Article: Classroom of the Future

Article 2: “Education, Technology, and Society”

YouTube: Classroom of the Future: What’s New in Educational Tech http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcXEznPXj8k

The classroom of the future reminds me a lot of the the classroom we use for our coursework or most other college classrooms.  It would be great to have those resources to use in our high, middle, and elementary school rooms.

I really like the projection screens and Smart boards in the room. I also like the nice wall-mounted flat-screen tvs. (Side note: I would like one of these at home, too!)

I fully support the idea of having a flexible classroom layout and furniture that can easily be rearranged would be well-suited for group work tables, full class instruction sections, and independent work spaces.  I also like the notion of large classrooms with good acoustics and HVAC (controlled from each individual room).

The IP connected computer work stations of the future would really work well for monitoring students progress and Internet searches. I also like the videoconferencing capability and the I-Pod-type plugins.

I hope that we are quickly moving toward this type of classroom – it seems very conducive to teaching and learning.

Article: YouTube: Did You Know?

Article 1: “Education, Technology, and Society”

YouTube: Did You Know? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7J_ereCiTo
Shift Happens wiki: http://shifthappens.wikispaces.com/

I just finished viewing the Shift Happens video on YouTube. I have seen this before – or a version of it – but each time I see it, I am just blown away by the stats and facts presented. Some things I found most interesting:

1. 57% of teens are Internet creators – I would love to see a breakdown of what they are creating (myspace, webpages, music, etc.).

2. 8:10 people don’t know what a blog is… (I’m in the 20% who know now!)

3. 9:10 people don’t know what a wiki is… (me either, really)

4. There are more text messages in a day than there are people on Earth! I can believe this after traveling in Europe – over 5 years ago – and watching many Europeans text message everywhere they go.

5. The idea of ” mosquito ringtones” that adults cannot hear is a little frightening.

6. The idea that teachers are educating a workforce for jobs that don’t exist yet is a bit daunting. It’s so true, though. When I talk to my kids about what they plan to do, I am always quick to add that with the current rate of change in our society, they may be doing a job so unlike those of the jobs of their parents’ generation.

7. Nintendo spends more on technological research than the USA – scary thought!

8. I am sure that our kids are not being prepared for global communication and commerce. I think the adults that teach our kids (myself included, at times) are often so afraid of change, and so late to embrace it, that we are doing our kids a massive educational disservice. How to change this mentality, I’m not sure… but I think the change will happen whether we prepare for it, or not.

Overall, an interesting video – I think I will show it to my kids tomorrow and see what their reactions are. I’m curious to gather their opinions on the issue.

Reflection for 10/18

Week 3:

Our conversation during class last week’s class got me thinking about the relationship between the new “Response to Intervention” legislation and Understanding by Design theory. Then, I began to contemplate the relationship the same new legislation has with Universal Design.

First, Understanding by Design: At our district, we have been implementing UbD for about three years now. In that time, we have also increased the number of Connected Math units we teach, adopted a reading anthology for teaching LA, bought new social studies textbooks, and continued the use of the Foss science program and the Write Traits writing program. It has been somewhat of a challenge to plan UbD units while still meeting all the district benchmarks and teaching the programs we are asked to use in our classrooms.

RTI calls for the use of programs that have been tested and are supported by research. My best guess is that this means we will be using more programs that are created by textbook companies that have the staff and resources to conduct product testing. I am beginning to wonder what effect this will have on our abilities to create UbD units that are designed to meet benchmarks and the individual needs and interests of our population. How much can we alter a standardized program before its results are no longer research-based?

I hope I’m seeing this as a “glass half empty” scenario and that the actual legislation will be more flexible and allow us to continue to tweak our lesson plans to suit the needs of our learners and employ UbD. In the last few years, we have found ways to use the tested-programs and still make changes to further promote student understanding.

I hope the people behind RTI have the best of intentions. I am concerned about programs that bring about massive changes for all kids – and all teachers. One-size-fits all fixes seldom bring about positive and lasting change. I would like to do some more research on RTI to see if this policy was tested for effectiveness in a school district or two or whether it was looked at from a more budget-minded angle.

On the other hand, I do think this RTI legislation may be a better match with Universal Design. Because we will be looking at ways to help kids with specific learning issues, we will most likely look to assistive technologies and other programs to help provide timely interventions for kids who need them. I think UD can become a useful tool to help kids and teachers reach desired learning outcomes. But, again, here, I worry about UD technology being seen as a fix in and of itself – without proper staffing to help students learn the technology and modify student programs. If we can do this,  I think we can meet desired learning outcomes.

I am looking for more information on RTI. I hope I can find a way to better match UbD with UD and the changes we will see because of RTI.

Any suggestions?