A Lifetime of Learning

The Hour of Code was a major Internet phenomenon and promotional campaign during Computer Science Education Week from December 9th-15th, 2013.  With the help of endorsements from Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and other celebrities, along with heavy hitting on Facebook and Twitter, Code.org has allowed for 23.5 million users to learn basic code, writing over 751 million lines of coding.  Code.org's campaign came with the tagline "Anybody can learn," and a short series of YouTube videos and coding games allowed users to effectively learn simple coding, with the idea of sparking an interest in computer science and programming.   

After completing the "Hour of Code" tutorials, I was inspired to want to write code! It was an easy, fun, very accessible activity that framed coding in an engaging way.  I appreciated that it could be taught at the elementary level, all the way up to older adults looking to pick up a new skill to become employed in.  This got me thinking -- what other skills are teachable at all age levels?  What kinds of skills can we inspire students to want to continue learning for their lifetime?  How can teachers encourage this kind of lifelong learning? 

 I think making resources easily accessible and understandable is key,  Most importantly, I think it is vital to promote the slogan that "anyone can learn."  Education is not meant to be exclusive, and nor should learning how to code, or any other teaching that includes technology.  I heavily promote the use of technology because of its increasing importance in the workforce and in general communication.  I think that students or school districts who do not have these resources deserve to have them.  Once these kinds of resources are accessible, a new wave of teaching and critical thinking needs to be put into place: one that encourages understanding and an appreciation for skills to improve upon for a lifetime.  

(photo courtesy of code.com)

Resources for Teachers (and interested students!)

Teachers require a strong community in order to work together as teams, share stories, and share resources.  There are several wonderful online communities available for teachers to collaborate and get inspiration for their classrooms.  

The first I encountered was an online community called We Are Teachers.  We Are Teachers provides several different teacher blogs, lessons and resources for all different subjects, grants and contests for teachers to win money for their classrooms, and articles on "hot topics" in education.  The interface is very approachable and it does well in providing resources and opportunities to learn from other teachers across the US. 

Another is Teachers Pay Teachers. Teachers Pay Teachers is "an open marketplace for educators," providing an Amazon-like interface directed towards those in the education field. The items up for sale (and some are free!) include things like Reading Comprehension packets, Math activities, and books. The products can be organized by subject, grade level, price, and resource type. I think this is a great way for teachers to connect and collaborate on projects, and also is an excellent outlet for teachers to make a little extra money on the side!

Finally, EduBlogs can be used by teachers to communicate with students and parents about the goings-on in their classrooms. They can be instructional resources, and allow for students and teachers to collaborate outside of the school hours, and encourage technological literacy. It also allows students to post their work on a publicly accessible forum.

These great resources allow teachers to connect with one another in order to improve their classroom experiences, whether it is finding new lessons for their class, winning money to provide resources for their classroom, and new ways to connect with their students through blogging.

Teaching "Real Life" Skills

In my philosophy, school is a place to help prepare students become the best, most productive citizens possible, and yet, our focus in schools are almost solely on four academic subjects: English, Math, Science, and Social Studies/History. Though these subjects are incredibly important for later in life, I think that certain practical skills are neglected that are absolutely necessary to learn.  

For example, college was when I was forced to start learning about how to save and spend money wisely, pay my own taxes, do minor home repairs and learn how to cook for myself.  I would think, why didn’t I learn this earlier?  Why aren’t these skills taught in school?  And I suppose, to a small degree, they are.  In middle school and high school, there was one Home economics class offered, which often was given a bad rap, and one Money Management class, to this day I wish I had taken.  

In terms of money management, there several topics that are hardly ever touched upon in the academic courses in school, such as understanding income, taxes, salaries for different careers, pros and cons of college, credit & borrowing, risk management, and insurance. Important questions to raise include: what does it mean to budget? What things are important to spend on? How can I distinguish long-term and short-term savings goals? What is charitable giving, and how do I do that?

Home economics may seem like an outdated genre of learning, and skills such as cooking, sewing, repairs, and DIY simply aren't covered in schools. Though there are many trade-specific schools that focus on teaching these skills, I think it would be valuable for schools to have small courses offered to help students begin learning how to live independently, and many of these traditional "home ec" skills are essential for students to know. This Daily Good article offers several traditionally non-school skills that children must learn. I would argue that these skills should be given more thought in schools.

(photos courtesy of calibermag.org and womenworkcommunity.org) 

How To Use Social Media in the Classroom

Social media sites have been exponentially increasing in popularity, especially in elementary classrooms, through social media has been given a bad rap in schools.  Many argue that it eliminates face-to-face interaction, that it is more of a distraction than a classroom aid, and that there are too many safety concerns for it to function well in a classroom.  

Anne Wujick, an EdNet Insight editor, claims that beyond technology, using “social media is key to 21st century learning” as it “adds spice to topics that students typically find pretty bland.”  Social media also allows for a greater degree of collaboration, participation, and fun within the classroom.  The amount of educational, safe, and fun resources online are only growing.  My feeling is, too, that students are going to use social media outside of school anyway; why not learn how to use it safely and with educational goals?

A warning fairly given to social media users are the dangers of bullying and other red flags that can come up on sites such as Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.  Here are some valuable safety lessons regarding the use of social media. Some tips that are suggested include discussing news stories that deal with the negative consequences of social media, hosting lunchtime mediation sessions in which students can discuss any online ordeals they have encountered, and hosting a parent night to openly talk about challenges surrounding social media.

Instagram: For a classroom Instagram account, students can take pictures of their own artwork, feature a student of the week, and capture field trip memories.

YouTube: Use video cameras for small group or classroom projects, then set up a classroom YouTube account which you can share with your students, parents, and future classes.  We Are Teachers offers several video projects that classrooms can try.

Pinterest: Some ideas for Pinterest include creating story boards, through pinning images that are inspiring to write about, creating a board about cool scientific or technological inventions, and creating a "Classroom" Board that is pinned with images and links to current events.

How To Improve Use of Technology in the Classroom

In this digital age, students require technological literacy as much as traditional, white page, paper-pencil literacy.  Beginning in elementary school, students are required to type out their papers and print them for class.  Increasingly, students need to learn how to use web resources to write papers and blogs, research credible information, type efficiently, and use technological applications to their advantage in every subject. 

Another great advantage of using software in the classroom is that it easily differentiates students based on their level of knowledge in each subject, allowing students to learn at their own pace and their own level.  

Teachers can even use technology to help with classroom management. Occasionally when students begin using their laptops and are given instructions to complete a task, they will become distracted by social media websites and online games. Simple ways to monitor are using software from companies like LAN School

Another great online resource that can be used for classroom activities are Google apps, and particularly Google Docs. You can’t beat the collaborative nature of this resource.  A great feature is that it is all online and saves instantaneously, so there is no worrying about computer crashing, losing files, etc.  as it can be accessed on any computer with internet access.  Students can literally write group papers, projects, and brainstorming simultaneously on the same document.  Other useful school-related apps they can work with are powerpoint-like presentations, spreadsheets, forms, and drawings.

Podcasts can also be an innovative way to incorporate technology in the classroom. We Are Teachers offers ten podcasting projects as an alternative to oral reports, suggesting projects such as weekly podcasts reading about a current event, reenacting events in history, and recording reports about important cultural months.

(photo courtesy of useoftechnology.com)