It was really interesting today to meet all the students in our case studies. What I found really interesting is that just about all of our case studies involved boys. I have to stop and think about how that reflects on our education system. Is our education system simply not meeting the needs of boys? We all know that males and females learn differently, so what is our system not providing for our boys? The other notion that stuck in my head during Saturday's presentations is the lack of uniformity not only in our school board, but in our province as well. I'm talking about access to technology here. We have some schools in our boards that do not have one iPad, while other schools have charging carts with thirty or more. How can our school board claim that it is inclusive, when some schools appear completely excluded from the access to this life altering technology? I would love for someone from our province and school board to explain that one to me.
What I love about taking courses, and technology courses in particular, is that I am always learning something new. Technology changes at such an alarming rate, that there is always something new to learn. When I think of how engaged I am when I am using technology makes me want to integrate technology more and more into my grade five classroom. A student's excitement at being allowed to use an iPad at his desk just doesn't compare to using that same textbook format from one hundred years ago. With this change in technology there must also be a change in teaching methods and philosophies. I think it is time our school board looked seriously at the SAMR model and how we can move from the substitution to the redefinition level. Do I think this is going to happen anytime soon...no. But I think it could, and should happen. If more students had access to what they needed and better tools to do what they needed, perhaps the number of students being placed on IPP's would decrease...Just my two cents worth.
No comments:
Post a Comment