Times are a Changing

C. Hargrave. Theories of IT Slide. 6/11/13

These last few days have been a time for reflection of past education and current practice. Immediately when we began learning about philosophies it caused me to think about my undergraduate work at Iowa State. As part of our teaching portfolios we were required to write our own teaching philosophies. It seemed silly to me, at the time, that we were required to do this because we hadn't really had much teaching opportunity. My philosophy went something like: "Like snowflakes every child is different" I went on and on about my own theories and philosophies without an actual understanding of what teaching and learning really was. Reading through these articles and watching these lectures makes me want to sit down and rethink my philosophy. After finishing up my second year in the classroom it is amazing to me just how much my personal views have changed and evolved. That makes a great connection to the many changes in the four philosophies that we looked at. From Perrenialism to Reconstructivism it is easy to see the evolution of education. I can relate to these changes. In this age we are liberal with our theories, but conservative in our processes. 

V. Rogers. Shannon-Weaver Model. 6/15/13

The Shannon-Weaver Model is a great model. When studying this ideal, I began to match up different types of current technology with the model. I'll bet when he was creating the model he had no idea how long lasting the theory would prove. Every piece of social media can fit into this model. The sender, the receiver, and relay of message. I found it very amusing that Shannon adapted his theory to analyze ordinary human (written) language. He showed that it is quite redundant, using more symbols and words than necessary to convey messages. This is very fitting with our younger generation. I wonder if Shannon knew that he started the trend of chat speak. It's a wonder some kids these days can even understand real English. They speak in the language that Shannon recommended almost a hundred years ago.

I spent the first two days of this week sitting through intensive Sandards-Referenced Grading training. It was a great place to sit and reflect on the changes in theories and philosophies in education. Our district is finally taking the plunge. Most trends are come and go in education. We have all sat through those professional developments. "This will last a year." "How long until the next implementation?" "Is this a government mandate?" This felt different. This change is permanent. This change is a reconstructive philosophy and constructive theory. It puts the learning into the hands of the student. Instead of teaching the masses the students will be able to see and be a part of their learning progress. Information Technology plays a huge role in making this process possible. With Standards-based grading education will be focused on what the student actually knows. This means that students that need enrichment or intervention can find what they need using technology. This definitely shifts the learner from an information consumer to a information producer. It will revolutionize the classroom and require a shift from direct instruction to individualized learning. Students will begin to take learning into their own hands, which I see as a current social issue. The Reconstructive Theory is very similar to this change. Education and survival are related, technology is used to facilitate change, and this will emphasize the need for social change. 

As we were informed of the ideals behind standards grading, it was appalling to me that we have been doing it so wrong for so long. We have been punishing students for their lack of knowledge when we should have been working with them to explore and find the answers. Our old grading practices were designed to use the behaviorist theory to control motivation and process. It may have worked ten or twenty years ago, but that doesn't work for 21st century learners. They are explorers. Grades often reflect items that do not show the actual knowledge of the individual. The change is bold, but it makes sense. I am elated to have the opportunity to pilot this shift in education. It will certainly require me to stop and rethink my personal philosophies and theories.