The Connected Curriculum - Challenge #17

How to Use Twitter for Education

As Twitter etches a place for itself as a valid source of information, many academic organizations and online schools are making the most of Twitter by providing relevant and swift information to existing and potential students.

There are several benefits that come with using this social media stage for educational purposes.

Starting Out

·       Make the account educational. Start by putting the necessary information that will define your account as an informative platform. Provide images, concise descriptions, contact information and a couple of tweets.
 

·       Organize your account. Many tools and applications are available on Twitter that let you organize information as well as select which groups or persons to follow or unfollow.
 

·      Write informative tweets. Start attracting attention by providing tweets that will intrigue your target audience. Tweet a several times each day but be cautious not to be tagged as a spammer.
 

·       Individualize. Many with Twitter accounts appreciate that it’s better to make it seem as if followers are communicating to a real person.

Correct Online Manners
 

·       Read the guidelines. Review the rules and policies on Twitter to make communications legal and fun.
 

·       Be innovative. Attempt to post original tweets as much as you can. You can launch yourself as a reliable educational source quicker by providing posts that not found anywhere else.
 

·       Break up public and private. Group messages are intended to deliver knowledge to followers but direct messages should be solely between you and the student to preserve confidentiality.
 

·       Stay on top. Provide updates daily and answer questions and concerns quickly. Avoid needless delays when answering concerns and complaints. 

Successful Communication
 

·       Identify the limits. Twitter posts are constrained to 140 characters so it’s imperative to know the correct words to voice and when retweeting.
 

·       Provide resolutions. Whenever students communicate concerns and complaints, be specific and provide the correct solutions without further delay.
 

·       Utilize Twitter chat. You can introduce chats regarding issues that are decidedly related to your group.
 

·       Connect and collaborate. Ask question and start discussions with students and peers to cover a number of related issues and topics.
 

·       Apply hashtags. Hashtags are an effective way to attract attention and drive the right followers. Choose the correct words after the “#” symbol.
 

·      Establish key networks. There are countless Twitter users who will be valuable in networking with the right people and students with whom your discussions will appeal to.
 

·      Share, share, share. When there are new and exciting issues and topics regarding your specific field, upload and/or share it on Twitter to attract more followers.
 

·      Invite followers. Tag individuals and ask people to join conversations and hashtags. Also invite them to share their own material and research.
 

·       Get to the point. When communicating with students, the information should be brief and to the point. This will impress that you are a dependable and subject-rich source.

    Professional Learning

·       Research. Twitter is an impressive research tool. Just use the search bar to look for connected issues and trending topics and join the conversations.
 

·       Live tweets. Seminars and meetings can be done through live tweets. These will keep followers posted every few minutes.

·       Seek a mentor. Trainers and coaches are also available who can offer quick tips and guidance for interested learners free of charge.

·      Locate the right group. A departmental group can be created on Twitter which permits coworkers to talk about business, informal circumstances and other things without difficulty. Study more about Important Hashtags for the Education Sector.
 

The Classroom Setup
 

·      Construct a community. Twitter groups can be created which assist students belonging to the same school to come together online.

·      Give out homework. New issues and homework can be posted through the social media network.

·      Special conversations. Some instructors like to use Twitter to provide a voice for student concerns and questions in a less formal environment. Read more about Tweet Chats.

·      Provide resources. Articles, essays and other resources can be shared on Twitter among students and teachers.

·       Gather feedback. Twitter is also an immense platform to get feedback from students. This facilitates in strengthening the bond between student and instructor and points to the path of effective learning.

Until tomorrow...

Collaborate and connect your curriculum!

 

 

 

 

The Connected Curriculum - Challenge #16

Educate Yourself on the Importance of STEM Education

Learn how science, technology, engineering and math education spawns long-term American economic benefits.

