As children of many parents continue on their RACE TO NOWHERE treadmills in high school, a secret many are unaware of is that you don’t have to go to school to get into college. I don’t just mean community college. I mean a very good college. In fact, I don’t just mean a very good college, I mean the best colleges. In fact as the Learn in Freedom website explains, “Harvard College specifically mentions that they have never required a high school diploma for admission. Stanford University makes clear in a form letter to home learning applicants that a high school diploma is not necessary for admission.
More and more colleges are following their lead and mentioning admission policies for home learners in their on-line or in printed materials.” Wikipedia reveals that homeschoolers have now matriculated at over 900 different colleges and universities, including institutions with highly selective standards of admission such as the US military academies, Rice University, Harvard University, Stanford University, Cornell University, Brown University, Dartmouth College, and Princeton University.[19]. The Learning in Freedom site provides a list of colleges that will admit students who haven’t attended school here.
Another option home learning students are pursuing is earning college credit at community colleges or online before attending a traditional college. From a financial perspective it might make good sense to earn credits from a more affordable institution in advance of attending a traditional four-year institution. Another option is to earn college credits through standardized tests such as the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). CLEP is a group of standardized tests that assess college-level knowledge in several subject areas. Students who earn credit by passing the tests. Over at the College for Homeschoolers site Calfi Cohen shares additional great tips such as colleges that provide a free education for those who meet their requirements, colleges whose programs have students engaging in real world work and experiences, colleges without exams or grades, a college geared toward students with ADHD, as well as advice for those who want to homeschool for college and attend a "virtual" university.
If you’re thinking, “This sounds great, but a student who has not attended school surely must meet some admission requirements.” You are right. You can see how unschooler, Kate Frikis got into college without school here. Here are things you can do to ensure your home child who learns at home gets into the school of their choice.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Children’s Online Design Studio - Kerpoof
Kerpoof is a great site for innovative educators who know that learning should be all about having fun, discovering things, being creative, and producing real work to share, discuss and celebrate with others. With Kerpoof students become creators! Here are a few ways that you can use Kerpoof:
- Make artwork (even if you aren't good at drawing!)
- Make an animated movie (really! it's easy!)
- Earn Koins which you can trade for fun things in the Kerpoof Store
- Make a printed card, t-shirt, or mug
- Tell a story
- Make a drawing
- Vote on the movies, stories, and drawings that other people have made
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Quit Happens
Vickie Bergman blogs about education and parenting at Demand Euphoria.
Look at some of the popular "wisdom," in the form of one-liner clichés, about quitting:
1. Winners never quit, and quitters never win. False. First of all, winners sometimes quit. Especially after they win. Second, quitters sometimes win. Sure, maybe if you quit playing baseball, you won't win at baseball anymore. But you can win at other stuff because you aren't wasting your time playing baseball when you don't really want to. And third, what if you don't care about winning? Or what if happiness is a win for you? Then quitting something that takes away from your happiness is an automatic win.
I prefer: Quit while you are ahead. As in, if you have achieved what seems to you to be a satisfactory level of success, and you don't want to do something anymore, then it's ok to quit. Also, if you realize that you are not enjoying something, then quit before you waste too much more time doing it.
Look at some of the popular "wisdom," in the form of one-liner clichés, about quitting:
1. Winners never quit, and quitters never win. False. First of all, winners sometimes quit. Especially after they win. Second, quitters sometimes win. Sure, maybe if you quit playing baseball, you won't win at baseball anymore. But you can win at other stuff because you aren't wasting your time playing baseball when you don't really want to. And third, what if you don't care about winning? Or what if happiness is a win for you? Then quitting something that takes away from your happiness is an automatic win.
I prefer: Quit while you are ahead. As in, if you have achieved what seems to you to be a satisfactory level of success, and you don't want to do something anymore, then it's ok to quit. Also, if you realize that you are not enjoying something, then quit before you waste too much more time doing it.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
First Graders Go to School Online
When you think of online learning, thoughts of high school kids, like those who shared 10 Reasons Students Say They Prefer Learning Online, probably come to mind. Did you know that there are also elementary students who learn online too? Yep. The profile of such families might be that they live in a remote area where there just aren't a lot of kids at a certain age, or perhaps the child is being home educated and the parents want the extra help to which they're entitled, or perhaps, the parents prefer home education, but don't have careers or life circumstances that allow for this to be a reality, so they supplement their child's learning with learning online. This allows for a consistent learning leader whether it's the mother home with the child, the father, a grandparent, family member, or nanny.
