If you feel pretty confident about what it is, continue to Part 1.
Part 1:
Set up your own blog on Blogger.com & add your first post. Your first post can be a simple "Hello" or a paragraph on the video (see below). Here are video instructions for setting up your blog. Once you've completed this step, email the URL of your blog address to: hilgendorfd@district279.org. This is how you register for the TTT program. Your address should be something like, "http://jacobs.blogspot.com"
Part 2:
Support the idea that technology is changing education and teaching (for right or wrong)... with a video. Place that video on your new blog (either as a link or as embedded video).
Example video:
Some good sources for educational videos are: TeacherTube iTunesU, and TED Talks Some keywords for searching: collaboration, "24/7 education", "open learning", "web 2.0", "school 2.0", edtech, connectivity, social networks+schools, "personal learning networks, "education+think tanks", "21st century skills", "flat schools", "creative education", "new schools", "student centered learning", remix.
Part 3:
Watch part of or all of this TED video ("Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity") and comment here on the TTT blog (near the bottom of this page).
Optional Challenge Task:
Blogs are great for keeping up to date with other people, so for the challenge task, you'll be commenting on and following some of your colleagues' blogs, in addition to tagging the posts you've created so far. First, choose at least five of your colleagues' blogs (see the sidebar on the right), and comment on their first post or on their video. Commenting on blogs allows us to ask questions of one another, make suggestions, or simply to reply to what has been written or posted. I will be commenting on various blogs throughout the TTT program. Once you've commented, you should then "follow" those blogs and this blog (TTT), too. As you can see in your own blog, I have "followed" you- so you can now see my picture on your blog's sidebar. Now when I log into my blog and look at the Dashboard, I can see what's been updated on the blogs I'm following! Cool, right? Let's try to share the love, so if you notice that someone's blog has not yet been "followed" by anyone but me, you might choose to follow them. Also, let's "tag" the posts you've created so far. Tagging allows you to use keywords to categorize your posts, which is really helpful if you blog regularly. To do this, just fill in words that help define the categories of your post in the "Labels" field, under the editing window for a given entry. Place commas between tags. Finally, write a blog post telling us who you're "following" and also what tags you created for your first several posts.
So, for the challenge:
- Comment on at least 5 people's blogs
- Follow the TTT on blog AND the other blogs on which you commented
- Use keywords to tag the posts you've created so far
- Write a post about about who you're "following" and what tags you've used so far
According to Stephen Downes, a Senior Researcher with the E-Learning Research Group, there are five ways that blogs can be used in education. To complete this tool as a second year program participant, you must apply at least one of these uses to your class or other work. Here is a condensed excerpt from his article, "Educational Blogging":
1. Teachers use blogs to replace the standard class Web page. Instructors
post class times and rules, assignment notifications, suggested readings, and
exercises. Aside from the ordering of material by date, students would find
nothing unusual in this use of the blog. The instructor, however, finds that
the use of blogging software makes this previously odious chore much simpler.
2. Instructors begin to link to Internet
items that relate to their course. Mesa Community College’s Rick Effland,
for example, maintains a blog to pass along links and comments about topics in
archaeology. ...Blogging allows Effland to write what are in essence short essays
directed specifically toward his students. Effland’s entries are not mere
annotations of interesting links. They effectively model his approach and
interest in archaeology for his students.
3. Use blogs to organize in-class discussions. The
students get to know each other better by visiting and reading blogs from other
students. They discover, in a non-threatening way, their similarities and
differences. The student who usually talks very loud in the classroom and the
student who is very timid have the same writing space to voice their opinion.
It puts students in a situation of equity.
4. Organize class seminars and provide
summaries of readings. Used in this way, the blogs become "group
blogs"—that is, individual blogs authored by a group of people.
5. Students may be asked to write their own blogs as part of their
course grade.
For the full article, go to: http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/educational-blogging
I've actually seen this video before. I love how Sir Robinson argues for an increased value in the human capacity for creativity as an honoring of the whole person. People do have innate abilities to think in algorithmic and novel ways, but the educational system is clearly favorited the former.
