Provides and communicates evidence of learning and course data to students and colleagues
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ol101-s2018: Iowa Online Teaching Standards - 4 views
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staudtt on 12 Mar 18This is a very important part of course development and also provides valuable feedback to students.
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best enhance student learning
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This seems like it could be a challenge. Some students prefer things presented in different ways than others. Instructors need to use best practices but meeting all student needs seem like a challenge.
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online collaboration group work
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I feel this is a key component of online learning. Finding a way to make assignments valuable and collaborative is an important balance in an online course.
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Demonstrates effective instructional strategies and techniques, appropriate for online education, that align with course objectives and assessment
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Sometimes I feel like I'm shooting in the dark- trying to anticipate how to design something but not knowing if it will work until we try it. Oh wait- just like regular teaching :)
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Creates or selects multiple assessment instruments that are appropriate for online learning
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One thing I've taken away from these courses is to assess more, but grade less.
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Has experienced online learning from the perspective of a student
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I think it's important to understand our own limitiations before we can be really good at something. And know that just because it does/ doesn't work for us, doesn't mean it won't/ will work for someone else.
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Maintains an online social presence that is available, approachable, positive, interactive, and sincere
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Building relationships with students is important to me, so I will need to work hard to incorporate that in the online setting. I struggle wrapping my mind around the how, though.
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Demonstrates competence in content knowledge (including technological knowledge) appropriate to the instructional position (ITS 2)
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Knows the content of the subject to be taught and understands how to teach the content to students
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Online Learning Quiz - 0 views
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Above average. I enjoy reading and writing and have confidence in my abilities. Learning and communicating in online courses requires much reading and writing; these skills are essential.
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This survey question isn't designed very well! :-) I enjoy writing, and have confidence in my abilities, but I'm a slow reader and not so comfortable with that! (But I thought I'd practice using diigo.)
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learnersrights/bill_of_rights.md at master · audreywatters/learnersrights · G... - 0 views
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propping up outdated educational practices rather than unfolding transformative ones. All too often, during such wrenching transitions, the voice of the learner gets muffled.
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pen, learner-centered dialogue around the rights, responsibilities, and possibilities for education in the globally-connected world of the present and beyond.
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learning, unlearning and relearning are as fundamental to our survival and prosperity as breathing.
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Everyone should have the right to learn:
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Online learning has the potential to ensure that this right is a reality for a greater percentage of the world’s population than has ever been realizable before.
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The provider should offer clear explanations of the privacy implications of students' choices.
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Courses should encourage open participation and meaningful engagement with real audiences where possible, including peers and the broader public.
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while working to educate students about the various ways they can protect and license their data and creative work.
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Students have a right to know how their participation supports the financial health of the online system in which they are participating
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Education is also about trust. Learning--not corporate profit--is the principal purpose of all education.
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Play Open online education should inspire the unexpected, experimentation, and questioning--in other words, encourage play. Play allows us to make new things familiar, to perfect new skills, to experiment with moves and crucially to embrace change--a key disposition for succeeding in the 21st century. We must cultivate the imagination and the dispositions of questing, tinkering and connecting. We must remember that the best learning, above all, imparts the gift of curiosity, the wonder of accomplishment, and the passion to know and learn even more.
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Implementation in a Secondary Classroom (Articles) - 0 views
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The kids can choose any one of those methods as long as they follow a rubric that I created about what I am looking fo
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I like the teacher support of the project rubric which can give kids confidence that while the project choice is student-centered, the teacher has helped them know where they need to go.
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You really have to be on top of things to allow the students choice since now there is more than one “right” way of doing something in the classroom
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Great point-- classroom management has become trickier with voice, choice, and with the embedded temptations of technology. I get nervous that kids will end up spending time "playing" with it, as opposed to "learning" with it. A fine line I'm sure. A real hurdle in "letting go" of traditional teacher-centered role.
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They can choose instead to respond to someone else’s views
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As an ELA teacher, I like this option being available for kids. "Participation" within literature can mean different things for readers. I think some kids learn most when they are able to piggyback on others students' understandings. They can stretch a peer's meaning into something that is their own, even if they missed "the message" in the text. In a traditional classroom, discussion doesn't even always lend to every student having the opportunity to comment. Technology gives them a voice here, where otherwise their thoughts would not have had a chance to blossom.
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I agree. I like Diigo as a platform for this because participants can piggyback off each other.
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But when the teacher started to use the students’ questions rather than her own to frame discussions, motivation began to rise. She realized that her questions were often too difficult or too easy for the students. She came to understand that when the students asked their own questions, they were better able to target their own level of understanding.
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This is one thing I love about voice and choice in terms of literature circles. Once a student has chosen the text they are most interested in reading, they have a role and a responsibility to their group members to be an active reader. I've found that student generated questions are often some of the best--in terms of the meaning the middle schooler can draw from a text that an adult teacher may not consider.
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r.
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As long as those standards are laid out and understandable for students, they can choose whatever pathway they want to go to showcase their work and proficiency.
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messier way to teach,
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I'd definitely call it organized chaos. I'm just learning how this works, so I'm assuming it's messier than usual in my classroom, but I have teachers who are VERY traditional who can't handle watching some of the things I do.
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Maybe a kid was trying to do a vodcast and he couldn’t get the video to work correctly on the computer. That’s a learning opportunity for that child. Because it was his choice, he’s going to try to figure out a way to make it work—sometimes with the help of a fellow student.”
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This ends up taking more time overall, but ends up with deeper learning. So teachers need to be okay with giving up some material in favor of that.
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We don’t have a 1:1 environment at this time
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This is probably my biggest roadblock, and though I'm making it work, it's tough. we are also not 1:1, and though many kids can use their phones, I can't depend on that. However, we have computer laptop carts that we can check out, so I do that almost every day. However, the only reason why I can make this work is because I teach with some very traditional colleagues who still only use computers to type papers. So while I can make it work in my classroom, there isn't enough technology for others to do the same.
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But I was simply using technology in place of my normal face-to-face teaching.
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This was something I struggled with understanding as well---I didn't see the difference in why you'd do that aside from just using technology. now that I know a bit more about blended learning, I can see the balance.
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Self-grading quizzes
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I need to utilize this more. We use the platform Canvas, which isn't the easiest to create these on, but you can usually make it work.
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But most of the time I will just stay out of the way while they do the work of learning how to effectively research, collaborate and create presentations together.
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This is my favorite part about personalized learning---there's a lot of front-loading, but once that's done teaching itself is much easier and less "on the stage".
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while others may need to focus on editing.
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I put this into practice last year, and while the students seemed to like it, I had way more students than I'd like to wait until the very last minute to turn things in, which put a lot of pressure on me to assess and they didn't get much feedback. I need to figure out a better way to structure that.
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The drama group is preparing a production of Inherit the Wind, a play about illegally teaching the theory of evolution during the 1920s.
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This article reminds of of the "a day in the life" assignment we are working on.
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Once they are given the tools
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Implementation in an Elementary Classroom (Articles) - 0 views
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Although her natural inclination is “to help my students when they’re stumped or confused, I need constantly to remind myself that when I supply an answer or even suggest a method for finding an answer, I’m not truly helping.”
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One of my greatest struggles right here!! The teacher in me wants to give my students knowledge and help them grow when in reality their learning will be more genuine and they will grow more if I pose more questions to help guide them to answering their own question rather than just telling them.
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“Everything I do should contribute to students’ success outside of class,” she says, “and it’s never too early for kids to learn how to get along in the world.”
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Yes!! So many times activities and learning are only centered around the school setting, but shouldn't we all start preparing and practicing what learning and engaging with others should look, sound, and feel like outside of school?
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Play is, after all, the way children are wired to learn
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YES!! I agree and I think we should roll with that and allow more learning through play in our younger classes. Honestly, it isn't much different than the idea of learning by doing in the older grade...learning about chemistry by performing an experiment, learning about gardening by planting and tending a garden...you see where this is going...
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I completely agree with this statement, so many of our students learn through doing. Students learn how to interact with one another by socializing during play. This brings up an interesting and maybe "far-out" there question...but there seems to be a rise in behaviors in classrooms today--we are also having to take recesses away because we are expected to cover so much material in the day. Do you think these problems go hand-in-hand? or just an interesting coincidence?
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the academic and social emotional learning benefits inherent in play are too vital to overlook
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I wholeheartedly believe this! I know it is not so easy to incorporate play into every aspect of a school day and some schools don't allow it, but like this article states, "the benefits are too vital to overlook" so it is something to strive to provide the best one can within their classroom.
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fuse playful movement and learning.
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Sometimes even starting with a simple adjustment to the plan to allow for some simple movement can be just what the students need to learn the material better and control their body instead of being expected to sit and learn it. This is something I have been trying very hard to incorporate in anything I plan for the students, for the sake of all of us!
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Reduced recess, cuts to physical education courses and limited free time in the classroom coupled with an increasing emphasis on testing are propelling this decline all over the country.