Even as an innovative educator, I was surprised to learn that online learning was occurring in elementary school. It seemed to me, at least in part, an answer to those who were considering home education for their children, but wanted support in getting started.
I had the good fortune to hear from Christina M. Narayan from Branson School Online, a first grade teacher who was doing this work along with her principal Leanna Walker-Christians
at a the Virtual School Symposium. The session was called, "CONNECTING...not just to the internet...but to your STUDENTS!
Here is what they addressed:
How do you "reach out and touch someone" when there's a computer in the way and your students and staff live miles apart? Branson School Online staff will share the C3 Model for engaging and motivating online students. Creativity, Community and Communication are essential for connecting to our learners. The 09 CO Elem Online Teacher of the Year and BSO Principal will give concrete strategies for easy application. You can still have bulletin boards, Buddy programs and even a class pet at your virtual school.
You can listen to the session here.
CONNECTING not just to the internet.mp3
You can view their presentation here.
Even as an innovative educator, I was surprised to learn that online learning was occurring in elementary school. It seemed to me, at least in part, an answer to those who were considering home education for their children, but wanted support in getting started.
I had the good fortune to hear from Christina M. Narayan from Branson School Online, a first grade teacher who was doing this work along with her principal Leanna Walker-Christians
at a the Virtual School Symposium. The session was called, "CONNECTING...not just to the internet...but to your STUDENTS!
Here is what they addressed:
How do you "reach out and touch someone" when there's a computer in the way and your students and staff live miles apart? Branson School Online staff will share the C3 Model for engaging and motivating online students. Creativity, Community and Communication are essential for connecting to our learners. The 09 CO Elem Online Teacher of the Year and BSO Principal will give concrete strategies for easy application. You can still have bulletin boards, Buddy programs and even a class pet at your virtual school.
You can listen to the session here.
CONNECTING not just to the internet.mp3
You can view their presentation here.
Educators Need to Get Their Heads INTO The Clouds with Cloud Computing
As an innovative educator I've been an early adopter of cloud computing. I remember when I first discovered "Writely" at a conference several years ago. I was so excited that there was a tool that not only let you write online, but it also allowed you to collaborate. This was huge! No more issues of version control, and because it was free, no more needing to buy word processing software. Google caught on quick and swooped up Writely which is now known as Google Docs. As Google does, they took it even further and developed spreadsheets, presentations, drawing, forms and more. If that wasn't enough, they made a special free version of all this for education. Fantastic! This was when I first developed a deep appreciation of "The Cloud." In short, when we speak of “the cloud” what we are saying is we are using the internet – the Cloud – to access programs that are not stored on your computer. It is a fundamental shift away from the traditional way of using your PC because you no longer need software installed on your computer. In fact, you no longer need a dedicated computer. Instead, software, and everything you create with it, lives in the cloud with hosted services like email, photo sharing (Flickr), video sharing (YouTube), file sharing (DropBox and Google Docs), or social media (Facebook and Twitter).
In education, many schools and districts stuck in bureaucratic red tape (real or imagined) are dreadfully behind the times. Unfortunately, they have not caught on and they're needlessly wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars on software apps when there are alternatives available for free, for all. The other benefit is when you work in the cloud, students and staff no longer need to have a dedicated computer. This is yet another thing that many schools needlessly struggle with. Some are relying on outdated models or using outdated research about the importance of 1:1 laptop ownership that was based on conditions that existed in the days before cloud computing was an option.
Ideas for Using Facebook as a Tool to Increase School Attendance
Ask the Innovative Educator...
Jacob Gutnicki asked a question about using Facebook. Below is my initial answer, followed by some great ideas from my Twitter followers.
Question:
Jacob Gutnicki said...Dear Lisa, one of my principals is toying with the idea of using social networking tools to improve student attendance. What are you thoughts on this? More specifically, how would you use social networking tools to improve student attendance?
Answer:
The Innovative Educator said...@Jacob Gutnicki, my initial thought is that is not what I would think of as a goal for Facebook. That scares me a bit. It sounds more punitive than supportive, even if that's not the intent.
My thought is that Facebook should be used to strengthen the home-school connection, the student-teacher connection, and support the ability to communicate, collaborate, and make a difference.
