Non-Netbook Expectations

As humorous as it may be, and a point well taken, Joe’s Non-Netbook YouTube video clearly displays the expectations of many of today’s students. And although I was humored by Joe’s approach to making his point, I don’t believe that Joe understands that we have not fully reached the point in which we are 100% technology driven in society. Because of this fact, there is still a need to be able to utilize an actual book. On the other hand, I have to give him credit as he created a very unique presentation, utilizing technology, to communicate his point. That in itself deserves credit as he was thinking above and beyond what a sheet of paper and pencil would have created.

Although most of us, myself included, would have a hard time envisioning what it would be like to not have access to a text book, Joe’s video clearly demonstrated how the learning styles of today’s generation have changed. Even from a “real-world” perspective technology has greatly changed many, professions; even professions that some may consider “simple”. For example, my husband is a crop farmer. With all of the advancements in GPS technology, our crops are planted, maintained and harvested in a far more efficient manner than they were 5 years ago, let alone 25 years ago. Features such as AutoSteer (the tractor literally drives itself!) allows for crops to be planted in straight rows to maximize ground coverage; grid-sampling maps out a given field and then indicates the areas that need more/less fertilizer, and AutoBoom will map out the areas that have already been sprayed and shut off any spray nozzles that overlap an already sprayed area to help reduce costs. All of these advancements have assisted the gain in crop production.

Because I live in a rural community, I usually have a sizeable handful of students that work on or live on a farm. Because of this, we often get into the discussion regarding the importance of learning the topics that are covered in high school. Some of the students will tell me they do not need to learn the given topic as they will never use it on the farm. However, with technology affecting everything we do on a daily basis, these students could not be more incorrect. The previous farming example is just one instance of this and I find it entertaining and interesting to see the “light turn on” when they realize the impact (construction is another highly discussed field).

Sticks and Stones

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me”. The phrase most of us grew up with now has a new twist that does hurt. This twist stems from the one thing that generally helps us, not hurts us; technology. This twist, referred to as cyberbullying, has become more of an issue as technology usage increases. What once used to be a face-to-face on the playground or bus bullying situation has now expanded into instant messaging, chat rooms, texting, blogs, email, facebook, MySpace and many other technology related applications. Little do some students realize, cyberbullying can lead to depression, self-esteem issues, suicides and even murder.

As educators, it is extremely important to educate ALL of our students on what cyberbullying is, what effects it can have on our students and how to stand up against cyberbullying and get the appropriate people involved if it occurs. I was surprised when I read that schools who try to get involved by disciplining students for cyberbullying outside of the classroom can be sued for exceeding authority. With such a serious issue on hand, I was also surprised to see that Michigan had tried to pass House and Senate bills regarding cyberbullying and they never passed.

The Stickiness in Made to Stick

Chip and Dan Heath, authors of Made to Stick wrote, “We wrote this book to help you make your ideas stick. By “stick”, we mean that your ideas are understood and remembered, and have a lasting impact-they change your audience’s opinions or behavior.” These two authors did just that; they made their points “stick” and they did so from the very beginning. Even though we were only required to read the introduction, I did read on. The points they continued to bring up were very interesting and entertaining and I enjoyed reading this book.

Aside from the opening story of the Kidney Heist (which I had never heard and was very “drawn in” while reading the passage), the authors of this book did a superior job of bringing in real examples to demonstrate their points of interest. The highly unhealthy movie popcorn, the army strategies, Halloween incident, they were prime examples that sparked emotion and unexpectedness as well as concrete images and details. These are four of the six key principals that make up for successful ideas.

Something else I admire about the book is the fact that the concepts discussed were not just geared towards educators. They are concepts that can relate to everything we do in life. For example, as a parent, I will most likely participate in a PTA, school board position or 4-H leader. The concepts would apply to any of these positions. Business managers, CEO’s and politicians can all utilized these ideas. I plan on discussing the concepts in my classes prior to my students giving their term presentations (yes math students have to present and write in my class! =) I think these are some truly great ideas that make sense. It may be a little easier to say than do, but I am going to try and be more conscientious of how I am implementing these strategies into my everyday teaching.

Cyber High Schools: Good or Bad?

