5 Years Ahead... #ThinkFurther

“This blog post is part of the ‘Think Further’ series sponsored by Fred Alger Management. For more “Think Further” content, please visit www.thinkfurtheralger.com

Looking ahead five years can be a daunting task, but not too difficult if we pay attention to

trends in education and technology. The traditional classroom will be considered more of a

relic than ever before, wearable technology will become more commonplace and change

the way students consume content, and the abilities to connect with classrooms around

the globe will become standard procedure for connected classrooms. These changes will

have a positive impact on education and it is important for teachers to be prepared for

them.

The traditional classroom that revolves around the teacher as the gatekeeper of

information will be more antiquated than ever before. More students will have their own

devices and access to information will be instantaneous. No longer will students need

teachers to provide facts, they will need them to guide them in understanding of the

information and helping them apply it to their lives. Overpriced and out of date textbooks

will be a thing of the past as students will be able to access the most important information

on websites and e-books created by their teachers. Information will be available all of the

time to all students. A room with four walls will no longer be needed house student

learning. Changes to learning spaces will take place that no longer place teacher front and

center. These learning spaces will now focus on communal learning and be student

centered. These needed changes will support student centered learning and change the

way schools are viewed around the country.

Wearable technology will change the way students consume information. As technology

shrinks and enters every facet of our lives, wearable technology will provide everyone

instant access to information. This information can come in different forms.

Personal feedback can give the student information on their health and activity.

Students can use this information throughout the day to keep track of their

movement and other health vitals. This could come in handy for physical education

classes.

Personalized Information will allow students to set up notifications that can be

pushed to their wearable devices to keep them up to date with the things that are

most important to them.

Teacher communication can be enhanced with the use of wearable technology.

Updates to assignments or gradebooks will allow students instant notifications and

allow them the ability to address issues immediately.

The days of waiting for teachers to update the gradebook and share assignments on their

website will no longer be considered cutting edge ways to communicate in the classroom.

Wearable technology will allow students to get notifications and stay connected to class

wherever they are. When students are more connected, they can be more engaged. Proper

support and training will be needed to take full advantage of these tools. Wearable

technology will become an everyday part of education like the pen and pencil.

The emphasis on global connections will become more important in the coming years. As

technology grows, the world shrinks. It will become increasingly important for students to

connect with others outside of their community to give them a world perspective on their

studies. Video chat, collaborative web based tools, and other web based technologies will

allow more students to connect than ever before. The world is becoming more a global

community each year and it is important for students to have experience working in that

community. Projects will no longer be confined to the classroom, the building, or even the

state the students live. They will be massive projects that encourage students to reach out

and make connections with others and learn together. These experiences will have a

greater impact on student learning and will replace standardized tests in the future. These

large projects will become portfolio items that colleges and businesses will value more than

a number on a test. The technology will be in place to make all of this happen easily for

everyone involved. It will revolutionize the way everyone looks at education.

The most important thing with all of these predictions is that everyone involved has to be

open to the idea of change. Education needs to evolve with the world around them if it is

going to be relevant for our students. Technology is just a tool and will never replace the

need for teachers. It will be important to spend time learning how to use any new tool to

engage students and support learning. As educators, it is our job to do this. If we do not,

someone will do it for us. That would lead to a very dark future for us all.

#NerdyCast with @AdamBellow

I had a blast talking to Adam Bellow today on #NerdyCast. We spent time talking about homework, worksheets, Star Wars, and the value of pop culture in our homes and our classroom. Have a listen and share with your friends. You can also get the podcast on iTunes and on PodOmatic. It would be rad if you left a comment or review on either site to help boost my self esteem. ;-)

My Biggest Responsibility #EdChat

As a teacher, we are often asked about our biggest responsibility. It is something I think about whenever another new responsibility is added to the list. Recently, I really spent some time going over what the most important thing is for me in my job. The answer was pretty simple, but I wanted to share it here.

Letting each kid know they are important. This is it. I want every single student in my class to know they are a big deal. I want them to know they are more than a test number or a student ID.

