Reaction to Links

The New Learning Institute presents an extremely compelling argument as to how educators can improve the learning process. They assert that today’s classrooms lag far behind the everyday experiences of students, for relevant technology is not present in their educational experiences. This, in turn, produces students that are less prepared to handle the increasing technological expectations of the modern world. The answer provided for this problem is that both educators and students need to be trained in the skills needed to explore technology.

I strongly agree with this idea, and actively promote the utilization of technology in all of the courses I teach. In fact, a large majority of my activities revolve around technology in some shape or form. The integration of technology starts with training the teachers, for they need to be knowledgeable on how to instruct the students and ignite student interest. Once the teachers have a firm understanding of these skills, they can make their classrooms come alive. I firmly agree that the utilization of technology can allow classes to be more relevant to students, more student centered, and will allow students in turn to take control of their own learning. This can get the students used to the idea that they are not just the consumers of technological media, but also the creators as well. Considering this is how I consistently attempt to structure my classroom, it strongly relates to my teaching methods definitely something I consider to be of high priority.

Some examples of activities are text message scavenger hunts that students can follow in museums, creating digital media projects and publishing them to a worldwide audience, and incorporating other digital technologies such as social networking to utilize and develop problem solving skills. This allows students to learn in a student centered environment where they can investigate what interests them and gain a feeling of accomplishment and self worth when they are producing and publishing their digital media. Teachers would receive professional development to provide a knowledge base for utilizing this form of instruction, thus enabling them to be the facilitators for these extremely effective instructional strategies.

In terms of 21^st century skills, this relates a great deal, for one of the key components is incorporating technology into the classroom to make our students more prepared for the future. This school has grasped that concept, and is working towards accomplishing that goal. Unfortunately, many schools lag behind in this area, which is why it is so incredibly critical to push towards all schools ultimately incorporating these 21^st century skills within their classrooms as well.

Links for Class #6

http://newlearninginstitute.org/digital-media-programs/index.html

Blooming Questions

How did the Blooming Questions activity demonstrate 21^st century approaches to education?

The activity allowed me to utilize critical thinking skills, and deeply analyze better approaches to utilize in the classroom. These approaches will allow the students to be more successful as future citizens and in the work force one day. We, as teachers, need to be proactive to enhance our lessons with new technologies and other ideas that will only serve to better teach the necessary skills that students need in the future.

How could it have been structured more effectively?

I feel as though time-wise the activity was not efficient enough. We were not given any time limits, and some groups (such as mine) were sitting around waiting while other groups continued to feverishly discuss the questions. While I do value the role discussion has in the learning process, I also believe that every student should always have something meaningful to do in class at all times, and our group did not receive that.

What was this activity like for you and what did you get out of it?

I felt that the activity gave me a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with my classmates on different budding ideas in the educational world. I value the time that I get to collaborate with other teachers, as I feel everyone has something meaningful to share. I was able to understand other viewpoints on the different topics, and it broadened my horizons on the overall subject matter.

What are the connections with this activity and educational leadership?

Part of being an effective supervisor/administrator is to be successful in creating professional learning communities. This activity successfully created PLCs, and allowed us to work together to create a solid final product. Additionally, as was mentioned in class, as an administrator, clarity is key. When one group did not understand the terminology another group used, they asked for clarification. An administrator must be open to do that as well.  As a whole, an administrator needs to be an effective communicator, and this activity forced us to do just that.