Monday, November 30, 2009
Concept Map of EME5432
As I created this concept map, I realized that I had learned a lot in EME5432. In order for me to create it, I used our class textbook, blog, netvibes account, and stuff that I posted onto Delicious. By exposing me to these resources, this class made me feel much more comfortable about integrating technology into my future classroom. Considering the large role technology plays in our modern lives, it is essential that educators teach students how to become literate in this medium and how to use digital technology in a responsible way. Thus, we as educators need to model responsible behavior and in this instance, this means we need to integrate technology into our curriculum.
Technology offers teachers numerous valuable resources to relate the content to students in an exciting way. Although technology has its downsides, like expense, availability, and potential dangers, we can show students how to avoid these dangers and let students have access to these wonderful resources.
My main complaint about this class would be the twitter account. Although I can see how it can be useful to a teacher, I have not benefitted from it much this semester. One of my favorite parts of technology class was, ironically, the Alan November text as it contains lots of information that I think is valuable, like how to find back links etc.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Friday, November 13, 2009
What to do about the digital divide?
During the weekends, I spend several hours tutoring middle and high school students at the public library. The parents of one of my students, who do not have home internet access, do not allow their son to go to the library by himself without an adult nearby. Thus, every Friday night, like clockwork, this student calls me asking if I will be tutoring other students at the library in the morning; if I have other students, his parents will drop him off at he library three hours prior to our lesson. Of course, he spends this three hours on the internet. Often, I struggle to get him to focus on the day's lesson because he simply wants "5 more minutes."
Having a student like this forces me to be conscious of the digital divide that exists in this country. This aspect of society is particularly troubling as the internet proves to be powerful tool for democracy. The internet allows people to instantly connect with each other, form groups based on shared interest as well as allow constituents to voice their opinions to Congress. People are being constantly inundated with digital information and need to develop the skills necessary to understand, navigate and respond intelligently to all this information.
Hopefully, I will be lucky enough to get a job at a school where teaching with technology is ubiquitous and encouraged by the administration and surrounding community. However, it is possible that I may not be in a situation this fortunate; I may be at a school that uses little to no technology or does not approve of technology use. It is also possible that some students attending a technology-friendly school may have access to that technology only at the school and may not have internet access at home.
If I am in one of these unfortunate situations, there are several possible steps I would take. If a student has no access at home, I will communicate with the parents and try to find a way to provide internet access to that student. Perhaps the parents would be willing to pick the student an hour after school ends so the student may use the school's facility. Also, teachers can suggest to parents possible inexpensive options like netbooks. Also, if I am at a school that does not have an internet infrastructure, then it is possible for teachers to seek grants, gain support from other teachers, students, and the administration and message their congressmen. The EdTech Action Network provides an easy way for technology advocates to tell their congressmen to support relevant legislation. Not only does this action help get technology into our schools, but it also allows us to demonstrate to our students how to operate as a citizen within our democracy.
Other teachers are dealing with the digital divide in their own ways. In situations where boys have more internet access than girls, it is important for the girls to be encouraged to develop their internet skills. David Warlock discusses the increased demand for netbooks after schools in Canada received a new wi-fi connection. Also, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is providing millions in funds for improved internet access in public schools. In order to begin to the journey in receiving funds for a dramatic technological facelift, it is important that the teacher gains support from the parents and the community. Parents should advocate for their schools as having an online curriculum makes keeping up with their child's school work more manageable. Rather than having to schedule a once a year parent-teacher conferance, online access allows for more frequent contact between the two parties.
Having a student like this forces me to be conscious of the digital divide that exists in this country. This aspect of society is particularly troubling as the internet proves to be powerful tool for democracy. The internet allows people to instantly connect with each other, form groups based on shared interest as well as allow constituents to voice their opinions to Congress. People are being constantly inundated with digital information and need to develop the skills necessary to understand, navigate and respond intelligently to all this information.