A student last year was talking to me and they said something along the lines of, "I'm just dumb." I looked that student in the eyes and told them to never say that about yourself. You are awesome and you will figure this out eventually or you will not. That does not make you smart or dumb. The student smiled and gave the warmest thank you possible. Their eyes told me that nobody had ever told them that before. At least not in a while.

While some things are important, my students' well being is my biggest responsibility.

Not SAT/ACT testing data.

Not the new piece of technology that is going to "save" education.

Not the difference between verbal, dramatic, and situational irony.

Not the deep satire Twain uses in is masterful pieces.

Not the worksheet from ______ that is going to help the rote memorization of facts.

All of these things are meaningless to a student if they do not feel they are worth a damn in the classroom. If they feel loved, supported, and safe to learn, everything else falls into place. As teachers, we know this. If you do not win over their heart, you will never educate their mind.

Hugs and high fives,

Nick

Supporting Local Schools #MichEd

As a public school teacher, I'm a big advocate for supporting public school. That should not be a big surprise. In Michigan, there will be a number of important bond proposals in communities that are designed to help schools make important upgrades to their districts. Here is a list of districts that have proposals on the ballot this November.

State funding has not been enough to meet all of the needs of school districts. Per pupil funding is not matching the rate of inflation and there are only so many ways you can cut a budget before it severely impacts student learning. Here is a link to the Senate Fiscal Agency Report on Per Pupil Funding. Other than large donations from individuals (which is not a realistic way for districts to support themselves), bonds are the best way for a community to invest in their educational system. 

Here are some thoughts to consider,

I've heard people say that they do not want to support bonds because they do not have children in school, so they do not want their tax money directed to a system that does not directly impact them. That argument makes some sense, but if you look deeper, it is very flawed. Educating the youth of the community does have a direct impact on everyone, whether or not they have students in the system. A stronger educational system can have a positive impact on housing value, it can bring innovative business to the community looking to hire highly trained students, a highly educated community can impact crime, and many more positives are out there if support is given to these schools.

People have also said that they learned just fine without computers, so why do these kids need such fancy devices? While it is true that many of us grew up is world without these devices and have accomplished great things, that doesn't mean these tools have not been important to us today. I'm writing a blog with a Surface Pro 3. I had to teach myself how to use all of these tools. I did not learn this in a class. Tools like blogs and other forms of social media, as well as many different pieces of hardware, are now common place. We need to prepare our students for their future, not our past. Supporting a bond that will provide technology upgrades is key because it will give the students access to the best tools to prepare them for a world that expects them to know how to use them once they leave school. You wouldn't ask a doctor to only use the tools that he used to treat patients 30 years ago, so why would you want a teacher to only use the tools that were used for us? If so, it's time to invest a ton of money in chalk and personal slate boards for our students.

Some bonds do not have anything to do with technology. They are bonds designed to keep building working. Fixing the room, paving parking lots, and other important infrastructure items to keep the learning environment safe for all students. It is important to look into bond proposals to see exactly what they are asking for and what they want to spend it on. Every bond is different for every community. It is important to make decisions based on the bond that impacts your community, not what others have said about bonds in their community.

On the school side, it is very important to have a clear plan to present to the community. What are you going to do with the bond money and how are you going to support it?

As a parent/resident, I supported the bond that came up a couple of years ago. It was a no-brainer for me. I wanted to make sure that my son would have access to the best tools available for his education. I researched and read everything I could on the issue and felt it was right for my family and the community as a whole.

As a teacher, I loved the built in support my home district had in place once the bond was passed. They have organized a tech conference for their staff at the start of the school year and have brought in national level Keynote speakers to kick off the year and inspire the teachers. Providing this support to the staff is crucial. Buying a bunch of tech is nice, but it will be worthless unless you have a plan of action to support it. I was confident that my home district was going to

No matter what, it is important to reach out and ask questions. Attend board meetings, email the superintendent, visit websites, talk to neighbors, and do anything else you can think of to get all of the facts. A yes vote for a bond could ensure that the students in your community can stay competitive and well educated for years to come. A no vote could set the community back years.

Check out this site to see if your community has a bond coming up this year.