Apple, Inc. sponsored an event today for faculty from various colleges of education to learn about Teachers College's digital portfolio and one-to-one laptop initiatives. Joe Ault and I, were invited to present our Portfolio +4 digital white paper at the student and faculty showcase. We have been working on a digital white paper which examines the current model of portfolio creation for teacher education majors at Ball State. In this digital white paper, Joe Ault and I, look at what improvements need to be made to the current model. This project is in no way complete. It is in fact, starting to pick up steam which is very exciting.

As students in the teacher education program, Joe and I are required to produce and maintain a web-based digital portfolio throughout our preservice educator program. We both understand the reasons and rationale behind the portfolio. Most undergraduate students, however, do not. What Joe and I are looking to do is make the process of portfolio creation and maintenance a smoother and easier one. This is why we are evaluating two different applications to possibly be implemented in the teacher education program. iWeb (Apple, Inc.) and RapidWeaver (RealMac Software) are both excellent applications for quickly producing media-rich and great-looking websites with virtually no knowledge of web coding languages.

During the showcase today, we were able to share our findings and recommendations with Apple employees as well as other teacher educator faculty from various colleges of education. Being able to talk one on one with Apple representatives was a great experience. They heard first hand what we were advocating and why we believe it is important. All the people that listened to our presentation were very supportive and impressed with what we were trying to accomplish. It is also encouraging to know that others outside the Ball State University Teachers College support the ideas we are focusing on.

The contest, which began in 1941, has been monopolized by New York schools because it had its roots in a local science fair and a cluster of New York personalities. Bronx Science and Stuyvesant eventually figured out the magical formula: Teach your kids to do research; don’t just offer cookbook experiments. Pair them with mentors at hospitals and universities, perhaps working on a small piece of the mentor’s puzzle, so the projects are more than garage-built contraptions. Assign high school teachers as enforcers to help students through rough patches and make sure they meet deadlines.

In today's education reform movements it is increasingly common to hear about providing students with learning opportunities that stretch outside of the classroom by offering a more hands-on approach to learning. It seems that everyone is searching "new and innovative" ways to teach students through real-world application and experience. The Intel competition is no exception. I think its great that educators are trying to teach students in unique ways. But at the same time I am slightly concerned that we are losing sight of what is really important. Its important that we realize there are certain things that students must be taught. Things that are more basic than teaching students to perform well on standardized tests, meeting standards, and excelling at everything instead of allowing them to be average at some things. This article provides a good insight at the direction in which education is quickly moving. I can see the majority of schools moving to a system where students are immersed in real-world experiences. The idea of the traditional classroom, where students listen to lectures, take tests, and sit at desk all day is on its way out. I am not saying that it is either a good thing or a bad thing. I am curious, however, how different educational practices and institutions will be twenty years from now.

Source:
Berger, Joseph (2007, March 7). Intel competition is where science rules and research is the key. The New York Times, Retrieved March 7, 2007, from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/07/nyregion/07education.html?ex=1173934800&en=5a8601b772717b9b&ei=5024&partner=BLACKBOARD

This one focuses on math skills for students in New York. I understand the need for students to be able to meet certain requirements so that we can be sure they are learning. But at what point do we say enough is enough? It seems that there are more and more standardized tests coming onto the scene. I tried to take the 8th grade test from last year and didn't get as far as I thought I would be able to. Some of the questions I was able to answer rather easily but there were others that were much more difficult for me to remember how to solve them.

One interesting link I find with this standardized test on math and technology education is through Project Lead the Way (PLTW). I have written about PLTW in a previous post. However, the point I want to make is that PLTW's mission is to grow the nation's engineering workforce by bring pre-engineering education to students in high school. Engineering requires a fairly solid understanding of mathematics. This standardized test seems to me to be a push towards increasing the math skills of students.

My next question, as it always is when discussing standardized testing, is whether or not this is really beneficial. Is forcing students to take (and pass) multiple standardized tests helping them learn? Or are they simply remembering concepts and ideas long enough to pass the test and then they forget what they were supposed to have learned? Its not an easy question to answer but it is definitely something to think about.

Source:
Herszenhorn, David M. (2007, March 7). An 8th-grade test, 180 degrees from easy. The New York Times, Retrieved March 7, 2007, from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/07/education/07test.html?ex=1173934800&en=2e9dfb0f893a40bd&ei=5024&partner=BLACKBOARD

Today, I taught a class of second graders at Storer Elementary about solar energy. The students have been learning about solar energy. My task was to work with a partner to develop a lesson that would provide the students with a hands-on activity where they could see solar energy at work. We chose to have students build solar-powered cars.

The lesson went very well. Although I noticed things that could have been done differently. One thing that I struggled with while teaching the students was maintaining their attention. As I was showing them the step-by-step process of constructing the cars, they were progress through the steps at different rates. After I waited for all groups to get done some students would revert to talking with others. I had to take time to get their attention back before I proceeded with the next step. If I were to teach this lesson again, I think I might take a different approach by having students watch me complete a set of tasks and then having them complete the same set. This would save time and also keep the students' attention.

Another thing that I found very interesting was how actively they participated in class discussion. I have spent so many years out of the elementary classroom that I have forgotten how much energy the students have. It's my perception that elementary students have the motivation to learn. However, its a matter of the teacher being able to direct that motivation to academic and beneficial goals.

This teaching experience was definitely a good one. I felt very unprepared for the lesson but the actual instruction went very smoothly. I did have one student ask me if airplanes used solar energy in any way. I have no knowledge of this but that doesn't mean it isn't in R&D. If anyone has any ideas about this question I'd be extremely interested to hear about them. Just post a comment with your responses and ideas.