Over the last couple of days, we've been having some serious discussions at the NEA office around the topics of the curriculum redesign, SLAs, and the future of teaching and learning in Alberta... and subsequently here at the NEA. Mostly, these talks make my head hurt. They almost always end up getting at what our base philosophies of education really are. This can be challenging stuff; leaving us asking ourselves what we really think and feel about student learning.
But that is what it is really all about anyway - student learning. It's what we as teachers should really be worrying about in our classrooms and in our schools. Yes, we have the pressures of getting report cards done; and yes, we have to worry about lesson planning, teaching, and dealing with issues as they come us (which they always do). But we really do all these things because, at the end of the day, we really believe that it's about student learning - or at least it should be.
As such, I spent a few minutes this afternoon acquainting myself with a teacher in Reno, Nevada. Not directly, but through the things he has shared online. His name is Brian Crosby and he is an upper elementary school teacher that has gone to great lengths to bring technology into his classroom in order to enhance student engagement and to facilitate learning.
What I found as I reveiewed his blog and YouTube videos of TEDx talks is that there are a lot of things we could be doing with students now that we have smart boards in every classroom, easy access to computer labs, and increased accessibility to technology through school iPad carts and upcoming wifi infrastructure. Aside from all the bells and whistles, however, we should all take a step back and ask ourselves:
To what extent are students really learning in my classroom?
The answer can be found in their levels of engagement, the extent to which they can tell you what they are doing at any given time, and their understanding of why they are learning what they are learning. So... if your students aren't actively engaged in learning, or can't answer one or both of those two questions, it might be worth the exercise of reflecting on those things.
Based on what I experienced today, I believe that Brian Crosby does a pretty good job at engaging his students in meaningful learning opportunities; and he uses technology to facilitate these learning opportunities.
I would invite you to check out his website/blog entitled Learning Is Messy at
http://learningismessy.com/blog/
Also, I would recommend checking out his TEDx talks on YouTube. I will post the links below.
Happy Learning :D
Ryan
But that is what it is really all about anyway - student learning. It's what we as teachers should really be worrying about in our classrooms and in our schools. Yes, we have the pressures of getting report cards done; and yes, we have to worry about lesson planning, teaching, and dealing with issues as they come us (which they always do). But we really do all these things because, at the end of the day, we really believe that it's about student learning - or at least it should be.
As such, I spent a few minutes this afternoon acquainting myself with a teacher in Reno, Nevada. Not directly, but through the things he has shared online. His name is Brian Crosby and he is an upper elementary school teacher that has gone to great lengths to bring technology into his classroom in order to enhance student engagement and to facilitate learning.
What I found as I reveiewed his blog and YouTube videos of TEDx talks is that there are a lot of things we could be doing with students now that we have smart boards in every classroom, easy access to computer labs, and increased accessibility to technology through school iPad carts and upcoming wifi infrastructure. Aside from all the bells and whistles, however, we should all take a step back and ask ourselves:
To what extent are students really learning in my classroom?
The answer can be found in their levels of engagement, the extent to which they can tell you what they are doing at any given time, and their understanding of why they are learning what they are learning. So... if your students aren't actively engaged in learning, or can't answer one or both of those two questions, it might be worth the exercise of reflecting on those things.
Based on what I experienced today, I believe that Brian Crosby does a pretty good job at engaging his students in meaningful learning opportunities; and he uses technology to facilitate these learning opportunities.
I would invite you to check out his website/blog entitled Learning Is Messy at
http://learningismessy.com/blog/
Also, I would recommend checking out his TEDx talks on YouTube. I will post the links below.
Happy Learning :D
Ryan