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Clayton Christensen coined the term disruptive innovation. Disruptive innovation is when a new idea is formed and someone is crazy enough to try it and stick with it until it takes root and changes our way of life. Some of these ideas have been wonderful and some horrible; some have been modified while others have stood the test of time. The steam engine, the hydrogen bomb, space travel, and clocks. Without disruptive innovation, mankind would not be where we are today.
Times have changed and the way we educate our students needs to change. Zack Simms, co-founder and CEO of Codecademy, states that technology may be the "silver bullet to enhance the material and the way we teach." He also states that, "education needs to catch up with our technology enhanced society." Technology does not need to be the center of education, but rather a tool to help individualize learning for each student's needs, allow students around the world to collaborate, enable students to be educated by experts in real world fields, and help students take ownership of their learning. My organization has many opportunities to use technology to enhance education. Most classes are limited to 47 minutes. If students were delivered basic content by video outside of the classroom, imagine the time our teachers would have to work with individual students to set goals, fill content gaps, or enrich material to challenge students. The internet could be used to show experts using the learned content in real life. I am not the only person nor the best at delivering my contents material, but I am the person who can develop relationships with my students encouraging, guiding and pushing them to be life long learners. Lindemann, Roy (2014, March 7) How Education is Changing. ReadSpeaker. Retrieved from https://www.readspeaker.com/blog/uncategorized/how-education-is-changing/ Christensen, Clayton (n.d.) Disruptive Innovation. Retrieved from http://claytonchristensen.com/key-concepts/ Simms, Zack (2014, May) Education Needs to Change As Fast As Technology. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/techonomy/2014/05/23/education-needs-to-change-as-fast-as-technology/#29a235f01ed2 This class was used to organize my website and collect my thoughts using the COVA model. My ePortfolio may change a dozen times before the end of this program, but this is my starting point. I am researching, trying ideas, changing the way I think, and learning. Dr. Harapnuik states that the act of creating an ePortfolio causes students to reflect making their learning deeper. As I have worked, I have grown as an educator. My thoughts are mixed with others as I work through all of this.
What does an eportfolio contain? The University of Waterloo states that an ePorfolio documents a students learning with not only products, but also processes. Dr. Harapnuik explains that the basic needs of an eportfolio are the following: A bio, main interests, projects, categories, archives, links, social media connections, and contact information. Creating and organizing all of these ideas is easier said than done and this is just the basic needs. My biography: It is difficult for me to talk about myself without feeling vain. Collaboration is very important to being a great educator. I am involve in several Professional Learning Communities which have contributed to my work. "About Me" is a summary of who I feel I am. Main Interests and Projects: At this point, my main interests are my projects in DLL masters program and helping teachers incorporate technology in their classroom. These two interests are fueling each other. Archives: My site has not been up long enough for me to archive material, but I am prepared to do so. Links and Social Media Connections: I have listed my favorite sites, books and people that I follow under "Resources" Contact information: I have a page which allows users to contact me. I have not included my twitter account because I have not been active on social media and I am just beginning to figure out how to use it. 5303 EPortfolios has been a building class. I have rebuilt my site twice and rearranged my information over a dozen times and more changes will occur in the future. I hope to use this site to make me a life long learner and contributor to the learning community. ePortfolios Explained: Theory and Practice. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo Retrieved from: https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/educational-technologies/all/eportfolios Harpnuik, D. (2015, Sept). Why Use An Eportfolio? Retrieved April 2, 2019 from http://www.harapnuik.org/?s=reflecting Harpnuik, D. (n.d). Eportfolio Retrieved April 2, 2019 from http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=5973 I think Chassidy Williams hit the nail on the head in our last discussion. Our portfolios are like a house. We own the house, but still have responsibilities to keep up with such as property taxes, etc. However, our homes are our comfort zones. We decorate, paint and arrange our houses to fit our likes and needs. Our portfolios will vary just as our homes do.