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We are seeing this at our school as well. In the afternoon our first graders do not have a recess. I have started having brain breaks in the afternoon and usually do "Go Noodle" to get the kids moving.
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y engaging multiple areas of the brain simultaneously, play links to “foundational capacities such as memory, self-regulation, oral language abilities, social skills, and success in school,”
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This is interesting to me! I never thought of the brain research involved in playtime.
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Such activities require children to add numbers, hold each other accountable, self-regulate and solve any problems or disputes that arise.
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This is such an important lifelong skill. this type of practice is so important for children!
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Do your research.
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Students who miss time to play miss opportunities to let their minds soar and connect the dots between what they do at their desks and what surrounds them in the world.
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This brings up a very important point...for our students who are struggling to get their work completed because they are distracted or are unsure about what they are doing--are having to miss recess to complete their work. Pros/cons?Keeping a student inside for recess in my opinion is the last resort. We need to remember that this kids are just that, kids; and they need to be given times to play and interact with their peers.
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These crucial, play-derived social skills prepare us all to live agreeably alongside others
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Having this free play time to interact with other students is extremely important, especially in today's society when so many of our students are sitting behind screens far too often.
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"How?" The short answer is: one step at a time.
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I wish I could highlight this whole article, wow! I have been struggling with this mindset, how am I going to makes this work for my 20-28 students in my classroom. This article had so many great and great ideas to try and start out with. One step at a time!
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“The first thing we do is begin an ‘I see — I wonder’ exercise,
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This activity is very engaging. It assists with the "buy-in" that is necessary for student learning. I like how she poses questions in such a way that the students begin to "wonder" about the tasks as well.
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Throughout the remainder of the unit, they theorize, test, analyze, experiment, and share and review results at various work stations Ms. Moore establishes in the classroom
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What is most exciting here is that the students theorize, test, analyze, experiment, and share result without realizing it. This is not a lecture course where students are listening, taking notes, and memorizing all of these scientific methods. Since the students are "doing science" they are more likely to remember this scientific process!
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She sets up math and literacy centers in her classroom where students play games, such as a math-oriented Go Fish, a card game that requires students to apply their knowledge of place values
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I have set up a "math with a partner" rotation during my math block. The students LOVE it! It is structured and students are taught how to play (being fair, taking turns, etc.). I think that one reason games are so engaging is because very few play board games or card games with their families at home. This is a new experience for them. Most importantly they are learning and practicing what they have learning without even knowing it!
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Teachers struggling to find time for both free and structured play may find it beneficial to fuse the two
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Here are their tips
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These are great tips. As I read through the articles I was thinking; how can I get to know 24 students (their interests, learning styles, etc.) in a way that is efficient. I enjoyed reading these tips. These 5 minute and 5 day activities could be used at the beginning of the school year to help determine some ways to differentiate in the classroom.
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Adaptive Learning System Articles - 0 views
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embrace the tools that make educational sense,
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This supports my thoughts that technology has its place in the classroom. The important part is finding the right balance in using it with your students. From a new teacher standpoint, I think sometimes it is easier said than done but I know I will get better at it the more I do it.
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Technology will always play an important role and in order to embrace it completely we must find those adaptive learning tools that allow for students to be able to learn, assess and get feedback immediately.
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making the most of any interaction they have with professors is paramount.
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While helpful at the college level, I feel even at the elementary level there is so little time to really be able to meet with individual students. I like the perspective this gives about utilizing the time with the students most productively to support their learning.
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focus on the right work
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Yes! There can be so much mis-information online and it is important to make sure students are learning things correctly the first time. It can be hard to relearn the information. I think of the idea practice makes perfect but practicing the wrong thing can be detrimental to learning.
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the up-front investment for adaptive technology is still beyond what most institutions can afford
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That is the problem I am seeing as I read through these articles. I know our school has only 5 iPads OR laptops per classroom, not nearly enough for each student to have one. This past year they did have enough ipads for ONE class set that the whole school had to share, which amounted to being once, maybe twice, a week for an hour to use. There is also a computer lab, but that too, is shared among the whole school. Further, many of our families are lower income and do not have access to computers outside of school so there is a gap in what technology can support for our students. My question would be how I can utilize adaptive technology most successfully with the limited resources our school has at this point?
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We should build the technology around the teachers to empower them and put them at the center of the story.
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I agree with this mindset! Technology is an excellent resource and a great tool, especially to be used in adaptive ways. I believe we should be embracing the good it can bring to our teaching in and out of the classroom, but I also feel like so many look at technology as replacing the teacher. For example, even though this class is strictly online, I still need the guidance and feedback from the instructor, sometimes even wishing for the opportunity for more direct instruction, in person instruction. Teachers should be growing and embracing the advances in technology without fear of being replaced by it.
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provide supplemental instruction and coaching to students on a one-on-one basis
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My students use Lexia Core5 and Dreambox, and I do agree that these programs do a great job providing supplemental instruction!!
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The point is that these technologies can open up a world of new possibilities.
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Yes, they do!! They also allow kids to work at the pace and level they need to be working on!
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Adaptive technologies can have real value and are not going away.
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The crazy thing is not only will it not go away (which I don't want it to), but I feel like technologies in general move so quickly in the advancement and new websites that it is hard to keep up if you're not given a list of things to try.
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Don’t be content to merely argue that you can’t be replaced by a machine.
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I don't see why you would be worried about being "replaced" by a machine. The machine can help you be a better teacher!!
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Imagine if every student in your class could have a private tutor,
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The common thread is that they all involve software that observes some aspect of student performance and adjusts what it presents to each student based on those observations.
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I can see where this could be a great resource to inform a teacher of how to respond instructionally... a balance of data retrieved from technology, then the teacher support with instruction and reinforces the relationship component of learning.
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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?
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I can envision more one on one time with students to conference, set goals and assess. It would allow more time for working with groups.
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real-time response to their work
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This would be a great benefit because I know I can't always check papers quickly and get them back. They can know immediately if they're ready to move on or need to go back.
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able to approach the material on their own time, at their own pace
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As a learner now, I appreciate being able to do it when I can. I could see where this would be especially helpful to high schoolers with extra curricular activities, jobs and other responsibilities.
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do not want to approach this kind of change without a strategy for success
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If you don't have buy in from staff, administrators or parents, then you go nowhere and waste a lot of money.
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I think it is very important to have parents involved and on board, making sure they understand the purpose of the adaptive program..not just a computer game.
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think hard about how having them could empower you to be a better teacher and provide your students with richer educational experiences.
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No one program or teaching approach fits all students. It is important to find a balance in type of educational experiences for students.
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Adaptive learning technology tracks what and how each student is doing so that teachers can keep up with each student’s progress.
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Even though adaptive learning programs provides data on each student's progress, it still takes teacher time to analyze data. Will teachers take time to do this? Or are they busy enough keeping up doing other personalization plans? Just a thought....
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more time focused on one-to-one student engagement and self-paced guidance through a curriculum.
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adaptive learning models as one approach
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I agree that adaptive learning is not meant to take the place of a teacher, but rather another way to reteach and practice skills taught.
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Adaptive learning technologies are potentially transformative in that they may be able to change the economics of tutoring.
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The great thing is that I have realized through this class is that there are so many types of "transformative" adaptive learning technologies out there with tutors and coaches!
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In other words, all adaptive software tries to mimic some aspect of what a good teacher does, given that every student has individual needs.
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This reminds me of the CSM Learn website I decided to investigate. It is an awesome way to mimic and give students what they need when they need it and assess their learning, problem solving skills and even their perseverance/frustration level.
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Implementation in an Elementary Classroom (Articles) - 0 views
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It's difficult for veteran teachers, too, to unlearn what they've been doing for many years and let go of the control.
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traditional teaching methods be characterized as obstructing learning?
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This makes me think of the quote: I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand. - Confucius
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because they’re so used to being spoon-fed information that they can barely critically think
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I've seen more of this over the last few years with technology getting bigger and bigger. They want answers immediately and just given to them.
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Playful, teacher-led learning activities tap into the brain’s multisensory engagement, making content more memorable
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Kids always remember when they are up and doing thing rather than just sitting in their seats listening.
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Share planning duties with a fellow teacher
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the Class Learning Snapshot that guides what a teacher anticipates their learners strengths, challenges, aptitudes, interests, preferences, and needs. We introduce the Personal Learner Profile.
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When reading this I agree and truly believe this is essential, however with a large group (90+) students how do you get the time to spend on learning every student's PLP? This seems overwhelming...
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Using the Class Learning Snapshot (CLS), we guide you in how to select and integrate tools, apps, and resources to universally-design instruction and learning strategies. Considering the learners in your CLS, you will outline the learning strategies and skills in the lesson along with the skills from NETS (National Educational Technology Standards) for Students to create a Class Learning Toolkit (CLT). Personal Learner Profiles (PLP) of two learners will be used to demonstrate how to develop a Personal Learning Backpack (PLB) that will support the learners in achieving their learning goals in this lesson.
