Being the parent of two teenagers I can definitely relate to this article and the importance of how we view, relate and interact with each other. I am concerned as a parent, educator and person who works with teachers that there is little or no emphasis on teaching children empathy, compassion and overall being NICE. Sad but true, this is the world we live in but each day we can do a little to change it and make it a better place.

Social media is affecting the way kids look at friendship and intimacy, according to researchers.

The typical teenager has 300 Facebook friends and 79 Twitter followers, the Pew Internet and American Life project found in its report, Teens, Social Media, and Privacy.

And some have many more.

The 2013 study also says the norms around privacy are changing, and the majority of teens post photos and personal information about themselves for all their on-line contacts to see.

More recent survey data released last week by the Canadian non-profit digital literacy group MediaSmarts shows Canadian youth do take some steps to protect their privacy – for example, by not posting their contact information on social media.

But the paper, Online Privacy, Online Publicity, also points out that most kids have only a limited understanding of things such as privacy policies, geo-location services and the implications of sharing their passwords.

The research contributes to an emerging picture of how teens’ ideas about friendship and intimacy have been altered by their immersion in the on-line world, says Patricia Greenfield, a UCLA developmental psychologist and the director of the Children’s Digital Media Center @ LosAngeles.

In her own research, Greenfield has found that young people feel socially supported by having large networks of on-line friends, and these are not necessarily friends they ever see face-to-face.

“We found in our study that people, college students, are not getting a sense of social support from being on the phone. They’re getting social support through bigger networks and having a sense that their audience is large.”

The result is a decline in intimate friendships, Greenfield says. Instead, many young people now derive personal support and affirmation from “likes” and feedback to their postings.

“The whole idea of behind intimacy is self-disclosure. Now they’re doing self-disclosure to an audience of hundreds.”

Other research at UCLA shows teens’ increasingly preferred mode of communication with their friends, texting, makes them feel less connected and bonded than face-to-face communication.

Graduate student Lauren Sherman studied various forms of communication between pairs of friends. She found the closer the experience was to in-person conversation, the more emotionally connected the friends felt. For example, video chat rated higher than a phone call, but the phone created a closer connection than texting.

“I don’t think digital communication in itself is a bad thing,” said Sherman, “but if we’re losing out on opportunities to connect with people as well as we can, that’s a problem.”

Studies have estimated teens typically send more than 3,000 texts a month.

This article was originally posted in the Huffington Post

Greenfield says that indicates kids are opting for efficiency of connection over intimacy.

1. “We’ve all been to elementary school, so aren’t we all kind of experts on it?”

Umm, no. You’ve been sick before, does that make you a doctor?

2. “When I retire, I still want to do something, so I think I might take up teaching.”

Teaching is not a hobby, like gardening or sailing. Teaching will likely make your old job feel like a vacation.

3. “Have you ever thought about making your class more fun?”

No, I do my best to make it as boring as I can.

4. “If you really cared about kids, you wouldn’t worry about the salary.”

I love my students. I love teaching. I also love being able to support my family and feed my kids.

5. “If you managed your time at school, I bet you wouldn’t need to plan lessons and grade on the weekends.”

Okay, I’m a little busy at school. I teach and work with students almost every moment of the day. Spending 20 hours a week outside of school on prep and grading every week is normal for me.

6. “You’ll never be a truly great teacher until you have your own kids.”

Actually, yes I will. The relationship between teacher and student is quite different from that of parent and child.

7. “Why do you make them read so much and write so many essays? Why do you give such hard grades?”

Because it’s my job. Because my students are here to learn. Because they’ll need these skills to survive in the world. How many reasons do you need?

8. “I pay taxes in this district, so technically you work for me.”

Sorry, we’re not your minions. That’s not how it works. Taxes support public goods and services—such as the fire department, police, parks, and yes, public schools—for the community as a whole. And by the way, teachers pay taxes too.

9. “Ohh, you teach kindergarten, that must be fun. Playing and singing all day.”

Yes, my life is just like Disney movie. I sing and the children and the little animals of the forest come running. Actually, in kindergarten, we teach our students the foundational literacy and math skills—as well as the social and emotional skills—that set kids up for success in every grade to follow.

10. “Why are you so strict? They’re just kids.”

We make plenty of time for laughter and fun in my classroom. Rules and routine are not only necessary, they help children to feel safe, secure and valued in the classroom community.

11. “How hard can it be? You have all summer off.”

A longer summer break is one of the benefits of choosing teaching as a career. But keep in mind, it’s not all summer, I spend weeks every July and August on professional development and curriculum planning. And during the school year, I work 12 hours a day all week long and at least one day every weekend. Add it up and our vacation days are about the same.

12. “Teaching is nice, but don’t you want to be more successful and make more money?”

