No system is without its flaws, and, while virtual schools can help fill in the cracks in classroom education, they are not a panacea. Some of the issues reflected in the scenarios that teachers can be faced with involve using virtual schools as replacements for physical classrooms. For example, a student could request a virtual class to avoid having a negative experience, especially if they are acting based on word of mouth, which I have observed occurring during scheduling week. It is vital to bear in mind that different students with different goals, values, and learning modalities and styles will tend to evaluate teachers differently.
One of my favorite high school teachers was a public speaking teacher, who helped me develop my voice and learn to open up, which empowered me to pursue a profession where I substitute-taught in 13 districts and well over 50 different schools in my first year out of college. My sister did not like that teacher because my sister was already out of her shell and didn't like how bossy the teacher was.
Conversely, my sister loved her 3rd grade teacher, who was a frenetic, impulsive, and lighthearted teacher, while I couldn't stand that same teacher, because I needed the comfort of structure and the knowledge that she was going to protect me from the bullies and respect my voice. It certainly seems like these perspectives should be taken into account by parents and districts before the students make the impulsive decision to select a teacher and instructional delivery style that is unknown over one that is presumed to be negative.
Sunday, April 16, 2017
Sunday, April 2, 2017
The Hidden Virtues of our Virtual Reality
While I have had experience working with students that attend virtual schools, there is much I don't know about them and the school they attend. In the past year, I have learned about some of the misconceptions I had, some of which were featured in the following publication:
http://www.inacol.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/top-ten-myths-about-virtual-schools.pdf
Perhaps the most significant myth I subscribed to, which was debunked by the hockey players I tutored that were in the U.S. Developmental Program, was the notion that online schools were run in lieu of face-to-face encounters. Many of them took a split schedule, taking the majority of their classes online, but attending a local school for 1-2 classes a day, as a respite from practice and an opportunity to socialize with peers. Furthermore, some of my students in Clarkston take 1-2 online classes from Michigan Virtual University over the summer instead of a formal summer school, which could be embarrassing and cumbersome, or detrimental to other summer pursuits. It's interesting to think of online schools as supplements to traditional education, rather than as an alternative.
It's also interesting to review my preconception from last year that online schools have an easier time flipping the classroom than traditional schools. Over the past few weeks, my Junior High students and I have taken advantage of an idea I had to flip the classroom with the argument essays they wrote. At home, during the 3-4 hours a day I was not working (after tutoring, before sleep), I worked 1 on 1 with students, placing comments as the students watched. The students were tremendously receptive to the feedback, and were given half of the difference between their new and old score for making the corrections. Additionally, I had difficulty describing a project to them because I did not make it, nor did I make the sample, which was messy and nearly incomprehensible to the students. As a result, I am flipping the classroom again by using web 2.0 technology FROM THIS CLASS!!! to make tutorial videos, which will then be uploaded to a protected YouTube channel for students to view at their own pace.
http://www.inacol.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/top-ten-myths-about-virtual-schools.pdf
Perhaps the most significant myth I subscribed to, which was debunked by the hockey players I tutored that were in the U.S. Developmental Program, was the notion that online schools were run in lieu of face-to-face encounters. Many of them took a split schedule, taking the majority of their classes online, but attending a local school for 1-2 classes a day, as a respite from practice and an opportunity to socialize with peers. Furthermore, some of my students in Clarkston take 1-2 online classes from Michigan Virtual University over the summer instead of a formal summer school, which could be embarrassing and cumbersome, or detrimental to other summer pursuits. It's interesting to think of online schools as supplements to traditional education, rather than as an alternative.
It's also interesting to review my preconception from last year that online schools have an easier time flipping the classroom than traditional schools. Over the past few weeks, my Junior High students and I have taken advantage of an idea I had to flip the classroom with the argument essays they wrote. At home, during the 3-4 hours a day I was not working (after tutoring, before sleep), I worked 1 on 1 with students, placing comments as the students watched. The students were tremendously receptive to the feedback, and were given half of the difference between their new and old score for making the corrections. Additionally, I had difficulty describing a project to them because I did not make it, nor did I make the sample, which was messy and nearly incomprehensible to the students. As a result, I am flipping the classroom again by using web 2.0 technology FROM THIS CLASS!!! to make tutorial videos, which will then be uploaded to a protected YouTube channel for students to view at their own pace.
Thursday, March 30, 2017
The Virtual Reality of Modern Education
As an ACT, SAT, Reading, Writing, and Homework Support tutor, much of my clientele comes from students that either attend local schools or are part of distance learning programs. The reasons why the students are in these programs are about as diverse as the students themselves, as well as the wide range of programs.
