Dream School

Final Blog Entry

Pretend you had to create a school from scratch, what kind of teachers would you hire, what kind of curriculum would you use, how would you incorporate technology?

If I could create a school from scratch, I would borrow several administrative and instructional approaches from Japan. I taught English abroad in Sapporo, Japan for 2 years and gained a lot of insight about the value of cooperative learning communities and inquiry-based learning. I would create a central office for teachers where the entire staff, including principal, vice-principal, nurses, food service employees, etc would gather and work daily. We would hold meetings every morning 30 minutes prior to the school of the start date. Important administrative and school announcements would be shared and discussed, and each grade level team leader would discuss any “ah-ha’s” or concerns they see with the school. In this way, the entire staff is always on the same level of their students’ learning concerns and how to improve it. After 10 minutes briefing with the whole school, each grade level team would meet for 10 minutes to discuss the day’s plans, make sure everyone is on the same page, and help any colleagues in need who express concerns about common issues related to behavior or academics that they see in their classrooms. I think having a strong collaborative community with all staff members in a school, as well as with the parents, and even students, is vital to keep staff accountable, up to date, and reminded of the common goal of why we’re all here in the first place – to help students reach their maximum potential, learn, be safe, and help them become compassionate critical-thinking scholars that can contribute positively to their society. Thus, for this system to work, I would have to find teachers who are willing and able to work in a collaborative community, as well as find teachers who are always up to date with instructional approaches and passionate about their jobs.

I would use an inquiry-based and project-based instructional approach to learning to ensure that students are building more sophisticated knowledge about core subjects beyond any sort of rote memorization or isolated procedural steps. This instructional approach not only serves to understand students’ thinking, it helps ensure students are engaged with the material by keeping them in the conversation and decision making of their learning, as well as targeting students’ specific needs and strengths. Having a curriculum that builds and supports a students’ conceptual understanding of all subjects is vital to creating successful and critical thinking scholars. I would also ensure that all teachers are integrating a strong foundation of character education throughout the curriculum, incorporating school-wide programs, as well as ensuring I hire teachers who can be positive, genuine, and sincere role models for their students.

I would incorporate technology by ensuring that each classroom has at least 5 desktop computers. I’m still on the fence whether I want each student to have their own laptop, but if the funds were there, I suppose it certainly wouldn’t hurt, and incorporating more higher-level engagement with technology would be much easier for the teachers at my school. In any case, it would be important to hire teachers who are technologically savvy and understand the value of integrating technology in a 21^st century classroom. I would not allow teachers who make the common mistake of making excuses for their students just because one or two students do not have access to a computer. I would ensure that I hire teachers who are dedicated to helping every student succeed despite any personal circumstance that may be easily overcome. I would incorporate programs like google apps, blog making (as a form of journal writing, depending on the grade level and typing speed of students – because I wouldn’t want students’ creativity be stunted by concerns of slow typing), linuit, and possibly even try to incorporate a kodu visual programming unit. Because I was an undergraduate film major, I would definitely want to incorporate xtranormal film making into various language arts lessons. When incorporating technology in the classroom, whether it’s myself in my own classroom or the teachers I staff at my school, it’s important that the students learn how to use with technology, not about it.

Changing Education Paradigms

Though I've seen this animation video before, I still find it very informative and engaging. The issues that the speaker brings up are very thought-provoking and I feel that even non-educators could benefit from watching this animation. Here's a link to the video for those who haven't seen it before.
It's enlightening to see how our current state of education hasn't changed since the industrial revolution and the effects it has on modern day schooling. It's sad, but true that in today's age, good, hard work and a college degree no longer equates to a job after graduation. The job market is more competitive than ever and these sorts of issues are things we need to consider while policymakers and educators consider how to employ effective changes to our current education paradigm. Some quotes and key ideas I pulled from this video is the discussion about divergent thinking and how this decreases the longer a student is put through traditional schooling, and also that "collaboration is the stuff of growth" yet learning in elementary and high school work against this thought. We teach our students to work independently, solve the problem independently, and don't talk to others because it may illicit copying or cheating of ideas. Yet, collaboration is a vital component of success in any personal growth related to learning and/or a job outside of school. Once you enter the work field, you're expected to collaborate frequently, but often times we don't prepare students with even this most basic form of peer-to-peer communication and cooperation. As future teachers entering the job market, we are the agents of change that our education and schooling needs in order to produce competitive, critical-thinking scholars that can contribute to the growth of our society.