I teach because I want to make a difference. I teach because what I do every day matters for kids.

That’s what success looks like.

submitted by Nicky Mohan

Nicky Mohan
Director, The InfoSavvy Group
Mobile:+01 (604) 368 6619
E-mail: nickymohan@me.com
Skype: mnmohan70 (Auckland)

Submitted by Nicky Mohan

If you ask high school math teachers about the Common Core State Standards, you will most likely get mixed reactions. Some rejoice in the complexity and rigor of the standards and the mathematical practices, while others consider the implications for classroom practice—and the current lack of resources—with a great deal of anxiety. The instructional shifts require major changes in the ways that students are presented with information as well as assessed. Teachers can no longer rely on skill-based lessons in which students are “GPS’d” through problems to specific answers. Common-core implementation requires math teachers to start with students’ misconceptions and then teach the skills necessary for students to create their own understanding.

So, yes, there are some things that we need to take off teachers’ plates in order to make these shifts happen effectively. But I would argue that we must also rethink our notions of time and scheduling within the school day. Together, teachers can solve problems, design lessons, analyze data, and create assessments much more effectively than in insolation. Schools must provide teachers with more time to collaborate, and here are four ideas that could help:

1) Make room for common planning time

Although many schools already engage in this practice of creating a master schedule that allows teachers to have a common planning time during the school day, some (like mine) do not. Here is what a colleague had to say about a past experience:

“I had common planning with the entire math department and it was extremely beneficial. Did we meet every single day? No, but we did meet frequently to review what was and wasn’t working. This included lesson strategies, formative assessments, and summative assessments.”

 2) Provide co-teaching opportunities

One summer, I joined forced with a fellow math teacher to teach a group of 40 students who had previously failed Algebra I. The two of used separate classrooms that were right across the hall from each other and co-taught the entire group. It was the best professional-learning experience I have ever had. Working closely with another teacher to develop and execute lessons is a valuable experience that I know would support long-term positive impacts on the growth and implementation of common-core-aligned instructional strategies.

3) Let teachers lead

Since classroom teachers are the ones developing and implementing new instructional practices for their students, they should be given leadership opportunities to share ideas and bring their work to scale. What would it look like if every grade level or subject area had a master teacher who was given release time to work alongside their colleagues to create resources, analyze data, and provide meaningful professional development?

4) Meet only to “decide and commit”

Currently, teachers spend quite a bit of time attending ineffective meetings that are irrelevant to their classrooms and students. To curb this, business-leadership coach Fred Kofman offers this advice: “The only goal for a meeting is to ‘decide and commit.’ “  He recommends that any other objectives—including reviewing, discussing, evaluating, updating—be eliminated from meeting agendas; such activities can often be accomplished by other means, including e-mail. By limiting the time that teachers spend in meandering administrative meetings, teachers will have more time for authentic work and collaboration around the common standards.

What other changes could allow teachers more time to implement the common-core standards?

 

Nicky Mohan
Director, The InfoSavvy Group
Mobile:+01 (604) 368 6619
E-mail: nickymohan@me.com
Skype: mnmohan70 (Auckland)

There are some educators out there that make classroom technology integration look easy. For most of us, it’s a daunting task: converting your paper-and-folder, marker-and-poster classroom systems to mobile devices and the cloud. And the ones who dig right in, despite their reservations, to equip their students with the educational technology experiences they need for a 21st century education seem to have an invincible air about them.

So what’s different about these teachers? What key traits do they have in common that make them stand out as leaders and technology whizzes in their communities?

Fresh Perspective

For starters, they are often new to the field, and they’re not necessarily fresh out of school. In many cases, folks are choosing teaching as a second career and bringing their tech skills to the classroom. Education is one of the only fields that hasn’t yet integrated technology fully into its workings, so many people from other industries find ways to apply their business or engineering tech skills to the classroom. People who can bring new ways of thinking into an educational setting are often more comfortable taking the plunge with technology. And yes, some of them are also fresh out of teacher prep programs and are carrying those experiences into their first jobs.

Curiosity Doesn’t Actually Kill Cats

They are naturally curious people. You know the ones—they read a lot, ask a ton of conversational questions, and seem to have endless free time for diverse hobbies. They’re tinkerers, always looking for the best way to keep their calendars or manage their checking account. These people aren’t afraid to try something new. Where many of us would prefer systems that work well and that we can easily control, these change-addicts get bored easily and are always looking to integrate a little spice in all areas of their lives. They gravitate toward technology out of curiosity, and can envision how it might work in their classrooms too.

