Global Education

As I near the end of my formal education after 21 years in the classroom as a student, I find myself reflecting more and more on things my teachers did right, attempted to do right, or things that did not go so well throughout my education. On my return flight from the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association conference in Columbus, Ohio this week, somewhere over Kentucky, I found myself reflecting on the use of video conferencing with a class in Russia that my eighth grade social studies teacher attempted on a regular basis. I began to laugh. The teacher, Mr. Bonedise, attempted almost weekly to get the conferencing device to work. Throughout the entire year, I think we were only able to conference one time, but I do admire is persistence! Keep in mind the year was 1995 and technology in the classroom was a very new concept in most schools.

Looking back on Mr. Bonedise's class, I realized it was the beginning of my desire to learn about other cultures around the world. Sure it was not the best attempt at learning about other cultures, since this was also pre-NCLB (No Child Left Behind), so we spent the majority of the class period simply watching him struggle with the video equipment and attempt to remain calm. Nonetheless, this class sparked my interest in attempting to learn about diverse cultures.

Today, feats such as classroom video conferencing through the use of programs such as Skype have made communication with other classrooms halfway around the world more accessible and less frustrating. However, I am not sure teachers are taking advantage of this global learning experience. 

Some teachers might ask a few of the following questions when contemplating video conferencing in their classrooms:

• Why would my students want to talk to other classes or people around the world?
• What does video conferencing have to do with my standards?
• What benefit would conferencing with others around the world have for my students (especially their test scores)?
• Is there any real-world application to video conferencing or is it a waste of time?

All of the questions are things I have contemplated throughout the use of video conferencing in my classroom, even when Skyping with a military pilot in California. No matter what the reasoning is students become more motivated and engaged in a global conversation when video conferencing is utilized in the classroom. The world is no longer separated by oceans. In fact, many businesses rely on video conferencing in order to hold meetings, make decisions, and even hire employees. 

Isn't it about time classrooms in America start inspiring students to become global participants in the world we live in?

What is Tech Ed in Schools?

After attending a technology and engineering conference this past week, I began to wonder- What does teaching technology in current, cutting-edge, 21st century classrooms look like? Should it mean that every student has their own handheld devices? Should it mean that students are learning about concepts techies would need to know in the real-world such as "AVG cable"? Or should it mean that students are building items with glue and wood like I did during my middle school technology class in the mid-1990s?

After pondering these questions throughout the three day conference, I realized that there is not one universal definition of what tech ed is; therefore, I realized I had to create my own definition of what tech ed should look like in my own classroom.

Tech education is more than a mere computer education class in which students learn about basic programs such as Office and presentation products. To me my middle school tech ed classroom should utilize a plethora of free apps, diverse terms, facts, and historical contexts, as well as a variety of programs that students can continue utilizing in other classes or in their free time. I realized during my pondering that the most important part of my class is to instill within my students the appropriate skills needed to work with technology and other people in the real world.

I hope to never forget the special moments during my first year of teach technology that I have had throughout the past three nine weeks. There have been times when students have been so excited to come to class to share about the flight simulation game they had been mastering on their own at home. Or the students who have worked to integrate video editing software on their own computers and cannot wait to share their products with me.

Some of the most meaningful moments this year have come from students utilizing the technology we have learned about in class on their own. Shouldn't that be the goal for all tech classes? Real-world application of technology programs, applications, and concepts should be the goal for all tech ed programs today.

Educator Collaboration

Professional Development in education has been a hot topic since I entered the field of education over ten years ago. No matter how many different sessions I attended, it seemed as though something was lacking. 

During the last few months I have taken a hiatus from blogging and from attending professional development. Instead I have focused on growing my online collaborations with educators from around the United States and the world. And I have never felt so inspired as a teacher. 

Through the use of social media applications, such as Twitter, I have been able to follow educators discussing discipline in the classroom in a time-sensitive, real way. I have been fortunate enough to gain creative ideas for not only my classroom, but also other teachers in the building as well. While I wouldn't go as far as to say I've made new friends, I have definitely found educators that I look forward to reading their posts every day and even multiple times a day. 

If you haven't been accepting of the Twitter hype up until now, I would highly recommend you create an account today. The great thing about Twitter is that you can be the back row teacher who observes everything going on, or you can choose to be the front row activists who interjects during every other idea. Either way you will gain so much from the collaborative educational community which is taking to social media networks. 

