Post # 9

Thinking About Educating for the Future

How will the classroom look like in 5, 10 or even 15 years? What will be the role of teachers in the 21^st century classroom? The answers to these questions are both intimidating and exciting.  The classroom now is beginning to change as we are consistently seeing a new batch of students with skills and knowledge not seeing before.  As technology advances our public schools will advance as well. Though some critics argue that public school teachers are not catching up to the new trends in education, I say WE ARE! In the future the classroom will continue to change. Through the use of effective staff development, school districts are discussing how to best utilize the technology they have to fit the changing trends. Change will not come to public education, just not overnight.

The following are the most important characteristics that will have to be addressed in order to better educate students and enable substantially larger percentages of them to be successful contributors to society:

1.       Increase in collaborative tasks/ assignments

2.       Independent Learning

3.       Long distance learning

As stated by Fisher and Frey, in order for students to learn—to really learn—students must be engaged in productive group tasks that require interaction. Collaboration is proven to help in developing effective listening, thinking, speaking, and writing skills. In the 21^st century classroom, students will master all the mentioned skills as they become an interval part of our everyday functions. Students will not be the only ones collaborating; teachers and administrators will collaborate as well. Professionals will come together to gather information and find the best instructional practices that fits the student’s needs.

Independent Learning will be a common practice in the 21^st century classroom as students will be allowed to showcase what they have learned in the classroom in the outside world.  Many districts are beginning to use independent studies in their schools and have noticed a major shift in student progress. In order to fully assess content retention and concepts learned, students need to be able to model it and put it into practice.

Long distance learning will be a new practice of the 21^st century that will be enhanced through the use of technology. I think the classroom will change as a result of new technology being introduced that will be able to connect and American high school student to Japanese, Chinese or any other Oriental student. SmartBoards, webcams and other media devices will help foster a culture of long distance learning.

Post # 3

Mitra, Richardson and Kay

The video by Sugata Mitra at the 2007 Lift Conference was one that made me think about our current practices in Education and their effectiveness. Mitra gives his support for the reform of primary education by first introducing the audience with his four big ideas.

a.     Remoteness and quality of education

b.    Educational Technology should be introduced to remote areas first

c.     Values are required doctrine and dogma are imposed

d.    Learning is self organizing system

I was really impressed with Mitra’s first two ideas as they are key ideas in understanding urban education worldwide.  It seems to be that there is truth behind the idea that the further away from an urban center you get to, the more remote area becomes…the question then is what happens to education?  There is of course only one answer to that and that is that the quality of education goes down. Furthermore this idea shines light on the fact that this system creates an “us against them” system in which the social classes are divided and educational resources are further dispensed. Remoteness of education is a potential problem that will affect the American educational system in that we are finding that schools in remote parts of the country are not doing as they should in comparison to others. In India this is an even bigger problem due to the socio-economic status and percentages of disadvantaged kids to the advantaged kids.

Mitra’s second idea has the potential to make change in the education system if the United States. He says that new technology should be first introduced to remote areas rather than urban areas. This is completely logical because remote areas/districts would have the most use of the technology since they have more of an achievement gap. For example, if an urban district is in the mist of purchasing a 250K literary program whose product yield a 5% increase on scores, they will most likely not purchase the program due to that fact that the results are too low. 9 times out of 10 that same exact district scores a little about average on literacy assessments and thus the results of the product are not substantial.  Take the same scenario and place it in a remote school district whose scores are below average, the program will most likely yield better results because there is a greater need for the use of the program. Mitra calls these bias results!

Perhaps Mitra’s most powerful idea comes from his experiment entitled “Hole in the Wall” In this experiment he goes to remote areas of India and places a computer inside a wall where only the monitor is exposed to the outside. He then observes as children from various different ages take turns in trying to make sense of the technology. The experiment yielded very interesting results. Mitra discovered that without the help of a teacher, adult or a computer savvy person, the children were able to learn how to use the computer. Mitra makes a connection with the fact that students should be allowed to take charge of their own education by experimenting and being facilitated. This leads to a very interesting point, what is the role of the new classroom teacher in the 21^st century. If students can teach themselves, what is our place? “If a teacher can be replaced by a computer then he should be”  There is truth to this statement and 21^st century educators are realizing this more and more each day.

