Let me start with this one word so I can continue a clear understanding of what i am saying... free. What I am writing about and sharing, all the ideas, supplements, thoughts, and solutions revealed are of no cost. So if you see me use the words "Cost-effective" that, in my humble opinion is my language for FREE...
I see a limitless potential in Web 2.0 apps and collaborative software to bridge the gap of learning in our classrooms. DNA evidence of this is scattered all around us in digital formats of every kind. We have Khan Academy shattering the ideas of a traditional classroom environment. Then there is Pearson Open Class that is revolutionizing content delivery and learning management systems, bringing together all forms of educational resources in one platform. Imagine a seamless environment where the framework of learning is literally in the hands of every student.
I see a limitless potential in Web 2.0 apps and collaborative software to bridge the gap of learning in our classrooms. DNA evidence of this is scattered all around us in digital formats of every kind. We have Khan Academy shattering the ideas of a traditional classroom environment. Then there is Pearson Open Class that is revolutionizing content delivery and learning management systems, bringing together all forms of educational resources in one platform. Imagine a seamless environment where the framework of learning is literally in the hands of every student.
The wireless world we live in continues to breathe and
expand by leaps and bounds with each passing day. No longer are the tethers of
wires, the chains of textbooks, and the cuffs of tradition holding us down. The
world looked to us for well over two centuries as the trend-setters and leaders
in this global economy. Now, with such countries as India and China, we see
that the principals that once made us the focal point in the eyes of the world have
now shifted.
Our business leaders have said to our education leaders that
our students need to have certain abilities etched into their skill sets by
high school graduation. Such abilities as critical thinking, collaboration both
in person and across vast distances, and a host of other skills geared toward a
global work place. The digital landscape we live in now has changed the very
dynamic of the world stage. Innovations in communication and trade software,
and even the global delivery model of goods, has allowed this free exchange to
transform everything we ever thought we knew about business .
Due to these changes we see ourselves at a crossroads as a
nation. We are no longer the world leader we once were. We have fallen globally
in the areas of graduation. Our dropout rates have increased all the while as
well. For the first time ever we are now looking to the rest of the World for
guidance. We are looking at India and China for our answers. While I respect
those countries for their strides in the global enterprise, I can’t help but
cry out for our own sea to shining sea.
We created this country with innovation, with revolution. We
went from being the leader in agricultural exports to the leader in industrial
exports. While the world itself has changed from what it was over two centuries
ago, the principals are still the same. Innovation, revolution, these words
begin with an ideal and they become a movement. From the movement action occurs
and then change is birthed. We are a nation of diverse cultures, peoples,
ideals, and religions. We are a land of immigrants as well as natives. Our very
diversity is a method for change.
Our education field
has the opportunity, right now, in this very moment as I write these words, to
rise up as Samuel L. so eloquently put it about the Atlanta Falcons. As a
whole, as a unified, breathing cosmic galaxy, we can transform the landscape
that has sought to define the rules we live by. With the power of the internet,
the inspiration of our educators, and the tools of such innovators as Google,
Pearson, Livebinder, and a host of others we can bring teaching to our students
in ways we never could five years ago. With the evolution of Web 2.0 apps and
the digital transformation of curriculum available online, we can create a classroom
not defined by walls or desks, chalkboards or textbooks. We can mold a place
where the students can form strategies in unison, with guidance from their
teachers, all in one seamless place, free from the confines of a boring
structure.
With a dynamic, ever-changing digital environment nothing
would ever be stale, everything streamlined, simplified for teacher use, and
able to be scaled/tailored to their skill level. In the end they would be able
to gather the data needed to “prove” their lesson plans with screen shots, pdf,
and video capture modules. Imagine all of this rolled into one, easy to use,
simplified, streamlined, fiscally sound, and practical answer to that same
question I keep asking. “How can we make this easier?”
I have the answer. It is through a virtual classroom
environment, and it is so easy to accomplish once you understand the simplicity
of its execution. Those who look at the glass as half full will see it as half
empty…
I have taken you on a journey these past several days, trying
desperately to paint an overall picture of where we are at in the education
field. To do this on such a GRAND scale is no easy task and it takes more than
just words. I have taken so much time; hours and hours, days, weeks, and even
months, to assemble all of this information. I have taken this time to
coagulate all of this “stuff” into meaningful, measurable, practical, but most
of all RADICAL data. By the time this series is done in a few more blogs I want
ANYONE to be able to read from the first to the last blog and have a clear and
concise understanding of what I am trying to say.
The argument is simple. It is only going to get harder for
our teachers to continue to do what they are supposed to do, teach. And all the
while they are asking what can be done to make their jobs just a little easier?
All the while more and more responsibilities are being “Dumped” on them with
each passing legislative session.
My answer is simple. I mentioned it above. I will say it
again. It is the basis of my entire blog series. Technology in the classroom
with dynamic web environments is the answer. Is there a simple way to do this?
Yes. Is there a way to streamline this all into one easy to use interface for
teachers and students to share? Yes. Is there a way to link this in current
environments to prevent GLOBAL change to get the results desired? Yes. Can we
as teachers realistically create the environments we need with minimal time and
ease of use? Yes.
We do this through simplifying our distribution of
information. Instead of using a search engine to find something relevant to our
teaching subjects, we find a single RELIABLE source and go from there. Link it
from THERE. Instead of having 3 different platforms to teach the same subject,
a Powerpoint, a youtube video, and an obscure website passage; we meld all of
these into one interface, a platform to share them with. We do this through a
MULTITUDE of solutions such as Moodle, Open Class, Google Chrome, or some other
intuitive interface that gives our teachers that dynamic ability.
By giving our teachers a simplified platform to manage and
mold, we give them BACK the ability and TIME to teach that they once had. Using
such apps as Realtime Board and Glogster, teachers can save sceenshots, PDFs,
and the likes at a point in time such as midterm, end of year, etc. Having that
kind of documented proof is half the battle with the coming changes of 2014.
Meeting the change with dynamic answers from the start is how you answer those
questions.
Giving the teachers the tools, and not just stopping there;
but showing them how to apply them in the classroom via supplemental examples
is the other half of the battle. Meeting these needs head on, now, not in a
year or two when the change has hit us full on.
Below you will find a video showcasing my idea of how to
streamline this structure using just ONE tool available to our teachers. It is
called Livebinder and it is a simple way to combine ALL of your links (Web
pages, videos, or even flash-based sites;
you can also post slideshows,
power points, spread sheets, or documents too!) into ONE link that can
be posted anywhere. Taking all of these capabilities and rolling them into one
platform is a no-brainer. I hope you enjoy the video…
The link below is to my Livebinder shown in the above video...
http://www.livebinders.com/play/play/660042
Thank you again for your time in reading this blog.
Aaron
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