ReplyDeleteDaniel H. Pink talks a great deal about the importance of creative thought, truly insightful ideas for a citizenship to have a chance to compete in the global arena. Not only does the model of education need an overhaul, but the structure of companies. Workers who do creative work should be allowed to be at least partially self-directed, given a fair amount of autonomy in how they work, and provided with adequate resources with which to work. Studies have shown, says Pink, that this environment produces most of the great ideas we have seen in the last fifty years. The old model that applies rewards and punishments as a method to gain worker compliance will only stiffle the creative mind, not help it.
I especially liked the comment that the "unpredictability is extraordinary." I don't know what I'm preparing my students for in the future; I will own up to that. However, I make that claim in my classroom to them and I follow the statement with this: "I don't care what you do in the future. You will need to be able to read (insert BROAD definition of read here- we "read" pictures, we "read" emails, etc). You will need to be able to communicate your ideas clearly (twitter, emails, face-to-face, nonverbal). You will need to be able to think critically. These are all important things that ALL your teachers are teaching you. You get this in my class, you get this in math, you get this in Physical Education, you get this in Biology."
ReplyDeleteI think that as a society we have put a lot of pressure on academic ability. Students and teachers are told that students need higher education to be anything and I guess it only goes to follow that, as he said, "suddenly degrees aren't worth anything." However, I don't know that this alone kills creativity.
I am not entirely sold that our education system as a whole is doing what he says. I know that I live in a microcosm but I don't think I'm teaching my students that they can't be wrong. I don't know that I personally am only highlighting academic ability. I like to think that I challenge students to be creative and to show me what they know in creative ways. Maybe I'm blessed that I seem to be around other teachers who encourage this as well.
As a sidenote, somtimes I get so frustrated with this rhetoric around education. All this talk, talk, talk (please note, I posted a video including such rhetoric on education on my blog). I know that talk leads to ideas but I would really love to hear people talk and then follow that up with REAL, LIVE examples. If schools are killing creativity, how do you envision a classroom/school that doesn't? What does it look like? What are the assignments? What do students DO? How are they assessed?
I agree with the statement "creativity is as important as literacy". This applies to math and problem solving. Problem solving is as important (more) than number crunching. I also agreed with the comment, students get educated out of creativity. This comment makes me sad. It made me think of when I was younger and I thought I was an artist. Yes, I grew out or was educated out of this belief. I hope I do not do this with my students. I do try to encourage creativity in solving math problems. Somewhere along the line students learn it is not OK to make mistakes which dampens their creativity. I will try to do a better job and be mindful of what I do to encourage creativity in my class.
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree with Megan about how we can prepare students for the future, even though there is a huge inherent unpredicatability therein. In my class we teach the content but also critical thinking skills. Last year I feel like we went too far towards the deeper thinking and got away from the actual science facts. But now this year I think I have found a good balance again - students must know the basic biological facts and have to use them to solve real world problems.
ReplyDeleteThe other interesting tidbit I took from this video was when he commented about the academic inflation. He reasoned that a degree isn't worth as much as it used to and you must have a higher degree than you used to for the same job. I wish our educational system would have more non-college degree career tracks. There are many vocations outside of college and high schools are not designed to send people to these jobs. I think we are doing a disservice to society and to these students that either won't succeed in college or would prefer to not go there and take a job that doesn't require a college degree. Something needs to change here.
I know the high school I went to had a 95% college placement rate for graduates. I don't know for sure but my gut tells me 95% of jobs don't require a college degree or advanced degree. That just seems way too high.
I agree with Ken Robinson's opinion that too much emphasis in education is placed on the academic subjects. As a math teacher I have a great affinity for my subject and try and share my passion for the subject with my students. I don't believe that every student needs to be an expert in my subject. I disagree with the direction that Minnesota is heading with its standards requiring every student to study math through Algebra 2. I think a more appropriate standard would be to teach students to analyze and interpret data.
ReplyDeleteI placed a video on my blog about using computational technology to teach mathematics. I think it relates to what Ken Robinson was saying about students having their creativity sapped by education. Part of being creative in mathematics is to use the subject to model a problem. To much of our time in the math classroom is spent on manipulating existing models. This is precisely what computers are already good at. It would be nice to spend more time on creating the model and interpreting the results in the context of the original problem.