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I have had to re-read this paragraph over about 5 different times. First because it is overwhelming to read how many abbreviated terms there are, remembering what they are and then really trying to understand them. Am I the only one feeling this way?
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Although her natural inclination is “to help my students when they’re stumped or confused, I need constantly to remind myself that when I supply an answer or even suggest a method for finding an answer, I’m not truly helping.” In terms of the tenets of inquiry-based instruction, she explains, when she answers students’ questions straightforwardly instead of asking questions to help the students find the answers themselves, she’s actually interfering with the learning process.
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This whole thinking is exactly how I feel when students need or want help. I want to help and I need to remember that I need for them to help themselves by also asking a question to help their learning process. I also have an old mindset though of feeling like I've let my student/class down by not helping.
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Thinking Maps, she explains, help students gain control of the process by offering them eight distinct ways to organize their inquiries — a circle map for defining in context, for example, or a bubble map for describing with adjectives, etc.
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I looked into these Thinking Maps and I love them! So much that I would like to use them, however you have to go through a whole school process. Does anyone know how to get these without doing that?
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In my opinion, any graphic organizer would be beneficial to use for those visual thinkers. It looked like to me that it was exactly as you said...a whole school process, but you can still see the eight maps and possibly tailor it to your student learning.
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“helping children gain active control over the process of thinking so they learn how to learn, which will serve them well throughout their lives.”
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Powerful statement that I need to continue to repeat to myself in order to best serve students and even my children at home as well.
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it requires “unlearning” many of the lessons of traditional teacher-preparation programs.
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After many years of teaching and lots of curriculum programs, this is a nice reminder to allow students to discover new learning!
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graphic organizers known as Thinking Maps,
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I think graphic organizers are important to use for students so that they can see examples of how to organize the information, as well as a "picture" of their learning to remember.
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Marcon tracked children from preschool through the third and fourth grades and found that those with “overly academic” preschool experiences struggled in their later elementary years when they were expected to “think more independently and take on greater responsibility for their own learning process.”
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I can completely see how not allowing students time to "play" is taking away social skills, language development, critical thinking, and self monitoring skills.
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Implementation in Advocacy/Guidanace/Post-Secondary Preparation (Articles) - 0 views
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a program for our seniors to explore their interests, passions, and possible career options during the two quarters before graduation. Each of the four years has a central theme around which we build curriculums, and “risk” is appropriate for the graduation year, one that culminates in personal achievement and plans for the future.
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I love this! We have a responsibility to help EVERY student make an informed decision about their life after high school, and this particular school has created a purposeful, strategic plan for their system in helping students be confident and competent about what happens after graduation.
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Authentic choices cannot exist without some degree of risk.
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This reminds me of the "zone of proximal development" - that zone where learning occurs, where it's not "easy." Rather, it's challenging AND doable. It takes risk... an ACTIVE risk to move forward and tackle whatever challenge is in front of you. Experiencing risk is how we empower students for their future.
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In such moments, teaching becomes a deeply reciprocal process by which we decide to learn not just from but with the students, embracing the risks that accompany students developing as independent thinkers and informed risk takers (K. Schultz, 2003). Moreover, when we offer choice, we model risk taking for them and demonstrate problem-solving skills, such as how to thoughtfully navigate uncertainty and address unforeseen obstacles.
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This paragraph nicely captures the desired role of the teacher in order for our students to be empowered in their learning, while also developing a positive student/teacher relationship grounded as partners in learning.
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Many teachers and administrators realize that online courses and programs can offer a different kind of learning environment, take advantage of true personalization, and challenge students to achieve at the levels at which they are capable. As one educator says: “Because of the e-learning aspect of our credit-recovery program, it also seems that have changed their attitudes toward credit recovery. They realize that credit recovery is not all worksheets, repetition and drudgery; it also means relearning the standards in engaging and interesting formats with lots of visuals and graphics to help students learn.”
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So, whether it's online or face-to-face, it's 1) what we're asking students to do, and, 2) believing they can do it that makes a difference. They need higher cognitive learning experiences (i.e. Revised Blooms Taxonomy) and engaging activities that connect with who they are as individuals. If we truly believe they can be successful, then we'll put things into place to engage them. In other words, it's our collective efficacy that sets the stage for online learning AND face-to-face learning.
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Stands up for student rights and concerns.
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This is such an important role for the principal (or any adult working with the classroom teacher). Sometimes, students don't know how to advocate for themselves, or they are in a situation where an adult needs to intervene. By partnering with the classroom teacher in an instructional coaching role, the principal can provide support that will ultimately benefit the student. In other words, when teachers are learning at high levels, students learn at high levels.
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learning plans starting from student interest, and the skills and knowledge a student has.
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This makes sense because we are starting with the student's strengths and interests instead of what gaps exist. It's focusing on what the student CAN do, not can't.
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The concept of LTIs goes hand in hand with developing learning plans and portfolios for post high school goals, whether it’s college, vocational school, apprenticeships or directly to work. From working on their learning plans, each student will have a portfolio that allows him or her to customize all of their experiences for application to each college or work situation.
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Words that come to mind as I read this paragraph are authentic, future, real, and personalized.
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PLE Articles - 5 views
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Students now have access to desktop computers, smartphones, tablets, smart TVs and game systems that connect them to free online tools that are always available.
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This is a shift in mindset for many teachers. Students have a a great resource (their cellphone) however, teachers/school do not allow students to use their phones. This would also require a certain amount of trust between the students and teacher.
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I allow cell phones at all times in my class (we just have a talk about what "within reason" means and how to use them in moderation) for exactly this reason---I have kids that prefer to type papers on their phones because it is faster for them. However, most of the other teachers in our school do not allow them out in class, so it's hard to be "that teacher" that throws off the routine for everyone else. Honestly, however, it's so much easier---I don't have to spend 5 minutes arguing with a kid about their phone.
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Students engaging in networked learning have to learn to be more self-directed than in the typical classroom
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Some students have a difficult time being self-directed. Is it difficult for teachers to know when to step in and when to step back?
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I wonder the same thing, Dixie. I also wonder how much teacher direction is appropriate when setting up their PLE?
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or perhaps creating an exemplar for students, then maybe helping them get started, step by step, until they are a little more comfortable with the idea and process.
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An eportfolio
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This is my "ah-ha" moment. As I began reading about Symbaloo, I was questioning the ways students would use this resource. I think it is a great and creative way to make an eportfolio.
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yes! A page in an e-portfolio or in an online resume to show interests or other resources.
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This encourages students to apply their learning in different venues which creates a culture of lifelong learning.
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Personal Learning Environments (PLE) are not to be confused with Learning Management Systems (LMS) that are implemented and maintained by institutions. Here's a chart that outlines the differences:
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"Ah-ha" moment for me: so a PLE (a term with which I was previously unfamiliar) is basically a collection of resources that is organized and available to everyone, and one that everyone can contribute to? Great idea, as opposed to a teacher providing everything for the student.
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I also think PLE's could be useful for small/large group projects as far as sharing resources. Group participants can share articles and they could use Diigo to share thoughts and ideas! I wish I knew about these things when I was in college!
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Below is a video that shows how a 7th grade student uses Symbaloo as a PLE in her science class:
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PLEs place a large amount of responsibility on students and thus requires a high level of self-management and awareness. Not every student is ready for this responsibility, so teachers need to have strategies in place to guide and support these learners.
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PLEs place a large amount of responsibility on students and thus requires a high level of self-management and awareness. Not every student is ready for this responsibility, so teachers need to have strategies in place to guide and support these learners.
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they liked the clean, visual interface of Symbaloo
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When I have used it in the past it has been easier for students to use on Chromebooks than iPads (atleast in my experience). I am excited to learn more about Symbaloo and hopefully learn some helpful tips/tricks to help better my usage of it in the classroom.
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nstead of a teacher providing resources that everyone uses, students can utilize their PLE to acquire information using preferred apps and resources such as blogs, YouTube, Pinterest, Ning or Delicious.
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I teach first grade and have used symbaloo previously, however I am not sure if my students would benefit from having their own PLE's via symbaloo. In the past I have logged into my symbaloo on their ipads so they can access the resources (kahoot, myOn, pbsKids, etc) I want them too. I need a major "make-over" to my symbaloo, it isn't very student friendly.
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The idea of having one site to log into daily and then a pre-constructed dashboard of all the learning tools and spaces available to us seemed appealing
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I think this is extremely appealing to students, you can have the symbaloo page set as the home screen on computers and all of the websites/resources that are approved would be right at the disposal for the students.
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Truly an empowering and exciting way to guide students to collect information and demonstrate their learning. My kids ask to get on their symbaloo pages at home after school to show me what they are learning. If parents have access to the symbaloo pages too, they can actively be a part of their child's learning for that class.
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A collection of resources related to a problem-based learning challenge
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Another idea generated for me! As each student team is working on a particular Orbis project, I'm thinking each project could have it's own symbaloo dashboard.
