Final Thoughts

     It's hard to believe that the two weeks of class are over!  I can't believe how much I learned in such a short amount of time!  The class started with learning about the federal and state funding of schools and how the federal government is slowly starting to take more control. Then we explored the ideas Social Constructivism, which I agree with, including the importance of collaboration, cooperative learning and the student being an active learner.  From there, we researched school choice and the significance of Home Schooling in today's world and how it has great benefits for students.  We then looked in to the role of technology in education, especially the issues that people with disabilities face when trying to access the technology.  I also learned more about how the Digital Divide impacts students in schools and what we could try and do about it.

Those were the issues that I was able to explore with my group, but I also learned from the other groups.  I especially gained knowledge from them on the variety of ways to display information (PowerPoint, Prezi, Creating Pdf's) and how to create a blog and a personal website.  I am hoping I will be able to incorporate this knowledge into my everyday teaching.  One of the greatest things I learned from this class is the power of collaboration.  I was lucky to have such a wonderful partner in Brian.  We were able to work well together, share our ideas and knowledge of technology.  It is one of the best experiences I have had when working in a group.  Thanks Brian!

As a last thought, I watched Sir Ken Robinson's video on the Paradigm Shift.  He said that as people get older, we think less creatively.  And I think he is right.  We often brush aside our creative thinking and focus on what is inside the box.  He also pointed out that technology is moving a lot faster than we are able to comprehend and this is creating a major problem.  This is why we have to change the way we are teaching in the classroom.  The traditional "chalk-and-talk" method is no longer as effective because we live in a new era.  As teachers, we have to use our creativitiy to integrate this technology into our curriculum to engage our students in learning.  It is a great task, but one that I'm sure we will be able to accomplish in time.

Topic 5 - "What Does the Future Hold for Us?"

   As the class is winding down, our group discussed how everything we have learned impacts us as teachers for the future.  We talked about how it is the teacher's responsibility to incorporate technology into learning since we and our students are living in a time when technology is so important.  It can be a powerful tool when used correctly.  But this means schools should be helping teachers learn how to properly use the technology and how to effectively connect it to the curriculum.  We then talked about our topics for our final projects and what we have learned from the class.  It has been a wonderful learning experience!  And quite challenging!

School of the Future

    Today our group finished Topic 4 by creating our "School of the Future."  We spent a long time discussing the information we wanted to make sure we included.  Sometimes, it was difficult to figure out what we wanted to say, but once we got going, we were on a roll.  It was really interesting to have the power to decide what the school's beliefs are, what to teach and how we were going to teach it.  We ultimately decided to make a website for our school.  You can check it out here.  Let me know what you think of it!

Half an Hour

    This article really got me thinking! It was about "10 Things You Really Need to Learn."  He asked thoughtful questions that challenged me to consider things I sometimes do not thing twice about.  I think he is right that one of the most important things we need to learn is to "How to Predict Consequences."  When I think of this in relation to my teaching, I think that it is one of the most important things I can do.  When I am planning a lesson and different activities, I try to consider what will happen if I pair certain students together or how the students will react to a certain topic.  I think "How to Communicate Clearly" is also extremely important.  I mean, if I cannot communicate clearly to my students, how can I be teach them the skills they need?  And it is not just communicating with students, but also parents and colleagues.  I think communication is essential for a teacher.  I read this article the first time thinking how I could relate to it as a teacher and then I read it a second time to think about what it means to me as an individual.  If you want to see more of what the 10 things you really need to learn are, click here.  It is definitely a good read and will get you thinking!

Topic 4 - The Digital Divide

        For Topic 4, our group had to discuss Accessibility Issues and the Digital Divide.  We looked at how people with disabilities can have trouble accessing technology and even when they can, technology is not always user-friendly.  We also talked about the Digital Divide, which is the difference in the use of technology in schools based on ethnicity and socioeconomic status.  We decided that the three factors that affect the Digital Divide are how frequently technology is used, student experience with computers and professional development for teachers on how to incorpate technology effectively into the classroom.  Since we had a lot to discuss, we did not get to the other part of Topic 4, designing a "School of the Future."

Topic 3 - School Choice

Yesterday, our group discussed Home Schooling for Topic 3, which was on School Choice.  We talked the continued increase in parents who choose home school and their reasons behind it.  We discussed the benefits of it, including self-paced instruction, flexible scheduling and meeting the needs of the child.  We also talked about the drawbacks, such as less social opportunities and extracurriculars and the parent may not be able to teach a certain subject well.  Then we explored how home schooling has changed recently, experienced reform and the new innovations coming from it.  Once again, our group did an excellent job collaborating and we're now getting used to communicating through WiziQ!

