This week it was nice to see some examples of networked classrooms in action. I have to be honest, just the mention of S.E Hinton’s novel “The Outsiders” got my attention. That is one of my favorite novels, and I have used it over the years to teach a variety of skills. I was excited to see the ways that other teachers approach teaching with novels and how they not only incorporate technology, but had the students communicating and working with others outside of the classroom. Shannon Miller, one of the teachers that was spotlighted, said that, “...a lot of people find it overwhelming and wonder how to make time for it, but you just have to find your own groove with how you use it and when you do, the connections add so much to your life.” Right now, I am definitely one of those people she is talking about. This all sounds very positive and beneficial for teachers and students, but it is very overwhelming to me and a little bit scary. Heck, I’m still struggling to figure out what I should Tweet about multiple times a week. Change is hard and being pushed out of your comfort zone is harder. I know I’m not by myself with being overwhelmed by the thought of this. I just need to remind myself that I need to make changes to work toward this...I don’t need to do everything all at once.
The benefits of having a networked classroom were very clear and make total sense, but I also found comfort in the fact that the authors acknowledged that there are challenges to this process. Sometimes it seems when someone is trying to convince you that an idea or concept is important and worthy of your time, they forget to mention that there are some obstacles along the way. One of my big concerns was about curriculum and assessment. I’m not one that thinks standardized testing needs to be the end all be all, but ultimately I am responsible for teaching my students certain concepts. I’m still not exactly sure how that looks in the networked classroom.
Our kids want real life experiences, and they want to learn about things that
will benefit them when they are adults and on their own. I have had middle school students
ask me why they need to learn figurative language in my class and why they need to know
who won what war in their socials studies class.They said, “Can’t you teach me how to do
my taxes or balance a checkbook? I’m actually going to need to know how to do that when
I’m older?” I get it. I totally understand where they are coming from. With this networked classroom approach, students are more in control of their learning and they are participating and communicating in real world ways. I see the benefits, but I’m still overwhelmed by the process...baby steps!
ask me why they need to learn figurative language in my class and why they need to know
who won what war in their socials studies class.They said, “Can’t you teach me how to do
my taxes or balance a checkbook? I’m actually going to need to know how to do that when
I’m older?” I get it. I totally understand where they are coming from. With this networked classroom approach, students are more in control of their learning and they are participating and communicating in real world ways. I see the benefits, but I’m still overwhelmed by the process...baby steps!
Here are a view resources that I found on implementing networked classrooms.
I've had those same conversations with my students many times and so I adopted what I call the so what rule. Students are always free to ask me why something is important and worthy of knowing and I have noticed that when I respond honestly they all seem to pay attention just a little bit more. It can often be hard in a social studies class because so many people treat it like a trivia class that it took me a long time to figure out how to explain that it was really about teaching cause and effect and continuity and change over time. How to recognize patterns that were developing and how to influence those patterns. Whenever I teach a history lesson and a student asks me why something is important I always try to connect it immediately with a similar issue that the world is currently dealing with. I think one of the most amazing aspects of teaching using a networked classroom is that students literally have access to the world giving them immediate access to these larger/bigger picture lessons. The ability to connect with experts as well as people in other parts of the country or world can help give them insight into things that are currently taking place and teach them by studying history they can have insight into why things are playing out as they are. Great blog.
ReplyDeleteI love your quote from the text from Sharron Miller. I was a little worried about finding the time for an online class let alone time in my 4th grade classroom to network. I completely agree that we have to find our own groove. Play a little with it and figure out what works best for us. I love, with networking and letting students take control of their education, that we can really give students the opportunities to grow. The trouble I run into is keeping differentiated work for all of the students. That is a bit of a struggle. I assume after implementing this the first year, it will go smoother after when I have resources and activities already saved. I think this is all great but that first few times will be a challenge. When we see how engaged our students are, it will be completely worth it!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree that kids want real life experiences. I do not work with middle school students and will be working elementary students. While elementary students may not want to know or learn what middle school students want to know or learn, the same idea is there. By using a networked classroom, students can learn about what content has to be covered and the content they want to learn about. That could almost be used as an incentive too. If there are topics that have to be covered according to state standards, once they finish that work, they can move on to learn what they want to learn about.
ReplyDeleteRachel,
ReplyDeleteRE: "Change is hard and being pushed out of your comfort zone is harder. I know I’m not by myself with being overwhelmed by the thought of this. I just need to remind myself that I need to make changes to work toward this...I don’t need to do everything all at once."
Your blog post reminds me of one of my favorite quotes. "Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable"! That is what we must truly do in order to be life-long learners and to improve our teaching practices. Embrace the feelings of uneasiness... it means you are about to learn and grow. Baby steps are fine as long as you keep moving forward. You have clearly figured this out for yourself!
Dr. Dell