I really enjoyed the Introduction and Chapter 1 of the PLN book. Chapter 2 felt more like a users manual and had some good information, but I was more or less skimming that chapter. I feel like I have a good handle on all of those websites, thanks to all of the MET courses I have taken so far. The main problem I have, now that I have joined some learning networks and marked sites I really want to remember is actually being able to find the time to go back to them and read the great things other educators are posting and sharing. At the end of chapter 2 Richardson talks about effective collaboration. I am more of a reader, when I can find some time, at this point in my PLN participation. I am not much of a responder or creator at this point. There is so much information to absorb and my attention is often pulled in several directions when I am reading posts. I am not a very focused participant yet in the PLN's I have joined.
Back to chapter 1 though...I had some really frustrating thoughts at times in this chapter, some revelations, and overall a feeling of hope that these changes will come soon, because as Richardson says at the end, "For our kids' sake, we don't have much choice." That's where the frustration comes in for me. We don't have a choice and there have been years of preparation and talk about the 21st Century skills we hear about constantly and yet the standardized tests haven't gone away, the one-size-fits-all curriculum is still being written and revised to stay that way. It's creeping up on 2 decades since it changed to the 21st century!! So some questions that started in my head after reading the section when Richardson describes Wiley's six shifts that support connection and network building. How can I start doing some things in my classroom to make sure I am making lessons "decidedly connected and personal" and use "creation, not consumption"? That will take lots of time to plan, I know. I need a strong network of teachers on my PLC to help too. I will definitely have to make more time for accessing all the great sources I have in my PLNs as well. I really like this website for Problem Based Learning ideas. http://bie.org/ I think that is one direction I would like to head with my classroom. I completely agree with #2 (Classrooms are more engaging) on the National Institute of Health's list. PBL is a great start for creating personal networking in a classroom.
I truly enjoyed your post and share your views about aspects of the chapters. I understand your frustration about the 21st Century skills. My district is slowly changing, but I can't say we are able to completely reform curriculum or classroom environments due to funding. That is probably my biggest frustration...funding for some of the technology that is completely necessary in classrooms. While I would not want to have to create (or maintain) a district-wide budget, I wish somehow, someway additional funding could be given in the area of technology. At the elementary level, I recall the PTO purchasing new technology for classrooms, but there isn't a PTO at the middle school level. Luckily, my principal understands the importance of technology in rooms and she works hard to help fund improvements in our building.
ReplyDeleteTime is certainly an issue. I think there are more teachers than not that desire to develop professionally, but struggle to find the additional "spare" time to do so. I am very much a routine person, so I'm hoping to establish a schedule that allows me to dedicate 15-20 (or more) minutes to reading and participating in my PLN. For right now, I feel like all the readings will keep me quite busy. I will have to work on the participation factor.
I am impressed with how Feedly allows me to quickly review recent posts and articles from selected sites. I will certainly continue to use it to assist with time constraints. I included several blogs from Education World's "Top 25 Educator Blogs for 2013" and have included the link below.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/top-educator-blogs-2013.shtml
I have many of the same issues that you do. After 18 years, I have seen quite a bit of change in education. However, the process of change happens much slower than it should. I believe the problem is the bureaucracy that exist in most school districts. In order to make any significant changes in my classroom, or if I want to do something creative with my assessments, I am restricted because all three high schools in our district are to have common assessments in order to share data. Afterwards, we are then told what a particular school did that was so effective so that we can establish what is the "best practice". However, there is little to no acknowledgment that students at the three high schools are different. Some of our schools have more affluent families, have less free/reduced lunches, have different resources, etc. Often these issues are ignored and what one school does is promoted as the model for the rest. This is done without taking into consideration the personality and the creative energy of some very effective teachers. We are supposed to differentiate our instruction for our students, yet we create common curriculum maps, assessments, and lesson plans. Therefore, I had to stop giving an oral portion of my final exam which included digital interaction (which every student consistently spoke of highly of) because I was not supposed to give any final exam that was not consistent with our common summative assessment.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, due to the fact that our political system has such a big impact on what our district values, I find that we are only held to standards that can be "measured". This means we will have to continue to push common standards, standardized tests, and evaluate the data that we already know. The students who have done well throughout the semester, have turned in all the assignments, have attended class with regularity, and have participated in class will do better than the students who have not invested themselves. Unfortunately, those of us who interact with the students daily can see that if we don't change our methods and begin to become a digital classroom that promotes learning through some unconventional means we will lose our credibility with the next generation of learners.
I think I can speak for most of us when I say we feel the same frustration as you. It's time that people (namely the bureaucrats who make decisions regarding what we do in our classrooms) realize that a one size fits all curriculum doesn't work any more. Standardized tests don't always work any more. Technology is ever evolving and changing, so why can't education too? Why does it seem to take so long to make changes that will better our students?
ReplyDelete@Brian I hate to hear that the district you are in doesn't take into account the differences between your schools. Socio-economic factors can make such a huge difference in how students learn, and the pace at which they learn. I guess that is the benefit of working for such a small school district. While we do have a wide variation in socio-economic backgrounds, there is more of an understanding that our students are diverse.
I am right there with you all. I find myself trying to stay afloat with the ever changing demands in education and finding time to sift through the technological elements that are out there is hard to do. I, like many of you am currently at the point of reading up on ideas and trying implement when I can, but due to lack of technology and funding for that matter, there is really little that can be done. Within my own classroom, I only have two working computers and one of those is connected to the promethean board. So with little technology it is extremely hard to stay up to date with the current 21st century. I came across Teach.com which gives a daily list of the top 100 educational blogs. These blogs are ranked daily and new ones are added all the time. I added it to my feedly and you guys should definitely take a look.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your post. I think you have very valid arguments and ideas that were sparked from reading through this section. Upon reading the introduction, I also was thinking about the plethora of resources we have seen and used throughout this program of study, but have yet to master or be able to properly utilize in the classroom. I feel as though we have looked at so many resources that it is difficult to keep them all straight and to feel confident using them. It is also hard to find the time to enhance the curriculum and incorporate new ideas with all of the expectations that are given to teachers.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with your thoughts on how the new generation is here and we have no choice but to educate them in a new and interesting way. I find it very difficult to incorporate new resources and differentiate instruction with all of the main stream education ideas that are around and the high expectations. It will be interesting to see where the future takes us. Thanks again!