This week's Tech Tuesday post is dedicated to apps for the iPads. I am pretty excited about some of the apps that I have come across lately. For instance:
Splashtop Remote Desktop: Sometime back, our science department said, "Wouldn't it be amazing if we could find a way to use the iPads to allow us to project what we are doing on our desktops onto the SMART Boards remotely, so that we could walk around the room while we demonstrate on our computers? Well this app will let you do just that. By installing the Splashtop Remote Desktop app on the iPad and the free Splashtop Streamer on any PC or MAC computer, you can stream video or audio from your PC/MAC and interact with almost any program or file on that computer via your iPad. I installed it on my iPad and was able to walk around the building and access my office computer from anywhere. There are so many possibilities with this! Check it out! http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/splashtop-remote-desktop-for/id382509315?mt=8
VoiceThread for iPad: It is no secret that I am a fan of the VoiceThread app for many reasons. I have described it in a previous post and would love to know how you used it in your classroom. Now you can access and interact with VoiceThread on the iPad with this free app. Excellent!
As with anything you read about here, if you would like to know more, please do not hesitate to see me!
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Thursday, March 15, 2012
The FLEX Academy- A Bit of a Stretch
I heard about the FLEX Academy a while back and I have to admit I was a bit intrigued. Then...I read an article about them in a recent addition of MindShift and my eyes were opened. (http://mindshift.kqed.org/2012/03/at-flex-academy-high-school-mimics-the-workplace/). The FLEX Academy, located in San Francisco, is a new twist on schooling whereby the high school setting operates largely like a business. Students take all of their courses online and report daily to their cubicles where they work on their independent projects. Teachers teach, but they do it in small groups in meeting-like settings where they focus on a topic or concept that the students are having difficulty with. Students "schedule" meetings with their teachers or teachers schedule these meetings based upon the issues that they see when monitoring their students' progress. Courses are self-paced and, as a result, students are generally motivated to work while they are there.
On the surface, this sounds pretty good- especially to someone who is always pushing for more technology and courses that have a hybrid approach. I have also ranted frequently (see previous blog post) about doing a better job of preparing our students to use the tools they will need to do their jobs. However, this model goes a bit too far, in my opinion. While I think we should be doing all we can do to prepare students to work in their jobs, I don't think that they should be rushed into cubicle-like job settings. Face it, those of us who work in cubicles now might say that they are no places for children. That's the point...students are children who need to be allowed to be children. One of the components missing from this "innovative" approach to education is the opportunity for participation in the arts and sports. What kind of an education is that? Furthermore, do we really want kids to be further removed from the social aspects of schooling and childhood than they are now?
There are certainly some positives to this approach. First, this seems like the ultimate in terms of the "flipped classroom" model. How incredible must it be for teachers to be able to work in small groups of students who need assistance with the same detail of their learning? How motivating must it be for students to have so much control over their own learning? How helpful and current must it be to be able to work through courses that have been prepared carefully and are fully managed online? How empowering must it be for students and parents to be able to see the students' progress at a click of a mouse? There is so much we could take from this at a lesser degree here that would be so progressive.
Nevertheless, I think the FLEX Academy has gone too far and overly-sterilized the educational process. It will be interesting to see what sorts of citizens emerge from this model of schooling.
I'd love to hear your thoughts...
On the surface, this sounds pretty good- especially to someone who is always pushing for more technology and courses that have a hybrid approach. I have also ranted frequently (see previous blog post) about doing a better job of preparing our students to use the tools they will need to do their jobs. However, this model goes a bit too far, in my opinion. While I think we should be doing all we can do to prepare students to work in their jobs, I don't think that they should be rushed into cubicle-like job settings. Face it, those of us who work in cubicles now might say that they are no places for children. That's the point...students are children who need to be allowed to be children. One of the components missing from this "innovative" approach to education is the opportunity for participation in the arts and sports. What kind of an education is that? Furthermore, do we really want kids to be further removed from the social aspects of schooling and childhood than they are now?
There are certainly some positives to this approach. First, this seems like the ultimate in terms of the "flipped classroom" model. How incredible must it be for teachers to be able to work in small groups of students who need assistance with the same detail of their learning? How motivating must it be for students to have so much control over their own learning? How helpful and current must it be to be able to work through courses that have been prepared carefully and are fully managed online? How empowering must it be for students and parents to be able to see the students' progress at a click of a mouse? There is so much we could take from this at a lesser degree here that would be so progressive.
Nevertheless, I think the FLEX Academy has gone too far and overly-sterilized the educational process. It will be interesting to see what sorts of citizens emerge from this model of schooling.
I'd love to hear your thoughts...
What Does Will.I.Am Know Anyway?!
This post is not likely to get me a lot of fans. In fact, this post is more like a rant, so if you aren't open to taking a hard look at things here, you may want to stop reading....consider yourself warned.
Besides the abundance of technology tools we have here to do our jobs, what do we offer our students in the way of 21st Century tools to do their jobs? Are we too quick to dismiss the productivity potential in the devices that our students already own?
We call ourselves a university prep school, and for the most part, we do a fine job of preparing our students for the rigors of university life. However, are we really doing enough to prepare our students for the experiences and roles they will have in their futures? I defy anyone to list five occupations today that do not require a person to know how to use a computer quite well and how to employ the technology tools appropriate for their work. I can't think of many. If you know me very well, you've probably heard this rant (or some version of it) in the past. What got me on this topic, again? Take a look at the video below and at how Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas describes how he uses technology tools incessantly in order to drive his music career.
Technology is everywhere. It's not an option; it's a way of life outside the walls of our school. Shouldn't the inside of our school and the activities that go on within the walls have a greater similarity to the outside?
Besides the abundance of technology tools we have here to do our jobs, what do we offer our students in the way of 21st Century tools to do their jobs? Are we too quick to dismiss the productivity potential in the devices that our students already own?
We call ourselves a university prep school, and for the most part, we do a fine job of preparing our students for the rigors of university life. However, are we really doing enough to prepare our students for the experiences and roles they will have in their futures? I defy anyone to list five occupations today that do not require a person to know how to use a computer quite well and how to employ the technology tools appropriate for their work. I can't think of many. If you know me very well, you've probably heard this rant (or some version of it) in the past. What got me on this topic, again? Take a look at the video below and at how Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas describes how he uses technology tools incessantly in order to drive his music career.
Technology is everywhere. It's not an option; it's a way of life outside the walls of our school. Shouldn't the inside of our school and the activities that go on within the walls have a greater similarity to the outside?
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