The end of the "Student Collaboration" section of this week's assignments reminded us to post our blogs. Since it really didn't give specific directions on what to blog about, I'm going to vent. I'm supposed to be "reflecting" on all the reading and research I've done about finding collaborative digital tools, blah, blah, blah. First, why are we expected to go find research about this topic? Since EVERYONE is supposed to read about it, why isn't the content provided? Why? Because it isn't out there, not in any great quantity. The truth is school systems for the most part, and definitely here in Virginia, are hesitant (understatement) to explore the digital tools for learning. We're going on and on about Project-Based Learning, when what determines curriculum is the SOL state tests. Why am I able to be creative? Two reasons--the first and foremost is I am not directly responsible for test scores; I'm peripheral personal (which is dangerous to say in this economy). And while I know the lessons I do with students do contribute to their scores, I am also able to spend time on teaching and facilitating the digital tools because the classroom teacher teaches the content. But even I have to be constrained in what I do by the SOLs.
And I am constrained in what I do by this Capstone class. This class is attempting to foist upon us everything that's out there, willy-nilly of whether it pertains to or is even age-appropriate for our students. Have you ever watched an elementary student type on a keyboard? If I were to institute blogs with them, they'd have to have at least an hour just to type out 1-2 paragraphs. Then there is the parental factor. We all know the saying "A little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing." Well, by now most parents know that somewhere out in the cyberverse are very bad people, so their reaction is to protect their child at all costs--who needs the Internet? I feel this class would be much more beneficial if we were learning about advocating for change in the curriculum so that we can get parents to understand that these digital tools are the skills-set necessary for their children to get good jobs in this rapidly evolving future. But we also need this class to be aware of the grade-level and job-level stratifications in its creation of assignments. But that's a vent for another day!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Week Four of LIH (Capstone Class)
I wonder how my grade will go since my instructor hasn't been reading my blog. This will be the third time I send her the link.
The week started with disgust. I'd seen that Ken Robinson speech on TED before, and he makes fantastic points about letting children learn they way they are "meant" to learn. And then there's the article about fostering creativity. But seriously, how creative can we let students be when we HAVE TO PREPARE THEM FOR THE SOL TESTS!!! Everyone gives lip service to the idea that "we don't teach to the test," but who's kidding whom? My school district has had 2 testing scandals in the news, and the blame was thrust upon the teachers. But teachers are under the thumb of administrators who push the test because that's what schools are judged on.
Where are the parents in these lectures about creativity? The fundamental problem with letting kids be creative is grading, and we can only get away from grading if parents let us--not going to happen. So how does a creative teacher grade a student who does an interpretive dance of the Underground Railroad against a students who creates a Goolge Earth mapped route of the railroad, against the kid with pencil and paper who writes a report? I already hear the cry "Rubric," but none of this will work or stick unless the parents can be convinced that it is the right way to go.
So we need to start inviting parents to these educational conferences and to join these educational social networks--and I don't mean the "homeschool" parents. We need parents who are trusting us to educate their children to be successful members of society to understand why Problem Based Learning is better for their child than rote memorization.
As it is, I do my best to let students be creative, but with SOLs, time constraints, and lack of resources at home (no one ever thinks to use the public library), to be "fair" I have to make it all doable and equitable at school.
The week started with disgust. I'd seen that Ken Robinson speech on TED before, and he makes fantastic points about letting children learn they way they are "meant" to learn. And then there's the article about fostering creativity. But seriously, how creative can we let students be when we HAVE TO PREPARE THEM FOR THE SOL TESTS!!! Everyone gives lip service to the idea that "we don't teach to the test," but who's kidding whom? My school district has had 2 testing scandals in the news, and the blame was thrust upon the teachers. But teachers are under the thumb of administrators who push the test because that's what schools are judged on.
Where are the parents in these lectures about creativity? The fundamental problem with letting kids be creative is grading, and we can only get away from grading if parents let us--not going to happen. So how does a creative teacher grade a student who does an interpretive dance of the Underground Railroad against a students who creates a Goolge Earth mapped route of the railroad, against the kid with pencil and paper who writes a report? I already hear the cry "Rubric," but none of this will work or stick unless the parents can be convinced that it is the right way to go.
So we need to start inviting parents to these educational conferences and to join these educational social networks--and I don't mean the "homeschool" parents. We need parents who are trusting us to educate their children to be successful members of society to understand why Problem Based Learning is better for their child than rote memorization.
As it is, I do my best to let students be creative, but with SOLs, time constraints, and lack of resources at home (no one ever thinks to use the public library), to be "fair" I have to make it all doable and equitable at school.
Saturday, January 9, 2010
Week Three of LIH (Capstone Class)
Well, as is typical, I am completely muddled about what exactly is expected in this week's blog. So I'm just writing my reactions to the readings and video that I've done so far. It all seems so random anyway.
From the "Formative and Summative Assessments in the Classroom" article, I agreed with the idea that if we average students' grades on a particular learning unit, then it doesn't reflect what the student truly knows at the end of the unit. The example in the article was driver's ed; yes, the student will score more poorly on the early on assessments as he/she learns the driving process. But the final driving test, on which the student might perform masterfully, reflects the culmination of what the student has fullylearned in the unit.
As for me, as a media specialist, my assessments tend to be observational. And I enjoy this more than just because I don't have to grade papers. It forces me to pay attention to the students and to cast a wide net to observe all the students learning.
The other article "Intersections" was too preachy for me. Any analysis of my school district and those of my classmates would show that we already work in data-driven environments. So I would have preferred an article that tried less to persuade me to start analyzing data and one that examined more the various ways to gather data.
My favorite part of the Edutopia video was when the student said in his presentaiton, "By 2050 schools will be project based." Dare to dream!
From the "Formative and Summative Assessments in the Classroom" article, I agreed with the idea that if we average students' grades on a particular learning unit, then it doesn't reflect what the student truly knows at the end of the unit. The example in the article was driver's ed; yes, the student will score more poorly on the early on assessments as he/she learns the driving process. But the final driving test, on which the student might perform masterfully, reflects the culmination of what the student has fullylearned in the unit.
As for me, as a media specialist, my assessments tend to be observational. And I enjoy this more than just because I don't have to grade papers. It forces me to pay attention to the students and to cast a wide net to observe all the students learning.
The other article "Intersections" was too preachy for me. Any analysis of my school district and those of my classmates would show that we already work in data-driven environments. So I would have preferred an article that tried less to persuade me to start analyzing data and one that examined more the various ways to gather data.
My favorite part of the Edutopia video was when the student said in his presentaiton, "By 2050 schools will be project based." Dare to dream!
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