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The notion of a PLE for students, grounding them intentionally in an environment of information tools and productive applications, is a great way to seek, develop, and structure that balanced approach.
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This is great reminder that while students are technology natives, we have a responsibility to teach them positive, professional behaviors.
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I encouraged students to use their accounts as an information dashboard for “professional” or school interests as well as personal passions.
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This has generated an idea for me to use Symbaloo in Orbis as a way for students to create individual portfolios showcasing evidence of their growth in the 3 key outcomes of Orbis: collaboration, problem-solving, and leadership.
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Personal learning environments are beneficial because they support learning anywhere and allow learners to connect the diverse environments of school, home and play.
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I'm thinking about how valuable a resource like Symbaloo could be for students, especially as they contribute to it, for them to use it far beyond the scope of the classroom, after the class/course has ended.
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Agreed. This is how we continue to be learners as adults too. We all have our resources we regularly check in with to learn based on our interests and needs. Guiding students to learn to use technology in this way is truly opening the door to life-long learners.
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are no longer the primary or even the best source of information available to students
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It is humbling and yet exciting to shift from the "sage at the stage" role to the "guide at the side". I feel that students will also feel a greater sense of support from teachers, whose job is to help them utilize tools to stretch their learning beyond what they alone can offer the student.
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Study group resources
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I love that this is included as valuable-- sites that student groups can visit for peer collaboration. Important to remember that so many students are social learners and may acquire their deepest learning by collaborating with other students as opposed to individual exploration.
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"Personalized" vs. "Personal" Learning - 1 views
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A personalized environment gives students the freedom to follow a meaningful line of inquiry, while building the skills to connect, synthesize and analyze information into original productions.
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I think at the lower elementary level this can be seen through play. Not everyone connects to the same linear way of doing something but when they realize it can be done a slightly different way it can be a powerful moment for the child. This realization can be found through play and exploration of the topic in various ways.
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Thus, while making sense of ideas is surely personal, it is not exclusively individual because it involves collaboration and takes place in a community.
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This statement resonated with me because I feel that so much emphasis has been put on the individual and their progress that we have lost sight of the fact that some of the best ideas came from collaboration. Think about all of the meetings teachers have to go to and collaborate on what is best for the school/classroom/student/etc...teaching isn't strictly an individual endeavor so learning shouldn't happen in such a closed minded, individual setting either.
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“Personalized” learning is something that we do to kids; “personal” learning is something they do for themselves.
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Perspective! I felt like I had a pretty good understanding of what I needed to work toward, but this makes me feel like I need to adjust my mindset a little more, to go a little deeper in my understanding. I know I need a lot more help (or learning on my own) about how to implement PL in my classroom, especially finding a balance with PL and structure for the younger students.
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If we can’t engage our kids in ideas and explorations that require no technology, then we have surely lost our way.
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I have to say, I think technology has it's place and is an excellent tool and resource for students and teachers alike, but it should NOT be the only way that we find our students are engaged in learning. I feel that engagement should happen in connections in the community, should be active in their learning, and through collaboration with others. I worry that some may come too dependent on technology if that is what they come to expect as their only way of engagement to learning, rather than as a tool and resource for richer learning experiences.
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I couldn't agree more with your post! I worry that with the huge push on technology and everyone sitting behind a screen, our ability to communicate and have an effective/respectful conversation/debate with someone in person will disappear. I already work with my first grade students about making eye contact and looking at someones face when you are talking with them!
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seductive
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I like the word "seductive" because often, when students are engaged in a personalized learning experience utilizing their passions and exploring their interests, they don't even realize they are actually learning!
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personalization only comes when students have authentic choice over how to tackle a problem
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For personalization to ensure results in learning, I'm thinking of how important it is to have a structured process for providing individual students with ongoing, specific feedback. As they make choices in how to tackle a problem, a process for feedback on how to improve performance would need to be a standard practice.
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make sure everyone they work with is on the same page about what that phrase means
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YES! A proactive practice before anything happens in the classroom would be to develop common language so everyone has the same context, same vision, same expectations, etc.
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many school district leaders require public school educators to teach a specific curriculum that will be evaluated on standardized tests, while at the same time telling teachers to be innovative and creative within their classrooms.
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We have "arrived" as an educational system when personalized learning is not perceived as "one more thing on a teacher's plate" and instead is "just the way we do things around here," replacing old practices.
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Personalized learning may help students become better problem solvers, innovative, and creative, however, will personalized learning help students know how to take standardized tests? Let's be honest...as much as we all dislike standardized testing it is still used for college entrance.
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And to add on to that, colleges are still looking at class rank and GPA as well, which is often attained by "playing the game" by the rules, not being creative and innovative. Square peg in a round hole.
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meaningful (and truly personal) learning never requires technology
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This makes me think of PURPOSE. Once the learning targets are determined, IF technology is considered for the lesson, what's its purpose? Why?
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technology should simply be the icing on the cake...not the purpose for the lesson.
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Amen. We all know they WANT the technology. They must know it as a tool we allow them to use to reach the learning target. Otherwise it's just a time filler, and they will happily do just that. :)
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his moment of huge disruption requires us to think deeply about our goals and practices as educators,
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It is easy to be drawn to the "shiny new object" as the quick fix to raising student scores, so I appreciate this point of view in giving thoughtful consideration to goals and vision when considering what's next for improved practice.
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compliance.
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I recently had a conversation with an educator that stated we should teach compliance because that is what will be expected in the workplace. Does personalization in the classroom hinder the reality of some jobs (labor jobs, military, etc.)?
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That's a really interesting question---it almost seems like the pendulum is swinging the other way---this movement is really emphasizing creativity and problem-solving---great for those engineering/stem/arts jobs, but not necessarily so for some labor jobs. Although, I'd also argue that problem-solving is pretty necessary even for construction jobs, car/engine maintenance, etc. I'd say the military probably would not necessarily appreciate it as much, though.
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I think there needs to be a balance. There's a need for compliance at every job, even construction where they must have a finished product by a deadline, but there is also a need for creativity and problem solving, too. How do we fit that balance in with personalized learning? Setting deadlines/meeting standards but they choose the method?
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I worry a little about the lack of "structure" in personalized learning. Kids need to know how to develop self discipline to follow through on a task (project with deadline), and well as the ability to follow step by step instructions when needed--instead of throwing out the manual. An appropriate example here is that teachers must teach the CORE to assure that we are all not just exposing students to what we want them to learn. Can a student have "too much voice"? Won't many students unknowingly limit themselves to a strict palette of interests and skills if they only try want they want to try? How will they even know what they are missing if we don't require them to be exposed to what we as an education system have deemed worthy of note? Would any eighth grade choose to explore/tackle Shakespeare if not required? Have we shorted them if we don't require it? I supposed balance is the key. Shakespeare, even through a graphic novel or movie, is still Shakespeare, I suppose.
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Personalization promises better student achievement and, I believe, a more effective delivery method than any one teacher with 25 or 30 students in a classroom can compete with
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This is my "ah-ha" moment. What teacher doesn't want better student achievement? At the least, teachers should be willing to explore and dabble in personalization.
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I agree, we all want better student achievement for our students. With Personalization in the classroom I think students will be so much more willing to learn as they are able to work on what interests them.
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tasks have been personalized for kids, not created by them
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I feel like this is where I am at now. I think that it is hard for educators to give over some of that control to the students.
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A term like “mass customized learning,” meanwhile, may sound Orwellian but it’s not really an oxymoron because what’s customized is mass-produced – which is to say, standardized. Authentic personal learning isn’t
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resource rich.
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I think this is sometimes where I struggle with personalized learning. It's overwhelming at times to start students on a project, and they want lots of resources to help them get started....I have to balance that line of giving them something to start so they aren't frustrated, but also giving them the opportunity to figure out how to find those resources themselves through research and choosing reputable resources.
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it’s crucially more important to have the dispositions and the skills to create our own educational opportunities, not be trained to wait for opportunities that someone else has selected for delivery.
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This is so key, and where students who know nothing but traditional struggle. They are used to "sit and get", and the world just is not like that. This gives students the opportunity to explore, to try, to fail, and to reflect.
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Couldn't agree more. Just this morning I was chatting with a neighbor kid who was telling me about how he and his dad are breaking a mare (training a horse to be ridden) for a friend of theirs. He said it was going pretty well but would take the rest of the summer before she got used to the reins instead of just the lead rope. Then he added, "I wish school didn't start again soon. I don't really like school. It can get boring." And of course I had an AHA moment right then, with this course to thank. I couldn't help but think, this kid COULD LOVE school if he was able to bring his interests and experiences to the table and use those as a springboard for learning -- allowing him to decide (within reason) what was necessary for him to learn so that he could grow as a learner and a horse trainer. Of course a red flag also arose in my mind -- wait, let's not pigeon hole him into a career in horse-training just yet. So here's where the teachers step in to help him connect his interests and experiences with those of others, and help him see the value in those as well. Grow and challenge the whole person, so to speak. This is how I would like to develop more as a teacher-- I'm hungry for ideas on how to do so!