The U.S. Hockey's Men's Development Program is located at a hockey rink near my tutoring location, and many of the students there were previously schooled elsewhere throughout the country before being accepted into the program. These students attend Michigan Virtual University because their year-round intense practice schedule does not allow them to make it to physical classes on time.
Oakland Flex Tech Academy is located within walking distance of my tutoring location as well. It combines in person and virtual learning opportunities. There is a preconception among students there that they are sent to that school by their parents because they are either "problem kids" or "couldn't cut it" at a "normal" school, but that is not always the case.
The U.S. Hockey's Men's Development Program is located at a hockey rink near my tutoring location, and many of the students there were previously schooled elsewhere throughout the country before being accepted into the program. These students attend Michigan Virtual University because their year-round intense practice schedule does not allow them to make it to physical classes on time.
Oakland Flex Tech Academy is located within walking distance of my tutoring location as well. It combines in person and virtual learning opportunities. There is a preconception among students there that they are sent to that school by their parents because they are either "problem kids" or "couldn't cut it" at a "normal" school, but that is not always the case.
Sunday, February 26, 2017
The Wiki Conundrum
I was warned to stay away from Wikipedia before I even knew what it was.
The controversial user-supplied information system came into being sometime during my high school experience. My teachers lumped it into the same characterization as Cliffs and Sparks notes. I was only just starting to use the internet as a resource; the computer's primary functions were the following:
1. Word Processor
2. Warcraft 2 (later 3)
3. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
4. Civilization 4
If I needed to cite a source, I would go to the Farmington Public Library, within walking distance of my house. Additionally, I did not want to be bothered with the insanity that was MLA formatting of websites before the Purdue OWL. As a result, I was unaware of Wikipedia's potential as a debatable database.
Now that I know better, my opinion of secondhand information sites has changed considerably. My view of Wikipedia became clearer when one of my history professors at Central Michigan used the site as a primary resource in class. I was appalled when the site was shown on a projector and lauded by my professor. The professor revealed that he felt confident using the site in class because he had personally input the information, and he personally edited the pages we would be viewing. He produced books that he had written on the subject; it is not uncommon for professors to assign books they wrote themselves, although I do find it a bit pretentious and presumptive.
My personal view of Wikipedia boils down to this: it is a great jumping-off point for discussions. While I don't believe that any information on Wikipedia can be seen as incontrovertible proof, the assertions made on Wikipedia can be proven through more reputable sites. What Wikipedia does, though, is pretty much the same job that clickbait articles do: provide easily-accessed food-for-thought articles that help readers indulge curiosities and encourage future research.
The controversial user-supplied information system came into being sometime during my high school experience. My teachers lumped it into the same characterization as Cliffs and Sparks notes. I was only just starting to use the internet as a resource; the computer's primary functions were the following:
1. Word Processor
2. Warcraft 2 (later 3)
3. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
4. Civilization 4
If I needed to cite a source, I would go to the Farmington Public Library, within walking distance of my house. Additionally, I did not want to be bothered with the insanity that was MLA formatting of websites before the Purdue OWL. As a result, I was unaware of Wikipedia's potential as a debatable database.
Now that I know better, my opinion of secondhand information sites has changed considerably. My view of Wikipedia became clearer when one of my history professors at Central Michigan used the site as a primary resource in class. I was appalled when the site was shown on a projector and lauded by my professor. The professor revealed that he felt confident using the site in class because he had personally input the information, and he personally edited the pages we would be viewing. He produced books that he had written on the subject; it is not uncommon for professors to assign books they wrote themselves, although I do find it a bit pretentious and presumptive.
My personal view of Wikipedia boils down to this: it is a great jumping-off point for discussions. While I don't believe that any information on Wikipedia can be seen as incontrovertible proof, the assertions made on Wikipedia can be proven through more reputable sites. What Wikipedia does, though, is pretty much the same job that clickbait articles do: provide easily-accessed food-for-thought articles that help readers indulge curiosities and encourage future research.
Weaving a Web-Based PLC
Who is wise? He who learns from everything.
