"Inspiring Students with Peer Tutoring" by Brandy Smith
This article tells how a teacher in an urban, Midwestern school formed an after-school Tech Club modeled on peer tutoring. She had the teachers choose students using criteria designed to choose students who were not already experiencing great academic success, in order to provide them with a growth opportunity. She got the program off the ground with grant money and continued the club on her own after the monies ran out. The program is very successful and all parties, students, teachers, and the peer educators, have benefited from this program.
Is is appropriate to use students as teachers? I really believe in this concept. Being able to teach a skill to others is a very empowering experience and builds confidence. I do think teachers have to guard against against overuse of the more competent students as teachers but this program is very structured. Having the "tech kids" available to assist with technology means less waiting and frustration for a class. One thing the article did not address was how the students handled being out of their own classes when they were assisting in other classes. I would have liked to know how this was dealt with.
Can a program like this help teachers who are reluctant to adopt and use new technology? It appears this program was very successful in that regard. There was a large increase in teachers checking out the computer cart for use in their classrooms. Sometimes just exposure to the learning opportunities technology can provide is the impetus a teacher needs to become more open to the use of technology.
This program accomplished its goal of empowering both students and teachers. It provides a model for other schools who might be looking to integrate more technology into their classrooms.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Journal #9
"Failure is NOT an Option" by Dave L. Edyburn
The subtitle of this article is "Collecting, Reviewing, and Acting on Evidence for Using Technology to Enhance Academic Performance" and it specifically addresses how technology can be used to close the "achievement gap." Each school year, many children fail to achieve at grade level, and these children are generally "students of color, those with disabilities, those living in poverty, and those whose first language is not English." The author details in depth the components of performance, how technology can be used as performance support, and the bias in the education community for "Naked Independence." That is, a high premium is placed on students' ability to perform without external help. This is a historical bias that is no longer relevant because a person can perform quite well in our society by knowing how to get information through technology. Having all your knowledge contained in your brain is no longer an neccesity for being an educated person. The author makes the argument that it is time to disregard the bias for naked independence and provide students with the technological tools they need to help achieve equity in our educational system.
Is our educational system slow to adopt technology that would make some students more successful? I agree that this is often the case. Oftentimes expense is the reason. However I think that sometimes we are spending money on interventions we might not need to use, or having to use those interventions for a longer time, than if we adopted certain technologies sooner. An example of this is the Scholastic Read 180 program that incorporates technology for both students and teachers to aid struggling readers. I was recently in a middle school that is experiencing great success with this program. If this program allows the students to become successful in middle school and ensures they finish high school, the cost is definitely worth it.
Are we hanging on to outdated conventions in our bias toward "naked independence?" I think we are. At one time a good memory was essential in absorbing and retaining the knowledge necessary to become an educated person. In our current stage of technological advancement, a good memory is no longer as vital. The internet provides instant access to facts. What is more important is the ability to think critically and evaluate information. For students that struggle I think that spending a lot of time on the memorization component (an area where they probably won't experience success) prevents them from building the more important critical thinking skills that will be what allows them to be successful in school and the workplace.
This very interesting article covers a lot of information about how our educational system needs to evolve to keep pace with the onoging technological revolution, and how this would help students, both in school and in life.
The subtitle of this article is "Collecting, Reviewing, and Acting on Evidence for Using Technology to Enhance Academic Performance" and it specifically addresses how technology can be used to close the "achievement gap." Each school year, many children fail to achieve at grade level, and these children are generally "students of color, those with disabilities, those living in poverty, and those whose first language is not English." The author details in depth the components of performance, how technology can be used as performance support, and the bias in the education community for "Naked Independence." That is, a high premium is placed on students' ability to perform without external help. This is a historical bias that is no longer relevant because a person can perform quite well in our society by knowing how to get information through technology. Having all your knowledge contained in your brain is no longer an neccesity for being an educated person. The author makes the argument that it is time to disregard the bias for naked independence and provide students with the technological tools they need to help achieve equity in our educational system.
Is our educational system slow to adopt technology that would make some students more successful? I agree that this is often the case. Oftentimes expense is the reason. However I think that sometimes we are spending money on interventions we might not need to use, or having to use those interventions for a longer time, than if we adopted certain technologies sooner. An example of this is the Scholastic Read 180 program that incorporates technology for both students and teachers to aid struggling readers. I was recently in a middle school that is experiencing great success with this program. If this program allows the students to become successful in middle school and ensures they finish high school, the cost is definitely worth it.
Are we hanging on to outdated conventions in our bias toward "naked independence?" I think we are. At one time a good memory was essential in absorbing and retaining the knowledge necessary to become an educated person. In our current stage of technological advancement, a good memory is no longer as vital. The internet provides instant access to facts. What is more important is the ability to think critically and evaluate information. For students that struggle I think that spending a lot of time on the memorization component (an area where they probably won't experience success) prevents them from building the more important critical thinking skills that will be what allows them to be successful in school and the workplace.
This very interesting article covers a lot of information about how our educational system needs to evolve to keep pace with the onoging technological revolution, and how this would help students, both in school and in life.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Journal #8
"WriteToLearn" by Sarah McPherson
This article is about Web-based program that "is designed to help students develop summarizing and essay writing skills." It is designed to provide guided practice to middle and high school students. The technology it uses is designed to simulate the feedback a human reader might provide.
Do students in today's schools need to improve their writing skills? YES! From what I see in college today, and in my children's middle and high schools, writing skills are an area that needs a lot of work. For whatever reason (time, inclination?) students today are not receiving adequate guidance with editing and improving their work. A tool that provides opportunity for practice, and gives individualized feedback can be a valuable tool.
With a program that can provide the feedback a teacher normally would, will teachers become obsolete? NO! There are so many aspects to good writing that can only be conveyed via personal instruction and modeling. Sometimes good writing can include not following the rules (something you can only do once you know the rules). A good teacher is invaluable in helping students develop a writing style that is not only grammatically correct but conveys personality. Knowing which writing style is appropriate for which assignment is also important, something a teacher can help a student with.
There is no substitute for a good teacher, but this program appears to be a valuable tool to assist both the teacher and the student.
This article is about Web-based program that "is designed to help students develop summarizing and essay writing skills." It is designed to provide guided practice to middle and high school students. The technology it uses is designed to simulate the feedback a human reader might provide.
Do students in today's schools need to improve their writing skills? YES! From what I see in college today, and in my children's middle and high schools, writing skills are an area that needs a lot of work. For whatever reason (time, inclination?) students today are not receiving adequate guidance with editing and improving their work. A tool that provides opportunity for practice, and gives individualized feedback can be a valuable tool.
With a program that can provide the feedback a teacher normally would, will teachers become obsolete? NO! There are so many aspects to good writing that can only be conveyed via personal instruction and modeling. Sometimes good writing can include not following the rules (something you can only do once you know the rules). A good teacher is invaluable in helping students develop a writing style that is not only grammatically correct but conveys personality. Knowing which writing style is appropriate for which assignment is also important, something a teacher can help a student with.
There is no substitute for a good teacher, but this program appears to be a valuable tool to assist both the teacher and the student.
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