by Sr Geralyn Schmidt | Jul 10, 2011 | Making The Shift, The Compelling Need for Change, Voices
Guest author Sister Geralyn Schmidt writes: “Connectivity allows students to learn not only from experts in the field but from other students as well. No longer is one restricted to what can be accomplished in close physical proximity. But, to quote a comic book superhero, ‘with great power comes great responsibility.’ We have a duty, as educators, to instruct our students to a higher good, not just the good for me. With our guidance, they can become participants in myriad collaborative communities that can affect change for the betterment of society.”
by M.E. Steele-Pierce | Jul 8, 2011 | Connected Leadership, Making The Shift, Voices
Because of the state of the economy and Ohio’s school funding, our district recently pink-slipped 61 educators. Ten of those are library staff. Some districts in similar circumstances chose to close their libraries and shrink wrap their collections. We won’t do that. What we are doing is talking with designers, leaders, and librarians with experience and vision. We’re asking lots of questions, seeking models that do not replicate the stacks of the past.
by Shelley Wright | Jul 6, 2011 | Less Teacher, More Student, Making The Shift, The How of 21st Century Teaching, Voices
Most of our current classes structurally discourage cooperation and collaboration. For many hours of the day, our students are expected to sit and learn by themselves. I have to confess that all of the years I’ve taught, my classroom has been teacher-centered. Students facing the front. Me talking. Next year my classroom will be different.
by Margaret Haviland | Jun 30, 2011 | Less Teacher, More Student, Making The Shift, The How of 21st Century Teaching, Voices
“This past school year,” writes guest blogger Margaret Haviland, “our exploration of World War I was designed to enable students to construct their own knowledge and their own meaning within a framework established by myself and my intern. This framed, project based, self directed approach was our method all year.” The task before her students: “Figuring out what they needed to learn, both to answer the questions we generated together and to understand the topics they wanted to more completely understand.”
by M.E. Steele-Pierce | Jun 14, 2011 | Making The Shift, Teacher Leadership 2.0, Voices
As schools around the country pink-slip librarians because of budget cuts, I began my own ninja quest to better understand the shift from library-as-sacred-institution to library-on-the-chopping-block. Who are the library change agents championing alternatives to the old school library model? I turned for answers to one of my favorite voices from the literacy revolution — The Daring Librarian — self-proclaimed goofball, geek, and “EdTech teaching ninja.”
by Shelley Wright | Jun 13, 2011 | Making The Shift, The How of 21st Century Teaching, Voices
And while school is almost over, my learning is not — because I’m connected. This summer for vacation, I don’t plan to vacate or take a course that in the end would probably leave me tired and weary. Instead, I plan to spend the summer in artful restoration, through passionate, fun, deep learning. I won’t be learning how to be a better teacher. Those days are over. In reality, it’s not what my students need.