I am delighted to see the depth of thought that our staff is demonstrating through this comment stream. I just found an interesting technology integration matrix that might interest you. Here's more info:
ReplyDeleteIntegrate Technology into Your Curriculum
Produced by the Arizona K12 Center at Northern Arizona University, the Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) illustrates how teachers can use technology to enhance learning for K–12 students. The TIM incorporates five interdependent characteristics of meaningful learning environments: active, collaborative, constructive, authentic and goal directed. The TIM associates five levels of technology integration (entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion and transformation) with each of the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments. Together, the five levels of technology integration and the five characteristics of meaningful learning environments create a matrix of 25 cells. Within each cell of the matrix, you’ll find two lessons plans with a short video of the lesson. Each lesson is designed to show the integration of technology in instruction and classrooms.
Here is the address for the matrix: http://www.azk12.org/tim/?THEBIGDEALBOOK=634611295785560000
It is impossible not to enjoy the TED video; more importantly, Ken Robinson presents ideas that provoke a lot of thought; how to foster creativity, how to prepare children for the future, how to prepare them when no one knows what is ahead. I found myself thinking of the Steve Jobs/Bill Gates dichotomy, namely that Steve Jobs was a believer in a solid liberal arts education and Bill Gates a technically oriented, "job prep" education. I think my natural bent is in the Steve Jobs direction, but Gates also has a point, which is that students have to know certain basic information. Surely we can figure out a way to do both, no matter how hard that is.
ReplyDeleteI also was glad to think that there seems to be a few glimmers of hope; for example, my daughter's school has been willing to allow her to register for two classes that meet simultaneously, knowing that she is so much faster than the rest of the class in one subject that she can also attend part of the other and manage to keep up in both. That may not be what we want to see for all students, but in this instance, it sure is working for her. The importnat thing for her education is that they are tailoring an educational experience for her and as I understand it, they are doing the same for others as well. It surely does make more work for administrators and teachers, but is also creating an "educational product" that is valuable, but could not exist on the usual conveyer belt of educational production.
This video was entertaining and well as informative. There were a couple of points he made that I would like to comment on. He mentioned that degrees are worthless and I have mixed views on this. I definitely agree that a degree can open the door to jobs you otherwise wouldn't have access to (i.e. teaching), but I also agree that degrees don't necessarily mean you will be successful in that job or can find a job. For example, I have a Masters Degree in English Education, but I feel that I am far from a "Master" English education. So what does that degree really mean and what does it do for me (besides result in more pay?)? . . .
ReplyDeleteI do find that so many people are either barred from jobs without degrees or can't get jobs even if they have degrees. We are definitely in a time of academic inflation.
Overall, we need to put more focus on helping students find what they are passionate about and equipping them to pursue those desires, as well as keeping other doors open for them (which may be part of the theory behind having 4 core subject areas).
I also found it interesting that he believes our education system is set up to put emphasis on the knowledge needed to work in an industrializing country. I never thought about that set-up before, but it seems to make sense. Nowadays, we really do need more creativity and problem solving in our society, but does our curriculum really offer that? In English, creative writing is an elective; academic essays are really the bread and butter of most curriculums. Sometimes I wonder, when will kids ever be required to write an essay in the real world? (Outside of future academia?) They do need to be able to organize thoughts, develop ideas, provide support - but how can we do that in multiple mediums . . .
There is clearly much to think about!
I thought the video was insightful, controversial, and certainly worth more conversation. I don't believe that the answer to technology integration is as simple as the one gentleman suggested (i.e. giving every student cell phones to go out into the "world" to collect data), but I certainly think some ideas were thought provoking and timely.
ReplyDeleteI'll be honest and say I have not found 20 minutes to sit and watch this video at my very public desk---I think it can look a little strange to the kids waiting to see administrators! I will keep trying and hope to contribute soon to this very interesting dialogue. Maybe I will try and remember to watch it at home?
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting watching the video and thinking of creativity as part of education as we know it.
