Comments on: 21st Century Teaching & Learning Bubble http://langwitches.org/blog/2009/12/05/21st-century-teaching-learning-bubble/ The Magic of Learning Thu, 24 May 2012 03:28:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: KC http://langwitches.org/blog/2009/12/05/21st-century-teaching-learning-bubble/comment-page-1/#comment-32243 KC Wed, 09 Dec 2009 20:52:06 +0000 http://langwitches.org/blog/?p=5066#comment-32243 Wow, so true! I had not been able to pinpoint that feeling of being out of the loop and frustrated that no one quite understands. Had not thought of it as a bubble. I will definetly be sharing this post with some of teacher friends who are also tech-geeks. Wow, so true! I had not been able to pinpoint that feeling of being out of the loop and frustrated that no one quite understands. Had not thought of it as a bubble.

I will definetly be sharing this post with some of teacher friends who are also tech-geeks.

]]> By: marilyn http://langwitches.org/blog/2009/12/05/21st-century-teaching-learning-bubble/comment-page-1/#comment-32236 marilyn Wed, 09 Dec 2009 01:24:27 +0000 http://langwitches.org/blog/?p=5066#comment-32236 I, too, am frustrated. I work in a school district that is loaded with technology tools. The teachers use them to present, organize themselves, and communicate with parents. We even have a progressive technology team that has implemented a film festival and a state wide technology conference that has had its second year. Unfortunately, very few of the teachers in my district are actively having the students produce with technology. The reasons that they give are in my opinion lame, not enough time to prepare, don't understand the programs, discipline issues, student access at home, student ability to think, the need to stay inside of the textbook, and this can be done with paper and pencil so why use computers. I am constantly trying to mentor and persuade them to adapt their current lessons and add a technology twist and I do not mean just typing a document or making a power point. In my classes we research and produce collaborative and independent projects. Some are more successful than others but no matter what we all learn something that we did not know before and I still cover the state standards. I don't know if I am a good teacher but I do know that I challenge the students to think and don't just feed them information from the front of the room. I am desperate for a quality PLN so that I do not feel alone and like I am doing it all wrong. I enjoy your blog and it has inspired me to write a technology newsletter for my district. January will be the third edition. Very few of my fellow teachers have acknowledged it but the few that have like it. I am also going to be teaching at the university next term and I hope to inspire future educators on the value of using technology in the classroom not only by the teachers but by the students as well. Wish me luck. I, too, am frustrated. I work in a school district that is loaded with technology tools. The teachers use them to present, organize themselves, and communicate with parents. We even have a progressive technology team that has implemented a film festival and a state wide technology conference that has had its second year. Unfortunately, very few of the teachers in my district are actively having the students produce with technology. The reasons that they give are in my opinion lame, not enough time to prepare, don’t understand the programs, discipline issues, student access at home, student ability to think, the need to stay inside of the textbook, and this can be done with paper and pencil so why use computers. I am constantly trying to mentor and persuade them to adapt their current lessons and add a technology twist and I do not mean just typing a document or making a power point. In my classes we research and produce collaborative and independent projects. Some are more successful than others but no matter what we all learn something that we did not know before and I still cover the state standards. I don’t know if I am a good teacher but I do know that I challenge the students to think and don’t just feed them information from the front of the room. I am desperate for a quality PLN so that I do not feel alone and like I am doing it all wrong. I enjoy your blog and it has inspired me to write a technology newsletter for my district. January will be the third edition. Very few of my fellow teachers have acknowledged it but the few that have like it. I am also going to be teaching at the university next term and I hope to inspire future educators on the value of using technology in the classroom not only by the teachers but by the students as well. Wish me luck.

