For the past couple of days, I’ve been mulling over whether I wanted to give this attention, but I guess it is important to be aware of it…
There is a site, Conservapedia, that is now vilifying Wikipedia. In their words: “”The reason Wikipedia has become… anti-American is that it is … rule(ed) by an unrestrained mob. There are no real principles to guide it, and so bullies end up dominating it…”
Well, I guess everyone is entitled to an opinion.
Today I’m attending a Classrooms For the Future event at PATTAN in Harrisburg with the EdVenture Group. We are chatting about the need for 21st Century Skills and what challenges, as teachers and instructional technologists, we face in implementing these new ideas for education.
It was stated that the Top 3 skills companies look for in new hires are the following, and that we need to concentrate our teaching efforts on the ‘Big 3″ –
1. Communications Skills
2. Teamwork Skills
3. Problem-Solving Skills
Our morning discussion addresses the following:
1. Where are you in the process of transitioning to 21st Century Learning Environments within your district?
Our district is in the planning/beginning implementation stages.
2. What are the strengths of your district that will assist you in implementing this change?
Our district has a strong infrastructure, our staff is very receptive to technology integration, our administration is supportive of the program(s,) and we now have support positions for instructional technology that cover the entire district.
3. What challenges and opportunities do you see as you go through this process?
Time is a huge challenge – time for professional development, time for planning, time for implementation; Opportunities abound – we now have the opportunity to expand the learning environment to a 24/7 model for our 21st Century Learners, and this helps to address the multitude of learning styles in our students.
4. What can you do to overcome these challenges?
Work hard and keep smiling! – Seriously, we already have too much to do, but we cannot let that stand in our way of change. We must approach this task with open minds and positive attitudes – without that we will fail for sure.
See other district responses HERE.
At February’s PETE & C conference I had the pleasure of attending “A Fish Called Megabyte.” The Cumberland Valley Instructional Tech Team shared their successful implementation of a K-5 technology curriculum through the use of computer teachers and labs in their elementary buildings. They’ve done thoughtful job of making the curriculum fun, yet rigorous for students and should be applauded for their work.
By utilizing a computer teacher in a lab setting, each building now has a resident expert. This not only takes a large chunk of the burden off teachers, but also allows for a sharing of expertise. Those tech-reticent teachers now have the support they need to move forward. I also applaud their efforts in keeping the classroom teachers with the class during these sessions. This seems to find a happy medium by taking the onus of tech skills off the classroom teacher, yet requiring the classroom teacher to be a part of the lessons with their students. CV also encourages regular dialogue between the tech and classroom teachers so they work together, merging tech with the current course of study in the classroom.
I’ve heard so many arguments that tech shouldn’t be a “special” and that tech needs to simply be a part of the classroom. While I agree with that idea, it doesn’t seem a realistic goal in many situations. Think about it – is it a realistic goal to bring, say, 150 teachers in several different buildings up to par with tech so that they can integrate tech into their classrooms, OR, might you be able to place one teacher in two buildings to concentrate on tech skills; whereas they will not only be teaching the students, but also connecting and teaching the teachers? Personally I think the latter to be a much more realistic goal. What’s your opinion? I’d love to hear some differing points of view on the subject.
(If you are interested in hearing a podcast of the actual PETE&C presentation, I created one here. I happen to be an alumnus of Cumberland Valley, but currently work at a different “CVSD.”)
Retiring to a comfy place, I cracked my recent issue of EContent and found a great tidbit on page 3. Michelle Manafy’s Change Your Mind article struck a cord with me, not so much about the students she writes about, but about people in general. Here’s what sparked my thinking:
Turns out a bedrock parental cliché—”you can do anything if you put your mind to it”—is true. Research reveals that, if you teach students that their intelligence can grow and increase, they do better.
Research psychologist Carol Dwek from Stanford University and her colleague Lisa Blackwell from Columbia University worked with hundreds of seventh graders, assessing which believed their intelligence was fixed and which thought that it could increase. The first group floundered over the next two years, while the latter thrived. The researchers then speculated that they could help by teaching the children who had the fixed mindset that they could actually grow their intelligence.
The struggling kids were divided into two groups: One was given a course in good study habits. The other was given an elementary neuroscience lesson about how the brain forms new connections every time you learn something new, which, over time makes you smarter. The second group showed remarkable improvement while those who’d learned new study skills did not..
Welllll…. if that is true for our students, wouldn’t that also be true for the rest of us?
Perhaps we simply need a reminder now and again that the brain forms new connections every time you learn something new, which, over time makes you smarter.