In reading chapter 13 entitled Navigating Social Networks as Learning Tools; Richardson builds a case for the need of teachers to model the use of technology. 21^st century learning is centered on the idea that the classroom is changing so teachers must change to. Richardson notes that a virtual global classroom will be the new trend as technology continues to grow and improve. Social network technologies are completely revolutionizing the public school sector. School administrators are scared of using these networks because of its legal implications, but if used and monitored the right away, educators can see a new breed of student in the classroom.

The foreword of Bellanca was perhaps by favorite of the readings because as a future school administrator it is crucial to understand how 21^st century are pared to core subjects, life and career skills and themes relevant to the times.  The American educational system is crying-out for a new model or reform. We are almost refusing to accept the fact that the classroom and the student is changing. We are living in a time were technology is ever so present and is revolutionizing how we live our lives.  The 21^st century will see a new beginning in education as it will be transformed by technology and the new revolution. US schools for the most part have not adapted to the changing world.  Innovation, creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, flexibility, adaptability, leadership, and cross-cultural skills are all imperative to have and our kids don’t have many of these skills.  The 21^st Century School will require reforms of the following areas as stated by Richardson in order to better service students.

1.       Standards and assessments

2.       Curriculum and Instruction

3.       Professional Development

4.       Learning Environments

Post # 7

Bellanca & Brandt Chapter 7: An Implementation Framework by Jay McTighe & Elliott Seif

This week I read chapter 7 entitled An Implementation Framework from Bellanca and Brandt pages 149-174.  The chapter is very effective in giving educators an understanding of how to implement a framework for 21^st Century learning that presents a systemic approach to education reform. As educators we must realize that our students are changing, our workplace is changing and the nature of our jobs is changing. 21^st Century Learning is not just a buzz word in education; it is realization that we must instill the necessary skills into our students so that they are able to compete in this modern world.

McTinghe and Seif first mention that part of the implementation process comes from reviewing the school’s mission statement, making sure it includes 21^st century outcomes.  Many school and district mission statements were crated a long time ago and thus are outdated. They do not reflect the current trends in society and education. Our new mission statements should include targeted outcomes, capabilities and skills out students should master in today’s society.

I was glad to see that McTinghe and Seif made reference to Scott Wiggins because he has played a major role in New Jersey’s education reform from 2009-2010. Wiggins introduce Understanding by Design, which is a system of working backwards and achieving better student outcomes by providing them with essential questions throughout the lesson.  McTinghe and Seif identify that while operating under a system of understanding by Design, educators will be working closely with curriculums to better service students.  As a member of my school’s professional development team, I have found that establishing Professional Learning Communities and working closely with curriculums has helped our students realize their strengths and potentials in the classroom.  Using curriculum mapping as discussed by McTinghe and Seif, my school has been able to master the use of common assessment, PLC’s and strategies when dealing with data driven instruction. My school and my team have just been recognized by the National Staff Development Council and the Learning School Alliance as a school district who recognized and uses effective staff professional development to raise student achievement.

As a future public school administrator I was very interested by this week’s reading and would even consider using it during my internship next year; particularly the sections on indicators 1-5 that suggest what students should experience as they achieve 21^st century outcomes. In addition, the rubric for reviewing criteria for Instructional Resources is also a useful tool to be shared by all staff members in an effort to raise student achievement and create a collaborative culture.

Post # 6

Teacher Drug-Testing Policy Struck-Down

This week we browsed a variety of websites relating to educational technology and twenty first century skills.  The site of my choice is actually a simple blog created by Mark Walsh discussing policy making, implementation and review. The blog was entitled Teacher Drug-Testing Policy Struck Down and was posted to Education Week Blog on February 24, 2011.

