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Contents contributed and discussions participated by christopherrush

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christopherrush

Implementation in a Secondary Classroom (Articles) - 0 views

moodlesw.aealearningonline.org/...view.php

shared by christopherrush on 20 Feb 18 - No Cached
  • unique needs and preferences
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 03 Mar 18
       
      I keep seeing "individual needs" and its variants, but no one seems to be able to define it or give specific examples. Is it just "deficiencies in basic educational content and/or skills"? And preferences ... are we still talking supplemental or the entirety of a class/curriculum? I am probably wrong, but I keep getting the impression Personalized Learning keeps getting put up on this pedestal because of its potential when done well, but not too many proponents seem willing to comment on the pitfalls beyond "well, you need everyone on board" and "it will take time to get used to it" and other ancillary notions.
  • Although it is not the focus of a student-centered classroom
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 03 Mar 18
       
      It isn't? Everything we've been looking at indicates computers and tablets and the like are essential to do this (except for the million-dollar grade school classrooms that have a dozen "dive into whatever you want to do" stations). I would love to hear more about how technology is not the focus of enabling student-centered learning.
  • because it’s an important skill
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 03 Mar 18
       
      But is it, though? How much longer before college application essays go by the wayside? The author seems to be saying this with all the enthusiasm of a weary teacher saying "we should still teach how to balance check books." Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of essays and articles and papers and theses, but I've also sat through Teacher Workshops in which experts told us only English classes should be doing papers, since students should basically learn the skill and do more enjoyable things in other classes. Sort of like this article here. But, if it's a "skill" only for one class, and a class fewer and fewer are taking in college or 'needing" after school years, why are we saying it is still important?
  • ...7 more annotations...
  • videos are better than face-to-face lectures because they can skip forward
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 03 Mar 18
       
      I don't want to have a Jim from The Office eye-brow raising moment here, but it's difficult not to. This sounds all great, especially the "rewind" until mastery notion, but are students so capable of handling video lectures they will truly utilize them correctly? I still fear the temptation to treat computer-driven learning as less real than in-person/in-community learning. And I don't say that to be the Keeper of the Lecture Stronghold. Everything on the computer/Internet is designed to be fast, flashy, shallow ... why would they consider school stuff less so? Sure, the "good students" will, but they would regardless of the medium, wouldn't they? If this continues, is there a need for us to even be teachers? Why not just put all our courses on pre-packaged flashdrives and download sites and implement a pay-by-the-class access fee? Have we taken the notion of "teaching ourselves out of a job" in the wrong direction?
  • continuously
  • to a story
  • research process
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 03 Mar 18
       
      So is this an "English" class? It's all been so vague, it's been hard to tell except for a few notions about reading a story above. The generalities have been wholly unhelpful. Where are the specifics? Instead of saying "I use videos to create meaningful experiences and Web sites to beget actionable feedback opportunities," I would have rather read about actual tools and programs and in-class activities. Does anyone outside of the English/Research world find this practical?
  • discover authentic ways
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 03 Mar 18
       
      This is exactly what I'm talking about above. What does this even mean?
  • The students won’t get a real grant, but they will receive public recognition for the winning project.
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 03 Mar 18
       
      How is this better? I'm not saying I'm opposed to effecting "real change," but as with so much of this article, the heart of the issue is either implied or missing. How has the change of format demonstrated an improvement in the general abilities of students to demonstrate research/writing skills?
  • I mean it is easy for me to learn because I can pick assignments that let me do my best work.” I strive to make my classes that kind of “easy” for every student I teach. Across the board, my students acknowledge that they feel better prepared for college or jobs because of our use of collaborative technology. I feel that I am on this blended learning journey with them, and I truly believe it has made us all more engaged in our work and more focused learners.
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 03 Mar 18
       
      And again, this is just ambiguous enough to sound good, but what does it mean? Busy work is still busy work regardless if students are "engaged" or bored. By "assignments that let me do my best work" are we talking "I can do things I'm already good at"? I fear that is an area of Personalized Learning many students will exploit (for lack of a better term). If they are given the opportunity to do things they already like or are good at, why would they ever challenge themselves to do anything else, learn anything else, risk anything else? Are we prepared for Speech Classes in which students do Screencasts or Prezzis all semester long and never stand up in front of an audience and look people in the eyes? Is that the "genuine learning" PL and technology are giving the next generation of politicians, lawyers, doctors, teachers, diplomats, and the rest? (This is where you tell me how far afield I am. I would genuinely be glad for some alleviation.)
christopherrush

5 Tools And Strategies That Support Personalized Learning - 1 views

www.teachthought.com/...-support-personalized-learning

shared by christopherrush on 18 Feb 18 - No Cached
  • Rather than listening
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 18 Feb 18
       
      I can't tell if the author is going for irony or sincerity?
  • 2. Project-Based Learning By its very nature, Project-Based Learning requires a significant role for the student. They take on authentic roles by documenting, capturing, reflecting, imagining, managing, and communicating. They actively choose topics and media, audiences and challenges, research sources and project timelines.
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 18 Feb 18
       