If the student - teacher connection was strengthened online and in life attendance might increase. For instance the students I spoke to in in 10 Ways Facebook Strengthens the Student-Teacher Connection loved they connected with educators on Facebook, but their teachers also ran marathons with them, coached basketball, led debate teams, etc. Every teacher did something and the kids loved that their teachers saw them as people. I think in the end that is what increases attendance.
But...I did tweet the question out and I'll let you know what I find.
Ask The Innovative Educator Tweeps...
Below is my question, then a lot of great ideas from my Twitter followers. I’m glad I asked!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Using TPACK as a Framework for Tech PD, Integration and Assessment.
Henrico County Schools System has adopted the TPACK as the Framework for professional development and 21st Century Learning in the Henrico County Schools System. Henrico County is one of the largest and earliest districts to pioneer and implement a one-to-one initiative. They have adopted this model as its conceptual framework to guide their progress towards the 21st Century Learning. The following video will set the stage to provide insight into how this school district uses technology for relevant and real-world learning.
See How Henrico County School District Incorporates Technology into Learning.
Henrico 21 Overview from HCPS Instructional Technology on Vimeo.
To see more videos visit this link.
Below are some essential pieces toward meeting their vision.
The TPACK Model
The TPACK Model was created in response to the need to provide a framework around the important pieces of innovating learning with a focus on Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge. The overlap of these three components is where the 21st Century classroom is most powerful. Here is general information on TPACK and The general framework of TPACK for Henrico's 21st Century Learning.
This is a diagram of the model.
See How Henrico County School District Incorporates Technology into Learning.
Henrico 21 Overview from HCPS Instructional Technology on Vimeo.
To see more videos visit this link.
Below are some essential pieces toward meeting their vision.
The TPACK Model
The TPACK Model was created in response to the need to provide a framework around the important pieces of innovating learning with a focus on Technology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge. The overlap of these three components is where the 21st Century classroom is most powerful. Here is general information on TPACK and The general framework of TPACK for Henrico's 21st Century Learning.
This is a diagram of the model.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
The World's Simplest Social Media Policy
I often share my disappointment around the fear of using social media for learning and connecting in posts like this one Kids and teachers are interacting. Everybody panic. Social media is ubiquitous in the lives of our students and it makes sense to go to where the students are. I shared this in my post where students explain 10 Ways Facebook Strengthens the Student-Teacher Connection. In that article you'll also hear from librarian Michelle Luhtala who helped break the ban on social media in her school. A video included in the article shows what happens when students are given the trust and freedom to learn using Facebook. This is working in elementary schools as well which I shared in 8 Real Ways Facebook Enriched Ms. Shoening's First Grade Class.
The reality is the power of social media is enormous. It's what students are using to make a difference, our president used to get elected, and what Egypt used to start a revolution. Educators must get over their fears lest they make themselves irrelevant and leave their students unprepared. As I shared in my post Being Safe Online Is Being Safe In Life, the lesson is this. It's not primarily having a social networking profile, or giving out personal information that puts kids at risk. What puts kids in danger is being willing to talk about sex online with strangers or having a pattern of multiple risky activities on the web like going to sex sites and chat rooms, meeting lots of people there, kind of behaving in what we call like an internet daredevil. As the post is titled, the rules for being safe online are really just the rules for being safe in life.
We don't need a complicated policy that runs on for pages that no one can understand. What we do need is a common sense policy like the one shared by Mike Brown on the Nate Riggs Social Business Strategies blog. The policy was made for business and works for education as well. The policy was written for social media, but also applies to face-to-face. Here it is with some slight schooly revisions from me.
- Classmates
- Teacher
- Friends
- Boyfriend/girlfriend
- Family
- Parents
- Employer
- Clients
- Business partners
Now isn't that easy? A smart guide for life online and off. For the original post visit Mike Brown on The World’s Simplest Social Media Policy.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
What's Popular This Week on The Innovative Educator
Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on The Innovative Educator blog this week. Below you’ll see my top weekly posts along with the number of pageviews in the past 7 days. If something looks interesting, check it out. If you’re so inspired leave a comment.
