Monday, July 21, 2014

Monday, July 21st...notes, thoughts, and reflections

Video "Learning to Change.  Changing to Learn."  

-Give teachers the tools to connect with other teachers. If we want our students to learn to collaborate, we must model this behavior.  We need to work together in order to create a learning environment that best suits the needs of our students.
-We must develop a narrative to describe 21st century learning that includes technology.
-If most of us learned under a different model without technology, how do we change our thinking?  As the old adage goes, "it is hard to teach an old dog new tricks", so how do we get people to embrace this technological shift to better their teaching practice?

The idea of "Keeper of Knowledge vs. Teacher as a Facilitator"
-We need to change our mindset

Sir Ken Robinson Video

www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution

  • Endure vs. Enjoyment...some people go through life just enduring it
  • Are we wasting human talent?
  • Education needs to be transformed not reformed.
  • Abraham Lincoln quote...dis-enthralled, rise with the change and not to it.
  • Wrist watch... is a single function device, it only tells time
  • Life is not linear, but organic.  We are obsessed with the linear narrative.
  • "A 3yr old is not 1/2 a 6 yr old"
  • Fast Food Educational model...everything is very standardized
  • Industrial model compared the to principles of agriculture model (organic process)-create environment where students a can flourish
  • We need to be careful with our students not to crush their dreams as they are laid carefully under our feet.  Ted gave the example of how one of his teachers made fun of him for wanting to be a firefighter, because he would be wasting his talents.  Ironically, the student (did not become disillusioned and followed his dream) became a firefighter and saved his teacher's life after a car accident.  How many dreams are stepped on by educators?  We need to be extremely careful in the comments we make to students.  Educators have the power to crush dreams or to help foster and make their dreams become a reality.
Sugata Mitra Video
  • The hole in the wall experiment (children can learn computers on their own irrespective of education)
  • Self education
  • Do we need teachers or can students just use computers?  
Reflections...

My take away from the 1st video is the need to get technology into educators' hands to improve and create a classroom better suited for learning which meets the needs of the 21st century learner.  The challenge with this concept is many educators have a fear of technology and/or do not know how to use it.  So, we need to provide technology for the teacher to use, but also provide training and resources so they know how to use it.  The question is who will provide these resources/training.

Mr. Robinson made a good argument that we need to switch from and industrial based education to one of agricultural origin.  Rather than having an assembly line where the product is standardized, education needs to be organic.  We need to create environments that foster student learning that supports student begin able thinking and create independently.

Computers vs. Teachers?
Do we need teacher or can everyone learn from computer?  The data presented in Sugata Mitra's video could make an argument for students learning from computers.  What I found interesting is students need to work in groups with computers rather than alone.  There is some learning dynamic that occurs when students work and collaborate together on a given problem.  I think teachers should never be replaced, because of the student/teacher relationships created, but we should be using much more technology to help students learn.

Most students have access to technology and we must embrace it rather than fear.  I hear many teacher who despise cell phone and want a school wide ban on them, but on the other hand I have seen teachers use cell phone to instruct their students.  We need to find a way to help teachers overcome their fears and let students use technology to their advantage.  I heard from a student who brought her computer to school, but was not allowed to use it in the computer lab.  The teacher made the student put it away because the teacher was afraid of what the student was doing on her computer.  This situation made no sense to me and that teacher needs to allow students to use their own devices.


Below is my attempt to add a picture to my blog...not sure about the content of this book, I just searched images for one on one devices in Google.





3 comments:

  1. Thanks for thoughts and reflections, Doug. Funny thing is, I have the book you posted above in my library. I think I started it, but never finished it. If you're interested, I can bring it.

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  2. Doug, I enjoyed reading your comments especially your ironic story of the student that could not use their personal computer in the computer lab. I have to say that there was a time when I was in the "school-wide ban on cell phone camp." That was when less than half of my students had cell phones. I came to realize that I was spending all my time policing cell phones and in a lot of ways the genie was out of the bottle. My students did not need a cell phone policy, they needed to learn how and when to appropriately use cell phones in an academic and career setting.

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  3. Doug,

    It was wonderful to read that you too were impressed and blown away by the possibilities. I am also on a mission to bring this awareness to my teachers so that they can provide our students with incredible learning opportunities which are engaging and student driven. Good luck!

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