Reflections on change...

I think that today's students will be more open to change than possibly students of the past. Today's students have open minds and move along pretty easily with the fast-paced direction technology and education is always moving in. Most students don't even bat an eye when something new comes along. They either go out and buy the newest gagdet on the market and have it figured out in a short amount of time or they get online and try out a new tool, whatever it may be, and they're not afraid to check everything out and give it a try. Most of us "old school" students are somewhat apprehensive, or even completely resistant, to try something new. We don't want to leave the familiar and are usually resistant to any form of change. Because today's students have grown up with ever-changing technology, I'm hoping that we'll get even closer to seeing more changes in schools having positive outlooks and funding for implementing 21st century literacy skills, and more teachers trained in these skills to prepare the students of tomorrow.

Feeling left behind...

I must say that I am so not familiar with a lot of the "new" assessments out there in the education world. I deal with 3-5 year olds and their parents - I don't have the opportunity to use rubrics or e-portfolios or any of the other tools out there. I use a standardized assessment with each child and I have to state each instruction exactly as my "teacher" book says and lay out tasks for each child the same way every single time. I hate standardized testing, actually, and don't think it's the best way to assess some of my kids. I don't think I always get a true picture of what each child can and cannot do. Also, there are two sections (adaptive and personal/social skills) that are compiled mostly of parent interview questions. Wanna take a guess on how many children actually qualify in those areas based on that parent report? :) I'd say 90% of the time we get glowing reports on everything that child can do. Now, luckily, I do observations, as well, before I put my final report together, so I can use my professional judgement and see that little Suzie isn't actually doing many of the things Mom or Dad reported that she was. There's also the scenarios where the child is having a bad day or doesn't test well or sit for more than 2 seconds. My schedule does not allow me to go to a child's house every day for a week to get a clear picture, so I have to go on what he/she did the day of the test. It's very frustrating sometimes and I wish that there was some other option for me to use in the preschool setting, but alas, if there is, the powers-that-be haven't found it yet.

I do get to use a portfolio assessment, however, at this age, it's not online anywhere. We do try to collect samples of work (coloring, writing name, ABCs, cutting examples, etc.) to go along with our data collection for progress monitoring or to show that a child has accomplished a goal on their IEP. I guess that's about as close as I get to the types of assessment we've been discussing in class and we're nowhere near acquiring 21st century skills - I'm just trying to make sure they got basic developmental skills nailed down before sending them off to the "big school"!

Checking out other blogs...

Today I spent some time perusing other blogs to read and comment on. I found one from an author that was discussing 21st century literacy skills - he was also finishing up a graduate class dealing with this same topic. It can be found here: http://inschoolsuspension.edublogs.org

I also decided to look at some blogs dealing with early childhood education, since that's the area I spend most of my time working in. I found one that was discussing teaching to the child instead of the subject, which is a topic I find interesting, especially because of the age group I work with. We're told we have to teach from the standards, but that's sometimes difficult with the children I'm working with. Most of them have some type of special need and it's not always feasible to just teach to the standard. The blog I commented on can be found here: http://eceducation.blogspot.com/2009/04/teaching-child-not-subject.html

It's amazing to me just how many people blog! And it amazes me the variety of topics that are out there. I guess times really are changing and I think I'd better start catching up! :)

Thoughts on blogging...

I know I'm just getting started on this whole blogging thing, but I have to admit this probably isn't my favorite part. I'm not very good at 'putting myself out there' for the world to see, or in this case, read about. I like to read other people's blogs and have always thought how easy it must be for them to type out their feelings and thoughts and share them with potentially millions of people. I have a friend in Australia who blogs about some of the hardships she's faced since moving there with her husband (originally from Australia) and the difficulties she faces everyday being a stay-at-home mom to two young children. I love to read it and usually check in every day to see what's new, but she broadcasts some pretty personal thoughts and I don't think I'm the type of person who can do that and be comfortable with it. Perhaps the other blog I started for the class I'm taking will fare better for me, since it's dealing with educational issues and resources for the families I work with.

21st Century Literacy Skills...

When I first decided to take a graduate course entitled 21st Century Literacy Skills, I thought it sounded interesting and I also thought I was somewhat "technologically savvy." Boy - was I wrong! Not so much about the interesting part, but the savvy part. I've learned quite a bit. I had always heard about blogs and wikis, but never really had the need or opportunity to really delve into that media to figure it all out. I was also amazed to read about all the different frameworks out there that are being used as guidelines for modern day schools. I'm not in the public school system anymore, having worked with the local intermediate unit for six years now, teaching 3-5 years olds with special needs. We don't meet in a building, we work in the child's home, with just me and the child and parents present. We have a basic curriculum as our foundation, but each child's needs vary dramatically, so sometimes, that lesson plan you've created gets tossed out the window and you just go with what is working for the child. At any rate, I wasn't familiar with any of the frameworks and honestly, I feel like I'm out of the loop. This class has helped me, at the very least, be aware of the direction schools are heading in and become familiar with what students are doing these days.