| The Ten No Nos of Teaching with a Projector or Interactive Whiteboard | |
| May 10, 2010, 27 comments | 469 Pageviews |
| Fit the Tool to the Job, Not the Job to the Tool | |
| Mar 23, 2011, 4 comments | 412 Pageviews |
| Unplugged Education - It Is Not Homeschooling and It's Not Tech Free | |
| 21-Mar-11 | 374 Pageviews |
| 10 Implications To Consider Around What School Will Look Like in 2020 | |
| Mar 16, 2011, 12 comments | 366 Pageviews |
| Cure ADHD without Drugs with These Resources from Doctors, Teachers, and Parents | |
| Feb 5, 2011, 19 comments | 361 Pageviews |
| A Kid Who's Not a Quitter? | |
| Mar 24, 2011, 9 comments | 349 Pageviews |
| Every Thorn Has its Rose | |
| Mar 20, 2011, 2 comments | 300 Pageviews |
| Happy Birthday to The Innovative Educator - 2011 | |
| Mar 18, 2011, 4 comments | 279 Pageviews |
| 5 Things You Can Do to Begin Developing Your Personal Learning Network | |
| Oct 12, 2008, 12 comments | 251 Pageviews |
| Being Safe Online Is Being Safe In Life | |
| Mar 14, 2011, 6 comments | 239 Pageviews |
Friday, March 25, 2011
3 Easy Ideas to Update Outdated Meetings
 |
| Old Style Paper and Pencil Meeting |
- Utilization of Online Spaces
- Does your school have an online discussion space like a Moodle, Blackboard, eChalk, Schoolwires, Ning, Group.ly etc.? Incorporate that into your meetings. Create discussion topics and send those out prior to your meetings. This way during meetings you can skip past idea collection and move to making meaning of ideas as they relate to the work at hand.
- Incorporate the use of your online discussion forums into meetings. During breakout sessions have feedback posted on a discussion board to which people can refer when they reconvene and it provides a way to keep the conversation going even after the meeting has ended.
2. Instant Collection of Breakout Group Ideas
- Depending on the task at hand, the discussion board might not be best either because of the topic or perhaps you don’t have such a space. Instead, create a Google Spreadsheet that can be accessed with a tinyurl. Ask each group notetaker to place the ideas there. When groups come together to present no one has to furiously type what is being said. No one has to collect and compile it later. It’s all right on the Google doc along with the responses from all the groups and can be referenced anytime. You can use this to gather information from each individual participant too by placing questions along the top and participants names along the side so that if it makes sense ideas can be attributed to the people who made them.
3. Digital Meeting Agendas with Resources
- Create a digital agenda so all the resources and materials accessible to participants to refer to before, during, or after the meeting without having to hunt for them later or have them emailed. You could have feedback, videos, responses, etc. embedded right into the agenda. Here is an example of what this looks like.
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| Maybe your next meeting could be in Second Life! |
All three of these ideas enable a paperless environment to occur, with an added bonus of saving money on paper. Another bonus is that each idea provides a way for those unable to physically be in attendance to participate remotely before, during or after the meeting. Take it one step further and add in a conference calling tool or online meeting space like elluminate, and no participants would need to physically be in the same space.
Once you have these under your belt, you can visit a dozen more ideas here.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
A Kid Who's Not a Quitter?
Vickie Bergman blogs about education and parenting at Demand Euphoria.
Last week, there was a segment on the Today Show with "parenting expert" Michele Borba, based on her article entitled How To Raise a Kid Who's Not a Quitter. First of all, I am always suspicious of anyone who writes a "How-to-raise-a-kid-who's-not" article, because I don't think it's possible to use a formula on your child to make him a certain way or not a certain way. Secondly, I recently blogged about how I Am a Quitter, and I don't think it's a bad thing. Why do people think it is important to raise "non-quitters"? Have they thought about what that means?
What does it even mean to "not be a quitter"? Certainly it can't mean that you never stop doing something once you have started. Because no one would qualify. So it must mean something else, like you never quit something because it's hard. Or you never quit something "in the middle" or until you have achieved a certain amount of success.
I'm also assuming that quitting "bad" things like smoking or driving drunk are not seen as negative. So we are only talking about quitting things that not everyone thinks are bad. Like sports teams or performances or other activities.
What if you quit something for a little while, and then go back to it and kick ass at it? Does that count as being a quitter still?
While you are thinking about forming a definition of someone who is not a quitter, here are some things to consider about quitting:
Have you thought about what makes someone qualify as "not a quitter"? Because I still have no idea.
Last week, there was a segment on the Today Show with "parenting expert" Michele Borba, based on her article entitled How To Raise a Kid Who's Not a Quitter. First of all, I am always suspicious of anyone who writes a "How-to-raise-a-kid-who's-not" article, because I don't think it's possible to use a formula on your child to make him a certain way or not a certain way. Secondly, I recently blogged about how I Am a Quitter, and I don't think it's a bad thing. Why do people think it is important to raise "non-quitters"? Have they thought about what that means?