This axiom, borrowed from Perkei Avot, a Jewish theological text, has helped to form the basis of my design philosophy. I encourage students to seek inspiration from the texts that surround them, using traditional and non-traditional texts and applications together to create an interactive experience. I practice what I preach, seeking wisdom from a diverse array of sources, especially those who have been driven to innovate by the adverse circumstances they have been presented with.
http://teachforus.org/
This is the blog for the Teach for America project, a controversial organization that helps burgeoning teachers find their first positions in underserved or impoverished areas. These teachers have been forced to either adapt or die (or leave the profession), testing the belief that necessity is the mother of invention. These are the types of teachers that I strive to emulate when I design learning experiences; these are the true innovators.
http://www.learningismessy.com/blog/
This is a blog for the integration of technology into everyday classroom experiences. By pushing the text literacy in day-to-day operations, Brian Cosby gives his students an authentic audience, even if it is just each other; one of his classes even used technology to include a classmate stricken with leukemia via Skype!
http://blog.cathyjonelson.com/
This is a blog that shows innovative uses of the library and media services, through the eyes of a media technician. As an English teacher, I make frequent use of my two schools' technologies. As the low man on the totem pole, I frequently have to be creative with my tech usage because computer labs and chromebook carts are infrequently available. Furthermore, as a member of a team, the changes I make to team lessons are frequently scrutinized, so a blog like this can help me maximize my tech usage.
TWITTER SPOTLIGHT
@AlternativeTo
This is a page dedicated to companies that provide alternative technologies to those typically present in a classroom experience. They take standard products and projects and extrapolate them to new technologies, apps, and ideas.
@rockyourworld70
This is a page that features implementations of project-based learning, which is the PD group I am part of in Clarkston. It is also the subject of a new English class that is being offered at the High School.
@theRSAorg
@LBQorg
This axiom, borrowed from Perkei Avot, a Jewish theological text, has helped to form the basis of my design philosophy. I encourage students to seek inspiration from the texts that surround them, using traditional and non-traditional texts and applications together to create an interactive experience. I practice what I preach, seeking wisdom from a diverse array of sources, especially those who have been driven to innovate by the adverse circumstances they have been presented with.
http://teachforus.org/
This is the blog for the Teach for America project, a controversial organization that helps burgeoning teachers find their first positions in underserved or impoverished areas. These teachers have been forced to either adapt or die (or leave the profession), testing the belief that necessity is the mother of invention. These are the types of teachers that I strive to emulate when I design learning experiences; these are the true innovators.
http://www.learningismessy.com/blog/
This is a blog for the integration of technology into everyday classroom experiences. By pushing the text literacy in day-to-day operations, Brian Cosby gives his students an authentic audience, even if it is just each other; one of his classes even used technology to include a classmate stricken with leukemia via Skype!
http://blog.cathyjonelson.com/
This is a blog that shows innovative uses of the library and media services, through the eyes of a media technician. As an English teacher, I make frequent use of my two schools' technologies. As the low man on the totem pole, I frequently have to be creative with my tech usage because computer labs and chromebook carts are infrequently available. Furthermore, as a member of a team, the changes I make to team lessons are frequently scrutinized, so a blog like this can help me maximize my tech usage.
TWITTER SPOTLIGHT
@AlternativeTo
This is a page dedicated to companies that provide alternative technologies to those typically present in a classroom experience. They take standard products and projects and extrapolate them to new technologies, apps, and ideas.
@rockyourworld70
This is a page that features implementations of project-based learning, which is the PD group I am part of in Clarkston. It is also the subject of a new English class that is being offered at the High School.
@theRSAorg
This is a page featuring discussions about solutions to modern social and geopolitical problems using technology. I am presently looking for a way to add real-world implications to an otherwise droll and arduous month-and-a-half-long research paper I am about to lev upon my 11th graders.
@My_Shakes
This is a page that seeks to bridge the distance between more than five hundred years of time. Shakespeare is usually a tough sell, especially Romeo and Juliet for 9th graders. I would like to see if they have found an adaptation of Henry IV, as that is a bildungsroman (coming-of-age story) that encapsulates my philosophy of Shakespeare as a spawner of archetypes.
@LBQorg
Why ask why? Because that's the only way that learning is done. This page encourages students to learn by discovery, rather than by directly instructing or creating artificial experiences. I learn best this way, as do many of my students.
Unfortunately, thus far this semester I have been a bunch of talk. While I am seeking ways to use the 2.0 technologies, I am behind on my planning. The crazy game of catch-up I played the first semester was complicated by the fact that my classes have had significant turnover, as well as the termination of the only other English teacher at my tutoring location. While it seemed my classes would reduce in size as several students left due to scheduling constraints, more than ten students decided to transfer from other teachers. As a result, my classes are larger than ever, and the parents more vocal than last semester. With the last full measure approaching, each class is preparing for a long, grueling, but ultimately rich experience, which I would love to complement with 2.0 technologies. Additionally, the possibility of a new Newspaper class has me excited about the possibilities. The students crusaded for the inception of a modern Journalistic English elective class, and my experiences as a published author and editor, as well as a former teacher of a class called "Writing for Publication" led me to join the crusade as a possible teacher of the class next year.