]]> By: Andrea Hernandez http://langwitches.org/blog/2009/12/05/21st-century-teaching-learning-bubble/comment-page-1/#comment-32198 Andrea Hernandez Sun, 06 Dec 2009 15:53:08 +0000 http://langwitches.org/blog/?p=5066#comment-32198 I do believe that, more and more, the bubble is "spreading." It's like the fable of the hundredth monkey....once something reaches critical mass, it suddenly becomes "the way." I have always believed, though, and still believe that the change is not only about technology use. Technology is almost a metaphor for a certain openness to learning and change, to teachers who can guide students without having to have control of the learning. I am so lucky to learn from you and work in an actual building with you, but let's remember how our association started. It was through the virtual, online network. There are real people behind every twitter follow and every blog, and I think that these connections are what has continued to push me in my thinking and practice. The very first blog post of yours I ever read was a reflection of yours on FETC (2 years ago? almost 3?) where you were exploring similar feelings to the ones on this post. You noticed how few of the teachers at FETC lived in the same online, connected blog and twitter world that you did. At the time I had just dipped a toe into those waters myself. I left a comment on that post that you were a leader and the world would eventually follow. I still believe that, now more than ever. We need visionaries to lead the way, the first 99 monkeys (so to speak), to pop the bubble and draw the rest of the world forward. I am fascinated to watch the changes that you, and others like you, are facilitating. I do believe that, more and more, the bubble is “spreading.” It’s like the fable of the hundredth monkey….once something reaches critical mass, it suddenly becomes “the way.” I have always believed, though, and still believe that the change is not only about technology use. Technology is almost a metaphor for a certain openness to learning and change, to teachers who can guide students without having to have control of the learning.
I am so lucky to learn from you and work in an actual building with you, but let’s remember how our association started. It was through the virtual, online network. There are real people behind every twitter follow and every blog, and I think that these connections are what has continued to push me in my thinking and practice.
The very first blog post of yours I ever read was a reflection of yours on FETC (2 years ago? almost 3?) where you were exploring similar feelings to the ones on this post. You noticed how few of the teachers at FETC lived in the same online, connected blog and twitter world that you did. At the time I had just dipped a toe into those waters myself. I left a comment on that post that you were a leader and the world would eventually follow. I still believe that, now more than ever. We need visionaries to lead the way, the first 99 monkeys (so to speak), to pop the bubble and draw the rest of the world forward.
I am fascinated to watch the changes that you, and others like you, are facilitating.

]]> By: 21st Century Teaching & The Learning Bubble « MatthiasHeil.de http://langwitches.org/blog/2009/12/05/21st-century-teaching-learning-bubble/comment-page-1/#comment-32191 21st Century Teaching & The Learning Bubble « MatthiasHeil.de Sun, 06 Dec 2009 08:09:42 +0000 http://langwitches.org/blog/?p=5066#comment-32191 [...] 21st Century Teaching & The Learning Bubble Tweet This!Share this on FacebookShare this on FriendFeedShare this on del.icio.usPost this on [...] [...] 21st Century Teaching & The Learning Bubble Tweet This!Share this on FacebookShare this on FriendFeedShare this on del.icio.usPost this on [...]

]]> By: Matthias Heil http://langwitches.org/blog/2009/12/05/21st-century-teaching-learning-bubble/comment-page-1/#comment-32190 Matthias Heil Sun, 06 Dec 2009 08:08:47 +0000 http://langwitches.org/blog/?p=5066#comment-32190 What an honest and true post - and despite its inherent black-and-white thinking (try attaching 'vision' and 'reality' and you'll really make some folks mad!-) may further our distance from "normal" teachers, I like the clarifying image, as well. How about some open channels? Associating cellular structures, osmosis and other ways of communication come to mind. While I generally share your bleek view of the chasm between "21st century teachers" (the term itself seems a little banal to me as we ALL are 21st century teachers... just with different attitudes), so rather: computer-networked etc. teachers and others, I'm convinced there are, or/and will be ways to bridge the gap... What an honest and true post – and despite its inherent black-and-white thinking (try attaching ‘vision’ and ‘reality’ and you’ll really make some folks mad!-) may further our distance from “normal” teachers, I like the clarifying image, as well. How about some open channels? Associating cellular structures, osmosis and other ways of communication come to mind. While I generally share your bleek view of the chasm between “21st century teachers” (the term itself seems a little banal to me as we ALL are 21st century teachers… just with different attitudes), so rather: computer-networked etc. teachers and others, I’m convinced there are, or/and will be ways to bridge the gap…

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