Community Letter-Reaching Out.

Hello Friends, 

Here is my first attempt at writing a community letter regarding diversity in our towns, and cities.  

REMEMBER, JUST TAP THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT. 

Thank you, Ian. 

School of the Future

Greetings to class,

This is our group creation for our wk. III project.

This is my back-up (in case we can't raise this image on Thursday's online class). One needs "Inspiration" downloaded in order to view this on their home computer. Inspiration is a great program that creates the best graphic organizers in my opinion. Elementary teachers are probably more familiar with "Kidspiration" which is the sister program of "Inspiration." We combined our efforts on this program and this is what we came up with.

The school of the future is something to ponder. We are beginning to get a glimpse of what lies beyond "the painted veil" of future education.  Our country, and our world is changing. Watching the videos from "Innovations" was interesting.  Beginning with the U.S., we are changing from a industrial based economy into an information driven society. Manufacturing is going overseas, especially to powerhouses like China, and Singapore. And, even though many aspects of our educational system are viewed as inadequate, (especially math and science), the United States continues to hold a leading edge over the rest of the world. Can we actually attribute this to our dilapidated educational system? Perhaps we are doing something right after all. Many nations are trying to understand our educational system, and the creativity it fosters. Yong Jo, a speaker from "innovations" explains the concepts of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" is more important than math or science scores.

I think it is obvious that our system does not need a complete overhaul. Still innovation and reform will have to be priorities to make sure that our communities remain competitive with the international arena. Companies will move to other countries if there is a chance to make money. America needs to adapt and lead the way in innovation (and education ). We have to find a way to remain indispensable in the global supply chain. I think that Americans have an advantage just growing up in the United States. For instance Chinese architects might have trouble building a new hotel or shopping mall because they've never seen one in real life. Many Chinese firms hire American architects because they have clearer visions of what a shopping mall should look like. Don't forget to give credit to our schools for keeping our people creative and competitive(thank you teachers!). Remember teachers are our "secret weapons" according to Dr. Michael Lomex president of UNCF. Still, don't rest on your laurels, our competitors are making strides everyday.

The Future is Technology.

Hi Cyberfriends,

It's time to pen (or type) a new blog entry.  I've added a picture of the moon to relay the idea that no human being has been beyond the moon (at least physically).  And it was forty years ago that Neil Armstrong first set foot on its barren surface. Technology has come a long way, and since the beginning of time, the moon was considered far out of the reach of man (and woman).  Things that were considered impossible are now general knowledge.  And its said by Nasa that the first people that will walk on Mars have already been born.  This is an interesting idea. Imagine if one of the students in our classes is one of them.  Technology is what will enable use to break our current boundaries, both in the solar system, and in the classroom. 

Technology must be used correctly to enable students to engage our future.  And, the problem with the future is that no one knows what it will look like.  As Kenneth Robinson mentioned in his talk on TED--"Do Schools Kill Creativity", no one know what our world will look like even 5 years from now.  How do we prepare our students for this unknown world?   I guess by making them versatile and adaptable to their environments.  Literacy is still a main component of education and always has been.  Whether its through books, newspapers, or computers people will still need to read in order to thrive in a new world.  As far as what I do with technology, I look at things on the internet and read, read, read.  The constant focus on math and science is irrelevant if a person doesn't have advanced reading skills.  And why should we focus on math and science?  Are they the only jobs that will be available in the future?

Another main argument that I've heard in education is the emphasis on getting computers in the classroom.  I really don't think it's that pressing.  Children have to learn to crawl before they walk.  Putting a child behind a computer screen, and individualizing their learning may not be the right method, especially for elementary.  What about the "implicit curriculum,"and teaching children social skills.  What happen to the days when kids went bowling, or played games together?  People are becoming more encased in their own worlds because of technology.  And I guess the counter-argument to that would be--we have to prepare students for the workplace.  However, I think that people with no computer background can generally catch on in a few weeks, or a few months.  We have to teach our students to learn.  If they become great learners, they can adjust to any environment.  

I think technology is naturally one more tool we can use to engender skill in literacy, math, science, etc.  Giving students different media to learn a topic in history/social studies will be a priority.  Whether it be a book, an overhead, a dvd, or an internet access.  I think that the way the system is with all the high-stakes testing constrains the kind of things we can do with computers.   An inquiry or student-centered lesson is hard to incorporate when teachers must teach a specific body of information in such a short span of time.  Computers are great investigative tools, especially when completing some sort of project.  As teacher, I guess having resources to direct students to should be a priority.  