The blog discusses the issues school districts have when dealing with drug testing of its faculty and students. The issue is very much prevalent as each and every day an alarming number of students are caught with either drug paraphernalia or possession at school.  The Smith County School District enacted a drug-testing policy for school employees in 2004 after two incidents in which teachers were charged with having drug paraphernalia in their homes. The policy was then revised in 2007 to include random drug testing.  The Smith County Education Association filed suit against the district for its policy claiming “unreasonable search under the Fourth Amendment. The court ruled that the 2007 policy lacks clarity and does not give teachers reasonable and adequate notice of what is being tested. The policy is also implemented in such a way that it unreasonably intrudes on the privacy of teachers.  According to a resent Teen Drug Abuse poll, More than 60 percent of teens said that drugs were sold, used, or kept at their school. What is even more alarming is that about 28 percent of 8^th graders say they have used marijuana at school or at home. With an easy access to illegal drugs, the American high school student is much more tempted to ‘try” or “experiment” with drugs between the ages of 13 & 19. As educators we cannot help but think of the times of Eleanor Roosevelt and her crackdown on drugs.

In my school district teenage drug usage is becoming a major problem as Newark’s gang related incidents are on the rise. Many attest this to the fact that more and more Newark Police officers are becoming Laid Off and the streets see less black and white cars patrolling. The district has a drug and alcohol policy instituted but is not strong enough to deal with future problems and the unforeseen. A drug free school zone is almost becoming a thing of the past in the urban school districts. It is up to educators and school officials to put an end to teenage drug usage and the problems it causes both academically and socially.

In Class Post # 8

In class we were asked to visit a number of websites and select one that interest us.  I was very happy with my selection VOXOPOP . The site actually allows users to start a blog-like conversation, either with each other or individually on any topic, and then post it on the site itself. This is a great tool for a high school teacher who is infusing communication skills in his/her curriculum. The website is designed to allow users to hear themselves in order to make future edits. As stated in the site, the website is a bit like message boards, but use voice rather than text and a have a specialised user interface. No longer confined to a physical classroom, teachers and students of oral skills can interact from home, or even from opposite sides of the planet! INCREDIBLE TECHNOLOGY! easily available to teachers and students.

POST # 5

Teacher Drug-Testing Policy Struck Down

Very interesting blog on policy making, policy implentation/ adoption and policy review with regards to drug testing in public schools.

Click below:
http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/school_law/

Blog Assignment # 4

-What was this activity like for you?-

This activity caused me to think about my own approach towards 21st century learning and what steps I am currently taking to elevate my student’s level of consciousness with regards to this 21^st century skills and global competiveness.  I find that as educators we are at an advantage in that we are already lifelong learners and that we value progression and innovation.  The question now is how do we model that to our students? As discussed in my group we need to find better ways of motivating, promoting and fostering 21^st century skills in our classrooms. I find that this activity was effective in that we collaborated and thought as 21^st century teachers.  

-Would it have been easier or harder for your group to “elevate” its own questions? Why?-

The assignment called for collaboration and critiquing; we were to read a group’s questions and elevate them to a higher category on Bloom Taxonomy. We found that as a group we found it harder to elevate our peer’s questions because we tried to find meaning behind them.  I think that our mistake was in trying to answer the questions and then rephrasing it in a way that elicits a higher order response.   

-What did you get out of it?-

This activity actually modeled my Professional Learning Community, PLC in my district.  As a facilitator in my PLC I am often caught asking questions that call for higher order responses.  I think that we are at an age where we need to keep our teachers activity thinking about better ways to improve themselves and their teaching practices.  Given the opportunity, teachers can foster a collaborative environment where we think about the best practices, research and skills to apply to our classrooms.

-What connections do you see between this activity and educational leadership?-

I think that as future school leaders, we need to foster better ways of promoting 21^st century skills. Most importantly we need to realize that we need to be active promoters of technology and 21^st century skills.