Synthesis #4

My webquest was focused on how people…ordinary, everyday people can change the world. Its these little changes that affect not only the people around them, but have the capability to connect and change people’s opinions and lives from thousands of miles away. With that being said I will answer these three questions:

1.     In what specific way does the webquest address questions about the most important things teachers need to do to help students prepare for their futures?

a.       I really wanted to focus on something that was never really taught to me as a child. That was the fact that we can all change the world. I wanted the students to study people who have made monumental changes all over the world, like Mother Teresa, MLK, Gandhi etc. I wanted them to see the difference that they made not just to their countries, but to the way people lived their lives all over the world. After doing this, the students would come up with their own change they wanted to implement. It needed to affect the United States and another country. For example, they could come up with a change to the way the US works with another country for imports and exports. I wanted them to see that they have the capability to make change throughout the world now and later in life.

2.     How do the ideas in the webquest relate to social justice and the core values and vision of the class?

a.       Core Values: Our Values state that students need to be Responsible, Ethical, Logical, Perseverant and Resourceful. During this research project students will have the opportunity to see the implications of others actions, and work through any difficulty they may have creating their own change. This touches on the Responsibility, Logical and Perseverant traits we want to teach our students. They will also see the ethical ways in which people in the past changed their lives and will be asked to mimic this. In terms of being resourceful, students will need to recognize and use all available assets when researching and “implementing” their plan. These come straight from our list Values we created during class-time.

b.      Vision: I chose to base this project around the first part of our vision for the class. This says: Today’s students are tomorrow’s citizens creating and shaping the world we live in.  Schools will create opportunities for authentic learning experiences that will prepare them for this role.  Students in 2025 must be critical thinkers capable of understanding, embracing and positively impacting society. By giving the students the chance (opportunity) to create a new change that can be implemented world-wide, they are acting as tomorrow’s citizens. They will need critical thinking for this as well. Within their project they will be able to see their impact on society.

3.     How does the webquest relate to NCSS principles 8 and 9

a.       NCSS 8: Students will need to include in their project a type of technology that will be used to carry out their plan. It is important that the students start using and understanding the tools available to citizens of the US and around the world. By being asked to use them in their plan, they must become familiarized with that technology and how it will work to help their world.

b.      NCSS 9: Students must link the change that they will be implementing to another country. This shows that there are ways to tie the citizens of the world together and how changes can really affect everyone. They must remember that this “plan” will have consequences, and understand how those will play out on different cultures.

Sythensis Paper #3

How to be effective in 2025:

Technology is something that changes everyday. We have discussed that in 2025, there will be a heavy emphasis of this changing technology within the classrooms thus creating a new and different type of school. While this is all well and good there are a few things that need to be remembered as we approach this time. 

As of right now we live in a world where things are not always accessible to everyone. Even in America there are certain regions that go with out four-bar cell phone service and are still connected to the world via dial-up. If the schools our students attend will be filled with technology in 2025 we need to first have the capability to connect everyone over the web. Not only will schools need this, but houses will need to be able to link to the web at all times so students can complete work at home. This opens the argument about how to supply students with the technological tools with the budget we may have. We cannot expect that a family will have to provide some sort of device for every child in their family, but we can also not expect the counties to pay for this. In order for the technology to even be implemented in an effective way, I see this as a huge hurdle we will have to jump. 

Teachers must still be present in 2025. The talk of "teachers not being needed" throughout classrooms today infuriates me. We cannot expect students, especially younger ones, to be taught by a computer. There are certain aspects to human teachers that will need to stay within the classroom in order for the students to benefit from the technology that may be available. Each teacher can offer stories or experiences about a topic that a computer cannot. That personal interaction needs to stay intact for students to fully understand the content that is being presented to them. With the advancement of technology, it is true that there will be no need for teachers to stand and lecture for 45+ minutes at a time. Students will have the opportunity to explore the subject they are given. But the teacher needs to be there as a guide, to help students who are lost, and generally support the content being presented to them. Studying to be a teacher has taught me that this is no easy profession. When there are standards involved that we have to stick to, it becomes a challenge to the students to completely absorb all the information, and a challenge to educators to teach every different student. We cannot expect that by 2025 students will have gained the knowledge and skills it takes to be their own teachers. Computers may be able to take over the role of identifying content, but a computer will never be able to take over the personal role that is needed within a classroom to guide students to a better understanding of content. 

