Shelley Rossitto » Education

Students create rather than consume

Shelley — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:08:10 +0000

There was such a response to Gary Stager that I thought I would post something a little lighter but to the point. As we discuss our faculty and students it is critical to keep in mind the questions about the “getting there.” We still talk about collaboration and empowering students but we still call their work “assignments”. Gary calls them learning adventures. It sets the stage for a learning community within our schools.

In many of the articles in this blog I discuss the ability for students to create their own content, be active participants in learning, drive what they need to know. This is a life long skill that should be instilled everywhere so our students leave our schools with actual skills to learn not just rote memorization. If we give them too much they won’t know what to do when we aren’t there.

Have you seen the amount of organized sports our kids are in. They aren’t even given the freedom to make their own decisions.

We need to let go and we aren’t! What are we afraid of????

Bankrupcy of our imaginations..Dr. Gary Stager

Shelley — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 22:29:35 +0000

I am constantly struggling with what I actually do in education and what we can all do. I sometimes feel very isolated in feelings of worth and contribution when it comes to the very expensive resource of technology. As you listen to Gary listen carefully to hear his message. It is not about technology, it is about everything we are to our children.

Gary Stager Excerpts from NECC ‘09 Keynote Debate from Gary Stager on Vimeo.

Have we made much progress? Why do we constantly hear quotes and keynotes from educators that quote those that are from the early part of the century or even the 1970’s to tell us we are stifling our students imagination and not providing them with the spaces and opportunities to reach their full potential. Do we think we “have it” when a new gadget or piece of technology arrives that might change it all. Is it the same as another sweeping initiative, like open classrooms, that will get us there? I think we need to think deeply about our practices and leave the tools aside. We have to believe.

I am so distracted!!!

Shelley — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:30:17 +0000

As we read through the article entitled “Multi-tasking” it is clear that many of us aren’t aware of the constant bombardment of information most of us have become engaged in and how that has incrased our need to be “connected.”Mastering_Multitasking. Communication channels are growing and the question is “how do we manage it all?” My question is do we need it??? I belong to over 10 social networking sites and oftentimes the task becomes daunting as I try and figure out who gets me tonight? It has opened up so many more opportunities for me personally and as a professional but I can’t find the time. When I sit in the car (as I did for 4 hours coming home from Boston) I am wondering how I can get online to at least “catch up.” There is no idle time. It is filled with “I wonder what facebook is up to, or are the 5 conversations I am having in Ning all straight in my head and am I a contributor or only the one that “nudges” it along. I am not sure we can really communicate deeply or with meaning when the audiences and venues have increased. We are becoming a society of speaking in sound bytes!

The article talks about how much our brain can actually handle. It is clinically telling us we can only handle so much. So are we really staying in touch or just scratching the surface where conversations occur more often but not as intensely? We have been critized for teaching a curriculum that is a mile wide and inch deep. It appears our communication strategies have followed suit.

Does this have an impact on indepth analysis and the ability to actually synthesize information (Blooms)? The article outlines strategies to teach our students so we can embrace what is currently the rage and help it become manageable. But how do we teach it if we don’t use it? I can honestly say I do but can most teachers say that. And again how it is impacting teaching our students to think, be patient, and have conversations that are meaningful.

We have spent a lot of time working with our students that are ADHD. Somehow society and its communication opportunities have pulled the rug from under us! Oh well I am ranting but actually I love the social networking atmosphere. It has been great but overwhelming at best. Am I physically gardening or blogging about it, am I actually using that treadmill or joining an exercise group in second life, am I improving my diet or spending time researching new immune system fighters on the web???? I guess my archair and carpel tunnel will be the judge of that!

Web 2.0, Web 2.0, Web 2.0 again!

Shelley — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:49:22 +0000

Has the term gotten familiar to you yet? Web 2.0 describes the way this generation behaves. Web 2.0 is people creating content socially and intuitively. Creators and consumers meet in online communities where content creation and feedback occur. Consumers become active participants, and the roles of consumers and creators overlap. Traditional publishers are no longer the sole distributors of content, and readers are no longer exclusively consumers. Rather, authors and readers engage in an active relationship.

This change has been transformative of our society and the creative process. The classroom is no longer the sole learning environment. It is not another superficial revelation. For 30 years the research has supported project based constructivist classrooms. Web 2.0 technology embodies this philosophy. Leveraging this technology for learning gives us the tools to act.

The research is now “active” – done by our clients – our kids, students, children, pupils, etc. To create content collaboratively and to distribute their work sets the stage for authentic and relevant reflection and revision. In the article lets_talk_2.0 the authors talk to us about the current tools students are using and that they are moving ahead as they write creatively and share that work with others. They continue to tell us that this activity is occurring whether it is integrated into our classrooms or not. Our students are writers and publishers and they are experiencing success and loving it. We should embrace what they know to enhance what we want them to practice.

