668 - Week #10
What types of influence do I have in my current local and global communities? How can I expand that influence?
The influence I have in my local and global community is to share information I am learning as an educator. It is important to share knowledge and communicate effectively so that learning is not about transferring of knowledge but a collaborative approach. This means joining professional organizations, groups, where ideas can be shared. I also believe one must lead by example therefore if people see what I am doing and the changes I am making or made, they may feel compelled to make their own personal changes. Change is a ripple effect and once that happen it becomes contagious.
668 - Week #9
From where does global change derive? How can we use global change to promote deeper learning across the globe?
Global change derives from local change. The challenges we face in our local communities may be the same or about the same in other parts of the world. In essence the more we connect as a global community, the more knowledge can be shared about problems and solutions. Hence knowledge and discussions brings forth change.
668 - Week #7
From where does personal and local change derive? How can we use change to promote deeper learning as individuals and in our local settings?
Personal change starts with self. In order for one to have an impact on local change one must make changes within self. Ghandi inspires us to live the changes we want to see in the world. If we want to use change to promote deeper learning as individuals and in our local setting book circles, learning circles, and professional organizations/clubs can be very effective as it promotes thinking and collaboration.
668 - Week #6
How does globalization change the needs and demands on US, K12, higher education and corporate learning environments?
Globalization change can only increase learning. People from all around the world will have access to diverse cultures, languages, academia and much more…which will be empowering to all. To have a clear understanding of view points, and the reasons for those opinions can only bring forth more knowledge than what we have. Globalization change will mean that the US has to be willing to give up what they are most know for….being a capitalistic society. Open sourcing may become a huge problem. What would the US look like without competition?
668 - Week #5
How do NCLB and the Spellings Commission affect change in the use of educational technology?
Everything is scripted with NCLB. Open Court reading programs, mathematics pacing plans, and now the social studies books are becoming scripted as well. We want our students to become critical thinkers but we’ve taken the teachers right to think for themselves. The effect of this is that children who need more than a systematic approach to teaching have been left out. Now we are having discussions how to differentiate instruction in order to reach these children.
Everyone knows a good teacher knows how to tweak thing so that his/her students can benefit from the lessons at hand but as a teacher who came from questioning, it makes you lose a portion of yourself. It wasn’t until I became a part of OMET that I realized the effects NCLB had on me and the art of questioning students to use critical thinking skills. When you’ve been given a script and you then make questions from the questions that you’ve been given, the art of thinking for oneself has been taken away. In my school district there was a lot of pressure for everyone to keep to the script.
My thought on NCLB and the Spellings Commission on educational technology is where is the money to deliver these changes? I guess now like everything else the teachers must write a grant or use personal equipment to be in compliance. The computers at my school are dinosaurs and we do not have a computer lab. Talk about being out of compliance. This new school year we are looking at receiving a laptop for every teacher. So far 3-5 grade received them and it is our hope that K-2 will get theres.