This is a topic I really struggle with and I am divided on whether or not cyber high schools really serve our students well. On one hand, I am fully supportive of the idea that one shoe does not fit all with regards to educating students. When looking at some of the current cyber high schools such as Phoenix Union Cyber High School, it appears as though strict attendance guidelines were implemented to help ensure future success. Strict rules were also established with regards to being eliminated from the program. These are two areas in which students will learn to become better citizens in society in addition to the education they will be earning.

On the other hand, at what point do we make our students accountable for learning to deal with society? More specifically, do we want our students to believe that they do not have to work like everyone else and everything will be modified to meet each individuals needs? Are we doing them an injustice when it comes to putting these students in the work force? I believe that students need to learn that they cannot always be at the top of the food chain per se. They need to learn that unless you own the business or are a top manager, they most likely are going to have to learn how to deal with taking orders or doing things they do not necessarily want to do. This is a fact of life.

Upon researching cyber high schools, it appears as though this is still early in the design stages therefore no set standards have been establish across the board. So Michigan is running their cyber schools differently then Nebraska is. If this is the case, are the teachers that teach/mentor students in a cyber school required to be highly qualified? (Home schooling adults are not required to be highly qualified, is this similar?) How are GPA’s calculated for post secondary education? When on the Phoenix website, they post whole letter grades, no minuses or pluses. Will this hurt high school students getting into college that run on a standard 4.0 scale? If the “average” student receives an 83% (B-) while a cyber school student gets the same grade but is granted the grade of a B on a straight scale who will have the better GPA?

What to Do About the 20,594 High School Drop Outs?

Twenty thousand, five hundred ninety four students out of 140,044 total students dropped out in 2008 according to the eSchool News article published on June 2, 2010. I never would have thought that the numbers would have been that high and I was utterly speechless when I read that statistic. That is 20,594 individuals that chose to make life harder than what it already can be. How sad! And while I applaud the state for taking a step to reduce that number and generate alternatives for those students who want to drop out, I also find the topic to be a double-edged sword. I do not think the dropout rate is that high solely because of the educational system. There are several other factors that influence the end result of a drop out and not all of those factors are controllable – even if a plan is established.

Now, I realize this is only my third year teaching and I am by no means an expert on everything that occurs within the educational system, but I strongly disagree with the third paragraph that talks about schools pushing out students that are failing to raise test averages and graduation rates. In the district that I work in, we put forth a huge effort to assist struggling students at the high school. First of all, based on some preliminary testing done at all grade levels in the fall (PLAN, Explore, practice ACT, Student Achievement Model probes, etc.) struggling students are pulled out anywhere between 1 and 3 days a week to work on weak academic areas (with reading skills be the weakest area) with a certified paraprofessional. Additionally, we offer support classes as elective courses for those students that struggle in certain academic areas, we have after school homework support available Monday – Thursday every week, we have peer counseling and tutoring for those students that work better with their peers than with adults, we have a Positive Behavior System (PBS) in place to reward those students that are either doing what they should be or those who are making improvements, etc. These things are only a few examples of what goes on in our building above and beyond what the individual teachers and guidance counseling staff do. I know myself, some of the coaches and some of my colleagues also try to “adopt” some students that we have built strong reports with and keep an eye on their progress to provide encouragement/positive feedback that the student may be lacking from their home environment. We may not be doing everything we could be or have all of the answers to save every potential dropout however I do not feel as though we “push” our students out to raise test scores.

I also think that home environments play a huge role in student achievement or lack thereof. Poor attendance, behavioral issues and lack of work ethic usually stems from home. As a newer teacher, I think this was the biggest shocker I had to learn to work with. Growing up in a home environment that was not broken and with parents that expected I make the honor roll every time and encouraged my siblings and I to become active members of athletic teams, 4-H, student council, BPA, DECA, FFA, Drafting competitions, etc, I found it hard accept that some parents can’t even tell you where their child goes after school (they just have to be home by 8:30 p.m.!) let alone be able to support them academically. I do not have the answer to resolve the issue, but I do think there should be a way to make the parents somehow responsible as well.