America’s high school seniors aren't prepared for college-level math and science courses. Few graduates grab advanced STEM classes in high school, and those who do seldom earn qualifying scores on their AP exams. Once in college, students are generally avoiding  STEM majors. And post-college, less than half of men and women advancing after college with STEM degrees chose not to work in their field even though the jobs are there. obviously, these statistics are just that -- statistics. The actuality is that students across the United States are succeeding in STEM courses, but unfortunately, those students are the exception.

 

The fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are extensively considered to be critical to the United States’ future accomplishment and competitiveness in the global marketplace. These fields will help to create the next generation of innovators, doctors, scientists, software developers and engineers, so it is vital that students are exposed to quality STEM education early in their academic careers.  Yet, only one in five STEM scholars felt that their K-12 education prepared them very well for their college courses in STEM.

Early exposure  to STEM can put students on a path to college and career success by providing them with the tools they need to make knowledgeable decisions about what high school courses will aid them in the college admissions process, what college major is the right fit for them and what career specialty they would like to follow. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the next five years, STEM jobs are projected to grow twice as quickly as jobs in other fields. While all jobs are expected to grow by 10.4%,  STEM jobs are expected to increase by 21.4%. Similarly, 80% of jobs in the next decade will require technical skills. 

(A MUST SEE VIDEO!)

 

We have a colossal problem on our hands, but small modifications in just one school can make an unbelievable impact. You have the capacity to change the lives of hundreds of schoolchildren by transforming education in your very own classroom.

Until tomorrow...

Collaborate and connect your curriculum!

 

The Connected Curriculum - Challenge #15

Re-evaluate Your Purpose for Teaching

"Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be. Who is inspiring the youth in your neighborhood? Whoever does the inspiring becomes the role model and everyone else becomes spectators."
                                                                            -Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Unconditional” is an amazing heart and mind defying film, able to influence relationship and racial reconciliation. Built on the real-life story of Joe Bradford, Unconditional is a testimony to the impact one selfless person can affect the lives of others. The movie presents an accurate representation of the struggle against the hopelessness of the streets. 

Unconditional is about the world of "Papa" Joe Bradford (Michael Ealy) and numerous at-risk neighborhood children. The streets seem to call children to accept their impoverished station and embrace their impending future of crime and hopelessness, while Papa Joe quietly and lovingly goes about unwrapping his home to them as an alternative. His life crosses with a childhood friend, Samantha Crawford (Lynn Collins), at an extremely dark time in her life. Her husband has been killed and life no longer has a purpose for her. Samantha's attention is shook away from her hopelessness and latched on to an innocent child’s need for help.

The foundation of the film is to raise awareness regarding children who are frantically searching for hope, acknowledgement and value. This true story is about love—the real substance that involves sacrifice, pain, covering of shame and the extent of tolerance that is essential for America—not to accept sin and cultural erosion but to tolerate diversities and work out misunderstandings. Unconditional is more than a movie, it’s a call to act. As educators, we are in the ideal position to touch the lives of countless children each day.   When we chose the role as a teacher, we take on the additional responsibility for our deeds towards others. . . . .

Until tomorrow...

Collaborate and connect your curriculum!

 

The Connected Curriculum - Challenge #14

Education and Curriculum Reform in the United States

According to a recent USA Today article, the “United States spends more per student on average, than other countries”. The report states that countries like Estonia and Poland achieve at about the same level as the United States, while spending less than half the amount per student. The commentary goes on to affirm that the United States has now put themselves in a spot where they have to “invest in reform, not in the status quo”. Statistic given state that out of 34 countries, the U.S. ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math. Although those scores are all higher than those from 2003 and 2006, they are far behind the top scoring countries including South Korea, Finland, China and Canada.  The article quotes U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan  as stating "This is an absolute wake-up call for America - The results are extraordinarily challenging to us and we have to deal with the brutal truth. We have to get much more serious about investing in education. We live in a globally competitive knowledge based economy, and our children today are at a competitive disadvantage with children from other countries," Duncan said. "That is absolutely unfair to our children and that puts our country's long term economic prosperity absolutely at risk." Schools have watered down their academic mission by emphasizing the social encounter: sports, proms and clubs.  Yes, these activities form qualities such as creativity and teamwork but they do not increase knowledge of mathematics or literature, so there is a price to pay.  When you do the statistical examination of what countries are growing rapidly now, they have a tendency to be the countries that have an education system that’s focused on academic skills.