Hopefully, I will be lucky enough to get a job at a school where teaching with technology is ubiquitous and encouraged by the administration and surrounding community. However, it is possible that I may not be in a situation this fortunate; I may be at a school that uses little to no technology or does not approve of technology use. It is also possible that some students attending a technology-friendly school may have access to that technology only at the school and may not have internet access at home.
If I am in one of these unfortunate situations, there are several possible steps I would take. If a student has no access at home, I will communicate with the parents and try to find a way to provide internet access to that student. Perhaps the parents would be willing to pick the student an hour after school ends so the student may use the school's facility. Also, teachers can suggest to parents possible inexpensive options like netbooks. Also, if I am at a school that does not have an internet infrastructure, then it is possible for teachers to seek grants, gain support from other teachers, students, and the administration and message their congressmen. The EdTech Action Network provides an easy way for technology advocates to tell their congressmen to support relevant legislation. Not only does this action help get technology into our schools, but it also allows us to demonstrate to our students how to operate as a citizen within our democracy.
Other teachers are dealing with the digital divide in their own ways. In situations where boys have more internet access than girls, it is important for the girls to be encouraged to develop their internet skills. David Warlock discusses the increased demand for netbooks after schools in Canada received a new wi-fi connection. Also, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is providing millions in funds for improved internet access in public schools. In order to begin to the journey in receiving funds for a dramatic technological facelift, it is important that the teacher gains support from the parents and the community. Parents should advocate for their schools as having an online curriculum makes keeping up with their child's school work more manageable. Rather than having to schedule a once a year parent-teacher conferance, online access allows for more frequent contact between the two parties.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Teacher Leadership
The Institute for Educational Leadership produced a report in 2001 that discusses the problems that limit teachers assuming leadership roles and provides advice on how teachers can become more involved. The article begins with a discussion about the current status of teachers as having some the lowest salaries in comparison to other professional careers. The prospects for advancement are limited and usually mean taking an administrative position, organizing teacher-activist movements or working with teacher unions to enhance work conditions. Furthermore, due to the ease of communication in today's information age, many professions are changing their vertical hierarchies to a more horizontal structure. Unfortunately, teachers still must work within a vertical hierarchy in which the teacher lies at the bottom of the hierarchical ladder. This article describe ten areas that limit the ability of teachers to embrace leadership roles:
1) Teachers have little to control over the choice of textbook and instructional materials.
2) Teachers cannot choose the curriculum and must abide by rigid state standards.
3) Teachers cannot set the standards for student behavior and must abide by whatever the school policy may be.
4) Teachers have limited control over student tracking.
5) Teachers have little control over designing the staff development training.
6) Teachers have no control over staff hiring and retention policies.
7) Teachers have little to no control over school budgets.
8) Teachers do not evaluate other teachers' performances.
9) Teachers cannot control who is hired at their school.
10) Teachers cannot select the administrators of the school.
While all of these factors limit teacher leadership, the 1998 article Teachers Leading the Way: Voices from the National Teacher Forum, provides advice and offers suggestions from teachers about ways to assume leadership positions. This article discusses the notion that many feel teachers are not doing their job if they are not in the classroom teaching. This article emphasizes the need for teachers to attend professional development workshops and become leaders by expanding their passion into the community and outside of the classroom. This article also addresses the need for high quality substitute teachers who can sit in for teachers who attend professional development workshops. Furthermore, this article describes how teachers who want to have a leadership role must take an active role in creating these positions as these positions are few and far between or need to be created from scratch. Some suggestions include teachers working twelve month years in order to develop these important leadership qualities.
Personally, I really enjoyed these two articles. The teacher leaders described by these two articles describes the teacher I wish to become. Although I love teaching in the classroom, I believe it is essential for teachers to have leadership and community roles that extend outside of the classroom as it makes teacher's content more relevant to the students and more valued by the community. Also, teacher who develop their extracurricular passions are able to help erase that persistent stereotype that teachers are merely book-smart people who do not have lives outside of the school. If teachers are to be valued by adults, teachers need to be visible to the adult community and demonstrate their value to the community.