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the prevailing narrative seems to be that we can’t engage kids without technology, without a smartphone, tablet computer or some other multimedia device or tool.
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I hear this a lot in my district---it's all about what technology we can get into students' hands. Yes, technology is great, and I do think it's a huge part of being able to personalize a class of 32 kids, but I also think it's not mandatory for personalized learning.
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I feel that a lot in our district, too. I'm in agreement that it's not required for personalized learning but can be very helpful for management purposes with such large class sizes.
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I think having technology in the hands of our students is a great resource for them to further and deepen their learning. However, I do feel like the technology can be abused at times. In my opinion students shouldn't be staring at the screen all day, students need to interact with one another, and do hands on learning as well. A lot of learning can be done through actual books and conducting experiments of their own.
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the best thing we can do for kids is empower them to make regular, important, thoughtful decisions about their own learning
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So many students have difficulty with problem solving and decsion making on their own...could traditional teaching be part of the cause?
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Traditional teaching could be part of the cause but I also wonder if students today have difficulty problem solving because parents are impatient and are quick to give in to help their child. For example, when students are learning to tie their shoes. It can take a long time to figure out where the shoes laces go and how to move them around to make a knot. It's easier, more convenient, and takes less time if the parent/guardian does it. Maybe that has some role in difficulty problem solving as well?
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But if the point is to help kids understand ideas from the inside out and answer their own questions about the world, then what they’re doing is already personal (and varied). It doesn’t have to be artificially personalized.
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But if the point is to help kids understand ideas from the inside out and answer their own questions about the world, then what they’re doing is already personal (and varied). It doesn’t have to be artificially personalized.
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Personalization is an even more disturbing example of this phenomenon because the word has come to be equated with technology
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Using technology can personalize instruction, but students also require personal instruction, such as discussion with a peer about a book or collaborating with a team about a science experiment
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Personal learning tends to nourish kids’ curiosity and deepen their enthusiasm. “Personalized” or “customized” learning – not so much.
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This statement really helped me to see the difference between personalized and personal. Personalized is more of the skill being taught while personal is the connection that's made
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Great point here. How do we balance what skills they "have to know" with what we allow students to explore on their own?
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We often say we want creativity and innovation – personalization – but every mechanism we use to measure it is through control and compliance
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Yes, very much a paradox. How is it possible to let students have choice in how they learn content and yet they all need to fill in the same bubble when testing time comes around. That's a LOT of balls to juggle at once. This is frustrating for teachers like ourselves who want to give choice and thus keep kids engaged, but who also know that scores will be what validates our success as content teachers.
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better test scores. And, if that’s what we value as the most important outcome of schooling, it’s hard to argue that we’re in the midst of a huge advance
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Ha very true-- IF test scores are what matters, we could strap each kid to a computer to get them there. But I don't know any teachers that became teachers for the numbers. ;) Do better scores make better people? Do they make happier people? A great argument for "personal" learning vs. personalized learning. But again, it has to be a balance. We can't ask them to make of map of places they've never been. Thus we have the CORE. A tricky marriage of ideas!
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As a high-school English teacher, I was flipping in the classroom in 1983, having my students read the literature at home and come into class ready to discuss it. That was flipping the curriculum
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http://moodlesw.aealearningonline.org/pluginfile.php/223319/mod_resource/content/0/CSD6... - 1 views
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Good question, Lori! I was wondering the same thing. And how does Special Ed fit into this?
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4 Examples of Personalized Learning in K-12 Education | Impatient Optimists - 0 views
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“Kids will stay in school if they feel connected.” That’s why students are assigned an advisor
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Personalize Learning: Discover EPiC - Re-Imagine Education - 0 views
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Wow moments are not landmarks that define our journey but are built into every moment of everyday. Wow moments are all the time and are transformative for both teachers and learners. A wow moment is when any student “can.”
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"Personalized" vs. "Personal" Learning - 1 views
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She cautions educators who may be excited about the progressive educational implications for “personalized learning” to make sure everyone they work with is on the same page about what that phrase means.
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When I read this all educators in who are working collaboratively with need to "make sure everyone they work with is on the same page about what each phrase means". Time and time again you don't work together and this is where gaps or "things don't come together".
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Technology was strikingly absent from these conversations. Instead, the common view of personalization focused on giving agency for learning to the student and valuing each individual in a classroom.
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I'm shocked that there was no conversation about technology within this conference, however I know the focus should be meeting the needs of all students, student choice, rich/meaningful "personalized" learning. Why no discussions about integration of technology?
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in order to navigate the system of accountability in the U.S. educational system, many school district leaders require public school educators to teach a specific curriculum that will be evaluated on standardized tests, while at the same time telling teachers to be innovative and creative within their classrooms.
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When I think to my going to be new school building, I think of all the state testing required curriculum and so this paragraph hits home. How can you meet the demands of the system yet create a new system of innovation and student centered learning?
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I feel the same way. I think the best way with implementing any new ideas is to take "baby steps", adding something new, while at the same time determining what small things could be taken out. It could never happen quiickly, but over many years.
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We don’t need personalization as much as we need to promote and give opportunities for our kids to do personal learning. And while they come from the same root, those two words are vastly different. “Personalized” learning is something that we do to kids; “personal” learning is something they do for themselves.
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I think the key point here whether "personalization" or "personal" you are allowing students to learn to do for themselves. Forming habits that last through their life. Creating opportunities through exploration, goal setting, and problem solving. Again tech is not a main focus, but can enhance.
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"Personalized" vs. "Personal" Learning - 3 views
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all children don’t learn the same way and personalization seems to honor those differences
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I like the part about honoring the differencees, When we ignore the difference in our students we are not really doing that great job of teaching. Sometimes it may be more work, but teaching the same way or in the same style everyday is also not fair to our students. Mix it up some days even if you can't fully commit to personalization. -
There are many things teachers can do on the daily to make learning different for students. The important thing to remember is to start small and not overwhelm yourself by trying to do too many new things at once.
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it implies moving away from the industrialized form of education that pumps out cookie-cutter students with the same knowledge and skills.
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agreed we need to have students with different mindsets and be able to grow as learners, Not just doing the same as all other kids
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Right. No longer are the majority of our students needing a certain skill set which allowed them to return to the farm as soon as possible. So much discussion that our school system still operates as it did 100 years ago. We must address this.
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“personalization,” “engagement” and “flip.
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Love the idea of all of these. I think the wave of the future is flipping the classroom and personalizing students' learning.
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Personal learning entails working with each child to create projects of intellectual discovery that reflect his or her unique needs and interests
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master a set of skills mandated by people who have never met them
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A learner profile is a fundamental element of a personalized learning system. The use of this technique is preferred over "one size fits all" approaches to learning. Many do not want things to be mandated to them and we know that relationships are an integral part of positive learning experiences.
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but meaningful (and truly personal) learning never requires technology
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This is sage wisdom/advice that we can't forget. Some folks try to make it seem like you need the tech when in fact you don't. As public servants, we have to think carefully and choose wisely when it comes to decisions on software/hardware and the cost/benefit involved.
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When using anyone else's resources it's important to be skepitcal. The resource has the obvious puprose of teaching or informing the student of something or teaching tem something, but technology is not necessary to perzonalize the learning, the method or way to personalize learning my be very low-tech.
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This really moves personal learning up in Bloom's taxonomy. Allows students to analyze and create with or without technology.
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it’s crucially more important to have the dispositions and the skills to create our own educational opportunities, not be trained to wait for opportunities that someone else has selected for delivery.
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The empowered learner can create their own educational opportunities. Not many people like to wait in lines, anywhere. Definitely not in school and without personalized learning, we put our students in positions at times where they have to wait for others to come along or for some other external factor beyond their control.
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It is so interesting to think about the possibilities that personalized learning could provide to so many students of all abilities.
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We often say we want creativity and innovation
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Sometimes when I give students the freedom of choice it motivates them to learn and others students lack curiosity and need guidance to spark innovation. -
Too many choices can also make it confusing for students. I hope this class will provide strategies to use with those unmotivated students.
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student moving through a prescribed set of activities at his own pace. The
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Even this personal learning at your own pace would be difficult if students were interacting with other students in forum. Forums would need to be done at some set time.
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Personalized learning should have flexible pacing, within reason. Classes should still have deadlines and set expectations providing framework for students to succeed.
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There is certainly a difference between personalized learning and working on a set list at your own pace.
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Technology was strikingly absent from these conversations. I
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To me technology or blended learning would have to play some role in getting away from the one-size fits all model. Technology allows students to explore on their own and offers many resources to do so.
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Technology also allows time to be part of student choice. The flexibility of doing online assignments provides more options with programs, research, and making .connecting world-wide.
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standardized tests, while at the same time telling teachers to be innovative and creative within their classrooms.
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The skills needed for real life jobs and situations cannot be accessed by standardized tests. Students should be learning about how to be innovative and creative to solve real problems.
