Enlightening Ideas in Education

A post I found interesting was from the 2cents worth blog. David Warlick writes this blog about teaching and learning in Web 2.0.

The post I found interesting, and subsequently commented on, is here: TedxLondon

I am in love with Ted Talks. They are so fascinating to watch. The world's most innovative people share their ideas. My first Ted Talk (and still my favorite) is The Birth of a Word, by Deb Roy.

In his post, David Warlick talks about how London's chapter of Ted had a conference on "The Educational Revolution". It seemed important to me that, according to walk the conference had focused on three things : 1.What's wrong? 2. What's right? 3. What's next?

When I hear people talk, it seems to focus on the wrong, or the negative. The positive and forward-thinking ideas are key for me-- Education should focus on the End, and then the means to achieve the goal.

Changing Education Paradigms

I am wholeheartedly thrilled that I decided to watch RSA's Animate video on Changing Educational Paradigms.

The status quo in America right now, in my experience, is to "blame the teacher". I recently read an article in the LA times that discussed this, and I completely agree. The article is called "What Teachers Really Want to Tell Parents"

The idea that problems with reading is the Elementary school or English teacher's fault is just like saying that childhood obesity is the Phys. Ed teacher's fault. But-- stop right there-- what was that? They can't control diet and exercise? Well, I can't control the diet (reading of books) or exercise (reading several times a week for pleasure) of English, either. I agree that the problem is we are trying to meet the future by using the past. For example, the whole educational system was ultimately conceived at a different time. As our world evolves, our education needs to evolve. These things are, as with most pieces of the puzzle, easier said than done.

I really agree with the idea that powerful learning happens in groups. One of the key skills for 21st century students is collaboration. How(and when) are they supposed to learn to effectively collaborate if not at school? I am a big fan of literature circles, where students read an article (or entire book) as individuals and then discuss the book in specific roles-- such as quote finder, connector (making connections), word wizard (vocabulary), discussion director (leader) and beyond. This allows each to "expert" in one area, which a common bond or article that holds the discussion together like glue.

There is much to think about as our information society changes minute by minute. Who knows what tools will pup into our world next week, next month, next year? I hope to stat flexible and ready to use whatever can benefit my students in a meaningful way.

Brave New Digital Classroom

I thought the title of this book was very fitting. It seems to me now there is a big divide in terms of teaching with technology: teachers who do, teachers who try to, and teachers who won't.

One quote that resonated with me right away was that, "Technology, then, if used wisely,could play a major role in enhancing L2 learners' contact with the target language, especially in the absence of study abroad" (2).

I completely agree. In school, I took French. Every year, the sophomores (last required year of French) took a trip to Quebec to "immerse themselves" in the language. With the use of technology, such as Skype for speaking skills, or blogger for reading and writing skills, students can experience the L2 language outside of scripted curriculum which takes 600-1320 hours of study in order to reach fluency.

The author also clearly points out that his book is "not a how-to manual" . Everyone knows that when you need to do something, you can figure it out on Google! Here, instead, the author has a laid out the scope of what the book will cover in terms of L2 learning. He also acknowledges where our students are at, citing that 84 percent of them use the internet for communication, and that it is their number one communication tool. We can play into our students interests, and watch their leaning excel as they work where they are comfortable with the important target-language input.

Being that I am not an ELL teacher/major, I found this very interesting and helpful for my current career situation!

Internet Safety

Students: Being safe on the internet is a smart way to stay prepared for a bright future.

All too often, it is easy to become a victim of a sneaky internet crime. If you pay attention and educate yourself, you will be equipped for life.Internet safety is very important. As the internet has exploded and evolved, internet crime has grown equally if not faster. It is important to protect yourself at all times when using the internet! But how can you do that?

1. Beware of "Pop-ups": The Federal Trade Commission notes that theives can pretend to be financial institutions or companies and sepnd spam or pop-up messages to get you to reveal your personal information. A great game that models scenarios and gives solutions can be found here: http://www.onguardonline.gov/games/id-theft-faceoff.aspx.

2. Only Digitally "friend" those real-life "friends". Anyone can "google" images and pretend to be anyone in the world. To protect yourself, be yourself, set all of your Facebook and/or Twitter information to "friends-only", and only friend people that you know. While being on Youtube could make you famous, it could also cause you to be a victim of a stalker if you reveal too much information such as where you live, or your full name.

3. Create secure passwords! There are many tips for creating a secure password. Some are:

a. Use a mix of upper and lowercase letters.

b. Use at least one number.

c. Use at least one symbol: $#!*^&%

Still curious about how to be safe online? View this fun cartoon featuring everyone's favorite lazy feline, Garfield!
http://learninglab.org/life_skills/online_safety/

In my district, we have a very strict internet use policy. The reason behind this is that the school's data and internet connection are all hosted by one server. As a result, students are blocked from virtually every website. As an educator, if I want my students to use a website like www.readwritethink.org, I need to ask for the Technology Director to unblock it, with a rationale as to why and how it will be used. I understand why it is like that, but it is hard for the students to understand it.

Three Easy Ways

Blogging is one of those "things" on the internet that really exploded. People have another outlet to share their thoughts, ideas, issues... and everything else under the sun.

I currently read a few blogs, and my favorite by far is this one: http://middleschool101.edublogs.org/ .

Anyone who teaches (or is going to teach) Middle School will be amazed at what students in this school do!

For my blog, I used the common core standards since I do not currently teach in New York, and AZ is integrating the Common Core standards in 2012-2013.

Three Ways that students could use blogs in Language Arts:

1. Responded to Literature:

Students often do independent reading. I think that blogging about their books serves several purposes. First of all, students can analyze what is happening in their book and make connections to the world and their lives within the book they chose. Also, students can have an outlet to share reviews about the book they read, and read reviews from other trusted classmates.

Common Core Standards for Literature Grades 9-10:

- Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text

says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining

where the text leaves matters uncertain.

- Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting

motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters,

and advance the plot or develop the theme

2. What's the Big Idea- Jim Burke

Discussion of big ideas: Articles, Current Events

Students can read articles that are linked on the blog for homework-- focusing mainly on informational text, since that is the most challenging.

Then, students can comment and respond to the comments posted by their classmates. This can create a classroom community and allow everyone to have an equal voice.

Common Core Standards:

-Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text,

including figurative, connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the

cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone (e.g., how the

language of a court opinion differs from that of a newspaper).

- Analyze in detail how an author’s ideas or claims are developed and refined by

particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or

chapter)

3.Daily, Personal Writing

In numerous articles I have read, authors have praised the benefits of daily writing practice. By making writing personal, students can have a chance to both express themselves as adolescents, as well as growing and developing their skills as writers.

For example: Weekly blog requirements- 500 Words

One specific prompt per week to have everyone "on the same page" .

Common Core Standards:

a. Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information to

make important connections and distinctions; include formatting (e.g.,

headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to

aiding comprehension.

b. Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, extended

definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples

appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic.

These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg. I can't wait to read ideas from our classmates and develop more of my own this year!