What does it even mean to "not be a quitter"? Certainly it can't mean that you never stop doing something once you have started. Because no one would qualify. So it must mean something else, like you never quit something because it's hard. Or you never quit something "in the middle" or until you have achieved a certain amount of success.
I'm also assuming that quitting "bad" things like smoking or driving drunk are not seen as negative. So we are only talking about quitting things that not everyone thinks are bad. Like sports teams or performances or other activities.
What if you quit something for a little while, and then go back to it and kick ass at it? Does that count as being a quitter still?
While you are thinking about forming a definition of someone who is not a quitter, here are some things to consider about quitting:
- Quitting is not forever. Quit is such a harsh word, it sounds so final, like it's too late to start again because you already quit. Look at Michael Jordan. Why is it not all right to take a break from things? I quit college for a year, and then went back. If people had convinced me that I was a loser or a "drop-out" because I was a quitter, maybe I would have thought there was no chance I could go back and finish.
- Your team might be counting on you... to quit. One of the things people like to say about the consequences of letting your child quit a team, is that he would be letting down his teammates. Let's be honest about this. If your kid is one of the worst ones on the team, he would probably not be missed. And even if he is the best one on the team, maybe his quitting would allow the next best players to shine brighter. In general, any one kid quitting a team leaves more room for the kids who actually want to be there to play even more of the time.
- Quitting one activity opens up space for other activities. We can't do everything all the time. Maybe your child wants to quit his baseball team because be in the school play. Maybe he quits the school play (if the play can go on without him, which it probably can, see #2) because he gets an unexpected opportunity to travel to an exotic place. Why isn't it better for him to be able to change his mind and choose what he thinks will make him happiest?
- Quitting something because it's too hard is perfectly acceptable. If it's "too hard" for your child, that means he has decided it's not worth the effort. Why should anyone else be able to decide that for him?
- You don't "save" money by not letting your child quit. If the money is already spent, then let it go. You forcing your child to continue an activity does not get you the money back. It just tells your child that the money is more important than his happiness.
- Forcing children to finish what they started might make them afraid to start things. And if they don't think it is safe to try different things, they might miss out on something wonderful. Make it safe for your children to try things.
- People who try more things are going to quit more things. Practically speaking. Think about it. Every thing your child tries is another thing he will probably end up quitting. Let him try more things! Let him quit more things! This is the best way for him to find things he really loves.
Have you thought about what makes someone qualify as "not a quitter"? Because I still have no idea.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
The Valedictorians of Technical Theater
Guest post by Jan Herder
If you have a theater program in your school you may have couple students who do all the work, run all the shows, design and hang the lights and sets, build and paint the scenery, mix the sound, and otherwise inhabit the space as much as they can. Usually they aren’t the ones in the light, or on the stage as performers--though sometimes they are involved that way too. Some of those students find their way to me and I am incredibly impressed by their passion, commitment, creativity, and diligence. Many, like me, graduated from high school at the bottom of their class, or have been labeled “learning challenged’ or are part of the ‘pharmy’ culture we have created in order to keep kids compliant. I call these students the ‘Valedictorians of Tech,’ and I am honored to get the chance to work with them.
Actually I prefer students like this--they learn by doing, they construct their personal learning environment, indeed, their process of construction is their learning environment. Often they are self taught, exhibit leadership aptitude, and are great collaborators. I have been working with these kinds of students for the past 20 years or so and my process as an educator and facilitator keeps evolving, and keeps surprising me. In some ways it must be like teaching Drivers Ed--letting them drive! Its great to have a break pedal for emergencies, but they can’t learn unless they actually do it. Letting go of my pedagogical expectations is probably the biggest challenge for me as their mentor--but the result of allowing them to take ownership--of their environment, their learning, their ambitions and fears--the drama as they work out the collaborative process of working with others-- this is where education occurs.
Is there a wider lesson here? Although ‘project’ based learning has been around a long time, a theatrical production, for example, brings something else to the equation-- a ‘product.’ A friend of mine coined this as ‘productivity centered service learning’ --there is a lesson here for us as we consider transforming education. It’s the call for relevance. And I find the same idea in Lisa’s call to “publish it” rather than “hand it in.” That is, that the student’s learning journey counts for something, that we take them seriously and their work is meaningful, that there are specific, concrete results, or ‘products’ that emerge from their efforts. These results are not arbitrary or contrived to teach a lesson--but that it is important for them and us that their work has value and is seen beyond the classroom.
