I don't know if I have ever thought so hard about how others make sense of information. Though, my last 10 years have been spent planning for exactly this. Listening to Punya Mishra talk about the landscape of education is both exciting and terrifying. I believe the root of terror is the unknown or the breaking up of what was comfortable. Wearing pants when you are that person who wears shorts 24/7, terrifying. Equally terrifying, creating a digital task card when your comfort zone has been the printed word. While these situations might be hyperbolized, altering what you have done previously is not an easy feat. In the math class, altering the mainly direct instruction approach years ago led me into a more facilitator type role rather than the acting oracle of the classroom. As my context has changed so has my ideas on technology, content and pedagogy. Talking with students about how they engage and how they best learn can lead to some pretty powerful discoveries. Seeing students show one another how to access information, whether it be digitally or not is flat out heart-warming. This context shift is discovering that information is no longer a commodity and being able to assist students in being independent learners is more important (to me) than any content standard. Mishra's image of the drop of water out of the faucet compared to the fire hose in terms of how information is shot at you is so accurate.
This is in my mind as I prototype. Can I create a product that can combine all these other tools into a non-formulaic approach to growing independent learners while engaging them in standards-based content? What I am struggling with the idea that this is not new. A quick search leads to many sites devoted to digital portfolios (some of them are pretty cool). Will the end user get a kick out of this as much as I get a kick out of thinking about it? Are students going to want to access these sites independently? Will these digital portfolios actually be used post high school? Will employers care to see a student created website the highlights their accomplishments? Will students value the design process, not just the end product? These questions circle my mind as I design and think and put a plan into action. Exciting and terrifying at the same time.
1 Comment
Emily Feil
4/9/2018 08:40:38 pm
I admire your commitment to helping students become independent learners. This is so much more important than any math concept you will teach them. It seems especially significant because your students are quickly approaching the end of their school careers. Soon they will have to be their own teachers. They will have an advantage because of your perspective.
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AuthorHello, I'm Joe. Welcome to writings about my thought process throughout the journey of Touro's Innovative Learning Graduate Program. Archives
July 2018
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