I recently came across a video that was an eye-opener to me on the educational and moral crisis that the United States is currently facing.  The 3 1/2 minute clip impacted my thought process immensely so I decided to pursue my research in the direction the video pointed.  There is some offensive language in it, but I would urge you to look past that and listen to the message and points that are delivered. It is the most honest 3 ½ minutes that I have ever viewed in television.  To say that this video has gone viral is an understatement as it has had over seven million views in the last 7 months alone.

The Most Honest Three and a Half Minutes of Television, EVER (language alert) is from the beginning scene of the new HBO series The Newsroom explaining why America's not the greatest country any longer….but it can be. In the clip Jeff Bridges states educational statistics similar to those included in this report as well as making several points on morality, poverty, and focused his speech on what America use to do right.  “We stood up for what was right. We waged wars on poverty not poor people.  We sacrificed, we cared about our neighbors, put our money where our mouths were, and we never beat our chest.  We made ungodly technological advances, explored the universe, cured disease, cultivate the world’s greatest artists AND the world’s greatest economy.  We reached for the stars, acted like men, aspired to intelligence – we didn’t belittle it, it didn’t make us feel inferior”. The information stated in this video clip intrigued me so that I set out to see if the facts stated were true. Sadly they are……

Many countries offer numerous paths to a high school diploma, including career and technical programs.  We have a very colossal conception of high school, which is a comprehensive high school with one particular diploma that everyone gets. The U.S. has placed less importance on vocational education because in years past, educators have been criticized for routing children into certain careers - - especially low income, immigrant and minority students.  Many experts say the United States should rethink its education method to model itself after countries that offer rigorous, difficult coursework in their vocational schools. For example, if you want to go to work in a bank in Switzerland, you can either go to a college or combine your high school course work with professional experience.  The best students in the United States can complete with anyone in the world.  The problem is the appalling inequality within the school systems. In the American education structure, the fact that the best 10 percent surpass Singapore and the worst 10 percent of schools with high rates of poverty are down there with countries like the standard level for Indonesia.  That’s an extraordinary distribution of inequality in a very rich country.

We know from the statistics in the United States that today’s education inequalities and dropout statistics will be tomorrow’s social inequalities.  We need to close our education divisions or the social divisions will inevitably widen over time. The biggest weakness that our educational system has compared to other educational systems around the globe is that we don’t have benchmark tests along the way that students MUST pass in order to move on to the next instructive level. What tests we do have we make incredibly easy (compared to other countries)…and when students don’t even pass those, we promote them anyway.  Almost all European and Asian countries have compulsory tests that students have to pass…and they are absolutely brutal in enforcing that.   They don’t have tests every year like we do, but most students take the exams at about the Jr. High level…and then again after High School. If you fail, then that’s it. One miss and you’re out…go be taught a trade. Some countries do permit failing students to take a test again, but only after taking restricted remedial courses (at their own expense) and some countries do not. In the United States, if a student doesn’t pass the benchmark test…they are given other opportunities and their parents have the alternative of signing a waiver that lets their kids advance no matter what. The benchmark tests are for information only, not an unconditional requirement that must be passed in order to advance on to higher grades. This is where I become very frustrated as a middle school teacher.  Time and time again I see 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders fail their academic classes and yet they are allowed to be promoted to the next grade.  In my opinion, we are doing them a huge disservice. I believe the requirement of passing mandatory testing to move on could be a huge factor in turning our educational system around.

