Sharyn Gabriel, Ococe Middle School, Big Ideas Fest 2010

http://youtu.be/6_kwEBNx6tk

TED Ideas Worth Spreading

The Machine is Us/ing Us (Final Version)

Videos Assignments

How is it possible that students who never spoke English language before, developed the ability to learn so quickly?

Age and interest in learning is one factor. Another factor is access to the Internet and research tools that complemented their curiosity to a point of asking questions and finding answers about Einstein's theory of relativity.

In our classroom there is at least one student with previous low exposure to English language, due to English being the second language. Clearly, advances in technology can accelerate the learning process based on visual stimulation generating positive results in student's involvement and interest. How to facilitate this within a classroom with different knowledge levels and focus abilities remains a different question.

Reactions to "required readings" and videos

b. Advances in technologies and the Internet have revolutionized and will continue to revolutionize every part of our lives. Jobs such as social media strategist, app developer, mobile web engineer will require a new way of thinking about how to approach the educational process and learning.

Since learning become more and more accessible to more and more areas of the globe, student development and skill range will develop exponentially creating a new wave of competition on the job market of the future. Corporations have already started recruitment in areas that go beyond national borders creating new dynamics and evolutions for the future job markets.

Many people think that due to the increased strategic importance of education, major changes in educational policy, how we test, how we measure achievement, how we teach and learn will change dramatically. To what extent these changes will prove themselves applicable and viable remains to be seen. One thing remains certain, generalizing national standards could have positive effects for applying what is working to achieve rapid and quantifiable results.

My reaction to readings and videos is one of direct appreciation. These are educational experiments and ideas that prove themselves applicable and demonstrate that technology will create new dynamics and opportunities for learning. What is working in India might work in other place of the World, including in the United States or England. Other ideas might not work given the particularities and the complexity of learning environments and cultural factors. Yet, one thing remains certain. Those who try first certain ideas will have a competitive advantage. The more we understand how learning process happens, the more we will be able to find the appropriate answers, and for that, any applicable idea should be taken into consideration.

"Working the Gap" - B EDUC 425 and 437

“Working the Gap”, the gap being “ the enormous space between what is and what could be.”

In my efforts of creating a positive environment for all students I will carefully observe all the signals coming from the classroom, analyzing, evaluating, and finding the best options for customizing teaching according to what students’ need to learn, observe, and understand.

Ayers, used to mention bridges that will fill up the gap in students’ understanding. Connecting these bridges will be essential to fulfill students’ and parents’ dreams, skills, experiences, and knowledge. How to do that will be not an easy task especially for a group of five graders that do not realize yet the importance of being fully immersed in the learning process.

Clearly, I will have to learn to connect bridges for each and every student, to engage, interact, and transfer positive energy to each and every one of them in order to capture their interest and involvement. In the next five years I will have to learn ways to give them a reason to follow along, taking into consideration the environments, cultures, ways of thinking, and norms that affected their development and learning ability at a given point in time. Each teacher who will deliver appropriate instruction will have to understand, adjust, and continually evolve professionally to a point where quality instruction within United States and international standards can be achieved.

What could and have to be is an educational process that will prepare students for sustainable careers, personal growth, and learning skills that will allow them to survive in the current global economy. Critical thinking, initiative, problem solving abilities, creativity, imagination, and more than anything, the ability to continuously learn, will be very important.

Working the gap between what is and what could be will be influenced by a combination of factors involving policy makers, experts in the field of teaching, and the ability to use current advances in technology to make teachers voices heard and quality teaching generalized as a standard. Practitioners’ experience from schools should be combined with data and information received from across the globe to understand what is working and what is not.

Daniel Cristea