PLEase help!

My biggest concern about students today is that they lack the tools to learn and interpret infomration on their own. We live in the age of speed and instruction. Many students find themselves going threw the motions of completing tasks with an unclear reason as to "why".

Too many children are memorizing facts and completing assignments because they are told to.

The way I see it is that each assignment should present the opportunity for students to interpret it their own way. This is what Personal Learning Environment (PLE) would look like in a classroom. "individual educational platforms learners use to direct their own learning and pursue educational goals, using tools, community and services.

The article " 7 things you should know about personal learning environments" outlines what PLE is and why it is impacting education.

A PLE also puts students in charge of their own learning processes, challenging them to reflect on the tools and resources that help them learn best.

Every task, inside or outside the classroom is interpreted differently. We need to incorporate this into our classrooms.

I invision this is similar to IEPs, but for everyone not just classified students.

Lets take a poll: After reading this post leave a post explaining the best tool you have ever used to help you learn. Why was it so helpful?

Applications Galore

PDA phones, ipods, ipads, and even PCs all come equipped with applications. Some are common such as a weather and calendar application, while others are only used by knowledgeable and  daring techies.

More recently I have noticed children are downloading free applications on their devices. Some devices have so many applications folders need to be created to house them all. Downloadable applications have seem to consume the personal technology world.

With the iphone moving to verizon and andriod phones more popular then ever it seems like in a few years we will never see a phone that isn't equipped with Internet capabilities. So we as consumers must be able to flush out these nonsense apps and embrace the gems.

I cam across the website Application News, Reviews & Downloads , where I read the article
Be a Part of the Mobile Applications Boom.

The article outlines popular usages for applications:
Mobile applications are available for endless uses, such as:
* Managing everyday to-do lists and check lists for shopping, travel, and more
* Delivering real time and instant information on topics such as weather, news, stock quotes, company headlines, market news, dictionaries and more
* Translation services that convert the written word into the audible pronunciation
* Business and Social Networking
* Video Conferences
* Organizing, saving and encrypting your various user names and passwords
* Keeping track of monthly bills
* Managing your checkbook and everyday financial transactions efficiently
* Interactively obtaining medical and fitness information, and more

15 years ago cell phones we strictly for phone calls, and ipods weren't even invented. Now look what we can do. This all trickles down to our children. The current generation that lives off our technology advances needs to be able to see beyond the games and how applications can benefit them in society.

Plain and simple. Use them in our classrooms.

Wikipedia Is Good for you!

When I asked my roommate if she knew what a wiki was she looked at me with a blank stare, waiting for me to clarify. I explained to her that the most generic and popular wiki is "Wikipedia". Instantly she knew what i was talking about. Even though it is the king of wiki's, Wikipedia has developed a bad reputation among educators. Why? Do we not want our students to have a huge source to look up virtually anything?

I came across a peer-revied open textbook series called Writing Spaces: Readings on Writing. You can download the full volume of individual chapters. I happen to come across a very fitting article entitled Wikipedia Is Good for You by James P. Purdy. I highly recommend this reading. Purdys words are so truthful that I wish I could quote the whole article.

Using Wikipedia as a source. Most educators do not believe in using Wikipedia as a valid source because it can be inaccurate due to the fact that anyone can supplement information. Educators also may be indifferent because of its ability to constantly change, therefore invalidating any prior citations. However I look at it this way : our society is constantly changing and evolving, as a result so is our knowledge. What is true one day may not be true another, we discover new advances INDEFINITELY.

Here is how we can use Wikipedia effectively, because lets face it, our students WILL use Wikipedia. Lets embrace this trend and raise our students potential.

1. Development
Wikipedia articles include a table of contents, which help break down whatever topic you are researching. You can properly utilize these  "multiple lenses through which you might frame an argument (e.g., origins, history, economics, impact, production). Looking at the table of contents and headings can help you view your topic from vantage points you might not otherwise consider and can give you directions
to pursue and develop in your writing."

2. Gateway to other texts.
All wikipedia information needs to be cited. Use these "names of—and often direct links to—other sources. Takeadvantage of these leads. When you have decided on a topic and are searching for sources to develop and support your thinking, look at these references, external links, and further reading lists."
**** You may still need to evaluate sources to determine if they are suitable for your use****

3. Use what you found for other searches
Simply take what you find out and use those leads to continue your reseach at a scholastic level.


 The article goes on to discuss all the elements of Wikipedia.

Figure above are the elements that Purdy goes into detail about





I think Wikipedia is a great tool to get started on any type of research project and should be embraced. So many students already use Wikipedia (wrongfully), so instead of blocking this tool out indefinitely, lets teach our children to use it the right way!

Free School. Anything Goes?

I was browsing through the NY Times and I came across this article "Play-Doh? Calculus? At the Manhattan Free School, Anything Goes". At first it caught my attention because I thought "free school" meant there was no tuition. I was wrong. This "free" school, is free in curriculum. The students are not required to take any specific classes and are encouraged to learn by directing their own education, based on passion.

As a 21st century educator I have mixed feelings about this approach. I do believe, as I hope everyone else reading this does, that children must be interested in what they are learning. However not all children know what interests them. A 8 year old could be interested in music and solely go that route without ever being introduced to anything else. How does she not know she is passionate about history or technology?? 

It is our jobs as educators to make our students interested. This is where technology comes in. Take a boring civil war lesson and spice it up with some technology or even some personal connections. BAM. There is interest. 

Why I think curriculum is beneficial: Elementary school exposes you socially and academically across the board. I think this "freedom" school would work in High School because by then you have prior knowledge to what is out there. You tell me if you know a 2nd grader that has seen it all.

This school only has 30 students, which is probably why it is successful. If the enrollment increases I am sure the chaos will as well. So here is the question, how can we combine federal and state curriculum to freedom learning? Could this combination solve our education problems?