Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Technology as standard fare
Snapshot of a modern learner by Mike Fisher really hits 21st century learning on the nail. Fisher points out that technology in school used to be treated as something special that sometimes played an exciting role in curriculum. However at this point (and he was writing in 2012) if we don't shift technological usage into standard fare we relinquish our ability to engage students, particularly those in middle and high school. Our students at these ages already boast a comfort level with technology that many of us teachers can only painstakingly approximate. What we need to do is make sure the learning experiences we design allow for students to use the tools at their disposal - especially in Maine, where so many communities have 1:1 tools. The idea of upgrading that I first read of in this class is repeated in Fisher's blog entry and I will definitely be upgrading as I look toward next year's curriculum. Ideally teachers would be working together to develop curriculum so that we could help each other upgrade. Unfortunately in most of the schools I work in teachers plan in isolation. Such a waste of talent and possibility! This is partly why I am pursuing a leadership role - so I can help the shift from 'private practice' to collaborative work.
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Yes, the team work is so important. We really need time to reflect and plan with other teachers. We absolutely need to share more than the parking lot. In my experience the last few years teachers really want this as well. We've started weekly progress monitoring meetings for our stiving learners that are 40 min. each. Teachers bring students they are monitoirng in RTI to the team with data to see how they are progressing and to get ideas. We also have a "team time" 1x per week for 40 min. The key really has been to have a focus. It is so easy to just talk through the 40 min. We don't see adults a great deal of the day and when we do we just want to talk. Setting goals, keeping to an agenda, taking notes on next steps is really important. This amount of time is miles away from the 15-20 hours per week that Finland has, but it is a start.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree about the agenda part. If everyone is committed to using the time well, even if it's short, at least some good work gets done. That's a culture shift for some schools. Many teacher meetings are frittered away in complaining.
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