Reflections-+Intro+&+Ch+1

‍ How do the problems on pp. 8 & 9 reflect conditions in your school district?
== In my school district, most teachers seem to be happy teaching the same way they have done for years. They use textbooks, videos, worksheets, etc. Only a handful of classrooms have Smart Boards, the rest of us have projectors and whiteboards. Just this year we added a mobile lab of netbooks - 1 lab to share among all the high school, middle school, and elementary classrooms. I believe teachers have a lack of understanding how technology works and how it can work in their classrooms. They have not embraced technology - they have actually tried to limit its uses in their classroom. It reminds me of a teacher who gave a student a low grade because she used a spanish translation program instead of her textbook to find vocabulary definations. If the goal is to define terms, the student succeeded. If the goal was to use the book, the student failed. If the goal was to learn how to pronounce the words the student was defining, the student succeeded and the teacher lost. == == The technology changes we are trying to make are not being pushed from outside the school. Our technology committee wants to use/offer technology in the classrooms - they want a decision made NOW! They have not determined what direction they want to go, or if the system can handle the additional users, they just want to move forward (or at least that is what they think). ==

‍ Is your school district reforming the way it presents education? How?
== As of now, no, we are not reforming the way we present education. There are too many teachers afraid of technology. Many teachers continue to teach the ways they have always taught (or the ways their teachers taught to them). I am trying to make changes in my classes, a little at a time. I have 2 computer classes that use online programs to submit assignments. While this is nothing grandiose, I do believe it is a step to increasing my use of technology in my classrooms. ==

__‍ **Chapter 1 pp. 15-32** __
==‍ -Under"The Big Shift" pp. 15-18, the authors have listed six significant shifts in education. Choose two and discuss how you are making or would like to make this shift in your teaching. == == 1. Analog to digital: In two of my computer classes, I am working on creating classes that do not use textbooks or paper. I am almost there with the paper part, as all assignments are turned in online and most of the assessments are taken online (I still have a few to digitalize). I have also been modifying the assignments to be in digital format. For some of the assignments students can now download the information and instructions needed to complete the assignment, without ever opening their textbooks or using handouts. I still have a ways to go before I am at the level I want to be. == == 2. Isolated to connected: This is an area I would like to make a change in my teaching. I know there are people (and resources) out there that would be beneficial for my students to meet and talk with. I can think of the impact this might have in my Career Focus, Web Design, Accounting, and Desktop Publishing classes. The ability to talk (Skype, etc.) with anyone in the world would add substance to the lessons I am teaching. To have the Career Focus students talk to a headhunter, or the Accounting students talk to a CPA, would make a difference in my classroom and in my teaching. Just typing this out is sending my brain into planning mode to make this happen! ==

==‍ -In reading Chapter 1 on "Understanding the Power of PLNs" (Personal Learning Networks), discuss two reasons why you believe PLNs are important in schools today. == == 1. The first reason I believe that PLNs are important in schools is that they require the students to take on more responsibility for their own learning. When I do not know how to do something, I either seek out an expert or I search for answers on the internet. When my students ask a question and I do not know the answer, I tell them to research it and share their answer with the whole class. Many times the student seems dejected by the additional work. The student is looking for the easy answer, the answer they do not have to think about. If the students have created and are utilizing their PLNs, then they have a group of experts they can ask their question of. They take the initiative to seek out answers to their own questions, and in the process, will learn and remember the answers. == == 2. My second reason for the importance of PLNs in schools relates to how I want my classrooms to look in the future. I want my classroom and teachings to be more engaging and of real-world issues. The opportunity to tap into my PLN to find out how other teachers are presenting the same content will help me be a better teacher. It also opens the door for my students to be able to ask other teachers how they would answer questions. It allows for multiple teachers with different viewpoints to show different sides of an issue. With students' PLNs, they could ask questions to see how other students would handle issues and real-wrold situations from their perspective. The opportunities to learn from others would be gigantic. ==