Blog Post #5

If I Built A School

In Krissy Venosdale's post "If I Built A School", she goes off into a wonderful fantasy of the perfect school in her dreams. She explains that there would be no quarterly exams or required classes. She would prefer her school be comfortable, vibrant, and different. I think her version of a school would be amazing for teachers and students both. She also said that students should move up in grade level according to their ability because it's true, some students move at a faster pace than others.

So what would a school be like if I built it with no limits or boundaries? First of all, I do agree with Mrs. Venosdale that students should be allowed to have devices such as tablets and computers to use at appropriate times only. Some students are much better on a computer than they are with paper and a pencil. My school would be very colorful and interesting also. My elementary school was not very colorful on the outside or in the hallways. Most of the students work was hung up in the classrooms only. I would want art work from students hung all over the hallways of my school. And what is with the neutral colors on the walls? I would prefer greens and blues throughout my hallways. Unlike Mrs. Vonosdale, I do believe that I would still require the quarterly test that students have to take as a "final" grade to pass a class. To me, these test prove that the students are ready to move ahead into the next grade. Even though some students are just not naturally good at test taking, it is still important for a child to challenge their brain in this way. Young students typically love to be involved with the way their school looks and works. I would want my school to be eye pleasing and interesting. I want the parents to be just as involved as the students are so I would have programs monthly to keep the kids involved in extra curricular things as well. Overall, I would aim for a school that made learning fun. Seems to me that too many students these days don't like school by the time they are in the 2nd or 3rd grade. We have to keep their attention!

Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

Wow! This was actually pretty cool. Seems as if they had people all over the world singing together over the internet, using Skype or something. In reality, they each individually recorded the song then posted it to YouTube. Eric had first recorded himself directing the music then posted a blog calling all singers to learn the music and record themselves. It's amazing that he could then piece all the voices together and create a virtual choir. I think this was very interesting because Eric made these people that have a similar love of singing feel connected in a way. Being a part of this choir made some people feel as if they were part of the choir's family, even though they have never met one another.

Teaching in the 21st Century

Kevin Roberts made some very interesting points here. In my opinion, he is trying to explain that educators have a different role in the 21st century than educators did 20 years ago. Educators must use more than just pencils and paper now because technology is opening up multiple different doors to learning. Podcasting, blogging, and researching are excellent tools for classrooms in the 21st century. I like how Kevin Roberts said educators do not need to entertain students, but engage them! That is so true! Learning is not about the entertainment, but the involvement the students have individually. Students learn a lot more when they have to engage an assignment on their own and actually work to make something happen. Memorization and repetition are not going to help students advance in the 21st century at all.

Flipping the Classroom

Flipping the Classroom seems like an excellent tool to use in all classrooms. This is providing extra teaching time that not all teachers have in their classrooms alone. Students now can review the lesson before class and already have an idea of what will be taught the next day. I would definitely use this tool in my classroom. I believe it will help students technically and with organization. Requiring the students to remember to watch the videos and take notes on what they learned will teach the students many skills at an early age.