How could this be applied to our educational system? We talk about transforming our schools. What if we shared the responsibility with our students to manage and explore the systems that sustain the school and the community? A great example is the Center for Ecoliteracy which does pioneering work with school gardens, school lunches, and integrating ecological principles and sustainability into school curricula. How about IT? I long ago learned my students know much more than I do about computers and technology--I am constantly learning from them. We think we have to get the teachers to implement IT reform--heck, the students have already hacked your system and started a business at the same time. How about the curriculum? Or discipline? Empowering students implies letting go of our habit of control. Opening up education to a radically student centered culture provides great opportunities to support our student’s passion on their learning journey. Then, what does assessment look like? The proof is in the pudding.
Jan Herder is the Director of Dibden Center for the Arts in their Technical Theater Degree Program at a Performing Arts Center in a small liberal arts college in rural Vermont.
If you have a theater program in your school you may have couple students who do all the work, run all the shows, design and hang the lights and sets, build and paint the scenery, mix the sound, and otherwise inhabit the space as much as they can. Usually they aren’t the ones in the light, or on the stage as performers--though sometimes they are involved that way too. Some of those students find their way to me and I am incredibly impressed by their passion, commitment, creativity, and diligence. Many, like me, graduated from high school at the bottom of their class, or have been labeled “learning challenged’ or are part of the ‘pharmy’ culture we have created in order to keep kids compliant. I call these students the ‘Valedictorians of Tech,’ and I am honored to get the chance to work with them.
Actually I prefer students like this--they learn by doing, they construct their personal learning environment, indeed, their process of construction is their learning environment. Often they are self taught, exhibit leadership aptitude, and are great collaborators. I have been working with these kinds of students for the past 20 years or so and my process as an educator and facilitator keeps evolving, and keeps surprising me. In some ways it must be like teaching Drivers Ed--letting them drive! Its great to have a break pedal for emergencies, but they can’t learn unless they actually do it. Letting go of my pedagogical expectations is probably the biggest challenge for me as their mentor--but the result of allowing them to take ownership--of their environment, their learning, their ambitions and fears--the drama as they work out the collaborative process of working with others-- this is where education occurs.
Is there a wider lesson here? Although ‘project’ based learning has been around a long time, a theatrical production, for example, brings something else to the equation-- a ‘product.’ A friend of mine coined this as ‘productivity centered service learning’ --there is a lesson here for us as we consider transforming education. It’s the call for relevance. And I find the same idea in Lisa’s call to “publish it” rather than “hand it in.” That is, that the student’s learning journey counts for something, that we take them seriously and their work is meaningful, that there are specific, concrete results, or ‘products’ that emerge from their efforts. These results are not arbitrary or contrived to teach a lesson--but that it is important for them and us that their work has value and is seen beyond the classroom.
How could this be applied to our educational system? We talk about transforming our schools. What if we shared the responsibility with our students to manage and explore the systems that sustain the school and the community? A great example is the Center for Ecoliteracy which does pioneering work with school gardens, school lunches, and integrating ecological principles and sustainability into school curricula. How about IT? I long ago learned my students know much more than I do about computers and technology--I am constantly learning from them. We think we have to get the teachers to implement IT reform--heck, the students have already hacked your system and started a business at the same time. How about the curriculum? Or discipline? Empowering students implies letting go of our habit of control. Opening up education to a radically student centered culture provides great opportunities to support our student’s passion on their learning journey. Then, what does assessment look like? The proof is in the pudding.
Jan Herder is the Director of Dibden Center for the Arts in their Technical Theater Degree Program at a Performing Arts Center in a small liberal arts college in rural Vermont.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Unplugged Education - It Is Not Homeschooling and It Is Not Tech Free
Guest Post By Laurette Lynn
Editor’s note: I had the pleasure of making Laurette Lynn’s friendship on Facebook where she introduced me to the concept of Home Education. I liked that term and asked her if I could share more about her views here on The Innovative Educator. Thank you Laurette for sharing another view about learning which she also calls unplugged education. Get ready to be inspired :-)
For most of us, when we hear the word education, it automatically creates a mental image of school and books and papers and we instantly associate the term with school. Similarly, when we hear the word school, we think of teachers, desks, chalkboards and a building filled with students, sounds of bells, images of backpacks and busses and the cringing thought of homework and tests. Take it a step further with the term 'homeschool' and a vast majority of the population automatically associates that term with 'strange, weird, bizarre, outcasts, unsocialized, cooped up" etc... Some of us know better and hence associate the term homeschool with books and papers and grades etc - but minus the chalk boards and busses and building, and of course minus the 'homework'. For many home educators, this would be an accurate image for what homeschooling is for them - school at home. However, for a growing number of families, the word school does not at all describe what they have discovered or the lifelong learning they are enjoying. What's more, these are the families who have come to the conclusion that the word education is not synonymous with the word schooling. As a matter of fact they are two very different ideas.