      This is exactly why I've taken this course, to learn more about this. Why is this the shortest, least developed idea filled with buzzwords and generalities?
christopherrush

Adaptive Learning System Articles - 0 views

moodlesw.aealearningonline.org/...view.php

shared by christopherrush on 17 Feb 18 - No Cached
  • l. 7% of high school students drop out
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 17 Feb 18
       
      I'm a bit confused by this: the anonymous Edudemic author is trying to get us to think a lot of students are dropping out of school, but the link provided intimates we are at an near-golden age of student retention until graduation. Similarly, the next sentence appears to be criticizing the fact non-traditional students drop out and pursue online learning ... but isn't that a good thing? Isn't the point of Adaptive Learning to help us realize "traditional" learning has its limitations and we should utilize new methods and technologies to break away from tradition simply for tradition's sake and allow students to learn the best way for themselves?
  • teachers can keep up with each student’s progress
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 17 Feb 18
       
      "Progress" through what, though? What skills and learning are being measured? I realize my ignorance is showing, but that's why I'm asking - I would genuinely like to know what learning is going on here. What fields of academic endeavor are suitable for such individualized, data-driven situations?
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 19 Feb 18
       
      That does sound good for the grammar school level, especially.
  • What would it enable you to spend less of your class time doing, and what else would it enable you to spend more of your class time doing? How might it impact your students’ preparedness and change the kinds of conversations you could have with them? The answers to these questions are certainly different for every discipline and possibly even for every class. The point is that these technologies can open up a world of new possibilities.
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 17 Feb 18
       
      Well, then, what are the answers? Is the goal of learning "getting through as much content as possible"? Surely not. What should we be doing in the classroom instead? Will students respond positively not only having to keep up with the regular homework but also continually quiz themselves through adaptive computer programs if that is necessary? or would the adaptive tutoring programs "be" the "homework"? When do students have time for all this? (I'm sincerely asking, not criticizing.)
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • math and science courses
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 17 Feb 18
       
      I can easily see why these subjects would benefit from such adaptive learning/tutoring programs, as these fact-driven courses are pretty objective in the goals and assessment of "getting it." Can we foresee a growth in this potential for, say, foreign language acquisition? Will we get to the point with interactive technology students can "converse" with adaptive learning AI?
  • it is a lot harder
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 17 Feb 18
       
      I've had many interesting conversations this year with a wonderful Turkish student about why I circled some things on her paper even though the computer told her to make those changes. Perhaps part of my reticence over adaptive technologies comes from growing up during the age of "Wikipedia can't be trusted" and "grammar checks don't help." A lot of older teachers seem to still be in the '90s, technology-wise (just an observation, not a criticism).
christopherrush

"Personalized" vs. "Personal" Learning - 1 views

moodlesw.aealearningonline.org/...view.php

shared by christopherrush on 11 Feb 18 - No Cached
  • If we can’t engage our kids in ideas and explorations that require no technology, then we have surely lost our way.
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 14 Feb 18
       
      That strikes me as a crucial point. Why are we embarrassed to say "take your library card to the library and personalize your learning in there for a few hours a day"? Is reading books old fashioned and not "real learning" anymore? Surely with all the brain research coming in about the deleterious effects of starting at screens all day, we can't continue to advocate technology as the only solution for "real" education.
  • Finally, it seems like everything is being “flipped” these days
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 14 Feb 18
       
      Not every subject lends itself well to "flipping" - mathematics springs quickly to mind. Often when students are told to teach themselves the lesson at home without initial direct instruction and guided practice by the teacher, the result seems to be frustration and tears not learning and mastery.
  • f the point is to dump a load of facts into children, then it may be necessary to adjust the style and rate of dumping – and to help teachers become more efficient at it.
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 14 Feb 18
       
      But is this not, at least in part, what is actually meant by "education"? Are we saying a third grader does not need to learn multiplication skills or division skills if he'd prefer a personal learning path of video games and potato chips all day? I'm bemused by the embarrassment over the history of human learning as if someone it is wrong for us to pass it on to the next generation. (Would we allow our children to create their own personal eating plan simply because their hearts tell them to seek out ice cream and tootsie rolls instead of vegetables and fruit?) Someone help me understand this, please.
  • ...2 more annotations...
  • kids spend much of their time learning with and from one another.
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 14 Feb 18
       
      Some of the best "test answers" I've gotten over the years are from group tests, in which students are wresting collaborative ideas and interactions with the material out of each other in a much more engaged way than they would individually. And surely quality interaction with ideas is the goal? at least one of them?
  • The main objective is just to raise test scores
    • christopherrush
      christopherrush on 14 Feb 18
       
      But when the Administration and the Board declare this is the only objective (to use the adjective) way we have to measure classroom "success" ... how do teachers counter that? Especially when SAT averages and college acceptance lists are the main selling points on the promotional material?
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