Educational Equity
A collection of various adventures and assignments for my course focused on creating more equitable classrooms & schools.
Reflection on Literature & Standards for 21st Century Teaching & LearningI received technology just over a week ago, but expected it over a year ago, so my students and I were already fully engaged in a PBL expedition for which we had relied on our school's very challenging computer lab and the students' own tech at home and at the public library. We were doing okay, but having a class set of Chrome Books is the BOMB! So if tech isn't a barrier what is? I had no idea how many resources were available on the web for me and students to use, and now I need to know how to use them so I can teach my students. I do think, however, that it's alright for me to have a very rudimentary understanding, because if I can introduce it, the students can run with it. One of the challenges then may be that as teachers we have to give up some of the "control" that we've always thought essential for ensuring our students are learning something.
This gives me an idea for an assignment. Post a list of web tools to the class Edmodo and have students choose one to explore and report on to the class. Case Study #1 -- 21st Century Case StudyI viewed a video titled "Give Me Shelter" at Edutopia.
This is a case study of a PBL project in an 11th grade ELA class in Portland, Maine. The students use research and technology to explore the issue of homelessness in their town.The final product is an art gallery exhibition featuring multimedia profiles of people who have experienced homelessness. The ELA portion of this project is focused on writing research questions and plans, writing research/interview questions, recording and transcribing research/interviews in order to produce a written document of their work. They also use still and video cameras and technology to create and edit the multimedia presentation. I like the way the "expedition" focuses on a particular policy issue, but approaches it in a way that focuses on the human story -- human lives. It's useful to see an example of a project that includes rigorous and in-depth study, but also encourages the sort of humanities approach to engaging with the issues. I could use this lesson if modified. Our town is small, and we don't have a homeless shelter. In fact, a lot of people would argue we don't have a homeless population, but I'm pretty sure that isn't true. What I'd be concerned about with our community is confidentiality of the interview subjects. I think there are other issues, however, such as immigration, that could be researched and represented in a similar way. Creativity & Learning Blog Post |
Learning & The BrainHere's my VoiceThread presentation on one of the Learning and the Brain lectures. I chose a Dr. Gee lecture on Language and Learning: From the Age of Literacy to the Digital Age
Case Study #2 -- Observing Teachers Using Technology in The Classroom
I found a video at the TIM site of junior high students using 21st century skills and tech to create a literary magazine. Having done this with students the old-fashioned way, I found the video quite inspirational, and am thinking about creating this opportunity for students at my school site.
I'm growing rather fond of my weebly site, so I posted my analysis there and a link for all of you to follow here. Ideas for Writing Case Study #3 -- Technology in the Classroom VideoThis short video shows a classroom of biology students working collaboratively to create presentations intended to teach key chemistry concepts to their classmates. Students use Google Docs to work in teams of two to prepare Google Presentations for their classmates. The students are required to engage three of the learning styles, and they had choice as to how to do that. Most presentations included the visual presentation, "notes" worksheets, and a follow-up activity. The teacher asserts, and I agree, that the students learn best when they are preparing to teach a concept.
It was useful for me to see a demonstration of students working in pairs on a PBL project. Most of the examples I've seen are small groups, and I can see how this approach could work really well with teams of two. In this case it provided the opportunity to cover a lot more content with so many more students becoming "experts" on the various different concepts that needed to be covered. Collaborative Digital Presentations Enrich Projects (Tech2Learn Series) Review of Video @ TIM WebsiteI found a video at the TIM website in which students are using 21st century skills to publish a literary magazine. The students are responsible for design, layout, content, images, and ad sales to support the magazines production. Continue reading...
Collaborative Book PresentationMy esteemed colleague, John Lowell, and I presented a book titled 21st Century Skills: Learning For Life in our Times by Bernie Trilling & Charles Fadel.
Evolution of Thought & Practice Blog Post |