Call for help from students around the world!
I attended ISTE in Philadelphia this summer and as always enjoyed the conversations and discussions. In every conference I attend I hear educational specialists discuss how technology does and does not work in the classroom. Like for instance the Flipped classroom vs the Maker Space movement. Why compare the two and why limit our choices? To me, the picture is a lot more diverse and complex and I can’t understand how someone could say that the Flipped classroom does not work. When I speak to my own students they have many different stories about what works for them in their learning. One size does not fit all! Even if I never use the Flipped classroom with my students, I know they enjoy using it in math and economy. And I think the main part here is to listen to the students. With the use of technology, it is easier to differentiate and tailor the learning to the individual student. What we need is access to a vast library of different methods and technology that teachers can choose from and use with their students. And we need our schools to be flexible and willing to change accordingly. Even if many teachers share online writing blogs and using Twitter, too few are actually sharing and learning together. I know many teachers think using social media to learn is time-consuming and probably of little value. That is why I wrote the book “the digital classroom – embrace the possibilities, (in Norwegian). If you don’t know what is out there and never share ideas with brilliant educators out there, school will never change, or at least change very slowly. Still many prominent figures in Norway openly argue that technology in school is not working. Last time I heard this was an event organized by the Norwegian teachers union and “Ludvigsen utvalget“. The latter is a committee that has been looking at what the schools of the future need. And that is obviously not technology! I have decided that it is time we ask our students. I’m looking for students from all over the world to answer these two questions: How is technology helping you learn at school, and how is technology helping you learn at home. I’m looking for the students’ voice and there are no wrong answers here. If you have a great example of how you learn with technology please share it with us! Take the survey link below. Teachers, please ask your students to participate! I have students in Australia, Greece, Italy, Sweden, Norway, USA and South Africa onboard. But we would love more voices!
Last week, the Norwegian Prime Minister visited our school and she had the chance to browse through my new book. Next time I meet the Prime Minister I would like to share the result of this survey with her. Voices of students from all over the world explaining how technology is helping them learn. I will ask the Prime Minister to help the schools by providing training and equipment to the teachers. And to be sure there are equal opportunities for every student! Please make sure that all the students in your country are given the same opportunities to learn. Let’s do a collective push towards a school where everyone learns according to their abilities and where the learning is meaningful and engaging for all!
IF YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE ANSWER THIS SURVEY:
Reblogged this on teaching knowledge and creativity.