Highlights of Blogging: EDC533

       There are a few main thrusts in my blogging that are highlights. My blogging highlights the ways in which I have more thoughtfully considered the needs of the 21st century learner and how to better meet these needs. I have also considered  the role of technology in student learning and curriculum development.  Throughout my blogging, I used commentary from Hayes Jacobs fairly frequently as her ideas and perspectives assist us in meeting the needs of the 21st century learner.
       In thoughtfully considering the needs of the 21st century learner my blogging helped me to focus on the importance of preparing the student for the increased connection to our global world that technology now offers us. I was happy to report about how my own subject of World Language fits in so critically to prepare our students for the language and cultural awareness necessary to function with increased global connectivity.
      In my blogging, I have thought about the role of technology from a student’s perspective and how this is viewed both positively and negatively. It shed great light for me as a teacher upon what the student believes about technology;  its usage to them for their learning, and socializing, as well as technology as a pervasive component of their reality. This generation has great hopes and great fears about how technology will operate in their lives. In conducting this research, I learned a lot about how I will structure technology usage in my classroom. It will definitely be included, but not without thorough reflection as to how technology functions to enhance learning, on the part of both teacher and student.    
  My blogging also helped me to investigate more fully the role of technology for the future of language learning. With all of new technology and its improvements in translation capabilities, it has directed me to think about what this means for the future of language learning and has brought up many questions. All in all I have enjoyed blogging as a means to more thoughtfully consider my own role the curriculum  development process.

These are my first three baby steps to curriculum change in my classroom: Add the technology.....rubric changes.......assessment changes!

              Having put into practice a little about what Hayes Jacobs talks about in Curriculum 21, especially concerning assessments, I will talk about what I am currently doing,... and what I aspire to be doing in my classroom, in terms of  changing curriculum in my middle level World Language classroom.
             First of all, the changes that I have been making this year in my classroom curriculum are within the areas of assessment, rubric development, and additional technology. I am interested and excited to be creating curriculum that builds global cultural awareness, in repsonse to our technology enhanced  connectivity to the world.  I have done a little in this area, but I am interested in developing more as I feel it is of great importance to this generation's future. Perhaps this will also lead to stronger communication ties with the Spanish speaking world.
             Having done a little work this year with creating new assessments, I can see the wisdom of Jacobs when she counsels us to begin with one thing at a time, and then the rest will fall into place accordingly. Jacobs specifically counsels us that we should actually start with changing our assessments first, as this will lay the foundation for an unfolding of change. Naturally, with the addition of technology into student performance based assessments, both the rubric and the assessment itself has to be augmented. So, there we have it! It became a cyclic operation.....add the technology........rubric must change......assessment changes! At least, that is where I am at right now! I am well  aware of the additional progress that must be made if I am to bring my students into World Language learning in the 21st century, and to sufficiently fill their imaginative and creative learning desires.
           I am happy to report that my online professional development has been the most important experience that I could have received to assist me in making technology changes to my curriculum. I have brought podcasting into the classroom, and am really excited to set up a VoiceThread with some classes as it will allow us to practice our communication skills in Spanish in a really fun way!
             And so it goes.... I will continue to make these changes until all of my curricula has been upgraded to
the 21st century... an exciting journey for the teacher also!

Transition Issues for the Ninth Grader: What Can Both Levels (Middle and HS) Do Better?

  It saddens me to see our middle school student supported so much during the middle years, and then to know full well that these support systems will not be in place for them next year. I joined a mentor program this year, hoping to be of some assistance to kids in need of connecting with previous support systems at the middle level. Transition issues, unfortunately quite vexing indeed! One of the areas that we as teachers feel powerless at times in making a  difference.  So much disconnect between levels from elementary to middle and middle to high, causing so many problems for students which are severely detrimental to a positive,  educational experience. The questions raised are: How do we best confront and deal with these issues? What can we as teachers do to assist our students in experiencing positive transition experience? We may sometimes think that the special education student will experience the most difficulty with transitioning between levels, however upon further investigation we see that the grade level and student most affected by transition issues is the ninth grader. Ninth grade level students are at the highest risk for problems with  transition issues; problems which will result in student drop out and or non promotion to the next year. In Curriculum 21, Hayes Jacobs promotes the many options that we now have due to the flexibility of technology which address these ninth grade transition issues.
   Focusing on the ninth grader and the difficulty that they experience, here are some of their issues: “On average, ninth graders report being less involved in school activities and perceive the need for more school organization. They also indicate lower self -esteem and higher rates of depression than middle school students (Barber &Olsen,2004).”
 Looking at “The First Year of High School: A Quick Stats Fact Sheet.” by Elizabeth Williams and Scott Richman, AIR, at betterhighschools.org,  “Research has shown us that resources and strategies that include the following practices will support and guide smooth transitions into high school: “aligned standards and curriculum, team teaching, catch up course work in the first semester using the double block schedule, student advisories. at risk benchmarks, academic benchmarks, and adolescent literacy initiatives.”
 Here is where technology which transcends issues of time and space in the scheduled curriculum can help.  I know a few school systems that would benefit by putting this research into practice, and utilizing more technology to assist in their transition issues.(I’m sure you do too!)

Moving in the Direction of 21st Century Literacy.

      While reading chapter 11 entitled: Power Down or Power Up? by Alan November in Curriculum 21, by Hayes Jacobs, a few statements called out to me. The first statement that hit me, ...“the real problem is not adding technology to the current organization of the classroom but changing the culture of teaching and learning.” This statement prodded me to think about my experience thus far with          technology in the classroom.  One popular statement comes to mind. "Technology for technology’s sake." We teachers have all heard this a few times,  I’m sure.  Any teacher who has felt pressured into adding more technology into the classroom when she wasn’t ready for it, can identify with that statement. Any teacher who has even used minimal technology in the classroom, can understand some of the problems presented when students are using the Internet.  Finally, any teacher who has been grappling with wanting to add more technology in the classroom, and has then encountered the blockers to that implementation, both technologically and socially, can relate also! A confusing time for teachers. We want to take those necessary steps forward; feeling the initial excitement of all that technology has to offer and wanting to share this with students, only to be thwarted by censorship. So, I am in accordance with November on the need to change the culture of teaching and learning, with regard to the newest technology available that will enhance the learning environment.
    In the midst of all the controversy and tension of cultural shifts in teaching and learning as a result of our newest technology, November believes that.... “we should be providing students with guided opportunities and teachable moments that allow them to practice and hone their research skills.”  Again, another statement that I agree with and can happily add, one with which I am confident and comfortable. Confident, because I know I have provided these necessary research opportunities for students.  Comfortable, because as we negotiate the waters of cultural shift tensions, waiting for the inevitable tide to turn,  dealing with the blockers, controls, and censorship tendencies of the school community, at least we are doing the very best that we can to move in the direction of 21st century literacy.