Writing globally will also increase their confidence as collaborators and broaden their experiences so they can tackle the data that says our students will have 15 different careers before they retire. School will be long gone and collaborative and social networking environments will provide them with the growth they need to succeed. Access is not widespread which makes it increasingly more critical that schools provide the structure for students to work within. If we want all of our students to compete on a level playing field, no matter what the vocation, we can work alongside the business model discussed in this article and parallel the current environment our students live in by leveraging technology for learning.

This article was written collaboratively using Google Docs (allowed us to share and edit the document at the same time, live) with my 28 year old son, architect, working in Boston.

PCD

Shelley — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 22:53:25 +0000

There have been many articles referring to the need to have students participate, collaborate, and distribute. We have spent hours talking and teaching but it really requires a full paradigm shift to really accomplish. Think in these terms – our students need to be equipped with the tools early on to create their own content, find resources for anything they need, and research what they want to know about. I say this with a note of caution as I make sure it is well understood. Our students lack experiential learning and the wherewithall to know how to connect outside of what they see and know allday. Their world revolves around the teacher in the classroom, peers and their homelife. They are only surrounded by those factors. As research tells us students will have at least 15 jobs in their lifetimes preparing them to seek out others worldwide is critical. They need the confidence and skill to network, change careers, find opportunities that might be out of their comfort area, and to prepare for those opportunities. We are quick to deny students cellphones, ipods, and other wireless devices. In our attempts to keep schools “secure” we are stripping our students of the tools they use on a daily basis and not giving our students the opportunites to grow with these new technologies. Read the Day in the Life of a Web 2.0 Student. I am suggesting we educate, educate, educate, embrace, and embellish. We don’t want to drive our decision making by fear and the unknown.

JayWalking with Jay Leno

Shelley — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:50:37 +0000

As I watched this great video I was reminded of what we do to our students as educators on a daily basis. (Do a search for Jaywalking with Jay Leno and there are quite a few videos) I laughed as I heard the crazy answers people gave but also realized the information they were being asked for was part of a textbook in MS or HS. Was it on some state assessment. Did I care when I learned it or did I have any connection to the material at all when it was learned so I would have a need to remember it. The first person was unable to make a connection between the leading questions by Jay between China and Panama. Was it really the information or not making connections.? Is Louis Armstrong the first thing to come to mind because of his fame, marketing, rhythm? Why did she remember that? The young man that made the comment about the “founding fathers of what” was a perfect example of thinking within his world and his immediate surroundings because that is where he is at. He is not a “global” thinker and why should he be. He is probably working long hours to make ends meet and none of any info beyond his daily grind is really going to benefit him. The young lady who actually finished the “4 score” with “who are in heaven was a result of constant drill in catholic masses where the words just roll off her tongue with no meaning just memorization. Think about the connection the young man made between the acorn and the squirrel. Was that incorrect? It was based on the question but he was definitely interpreting this in his own way. No comment on BYOB.

It has been time and will continue to be time to give what we want students to know and be able to do when they leave our system a hard look. It isn’t just looking anymore though it requires action. Learning should be meaningful and purposeful, students should develop and define their own content and the structure of education should pave the way to a challenged based environment full of a need to know. It is not an idea but a need.

Are we preparing our kids

Shelley — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:44:02 +0000

In this months eschool news in an article called Teach 21st Century skills or the US will fail the author discusses what we need to think about as educators to better prepare our students for the world of work. Quotes like “It has become aparent that this isn’t a lack of employees being technically proficient, but a lack of employees who can adequately communicate and collaborate, innovate and think critically” or “All Americans need 21st century skills that will increase their marketability, employability and readiness for citizenship.” I hope you aren’t hearing this for the first time. And c’mon let’s look within ourselves and evaluate whether our classrooms reflect these principles. I don’t think so. As I continue to walk down hallways I am inundated with desks in rows, teachers teaching, and students just looking disinterested. Those that are interested are those that have a vision for themselves so they see why they need to learn. Those in poverty or perhaps in a situation that does not value your future this does not occur. What are we going to do about it? In the graduate course that I teach I asked teachers what is the role of technology. Even though I prompted them to no end the answers were still what their parents might have said. To improve learning or augment instruction or something like that. Nowhere was there a differentiated look at what it can do for our children. It isn’t just the skills we are developing but the customized support that only technology can provide, a way to break down walls, bring the community and everyone inside our buildings to create that global atmosphere to really educate. What would that mean?? Teachers would have to collaborate themselves with the community not just the person next door to make this happen. Isn’t this what this article is saying? How can we expect our teachers to provide this learning environment if they don’t embrace it themselves. I have become impatient with the rhetoric and hope people take a long hard look at what they are doing and providing as teaching is one of the largest responsibilities there is.

