Wow. The final post. Feels very Old Lang Syne-ish. At any rate, for this final blog post I am to discuss Virtual Schooling and 21f. I was to watch the video by Mr. Ripmaster and answer a few questions. Here we go:
The first question asks if I think schools are equipped to handle the changes inherent in Virtual Schooling. My answer is no. I have been involved with a district and school who are trying to get ahead of this and utilize it to the benefit of our students and let me tell you it isn't easy. There have been many missteps in our process. We have learned a lot but mistakes were made none the less. I believe our district is VERY forward in their thinking of education. We challenge many notions that have been held as "traditional" and many of our ideologies work out and a few don't. That is why I do not believe the public education system as a whole is ready. It will be a debacle if instituted on the main stage. We have an education system that truly believes "It was good enough for me so it must be OK for them". We also have educators and admin who claim it isn't the teacher who has failed or their antiquated ways of teaching children, it is the children themselves who are at fault. These sort of ideologies will find it very difficult to accept this new virtual reality. Don't get me wrong, we also have many, many fantastic admin and teachers in EVERY district who could take this and do great things. My apprehension lies in the people who really control education. No matter how great a teacher or how many sweet ideas they have they want to implement, if the puppeteer doesn't allow them then they can't. Identify the puppeteer as whomever you want. The point is most teachers don't have the freedom necessary to grab an idea and take off.
When will changes occur? I think the changes will occur at a fast walk. You see, the feds and state and local people will be arguing about this for a little while. Even after it has been "decided" you will still have entities fighting and stalling major implementation. Another problem is infrastructure. I am part of a technology cohort in Michigan called TRIG and we have some really informative meetings. The MEAP that they want to be online for every student? Our state infrastructure is no where near able to handle that kind of usage. Districts have a hard enough time with their bandwidth to handle a school wide online test if there is a lot of output or usage with video so how is every student going to take the MEAP at the exact same time? They aren't. You see what I mean. That brings us to another problem, too often the people who are writing these demands on teachers and students aren't even educators themselves. Many things look great on paper but until you get the grunts on the ground to look at the idea and tell you all the things that are wrong with it the idea is for naught.
As far as how my administrator sees this wave, he is great. I am lucky in many things in my life and one of them is the type of administrator I have. He is a very forward thinker and doesn't go with the "norm" very often. He allows us to have freedom to try new things as long as we can provide research to back our ideas up. HE gives us time to give a new program a chance. This is really important because some people will let you try to ride a bike but the second you waver they tell you to get off the bike and put it in the garage. Instead, my administrator sees you waver, has you make a few balance adjustments and lets you go on your way. I love this about my administrator.
I think the technological tsunami is coming and I am ready. I think all of us in this course and other courses like this one prove that there are institutions and people out there who are gearing up for this new frontier. I am very excited.
Classmates, good luck to you all.
Good luck to you as well Matt and I hope when you are in some of the MEAP meetings you think about our class. We really need advocates to speak out in places where the officials pulling the strings can see the benefits of VS. I was really concerned when you stated that instead of teachers trying to update their teaching skills that the fault has been put on the student. Students are children and it is our job as well as responsibility to give them tools to be able to compete in this global society. The way we were taught as children is definitely not the way I want my grandchildren to be taught. Like everything else has changed so has education.
ReplyDeleteWell put Andrea. I am going to try to incorporate our class in my prof. life. I think the more of us who do that the more change can occur from within.
DeleteIt's great you're in a forward thinking school and I was fortunate enough to attend forward thinking schools growing up. Students do change (because generations do change) and technology changes as well. Most teachers really do believe in their jobs, but it's unfortunate that because of red tape, they are unable to make their classrooms and schools as successful as they can be. Some fail to embrace change (especially the ones that believe the old way is the only way) and it seems like more educators that push for change will eventually and hopefully have their voices heard loud enough so children can truly get the education they deserve.
ReplyDeleteYou're right Erika. We do need more people with a new mindset. We also need to accept older teadhers who are willing to alter their pedagogy. What we don't need is someone who is so set in their ways that they alieanate themselves from the solution.
DeleteMatt, I think that all districts will be "learning by doing." Unfortunately, because this is still relatively new and each district is facing unique challenges, the implementation of virtual learning will be rocky.
ReplyDeleteAs for your comments about MEAP, I totally agree. Our 8th graders just took the ASPIRE test online (ACT-ish test) and it was a nightmare for the teachers and the students. Our building spent a ton of money on netbooks a few years ago, and those are basically useless because they do not run the programs necessary for these tests. I can't imagine how this will play out. Additionally, our WIFI just isn't strong enough to handle everyone logged on at once.
You are totally right Amber. Schools, historically, spend a lot of money on hardware but virtually none on PD training for the teachers to actually use that hardware and they also don't keep in mind the up keep and maintenance for that hardware. That is why we need more people who started at the ground level in education to make higher level decisions. The bean counters should NOT have the final say.
DeleteAmber I agree our school as purchased a ton of Netbooks and they were a total waste of money. I think the Principal's need to have a conversation with the IT people before any purchases are made to make sure the funds are well spent. Our software was not updated so we were not able to maximize the use of the equipment.
ReplyDeleteAndrea, I'm pretty sure our tech guys are purposely neglecting the netbooks because all they do is cause them problems. I think the problem is when these new technologies come out some people have to get them right away, without thinking about the longevity of the tool
ReplyDeleteHi Matt, you really brought you comments to reality, and even though it seems as though we are a small group of teachers receiving training in how best to incorporate technology in the classroom, I think the future will have some interesting opportunities for teachers like us, who are willing to step out of the box and embrace a new way of thinking and teaching. I agree with you that I don't think my district is ready for teaching online. A few years ago, the district bought students netbooks, but the problem is that many of the teachers don't really use them for anything more than what is offered in the reading and math programs. I would like to see teachers creating assignments, recognizing student individual needs and interests. Further, the state has setup guidelines and requirements, but I would think that it would busy itself in making sure that the districts have the tools they need to be able to take on this daunting task. Another thing is that teachers have to be trained in how to teach an online class, blended class, or a flipped class. I am pleased with what the state has done, taking a leadership role in online learning, setting up guidelines, but are they addressing the issue of districts that have, and districts that have not.
ReplyDeleteHi Regina, as always, great points! Yes, I believe there will be some pretty cool opportunities for those like us. People who are willing to step out of the norm and break some of the Old Guard will find themselves changing history. I think there will also be some pain and many mistakes but if we can just see it through we will be victorious for our students and all the students who come after them. I really believe that we are fighting a war and the outcome is the future of our students and all the children of this great nation!
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