Like a Toolbox With No Tools...

RSA Animate: Ken Robinson: Changing Education Paradigms

Maybe you've seen this video, but I just watched it today.  It truly speaks for itself, but my last post (here) speaks about this very epidemic happening in our public education system.

The most intriguing part of this video was the point made regarding the increased use of ADHD medications in order to sedate children's creativity (3:37).  Another important viewpoint for me was the way that the arts open up our children's creativity and we become alive through that process.  But in our current system, this process is, for lack of a better word, squashed (5:45).
(Also notable, 7:40, the notion of "Divergent Thinking")

As an educator in the field of early childhood, I've had the opportunity to witness firsthand and participate in the fruitful growth our youngest citizens. It's in the free-choice, the individualized support and the true meaning of scaffolding that we see the greatest "light bulb" moments.  Why such a disparity between ECE and elementary education?  How do we conscientiously and tangibly bridge this gap?

I can find all sorts of justification for my frustration with the public school predicament.  What I want to find is more of a real-world how-to guide on what I can do to make a difference, both as an educator and as a parent. This is not only my cry for help, but new-found mission.

The Thing about Educational Technology...

One thing that I've noticed about getting a Master's degree in Teaching with Technology is how much light it sheds on the shortcomings of our educational institutions, namely the elementary ones.  It seems that our educators (not all of them, mind you) are a bit stuck in the dark ages...

If you really look at the standards for 21st Century initiatives, how closely should we be following them?  When do our elementary-educated students surpass our abilities in the classroom?  At what age do children know more than we do about how to work a SmartBoard, an iPad, or a web-based tutorial on Google Sheets?  At what point does all this become rather upsetting?

ISTE NETS For Students

Now, I should certainly mention that there are many schools out there that are pushing the boundaries of the dark ages and coming up to date on where our children's education methods should be heading in the next 20 years.  There are some amazing examples of schools in the midwest and around the country that are connecting with the world in tangible and applicable ways in order to further the 21st Century initiatives and create a brighter future for our youth.

Here are some great examples!

Willowbrook School, Northbrook, IL: David Karnoscak
(shared through Facebook)

Global Classroom, Fort Worth, TX: Mrs. Morgan
(shared through Twitter)

Iowa: Real-World Learning Vs. School Credits
(Shared through RSS Feed: Dangerously Irrelevant)

But while these examples do exist, the hardship of creating a forward-moving culture can be daunting.  What's holding us back?  This article opened my eyes to the "mind-set" that we put ourselves into, primarily regarding educational technology.  When we think about what we will tolerate in a classroom and step outside of that comfort zone, we change the world.

Dangerously Irrelevant: What are you willing to tolerate?
(Shared through RSS Feed: Dangerously Irrelevant)

First and Foremost...

Did I ever think I would be posting on my own blog?  Never.  Did I ever think that I'd be connecting my personal wiki to my blog that posts to my Twitter?  Certainly not.  Did I ever think that my Master of Arts studies in Technology would actually stir me to WANT to do these things?  Never in a million years.

Yet, here I am.  Part of the craze yet boasting the need to be something more, to let other mothers know that they are not alone in their public school frustrations, that we are a united front on the verge of this technological revolution, and we can have a part (whether through a simple blog, wiki, or tweet...) in the changing of a dark-aged system.

The most exciting of all of these new discoveries I'm making is the fact that our technology has become absolutely user-friendly.  I have created my Twitter, Google+, Blogger, and PBWorks accounts from my iPad (and my couch).  It has taken me an hour, but a quarter of that time was spent recovering my forgotten gmail password.

There is no greater joy than doing something once and knowing its done right.

I'm excited to begin this journey, sharing sites, ideas, ponderings, and hopes for the future here.  I welcome comments, suggestions, and collaborations.

My next post will include more about me and my journey to this glorious place in life.