BLOG POST PROMPT:
Which elements of a culture for learning are present at your school, and which elements are areas of growth? Where do you see the potential to lead the shift to a culture of learning? I think that all the teachers at our school truly believe in the school and really want the best for our students. However, I think that there are many areas that require growth. So the potential to lead the shift to a culture of learning is HUGE. But time is precious and we all have very little time to be wasted. I believe that the greatest area where I can lead the shift to a culture of learning is first and foremost by transforming our faculty meetings from a culture of frontloading information (and sometimes even complaining) to a culture of learning based upon the needs, strengths and weaknesses, and most importantly, the interests of the teachers. Currently our faculty meetings are at best, where information is distributed from principal to the staff. On occasion, we work as a team on a WASC document or an in-depth study that the school is required to prepare. Wouldn’t it be better if the document was broken into parts and teams of teachers were assigned to work on each part, in Google docs, then reviewed later by the entire staff for continuity? If faculty meetings were turned into professional development, we could began to distribute the regular basic housekeeping information in an email or even a hard copy before the staff meetings. Then we could buy-back ½ hour to 1 hour of time each week. Over the course of a school year, that could be up to 40 hours that could be used for professional development. So by flipping our staff meetings, we could begin to schedule productive, teacher-led professional development back into our already scheduled weekly meetings. Therefore, no additional time is required for meetings, and we can begin to move our faculty forward into a culture of learning that will benefit all stakeholders. A well-planned faculty meeting based on the needs and suggestions of teachers could be the answer to shifting the culture of learning at our school. And the benefits are many. Teachers could lead these meetings by demonstrating and modeling strategies they are already using. Other teachers can begin to try out the tools. Teachers who are skilled in social media can volunteer to lead in-services in whatever they are doing in their classroom. Other teachers can demonstrate and suggest ways to use a favorite app. If teachers choose the topic of the meetings, chances are greater that they will buy into it. When you have a faculty that is engaged, the culture shift can be a reality.
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I would consider myself to be a “digital immigrant” even though I have always been drawn to new technology. As a kid I was always trying new things, taking apart things, and trying to improve things. When I was taking credential classes at CSUN in 2001, Marc Prensky’s article was published. I don’t know why it has taken me 14 years to find out about it. Nevertheless, I believe that the main concept, that students are digital natives while most of their teachers are not, can explain some of the concerns our staff is facing on a daily basis.
Since I became an educator I have noticed an alarming trend of student apathy. There is less pride in work and in following directions. It is difficult to get regular homework returned by a growing number of students on a daily basis. Consequences seem to have little or no affect on this negative behavior. As a Math teacher, I have seen the impact that less or no practice has on the performance of students in the class. In response to this issue, our school has adopted an on-line Math program and some of the teachers have reported remarkable improvement. They report that students are more likely to actually complete assignments if they are on-line. Evidence that digital natives who have grown up with new technologies actually think and process information differently reaffirms my commitment to the program. Not only do we face a generation gap, but there also is a technology gap. The key to any communication is first and foremost the ability to communicate in a common language. How can you teach if you can’t communicate with your students? I would classify the teachers at our school as “digital immigrants”. Most of them have smart phones and are using them during recess time so you would hope to find more tech in the classes. However, even though teachers have become experts on their devices, I still see a reluctance to integrate more tech into lesson plans. One of the challenges that I face is to get our teachers to learn and to regularly use these new technologies as much with their classes as they are already doing in their personal lives. The Technology Integration Specialist Certificate Program has been and will continue to provide a great source of knowledge and support. Knowing that I have 14 peers, many who share the same concerns that I have at their own school sites, along with two highly skilled teacher/mentors who are willing to reach out to me whenever I need assistance is a great blessing! I am also excited and hopeful about the future of our school when we start implementing changes to our learning environment and align learning to more closely meet the thinking patterns of our student population. I will probably always be a digital immigrant as long as there is new technology. However, I am willing to try to learn and adapt to any technology that could help me to improve my skills and to better engage the digital natives in my care. I am grateful for this opportunity. |
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