A Completely Versatile Curriculum

By: Gayle Diana

We have all heard about the flipped classroom where learning is supplemented through online learning and videos and the teacher can give more attention to individual students.  Online course are becoming the norm for many students to choose from in a college setting where all learning is done completely online.  What would happen if we took both of these concepts and implemented them into a high school?  Students would have a completely versatile curriculum and decide how they wanted to learn.  

In Quakertown Schools, PA, they have implemented a “college” environment.  Students are able to choose whether they prefer to complete their four years of high school on-line, partially on-line, or face to face.  The curriculum is student centered and technology infused.  What do you think; would you want to be a part of a curriculum such as this?

They have seen many benefits since beginning this new curriculum.  Attendance has increased, SAT scores have risen, and overall students to graduate have improved.  With the assistance of educators and 1:1/BYOD, they have created a blended learning for all students.  Some students choose to be at school all day or only a handful of periods.

 

Read more about this at http://smartblogs.com/education/2012/11/19/complete-versatility-public-school-setting-by-thomas-c-murray/

Education Apps = Loss of Privacy?

Continuing our discussion about online privacy rights and exposing students' information...

By Daniel Otto

Education Apps = Loss of Privacy?

With the new age of digital apps and assistive technologies rolling out on a monthly basis, are we as educators threatening the privacy of ourselves and our students by signing up for them? As future technology leaders this is going to be a key topic for us to cover in our buildings. With districts finding it difficult to keep up with the new technologies or even not having the funding to purchase these new technologies, educators are taking it upon themselves to purchase and sign up their classes. This is resulting in data breaches and privacy issues in some districts. Apps are sending students and teacher’s information to other companies which results in student profiling. Teachers have no idea who or what companies are seeing this data. Should educators be putting this information out there or should they be waiting for their districts to catch up to the times?

Diversity and Differentiation - At What Cost?

By: Elizabeth Hart

As the old phrase goes, “With great power comes great responsibility”, technology is no different.  Regardless whether we agree with it, technology has forced its way into the modern classroom and is here to stay.  One of the gray areas regarding educational technology seems to be how much information about our students is being harvested when utilizing digital resources.  The buzzword “data” seems to define education.  Any chance teachers, administrators, and now, companies, can gather information about our students educational habits is seen as a “prize” 

The article I have cited dives deep into the fact that, although there are a variety of individualized and digital learning apps available, many of these harvest student data and use them to develop more programs, thus turning a greater profit.  These adaptive programs are found in many schools, but are administrators and tech specialists doing enough research in order to protect our students’ information?

Are we sacrificing our students' privacy?

As our classrooms grow more diverse, it is critical that we provide a variety of different programs in order to meet the needs of all learners.  With this in mind, we also must make sure that educators are doing enough research on these programs.  We teach students about online safety in terms of Facebook and other forms of social media - but are we letting an even worse form invade our students’ lives without them knowing?  Overall, if we are to embrace a digital system of differentiation, we must make sure we are doing our research to keep our students safe.  What are your thoughts?

To see the article that inspired this post:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/12/technology/learning-apps-outstrip-school-oversight-and-student-privacy-is-among-the-risks.html?_r=0

How do you get students "career ready?"

By: Jennifer Gordon

Isn't it amazing when we talk about making students college and career ready but how do we really start the career readiness?  One school district in Kansas City, Kansas has taken the initiative to start a program where students in their junior and senior year spend at least 2 1/2 hours of their day in a building that mimics an office park.  Students work with teachers and business people on projects in six different "strands" where they learn all the professional skills to succeed in the business world.

The district is developing partnership with businesses in the area to extend their program to include its own Center for Advanced Professional Studies.  The district started the career readiness program with three strands: health science, STEM, and emerging technologies.  The program is deemed to benefit students if they decide to seek employment or careers right out of high school or if they are college bound.

When I saw this article, it reminded me of my class last semester where we looked at education in Finland.  I liked the system in Finland because it gave students the option to not only study academics but to seek careers in non-traditional fields of study.  Students worked collaboratively with others and spend a part of their day outside the general classroom.  This would be a program that could certainly give students a chance to see what the actual workforce is all about.  There are just some things that students cannot learn from a book as most of us who are teachers have found out when we entered the classroom.  What are your thoughts?  Would this be a beneficial program for high school students?  Do you see any challenges?  If there are, how could any school district overcome them?  
Let me hear your thoughts.

To learn more: 

http://www.omaha.com/news/education/westside-school-district-expands-its-career-readiness-programs-to-put/article_d1b7461f-29b5-5c31-85a0-49dd61639907.html#.VQ8mIc5eNv4.gmail