Education in the News

The article I chose to blog about this week was found on Yahoo's front page. It discusses the recent rise in single-sex classrooms across public schools in the nation. It can be found here.
The article examines the recent trend of splitting boys and girls up in public school classrooms based on the idea that genders learn and behave differently and can thrive in different settings catered to their tastes. About 500 public schools offer these sorts of classrooms now, proliferating after a 2006 research showed that boys, particularly minority boys, are graduating at lower rats and testing lower than their female counterparts. But critics worry single-sex learning helps reinforce gender stereotypes and deprives students of equal educational opportunities.
While I read this article, I found it interesting that this recent trend warranted an article weighing the pros and cons of single-sex learning communities even though private schools have been employing this for decades. I can see how the ACLU would be upset over this recent development in public schools, especially with such close parallels to the desegregation efforts of Brown v Board of Education over 50 years ago, and I agree to some degree. I'd like to see more solid research indicating any benefits, if any, that come from segregating genders in the public school system. Otherwise or until then, I think it may need to stay in the private sphere; or more measures need to be taken to ensure fair and equal learning opportunities that are consistent within and among each and every single-sex classroom.

Take My Quiz! :D

Powerpoint Presentation

Something educational....

Because my laptop died at the end of our first class session, I wasn't able to write my first blog post until tonight (class 2). Since the blog topic was pretty open (write about anything educationally related), I'll simply discuss what we've done so far during class 1 and class 2.

During class 1, we learned how to create a presentation with google apps and shared them one-by-one with the class. I learned how to embed videos and pictures in the presentation seamlessly, which was new to me. We also created this blog! :)

In class 2 we learned how to create a survey with google apps (google "form") and this was really exciting. I will definitely incorporate this tool in the classroom, perhaps as a form of assessment for student learning (summative or formative), or perhaps as a way to communicate with parents about an upcoming field trip, class party, volunteers, etc.
We also watched a video about google apps in the classroom and how personal laptops in the classroom have changed student achievement in a high school in the Bronx. We composed a google doc and answered 2 questions in relation to this video. But first -- something else new I learned today (you can check "revision history" on a google doc to monitor who did all the work - very interesting!!)

Anyway, here is what my classmate True and I wrote:

1. What are the benefits of using Educational Technology in schools?

• active way to engage students
• support students to keep them up to date with the new age of technology
• help students learn how to multi-task
• support visual learners
• support students to use multiple resources
• paperless!
• possibly easier and more manageable for teachers (assessments, analyzing data, etc.)
• prep for the workforce and/or college after high school
• site traffic and work can be monitored by staff
• create better relationships between staff and students
• outlet for creative expression, such as blogs, graphic design, filmography, etc.
• promote easy collaboration with peers (staff or students alike)

2. What are some obstacles preventing successful ed tech use in schools?

• money and resources
• professional development and training for teachers (that is also persistent and up to date, so in other words, not once during the summer and then never again)
• theft, damage
• internet safety
• cyber bullying
• teacher resistance
• parent opposition - parents may be concerned about their child’s privacy, internet usage, etc.
• parental consent
• minors
• decrease in face-to-face collaboration, possible decrease in social skills (interpersonal skills)
• legal issues, such as having resources to draw up consent forms, be prepared for lawsuits, etc.

many good points if I do say so myself! I'm really enjoying this course thus far and am excited for what further educational technology we'll explore in later classes.
Even though it's only class 2, I can see this being one of the most useful and engaging courses I've taken in this program! Yay!