Forum Replies Created
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Tonia Roemmich, 12 years ago
Hello, again! Thank you for your patience Ms. Lambeth.
I am not good with just theory, I need to see the practical side of things and so I use scenarios in thinking thru a problem. Therefore, this may be a little long.
When I read the survey about adding computers in the classroom, I remembered classrooms in which there is one or two computers for a class of 22 or 25 students. I remember seeing a 2nd grade class crowding around one small screen so that the teacher could show the students something on the computer. On the flip side if there had been a computer for every student, then all of the desks would be covered by a computer and there would be no access for hands on learning (and the bandwidth required to handle that many computers would be much more than most schools are equipped for at this time). Personally, for the above scenario, I would have preferred to see a video/data projector that allowed all the students to see what was on the teachers computer from their desk rather than just the few students in the front seeing the small screen.
Today, computers are becoming smaller and even items like the ipad may help with space required for use, but though the ipads may give access to internet, they are still a fairly new item and so things like saving projects to a USB stick (and maybe printing?) would be difficult. Also there can be worry in the back of the teachers’ minds about how easy it is for an ipad to “walk out” of the classroom and how hard kids can be on such products. If it is dropped or otherwise abused it is not as easy to replace as a much less expensive book would be. This may deter teachers from using the technology regularly.
If the state of Texas wants to buy a product though, we may be able to get a pretty good bulk price!I have run through a few situations such as interactive white boards. I have heard of teachers ending up using things like the SMART board much like a chalk board because using new technology requires time, training, and practice. Good training and opportunity to practice with other teachers will save teachers time (which is in short supply when you consider the amount of planning, preparation, communicating with parents, and grading that teachers need to do in a week) and will help them better utilize the technology.
Ideally, I would like to see increased technology in a balanced classroom. That would mean using technology in meaningful ways, while also incorporating hands on activities, school gardens, experiments, debates, and other teaching strategies.
I see educational regions as being a key factor in helping to facilitate and increase the advancement of schools. Educational regions have helped with continued training for teachers, but I would also like to see it as a place that offered more items for the classroom as well. For example, a region could buy software to be made available to the districts. Regions may also consider sponsoring an area wide online debate for classes to be involved in, or online book discussions for students, or “ask a scientist” type resources for the classroom. (Things that give teachers a taste of what is possible.)
I would also like to see a state wide board or forum where teachers can collaborate and share lessons that are in-depth and understandable for the students. (I think Utah has some sort of online education board or resource…I remember finding some fascinating math lessons there.) Teacher collaboration rather than teacher competition (for example the competitive spirit encouraged by the Obama “Race to the Top” program) will not only help teachers better learn about and use technology, but will help them develop lesson plans that may fit a wider range of learning styles. (Collaboration needs to be encouraged at state and school level for teachers to grow and meet a wider range of learning styles, simply because teachers are human beings and humans struggle with change and stretching beyond our natural bend.)
In summary, I would love to see technology used in meaningful and productive ways, but training, opportunity for collaboration, and additional resources are needed as well as balancing the time using computers to additional effective teaching strategies are needed.
I would love to hear from physicians and optometrists concerning “screen time” and would love to hear from computer programmers on what we can expect in the future of educational software/programs and technology.
I also wonder if the state of Texas should look at software the same way we look at buying textbooks? (My mind does not turn off…so I will end here)
Tonia Roemmich, 12 years ago
Thank you for your reply Ms. Lambeth.
When I wrote the above post, I was thinking of computers in the classroom and not the Texas Virtual School Network.
Just a quick note on TVSN…my son was able to use the program last year and I loved it! The program he was enrolled in offered a lot of possibilities for enrichment and at the same time allowed him to make sure he really learned the content. This year I was not able to do TVSN and am sad about that. I will let you know that one problem we ran into was increased nearsightedness (at a faster pace than had been normal for him). I attribute it to spending all day looking at screens. In hindsight, I should have balanced it out more for him.I am having to speed thru this post because of commitments this evening, however, I would like to sit back down and really talk about this. I am sure others have input to add to this as well. I will try to get back to this by January, 27th.