For those who are interested in starting out but don't know what to do, may I suggest you set up an account and then start by simply "Discovering" #edchat. Through #edchat you will discover educators who inspire other educators, who are diverse in their ideas, and who are ready to learn from your experiences. 

I only wish I could get PD credit for all of the hours I spend on Twitter these days! 

@jessawarner

Grading

Recently while presenting my qualifying paper at Union University, I found myself reflecting on the important things in education, most specifically the judging of learning. There are many debates among educators, parents and students about how grading should occur throughout the educational process. Currently, my professor at Union grades all assignments based on improvement. Having never had someone grade me like this, I have been fascinated, enthralled, and enraged all at the same time. After my presentation last week, I realized my negative feelings towards grading this way was more due to the unknown about how the grading occurred (I'm one of those that likes to know my grade every step of the way).

Often times people will argue that a perfect paper is the only thing that should receive a perfect grade, while others will disagree that improvement should be what is judged and graded. As an educator improvement and perfectness are both difficult concepts to grade and defend, especially in an inclusion class.

When it comes to something being perfect, what if a situation stands in the way of something being "perfect" at that moment in time? Along the same lines, a student could be dealing with a lot and it is an accomplishment that they are showing up each and every day to school. Improvement most likely won't happen until whatever is causing them to struggle is alleviated.

So I guess my question to you today is what is really the best way to grade students' learning? Is it through judging "perfectness" or improvement? Maybe its a combination of both ideals. Or maybe its not to grade students at all.

Summertime...Blessing or Curse

Since summer in Sumner County began this morning I found myself contemplating my childhood summers. The swim team, the pool, the soccer field, the friends, the barbecues, and the traveling came to mind. However, yesterday as I polled my students about their summer vacation plans many of them had the same answer- I don't know. I quickly realized that many kids today don't look forward to the same simple pleasures I was afforded summer after summer. In fact, some students don't look forward to summer break at all.

As the final bell rang yesterday, a student was hanging out in the library. This student has lived for the library this year. Before school and after school he has been seen just hanging out in the library. No, he isn't really a reader, so to speak, but he is a student whose home life was drastically changed in the past two years with the loss of his brother.

This student was hanging around the library as some of the other students rushed by him eager to start their summer break, because he knew that yesterday was the librarian's last day at our school. Unfortunately, this young man has not only lost his brother, but his favorite librarian and "safe place" were changing with the librarians retirement. My heart ached for him.

So as my summer days rush by as they often do, I hope that I am reminded that there are students somewhere, of all ages, shapes and walks of life, that are eager for school to start back in order to be welcomed back to the "safe place" in their life.

Thank you to the teachers I had after the summer of 1997 who welcomed me back to school after the loss of my mom.

Common Core

As minor as my opinions might be in the field of education, I want to be sure I express my thoughts about the Common Core Standards before they become lost in translation or transformation!

In 2006 as I was holding parent teacher conferences in a small town called Clarksville, Tennessee, I was asked bluntly by a military parent, "Can you ensure that my son will be competitive with his peers if we are to be relocated to Alaska next year?" My heart sank, because here I was presented with a question, I must admit, I had never thought about. This particular parent had just returned from Iraq and was facing PCSing (what military call relocation) to a new Army post in Alaska and he was concerned his son could not compete with fellow fifth graders in Alaska.

At that point in my career, I had taught in Alabama, Tennessee and New Zealand, but the thought of the differences in standards had really only crossed my mind in 1993 when my parents moved me to Tennessee and I found myself at least a year ahead of my peers in my learning.

When I heard about the educational initiative, the Common Core Standards, established by several governors two years ago my heart rejoiced. Finally, the military father who had worried about the education of his child could be guaranteed that his son's education would not be hindered due to the various locations the military sent him. Also, I had realized that more and more American citizens have become more mobile, making this initiative a necessity if states want to ensure that all of their students have the same base knowledge.

Last week while watching the Kentucky Derby I noticed that various companies have begun running advertisements in support of the Common Core Standards, and I hope that doesn't deter some from supporting this much needed educational change in America.

Dewey on Education

As an educator, have you ever read any of the multiple works that John Dewey wrote in regards to education? I must admit that until last summer, I hadn't either, which is really a shame. Dewey has been one of the most masterful minds behind educational theories, philosophies and pedagogues. He envisioned an educational means in which students were placed in the center and taught democratic life-long lessons.

It is my belief that every educator should be required to read Dewey's work before ever setting foot into the classroom.