Prensky -VS- Bauerlein

               VS                            

Which one do you agree with???

 According to Prensky complex games are a great learning tool and parents should play them with their children.

He is trying to sell the idea that CHANGE is needed in our classrooms in order to reach the kids of today “Digital Natives”. He claims the “Digital Immigrants” (the teachers) are not engaging their students in learning, they are bored. We as parents should take an interest in what our children are doing. Perhaps then we can understand that they are actually learning not just playing a game .He is selling the idea to parents, that games are what the children need in their classrooms. He explains the differences between complex games, multiple player games versus just drill games with solo players

Bauerleins’s worry is that technology integration backfired and the students of today have No or little interest in the state of the future. They are only interested in social connections;  only concerned with what their friends are doing or thinking? He describes them as an instant result selfish society. What kinds of people will be in control of our future? Bauerlein argues; Because of the easy access and readily available instant answers one can gain from the Internet -Why should students care about learning or memorizing when everything they need to know, all answers, could be gained instantly through their social networks or on-line somewhere.

Spotted at Hollys delightful Insight

Hot Topics of the week

The Hidden Meaning Of Hand-Raising here is a cute  somewhat funny slide show I viewed take a look tell me your thoughts. Which one are you?


At School in Cyber Space this was another interesting slide show I watched about a online academy in tennessee. Since technology is become so dominant in the classroom what are your views on a total online class. Students don't come into a school building but they learn on line from home with the assistance of a adult. How effective is this style?

Both articles were spotted in the New York Times.

Education Today A race to nowhere

"This could turn out to be the most important film in education in recent history. Race to Nowhere, a documentary from director Vicki Abeles, takes us into the lives of American children in the 21st century. With fierce competition, endless homework, and a schedule that would be unsustainable for most adults, children today are being pushed to the brink. They are told it’s for their future, so that they can become successful". But what is success anyway? And how did this become the formula to achieve it?

 "This movie features the heartbreaking stories of young people in all types of communities who have been pushed to the brink, educators who are burned out and worried that students aren’t developing the skills they need, and parents who are trying to do what’s best for their kids, Race to Nowhere points to the silent epidemic in our schools: cheating has become commonplace; students are disengaged; stress-related illness and depression are rampant; and many young people arrive at college and the workplace unprepared and uninspired".

This is a excerpt from a film that is out, I have never seen it but it seems interesting so I will be trying to view it very soon and update you guys. If anybody has seen it please leave me a comment letting me know your thoughts thanks. This is where I found it at rethinking education. Here's a article I found about it also in The Shrewsbury Lantern that was very interesting.
 Please read and let me know your views is the answer to this partnering or a flipped classroom?

Spotted at aegschools.wordpress.com

Incorporating 21st century learning skills into the classroom

Here is a excerpt of me and my classmates response to how to incorporate 21st century learning skills in the classroom such as communication, collaboration,critical thinking skills and creativity. To read more conversation on this question visit http://www.cerebrum.blogspot.com

Aocean Clarke said...

There are many ways to incorporate creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration skills into the classroom. Starting with creativity, teachers must demonstrate originality by having children draw ideas from their own experience and research. Teachers must help students to understand creativity and innovation is long term and it will evolve each day. Students must understand they will encounter big and small mistakes, accomplishments and even setbacks in the classroom. Students have to gain a love and respect for all of their work. Students should take pride in every piece of work they complete. Critical thinking skills can be incorporated in the form of questions. These are questions used to make judgments and solve problems. Teachers should teach student to effectively analyze and evaluate evidence, arguments, claims and beliefs. This will help students to recognize bogus websites and false information online or in books. Students should be taught to synthesize and make connections between information and their real life. Critical thinking skills will be necessary in the classroom now and later on in life. Communication and collaboration are also key for the 21 century classroom. Students must be able to clearly articulate thoughts and ideas using oral, written, and nonverbal skills to teachers, peers and any other group members. These communication skills will be used to inform, instruct and persuade in future conversations and presentations. Student’s should have access to multiple media and technology and the teacher will judge if it is effective or conducive to learning outcomes. Students will be placed in groups to collaborate with people of different strengths and weakness. Students should be able to work with people with different passions and talents other than theirs and still work effectively. Students should be flexible in groups, adapting to the needs of the members. Everybody in the group should be contributing to the project and respecting each other’s input to produce a cohesive project.
These skills are fundamental for a student’s education in the classroom. Students must master all of these skills to effectively use technology. These skills will equip students to be more competent in the use of technological tools. These skills will also help them to be better group members and citizens. These are important skills that they will take from the classroom into everyday life.

kimberlycartmell said...

Learning and innovation skills prepare our students for post-secondary life. Teachers can promote innovation by encouraging their students to create new ideas, communicate their ideas with each other, brainstorm the feasibility of real-world application, and treat the creative process as a long-term development. This is one example of how there is a need to be “real” not just relevant in the classroom.

