense interest in music.  He went on to become a fantastic jazz musician.  Had he been left to interest led education, he may have never discovered his great love of music.  Again, I advocate for a broad based curriculum at lower levels and in later years, allow students to explore interests.