Blog Post #5

The iSchool Conundrum
Travis Allen presents his case very well in his first video. School systems are at a major crossroads as far as education is concerned. As education boards across the world battle with rising costs and populations in schools, students suffer the short comings. Travis outlines in his video how the 2008 version of the Apple itouch technology could revolutionize the education problem in the twentieth century.
Travis is correct in that we need a revolution in the education industry. Previous posts in this and other Edm 310 blogs have outlined this need. Travis also shows that the savings per student could be up to four hundred and fifty dollars. So, why wasn’t this implemented? I gradutated from high school in 2007 in a rural area of Alabama and can understand that it will take time for the trickle down. What astounds me is that I have since substitute taught at my high school and I there isn’t even an inkling or glimmer of this in the schools.

Virtual Choir, Awesome!

Ok, I loved this video! Watch this!
I sang in a high school choir for seven odd years and know how hard it is to get a choir harmonizing, let alone using dynamics as well as they do. Throw into the mix that the members have not met apart from this choral work, and I would say it was impossible. I find myself believing in the impossible as we go through this course. Just another example to us all that, with the resources at our fingertips, we can begin to change our world for the better without even leaving our houses.

Teaching in the 21st Century? You ready?
In Kevin Roberts' presentation he shows how he feels education should be preparing the future student to enter his tomorrow. I agree with him. Schools shouldn't be testing students about things that they could "google" the answer for, rather teach them how to filter that information and present it for others. Instead of asking the student "What was Shakespeare's most famous tragedy?" ask, " What are some of the problems presented in Romeo and Juliet? Respond how you could have solved these problems differently?" This opens things up for the student to look up overviews and outlines of the play, but also gives them the opportunity to problem solve and ask themselves moral questions. (Is vengance an acceptable plea for what happened? or, How can I argue my point when my parents dissapprove of my decisions?)

Do you need to flip your classroom?

The flipped classroom approach seems more like a collegiate level of learning at first glance. Students’ being responsible for learning the basics of a concept the day before it is to be covered in class sure sounds like college to me. I do, however, like this style of teaching. By having students be responsible for learning basic principles, teachers can focus on deeper topics or comprehension rather than just presentation. Students in a high school English class could have heard the definitions of new vocabulary and historical information about a book the night before a class, opening up the class period for discussion of concepts and plot mapping in the class. I also suggest that you watch some of the videos posted by Katie Gimbar has posted in response to questions like What if students don't watch the videos? and What about students with no access?. These videos show how the student can be just as responsible for their learning as their teachers.