Students should be encouraged and prompted to use various critical thinking strategies, break down complex ideas, and analyze and critically reflect on ideas presented by experts and peers. Teachers should present opportunities for students to decision-make and problem-solve. They should learn what questions to ask in order to find the solution they desire.

Rhetoric and general communication skills should be addressed in the classroom. Students will need to understand how to communicate for a variety of purposes. It is important that students learn to compromise, share, lead, and collaborate effectively with others in order to be successful in the future. This type of learning should happen in the classroom because it prepares students for their future and their post-secondary goals.

Matthew Kennedy said...

The 4 C's are a set of skills that go beyond the simple classroom expectations that we have of students, such as completing their assignments and engaging in discussion. They focus on the skills required in real world applications and for the students to use in their futures outside of the classroom.

Communication is such a vital experience that does not just mean communicating verbally anymore. It relates to the need that we are now communicators through the internet, with discussions taking place all around the world. Our students have the ability to join these conversations taking place on blogs and debate websites across the world.

In addition, communication is important because in order to successfully collaborate one must have communication skills. The ability to discuss, critique, and develop any collaborative piece requires a strong level of communication. Communication can be done via e-mail and Twitter, while collaboration is accomplished through shared documents (Google Docs).

Creativity asks students to create a piece of work that is not only original, but gives them nearly unlimited choices in how to express themselves. The days of just relying on essays or PowerPoints for so many assessments have long past. In history classes I have asked students to use comic strips, role play, sing, perform puppet shows, and whatever else they could think of for just one assignment. Another option in a social studies classroom would be to allow students to join in on world conversations and stake their claim based on their work and research. Overall, being open to students different types of creativity in any medium is key in the classroom.

Critical thinking calls on students to utilize more higher order thinking skills to question, criticize, and interpret history. History is an open book for interpretation and students should be able to criticize it instead of just accepting the facts. Createdebate.com I felt was a site that allowed them to think critically on major topics of history and voice their opinions on matters that are relevant to today as well, such as nuclear disarmament.

Math Chat with Mrs. Owens said...

Creativity, critical thinking, communication, and collaboration are so important because they are the tools of the future. These skills are necessary for students to be successful. They are not content-based – they can and should be taught and used in all classrooms regardless of subject area. Partnering is the perfect platform for our classrooms because it promotes these ideas. We’re not spoon-feeding the students anymore; we are allowing them to be creative and think for themselves. They communicate and collaborate with each other (or even with people outside the classroom!) to solve problems, form opinions, and create. This is so relevant in life outside the classroom because no matter what career path you choose, you will always have to work with other people and/or communicate with them.

From the sage on the stage to the guide on the side

In this post I will share with you my response to chapter 2 of prensky book Teaching Digital Natives Moving to the Partnering Pedagogy and also a few of my classmates reflections as well, hope you enjoy:-). For more on this disscusion visit  http://www.cerebrum.blogspot.com

Aocean Clarke

The change from direct instruction to partnering has often been described by educators from being “the sage on the stage to the guide on the side”. This quote describes teachers that are used to delivering instruction a certain way such as telling. Many of these teachers usually have a hard time transitioning to partnering. Teachers are known for giving their students too much information and not letting them discover the information on their own. There are multiple other ways for students to obtain information aside from teachers telling it to them. Leaving the stage means teachers no longer standing in front of the class lecturing, but beginning to work alongside the students. It means teachers guiding students to the content and not just telling them where to find it at, but allowing them to research, explore and discover information on their own.In this chapter the author also discusses focusing the partnering and learning process on the verbs. Verbs are described in this chapter as the skills we utilize in the classroom. When teachers first begin partnering it is recommended to explore the various verbs (skills) through which students can learn such as reading, problem solving, analyzing, sharing etc. In the beginning you don’t want to get attached to any nouns (tools). Verbs have been around long before digital technology and are fundamental in the learning process. Students will learn to use these verbs immediately and in the future. You start with teaching the verbs (skills) of collaboration, communication, critical thinking and creativity. Students will work with whatever nouns (technological tools) are available in the classroom. For example you would teach the skill (verb) calculating to your class but you can have your students use cell phones for calculators.I definitely believe there is a place for partnering in my philosophy of education. I think partnering is essential in today’s classroom. With the continued growth of technology partnering would be more than effective in my classroom. This technique of teaching allows students to enjoy learning. Partnering not only involves but engages students in the lesson. Students are taking an active role in their education. With partnering students feel like they are in more of leadership role,and everybody wants to be the head of the class.




Mary Owens
Sure, before I walk into my classroom, I check my teeth, make sure my outfit is put together and my make-up isn’t running. I guess I feel like I’m on stage a little. It’s more because my students are all judging me and they have no filter.

