“Over the past decade, I have taught only online. Students in my classes are far-flung—two from Alaska this term among the others from the lower 48…I have had students from assorted countries; they bring a diversity, a richness of perspectives to classes that I never experienced previously. I taught [online] in the summer of 2011; we had students in 70 countries. Engagement and interaction came through “meet-ups,” such as the group in Christchurch, New Zealand who met weekly at the McDonalds (free wi-fi, don’t you know) to engage and discuss the future of learning. Brazilians tolerated our English language panel discussions and then met in their Portuguese language wikis. Still others engaged in Google Hangouts. The social constructivist principles of what scholars of education call the “community of inquiry” thrive online through teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence. Those are the very same principles that led to success the liberal arts college experience decades ago.”
—Professor Ray Schroeder, of the University of Illinois, Springfield (via thesmithian)
June 2013
5 posts
Some technology stuff:
So I know many districts are either going to personal tablets/ laptops for students, or an open device policy (kids can bring their own devices to use). There are many pros and cons between school provided devices and student provided devices.
School provided vs. student provided:
School provided: Student provided:
*Every student has a device some students have devices-
some can’t afford devices
*School can regulate personal use No regulation of content
*Everyone uses the same device and different devices/ OS/ apps
operating system/ apps etc.
*HUGE district expense little- no expense
*because of expense, devises are (almost) Everyone can have a
often grandfathered in. device day one.
Either way- there has to be intense technology training for teachers AND students.
What systems do your districts use? What works and doesn’t?
School's Out:
Time to think about year one:
1) students who’ve had the previous teacher will probably fight you at first- but that’s ok. You’ll win most of them over- the one’s you don’t, just keep working to make sure that they’re learning and not disrupting their students.
2) Things are going to go wrong. That doesn’t mean you’re a bad teacher, it’s just growing pains.
3) Class periods go by fast- plan carefully or you’ll run out of time.
4) by the same token, over plan or you’ll undoubtedly have 15 minutes to fill.
5) If you find yourself with time to fill, that’s a good opportunity to revisit one of those tangent conversations that pop up. (My students are fond of old technology.)
6) Technology is great. If your students know how to use them. Don’t assume they’ve been trained.
7) “I don’t know how to do that” is often code for “I don’t feel like doing it” especially when it comes to using technology. When they say that, find out what they don’t know.
8) higher level thinking is the buzz word of the day. Higher level thinking questions are fantastic for class discussions, but they won’t fit into EVERY lesson- or you won’t be able to work in more than one. That’s ok- you can use days like that to build up to “deep conversations” (as some of my students call them) days where they can apply what you’ve covered.
9) Technology is great- but don’t become too reliant. There’s alot to be said for good old fashioned dry erase boards, or handwritten projects, etc.
10) Have a back up plan. Technology tends to not work when you need it. (Especially if you’re using and Apple TV)
11) Middle students are going to talk. They have alot going on in their heads, they can’t always help it. If you have a particularly chatty group- plan LOTS of group work. They’ll get more work done, stay more focused, and not drive you crazy.
I’m sure I’ll think of more. Feel free to submit your own :-)
When To Put The Tech Away In Your 1:1 (or Any) Classroom - Edudemic →
edudemic.com
Beth and Shawn take a look at the often-overlooked question of when to put the tech away in a classroom that has boatloads of electronics everywhere.
With the technology push in many districts- this is important to keep in mind.
May 2013
3 posts
Watching an old concert DVD while I pack up my room. Nostalgia :)
*Gasp* Studies show that kids aren’t listening? And employers are complaining about it??? Shocking.
Sorry, that was really snarky- but after teaching 7th grade all year… it’s frustrating because kids CAN listen they just DON’T. Because they don’t think they need to. as one of my students said:
“Can’t I just google it later? What’s the point of all this?”
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming technology- I’m blaming our lack of technology education. Seriously- we need to educate kids from a young age (Like, soon as they start school) that technology is a TOOL not a CRUTCH. Because they don’t get the difference, and kids don’t want to learn anymore because “Can’t I just google it?”
April 2013
8 posts
It never fails, no matter how many times you say ‘I’m not conducting, so make sure your eyes are glued on me’ they stare off into space and wonder why they’re off.
I do it one way- it’s wrong. I do it another way- it’s wrong. I do it the way I was told to do it- it’s wrong. WHAT GIVES????
I find it funny that my students think I speak ALL the Languages.
So much happier when I have my coffee in the morning- which is weird considering that I don’t handle caffein well….. woops.
You know you've worked with kids awhile when sudden hallway silence makes you wonder what they're up to.
I feel like success kid.
Got kids interested in talking about Baroque music!!
March 2013
7 posts
no more classes- just conferences then spring break!!
