Group items tagged

students more engaged

productive learning is the learning process which engenders and reinforces wanting to learn more

manage, analyze, and synthesize multiple streams of simultaneous information,

attention literacy—the ability to exert some degree of mental control over our use of technology rather than simply being distracted by it

"learning ready,"

MIT Open Courseware or courses offered through Khan Academy will provide all the knowledge they need to pass a typical test on the subject

learn, MIT Open Courseware or courses offered through Khan Academy will provide all the knowledge they need to pass a typical test on the subject.

The reality is that I no longer need to send my children to a school to learn algebra, U.S. history, or French.

That doesn't mean that we throw all information and knowledge out of the curriculum. No question, all kids need to be able to read and write effectively, understand enough math to function in their daily lives, and have a basic understanding of science, history, and more. But we must be willing to consider that in a world full of access to knowledge and information, it may be more important to develop students who can take advantage of that knowledge when they need it than to develop students who memorize a slice of information that schools offer in case they might need it someday

But giving students devices and access is only a small part of the equation

Dependent on PD

Besides the lack of time and/or motivation, I’m beginning to wonder if teachers really know how to learn new skills independently. We come from a system of education where everything was fed to us. As a student (even through my master’s degree), if I was told I needed to learn something there was a clear process I had to go through to learn it; sign up (and pay) for the right course with the available expert, buy some textbooks, go to class, follow directions, and collect my credits to show that I had learned it. Most PD follows a similar process (although greatly abbreviated). So that is the paradigm that teachers have for their own learning – they feel that they need to be taught something in order to learn it. I’m not sure that they know there is now another way to learn, especially where learning about technology is concerned. But how would they know this new way of learning if it’s rarely been modeled for them? And if this is how they view their own learning, can we really expect them to teach students how to be independent learners?

concern — that teachers will become less relevant

higher quality education

The real problem lies in the effects standardized education has had on a student's internal and external motivation.

insufficient money, the teachers' unions, and large classroom size, all relevant issues, are not the root cause of our schools' troubles.

Courses that meet the curricular standards adopted by the Oklahoma State Board of Education and additional remedial courses;

Life skills instruction;