7/22 Reflection

  Summary of Day 1

Although the email Todd send out last week provided some clarity for what to expect, I was still not entirely sure what each day would look like and how we would tackle the enormous topic of "Instructional Technology" in a single week.  Today proved to be a wonderful opportunity to think philosophically about what is "right" for our students, while debating a few of the "how's" that inevitably arise when discussing systemic change.

Although I had previously seen both of the videos we watched today, it was interesting to view each of them again from a different perspective.  Both videos proved to be quite inspirational and thought provoking, and yet I also found them each to create a sense of frustration.  How can I, as one person, create more opportunities for our students to be innovators, creators, and evaluators of their own learning while still meeting the internal and external expectations of K-12 education in our state and nation?

Below are a few notes from each of the videos and discussions that stood out to me and caused me to reflect on my role in education:

 Notes From Two Videos and Subsequent Discussions:

 Learning to Change-Changing to Learn

Education ranked lower than coal mining in technological presence

"Every turned off device is potentially a turned off mind"

How would schools look if we created them today, rather than modeled them after yesterday?

"The death of education, but it is the dawn of learning.  And that is very exciting."

Conversation with neighbors about rebuilding schools from scratch, using textbook adoptions monies to invest in technology (1-1?)

Class conversations around digital equity, digital citizenship, our schools are one or more generations behind most other fields

Discussed the need for bridges between IT and Educators - In SSD, IT is a subset of Teaching and Learning headed up by a former classroom teacher and instructional coach with a strong vision for innovation through technology - Love her quote: "Students use technology to learn and learn technology to succeed."

Sir Ken Robinson TED Talk II - Bring on the Learning Revolution

2nd climate crisis: crisis of human resources - We make very poor use of our talents.  Divide the world into two groups: those who enjoy what they do, and those that do not.  (It isn't what they do, it is who they are.)

Possible explanations: Many, but high among them is education.  Human resources, like natural resources, are buried deep and must be sought out, dug up, etc.

Education revolution vs. evolution

Innovation must be the backbone of education

Abraham Lincoln: The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think anew and act anew.

Under 25 see no need to wear watches (daughter: It's a single function device)

Human communities depend on a diversity of talents (reminds me of my time in WLWV when I would ask who was being trained to fix their BMW's)

Fast food model of education - conformity - everything is standardized

Agricultural model of education vs. industrial model

Conversation with neighbors about frustration caused by this video, in that I know in my heart this is the right work AND it feels impossible because of the many constraints placed upon educators from outside our system (Higher Ed, CCSS/Smarter Balanced, transcripts, parents' expectations, etc.)