I have come to learn that society sets contradictory standards for those in the teaching profession. Hollywood perpetuates the idea that teachers are expected to go above and beyond their call of duty; these teachers dramatically transform low achieving and bad-behaving students into well-mannered Harvard bound superstars. While this idea of a teacher is certainly noble and seems to reflect the high-value of educators, the salary of teachers is minimal and serves to detract the high achieving college graduates from entering the profession. Although society expects educators to possess an exceptionally high moral compass, the lack of leadership roles available to teachers seems to show that society does not trust teachers enough to assume these roles of responsibility. Although teachers are charged with educating the minds of our nation's youth, teachers are given little control over what content to teach and are constantly forced to abide by whatever standards the administrators feel is necessary at the time.
When I consider the high value society expects from teachers and the low value it accords to them, my mind is simply boggles. Is it rational for society to expect any profession to be a community of saints? Only saints feel compelled by an invisible calling to selflessly work for little to no money and we know that saints are few and far between; that is why we dub these people "saints," right? Teachers, like most humans, are not saints and like most people know: you get what you pay for. This basic concept extends into our everyday lives so why is it so hard for people to apply it to the teaching profession? It should come as no surprise that many people raise complaints about the public schools of today; if society is not willing to pay the price for a good education, the youth of society will not receive a great education. Teachers are people who love to work with young people and love their content. Good teachers are those who lead a community of students to success and thus if society highly values the goals of this profession, society needs to value the workers who fulfill this goal accordingly.
This is not to say that the only that will improve education is to pay teachers more money. You can't always throw money on a problem to fix it, rather, teachers need to assert their worth to the community by demonstrating their value as citizen leaders. This means that teachers need to assume more responsibility choosing curriculum and setting standards for their students behavior. This means that teachers need to know what is relevant in their community and the best way for teachers to know what is best to teach in context of their community is to get to know and be involved with the community. Teachers need to experience life outside the classroom by discussing issues with the community and developing their skills through professional development workshops. Without this control, teachers face a much more difficult time getting students to find their content relevant and will have a more difficult time helping students refine the many skills that will make them successful, productive citizens.
In the future, I plan on being one of these amazing teacher leaders. This means I need to speak up and voice my opinions and get involved in my community. If I want to see an improvement in the way society values my profession, then I need to make the effort to prove to them that I am not simply a book smart nerd who merely dispenses trivia to students. We teachers have many impressive skills and it is essential that we develop our creative, communicative, and other unique skills and put them to work in our communities. I believe that once society truly understands the tangible value that teachers have and create, they will begin to accord greater value to the profession, in the form of augmented salaries. Also, when teacher unite their passions with the community and become visible to their society, the members of society will hopefully begin to see teachers as real passionate people, not saintly volunteers.
What do you think about society's perceptions concerning teachers? Do you think that if teachers were more visible to the community by actively participating in improving it, that the profession would gain respect and an augmented pay check?
1) Teachers have little to control over the choice of textbook and instructional materials.
2) Teachers cannot choose the curriculum and must abide by rigid state standards.
3) Teachers cannot set the standards for student behavior and must abide by whatever the school policy may be.
4) Teachers have limited control over student tracking.
5) Teachers have little control over designing the staff development training.
6) Teachers have no control over staff hiring and retention policies.
7) Teachers have little to no control over school budgets.
8) Teachers do not evaluate other teachers' performances.
9) Teachers cannot control who is hired at their school.
10) Teachers cannot select the administrators of the school.