Chair of Curriculum

January 10, 2012

Dear Members of the Community,

            Greetings!  My name is Sarah Latino and I have just been appointed Chair of Curriculum.  I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you and share with you the exciting plans for the upcoming school year.  For the past seven years, I have served as a math teacher in our middle school.  I have worked side by side with my colleagues, administrators and other members of the school community to encourage a safe and supportive learning environment for our students.  I am excited to continue this as I step into my new role as Chair of Curriculum

            In recent years, our community has grown and developed into one made up of many cultures.  I feel it is important for us as the community to support the diversity and provide opportunities for our students to learn about different cultures.  The goal for the upcoming 2012-2013 school year is to develop a multi-cultural curriculum that supports our changing community.

            This curriculum will be put into practice across the entire district beginning in September next year.  At the kindergarten through second grade levels, students will be reading a variety of stories that talk about what culture is and what it means to be from different backgrounds.  At the third through fifth grade levels, students will construct family trees and share them with their classmates as well as discuss respectfulness of different cultures.  In the middle school, students will share food, clothing and objects from their cultures with their class.  At the high school, students will research, write essays and share their findings on different cultures.  The high schoolers will also be in charge of leading a Youth for Diversity Day for the younger grades, which will let the younger students walk around a fair and see different cultures by looking at their food, clothing, music, etc.

            It is my hope that by exposing our students to different cultures, we will be encouraging respect and building a stronger community.  I welcome any suggestions, questions or concerns you may have and please, do not hesitate to contact by email or phone.  I am looking forward to a wonderful year with you and our students!

                                                                                                            Sincerely,

                                                                                                         Sarah Latino

                                                                                                           Chair of Curriculum

                                                                                                            (845) 555-5555

                                                                                                            Sarah@msmc.com



Topic 2 - Social Constructivism

 

        Yesterday, my group and I worked on our PowerPoint for Topic 2.  We had to research and discuss the Social Constructivism theory and the role Emotional Intelligence plays in the classroom.  We talked a lot about how Social Constructivism involves getting the students to interact with one another and really getting the student to take an active role in his or her learning.  It is something that I would like to incorporate more of into my classroom because at the middle school level, the students are all about being with their friends!  This goes along with emotional intelligence since as teachers, we need to create a positive atmosphere in the classroom so that the students can have these peer interactions and be learning at the same time.

A Teacher's Beliefs

       I took the survey to figure out my educational philopsophy.  I scored the highest with the Progressivism, Cognitivism/Constructivism and Humanism.  My Humanism score was slightly higher than the others.  You can find its description is below.  This was such an interesting activity because it really makes you think about what you deem important for learning.  I think that there are components from each of my top three that make up my personal educational philosophy.    
        Humanism - Humanist educators consider learning from the perspective of the human potential for growth, becoming the best one can be. The shift is to the study of affective as well as cognitive dimensions of learning. Beliefs include: human beings can control their own destiny; people are inherently good and will strive for a better world; people are free to act but must be responsible; behavior is the consequence of human choice; and people possess unlimited potential for growth and development. There is a natural tendency for people to learn, which will flourish if nourishing, encouraging environments are provided.

"When I become a teacher..."

    When I first started watching this video clip, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOT0FBIBqUc, it really bothered me.  But I know that there are many teachers who share the feelings of those in this video.  I do not want to become one of these teachers.  And I know, as I am starting to establish myself in the education world, I feel a lot differently. 
      There is nothing more unappealing to me than having my students listen to me lecture or even just copy notes and notes of math problems from the board.  I enjoy watching my students get creative when solving problems, get hands on with algebra tiles and fraction bars and get to work with and learn from their peers.
      I also like knowing that each class I have (since the kids change classes) is different from the last.  I have the chance to make changes as I learn what works and what does not work.  Each student, each class and each day is so different.  It is one of the things I love the most about teaching.  And every time I walk into my classroom, I have the opportunity to improve upon and change my lessons so that I grow as a teacher.

When I am in my classroom each day, I will embrace change as a way to learn something new.

Topic 1 - Economic Factors in School

   Today was the first meeting of Group 3.  We discussed the ecomomic factors that affect schooling beginning the cost of education.  We talked about maintenance of the building, textbooks and other resources, supplies, programs, transportation to and from school, etc.  Then we researched where the funding for these things comes from - the federal, state and local governments.  Our group did a great job collaborating, and now that the group is just Brian and myself, we felt like we got a lot accomplished in our time meeting together.  We still have yet to decide on our group name and motto.  That's the next thing on our list.

First Class

Hello!

            Yesterday was the first class for Nature of Schools and I am so happy that I have learned so much already!  I am definitely not the best with technology and I learned about all these new websites (and setting up a blog!) and how to use them.  Wiziq was completely new for me and I am not all too good at using a webcam so I was somewhat intimidated and overwhelmed by all of it at first.  I think that Dr. Smirnova will be great at helping me overcome this feeling as well as the other students in the class who seemed eager to help one another.  I am definitely excited to learn more about these tools and the other ones we will use for this class so that I will become more comfortable with using technology.  And hopefully, learn about how to incorporate it into my classroom someday.

I am looking forward to learning a lot over the next few weeks!