Are we over diagnosing our children and leaving behind what we know about teaching?

Shelley — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 01:02:05 +0000

This month in District Administrator, Gary Stager, wrote an article about building relationships with students and that can give all students the opportunities to be successful. It is in the February issue of District Administration 2008 Teach the Kids You Have. He continues to challenge our ideas about diagnostics, learning styles, testing, putting students in groups based on whatever a test says, etc. His point is if we just build relationships our experience will pave the way to educate all students through the use of compassion and a knowledge of working with kids not at them. As educators we have a bag of tricks that includes the latest in pedagogical skills but also weaves that in with instinct, keeping students engaged and believing there is a way to reach all. He says that too often ” the emphasis is one what the teacher does to the student as opposed to how to create the conditions for learning.” I was working with some of our guidance staff a few weeks back and found that their primary job is to test and provide results for diagnosis and analysis. I question if their time could be better spent working directly with children. Do we need to categorize and constantly put students in boxes or perhaps have a diagnosis that aligns to some sort of plan? Gary says that ” teachers who read, engage in professional activities outside of class, and knows each student will help them progress forward.” It is really why I originally became a teacher. I thought I had a gift to be that person. How many of us are tied by so much administrivia that we can’t move forward? The infrastructures alone to support the intense lists of tests and diagnostic tools is staggering. There are technical, personnel, and supervisory systems in place to be successful. I am not sure of the exact number but I might venture to say we could significantly reduce class sizes and have a lot more hands on time with our students. As an administrator who manages these systems it is frustrating and sometimes debilitating. I can’t always see the connections or the improvement it is making for our students that come to school without being fed, they were up all night because their parents were fighting, they are homeless, they just have not hope. How is testing helping them? Just some rants for the hour!

Head Teachers in the middle!

Shelley — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 00:42:51 +0000

As we try to increase our leadership capacity in our district we continue to want to engage teachers in the process. We look forward to promoting leaders from within. Teachers are our greatest asset and to really plan and implement new programs their inclusion is critical. I have approached this with open arms and have been slightly side tracked in my thinking as I grow through this experience. My first comment centers around teachers seeing themselves as leaders and how that impacts their relationships in their respective schools. We all talk about building a trusting organization and in promoting that we need to include all. I wonder if we can ever get there and how do we change that culture. I think it is with teachers. As teachers sit alongside us in planning and strategizing there is sometimes a sentiment that they are crossing over to the darkside. They begin to feel a bit alienated and have to really juggle their feelings of inclusion in their schools and what it means to be part of “us.” There are some that might begin to distrust them and their effectiveness might be hampered by that. There are tough decisions to be made and those decisions don’t always come with favorable feedback from staff. Now they are making decisions and supporting initiatives. Their support comes out of the fact they are involved and engaged in the process. We are hoping they can transmit that to their colleagues to garner support and feedback to help inform the process. I have had some feedback that they are not always comfortable in that role as they get a bit of resistance and don’t always know how to react. In this process I realize we need to train and have those conversations with our teacher leaders to impart some of the strategies we use.

My second comment relates to scheduling and the general infrastructures of schools. We are trying to have two groups come together when one of these groups is booked everyday from 8 – 4 with no breaks (I did not say they can go to the bathroom). Meetings are difficult and time to network and just converse is at a minimum. If you ask our teachers they want to be in the classroom and they are just as torn. There is a “meeting” culture that is necessary to occur to move forward. Sometimes we as administrators move ahead leaving our teachers behind because of their jobs. How do we attempt to adjust that? I have often thought of partner teachers that can team with our teacher leaders so instruction is not impacted when they are out of the classroom. We need them to keep us on the right road and keep us connected to what is happening daily but have little access to teachers to do that except in hallways and maybe in the stall next to them as we meet in the bathroom. I know there are initiatives such as teachers on special assignment that can keep teaching in the loop and that is an option. In order to really impact the process and bring teachers into the fold I believe we need to relook at the whole infrastructure. I would like it to be more open to everyones involvement so all voices are heard.

Good stuff by Kids

Shelley — Thu, 02 Nov 2006 20:23:50 +0000

In USA today – Tuesday October 24, 2006 there was a great article called “Generation Y gets involved.” In this time of increased “internet safety” programs for parents and increased paranoia about the internet and our children, this article shows us the power and positive impact the Internet should and can have. Our children need to make choices at every age and instilling that value in them is something we do as guardians or parents. That value should stretch across many arenas. This article shows how millenials are reaching out to create a civic minded and socially conscious website to express their views. They are working together to promote volunteerism and an interest in government. Visit Generationengage.org and celebrate the positive accomplishments of our youth and see how they can leverage social networking of the internet for a positive cause.