While all of these factors limit teacher leadership, the 1998 article Teachers Leading the Way: Voices from the National Teacher Forum, provides advice and offers suggestions from teachers about ways to assume leadership positions. This article discusses the notion that many feel teachers are not doing their job if they are not in the classroom teaching. This article emphasizes the need for teachers to attend professional development workshops and become leaders by expanding their passion into the community and outside of the classroom. This article also addresses the need for high quality substitute teachers who can sit in for teachers who attend professional development workshops. Furthermore, this article describes how teachers who want to have a leadership role must take an active role in creating these positions as these positions are few and far between or need to be created from scratch. Some suggestions include teachers working twelve month years in order to develop these important leadership qualities.
Personally, I really enjoyed these two articles. The teacher leaders described by these two articles describes the teacher I wish to become. Although I love teaching in the classroom, I believe it is essential for teachers to have leadership and community roles that extend outside of the classroom as it makes teacher's content more relevant to the students and more valued by the community. Also, teacher who develop their extracurricular passions are able to help erase that persistent stereotype that teachers are merely book-smart people who do not have lives outside of the school. If teachers are to be valued by adults, teachers need to be visible to the adult community and demonstrate their value to the community.
I have come to learn that society sets contradictory standards for those in the teaching profession. Hollywood perpetuates the idea that teachers are expected to go above and beyond their call of duty; these teachers dramatically transform low achieving and bad-behaving students into well-mannered Harvard bound superstars. While this idea of a teacher is certainly noble and seems to reflect the high-value of educators, the salary of teachers is minimal and serves to detract the high achieving college graduates from entering the profession. Although society expects educators to possess an exceptionally high moral compass, the lack of leadership roles available to teachers seems to show that society does not trust teachers enough to assume these roles of responsibility. Although teachers are charged with educating the minds of our nation's youth, teachers are given little control over what content to teach and are constantly forced to abide by whatever standards the administrators feel is necessary at the time.
When I consider the high value society expects from teachers and the low value it accords to them, my mind is simply boggles. Is it rational for society to expect any profession to be a community of saints? Only saints feel compelled by an invisible calling to selflessly work for little to no money and we know that saints are few and far between; that is why we dub these people "saints," right? Teachers, like most humans, are not saints and like most people know: you get what you pay for. This basic concept extends into our everyday lives so why is it so hard for people to apply it to the teaching profession? It should come as no surprise that many people raise complaints about the public schools of today; if society is not willing to pay the price for a good education, the youth of society will not receive a great education. Teachers are people who love to work with young people and love their content. Good teachers are those who lead a community of students to success and thus if society highly values the goals of this profession, society needs to value the workers who fulfill this goal accordingly.
This is not to say that the only that will improve education is to pay teachers more money. You can't always throw money on a problem to fix it, rather, teachers need to assert their worth to the community by demonstrating their value as citizen leaders. This means that teachers need to assume more responsibility choosing curriculum and setting standards for their students behavior. This means that teachers need to know what is relevant in their community and the best way for teachers to know what is best to teach in context of their community is to get to know and be involved with the community. Teachers need to experience life outside the classroom by discussing issues with the community and developing their skills through professional development workshops. Without this control, teachers face a much more difficult time getting students to find their content relevant and will have a more difficult time helping students refine the many skills that will make them successful, productive citizens.
In the future, I plan on being one of these amazing teacher leaders. This means I need to speak up and voice my opinions and get involved in my community. If I want to see an improvement in the way society values my profession, then I need to make the effort to prove to them that I am not simply a book smart nerd who merely dispenses trivia to students. We teachers have many impressive skills and it is essential that we develop our creative, communicative, and other unique skills and put them to work in our communities. I believe that once society truly understands the tangible value that teachers have and create, they will begin to accord greater value to the profession, in the form of augmented salaries. Also, when teacher unite their passions with the community and become visible to their society, the members of society will hopefully begin to see teachers as real passionate people, not saintly volunteers.
What do you think about society's perceptions concerning teachers? Do you think that if teachers were more visible to the community by actively participating in improving it, that the profession would gain respect and an augmented pay check?
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