In American Education Reform: 10 Lessons the U.S. Can Learn From Other Countries it is stated that “while the amount of students advancing to higher education has risen by 48 percent since the 1990s, 70 percent of eighth graders in America aren’t ready at a proficient level”. The education reform movement in the United States is moving slowly moving forward, but perhaps we can learn a thing or two from countries leading the charge in K-12 education.

China is ranked number one in the world of education.  China recognizes the importance of education in its country and allocates 20 percent of its national budget on it.  While the United States excels in particular aspects of education, such as high literacy rates and incorporating technology in classrooms, education as a total is funded by only 2 percent of the national budget.  Because of the amount allocated for education in Singapore, teachers are paid higher than attorneys and engineers.

Schools in New Zealand are separated into four terms and have two-week breaks in between, in addition to a six-week summer vacation.  By separating the breaks throughout the year, rather than having a mass three months off, students can take pleasure in recreational activities, retain more knowledge, and have time to relax and recover throughout the school year.

As Jeff Bridges states in the afore mentioned video clip, “The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one.”  Clearly, there is a problem with our educational system and it needs to be recognized and dealt with.  Changes such a passing of mandatory tests, uniform national standards, and increased national budget allocation will make strides in turning things around.  The American education reform movement needs to take a few pages out of the more successful countries play books by doing things differently before the next generation is lost in the competitive global market our world has become.

Until tomorrow...

Collaborate and connect your curriculum!

 

 

 

 

The Connected Curriculum - Challenge #13

More from Sir Ken Robinson and Changing Educational Paradigms

Brain Based Learning promotes that in order to effectively design learning environments we must all so know more about the brain.  In our classrooms many of us design our teaching of young minds without knowledge of the human mind and its development. Traditional education tents to force children into schools that have never critically studied the nature of the human brain. Although the brain is complex it really does not take much to design an educational setting where brain-fitting, brain compatible settings and procedures are implemented. The power of such settings and procedures would accentuate “real-world” experience and there would be a constant encounter with the richness and variety of the real world as opposed to a “dreary egg crate of classrooms…almost empty of anything real one might learn from” (Hart 1983).

According to Sir Ken Robinson (Changing Educational Paradigms), many people begin life as a different kind of thinker.  He refers to a study where they measured kindergarteners on how many uses they could think of for a paper clip.  Testers gave this to 1500 kindergarteners and it was called “Breakpoint and Beyond”, (George Land 1992). In this longitudinal study the original group scored at a 98% genius level regarding divergent/creative thinking..  By ages 8-10 the percentage had gone down to 50% and by ages 13-15 it was down below 25%.  This shows that although we are born with creative thinking it deteriorates as we get older. Students have become “educated” in a system where they were told “there is one answer and it is in the back”, but don’t look and don’t copy. Outside of schools that is called collaboration, inside of schools it is called cheating.  Robinson goes on to state that the problem with the customary schools seen in today’s educational arena is that they are trying to meet the future with what they did in the past. The current education system was designed and conceived for a different age. Our children are living in the most intensive, stimulating period in the history of the earth. They are being besieged with information from every platform such as computers, Iphones, advertisers and television channels. Standardized curriculum and testing were designed with the “old” world in mind and I feel we need to drastically change our education system in the United States to keep up with the 21st Century world of technology. Schools right now are pretty much organized on factory line set ups. Ringing bells, separate facilities, specialized into separate subjects, and we still educate children by batches. We put them through the system by age group, and follow with the assumption that the most important thing that kids have in common is how old they are

Brain based education encourages us to think differently about human capability. We have to get over the old notion of academic versus non-academic. We have to concede that most great learning happens in groups and that collaboration is the stuff of growth.  As a computer teacher it is in this area where I believe I will find the most challenge adapting to brain based education yet reap the most results. I am going to reevaluate my curriculum and integrate smaller group activities along with getting the students up out of their chairs interacting with others. As I have learned from my research, if we break down students and separate them we form a disjunction from their natural learning environment and I am determined to change my room around to compliment brain based education.

Until tomorrow...

Collaborate and connect your curriculum!