Last but not least, in 2025, there needs to be research available to all students. Effective learning, in my opinion, comes from experiencing something. A person could tell you not to touch a stove when its on because it will hurt, but you will never know until you actually feel the pain of that burn. I know that's a cheesy example, but it will have to do. More and more research will be available over the web. In order for these to be effectively used they need to be put into a database where everyone can access them as well as experience them. The resources we have archived can be made into things that our students can understand. Blueprints of plantations for example, can be made into a 3d walking tour via computer so the students can understand what these places really looked like to get a better understanding of their function and effect on the people living there. On the other hand, we have to let the students research as well. By connecting with people, including students, of other countries, students can conduct interviews and create their own primary research. 

I believe that school in 2025, along with technology, will be based on experiences. Students will have access to great amounts of information and may be able to finally experience and understand what those from our past went through and how it affected them. With this better understanding, students will be able to truly comprehend the content presented to them and as well ass effectively use it later in their lives.

Synthesis Paper #2

a.What will be the role/responsibility of schooling in 2025?

b. What rigorous/authentic learning experiences can teachers employ to engage all students in learning (especially those that might be otherwise left out)?

Schooling in 2025 will be, as we have stated, technology driven. What is important to remember however is that the students will still be in a school environment and interacting with peers and teachers every day. Schools will need to be able to provide life skills and tools for the students to prepare them for the outside world. Not only will the curriculum taught still be important, but the way that the students are learning through observing will be important too. Skills will need to be taught to the students. These include responsibility, respect, leadership and the ability/tools to adapt to all situations they may encounter later in life. It will be the responsibility of the school to teach the students these skills through demonstration and regular practice within the school day. We need to ensure that we are giving all of the students that pass through the school system the education and skills they may one day need in order to further their education or career. Without a base made in schools, the future population may lack these essential skills.

All students will need to be included in the learning within schools in 2025. Much like today this will be a goal that all teachers should keep in mind when planning their lesson and their day. Authentic learning experiences need to be included in the curriculum. We can do this by having hands on experiences and resources for the students to touch and explore when being taught a subject. Putting students into a mock situation, for example, and then having them recall not only what happened but their thoughts and feelings will let all students feel important when in a classroom. It is a chance for the students to shine and show their personal learning experience for the day or week. Content will have to be talked about and studied in a way that may force the teacher to differentiate as much as possible. We need to keep in mind that no two students learn the same way, and instead of ignoring that, we must embrace it. With all the technology that will be available to us, this differentiating process will make teaching different learners much more hands on and customized. It will be a great benefit to us as teachers, and the students.

Synthesis Paper #1

Synthesis Paper #1

Content Knowledge in 2025

In the year 2025 content knowledge will have expanded and changed from what we know now. Students will still be expected to understand certain facts about history and social studies, but the way they go about learning and comprehending these pieces of information will be vastly different. Classes will largely be taught on and online or through a private server. They will be largely interactive. Students will explore topics in history by experiencing (almost) firsthand accounts through programs available to them on the internet. It will be as if they are the character in history, learning as they go.  Through the technology they will have access to 3D images of artifacts, and understand their structure, feeling and age. There will no longer be tests which the students are expected to recite dates and names of people, but instead explain the period in history through the experiences that they have learned about through their research. It will be important for them to understand that sometimes historical facts are based on one person’s perspective. Sharing their research experiences with other students through chats will be an assessment that teachers can use. We will be teaching our kids history as a story, not as a list of facts they will soon forget.

Students will need to understand the technology that they are working with. To do this, the teacher must understand this technology as well. Students in the year 2025 will most likely be comfortable with the technology that they are presented, but if a teacher cannot access this technology, the system may not work right.  Students will also need to learn how to gain research from their experiences online. Through experience they will be able to understand what pieces of information is accurate, and what is inaccurate. This is essential. If students cannot differentiate between the correct information and the incorrect information, they will not be capable of learning the essential understandings that we as educators would like them to understand from a specific topic. They will also need to understand how to communicate what they have learned in a professional way. Even though texting and chatting online will still be very popular, using short hand and text language, such as “lol”, in a testing situation will still be unacceptable. It will still be our duty as teachers to prepare students for the future, and this includes good writing skills.

As a teacher in 2025, I will strive to always be looking for new and better technology. I will find ways to incorporate it more in my classroom. Above all, I will make sure that every student can learn in a way he or she feels comfortable with. Keeping students focus on what is important in our history will be a huge factor. The role of teacher will be less on actual teaching and more on monitoring the students as they teach themselves and gain skills and information to use in their future.

Welcome!!

For my second semester in the Secondary Education Program at George Mason University, we are asked to keep a blog for my class. This will be that blog.
I am a 22 year old Grad Students hoping to get my first teaching job as soon as possible. Teaching is a passion of mine, and I intend to do it for as long as I can. I received my Bachelors in History in Spring 2010 and I look forward to teaching students how amazing history can actually be. I will be posting papers and some other fun information on this blog! Enjoy!!