Week+5+Journal+Entry

In Week 5, your goals are to: Learn by reading the Student Needs Assessments created by other teams, Provide constructive input to your colleagues about their Student Needs Assessments, and
 * Make any final additions to your wiki journal.

I don't know if it is because I had too much of my mom's delicious cranberry casserole or what, but I sure had a difficult time watching the video this week. It seemed blurry and the words barely appeared long enough for me to see them. I often hit pause when I watch the videos through a second time, but it didn't help much this time. Anyway, I believe it was trying to say that teachers have limited access and resources but need to embrace change and find ways to use whatever 21st Century Skills we can in our classrooms to help our students achieve to their best ability. With all that our students are exposed to in their home life, it feels like we need to entertain our students more. I want to use more of the things I've learned or discovered, but need more time to develop meaningful lessons that will teach what I need to teach. Any ideas on how to gain more time and yet still be their for my family?

Although late, I'd like to write a few words on the fifth week's article, "21st Century Skills: Will Our Students Be Prepared?". I believe we need to learn deeper than we do in Ohio and am encourage that our state board is moving toward that directions. I feel that the standards and the standardized test that we give force us to cover as much as possible before the test date which means there isn't much time for letting my students go deep into the math concepts we teach. I'd like to have them do more discovery and, with their help, come up with some projects that show they know the material. I use to have my students create games and then rotate around the room playing them. They would critique themselves and make suggestions for others. This took at least two weeks.

Students need to think more critically, analyzing the information they have, and solve problems without asking adults for help. Even with my higher level students, I find that they give up very quickly. Last year, many of my students were having me as their math teacher for the second year in a row. They know I won't give them answers and expect them to work out what they can and only come to me with a well thought of question yet, after barely having enough time to even read the situation given to them, they are raising their hand with "I don't get it." It is really frustrating. Even when working in pairs or small groups, I hear the same thing way too soon. I wonder if much of this comes from the pressure of getting right answers on the state tests. I like the idea mentioned in this article about "moving beyond standardized testing as the sole measure of student learning." I'm hoping to learn about ways beyond the traditional tests to measure my students' skills. I'm sure there is technology out there to help us.

The article mentions the "importance of incorporating information and communication technologies into education." Back in my elementary days, I use some of the telecommunication technology that came with our SmartBoards to play some online math games with another fifth grade class in our district. The kids discussed their strategies with each other. It was amazing! Unfortunately, we had much technical difficulties and it took almost three weeks before we actually were successful. I'm sure our technology is better now and how to re-learn how to do this. Since there is another sixth grade math teacher from our district that is also part of this grant, I'm hoping we will be able to get together on this. I know this is only touching on what we can do, but it is one way I hope to help connect my students to others.

I have been looking at some authentic projects before break. I am going to make the time to impliment some of them. Before school started, I had this big idea about going for walks outside to find math. When it isn't as bitter as it is today (Jan. near the lake with wind chills in the single digits), I want to take this on. We'll see what else I can come up with. I really want to encourage all my students to take risks and think. They have abilities beyond what they believe they have. I hope that the 21st Century Skills will help me convince them of this!

When I read about the teacher that is frustrated because his students do a great job on their multimedia presentations but he is frustrated that they have to come in for extra help preparing for the standaridized tests, I definitely sympathized with him. I'm really hoping to learn more about using these 21st Century skills to help my students learn in more interesting ways. I know that what they enjoy they will retain longer. I'd like to learn to teach the standards with quick interactive lessons that keep my students thinking. It is so important that we teach our students to learn. They also need to be able to think about their answers, about what makes sense. I agree with writer Alvin Toffler who "points out, 'The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.'" Again, this validates what I have been saying that my students need to do, to think for themselves, take some chances and check to see if what they have makes sense. I love when they come up with a new way to do a problem that I haven't seen. I make sure to repeat it in my other classes giving credit to the student for thinking outside of the box.

As they talk about the budget cuts taking money away from our technology, it brings up the loss our school has felt because we no longer have keyboarding. My oldest son had two semesters here but my younger two sons will have none. The artical states that teachers are beginning to "see the technology as a tool to accomplish academic goals rather than an add-on to an already busy day." I totally agee about technology being necessary, but I also believe classes need to be taught to help our students use the technology better than what we can do when assigning projects using it. Students look at the keyboard and take forever typing. They don't know the shortcuts, how to use the tools the different programs offer, what information is valid to use, etc. Again, time is against us. To try and teach all that we need to and teach technology so that our students can use it proficiently during our regular class period, is definitely demanding. We are to do this while creating interesting hands-on lessons that allow our students to think critically. If only there were more time in the day and more days in a week. I truly want to do this and hope to learn how to use my time better to be able to teach this way (and still be there for my family). Again, I hope that the narrowing of the standards by the state will help us. I also hope they learn to fund our schools more fairly with what little money there is to go around. I also hope that the textbook companies help us by matching a narrow, deep curriculum that will help teach the basics they need yet promote critical thinking and authentic learning. I do think that the 21st Century Skills could help our students learn what they need to in meaningful ways so they will actually remember what they learned and be able to think of other ways to solve problems and still get the desired answers.

Maybe I should have know this, but I didn't know we had any other option but to give the test. I know our multi-handicapped teachers did portfolios showing their progress but thought that was not an option availble to us. I remember being told that less students would qualify for alternative forms of evaluation. Is that because of the Ohio laws? The article says that "NCLB legislation permits states to use a variety of measures for measuring annual yearly progress, factors such as student attendance, college acceptances, or student and parent satisfaction." Maybe Ohio will also come up with alternative assessments that won't cause us to get further in-debt to grade.

I seem be left with more questions about how this will all work for us than I do answers from this article. I am still optimistic. This grant is giving us many opportunities. The training we will receive is invaluable. Although there have certainly been some frustrations, I'm still hopeful that we will all learn ways to use 21st Century Skills and Technology to bring out the most in our students.