Sunday, February 5, 2017
A RAT with a Mouse
It's been one full semester in Clarkston, and the RAT has begun to taste the cheese. Slowly but surely, I have been working to integrate technology into lessons and units while maintaining verisimilitude with the other teachers. One by one, teachers have begun to follow my lead. The clues are there: spare copies of documents I have made and shared left by the machines, projections of presentations I have made emblazoned upon walls, but the most appealing slice of cheese is one that I will taste in a few short weeks: when the 11th grade English team is transformed through a series of recorded lessons that will form a legacy of learning for a teacher that is preparing to retire, and a team that is looking to secure its future.
The infiltration of the 11th grade English department began with replacing the traditional modes of instructional delivery. The culminating activities of the units are already assessed in a student-centered system, based on skill development. This allows students to advance at their own pace, and to define challenges for themselves. This had not yet been adapted to delivery, however. Instead of talking at students and expecting them to take good notes, I created guided notes to go along with the team's slides presentations, and made the presentations available publically on the class webpage, which students could access from their iPhones. Students advanced through the presentations at their own pace, as I led whole-class and small-group discussions on the information. Thus, the delivery became as individualized as the assessment.
The 10th grade team experienced the amplification of the otherwise mundane-but-necessary grammar unit. In order to perform adequately on standardized testing, students need to be able to differentiate between types of punctuation and use a bevy of comma rules to determine whether or not a piece is grammatically correct. A portion of each of five pre-exam class periods was to be spent reviewing a new rule each day, and then working through examples as a class, and then on dittoes. During the first of a litany of snow days (with perhaps more to come, per Punxsutawney Phil), I decided to rewrite the unit. I put the comma rules into Quizlet, which allowed students to review the rules over the other snow days. I found four examples of each comma rule, each from an opening line of a novel in my class library. The students were then tasked each day, during the grammar section, with looking through my library to find the lines on the board (with punctuation removed) and add the punctuation in the book. They would then explain to the class what they were doing to the sentences and why. Another teacher, who has been in the district since I was in grade school, happens to use the copy room around the same time as I do. I saw that she was copying the assignment sheet I had made with the unmarked sentences, and beamed. She asked me where I found the lines, and I told her about my vision. She asked me if she could teach in my room first hour (I do not have a first hour), and I began to tear up.
While my influence on the technology usage has begun to seep into the time-hewn structure of Clarkston schools, I am proudest of the mark that this year's 11th grade team is preparing to make on the future of the class. At the last team meeting, it became clear that each teacher had different visions for how students would be performing research, both in terms of the sites used and the methodology for incorporating online databases. I am most familiar with J*Stor, another teacher is familiar with the Library of Congress, and the teacher preparing for retirement is proficient in navigating the Michigan Educational Library (MEL). She described ways to mark up texts and save the annotated and highlighted copies to the Google Drive, and we were entranced with the depth of her unshared knowledge. I volunteered to tutor her in recording tutorials during our shared prep hour (right after my classes at the Junior High were done, but before I have to be back in Novi for ACT/SAT tutoring). As a result, she will continue to teach and inspire students and teachers even after her time as a Clarkston teacher has ended.
The infiltration of the 11th grade English department began with replacing the traditional modes of instructional delivery. The culminating activities of the units are already assessed in a student-centered system, based on skill development. This allows students to advance at their own pace, and to define challenges for themselves. This had not yet been adapted to delivery, however. Instead of talking at students and expecting them to take good notes, I created guided notes to go along with the team's slides presentations, and made the presentations available publically on the class webpage, which students could access from their iPhones. Students advanced through the presentations at their own pace, as I led whole-class and small-group discussions on the information. Thus, the delivery became as individualized as the assessment.
