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

Technology Advancing Education: Supporting Special Education Instruction

By: Lauren Hazen

Technology has allowed tremendous advancements for educators in the classroom as it allows us, as educators, to tailor to the needs of our students. It has changed the way students acquire facts, no longer requiring them to depend on us for the acquisition of information, especially with Google at their fingertips! Most educators are striving to not only implement technology for student engagement, but also aligning it to the learning standards to improve the delivery of the material. It’s a tool that enables teachers to differentiate and scaffold lessons according to the individual needs of their students.

Educational Robots

Our classrooms are not the only ones benefiting from these developments; educators for students with special needs are taking advantage of the technological advancements as well.  Aldebaran Robotics created a robot with a sensor network that it uses for facial and object recognition in addition to voice commands and sound localization.  Teq, an ed-tech and professional development company, created a program known as JumpStart NAO that pairs a professional development service with an NAO robot. The implementation of the robot provides educators with the opportunity to introduce students to STEM as well as robotic related fields. The NOA can be used to help target one-on-one or group interactions through the pre-programed tasks or goals set by the teacher.

Aldebaran designed its ASK NAO specifically for students with autism to break down the barriers of exclusion. It’s a user-friendly assistant that was designed with schools in mind to bridge the gap of communication for children with autism.  Because the robot is simpler than humans, as it displays less information decreasing over-stimulation risks and it’s predictable, minimizing unexpected exchanges that might lead to increased anxiety.  Some children are able to interact with the robot using verbal, tactile or visual interactions better than they would a human. Imagine the possibilities!

See more:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwJsxLOilcc

Arts for All

By James Cahill

The use of adaptive technology has opened doors for students with special needs in ways that were probably unimaginable a mere ten or twenty years ago. These tools are used in classrooms every day to help children learn and even to communicate. But in Minnesota, the use of these technologies goes beyond the classroom and into the theater. At Blaine High School, students with special needs perform each year in a play designed specifically around their needs and abilities. These students were not permitted to be part of the school’s ‘regular’ production, so special education teachers Beau Dickey and Carrie Holly started their own. Fast forward almost a decade later and, with the aid of their adaptive technologies, special needs students perform each year for a packed house.

This was an eye-opening article to read. I am currently in the middle of my own musical production involving 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders and it dawned on me that we don’t have any special needs students participating. Certainly, I would never turn any student away, as it sounds was done initially in Minnesota. It makes me wonder if any students in my district were interested at all. It’s rare to hear of this kind of production happening – one entirely designed for special needs learners. But it does beg the question: Does it do the students good to be excluded from the ‘regular’ production? Shouldn't they be allowed to participate in the same show as everyone else? There may be something to argue there, but I feel that the positives of participating in their own show outweigh the negatives. At least the teachers are getting them involved in some capacity! I'd love to see this excellent program occur in more places. And what a great use of the technology that is already available. If you have it, use it!

To read the original article that inspired this post, follow the link below:

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/stageandarts/294830021.html

Technology for Access to General Education Curriculum

I find myself always looking for new ideas and technology to incorporate into the classroom. We are in a time that you have to think, When is it okay to just stick to what you know and what has been working well for you and your students?

Our curriculum is changing and continues to do so in our society today. Teachers are held to higher and higher standards with little support and are expected to integrate everything that is new. My question to all of you; is new always good or is there a balance that can be kept?

The question that I have came up when I was reading a Tech Tip through SmartBrief titled, “Striking a Balance” by Jean Tower. She discusses how we have the two types of technologies that are in our schools, the “authorized” and the “emergent”. It brought to mind that we are constantly being asked to try new software and programs to implement into our classroom that will enhance our teaching to get the curriculum across to our students. But what if we have been getting the information to our students and they have been successful. I mean look at us, we emerged from a time where technology in curriculum was still emerging and developing.

I am all for technology, it is wonderful and it can enhance our lessons. If we find a program that works for us how come we have to change once something new comes out? I understand maybe trying it but it seems that there has to be a reason for this push. Is there money behind this whole situation being tossed around? Is the technology that is suppose to be for our students general education being pressed by big companies who supposedly will help us meet the standards?

There are so many wonderful resources out in the world of technology. I think we, as educators are plenty capable of finding the best resources to enhance our lessons to meet the general education curriculum. It is all a matter of balance and finding what works for our students.