There were many interesting parts to the reading this week.  I agree with the authors’ ideas about how the current state of education needs to respond to emerging technologies and practice.  I often wonder about how the educational system is going to change.  I see small steps in each district I teach in, but there is still so much more progress needed.  I teach secondary education and it still amazes me how many schools are still using 43 minute periods.  When you are presented with such a small amount of time how can you really allow for the time needed to be social and collaborative.  The other issue of standardized testing is deterring.  We have determined what skills are needed for students to be successful so there is definitely a need for our educational leaders to respond and make some serious changes to push us forward.

In addition to timing and testing, there is also a need for equitable access to resources and technology.  The author mentions that there are still schools with limited access to technology.  It is 2018 and almost everyone has access to a smartphone we need to look more into how we can create more learning content on mobile devices.  It would be better if we could distribute more laptops to schools in need.  Lastly, I would like to see more learners, become more responsible in their use of technology.  A complaint by many educators noted in this reading, is that students are too distracted by technology.  My hope is as more educators are using technology the education of responsible use needs to start early and continue in each grade until graduation.  If students are held to standards of when it is appropriate to use then educators would feel more encouraged to use more often.

This week’s topic about participatory culture and new media literacies was intriguing.  After reading the articles, watching the video on Scratch, and looking more into partipatory cultures and new media literacies on the web I saw so much opportunity.  Opportunity for everyone, not just the students.  The new media literacy skills I identified as most easily integrated into my context would be simulation, judgment and negotiation.  Much of what I teach revolves around life and the skills needed to become independent adults.  Many of the topics I address do not have just one right answer,  therefore I feel integrating these specific skills into more projects and daily classroom lessons would prove to be beneficial.  For example, I introduced the family life cycle to my class last week.  I challenged my classes to learn about the stages and what challenges could be expected within each stage. They were to present their information using an animated video.  I feel this project is helping them to not only learn the stages and challenges by searching and evaluating various forms of information but also taking that information and synthesizing to create a simulation of a family traveling through the life stages and the challenges they may encounter.

One way in which we can combine new literacies within formal education is to provide students with more opportunities to create and be innovative.  In the article, Confronting the Challenges of Particpatory Culture:Media Education for the 21st Century, it refers to formal education being more static and informal learning being more innovative.  We as educators can encourage more innovation is to allow students more choices in the material and the way it is presented.  What is the true objective of these projects and can we allow students more opportunities to find their interest within the scope of our content?  I often times think about introducting a topic and just letting students run with it and see what they come up with.  What do they see as important?  How would they inform others of this information and modify their existing information based on new information and perspectives?  There are so many amazing opportunities.  As educators, it is our responsibility to continually seek ways for students to become innovative, creative and social in their learning as well as guide them to be thoughtful, reflective and ethical.

In my search of learning more about new media literacies and participatory culture, I came across DIY.org, which is has a similar concept to Scratch.  I plan to look more at this to see if there is an opportunity to incorporate into my classroom.

https://diy.org/

After viewing and reading the resources this week some of my previous questions have been answered, especially the question revolving around preparing students for jobs that haven’t  been created yet. It is also encouraging to see that many of my views on learning and teaching are being validated.  I enjoyed reading about production-centered classrooms in the article, Teaching in the Connected Learning Classroom.  The content I teach lends itself well to this style of learning.  I was filled with ideas on how to update my curriculum to reflect more relevant essential questions, use of more digital media in conjunction with hand on projects to create more civic engagement.

The idea of civic engagement and going beyond the classroom to seek meaning and purpose reminded me of an organization I have been involved with for years.  For the past 6 years I have been an adviser for a national career and technical student organization (CTSO) called FCCLA (Family, Career, Community Leaders of America).  This organization provides many opportunities for students to develop leaderships skills and find a voice for issues that matter to them (interest-driven–whoop whoop!). Best of all this organization gets students involved beyond the classroom and looks at bigger issues in the community.  They take these projects and can compete at a state and national level.  Much of what I read, in the Production-Centered Classroom chapter of Teaching in the Connected Learning Classroom,  led me to reflect on how I could incorporate more of these types of projects into my own classroom.  This would definitely allow students a “challenge” to explore relevant issues in our community and design/create solutions but allow opportunity for participatory communities.

