Is our formal, upper level education system part of the problem?

Took some time off, but I'm back now inspired and ready to move ahead!

Inspired by all the technology for education I have discovered through Twitter and social media, I decided to take a college course titled “Introduction to Technology for Teachers”.  While hind sight is always 20/20, I should have looked into the class a little more before attending.

I anticipated being introduced to things like Class Dojo, Live Folders, Google Plus, or even Twitter. To my dismay the course included nothing of the kind.  I was taught about Power Point, how to build a newsletter and a teacher webpage.  I was introduced to Web Quest and C-Palms, but nothing new.  This college level course really did nothing for me, and I was sadly disappointed.  This class failed to introduce me to anything I would call extremely useful.   

The failure of this class leads me to poses a question;  Is our formal, upper level education system part of the problem?  I took this college level course in hopes of being introduced to revolutionary new products and programs to help me in the classroom.  Instead I was shown the finer points of programs that have been in use for a decade.   So then, how can educators be expected to be “cutting edge” when our formal education systems haven’t caught up yet?

While pondering that question, I have another for you; it is the responsibility of primary educators to prepare our children for college and beyond, shouldn’t our colleges provide educators with the best tools available to do this?  In my class I was shown how to use Power Point.  Don’t get me wrong, I learned some new things about the program, but I feel Power Point is yesterday’s news.  So where do we turn to get up-to-date?

Personally I have learned more from links provided by those I follow on Twitter.  I have been introduced to some amazing programs such as Remind 101, Class Dojo, and We Video (along with countless others) through links on Twitter.  I have watched videos about using Green Screens to make videos, and sharing Google Docs through contacts on Twitter.  In my one month on Twitter (for free) I have learned more than in my 12 week class (that I paid $325 for).

Our education system is at a crossroads.  We must learn to adapt to the changing world.  We have technology available to us that we would have never dreamed of ten years ago.  Technology will continue to improve and will not wait for our education system to catch-up.  Refuse to accept the status quo!  If your administrators give you grief, show them technology’s potential.   Get ahead of the curve, your students will thank you for it.  Many fear that educators will, in the very near future, no longer be required.  Children can (and will) learn everything they need to know in the comfort of their own home through the internet.  Is that what is best?  Is that what we want? 

Class Dojo, a review...

CLASS DOJO

An ancient art crafted into a modern technology…

While performing classroom observation for my Introduction to Education class I was introduced to an I Pad Application called “CLASS DOJO”.  The application was labeled as a classroom management tool that is capable of tracking classroom behavior of all students.   At the time, Class Dojo was only an I Pad application.  It has since been made available for Android as well as becoming web based.  So what does this application do for us?

Class Dojo is a simple to use program that provides a smooth interface between teachers, parents, and students.  Initial set-up requires basic information such as student names and parents email addresses.  The teacher inputs the data and sets up the class make-up.  The teacher then sets parameters like notification times and report type (class or individual).  You can also use the basic behaviors that are provided, or you may create your own.  Also available is a “demo class” where teachers can experiment and tailor the information to meet their needs.

Here is what others are saying about this application:

“There are a lot of things I like about this service. I like how easy it is to get started and   use. I know of plenty of teachers that abandon services because they get stuck and don’t know what    to do. Here will not be the case.”

-           Patrick Cauley  (ITBABBLE.COM)

“Class Dojo allows you to set up a specific list of positive and negative behaviors for you to       track.  Each student gets a cute little monster avatar (it assigns a random one by default, but           you can go in and change it later) and you can assign points by clicking on the avatar.”

-          Ms. Nicole Roberts  (edshelf.com)

“As a teacher, I like it because it helps me to keep track of all sorts of things and I can generate      a report to give feedback to my class.  It has really flagged up a few things that had kind of               been going under the radar a bit - certain children who have been interrupting or getting out        of their chairs more than necessary that I had kind of let slide a bit.”

-          Sally Harris (losethechalk.com)

While reading some of the reviews, I did come across some negatives.  Most negative comments related to the interface of the program and the fact that it takes up the entire screen when is use.  This can be an issue for classes that use the teachers PC frequently for the class.  Using an I PAD for this program is one way to overcome this issue.  Below is link to the Class Dojo Website.  It is also available on the I PAD and through the Android Play store.

                http://www.classdojo.com/

IPads for everyone...

It is my opinion that technology should be incorporated into all facets of education.   Technology is exciting, it is fresh, and it serves to keep students interested.  While earning my Education Degree I was doing some teaching observation in a fifth grade classroom.  The class had just received, through a Federal Grant, I Pads.  The school only had enough IPods for 2 classes so they had to be shared.   The kids were doing research projects and creating presentations using the I Pads.  Some were making videos, some making slide presentations, and some doing a combination of both. 

I was able to review some of the (uncompleted) projects.  I saw some amazing stuff, but one really stood out.  The subject of the video was Chernobyl and included pictures and comments concerning the accident and the current situation.  The student did the presentation as a movie trailer, and if I did know any better I would have thought it was produced by a movie studio.  My experience in this class reinforced my already strong belief that we must do more to increase our student’s access to technology. 

Not only does technology benefit students, it also provides support and assistance to teachers.   One such program (which I also saw us in the class) was an I Pad Application called “Class Dojo”.  The program is used to track student behavior in real time throughout the day.  The reports are accessible by parents, teachers and administrators.   Reports can be rolled up into an email or viewed through the Class Dojo website.   The program is also accessible from Android and I Phone platforms.  Below is the website for additional information.

 

http://www.classdojo.com/