The 10th grade team experienced the amplification of the otherwise mundane-but-necessary grammar unit. In order to perform adequately on standardized testing, students need to be able to differentiate between types of punctuation and use a bevy of comma rules to determine whether or not a piece is grammatically correct. A portion of each of five pre-exam class periods was to be spent reviewing a new rule each day, and then working through examples as a class, and then on dittoes. During the first of a litany of snow days (with perhaps more to come, per Punxsutawney Phil), I decided to rewrite the unit. I put the comma rules into Quizlet, which allowed students to review the rules over the other snow days. I found four examples of each comma rule, each from an opening line of a novel in my class library. The students were then tasked each day, during the grammar section, with looking through my library to find the lines on the board (with punctuation removed) and add the punctuation in the book. They would then explain to the class what they were doing to the sentences and why. Another teacher, who has been in the district since I was in grade school, happens to use the copy room around the same time as I do. I saw that she was copying the assignment sheet I had made with the unmarked sentences, and beamed. She asked me where I found the lines, and I told her about my vision. She asked me if she could teach in my room first hour (I do not have a first hour), and I began to tear up.
While my influence on the technology usage has begun to seep into the time-hewn structure of Clarkston schools, I am proudest of the mark that this year's 11th grade team is preparing to make on the future of the class. At the last team meeting, it became clear that each teacher had different visions for how students would be performing research, both in terms of the sites used and the methodology for incorporating online databases. I am most familiar with J*Stor, another teacher is familiar with the Library of Congress, and the teacher preparing for retirement is proficient in navigating the Michigan Educational Library (MEL). She described ways to mark up texts and save the annotated and highlighted copies to the Google Drive, and we were entranced with the depth of her unshared knowledge. I volunteered to tutor her in recording tutorials during our shared prep hour (right after my classes at the Junior High were done, but before I have to be back in Novi for ACT/SAT tutoring). As a result, she will continue to teach and inspire students and teachers even after her time as a Clarkston teacher has ended.
Sunday, January 22, 2017
Livin' on the Edge
We live in a time when news, both real and fake, spreads at an alarming rate. So much comes so quickly that it can be difficult to process the difference between the two. This issue has come to a head multiple times in my classrooms this year, as my students blindly believe the Buzzfeeds, trending Twitter posts, and Onion articles without looking to validate the source. There's something wrong with the world today, and I think I know what it is.
It was interesting to read the SCSU characterization of the Edge Generation as tech-savvy, team-oriented, optimistic, and with high expectations. In many ways, my students tend to err on the opposite side of this generalization.
I find it strange that, in spite of the tremendous rise in teen suicide, the emergence of depression as a mental illness, and the explosion of MMORPGs, in which people use games as a form of escapism, one can label this generation "optimistic." The articles, posts, and general outcry over the election is the most deterministic, fatalistic, and nihilistic I have ever seen humanity, even more so than after Y2K, 9/11, and the War on Terror.
I have seen this generation characterized as egotistical and hedonistic, its tech savvy operating in direct contrast to the team-oriented mentality expressed in the SCSU article. Even when given the ability to work in groups on projects, students use the Google suite to jigsaw assignments rather than working together. If students are given segmented assignments with roles, each will do their role with minimal interaction.
Furthermore, the Edge Generation has been widely criticized for NOT having high expectations, either expected of it by others or by the members themselves. Student-athletes are given participation trophies for taking part in sporting events, regardless of position. This arguably reinforces a lack of desire to perform well or improve.
At their best, Edge Generation individuals seem to be empowered, individualistic, and curious. At their worst, however, they can be considered entitled, self-centered, and incendiary. From my experience, the definition from SCSU is inaccurate and shortsighted, and fails to capture the essence of the generalization.
It was interesting to read the SCSU characterization of the Edge Generation as tech-savvy, team-oriented, optimistic, and with high expectations. In many ways, my students tend to err on the opposite side of this generalization.
I find it strange that, in spite of the tremendous rise in teen suicide, the emergence of depression as a mental illness, and the explosion of MMORPGs, in which people use games as a form of escapism, one can label this generation "optimistic." The articles, posts, and general outcry over the election is the most deterministic, fatalistic, and nihilistic I have ever seen humanity, even more so than after Y2K, 9/11, and the War on Terror.
I have seen this generation characterized as egotistical and hedonistic, its tech savvy operating in direct contrast to the team-oriented mentality expressed in the SCSU article. Even when given the ability to work in groups on projects, students use the Google suite to jigsaw assignments rather than working together. If students are given segmented assignments with roles, each will do their role with minimal interaction.
Furthermore, the Edge Generation has been widely criticized for NOT having high expectations, either expected of it by others or by the members themselves. Student-athletes are given participation trophies for taking part in sporting events, regardless of position. This arguably reinforces a lack of desire to perform well or improve.
At their best, Edge Generation individuals seem to be empowered, individualistic, and curious. At their worst, however, they can be considered entitled, self-centered, and incendiary. From my experience, the definition from SCSU is inaccurate and shortsighted, and fails to capture the essence of the generalization.
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