Today's World and Putting Students First

I thoroughly enjoyed the article How to Bring Technology into the Classroom Without the Gadgets by Mary Moss Brown and Alisa Berger.  I felt all the points brought up in the article were interesting and I agree with all of them.

                One point I enjoyed was putting the focus on the student and the community.  I agree that as educators we need to think about what students really need to learn.  As stated, times have changed and are every changing, so rather than focusing on the past and what was always learned, it would be beneficial for us to focus on the students now and what they need to know.  Hands on experience with material that they need to know will not only help them learn the material, but it will be beneficial for them later in life, as they have already had that experience and they are now allowed to expand their knowledge on previously learned material.  

                This article also brings up the flipped classroom that was discussed last week.  As I have said, I love the idea of a flipped classroom.  I think it is beneficial to students and they are able to have more time in class with hands on experiences.  This article brings up another good point about a flipped classroom, which is the ability to utilize class time to collaborate with other students.  This does not only help build relationships and help students work together to solve problems, but it will benefit the students later in life.  As you move on through high school, college and jobs, collaboration between people happens every single day.  In my opinion, collaborating with others is not always easy, especially if it is done later in life, when a person is more or less set in their ways.  I believe that if collaboration was brought into the classroom at an early age, then as students get older it will be easy for them to collaborate in the adult world.  They will already have the experience and will know how to work with others to solve problems.

                The last sentence of the article really sums up the piece.  It states, “When schools become more willing to question-to ask “why” and “what if”—and to innovate around the challenges of educating every child for the 21^st century world, then they can truly leverage technology to its full potential”.  I believe that we really need to look at the world today and base lessons and material that is being taught around what will truly benefit the students in today’s world. 

To Flip or Not to Flip

Prior to reading this week’s articles, I wasn’t very familiar with what a Flipped Classroom actually was, and therefore did not have much of an opinion about it.  After reading the articles for this week, I think that a Flipped Classroom can benefit many students.

 One part that stuck out at me was in the article The Flipped Learning Model: Executive Summary.  One part of this article talks about the two “pioneers” of Flipped Learning using video presentations for students who had to miss class time due to school competitions, games or other events.  I can connect with this and understand how flipped learning would benefit students that had to leave early.  In elementary school, I was in band.  We practiced two days a week at a different school than my own.  The practice time was during our lunch hour, but in order to arrive at the other school and have enough practice time, we had to leave the class that we were in before lunch early.  While it seemed nice to be able to leave class early at the time, this set-up was not ideal.  This meant that two times a week I was missing about one-half of the same class period, which in reality equaled missing one class period a week.  If a Flipped Classroom was available at this time, I would not have missed out on so much of the information.

                In The Flipped Class is Here to Stay by Brian Bennett, there are many key points that are listed that I find would benefit students.  I liked how the article made sure to mention that the teacher is not being replaced by computer screens or other aides.  I think that is a common misconception among people who are against Flipped Classrooms.  Bennett stated, “The teacher is present and active…a member of the learning community.  Rather than being a dispenser of information, the teacher is an active learner with the group”.  I think that the teacher being active in the classroom, rather than just giving students information will keep the students focused on the material.  It will allow students who need extra help to receive this, and allow other students to work independently if they have mastered the concept. Students don’t learn at the same pace regardless of their age or grade level, so by having the teacher free to help students who need concepts further explained, does not take away practice time for students who have already grasped the concept.

Tell Me a Story

   Prior to the articles and discussion in class, I had never heard of Digital Storytelling.  However, I love the idea and believe that I will use this as a future educator.  I have always learned better by being able to make real life connections to the information that I am being given.  I believe that learning new material needs to go beyond the books and notes.  By using Digital Storytelling, the learner will be able to make connections to the material using real life examples.  No matter how small these connections, I believe that they will help the learner understand and retain the material, while being more engaged in the learning process.

                In The Art of Digital Storytelling, by Bernajean Porter there is a quote that I find to describe the exact way that I feel about the topic; “Tell your tales, make them true. If they endure, so will you”.  I feel as though even if it is not the learner’s personal story that they are making a connection with, hearing another person’s story can also bring many connections to the subject that is being learned.  Learners can listen and watch another person’s story, and remember this while they are thinking about the material at a later time. 

            I found the article The Science of Storytelling: Why Telling a Story is the Most Powerful Way to Activate Our Brains interesting.  I have always preferred and felt like I learned better if I can visually see something happening and if I can make a connection to it, rather than just looking at bullet points on a PowerPoint.  I found it interesting that listening to a story activates different parts of our brain, which in turn helps us learn and retain the material.  I have always agreed with this and felt like this is how I retained information, and found it interesting that science has proved what I have thought all along!   

Talk to Me

             Communication is an essential part of everyday life.  It allows us to ask for needs and wants, express our interests and feelings and socialize with each other.  Communication is something that is learned from a young age and the idea of not being able to communicate is scary.  Technological advances have given a voice to those who were unable to communicate the traditional way. 

            Sara Pzyska a college student with Cerebral Palsy, uses a DynaVox VMAX to communicate and participate in activities that she enjoys.  Without this device, her communication would be limited and she would be unable to sing and be part of performing arts world. Her story struck me, because I know a woman like Sara.  I attended high school with Jamie* and had many interactions with her working as a library aide.  Jamie would come to the library and communicate with me using a picture system.  This system was a good way for Jamie to communicate, but there were still many glitches.  Since there was no voice, Jamie relied on pointing to pictures to make full sentences to express herself.  Since her movement was limited, it was sometimes difficult for her to point to certain pictures and it was not always clear what she was trying to say.  I saw her become frustrated and I could not imagine not being able to express myself.

            A few years after high school, I saw Jamie.  She now had a device similar to the DynaVox.  It made a world of difference in the way that she was able to express herself.  Her ability to communicate went from pointing to pictures trying to create sentences, to being able to speak full sentences and fully express herself.  I could clearly see the difference it made for Jamie and the difference that it made for the person that she was trying to communicate with.

Another form of communication is the app PROLOQUO2GO.  The things that this app can do are amazing.  It seems easy to navigate around and to pick the right words to form full sentences.  Each word is in a category, and words can be put together to form full sentences.  Watching Joshua Hood use this app to communicate was touching.  His face lit up as he communicated using the app, and it was clear that this app has made a huge difference in his life.  He was not able to have a communication device as a child, as these devices and apps are newer.  He spent his childhood communicating by using charades.  Although charades is a fun game, it should be a game and not a primary means of communication.  I could not imagine the frustration that Josh and his family felt as they tried to figure out what Josh was trying to express.  It was sad to know that Josh had many interests, but was not able to express them until he used this app.  I cannot even imagine the joy that this app has brought Josh and his family.  I  can see just by watching, how much he appreciates an app like this, as he has lived the majority of his life with limited communication.

            These devices and apps are expensive, but can make a huge difference in someone’s life. Sam Sennot, co-creator of PROLOQUO2GO, stated that one of the company’s goals is to make this app available to anyone who needed it, regardless of their ability to afford it.  I hope that this goal is met, because I have seen first-hand the difference that it makes for a person who is unable to traditionally communicate.

See Sara's story here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlC8G5nNE7k&feature=related

See Josh's story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_8b7PgnNQQ

Learn more about PROLOQUO2GO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vomkNSluWW4&feature=related

*denotes name change