 

 

 

 

 

The Connected Curriculum - Challenge #12

Change Education Paradigms

 

I enjoyed re-visiting the video Changing Education Paradigms presented by Sir Ken Robinson and I whole-heartedly agree that our current education system is outdated and was “designed and conceived for a different age – the intellectual culture of Enlightment”.  Because of the bombardment of technology in the last 20-30 years our current generation is being raised in an era of global competitiveness.  I found nothing better out there than the documentary Waiting for "Superman" where it is declared that American is not just failing millions of children in the now global arena of education, but doing so at alarming rates.  The director, Davis Guggenhem, follows a handful of “promising kids through a system that inhibits, rather than encourages, academic growth.”    He includes a comprehensive review of the education in American studying “drop-out factories” and “academic sinkholes” and dismembering the system one layer at a time.

According to the documentary, the United States ranks 25^th in math, and 21^st in science among the top 30 developed countries. As echoed by Michelle Rhee (Chancellor of the Washington, D.C. public school system and a contributor to the documentary) she “wakes up every morning and she knows that kids are getting a really crappy education right now”.  Article after article states that education reform in American needs to be a sweeping process that will require both long and fundament alterations in school culture, beliefs, and values of the personnel working in the school districts. It should be an on-going process that will take years not months to implement.  Obviously, based on the statistics given we need to make an absolute paradigm shift in our approach to education in the United States in order to prepare our students to be competitive in today’s global economy. 

In my research I found several schools that are finding new and innovative ways to engage their students.  One school integrated biology, chemistry, physics, and earth science into a single course so that students could see the real life application and progressions of science. 

Another school took a bold move and eliminated traditional math classes such as algebra and geometry and replaced them with curriculum that focused on “Living Skills” math such as checking accounts, shopping for cars and figuring taxes, payments, and interest, I located a very interesting website, (takepart.com), that suggests alternative courses in technology instead that will help prepare our students for their now, based world.  I’m sure that my opinion is biased, being a technology teacher, but I adamantly shout that districts should put these kinds of classes in as graduation requires along with the existing core classes.  It cannot be denied that our children will be affected by the immergence of an Ipad or tablet on their new job and I believe all students should be placed in courses like MOOC's (massively open on-line classes, Tablet Computing, Computer Data & Learning Analysis, Game Based Learning, and Innovative (current) Technology. Teachers as a whole we need to work more on “1) integrating themes in the subject matter, 2) teach more understanding by focusing in some depth on major concepts rather than covering lots of detail, 3) making connections between subject matter and it’s real life applications, and 4) reach ALL students – not just the best — with rigorous content and attention to critical thinking”.

The United States can no longer stand aside nonchalantly and expect a disproportionate amount of time and money to repair the damage that has been done.  We must be proactive and start taking steps ourselves.  As a teacher I can help move this change along by volunteering to be on interview committees for new teachers, contacting our governor and asking for higher standards of education, creating a parent-teacher team for my classroom or school, educating my parents during conferences on what they can do to make a difference, and do more to find out what kind of learner each student is and then modify lessons to accommodate them.

Meet the five unforgettable children featured in Waiting For "Superman". They reveal the heartbreaking obstacles some kids must overcome so they can have what every child deserves: a great education. As Waiting for "Superman" states, "In almost every category we've fallen behind, except one:  Kids from the USA rank No. 1 in confidence. We have the confidence and the capability to make a change, and to thrive as the leaders of tomorrow, all that is left is the drive." So let's drive folks, let's drive!

Until tomorrow...

Collaborate and connect your curriculum!

 

 

 

 

The Connected Curriculum - Challenge #11

Be Willing to Change

• Why is “change” hard in our schools?  What barriers must a significant “change” like a move to differentiated instruction overcome in schools?

