Moving Forward

    When I think about the way I learned I remember there was only one way to do it.  There wasn’t a choice and the lessons were not customized to suit my learning style.  For example, in math class, I remember my teacher placing these big, red, x marks on my paper because I couldn’t arrive at the correct answer.  I struggled with mastering the algorithm to subtract in third grade. 

      Once I finally mastered the steps I never really understood what was actually taking place until I became a teacher of mathematics.  Fast forward to today, children are given multiple ways to solve subtraction in order to be successful.  Number lines, place value, base-ten blocks, and the infamous algorithm are tools that students have the option to use.  Today’s education learning is personalized for students by giving them the tools they need but should it stop there?  Shouldn’t we continue to develop a more personalized learning environment?  “Our students want to be creative and collaborate, utilize technology for learning, connect with their peers in other countries, understand the messages that media convey, and solve real-world problems” (Sheninger, 2016) 

     Think about it for a moment…personalization exists everywhere.  Facebook is customized to suit our interests and needs.  Have you ever seen sponsored ads pop up on your feed?  Most of the time these are items we have searched for on Amazon or something that you have liked in the past.  We can also create groups that feed our passions and inspire us.  It’s collaboration, education, and personalized learning.  Have you ever been on Pinterest?  Pinterest also customizes interests based on the boards you have pinned.  When I go to my Pinterest feed I am surrounded by products and lots of teacher ideas that I don’t have to search for.  To be honest my Pinterest boards are mostly made up of teacher “stuff” because I’ve pinned thousands of teacher-related items.  This is how Pinterest has personalized my learning experience. 

    Sir Ken Robinson explains that education doesn’t need a reform because that requires us fixing it.  Education is not broken but education needs a revolution” (Robinson, 2010).  Imagine what it would be like if students were excited about to school. I have really tried to make this a reality in my classroom.  I’ve changed the space, adapted new ideas, changed my mindset about how instruction should be delivered, and created personalized learning experiences for my kids. Quite frankly I am obsessed with revolutionizing my classroom for my kids because they deserve it!  “You have the same choice every day.  You can choose what’s always been done-the safe and easy. Or, you can choose what’s less simple, potentially more difficult, and absolutely more rewarding” (Neslonely and Welcome”).

Frost, R. (n.d.). The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. Retrieved November 22, 2017, from    https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44272/the-road-not-taken

Kieschnick, W. (2017). Bold School: Old School Wisdom + New School Technologies.

    NewYork: International Center for Leadership in Education

Nesloney, T., & Welcome, A. (2016). Kids deserve it!: pushing boundaries and challenging conventional thinking. San Diego,   CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc

Robinson, K. (n.d.). Bring on the learning revolution! Retrieved November 22, 2017, from https://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution

Sheninger, E. C. (2016). Uncommon learning: creating schools that work for kids. Thousand  Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Scouts Can't Wait!

      Disruptive innovation is important because it can be a catalyst for change in education because those willing to take the risk can persuade others to follow.  It comes about by scouts who are willing to explore and collect data in order to lead change in our schools.  It’s not about giving up all of the ways we have taught our students, it’s about how we can customize the students’ needs.  Michael Horn describes how using the blended learning model can personalize learning for our students. Personalized learning gives students a sense of ownership. Students who control their time, place, path, or pace are more likely to fill gaps in their learning because they do not move on until mastery is met. One way to that I allow students to control their pace and place is through Canvas LMS. It enables my classroom to be a blended learning environment through online learning. Canvas lessons are set up for the week and students can work through them at their own pace and place because it’s available to them at home or school. In class, students move through activities using a choice board along with an accountability sheet. I use a combination of the station rotation model and individual model to meet the needs of my students.  Technology should be used because of a content idea and a way for students to showcase their learning with the world. I’m so excited to be reading “Blending” because it confirms some of the things I have already started in my classroom.  Since reading “Blending” I have begun to make even more changes that can help personalize my students learning.

Horn, M. B. (2015). Blended: using disruptive innovation to improve schools. San Francisco, CA:

       Jossey-Bass.