“Allen's skill was developed in two ways : first, by experimenting with various computer language programs and second, by making mistakes" (pg. 26).
I chose this quote from Googling the Error because it directly correlates with how students learn today in two different ways. We've seen how the manner of educating our children has basically remained unchanged even with technology completely transforming our world. We are challenged with adopting new ideas and new ways of learning in order to prepare students for their future. But this isn't limited to children. Allen received his degree in computer science nearly 50 years ago and has no formal training in computer programming, yet he has a whole career in the field. Allen went beyond his education in order to become skilled in his profession. And he did this through experimentation and failure.
With the rapid change we’re experiencing due to new technologies and changes to the workforce based upon these new advances how do we, as educators, keep up and remain knowledgeable about what our students need to know?
I was able to connect this chapter to so many things that we have learned through EDSS 530 as well as all of my other courses. The first connection I saw, specifically in reading Allen's story, was the story that Jeff shared with us about his daughter. His daughter, when she wants to learn something, takes to the web. She discovers YouTube videos, etc. in order to learn what she wants to learn and she does this all on her own. This is the way learning is taking place with our students these days. Allen, like Jeff's daughter, went out and experimented, researched and attempted in order to learn the skill of computer programming. Neither of the two had a teacher sitting there telling them what to do and that is the beauty of modern day technology; we can go out and find teachers everywhere just with the use of our fingertips, or maybe asking Siri.
Allen and Jeff's daughter make me realize that I am not their only resource. Now that I know that, I need to communicate that with my students. They look to me as their only resource (or my master teacher) yet they have many friends within their class, in other classes and they are fabulous at using technology. This makes me realize that I need to instruct my students how to use technology for educational purposes, including using those social networks for school (i.e. Instagram, Twitter, etc.).
Chapter 2: "A Tale of Two Cultures"
“The goal is to learn as much as you can, as fast as you can. In this teaching-based approach, standardization is a reasonable way to do this, and testing is a reasonable way to measure the result" (pg. 35).
In the mechanistic view, efficiency is the goal. But the goals need to be adjusted as they are focused on learning and learning quickly so they believe the most efficient way to measure the learning is through testing. Just as the goals need to be adjusted, the assessment also needs to be adjusted.
Time seems to be the main constraint in trying to help students process material at a deeper level and really grasp the concept in general. How do we deal with time in order to create more time for play, innovation and even failure to take place in our classroom?
We are flying through my Integrated I course and I don’t feel as if my students have a real depth of understanding. We are moving so quickly that we’ll review material from a few weeks prior and the kids are completely forgetting how to approach the problem. These 4x4s are intense and the kids really don’t have a minute of rest.
In addition, I hate how with the majority of classes, students can get a D or F and then just move along to the next topic without ever truly getting the last. There shouldn't be a time limit to learning so to speak. This is a big one for me, especially in content areas like math because so much of the content builds from chapter to chapter. One way I get around this is allowing late work, quiz corrections and test retakes but more time would be beneficial for all my students and it would require more work on the teacher’s part because they would have to create projects for the high achievers to keep them motivated to continue learning.
If we want students to figure things out, they need time. Its unrealistic to think that a class that uses inquiry based learning can cover the same material that a lecture class will cover. Students get a deeper understanding of the material but that requires more time! There is definitely a trade off; it’s real. You can’t get depth and breadth. I am starting to realize, though, that the best constructionism is not about students constructing the knowledge from scratch, but constructing a “hook” (in their mind) where they can put the knowledge. Giving them suggestions or outright answers is not “cheating” if the students are ready/eager to accept it.
Chapter 3: "Embracing Change"
“Similar problems exist in the workplace. The need for innovation- the lifeblood of business- is widely recognized, and imagination and play are key ingredients for making it happen" (pg. 49).
This quote, along with the entire chapter, reminds me of readings in EDSS 531 as well as this class. And that's that play and imagination are key in the workplace and in our education. This ties into the purpose of the 20% project. We as educators need to allow our students to be creative, give them choices to explore, play and develop a personalized purpose to learning. This is key to innovation. To help develop this creativity we as educators need to provide a space within our classroom where students can take risks and begin to see failure as a beginning not an end.
Is offering our students creativity the key to innovation?
Offering our students outlets to explore and create is definitely a way to encourage innovation. One of the things I am experimenting with is having four or five options for students in how to complete specific assignments during the semester. If there are four large assignments in the semester, I will give the students five or six options to complete the assignments. At the end of the semester they must have used at least (say) four out of the six options and can only use each one one time. This helps students explore and to experiment with different techniques for completing a task and helps prevent the class from getting stale and boring!
My epiphany in this chapter came when I began seeing connections between Thomas and Brown's A New Culture of Learning and Wagner's Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World. On Page 39 of Wagner's book and in regards to incorporating play into Kirk’s life/learning (a case study): “Not only did Kirk learn what his interests were and how to pursue them, I think he also learned self-confidence. He learned to trust and to follow his instincts--perhaps one of the most important qualities of an innovator.” To help spur innovation and creativity we have to incorporate more time for play based learning where our students are exploring, struggling (not giving up), questioning, etc...and more choices. Choices in product as a “buy-in” for the content. Through the failures and successes we give our students they will develop self-confidence and a belief that they can do anything!