I see the learner role being conceptualized as more of a “doer”.  Someone who can take pieces of information and produce something that is useful for the greater good.  Today’s learners want more and want to do more.  They do not want to sit idly listening to a teacher present information.  With this realization, we also must look at the how the teacher fits into this new learning.  Many of us educators can agree that taking a facilitator approach to teaching is beneficial.  Giving students the tools and providing support but allow them to make up the steps as they go.  Failing and learning.  With this approach I see the teacher also taking on a learner role.  They too are unsure what new information or problem will be encountered.  It gives teachers a chance to model behaviors and expectations.

Challenges are to be expected.  The biggest challenge in implementing this view to me is in the formal context.  Many schools are too focused on standardized test scores and a one size fits all approach. This stifles students ability find their passions and interests.  If students are constantly worried and stressed about making the grade, how can we truly allow them to develop and create all of the wonderful things connected learning can unleash?

Hello and welcome back!  I am unsure where to start this week as both readings presented many interesting ideas as well as questions!!  This new ecology of learning once again confirmed my belief that learning is motivated by an interest as well as the importance of teaching students transferable skills, like evaluation and decision making.  Yes, we know students are more apt to learn when interested, but sometimes it is hard to interest kids, especially high school kids.  How can we create more motivation as well as interesting learning environments when sometimes kids are just not buying what your selling?  In the second article Connectivism: A Theory for the Digital Age, by George Siemens states that in a networked world, “the need to evaluate the worthiness of learning is meta-skill that is applied before learning itself begins.  When knowledge is subject to paucity, the process of assessing worthiness is assumed to be intrinsic to learning.”   I conclude that to make them more interested and motivated we need to make it relevant & personal to their own lives and use methods interesting to them.

Secondly, I confirmed my thoughts about the need for more skill based knowledge,  especially in the area of evaluation and decision making. Siemens goes on to state multiple principles of connectivism.  The one principle that stood out is decision-making.  I see this as a vital skill in the new ecology of learning.  Learners should be able to take current information, assess the meaning, determine the worthiness but understand tomorrow if could all change.  With the plethora of information available today and the rapid pace at which new information becomes available makes me question what practices/methods/activities can we provide to better help students decipher what is worthy, relevant and useful information?

To address the questions presented this week, I feel the shift in learning is more focused on the process, not the product or outcome.   Transferable skills, such as making decisions on what content is worthy and where to find this information is important.  Lastly, I see the shift in learning to become more student led, focused on problem solving/real world and more collaborative/social with an emphasis on innovation.

After reading both articles, the perspectives that resonated most with my view of learning would be what I mentioned above with the interest/motivation for learning, making connections with information and creating engaging learning environments.  Although I am not exactly sure how to do that all the time!  An aspect of this new learning ecology that may be more challenging, is having the flexibility to do all of this and more in the classroom.

WOAH!  This was my first response after reading each article.  I learned many new things while also confirming ideas and thoughts about how students learn today.  The first article, Minds on Fire, grabbed my attention with the statement, “Nor is it likely that the current methods of teaching and learning will suffice to prepare students for the lives they will lead in the twenty-first century.”  I pride myself on being a teacher that helps students prepare for life after high school.  I teach life skills in my curriculum, such as child development, communication, intrapersonal & interpersonal relationships, conflict resolution, dating/marriage, nutrition & food preparation to name a few.  Well, after reading these articles I need to update my approach!  Sure, I offer opportunities to use the Web, work in groups to promote collaboration and sharing of ideas which both articles confirmed is much needed to support the learning process.  I learned it is much more than that.

Students today definitely learn differently, this is not new.  It is amazing to think that some of these kids will have jobs that aren’t even created yet.  Cool! With that being said, if they are not created yet, how do we prepare them?  In the second article, Learning, Working & Playing in the Digital Age, the author answers that question.  As educators, we have to teach more transferable skills in learning how to learn.  The author speaks about discovery based or experiential based learning as well as social learning as some ways the digital student learns.  So basically, using the web to discover information, determine what information is trustworthy and then how to take that information and apply or use it.  Right? Ok, how can we do that?

Educators today need to take a step back as the “expert” and act more as facilitators or guides to help student navigate their own learning process.   Provide students with more opportunities to apply important theories/information they are learning to real world problems. This model aligns with my personal philosophy of learning.  Designing learning environments to encompass this model of learning however could be difficult, especially in some areas of education. The fact that we are already using different ways to learn from each other everyday is a positive start. The mind shift from no one is an expert to everyone can be an expert is one that we need to embrace.  I know these articles made me step back as an educator and think how can I incorporate less of me and more of them.