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Teachers feel the pressure to follow districts curriculum so closely that they are scared to get away from teaching traditionally and giving students the opportunity for personalized learning.
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the best thing we can do for kids is empower them to make regular, important, thoughtful decisions about their own learning, what they learn and how they learn it
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I think it all starts with the empowered learner and follows with the teacher's ability to guide as necessary, the learner has to be at the center and making the majority of the decisions around the learning plan with support as needed.
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flipping doesn’t do much for helping kids become better learners in the sense of being able to drive their own education.
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I agree flipping doesn't always help students become better learners of their own education, but I think it does help students learn the lesson since they are able to view videos and then do more deeper problem solving. But it doesn't drive their own learning, we are still telling them what they need to learn.
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“’Personalized’ learning is something that we do to kids; ‘personal’ learning is something they do for themselves.
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When something is "Personalized" for a student, I feel we still have given the student what they need to learn what they are interested in, the technology, the resources, etc. If learning is supposed to be about what the student wants to learn, then they should be the ones to find the technology and resources they need to learn. That way, it is more personal to the student.
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I completely agree with this statement. Many students will still need that adult guidance and supports and then the teacher can step back and allow students to work toward their next steps.
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personalization only comes when students have authentic choice over how to tackle a problem
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If a student doesn't have a choice or a limited number of choices in what they want to learn or how to tackle a problem, then it truly isn't Personalized. The teacher still had some say in what or how the student was to go about learning the information or problem and how to solve it. Students need complete control and/or choice in the way they go about learning their interest.
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We often say we want creativity and innovation – personalization – but every mechanism we use to measure it is through control and compliance,
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It is true we always ask students to be creative and innovative so that they feel like they have control of what their end product is, but when we have the state and districts tell us what needs to be taught and then give standardized tests, the personalization has disappeared.
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control and compliance.
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Standardized testing and required assessments do not jive with personalized learning. They are ways to assess student understanding of concepts but are examples of the control and expected compliance in our current educational system.
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truly personalized learning experience requires student choice
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Here lies the sticking point with most teachers ... giving students a choice. Finding creative ways to do this, along with meeting standards and expectations will be the challenge of today's generation of educators. -
I agree with you. It is challenging to provide choice with all of the expected standards and CFAs, etc. How do we honor all things? I love to give my students choice, but it isn't always easy. Is it only the content where they don't get much choice? Can we vary our process and product options to allow for choice there? -
I think it would benefit us to see lesson plan or video examples where student choice is present while still addressing the standards. I think we talk a ton about the why but then struggle when coming up with concrete steps.
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That was flipping the curriculum, but it still wasn’t flipping the control of the learning.
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Unfortunately for me, this describes my 'flipping' experience as well. In my mind, they should be learning the material at home by reading, watching videos, and doing research and practicing, applying, and extending their learning at school. In reality what I have experienced is that only truly motivated learners want to learn this way and experience success. Forcing it on someone does not work ... and in the sense of this article is nowhere personalized learning.
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Agreed Shawn. "We" the teachers are still in charge of the students learning. We haven't given over control to the student yet.
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“delivery of instruction.”
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Interesting how the connotation with this phrase has changed over the years. One might argue in my early teaching years this was number 1 on the list of things a teacher better be good at. Today 'good teaching' is more about being a facilitator of knowledge and not the delivery boy of it.
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The main objective is just to raise test scores
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I long for the day when this isn't even a consideration! Until then, this topic must appear in every article like this. Ironic timing...we give the Iowa Assessments tomorrow and guess what, my boss(es) aren't asking me for my personalized learning plans, but rather what tactics were recently employed to raise test scores and show growth.
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while making sense of ideas is surely personal, it is not exclusively individual because it involves collaboration and takes place in a community
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resource rich
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I'm interested to see what "resource rich" looks like. If students are in charge of their own learning, what are the best resources to provide them? Is it that we have a lot of options like databases for them to draw the information, or is it the teacher's job to do some of that curation?
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“Personalized” learning is something that we do to kids; “personal” learning is something they do for themselves
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This is a critical step to get our students started. This is just like swimming. We could throw them in the deep end and see what happens or we could start in the shallow end and give them the tools and skills needed to be successful. I vote for the later!
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I agree with both of you. Educators do spend too much time doing things TO kids instead of guiding them to learn it for themselves. The critical step is to get them started by encouraging them to try and fail at new things. Students don't know a world without devices but they don't know how to utilize those devices as learning tools. That is the starting point in the shallow end of the pool (or as I know it - elementary school.) It is just as important to give them the skills needed to use the tools as it is to give them the tools.
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short term.
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If we can’t engage our kids in ideas and explorations that require no technology, then we have surely lost our way.
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So true....putting technology in front of a student, does not magically make a student learn.
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I agree. They need to be exposed to the skill sets needed to utilize the technology as tools for learning.
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The challenge some teachers see with this idea is that using the technology is the easy way to get kids engaged. There were ways to engage students in learning before schools went to the one to one concept.
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moving ownership of learning away from the teacher and more toward the student
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Who's doing the work? Flipping has become a very surface level strategy- as he said, taking care of those mundane housekeeping tasks, not really taking advantage of the possibilities!
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Well said! Flipping a classroom doesn't change learning ownership. It is just a different way to do the same teacher led lecture. It is not any different then creating or scanning a worksheet to do on the computer.
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That's a great way to think about that...who own's the learning? We haven't changed instruction or how the instruction is given.
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for
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A term like “mass customized learning,”
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kids spend much of their time learning with and from one another.
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Thinking about how adults learn best- isn't that how we learn? Collaboratively with others? Rarely do I learn in isolation.
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tandardized way
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It's important that you have a standardize way of addressing the personalization. You need to know the end goal and the different pathways they can get there. If you jump into this without proper preparation you could loose some kids along the way.
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Our systems and assessments assume that neither content nor access to teachers is widely available, and that we must deliver a proscribed, fairly narrow curriculum to each child because if they don’t have it in their heads when they need it, they will fail at the task
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I think about how much I have learned outside of a classroom or a course. In education we have to get over ourselves thinking that once a student leaves our high schools they know everything they need to know and will never learn again (outside of school). Unfortunately- our assessments drive this. If a student is proficient, they are "good". :-)
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huge disruption
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I forgot about this phrase from our previous learning. Maybe it was in our Blended Book? I think it's a important phrase to keep in mind. If you are being true to updating your classroom/curriculum to match modern students it MUST be a disruptive environment.
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skeptical
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flipped classrooms, flipped teachers, flipped texts. For the uninitiated, the flipped concept suggests that we can now use technology to offload many of the more mundane classroom tasks
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This is such a large issue. People use technology and say they have flipped their classroom when in essence all they did was digitize their paper documents.
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It requires the presence of a caring teacher who knows each child well.
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It is important for me to know and understand my students. I think sometimes, after having new students year in and year out, we forget to do the little things that helps us to really know our students. I always appreciate the reminder.
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“monitor students’ progress,” we should immediately ask, “What do you mean by progress?” That word, like achievement, often refers to nothing more than results on dreadful tests.
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Umm, I can't help but think about the CFAs we are creating in our teacher teams. Are we doing things wrong?
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You want to really engage kids? Give them opportunities to learn personally, to create their own texts and courses of study, and to pursue that learning with others in and out of the classroom who share a passion.
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I think this is a very powerful statement. Every learner, whether they are young or old, will be more engaged in their learning if they are given the opportunity to decide their own courses of study with others who share their passion.
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A suffix can change everything. When you attach -ality to sentiment, for example, you end up with what Wallace Stevens called a failure of feeling.
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This is part of the discussion as to why the new ISTE standards reflect roles rather than actions. For example, instead of "digital citizenship" the standard now describes a "digital citizen", and I think this makes all the difference.
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Will Richardson
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I wonder if we asked our students what skills they thought they should acquire via school if they would be anything remotely resembling our state standards...
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synthesize and analyze information into original productions.
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This type of personalization also adds the higher order skills from Bloom's Taxonomy and is more rigorous for students.
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nothing to do with the person sitting in front of you
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PERSONalized learning is all about the person sitting in front of you, not what is easy for the teacher.
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allows students to work at their own pace and level, meets the individual needs of students
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When students are able to work at their own pace and level, they thrive. They are able to complete and correctly practice the skills that are being taught to them.
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But as is so often the case in education, I’m not sure we as a community are spending enough time digging to parse what those words really mean, especially in the context of what deep learning now requires in a connected world.
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This is sad, but true. Often in education, we jump in without fully understanding what makes something truly effective. Or we put our own spin on it to make it easier/ "more effective."
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And while they come from the same root, those two words are vastly different
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This is a very important distinction. Personal learning teachers students to become lifelong learners!
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personalized environment gives students the freedom
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with access to the sum of human knowledge in our pockets
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Who needs to learn any more when we can "Google" the answer? I've heard this comment time and time again. So now we need to set a new standard in how students learn.
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promote and give opportunities
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Yes, give the students opportunities for personalized learning. Students can choose their opportunity, it's not owned by the teacher.
