Comments for twelchconsulting.com Blog

Comment on Technology as a Connection, not a Solution by Kay Endriss

Kay Endriss — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:07:47 +0000

Hi there.
I originally found you through a Latin teacher (I’m a math teacher) who connected with me through a ning, and through my blog, which he cited on his blog. Due to this connection, I’ve been reading your blog off and on for the past month or two.
Tonight, I was typing very similar words with almost the same sentiment, that technology needs to shift from a technical focus to a social focus. The idea is expressed in the document, “The Future of Learning Agents and Disruptive Innovation” from the KnowledgeWorks Foundation and the Institute for the Future. If you haven’t yet connected with this document, I think its ideas would resonate with you, and it is available online. Let me know what you think!

Comment on “Time Warp” thinking in Education by Lynn Fulton-Archer

Lynn Fulton-Archer — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 02:22:10 +0000

Here, here, Tom! Unfortunately I am living in one of those districts… and how appropriate that John was the one to comment before me! At the beginning of the year I tried to help out a friend’s son with finishing his second year of German. He moved to my town from another state and had taken one year of German… and loved it! He was super motivated to continue but our district doesn’t offer German at the high school level, nor through our state virtual school.

No problem, I thought. I thought “outside the box” and suggested KET as an option. I offered to facilitate the course and the father offered to pay all the fees. The guidance counselor at the school said it all sounded fine but the whole thing got shut down by district administrators! What was the rationale? “Ms. Fulton is not a teacher at the high school” (never mind that my certificate is K-12 and I’m a lead teacher in the district) “The course doesn’t meet our standards” (last time I checked, the KY language standards were based on the national standards, just like in SC)…

I know that there are teachers who are thinking outside the box and understand that learning occurs everywhere. In my district, at least, the problem lies with the higher ups. I’m continue to “fight the good fight”.. but it can be exhausting!

Comment on “Time Warp” thinking in Education by John Krueger

John Krueger — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 23:10:27 +0000

Excellent call to action, Tom! I’m with you that the students and parents need to make demands for change to happen. Therefore I think that we as teachers not only have to document learning which is a GIANT first step (or leap) in the right direction –but we also have to get the word out: 1) to other teachers (so that they see that they can make their work more relevant and enriching to students) and 2) to potential learners so that they are aware of the exciting opportunities out there for them to navigate and monitor their own progress.

As far as teachers go, everybody is working so hard…and a lot of time and energy seems to get swallowed up just dealing with the system as it is, that sometimes we don’t take the steps that we need to to change things for the better.

As an example: this year I began with good intentions of integrating the LinguaFolio into a new DL course here at KET. Well, the framework is there– and I’m proud of that– but other pressing duties related to the course creation have taken me away from monitoring things like I need to in order to get things where they should be.

I have heard from fellow educators that I shouldn’t be discouraged, that ‘baby steps’ in the beginning are so important (rather than no steps at all) and I know that they are right…. Still–though many of us know what direction we need to go in (and your writing here has really helped remind me of it! Thanks! )–it is taking some time.

Comment on Measuring “Teacher Effectiveness” — A Blast From The Past by Morgan Emrich

Morgan Emrich — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:07:58 +0000

When my principal (at the large urban middle school where I taught for 10 years) observed me for “effectiveness” his tools were interesting to say the least.

We were judged on placement, neatness, and size of posted, written learning objectives. How many students were on-task, raised their hands, and asked probing questions seemed to be important as was how far up Bloom’s taxonomy my questions were. In other words, everything had to do with how I was running the show, pulling the strings and intellectually manipulating the students.

What the kids wanted to learn didn’t matter, how fast they could learn it didn’t matter, their different learning styles didn’t matter, their desire or lack thereof to get information from a 39 year old adult male didn’t matter, the fact that many of them already had the material down cold didn’t matter.

Maybe it’s time to consider the fact that most public school teachers can be almost totally irrelevant and possibly a deterrent to serious learning. If that’s the case, what does that say about the purpose of “Instructional Leaders”/administrators in our schools?

Comment on Measuring “Teacher Effectiveness” — A Blast From The Past by Eric Brewer

Eric Brewer — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:25:27 +0000

Fantastic. I am very glad you do what you do, Tom.
I had a discussion the other day about the purpose of School. I have mixed feelings about it to say the least.
I attended college for 4 & 1/2 years but ultimately grew disillusioned with the whole thing and quit.
I now own a pharmacy, am happily married with two kids, happy and healthy and doing well.
I discovered that I could learn anything I wanted to learn without going to class. If I just stayed home and studied on my own terms I’d understand the subject better and I’d score higher on exams.

I think it was Mark Twain who said, “I’ve always enjoyed learning, but I haven’t always enjoyed being taught.”