On a less negative and defensive note, I do think it is a good thing to try to come up with alternative ways to appeal to those students that do not function well in a standard educational setting. After all, the same recipe does not work for every student. Ideas such as raising the drop out age to 18 are good first steps (as long as those students who do not want to be there are not hindering the learning of their peers). With regards to the Westwood School set up, who funds the technology? If this continues to move forward, how will the state handle the cohort numbers for students that enter into the alternative program? Is the Westwood set up the same as alternative education? What will the criteria be to enroll students in this program – will it be based on attendance? Behavioral patterns? Failure records? Does the state fear “average” students might try to drop out so they too can be admitted into this Westwood-type school? Will interventions be designed for the high school level or primarily for the early grades?

Professional Standards for Michigan Teachers vs. Course Objectives

After reviewing the Professional Standards for Michigan Teachers, it is easy to see where a majority of our course objectives and assignments stem from. Beginning with the plagiarism essay, blogging and responding to each other’s blogs throughout the course and ending with a final presentation of a technological and non-technological lesson plan, quite a few of the technology professional standards will be covered upon the completion of the course. Other professional standards will have been accounted for as well however, for now, we will only be focusing on the technology standard.

Beginning with the first assignment where we had to intentionally plagiarize, we hit the very first technology standard up right away. Against any ethics that had been instilled into our personal agendas, the plagiarized paper opened up discussion on the importance of teaching proper citation from the beginning. Additionally, it taught us as educators, one way we may catch unethical students and their work. By utilizing this in a classroom setting (I am looking at the high school level), this would also lead to a great discussion on the legal ramifications of unethical decisions as well as the social, physical and psychological issues that may arise as well.

Upon reading the second technology standard, the blog assignment really stuck out in my mind as the key objective to fulfill this standard/requirement. With hopes that everyone will complete the course successfully, I think the online collaboration is great; especially since it is coming from peers with diversified backgrounds, experiences and educational goals. Sometimes getting that “outside” opinion can be more of an eye-opener than asking a peer that you work with repetitively.

Finally, part d requires that we “plan, design and evaluate an effective technology enhanced learning environment that aligns with the Michigan Content Standards”. I think it is fair to say that anyone successfully completing the 8-10 minute presentation along with the lesson plans will have easily met the requirement. In addition, we will have gained a useable lesson plan to take back to the classroom come fall!

Second Grade Technology Specialist

Upon reading through the Michigan Educational Technology Standards for Students (METS-S), I found myself speechless. As I look at my seven month old son with his two new bottom teeth and his triumphant grin as he has just conquered the art of crawling, I begin to wonder if I should start exposing him to typing techniques and PowerPoint do’s and don’ts! I am completely amazed at what is expected of our graduating second graders, fifth graders and eighth graders. As an individual who is involved in professional forums, societies, and is fluent in creating business documents and simulations, I realize that I still have much to learn if I want to stay ahead of tomorrow’s youth with regards to technology!

Part of my dismay may result from the fact that when I was a student in the early elementary grades, we used the true “Floppy disk” (5.25” I believe?) with the green-screened Apple computer and the internet was merely something that “everyone will use someday”. It may also result from the fact that I do not deal with such small children to know what their limits are when using technology. From a high school perspective, I feel as though most standards are within the abilities of most students. But I am utterly amazed that a second grader would have the aptitude to use a variety of digital tools to learn, create and convey original ideas or illustrate concepts as PK-2.CI states let alone be able to discuss the advantages/disadvantages of using technology per PK-2.TC.

Once the initial speechlessness wore off, I think the plan has some great ideas and goals to strive for. However, I still think that we need to emphasize on the importance of the basics of communication, writing, ethics and other basics. Sometimes I think our students rely too much upon the technology. For example, most students learn their multiplication tables around grade 2 or 3 by memory. Usually by grades 4 or 5 the students are allowed to utilize multiplication tables and/or basic calculators to do the basic functions multiplication, division, addition and subtraction. By the time I see the students in high school, they have relied so heavily upon the calculator to do the basics for them, the student has a hard time telling me what 6 times 4 is without the use of a calculator. As a result, the student ends up taking more time to get through an assignment because they do not trust themselves to do the basic math on their own so they have to type everything into the calculator! (This is a huge pet-peeve of mine!)

I think it is great to have such high standards for our students. And if elementary students really are capable of fulfilling the goals that are laid out for them, then I too will have to ensure that I stay ahead of the game and keep myself educated on the latest and greatest technology. Otherwise, I will have to call on a second grader to become my technology specialist!