Collaborate

They “play well with others.” Let’s face it—some of us were more cut out for teamwork than others. It can be hard to come together and work cooperatively, especially with a huge personal workload and limited time. But these instructors know how to come to the table and collaborate. Often technology integration has many moving parts, and requires people with a variety of roles (superintendents, IT folks, educators, parents, etc.) to work together, prioritizing and problem solving. Those who have an affinity for this way of working tend to be the ones pioneering ed tech initiatives.

Ask For Help

They are good at asking for what they need. Many schools have setups that are not technology-friendly. There is still much ground to cover in terms of policy, rules, teaching methods, and more. However, the change agents that tend to take on the challenge of new technology-rich teaching methods are very good at identifying and asking for what they need. These are the teachers that get the green light for unconventional classroom setups, more funding for devices or e-materials, or a meeting with the principal or superintendent.

It takes a special kind of personality to think creatively about instruction and to initiate change in the classroom and beyond. For those who aren’t naturally inclined to shake things up, it can be helpful to work on one or two of these traits. Experiment with keeping a Google calendar for appointments, or create a Pinterest board as a wish list of ideas for your classroom. Sometimes just thinking about the possibilities is a good way to strategize for the future.

Technology integration should be a key priority for all teachers, even if your district hasn’t formally begun such efforts. It is already part of students’ day to day lives outside the classroom—and the more we can weave it into the classroom, the better prepared we’ll all be for the advent of new learning environments.

As digital learning in the classroom gains more support from educators, parents, and students, a national education group has released a toolkit that defines digital and blended learning, offering tips to help promote the benefits of a more digital-centric education.

The Center for Education Reform’s 2014 Digital Learning Toolkit [2] defines blended learning as “an approach that involves a myriad of delivery mechanisms via online tools for students, no matter where they live or attend school.”

The toolkit offers tips on how to debunk myths about online learning, ways to change public discourse, and how to clearly promote and express blended learning’s benefits to community leaders, the media, and policymakers.

According to the toolkit, one key tip involves using data to back up arguments in favor of digital and blended learning, because data showing real results can have a powerful impact. Another is to define objectives instead of simply asking for change—in fact, that’s the basis to all successful technology initiatives in schools: Defining an objective or goal and then determining the best path and tool to achieve desired outcomes.

The toolkit links to additional resources for information on blended and digital learning, and suggests using social media to stay updated on the latest information and to connect with others who are discussing the topic.

Eight digital learning myths

• We can just say ‘innovation’ and look like we’re doing something. According to an October 2013 poll from the Center for Education Reform, when asked to name a promising new educational innovation, most participants simply answered “technology,” as in the use of computers and the internet. Using the word “innovation” doesn’t ignite any sparks for the average citizen. To really discuss innovation, proponents should talk about real progress and student results.
• Online learning is a short-term trend. Online learning comes in many different forms, be it an online class, webinars, blended learning programs, or virtual charter schools. According to the Center for Education Reform, “the number of students attending full-time online schools has grown from approximately 200,000 in 2009-2010 to 310,000 in 2012-2013.” Additionally, 48 of the 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, are offering some form of online learning opportunities.
• Online learning is only for gifted students. Online learning is a great tool for any and all students, according to the toolkit. It lets students work and learn at their own pace, allowing them to spend more time on concepts that are more challenging to them. It also is a great tool for students who don’t have as many schooling options available to them, such as those who live in rural or inner city areas or those with special needs.
• Online learning is only available to families with computers. Schools that offer blended and digital learning provide students with computers and other tools they may need to participate. They often open media centers during non-school hours.
• Online learning is cheaper. Though there’s no physical classroom to go to, online learning still requires a great deal of funding. Online learning institutions need computers, technology programs, teachers, and various other employees to keep the programs running, and because online learning is still somewhat controversial, it does not always receive the funding it requires, which can drive up the price of classes.
• Online learning has no real accountability. Virtual schools are held to state and federal standards, as are the institutions’ teachers. Students participating in online classes are expected to attend, participate, and take tests just like students who sit in a physical classroom.
• Online learning isn’t getting positive results. According to the Center for Education Reform, the best way to measure the success of digital learning is by measuring growth in academic performance. Though digital learning programs have created their own assessments that do show progress, there are currently no state programs to measure this growth.
• Online students have no social interaction. Students who take online classes get the same or more individual time with teachers and the other students as they would in a physical classroom. Virtual classrooms also give shy students a platform to participate where they may be uncomfortable to do so in person. Most classes are only part-time, so students take a couple classes online and the rest in a traditional school setting, allowing them to experience the best of both worlds.

 Twitter chats are such a great way to stay connected and informed in your professional circle, and education is no exception. Through education chats, you can find out about new methods for teaching, tech resources, even jobs for teachers. Most chats are held weekly, and offer an opportunity to have a regularly scheduled conversation with like-minded educators.