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bits of information, not the construction of meaning.
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word
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only choice
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eave little room for the kind of authentic, whole-child personalization many teachers dream of offering
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many school district leaders require public school educators to teach a specific curriculum
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Teachers want to provide personalized learning but are not always allowed the freedom they need. Teachers feel the pressure of 25+ students in one classroom meeting the standards they need to meet.
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She cautions educators who may be excited about the progressive educational implications for “personalized learning” to make sure everyone they work with is on the same page about what that phrase means.
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Each school district will need to have a conversation about what personalized learning is to be on the same page.
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99More
PLE Articles - 3 views
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I could stand to be more savvy in my own organizing of online learning and networking:
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This is so me! I really need to create a personal learning environment for myself with everything in one place.
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I know that I do not take full advantage of these and I should! It just needs to be my go to and make it a habit. It totally makes sense to have everything in one place.
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For me taking the step after doing more of my own PLE would be to help my staff.
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Exactly. How is it that I can create a Symbaloo and resources for teachers but can't find the time to do it for myself. I feel like a chicken with my head cut off some days trying to remember all my favorite places and websites that I use for different lessons. -
I am terrible at this to. I have lately been creating folders on my bookmark toolbar to get more organized. There are so many resources that we have learned about from each other and this course that I have forgotten about and I wish I would have come up with some way to organize them as I was learning about them.
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DITTO! I find myself going through many bookmarks on my computer daily. Need to get things organized and manageable.
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ou can embed media (images, videos, and Slideshare presentations) in a tile, as an instructor, you can make a webmix quite interactive.
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Love that this can be done especially so kids don't have to go to various websites all the time and try to navigate which can be tricky even for us adults at times.
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Symbaloo has improved options since I was first introduced to it. I'd like to help staff create their own!
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I agree with the ease of it and having others use it. I think it is imperative they have a full hour or more to work with it. I would recommend they come with sites/images/links they definitely want to include before work time. They may spend more time on that and not finish it. Suddenly, it gets pushed back and not used.
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allows students to direct and manage their own learning experience while pursuing educational goals.
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Nothing says great learning more than this...they decide how to reach their educational goal. great!
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Agreed. It makes sense that students with invested interest in their education and ability to make choices will be more successful.
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- ...31 more annotations...
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Learning isn’t germane to structured classroom environments alone; it occurs in both formal and informal settings.
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This has been true for centuries, yet our schools still function with the thought that things must be learned in the classroom. That thought is starting to shift and progress has been made, but we still have a long way to go to change some mindsets.
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I love getting updates from friends teaching through outdoor classrooms or non traditional settings. They always share the successes but also acknowledge any difficulties. Trouble shooting is key for those making shifts to PLEs.
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The employ of PLEs in the classroom can go horribly wrong if teachers fail to prepare students and set usage parameters. PLEs place a large amount of responsibility on students and thus requires a high level of self-management and awareness.
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These are critical steps! We can't just assume students know how to do it. We have to teach them the skills either at first or as you go along. Throwing students into the situation is setting them up for potential failure.
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Agreed Kim! I also made a comment earlier about student motivation factoring into this too
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What I do like about Symbaloo is that if I make any updates to this webmix, students receive the updates as well!
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I use symbaloo for my library resources. I am able to embed it on my library page. What I like is that it gives the students the direct link to many of the resources without them having to hunt for them. There are times that I want them to do that, but sometimes it just needs to be quick and Symbaloo works well for that.
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I like the links readily available for a teacher's specific unit. Symbaloo helps students stay connected to assignments and increases efficiency of finding information.
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I encouraged students to use their accounts as an information dashboard for “professional” or school interests as well as personal passions.
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I really like this idea. I have never really explored Symbaloo enough or thoroughly enough to use it with students. I would like to explore that possibility more as part of my personal learning plan
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I thought that was an interesting idea also. We've discussed Symbaloo for years but I hadn't considered students creating their own.
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I like the clean look of it. People get easily lost in many online sites. Symbaloo forces you to find the key sites. This can really force you to find the best of the best.
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Students engaging in networked learning have to learn to be more self-directed than in the typical classroom
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This is definitely a concept that we need to teach our students. Cooperative/group learning was something that I did not like growing up as I was usually the one most responsible in the group and ended up doing most of the work. We need to teach all of our students how this concept works so that it can be successful for all.
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Very true for this to be successful. I think a step before that is to do an in-depth training for staff. So many times new methods and teaching tools are dumped in our laps without training, supports, or guidance. PLEs could have lasting, powerful effects on students so I'd make sure it's all staff not just teachers to benefit from training.
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A PLE is the method students use to organize their self-directed online learning, including the tools they employ to gather information, conduct research, and present their findings.
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Interesting ... a PLE isn't a physical environment at all, but rather a method ... hadn't thought of it that way before reading this article.
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I think what is also crucial to think about is how to get students to effectively research. We find this as a battle a lot. I wonder, though, if students are picking their own path that we would have more time to teach and reinforce these skills with them.
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These tools provide a medium for students to create their own learning space that is more natural and unique to their interests and learning styles.
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What? You mean our kids don't like to physically come to school, sit down, listen and learn anymore? And we are to adjust our 'teaching' to best fit their learning, including the delivery methods and mediums?!?!? Now that takes a GROWTH mindset!
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Lol! I have a small group of students everyday. Because of the numbers I let them choose where we work each day - comfy loungers, table with rigid seats… I also let them make decisions on as many things as possible every period. I like to think these students feel empowered, valued, and appreciated because of these simple tweaks to my teaching style. However, realistically I believe this would be more difficult for me in a class of 30. I want to learn strategies and then help other teachers to take the leap.
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This encourages students to apply their learning in different venues which creates a culture of lifelong learning.
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This to me seems like the greatest benefit to a PLE, but still relies HEAVILY on learner motivation. If a student is not motivated to learn (individually or otherwise) a PLE seems like it could be a way lose touch with that student
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I agree with this also. Motivated students are not my concern. It's my middle school students that project their lack of interest, refuse or struggle to learn in the traditional setting, and those that show apathy toward any aspect of learning. These students may benefit the most from PLEs but how to convince them in a class of 30+ is daunting.
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facilitation of students’ “active role in the learning process”
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I think a lot of modern day teachers (will) struggle with this ... moving from the keeper and giver of knowledge to facilitator of knowledge. We don't 'teach' them anything anymore that they can't learn on their own ... if they WANT to (even the quadratic formula). The challenge to me is how do we motivate and teach today's kids to WANT to learn on their own?
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Yes, how do we instill the intrinsic value of personal growth and learning? I see one way is connecting to real-world implementation. Students ask "why learn this" and "when will I ever use this". I agree that some or many teachers will struggle shifting from keeper to facilitator because it's out of comfort zone and control issue.
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I currently have a few students that would be ready and do well with this learning environment. How do we change the mindset of those other students that think school is useless and would do nothing all day long if given the opportunity? I'm afraid the "active" role may need to be more facilated that what we have been reading about so far.
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The concept of PLE is not a way to replace classroom learning, but to enhance it.
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I think this is important because some people might think that having a PLE for a student, then the teachers role is done. The teacher still has to provide what students need to learn, standards, but it is the student who decides how and the teacher is there to be a facilitator.
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I second this comment. This concept would take a lot of background and professional development. Teachers may feel threatened and some may worry about losing jobs as the internet can replace everything. Understanding it is not meant to replace is essential.
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So important to know that the teacher still plays an important role in this type of environment. Especially as students who are so used to the traditional learning environment move to a PLE.
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Teachers, she explains, are no longer the primary or even the best source of information available to students
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This is so true! With all of the ways students can find information using technology, the teacher is more there to help or facilitate a students learning if needed. Unlike "back-in-the-day", when students relied on the teacher or library for almost all of the information or learning.
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Truth. While the teacher's job has changed greatly, they are still very necessary. Now however, the need to teach students how to find the information and find good and trustworthy information.
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Not every student is ready for this responsibility,
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It would be nice if all students would be able to have a PLE, but some are not mature enough or motivated enough to work independently. Some students still need to be "pushed" to get work done and stay on task.
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There has never been one way for students to learn. We have to be flexible and offer different ways. I agree, this does not fit all students. We can still integrate pieces of this for students but use traditional means as well!
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The concept of PLE's seems really appealing to "lazy" teachers and it will unlikely work. For those of us that use technology frequently in our daily instruction you know that it takes a lot of pre-planning to incoporate technology appropriately. If you add the element of a student not being ready to take this step you either have teachers never try or really really fail.
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I agree that some teachers may think that using the PLE will be an easy out for them in regards to planning and instruction. If it is done well, the teacher who is part of the PLE actually should have more work to do as they monitor students on their individual work.
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Even while this does not work for all students, a modified version would still beneficial for all students. Some would need more guidance while still setting goals and completing projects.
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I would totally agree that not every student is ready, but isn't this the point of personalized learning?