I love what you’re doing, Tom. Long may you run!

Comment on Measuring “Teacher Effectiveness” — A Blast From The Past by Jennifer Carroll

Jennifer Carroll — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:17:02 +0000

Teacher preparation programs and “professional development” might just need a reinvention as well…. Until we show (and I do mean show…model, demonstrate, and coach) teachers how to facilitate learning for 21st Century learners, we are not going to change the current system.

Comment on Is the notion of “School” about to explode? by Administrator

Administrator — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 03:21:26 +0000

So very well said, Beth!

Comment on Is the notion of “School” about to explode? by Beth

Beth — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 23:35:25 +0000

From the trenches….I bring a combined 28 years of face to face, online and hybrid experience to our discussion. I think the reason that not only teachers but entire systems of educators hold on to the traditional format used for so many years of teaching is that they can’t see how theycan be effective unless they are in control of the journey. Top down organization used to make snese: there weren’t enough hours in the school day to set 30 individuals on different paths one by one, and there weren’t the resources available to allow them to take one concept and develop it in many different manifestations.

Now that we have internet access and various tools for acquiring information, manipulating words, and creating/recreating almost any demonstration of learning that has been accomplished, we don’t have to spend hours with each individual student to get them on their way. They can all access the same instructions, but interpret them and demonstrate learning in as many different ways as there are students.

The trick is setting up the learning environment to lead students to master content and build skills without planning a singular journey for all. The standards do not have to be lowered, the content does not have to be abridged, and nothing has to be sacrificed–not even time–if we set up the opportunities in a way that hands the decisions back to the students, demonstrates to them the logical consequences of their decisions, and allows them to move with some flexibility. Never before has this been so easy—–but the planning ahead is the key.

Anyone who has dealt with a rebellious or troubled teenager that they care for has heard of the concept of “letting go with love”–i.e., giving the young person the responsibility of setting a course without fulfilling our need to control all that is done. Well, teachers have long been in control of classrooms, from the top of the day to the bottom. Now I think we have to practice “letting go with effectiveness”. That means we set up the aircraft to provide what is needed–then we pass the controls to the student for charting the journey. And you know what? They can fly the plane better than we ever imagined!

Comment on Is the notion of “School” about to explode? by Steve

Steve — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:59:38 +0000

I found this in my email today, one person’s view on how blending a variety of online and on-ground teaching and learning tools of can more effectively meet student needs.

http://thejournal.com/articles/2009/10/21/bridging-the-gap-between-online-and-on-ground-teaching.aspx

Comment on Is the notion of “School” about to explode? by Steve

Steve — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:38:15 +0000

I agree with your assessment of, dare I say, a “traditional” virtual learning environment. That environment leaves much to be desired. But it’s not surprising that when new tools are introduced into a process, it takes time for new workflows to evolve that make the best use of them and for new thinking about process itself to emerge. Here’s a little bit of our story.
The bad and good news is that we are only beginning this journey. The bad, it feels like its taking too long; the good, there’s time to implement a new vision. We started our journey a few years ago, when searching for an electronic tool set to help our districts manage the data requirements for our state’s Proficiency Based Graduation Requirements. The search was a rigorous process involving many stakeholders. In the end we chose Sakai, an open source collaboration and learning environment that met our requirements and also provided opportunities to extend our classrooms beyond the classroom walls, the regular school day, the usual school community, and the old paradigms.
Our state’s challenge is moving ten thousand teachers and one hundred fifty thousand students systemically. Systemic change requires a shared vision, leadership, sustainable technical systems, professional development, assessment, a reflective community of practice and the where with all and courage to make it happen. We work with our districts on the technical piece of the puzzle. Clearly only a piece, but I believe, a foundational piece. Our initial work with Sakai included implementing the Goal Management and collaboration tools so that assignments are electronically linked to local, state, and national standards and can be collaboratively built, vetted, and shared within a department, a school, or across the state. Student work can be assessed against the standards, as can the quality of the assignments and the curriculum. Some of our districts now use the collaboration tools to support work that closes the loop around curriculum development, professional development, student work, and assessment, in which the assessments lead back to discussions about curriculum and practice. Districts use the tools to support professional development, provide blended instruction, virtual classes, to access an online environment of science activities and simulations as part of an NSF project, and more. Admittedly, some of the early work took the old ways and fit them into the new tools, but not all. That’s the exciting part. As teachers use Sakai’s tools within their own learning communities and with their students they begin to explore new uses that break down the walls around space, time, and community. As I said, this work is only part of the puzzle. But I believe, if we’re working for systemic change, then integrated, accessible, sustainable technical solutions have to be employed to support the vision.