Problem and Solutions

                  After looking at many of the areas of concern I have for my own classroom, I came to the conclusion I wanted to focus on improving student buy in as it pertains to the use of new technology.  Over the course of my career I seem to have struggled at times implementing new ideas to my students and getting them to jump in and participate the way I want them too.  The problem is a relatively big one in my room, as it has a tendency to hamper what I want to accomplish during a given lesson.  I have thought of several reason why I continuously run into the same issue when it comes to student buy in.  The first and most obvious is the fact I don’t really put in the leg work sometimes prior to bringing a new element to the lesson.  The second reason is the idea of students having so much technology in front of them, they don’t really have time to add more if it isn’t convenient for them.  I firmly believe a combination of the two issues is the source of my issues. 

               Thinking about possible ways to tackle the issue, brought me to look at how I may put together a team of people to help.  The first step would be to try and identify other teachers in the building who may feel the same way.  I would like to get a group of like-minded teachers together to come up with solutions and hold each other accountable for sticking to our plan.  I think having colleagues who understand and struggle working together would produce a solid plan to effectively introduce new ideas in the classroom.  As far a leadership roles in the group, I am not really sure who would lead it.  I would assume I would play a large role in leading the group based on the fact I would be the one starting it.  In reality though my idea would be more of a functional group of teachers working together to make sure students are getting the best chance to succeed.

               One of the ways I thought about introducing some blended learning would be to use a flipped classroom style.  Having the students watch lesson discussions on their own time and using class time to help with questions and complete assignments.  The flipped model would be great because it gives the students a chance to watch lessons on any platform they have.  They are always using their phones for different reasons anyway and I have found if students can easily access the information on devices they are already using seems to increase their buy in. Flipped classrooms also give the students a level of control over their own education and allows there to be more student engagement in the classroom as well.  One of the goals of my room in the past few years is to increase student engagement overall and I feel introducing a flipped style class would be beneficial not only for my problem listed above, but for increasing overall achievement in my classes.

What to do with those old high schools?

                The idea of traditional brick and mortar high schools going away in favor of a more online from of schooling is an interesting thought to ponder.  While there are definitely advantages to having students come into the class every day, we seem to be moving more toward a reality in which students are doing a bulk of their learning outside of the classroom.  This brings up the question of what will become of the physical buildings and the people employed in them.  There are several ideas, which have been thrown around, and they seem to all have positives associated with them. 

                Of the four brought up in the text, the most valuable in my eyes are the wraparound services provided by the schools.  Turning schools into places students can go to receive any number of services.  For my district, this seems like the best way to help the students in the area.  Students will be given guidance on choosing careers. The school will be responsible for teaching students some of the skill needed to live in the world on their own.  If students were destined to attend college there would be information about applying, attending, and paying for college.  All students will be taught money management techniques.  One of the most important functions of the new look school would be providing students with a support system of reliable adults.  We all know students come from a vast array of backgrounds, having a place where students can get guidance on how to be the best person they can is an invaluable tool.

                The second idea in my rankings is actually providing a pace for students to have fun with friends.  This sounds like something a school probably should not worry about, but to me learning how to socialize in a group setting is very important.  Schools would give students the access to high quality extracurricular activities.  Without the burden of focusing solely on the content of the lessons, schools would be able to provide a safe place with resources devoted to creating the best clubs, sports teams and musical ensembles they could.  One of the most often heard criticisms of students in today’s technologically based society, is they are lacking the ability to interact effectively with people in a face-to-face manner.  With schools focusing on increasing social interaction and providing them with the tools needed, there is a path to having well-rounded members of society when they enter the world.

                Third in the rankings is using high schools as a place for deeper learning.  This means students would have a place to take the information they have been learning outside the classroom and apply those skills in a physical context.  Schools would be able to dedicate resources to hands on learning.  Schools would no longer be a place for memorization and test taking, but would be dedicated to applying skills to practical situations. 

                Coming in last for my rankings is using the school to provide safe care for the students.  Essentially this concept means schools would be a place for students to find a place for a warm meal and environment to keep them out of trouble.  While I do feel this is a very valuable goal, I am relatively confident, over time parents and communities would come to find a way to provide this service themselves.  The second reason I have placed this idea low, is if schools turn into one of the other three ideas listed above, they would undoubtedly provide this service anyway.  Might as well use the school in a manner listed above and providing a safe place for students will inevitably be the by product.  Its not as if the schools are not going to keep kids safe or feed them while they are in the building for other reasons.

                It does not matter which of the above ideas comes to fruition, there will always be drawbacks and barriers to any new idea for education.  To me the biggest hurdle would be getting the community to buy into the idea of ditching the traditional high school model.  Tradition and history are a powerful deterrent to change, and it would take time for these adjustments to take hold.  Many people would balk at the idea of their children not learning the way they did.