As a home educating Mom in one such family, as well as an outspoken advocate for home education, I use a new term that I feel helps to better describe our style. What we do is not school. We learn independent of a system or a building. We learn outside the lines of time schedules or any intellectual or emotional restrictions. It's education for sure, but it is an unplugged state of being; unplugged from the system with which we are used to associating the terms education and schooling. It is Unplugged Education©.
This is more than academics. It is not home school because it is not school at home. It doesn't always happen inside the home (although it can) and it is not "schooling". It is learning more...more than math.
Unplugged Education is a philosophical concept. It means unplugging from the mainstream ideas and compulsory concepts that drive the cultural modern world and thinking outside the proverbial box.
What is the system?
Unplugging forces us to see the schooling system for what it is - a system! A system indeed, that manufactures products and those products are our children. It is a deliberate and artificial procedure wherein pre selected and categorized information is downloaded into fresh young minds. The spoon-fed information is superficial, narrow, lacks variety and does not consider individuality. Furthermore it is selected by an elusive board with vested corporate interest. (This is why we see corporate advertising weaved into textbooks and throughout the school programs).
The system treats a multitude of children as a single entity and perpetuates a very artificial, group-think ideology; which suffocates individuality and strangles creative expression. It casts out anyone whose style of learning differs from the pre-selected standardized methods and literally ignores potentially great creative intellectual genius - because they are those who could not conform. It is a system that demands conformity and denies originality. An alarmingly high percentage of all public schooled children in North America graduate from this system without being able to read. This massive number of children are categorized as 'learning disabled' and diagnosed with any variety of conditions such as ADD, ADHD or a dozen other creative terms invented to label children who are truly just very naturally unable to conform to unnatural procedures.
It is the very nature of the system to compartmentalize in this way, separating the easy conformists (smart kids) from the otherwise (disabled kids). The conformists are the good students and the non-conformers are the disabled or even worse, the "bad" kids.
This systematic murdering of individual creative expression and strangulation of natural human genius has damaged our modern society. The system is not working. It is failing. It is failing our children; it is failing our society, our nation and our world.
Editor’s note: I had the pleasure of making Laurette Lynn’s friendship on Facebook where she introduced me to the concept of Home Education. I liked that term and asked her if I could share more about her views here on The Innovative Educator. Thank you Laurette for sharing another view about learning which she also calls unplugged education. Get ready to be inspired :-)
For most of us, when we hear the word education, it automatically creates a mental image of school and books and papers and we instantly associate the term with school. Similarly, when we hear the word school, we think of teachers, desks, chalkboards and a building filled with students, sounds of bells, images of backpacks and busses and the cringing thought of homework and tests. Take it a step further with the term 'homeschool' and a vast majority of the population automatically associates that term with 'strange, weird, bizarre, outcasts, unsocialized, cooped up" etc... Some of us know better and hence associate the term homeschool with books and papers and grades etc - but minus the chalk boards and busses and building, and of course minus the 'homework'. For many home educators, this would be an accurate image for what homeschooling is for them - school at home. However, for a growing number of families, the word school does not at all describe what they have discovered or the lifelong learning they are enjoying. What's more, these are the families who have come to the conclusion that the word education is not synonymous with the word schooling. As a matter of fact they are two very different ideas.
As a home educating Mom in one such family, as well as an outspoken advocate for home education, I use a new term that I feel helps to better describe our style. What we do is not school. We learn independent of a system or a building. We learn outside the lines of time schedules or any intellectual or emotional restrictions. It's education for sure, but it is an unplugged state of being; unplugged from the system with which we are used to associating the terms education and schooling. It is Unplugged Education©.
This is more than academics. It is not home school because it is not school at home. It doesn't always happen inside the home (although it can) and it is not "schooling". It is learning more...more than math.