There is such great variety in all of the portfolios. I tend to be attracted to portfolios that are clean and to the point. I am in love with Amy Atchison's site. It's like driving through River Oaks and looking at the million dollar houses. It is organized, original and beautiful. Her learning manifesto is set up like a book. I found it fascinating. I also like Cyndy Schroeder's site. It looks like it would be in my neighborhood. It's organized, clean, and easy to follow. I looked at several other portfolios. I plan to add a tab of professional development workshops that I have attended like Roselynn Verwood has on her website. I am glad that Dr. Harapnuik included his son's site. Even thought his son is older than my students, it gives me an idea of what I could expect from my classes. As I have looked at the different portfolios, I have learned that they are all different. There is not one correct way to organize an ePortfolio. My ePortfolio will never be complete. It will always be a work in progress. It will evolve and change as I do. If used correctly, technology can improve the classroom. I started this ePortfolio as an assignment while pursuing my masters degree in DLL at Lamar University. I didn't think much of it at first. It was just another step towards my degree. As I have continued to develop the site, it has become mine. A tool that I plan on using and developing over time. Something that will help me become what I need to become.
I hope that I own my ePortfolio. Andrew Rikird says that if my audience is "a teacher with a red pen", then my ePortfolio will not empower me. One day I am working on my site and trying to put my vision together; the next, I am checking off required tasks to make sure I am covering all material. The "Domain of One's Own" initiative intends for students to take ownership of a domain, but it really depends on how that domain is used. It is not intended to be used to complete a check list of assignments. It is intended to show a process of learning. What does a process look like at the beginning? My department is just completing our mandatory Student Learning Outcome Goal (SLO). We gave a pretest to see where our students began. As expected, they did not do well. We took tests throughout the unit to monitor progress. Finally, we gave a post test. We compared all the data to see progress made. Some students did not pass, but showed significant growth. Still, giving the students a test with a failing grade did nothing for their self confidence. I feel like an ePortfolio would give that same complete picture, but allow students more options to show their success. I think many students would surprise us. My portfolio is similar to the SLO. I am in the beginning of 1 1/2 year process. It is not appropriate for me to compare my work to someone who has completed their journey. Even at the end of the all the classes, my portfolio will still be a work in progress and I still should not compare my work with others. We are all at different points in our learning. I can look and get ideas, but this portfolio has to be mine. As I have made my way through the first couple of weeks of this journey, I have been trying to think how I could apply what I have learned during these courses in my classroom. I have been afraid of giving my students freedom, but they already have it. Most students have the internet in their pocket, plus freedom to create helps us grow. I recently gave my students a Stop Motion assignment in STEM. I gave two requirements. There must be at least 30 slides and there must be at least two moving objects. As my students have created their projects, I have helped them work through problems, a technology specialist has been helping, and we have looked up issues on the web. The products the students have made are phenomenal. I am showing the projects to other teachers and they are amazed. Even students who are low performing in other classes have beautiful products. Some projects are more advanced than others, but some students have more prior knowledge. All of my students are proud of their work and have learned. At this time, I am nervous about my creation. This class has one major grade. Is my ePortfolio good enough? As I ask this question, I feel like Carol Deweck is shaking her head at me. Yes, Carol, I have learned something. Dweck, C. (n.d.) Decades of Scientific Research that Started A Growth Mindset Revolution. Retrieved from https://www.mindsetworks.com/science/ ePortfolios Explained: Theory and Practice. Centre for Teaching Excellence, University of Waterloo Retrieved from: https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/educational-technologies/all/eportfolios Harpnuik, d. (n.d.). Who Owns the Eportfolio? Retrieved from http://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6050 Watters, A.(2015). The Web We Need to Give Students. Retrieved from https://brightthemag.com/the-web-we-need-to-give-students-311d9771371 I have decided to put a tab on my website. What was my goal and who was my audience? I want to help math teachers create life long learners in their classrooms. I see all these project for math, but they really don't involve the students ideas. It is a work in progress. I have to start somewhere.
During EDLD 5302, I began building my eportfolio. I have questioned my decisions and ability several times, but I am hoping that eventually this website will help guide students and other middle school math teachers to have a growth mindset and become life long learners.
We all have our special calling. I am a teacher. Mrs. Goodman, my mentor and student teacher, told me that the day I woke up and decided I was a great teacher and had nothing else to learn; I should retire. Following that rule, I am not close to retirement. We all have something to learn from each other. Only by growing, learning, networking, and collaborating can we become the teachers that our students need. |
AuthorThis is Jennifer. This blog is to record my thoughts, ideas, and learning from others. Archives
June 2020
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