Flipped Learning

What kind of learner am I?  I am very visual and auditory.  I can picture exactly where something will be in the book (even if I can't remember the text).  I also remember how things were said.

That being said I do not think I would have benefited from flipped learning.  I was the youngest of 4 siblings and growing up there was always some club or sport to get to and I did not have as much time to do homework.  That isn't to say my homework didn't get done, or I suffered for it, the time just did not exist.  I would not have had time to sit and learn and read a lesson to prepare for the next day, I would not have absorbed it.

I think now a days kids and families are so rushed that it may be a beneficial idea to have flipped learning so that kids will have to take a step back from everything to really think about school and to have that kind of focus.

Pushing Kids too Early

Something I like to think about a lot in the field of education is early achievement.  I was fortunate enough in my youth to attend a good school with a strong emphasis on achievement and learning, and subsequently that pushed me to take more advanced courses as the years passed.

It makes you wonder why are we pushing children to reach standards ahead of where they are.  It is now normal for 8th graders to be taking high school math classes, and for high school students to be in AP classes, and if they are not it is almost as if they are behind or in the slower category.  What they do is add more homework onto the ever growing pile that teachers give out now.  Not to say that homework is a bad thing, but advanced courses often come with more work, and by taking more courses students are going to be overwhelmed at home.

They are losing their childhood and teenage years because education is pushing every student to be ready for college.  For the record, I took many of these courses and they still in no way prepared me for college.  I think we, as educators, need to push students to reach the goals and standards for the children their own age.  If they are exceeding those, perhaps teach them additional ways with that standard.  Why have a 14 year old working on something a 16 year old is doing?

I think technology is a part of this issue.  Chromebooks in my school start at 4th grade and I know they are discussing bringing them down to 3rd.  Again we are pushing children to advance earlier than they perhaps should.  I do agree that technology is going to be one of the most important things children can learn about, but I think we need to help children also be children.

Technology and Changing Education

As a Preschool teacher I have a lot of feelings about technology influencing education.  I work in a Pre-K to Grade 8 school, so I am lucky to see how the other teachers and students use this new technology in everyday schooling.

Some positive aspects I have seen in the classrooms:

1. The students are very interested in the material.  Whether they are using iPads or Chromebooks or even just the SmartBoard, they are more focused on the lesson.

2. Teachers are able to explore a wider array of material outside a textbook.  The internet is limitless and give us invaluable resources to use in the classroom.  Lessons can be more fluid and can involve the children more.

3. Harder to misplace the work for children.  They take care of their tablets or computers better than they take care of worksheets.

4. We are creating tech savvy children which will translate into tech savvy adults.

This is not all of them, but a few I constantly think about.

Some negative aspects I have seen:

1. Forgetting Chromebooks or iPads at home and not being able to participate in the lesson.  Children are still young, and having them remember everything all the time can be a daunting task- they will forget things.  It becomes difficult to plan lessons that completely involve technology when the child does not have access to it.

2. Not staying on task.  Although the children might be more engaged in normal scenarios, occasionally they get off task, and with a computer and the Internet at their disposal, they become sidetracked surfing the web or playing games instead of engaging with their classmates.

3. Cheating.  Access to these wonderful resources has increased the amount of plagiarism in students work.  They will find a way.

4. Too much technology.  As a preschool teacher I am all about using gross and fine motor skills and emphasizing tactile activities.  I feel the earlier the child starts using an iPad or Chromebook (or whatever) that they lose some valuable life skills.  Not to say that using your fingers to type and poke is not fine motor- it is, but they need to have other skills outside of that.

5. Technology taking away from learning.  If there is a technology issue, it needs to be fixed before a lesson can start.  That takes away from valuable learning time for the children.  With children it often seems to be occurring more frequently, and they are not benefiting from this.

In all: I do not believe the negatives outweigh the positives or vice versa.  I think when involving technology, teachers need to walk a very fine line to use the technology and time effectively.