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PLEs give learners a high degree of control over their work by allowing them to customize the learning experience and connect to others, including experts in the field.
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I think when students are able to customize their learning, then they take more ownership of it and are more inclined or motivated to do it, share and work with others wanting to learn the same thing or similar things.
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clean, visual interface of Symbaloo and the ease of adding content; they also liked that they could customize the “tiles” they were adding and that their webmixes loaded quickly.
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I'm in an elementary school and use Symbaloo in my library site. The kids and teachers love how easy it is to use and find the sites that they use quickly. I even have teachers accounts linked to our school page so that specific ages can go to their own class symbaloo.
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I have been out of the classroom for a couple of years. I would love a chance to share these ideas with some of the new teachers I coach in my work.
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Because Symbaloo is web-based, you can access your favorite webmixes from different computers.
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Teachers and kids love this at my school. I even give families the link so that they can use at home. They know that if I put a resource on it, that it is safe to use and they don't have to be roaming around looking for stuff that may end up being inappropriate.
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Instead of a teacher providing resources that everyone uses, students can utilize their PLE to acquire information using preferred apps and resources such as blogs, YouTube, Pinterest, Ning or Delicious.
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This is such a win, win. The students are finding what interests them, helping others, and also helping the teacher. All too often teachers spend a large amount of time finding the resources. This works much better in the upper levels as it is essential to talk about reliability and good sources. I think it is essential to look at databases provided by the AEA and others purchased. These are reliable and good places to go. In the elementary, I send them here for reading levels and as they don't have the same ability to search online.
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PLE by creating blogs, wikispaces, prezi presentations and photo collages as final projects; thereby diversifying instruction.
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This is where I get frustrated in the elementary. Most sites are for students ages 13 and up. I won't allow them to create their own prezi, animoto, powtoon, etc. accounts. So I have them use my login & password which is likely breaking copyright rules. These social media platforms (including Pinterest), need to create student friendly ones for ages 7 and up (just threw out an age) so that we can integrate similar style of teaching.
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I agree. If we wait until they are in middle school to have them "appropriately" use websites they have already developed their sense of digital citizenship without the proper instruction we know they need.
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Heather- I did some digging into Symbaloo's privacy policy and it looks like as long as you have obtained parental permission, students under the age of 13 can create an account- but I would look into a creating a pro account. I know I'm going to check it out! "By making any such personal information available to Symbaloo, you acknowledge that you have obtained the consent of a parent and/or guardian of that individual to provide such personal information, and that you have taken reasonable precautions to prevent individuals under the age of 13 from falsifying such consent"
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Students can extend their learning into questions to parents, email conversations, Facebook posts or even twitter hashtags.
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Organizations/schools have always tried to increase communication. Parents have always continued to want more understanding of what students are learning. Using this type of format and inviting them into the learning is crucial. They can give feedback, see how to help, and also feel confident in what students are learning and the type of projects/products. The trick- how do we integrate families without internet? That is not impossible (especially if they come pick at school and allowing access in the library), but something to seriously think about. Rural areas can't go to McDonalds 20 miles away to do homework. We must have a policy to help those without internet.
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supporting students in developing their skills and motivations for becoming themselves networked and sophisticated online learners
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I was elated to read this quote. I think we can focus too much on the what verses how do we grow and improve our resources. The sheer number of resources is overwhelming and can cause people to shut down. I think the key is to teach how to evaluate a resource and think about if it fits the current need. Curating is not like liking or making comments everywhere. We need to teach people how to decide.
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teacher centered classrooms to more learner centered classrooms
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When we can get teachers to put the focus back on what the student needs, ideas and classroom revolutions like PLE's or flipped curriculum become much more likely.
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teachers must pursue training and be knowledgeable of how to utilize PLEs to enhance learning and ensure that students are using this e-learning tool in a meaningful way.
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This is extremely important. If we want to do something well, we must have good support and good training. It makes more sense for the teacher to initiate the training because there will be more buy-in.
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I decided to revisit Symbaloo, which I first discovered about a year or so ago through my colleague and friend Wendy Drexler.
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Our teacher librarian uses Symbaloo to organize the library resources like databases, the library link, etc. It's a nice visual.
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Personal learning environments are beneficial because they support learning anywhere and allow learners to connect the diverse environments of school, home and play
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I think it is great that this type of learning will help to shift the mindset of the students to one in which they think learning can happen anywhere.
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Study group resources
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I saw this being used with Freshman- this was a way for them to organize their resources for a research paper.
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Symbaloo EDU
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I was doing some research on Symbaloo EDU and it looks like they have created something called Learning Paths- https://www.symbalooedu.com/learning-paths/ This would be a way for students to move through learning at their own pace.
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You can share with the public or with a select group of individuals (via email).
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I like how easy it is to share web mixes with others. You could use Google Classroom to share different symbaloo's with different sets of students.
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let’s never forget it is an ongoing balancing act.
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sharing with others.
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This reminds me of the first grade blogs, I used to have my students do years ago. They loved the feedback from their parents and grandparents.
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The social media platform that supports PLEs creates a perfect space for peer collaboration and sharing information.
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What would be the best social media platform to use for lower elementary students?
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Symbaloo
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I love Symbaloo and the fact that it is user friendly enough for first graders to use!
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Course: Personalized Learning (June 27) - 5 views
34More
Lesson: Articles on Visual Design - 2 views
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t's about how much visual weight different parts of your design have.
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Have variety without overdoing it. The Yahoo example in the lesson was a great example of too much information that confuses the viewer.
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Position — Where something is on a page clearly influences in what order the user sees it. Color — Using bold and subtle colors is a simple way to tell your user where to look. Contrast — Being different makes things stand out, while being the same makes them secondary. Size — Big takes precedence over little (unless everything is big, in which case little might stand out thanks to Contrast) Design Elements — if there is a gigantic arrow pointing at something, guess where the user will look?
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I would suggest looking at websites that you like, ones that feel easy to navigate. Look at what they do and use it as a guide when starting out.
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I think this is a smart idea. Our district is currently doing a redesign and started to discuss what the other UEN districts websites strengths and challenges. -
I would echo mirroring a site that you like. It's a perfect way to get ideas and then tweak as needed.
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Web site is being unable to figure out where to go or where you are.
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Three click rule: If a user has to click on more than three links then they are most likely going to be frustrated and leave the site. Keep navigation simple!
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- ...13 more annotations...
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So if there was a download button, for example, I would make a little download image. In the last year or so, I've switched to using CSS to make my buttons and have never looked back.
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This a good tip that I would like to try. I have always created buttons versus using CSS.
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Consistency means making everything match. Heading sizes, font choices, coloring, button styles, spacing, design elements, illustration styles, photo choices, etc. Everything should be themed to make your design coherent between pages and on the same page.
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The best advice yet! It makes sites easier to navigate, especially for novice users.
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Exercise.
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This visual is very helpful. It also shows the power of an infographic to help a viewer understand the written content.
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This layout helps visualize all of the definitions that were listed above.
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But as a general rule, putting space between text and the rest of the world makes it infinitely more readable and pleasant. White Space
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This makes sense so as not overwhelm the reader. It's about looking at other's use of white space and figuring out why it appeals to you.
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Too much run on makes it very confusing for the student - white space is essential!
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Visual Hierarchy
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Users don’t read, they scan.
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With this in mind, how can we teach students to decide when scanning vs reading makes sense?
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fter you’ve worked on a site for few weeks, you can’t observe it from a fresh perspective anymore.
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Example of Pulling it all together
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Design is marketing. Design is your product and how it works.
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This is so important! Design is more than colors and fonts - this is your baby! Think about the user experience because design can truly make that experience negative.
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Font Choices — Different types of fonts say different things about a design. Some look modern, some look retro. Make sure you are using the right tool for the job.
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Is any one else a font nerd like I am? The fact Google gives me unlimited choices in fonts is dangerous!
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With so much information and interaction to be effected on a Web site, it's important that you, the designer, provide for it all. That means making your Web site design usable.
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Usability is crucial. So many educators and agencies have been under the microscope because we have continued to create things that are not ADA compliant and thus not usable to all end users.
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Keeping your design crisp and sharp is super important in Web design. And when it comes to clarity, it's all about the pixels.
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YES! I will stop looking at a presentation or site if images are not crisp.
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9More
dol-2018: Lesson Planning: The Missing Link in e-Learning Course Design - 2 views
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• Learners need to see examples of a product or a process
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things that happen in between developing the IDP and storyboarding that designers often do not explicitly discuss, and even more often do not document.
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Since introducing lesson plans as required deliverables in my e-Learning design courses, I have seen tremendous improvements in the work of my students.
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We cannot forget about planning a solid lesson. Even digitally it needs to happen.
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- ...2 more annotations...
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Objectives — there is little difference between the delivery methods
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At least this is the same in both types of lesson planning and delivery.
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instructional designers who only have experience with e-Learning and might someday have a need to develop face-to-face instruction.
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Since we are used to face-to-face learning, this type of plan seems good to compare the two.
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