“Leaving the stage” is kind of a funny phrase. I don’t think there’s a teacher who’s ever not been on stage. It’s natural for teachers to feel like they are performing for the class. After all, the typical classroom set-up has the teacher in the front of the room with all the students sitting quietly watching. Watching does not mean learning.

I think “leaving the stage” means even more than the teacher stepping to the side. That implies that there’s still a stage. While a lot of the work in class is centered around the board (hopefully an interactive one), I don’t think the students should walk into class assuming that the lesson is going to “take place” in the front of the room. If we’re committed to partnering, our classrooms shouldn’t have a stage.

The essential “verbs” that the author discusses are the skills the students use in order to learn. They are not specific to one subject. If the students are using these skills, they must be actively participating in their learning because they are discovering rather than being told.

These concepts are definitely present in my philosophy of education. I am hoping that as I learn more, I am able to include them more often. As I posted in chapter 1, I think I need to find the courage to make more room for partnering in my classroom


Caitlin
I don't know if partnering is necessarily about "leaving the stage." I think it's more about having the students join the teacher on stage. The students have just as an important role in directing and participating in the classroom as the teacher. The students discuss how they want certain their "play" to be directed and the teacher is there guiding them and helping the students figure out how to make their "play" a successful one. In partnering everyone is teaching one another so I think everyone should have an equal part on the stage.

The essential "verbs" discussed are the skills the students will use on stage to direct their "play". The students must be active participants in their own learning and the teacher is their to promote the use of these skills. The essential verbs vary over certain topics but are there to help the students discover what "nouns" to use in order to put these verbs into action. The teacher can focus on specific verbs to a particular topic and discuss with the students ways to find the tools that promote the verbs.

Of course there is a place in my philosophy of education for these concepts. I wish for my classroom to be focused on working together to find a solution than just standing in front of the classroom lecturing. I think the students would find it to be a more enriched learning experience but being active participants


Amanda
Leaving the stage basically means relinquishing the idea that the teacher is an all knowing being that dispels information that is expected to be soaked up and memorized by the students. Times have changed drastically over the past few decades and basic row seating, boring lectures, and alienated desk work does not create an environment conducive to learning. I remember, since 6th grade, sitting and taking notes from the overhead or black board, tuning out during lectures, and then studying my notes and book before the test. Since I've been in college and my notes weren't checked like in high school, I stopped taking them. I am so bored in classes that I stare out the window, draw dinosaurs where my notes should be, and teach myself when I leave the classroom. If my students do this when I have a class, I will be mortified.. but as a student.. I just can't help it. I'm too bored. I want my students to be taught through a coaching method as the book mentions, which I first learned about through Rick Lavoie. Instruction should be tailored, motivating, and meaningful. To accomplish this, students need choice and variety, as well as engaging lessons that challenge them, reward them, and encourage them to go further.

To prevent my students from doing what I do now in the class, I will be utilizing the essential verbs as described in the book. These verbs are what the students will be doing in my (a partnering) classroom: analyzing, exploring, reflecting, problem solving, collaborating, connecting, negotiating, sharing, writing, personalizing.. to name a few. Even implementing a few in each lesson can change how a students thinks because they are active in their learning process, allowing them to think more critically. By doing things on their own and with others in a guided and structured, yet open and flexible environment, students play an important role in their own education and their peers.

Web 2.0 Resources

Some of my favorite web 2.0 resources are

Prezi.com  This website puts a fun spin on presentations allowing you to add videos, and other digital enhancements to your slideshow

Text2mindmap.com 

  This website is a good tool for digital brainstorming. Students can outline essays presentations, group collaboration plans, note taking, character maps etc

Amap.org.uk/

This website is a good tool for enhancing critical thinking skills, can be used to ask  guiding questions, debates, teachers can post questions for students to blog about. Students can provide feedback and answers with classmates, teachers and other global students. This is a UK based site.

 Schooltube.com/

This is a fun website where student can watch fun child and school safe videos such as math raps, science experiments and world changers. Students can even provide feedback on videos and post their own videos.

Rhymezone.com/

Students can you this website to find definitions, images synonyms, rhyming words antonyms and many other things just from searching a single word.

I felt the Ken Robinson video was very informative .I agree most strongly with the points it made about children with ADHD being a epidemic today .I believe that doctors are just diagnosing children and medicating them without really examining the real problems. I agree these children should not be drugged up with different medicines because this is not helping them. "This medicine is deadening the senses instead of awakening them". These children just need to be taught differently.  Teachers need to find a better way to guide these children to the appropriate content.We see so many of these situations in today's classroom. I have had a teacher tell me her student is on ADHD medication and he is like a zombie, he is barely functioning. The video moved so fast that was all that really stuck out to me, and grasped my attention.