Unplugged Education is a philosophical concept. It means unplugging from the mainstream ideas and compulsory concepts that drive the cultural modern world and thinking outside the proverbial box.
What is the system?
Unplugging forces us to see the schooling system for what it is - a system! A system indeed, that manufactures products and those products are our children. It is a deliberate and artificial procedure wherein pre selected and categorized information is downloaded into fresh young minds. The spoon-fed information is superficial, narrow, lacks variety and does not consider individuality. Furthermore it is selected by an elusive board with vested corporate interest. (This is why we see corporate advertising weaved into textbooks and throughout the school programs).
The system treats a multitude of children as a single entity and perpetuates a very artificial, group-think ideology; which suffocates individuality and strangles creative expression. It casts out anyone whose style of learning differs from the pre-selected standardized methods and literally ignores potentially great creative intellectual genius - because they are those who could not conform. It is a system that demands conformity and denies originality. An alarmingly high percentage of all public schooled children in North America graduate from this system without being able to read. This massive number of children are categorized as 'learning disabled' and diagnosed with any variety of conditions such as ADD, ADHD or a dozen other creative terms invented to label children who are truly just very naturally unable to conform to unnatural procedures.
It is the very nature of the system to compartmentalize in this way, separating the easy conformists (smart kids) from the otherwise (disabled kids). The conformists are the good students and the non-conformers are the disabled or even worse, the "bad" kids.
This systematic murdering of individual creative expression and strangulation of natural human genius has damaged our modern society. The system is not working. It is failing. It is failing our children; it is failing our society, our nation and our world.
"I've come to believe that genius is an exceedingly common human quality, probably natural to most of us... I began to wonder, reluctantly, whether it was possible that being in school itself was what was dumbing them down. Was it possible I had been hired not to enlarge children's power, but to diminish it? That seemed crazy on the face of it, but slowly I began to realize that the bells and the confinement, the crazy sequences, the age-segregation, the lack of privacy, the constant surveillance, and all the rest of national curriculum of schooling were designed exactly as if someone had set out to prevent children from learning how to think and act, to coax them into addiction and dependent behavior." - John Taylor Gatto
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Every Thorn Has its Rose
Outside the district office there were 5 media vans parked. The local media wondered why the Superintendent was calling a press conference for 9 AM. Did it have anything to do with the state wide testing scandal? Perhaps he was going to address the rumor that low performing students were being deported to an annex school out of the country. Maybe the superintendent would address which files were stolen at a local High School or why a significant amount of technology equipment was recently dumped.
Soon enough, Dr. Williams began to read a prepared announcement. It said, "For the past few years I have had the great privilege serving as your community superintendent. I am proud of the work we accomplished together. This is why today's announcement is so difficult to make. Never the less, I must inform you that effective 3 PM, I am resigning from the position of Community Superintendent. In the interim, the Deputy Superintendent will run daily operations.
Meanwhile... The executor board’s office is fuming. "Why did he call for a press conference? Who told him to announce the Deputy Superintendent will run daily operations. Kyle, get Williams on the phone. This is a mess. Kyle, I also need you to Kathleen Wallstone on the phone. She has the support of the business community."
Kyle looks surprised. “Are you sure about this? Some of her positions are… questionable.” The chief executor said, “Do not ever question me!”
15 Minutes Later… Another press conference is called. Dr. Williams begins the press conference by apologizing. The chief executor then introduces the new community superintendent. Kathleen Wallstone, Principal of the Burrhus Frederic Skinner High School is named Superintendent. Mrs. Wallstone thanks the chief executor for this opportunity and then promises to bring a new age of accountability and forge partnerships with the business community.
The press conference is followed by questions from members of the media. Naturally, many of the questions were directed at the former Superintendent, as they were curious as to why he resigned from the position. However, he declined to answer the questions. His non-response sparked rumors as to what caused him to resign.
Thirty Minutes Later… Superintendent Stonewall calls Michael Lotta in her office. She says, “Michael I will make this brief. The chief executor has asked me to serve as the new Community Superintendent. Therefore, effective immediately, you are the new principal of the Burrhus Frederic Skinner High School.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
What's Popular This Week on The Innovative Educator
Here’s the roundup of what's been popular on The Innovative Educator blog this week. Below you’ll see my top weekly posts along with the number of pageviews in the past 7 days. If something looks interesting, check it out. If you’re so inspired leave a comment.