Week 7

 Is technology killing teaching? Or does technology make good teaching better? Read this article http://www.financialexpress.com/industry/jobs/how-technology-makes-good-teachers-better/444980/  to find out. The flipped model is changing education. It is allowing student to learn the needed information at home and come to class ready to engage. The article also talk about how technology can be used in the cyber environment to allow shy students to voice their opinions. These students who might just sit back and observe in the brick and mortar setting. I truly think that this article brings up some great points. Technology cannot replace teachers. Technology can allow good teachers to be better teachers. It can also allow students who might not engage in front of their peers to engage. I truly think that it is important that we educators continue to evolve with technology. However, I also think that it is important to understand that it won't replace good teachers it will only make us better!

Will data alone allow us to reach all learners? No. However, can good data and a touch of personalized learning allow us to reach our hard to reach learners? Maybe. Read the article https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-11-16-how-to-find-the-middle-ground-between-data-driven-and-student-driven-learning-in-your-classroom to find out. Data alone cannot reach our learners' needs. We must find a way to not only use quantitative data but qualitative data and show the students they matter. We must invest in our students’ passions and allow them to invest in them too! Too many teachers cannot connect with their students’ lives therefore we cannot understand their needs. How can we allow students to be themselves? Students today come into our classrooms with languages and cultures that we don’t understand. Therefore, we must allow for personalization to find common ground and allow our objectives to be meaningful to all learners!

Week 6 Blog

Student Centered Learning tells us that the most effective way to learn is by experiencing it first-hand. Traveling to a different country can really place someone in an uncomfortable situation and force them to apply their knowledge on the spot. However, if language is stopping you from traveling check out this link http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3913108/Do-language-barriers-travelling-easiest-countries-English-speakers-visit-revealed.html It provides you with the proficiency skills needed to travel and speak in other countries. It even tells you about the countries where you need to know the least amount of a foreign language to be successful.

Can going to a technology conference change your approach to teaching? Read this article http://www.dailycamera.com/boulder-county-schools/ci_30545742/bvsd-hosts-ed-tech-summit-featuring-google  to find out how it change the way a teacher teaches. This conference allowed  Jeff Sanders to discover Genius Hour. He talks about how it is amazing to to see what the students can do when you allow them to invest in a passion. It also talks about the idea of having students’ BYOD or Bring Your Own Device. This is very similar to the concept of MALL which we recently discussed in class. In the end it also provides examples of teachers experiencing student centered learning at this conference. I truly find it amazing how much learning is increased when learning is hands on instead of teacher lead. 

Can learning a language in a student centered way increase scores in other subjects? Nixa Public Schools thinks it can. Read this articlehttp://finance.yahoo.com/news/digital-world-language-program-coming-140000617.html to find out how. They are providing all of their students grades K-12 with a digital device. They are also providing students grades 2-6 with Rosetta Stone. They believe that this application will provide students with the opportunity to learn a foreign language both in and out of class. We can only hope that their commitment to both technology and language in a student centered approach will be successful. 

I would have to agree that I am not the biggest fan of students using cell phones during class. I can definitely see the benefits; however, I can also see how they can be a distraction. I agree that this app sounds great! It is definitely important to make students more accountable.

Week 5

Is student centered learning impacting the flipped model? Yes! Is the flipped model impacting the student centered learning and student achievement? Yes! This article https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/11/01/report-flipped-classroom-market-in-north-america-to-grow-35-percent-over-next-4-years.aspx talks about how the increase interest in student centered learning will increase the flipped model by 35% over the next 4 years. The other positive side of these approaches is that they are increasing student achievement and graduation rates! It is amazing how technology is changing education and empowering our students!

The diversity and achievement levels of our classrooms are changing. All students need an individualized learning plan. How can we reach all students? Read this article http://edscoop.com/personalized-learning-can-aid-increasingly-diverse-classrooms-digital-promise-report?utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=34261632&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--k0yV3SCLp7hHWOGaFWpWjZMWjo8tkWopklmt_PhIWW0wGLkdAUy0b2SuqrJNNchdxgHk8w_P6ub5bUdv29wJ3_CvCjaLS8F7KdyL1RzswDnJJAL0&_hsmi=34261632 to find out how! Digital opportunities are making individual learning plans possible for all learners to succeed.  Not only are our students at different academic levels but also growing up at different socioeconomically statuses. This article talks about how using adaptive technologies and student centered learning can help us to better reach our students growing up in poverty. How can we make these technological tools more personalized to better reach all learners? 

Can student centered learning lead to job advancements? Read the article http://www.theindependent.com/life/yazmine-metteer-after-learning-english-woman-finds-rewards-in-career/article_fef4ed8c-a1fd-11e6-bb61-ab23dd6df472.html to find out how Yazmine went from a Perkins waitress to a manager at Wells Fargo. In the article she speaks about how being a waitress challenged her! It put her on the spot and forced her to learn English. The challenge forced her to grow and prepared her for her future life endeavors. It is truly amazing how using an approach that forces you to apply your knowledge to the real world can allow you to grow! This story truly shows how you can achieve any goal when you apply your learning to the real world!