Tonia Roemmich, 12 years ago
The charter school is called Manara Academy and is located in Irving, Texas.
This is the webpage I found for it: http://www.manaraacademy.org/
Tonia Roemmich, 12 years ago
I stand strongly for parent choice in education, however, I do feel that vouchers are just a way for the state to extend its control to private schools. Maybe charter schools would be the best next thing?
Tonia Roemmich, 12 years ago
Congratulation, Michael on your children’s achievements!
I have to agree that a dedicated teacher working individually or with a small group of students seems to be one of the best educational situations available.
Sadly, not all parents have been able to homeschool. I know of one mom who could not read, herself. Others are single parent homes that cannot afford the time and money to homeschool.
That does not mean that there are not a lot of wonderful parents out there that would make excellent homeschool parents. I know because I meet those people all the time too.Tonia Roemmich, 12 years ago
Dear Moderator,
Is there a way to edit a post after we made the post? I see I got a bit wordy and would like to shorten my post above, but cannot find the edit button.
Also, can I link this forum to my e-mail so that I can see when people post new things without having to check the forum page that day?Tonia Roemmich, 12 years ago
I am going to say upfront that I agree with what I am seeing on this page. I don’t think I could say better what has already been said, but I would like to add anyway:O).
First of all no one will love our kids more than the parents. For the most part we will seek the very best we can find and can provide for our kids, so parents that are given a choice in education will choose the best education we can find.
Where I live, we have been privileged to have private schools, charter schools, the option of homeschool, and even online schools, as well as public schools in our area. I do not know if that is true everywhere in this state. I did see that Abbott was praising a charter school in south Texas called IDEA charter, but I hope that he knows that what is great about that school is the choice it offers.
The more big government tries to step in and micromanage our schools, the worse off we become. The public schools have to jump thru numerous hoops to insure their funding – time and energy is taken away from the real goal of educating our children. Teachers today are concerned because even though our children may test well, they have lost the opportunities to reason, and use higher thinking skills. (There is more that could be said about the whole jumping thru hoops thing that is happening at our schools, probably enough to fill a book.)
Secondly, let me quote, “Our children are our future”. The people that control what goes into the minds of our children to some large degree are the people educating our children. Hitler knew this and exploited it. We as parents know that and are careful of what teacher our child gets or what school our child goes to.
Last, let me just reiterate, what has been said before (just in less eloquent terms)…I believe strongly in getting rid of federal funding to our schools. You and I and the rest of the people of Texas know that federal funding is how the federal government is best able to exert power beyond what was given to it by the Constitution. All it has to do is tie certain behaviors to the funding or threaten to withhold funding to get states and its citizens to do its bidding, even if we disagree with the requirement.
Tonia Roemmich, 12 years ago
What would define a quality teacher?
Over the years I have had the opportunity to talk to a number of people about this very subject and we seem to have a very vague picture of what that is.
Recently, we seem to be comparing our education to that found in other countries. I have spoken to a few people from Asia and they described the education they got from that area as being very strong in facts. The teachers would give the kids basic facts and then the kids were expected to memorize the facts and recite those facts on tests. They stated that our schools are at least one grade behind on basic facts. I was hearing how the teachers in the United States needed to be more strict.
One the other hand one of the parents I was talking to stated that the United States is better at doing something with those facts. We learn the why of different things and we learn how to apply facts. This was something she valued and considered, “quality”.
My question to you is…what does a quality teacher mean to you? (Please be specific.)
Tonia Roemmich, 12 years ago
This is a very interesting idea. I think one of the concerns is the students that simply do not do the homework (reading, watching the video, etc..).
Personally, this looks like a great plan. However, if there is nothing but the knowledge in the children’s heads to prove that they bothered to do the homework, wouldn’t it be tempting for many children to just skip that homework and try to wing it in class?
One teacher I knew used to say, ” You expect what you inspect.” For example, if you give an assignment to write the spelling words 3x each knowing that a number of students benefit in this memory aid, but do not actually look to see that the kids did what you asked. Most will stop doing the assignment because there is no accountability.
I love this idea, I just am wondering how all the “kinks” are being worked out of the overall idea.