ReplyDeleteI think science is a discipline that can definitely benefit from a greater use of creativity - asking students to develop models of systems, design experiments to test their ideas, and think critically to propose solutions for scientific problems. I think these types of skills and processing are just as (if not more) important that specific science content.
ReplyDeleteI love this video and have watched it several times. I love the point about "If you are not prepared to be wrong, you will never come up with anything original". I grew up in a household where my mother was a middle school teacher in Minneapolis, so I can see both sides of the coin on this conversation. I think that we instill in students that they have to think a certain way and act a certain way at a young age. I do not feel this is a valuable tool in our education system. I think that students should be allowed to further their own original ideas by being able to think outside the box.
ReplyDeleteWe need to “rethink the fundamental principles on which we are educating our children”. I believe that children are taught that they need to sit still and listen to someone talk for a good portion of the time. I believe most people cannot function in this environment. I think that it creates a system where the few percentage of students who can do this are successful and the others struggle to keep up.
I believe strongly in “our task is to educate their whole being”. I think this can mean several things. First I think that incorporating movement into the day is very important. I am not talking about walking around between classes, but using actual movement activities that will help rebuild some of the synapses that have been lost over time. Movement has been proven to be effective in helping students with behavior problems be successful as well as improving the overall life of an alzeihmers' patient. I also think that students who have outside barriers need to have an outlet to talk about them. I guess that is why I believe my job is so vital when educating students. If a student is struggling with a place to live, how are they supposed to focus on school?
I guess I have a lot of thoughts on this that I would like to continue a dialogue on.
Sir Ken Robinson is echoing the sentiments of Albert Einstein, who said, "Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world" when he says, "Creativity is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status." I agree, and find that my greatest accomplishments are the results of applying my creativity to challenges that could be responded to with a more standardized, and probably less effective, model. I also agree the we must remove the stigma of being wrong, and even reward the student who dares to venture a guess without knowing the "right" answer. One way of doing this is to make the majority of our questions to students open-ended, rather than right or wrong and guide the discussion so that every contribution leads to greater understanding of the concept being explored.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful video from Ken Robinson. His comment about intelligence being diverse, dynamic, and distinct is so true. Educating our children to be well rounded individuals who believe in themselves and their capabilities is an important task. His quote "if kids don't know, they give it a go" celebrates the immense possibilities of our children.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Natasha, for pointing out the obscurity of the "tagging" instructions in the Tool 1 instructions. I hope that my editing of those instructions clarifies it for all of you. Basically, use the "labels" field to add keywords to your posts, making them easier to find later.
ReplyDeleteThis video makes me think about creativity in mathematics, or the lack thereof. Ken expressed the idea that kids are not afraid to take chances or make a mistake; and if one is not prepared to be wrong from time to time, they will never come up with anything original. By the time kids reach adulthood, however, they are frightened to be wrong and, consequently, this hinders creativity. He basically said that people are educated out of creativity by the time they are adults, but I think this happens in some way to students before they even reach high school. For me, creativity in mathematics comes in the form of problem solving. Students, in general, struggle with problem solving in math class. I am not sure if this is true of problem solving in other disciplines, but it is evident in math classrooms. Could this be a factor of the hindrance of creativity? Students so often just want to know how to get the right answer without thinking for themselves. Is this because they have been taught that there is only one final, correct answer and not getting that answer the first time is bad? On a regular basis, I explain to students that trying problems and making mistakes is part of the learning process. However, students do not want to go down that path to learn. I wonder if students have begun to fear mistakes and if this has any effect on their will to think creatively and problem solve, or if it is it something else. In any case, there is definitely more room for creativity in the mathematics classroom.
ReplyDeleteI agree with "creativity is as important as literacy" and we want to treat them the same way. I think having creativity/imagination in life in general and having the courage to try new things are important. That's why and how people have created so many different types of jobs now compare to ten years ago. As teachers, we want all of our students to use their creativity as much as possible and not be frightened to give incorrect approaches or answers. However, when they have to deal with problem solving in math, they are not fond at all. Are they lack of creativity? No. Are they afraid to try new things? Maybe. Are they lack of skills? Most likely. If they don't have the skills, would that make them to be afraid of trying, which then diminish their creativity? I think we need to
ReplyDeleteteach them how to analyze and provide many opportunities for them to explore mathematics in different subject areas. We should not start in high school, but from the beginning of their education.