Week II: The Constructivists Strike Back

Hello Again, 

I guess I'll start week II with a little architectural background.  I've included a picture of our high-school in Newburgh--NFA.  What's interesting about the schools in the city of Newburgh is they all face the Hudson River or East. There are different explanations why this is.  One reason is to "catch the first rays of light" in the morning.  I've heard others say that the Masons(a group whom many of our founding fathers belonged) had a hand in constructing the schools to face the East, and Egypt, where the first masters of architecture began with the building of the pyramids and other colossal projects.  It's interesting how our buildings mimic the past monuments in our history.  It reminds me that knowledge is transmitted through thousands of years of time.  

The knowledge and information that society passes down to us has a strong impact on how we think and act.  We learned about Social Constructivism, and the influence society has on the learner.  In our readings we are asked to question the nature of knowledge itself.  Is knowledge absolute, separate from the knower, and corresponding to a knowable, external reality, or is it constructed by and part of the knower and relative to the individual experience (Constructivism, from Philosophy to Practice)? I think that it is a little of both.  One does not invent their own language, and system of measurement and numerical representation.  Society and family impose or transmit their systems on people.  Still, for an individual, information has to be internalized before it becomes knowledge, and that's where  I see the principles of constructivism regain their validity.  Every person has different origins, and points of view that reappear when connecting to new knowledge.  For instance say I'm a Republican-Conservative-- I'm always going to see things from that point of view.  And when introduced to new issues and topics, I'm always going to try argue in favor of Conservatism.  The same thing would go if I was a liberal, or an anarchist.  We seem to construct our knowledge around different principles, whether they be religious, political, or cultural.  Still, I think that knowledge can be separated from the individual.  Whether that that individual exists or not the number 3 will always be the number 3.  And no individual is going to change that. 

Constructivism is a fascinating premise.  We must remember that our students are coming to our classes from multiple backgrounds and points of view.  Finding ways to reach 30 different people in one class is very challenging.  I think that's way teaching a recurrent body of knowledge is important.  If students learn on their own then why do we need schools?  Society may blight individuality, but when it comes down to it, society is the invention that has enabled our species to survive.  I think the nature of schools is to teach a pluralistic, multi-ethnic society to function together and in harmony (among other things).  Constructivism has many different outlooks and varieties. I agree with the premise that concept development and deep understanding is the focus.  Students have to take the initiative to develop deep understanding by "the building of conceptual structures" (Von Glaserfeld).  And I think that these "conceptual structures" are influenced by the individual and society.   

Nature of Schools--Group Meeting & Learning outcomes

Hi Class, 

This is my reflection for this weeks learning outcomes.  My group (the Trailblazers) spent time orientating ourselves to "Tappedin" and some of the other ways to communicate on the internet.  I established an office where our group could convene. Sorting through the requirements of the course was a big part of our first week.  Our group was quick to collaborate on our first project--the powerpoint presentation on Thursday July 3.  We evaluated our topic (culture and education) and divided our content in order to make sure we each had a part in the assignment.  I completed the powerpoint because of my prior experience with online learning.  The content we studied introduced our class to some of the main issues in education today.  

The topic we studied, culture, was interesting and pointed to some important issues in education today. Our reading covered issues about learning differences, cultural issues, and bilingual education.  The readings were especially helpful in their predictions about the future of the make-up of our classes. Our reading suggested that by 2020 half of the students in the United States will be of non-European dissent.  We also learned some of the different styles for incorporating topics into the curriculum that add ethnicity. Making the curriculum diverse is especially important so students from different cultures will feel more connected to their learning and their identity. 

We also learned about some other topics in education today.  Understanding who and what influence curriculum design was interesting to me.  It was surprising to see the many factors that establish and change curriculum.  I still want to explore the topic of academic freedom and the extent that a teacher has power to design what they will teach in the classroom.  Principals seem to have more control than teachers, especially when trying to improve standardized testing and state requirements.  

I also learned about the economic issues facing our schools and the ways that schools differ from location to location.  Wealthier communities have more money and usually better schools, while inner-city schools seem to get the least attention from the state and federal government. Other issues that sparked an interest are the impact of television on students learning styles.  They are more visually orientated now, and prefer other forms of learning to reading.  Differentiating instruction will be the most import thing in the future of curricular design.  

The issues we learned about so far represent what we as teachers have to consider before we even start to teach.  Students come to school from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, genders, economic differences, and gender.  Before they begin to learn effectively, we have to find ways to incorporate our students diversity into our teaching.