Week 8

Throughout this blogging adventure I have spoken about new and different approaches that we must take to reach the modern day learner. We all clearly remember learning in straight rows and listening to the teacher talk. Frequently the only approach to our instruction was direct instruction with a little bit of group work sprinkled in here and there. The pace of learning was based upon the majority of the class. When the teacher thought most of the students had mastered the concepts we had a summative assessment. The students who were not ready to move on where left with holes in their education that would make for future speed bumps. If these speed bumps were never corrected they became impassible road blocks that forced learners to give up on education and try their hand in other endeavors.

This old approach cannot continue! We cannot just force students to move on due to the pace of the rest of the course. The good news is that we no longer need to utilize this strategy. On the other hand we must now use technology to allow education to evolve. This evolution that must happen is now possible with student centered/objective based learning and technology and the flipped model. Read this articele http://www.chattanoogan.com/2016/11/30/337122/Personalized-Learning-Task-Force.aspx to learn how the Tennessee Department of Education is putting such a plan in place.

This approach is truly recognizing that education cannot simply stay the same however it must evolve. Education must allow for student based learning where learners truly master concepts and not simply just move on. Education must utilize a hybrid model where student learn both inside and outside the classroom. When the students are outside we must provide them with both synchronous and asynchronous learning opportunities. With this approach we must also recognize that this model is not perfect and will need to evolve over the years. We as teachers must continue to focus on the most important aspect of our jobs the success of our students!

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! 

Week 4

A common thread of all of my post is the importance of empowering the students. We must give them authentic experiences to understand why material is important and apply it to their present and future lives. All too often on social media I see friend complain about how they were cheated in high school by never being taught finical literacy. I personally would argue that these skills were taught. However, many of my classmates were not able to see the true application when it was presented. To some extent I can relate. After graduating from college I attended a very expensive college to become a teacher. Do I regret my choice based upon my education? Absolutely not! Do I financially regret my decision and wish I would have better understood money as an 18 year old? Absolutely! That is why I find this article so powerful http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161027005895/en/Bank-Ramsey-Solutions-Celebrate-Education-Million-Students Dave Ramsey and Fifth Third bank have teamed up to present a student centered curriculum to provide high schools students with a student centered approach to finical literacy. What better way to learn these strategies than from a major bank and a well respected financial annalist. Heck they are even incorporating some of the strategies of the flipped model with asynchronous videos!

Are ESL students eager to learn? Is extra tutoring beneficial? Take a look at this article http://www.centralctcommunications.com/newbritainherald/article_b2ab26f6-9a57-11e6-ba6f-7715fb5f1625.html it will really help you to see where motivation can take you! When students are motivated to learn and teachers motivated to teach great things can happen!

Throughout this blog I have spoken about how a student centered approach/real world experiences can impact our learners. However, how do authentic experiences impact our teaching? Check out this article http://klewtv.com/news/local/lcsc-professor-brings-his-travels-of-the-world-into-his-classroom
to see how traveling the world can impact your teaching and our ESL instruction.

This week my students will post their first blog post about their individual Genius Hour project. I am very excited to see what they produce. Thus far I have received positive and supportive feedback from my parents. I truly hope my students’ student centered projects make a difference on their individual education! 

Week 3

Over my ten years as a teacher I have seen many changes. I have taught for a local public district, brick and mortar charter school, and cyber charter school. I have taught 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th grade. One may think that a young teacher with so many different experiences might feel frustrated with all the change. I on the other hand have learned to embrace and accept the change. I realize that education is no longer a career where you get a job and you stay their for 30 years. On the other hand it is a field that is constantly changing and one must evolve to stay relevant! Over the past few years I have dabbled with the idea of the flipped model. However, I could never commit. I had many thoughts that ran through my mind. The students won't watch the lessons, parents will complain, where will I find the time. While this year I finally decided to commit! Therefore, I find a lot of similarities to this article: http://www.livemint.com/Opinion/UKFLVnN5lzRf7hZzdI8v9L/Technology-to-the-assistance-of-the-flipped-classroom-model.html It is truly amazing what you can accomplish with using both Synchronous and Asynchronous instruction! I can say that I value my time this year with my students more than I did in the past. It is fun to see my students be the ones doing the work/teaching while I am acting more as a support system. I also find it really interesting to see how start up companies are presently using the same strategies that I am. This gives me hope that this student centered approach is properly preparing my students for their futures!

You cannot argue that the internet is changing the world and education.You can also not argue that no two students learn the same way. Therefore, it is critical that we no longer just provide our students with a lesson that some have mastered and some are left feeling confused. However,we have many more standards to cover so we just move on. This article https://www.yahoo.com/news/media-advisory-inacol-blended-online-learning-symposium-2016-162600028.html truly talks about a student centered approach where students use asynchronous instruction to move through objectives at their own pace until they master the objectives. This is truly an approach that is about the students and not about the standards. Standards should guide our instruction. However they should not dictate the pace of which the student moves through the content. We must make it a priority that each student masters the objectives and not just move on unprepared to the next grade due to their age. I truly believe that we can all work together to use the flipped/asynchronous model to make sure that all learners master the needed objectives with a student centered approach. Is it more important to cover standards or prepare our learners for the future?

Can a student centered approach break down the language and cultural barriers in the arts? This article https://www.bupipedream.com/ac/73552/downtown-center-poetry-festival-has-global-focus/ talks about how this happened. Although performances were done in different languages with ties to different cultures all were able to interpret the art different due to the hands on approach. These article on widely different topics all seem to have a common thread. When students are able to apply their thinking in an approach that is centered on the student education moves forward. Standards are great! However, is it more important to move through these objectives or allow all students to master these critical thinking skills.
 

Week 2

Can Flipping be done wrong? https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-10-13-sherry-turkle-says-there-s-a-wrong-way-to-flip-a-classroom

In reading this article the author really talk about how some teacher who flip their instruction use class time as homework recitation. We must remember that the true idea behind this model is to engage students at a higher level during our instruction. Just reciting homework assignment in class is not forcing our students to think and engage at higher levels. Therefore, I would agree that this is an example of flipping gone wrong. However, when we use this method to engage our students with student centered projects we are forcing them to think at higher levels. When they are working at higher levels they are truly engaged. I believe that when lower level thinking at home allows for higher level student engagement in class flipping has gone right! I truly believe that it is important that we put the power in our students hands for them to engage and be prepared for future opportunities!

Student Centered learning is not just about the students. It is about all the stakeholders involved. Read the article http://www.benzinga.com/pressreleases/16/10/p8560099/sun-prairie-area-schools-in-wisconsin-join-districts-in-pennsylvania-an and find out how a district in Wisconsin evolved all stakeholders when deciding on the right LMS. I truly believe that this approach will not only benefit the learners but all parties involved. I personally can't think of a more important student centered project than all of these stakeholders took apart in!

Does being bilingual increase your job perspectives?http://www.scpr.org/programs/airtalk/2016/10/11/52645/prop-58-sparks-the-debate-over-english-only-learni/

This article discusses Prop 58 and how being bilingual can really increase your future job perspectives. Do you think we can utilize flipping and student centered learning to increase our turnout of bilingual students? Should we only teach English, or should we use a bilingual approach? I can definitely see and understand both arguments. Would you be able to successfully teach in a bilingual approach?