Sir Ken Robinson's talk and illustrations were spot on. I think it is great, there is a link between standardized testing and the ADHA rate. I wish the states in the East would look at this static and heed it's warning.
Schools are factories, the model he showed was easy to follow and made perfect sense. It however is not so easy to undo this structure as it is to erase the Expo marker. Even small changes are hard to push through with all of the political struggles over education. Most decisions are made by people who have never held a classroom of their own. Teachers are the work horses of this factory, we take the lion share of the blame when our "products" do not turn out satisfactory. Yet, there are so many factors that go into the education of our children and not all of them are found in the schools.
Some people want to run schools as businesses - yet we can't treat children as we would a bad employee or an undesirable client. I once read an article about a Chinese school that at a very young age, students were put into two groups, academic and non-academic. We still hold the dream of "be all you can be" nobody has the right to determine the life path for another human being at such a young age. However, this would put our test scores higher, if we got to "pick and choose" who actually took them. So, what do we do? We can see the problem as Sir Ken Robinson as described, but are we willing to go through the "pains" of change to "fix" it.
I personally don't think it will happen. We are no longer a new country trying to figure out some basic structures for the first time. So it comes down to personal desire, work ethic, determination, and fortitude. Yes, students, you can be whatever we want to be. You will have to want it, work for it and overcome many hurdles both common and personal, but there will be work horse teachers to support you. Seek them out and thrive.
Saturday, February 21, 2015
What Can I Do With Technology?
This is not the right question people! After reading Amy Heavin's blog, "Technology is NOT an Add-on", I now have the right words to use to convey how I feel.
Yes, my school has gone 1:1 with iPads. It was very much about the device when we started in year one. The selecting of the device was a huge decision, and not everyone was thrilled with the outcome of that decision. Like any good solider, you march forward with what you have and do the best you can. That first year didn't just contain a learning curve, it was a learning circle. We had to figure out how to teach without books, how to teach with students having access to the outside world at their fingertips, and there were actually limitation to the ipads - "flash" is a dirty word.
Year two has been better, like I said it was a learning circle. We are back at the start of a new year, but with some fundamentals under our belt. So, it is now time to say, we know we are doing this, we know we can do this, how can we do this well? This is where Heavin's blog comes in. It can't be a device mentality. Yes we are lucky enough to have a device, but we need to use it to better our curriculum, not dictate it.
So starts the journey of the paradigm shift to not just having the 21st Century Skills as "Add-ons" to the curriculum, but at the center of the curriculum. We cannot allow ourselves to be stuck on any one tool or any one device, because it is certain that technology is ever evolving and so must we.
Yes, my school has gone 1:1 with iPads. It was very much about the device when we started in year one. The selecting of the device was a huge decision, and not everyone was thrilled with the outcome of that decision. Like any good solider, you march forward with what you have and do the best you can. That first year didn't just contain a learning curve, it was a learning circle. We had to figure out how to teach without books, how to teach with students having access to the outside world at their fingertips, and there were actually limitation to the ipads - "flash" is a dirty word.
Year two has been better, like I said it was a learning circle. We are back at the start of a new year, but with some fundamentals under our belt. So, it is now time to say, we know we are doing this, we know we can do this, how can we do this well? This is where Heavin's blog comes in. It can't be a device mentality. Yes we are lucky enough to have a device, but we need to use it to better our curriculum, not dictate it.
So starts the journey of the paradigm shift to not just having the 21st Century Skills as "Add-ons" to the curriculum, but at the center of the curriculum. We cannot allow ourselves to be stuck on any one tool or any one device, because it is certain that technology is ever evolving and so must we.
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