In my life experience there have been typically two types of change. The first is slow, gradual involving kind of change and the second is a dramatic and unexpected kind of change. With each of these I have found a different approach necessary in order to adapt and be successful. To deal with gradual change I try to identify the problem and then establish long term and short term goals to prepare for it (breaking it into baby steps helps me manage it better).  I also find that it helps to have specific measurable steps which will affect the necessary change. For me, dramatic change demands a different way of thinking and I often have to educate or reeducate myself in order to adapt successfully. Because there are so many different levels of change combined with the factor that everyone adapts to change differently, change at school can be difficult as there is a large number of individuals involved.

Barriers that are needed to make a significant and successful move to differentiated instruction included a cooperative effort from the administration and staff, a solid structure to execute the change, educators and parents working cooperatively, and all with a very specific goal oriented approach to success. The administration needs to constantly monitor the progress and make the necessary adjustments in the training of their staff. It necessitates reeducation of those who will affected by the change and their total dedication to the cause. When teachers buy into an idea and take possession of it, they work their knuckles raw to make it work. Successful change means identifying each step which needs to be undertaken and their order. Trying to do too many things at once or hurrying the course along by skipping a step may result in failure of the project. Change one thing at a time. Undertaking too many things at once may result in chaos.

• How can you encourage “team building” throughout my class?

As Gregoray and Chapman state, “For students to succeed, they need to believe that they can learn and that what they are learning is useful, relevant, and meaningful for them”. I believe these elements need to be present in team building activities and will also promote interest, dialogue and learning in my classroom. I have found great success using low-key interpersonal exercises that work well in the smaller limits of my classroom such as icebreakers where students are more focused on learning about others rather than themselves. One that I like in particular creates a foundation for a lesson on prejudice, gossip or on-line bullying which is all applicable in my computer classroom. I utilize teambuilding activities in the middle school setting to help my students develop a strong concept of teamwork and where they see their classroom as a “community” where they have can recognize that they have a lot to give and receive in discovering how to get along and work together well with others.

• How can you help create/maintain “relaxed alertness” in your classroom?

According to ehow.com "Relaxed Alterness" is the brain's optimal state for learning and remembering important concepts”. They go on to state that a student then feels comfortable enough to learn yet challenged enough to achieve goals. By building on small successes, relaxed alertness becomes a state of mind and is very natural to the student. A key to this is creating a safe environment for learning by being positive in your classroom.  As I circulate my computer classroom I try to focus on what my students are doing correctly and then if need be addressing what they are doing wrong quietly and to each individual. I have also found that playing relaxing music such a piano music or “spa” music creates a quiet learning environment and the students actually enjoy listening to it. I purchased a blue tooth linked speaker for my iphone and just get on Pandora radio where I have several good stations.  The kids actually ask where the music is if I forget to turn it on!

Goal setting is also something that I practice in my classroom.  At the beginning of each semester I meet with each student and we work together to set weekly, monthly, and semester goals. I integrate their typing speeds/goals with a unit on Excel spreadsheets, and as the semester and their goals progress I teach them different skills to do with graphs and charts.

The most critical thing that I use to help promote relaxed alertness in my classroom is praise.  I make sure that on a daily basis each student hears something good coming out of my mouth about them.  I intermingle this with a small treat like a jolly rancher quietly placed by their keyboard when they are doing something well like keystroking or posture.  It is amazing what benefits a small reward system like that reaps!

• Did anything jump out at me (the author) that I want to emphasize or share?

Probably the one thing that jumped out at me as I was doing the reading for this week was the importance of using music to enhancing the classroom climate.  I find it a great tool and use it in some form or another every day.  I have found that different types of music work better for each level that I have in our middle school.  The 8^th grades work well to some of the older rock classic that I prefer such as Journey or Supertramp while the 6^th graders get to hyped up on this and work better with the quiet, relaxing music.  Each group of students is different so you have to adjust each semester.  I also found a great website that I have included that has suggestions for what types of music go well with the different types of learning and activities that I use in my classroom.  Below is the link to that website!

Until tomorrow...

Collaborate and connect your curriculum!