I have mixed thoughts about Robinson’s comments. Of course I agree that creativity is important, and I value outside-of-the-box thinking. Of course I want all of the talents my students have to be recognized and fostered. I question, however, the way he frames schools as the creativity-killers. I know plenty of teachers who bring out the creative best in their students, and who challenge the outside demands (testing, “college-readiness”, job market needs) that seem more likely the root of the complaints Robinson has. Megan alludes to this. I also don’t think that creativity lies solely in traditional arts programs like dance and music, as he implies. Not that they aren’t valuable – and not that I don’t want my own kids to take lots of art classes! But I think that students can display, and teachers can foster, creativity and creative thinking in any number of academic disciplines. I agree with Justin, though, that the particular demands within our disciplines (like the level of completion, the testability, the sometimes arbitrary standards, etc.) can dampen the more creative learning that kids could get from our respective fields. I guess I just think that Robinson is using a lot of blurry thinking, and making a lot of pretty non-controversial statements (creativity is good!) that, as usual, place blame on schools rather than looking at our society – and what it emphasizes – more generally. Do schools really want to quantify and test everything? Seems to me that they’re just playing by rules laid out by others. Do schools really want to schedule every minute of kids’ lives and limit their free, creative play? Seems like this too comes from outside. My own kids certainly haven’t had the creativity beaten out of them…and I’m not particularly worried about them being able to handle the world of the future. Aren’t we all pretty comfortably using computers right now (and I typed my college papers on a typewriter)?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sir Ken Robinson that children have a greater capacity for innovation and that they aren’t afraid to make mistakes. I find that initially students in my French class are intimidated to speak in front of their classmates because they are afraid that they will make a mistake. I constantly remind students that we are human and that making mistakes is part of the learning process. When they were first learning to speak English (or their native language) they made tons of mistakes, but they were still able to communicate and be understood.
ReplyDeleteI also agree that creativity is as important as literacy and that the education system needs to allow students to be creative. I think that creativity and expressing one’s ideas and opinions goes away when teachers expect their students to have the same opinions as them and as a result give low grades. We (students) quickly learn that if we want a good grade, we have to express the same ideas and opinions as our teacher. I had this experience in college and found it frustrating, so I make certain that I don’t give low grades if a student does not share the same ideas as me as long as those ideas are supported.
As a fellow language teacher, I've had the same experience as Jessica in French teaching, but also with teaching English Learners (EL) as well. Students are hesitant at first, but once they see that it's ok to make mistakes, they're more willing to try. So when Robinson says children have a greater capacity for innovation and that they aren't afraid to make mistakes, in a language classroom at least, that's true!
ReplyDeleteEspecially in my EL experience at all grade levels, I'm sure those students are so willing to try new things and make mistakes because they want to comminucate. It doesn't matter if their English is perfect; what matters is that they've been understood. Mistakes should be encouraged and treated as positive learning opportunities as opposed to being chances to expose and belittle a child's weakness.
Sadly this hesitance that the language teachers see in their students may be why I (at least used to) speak better french after a bottle of wine.
ReplyDeleteI am not advocating getting students drunk to release their creative sides, but any way we can alleviate the fear of failure or rejection will help the students progress to their next level of maturity and open new ideas to them.
Perhaps we need more karaoke in school; if nothing else it breaks the ice, kills stage fright, and puts all but the best of singers in an uncomfortable position. Amazing things come from breaking down barriers, especially ones involving personal embarrassment.
As a music teacher, I quite strongly agree that creativity and the willingness to be wrong, to fail in public, is critical to education. All children are born artists - and musicians. Arts are all too frequently on the bottom of the education hierarchy, yet the arts are ways through which students learn that can not be duplicated anywhere else.
ReplyDeleteThere's a nice list of links here as to how music education positively impacts students. http://musiced.nafme.org/resources/why-music-education-2007/