What is Personalized Learning?

Caveat: I am focusing more on secondary education within this post as I am beginning to realize that primary education can vary greatly from secondary education.

Because I don't have a subscription, I am unable to leave a comment at the bottom of the article: What Is 'Personalized Learning'? Educators Seek Clarity by Sean Cavanagh.  So, I will write a short post instead, but I suggest you read the article to better understand this response

Microsoft buys Mojang (and Minecraft)...what about Minecraftedu?

I don't pay too close attention to some of the business side of education and technology, but the news that Microsoft bought Mojang, the company responsible for Minecraft, sure got my attention.  Admittedly, I don't play Minecraft much but that does not mean that I (1) do not see and understand it's appeal and (2) recognize its potentially HUGE impact on education.

I was first introduced to Minecraft about four years ago while teaching computer programming.  It was my students who showed it to me...and I dabbled with it.  I also let some of my students (who had to create an individual final project) use Minecraft as their final project platform.  This choice (as it almost always does) provided the students with much more motivation and drive to complete a project as it was something they wanted to do.  Since then, I have observed the development and explosion of Minecraft as an educational tool/environment used in a variety of ways (like promoting teamwork as @HikariKishi has done and to truly push students to think critically and creatively like @dkiang...both who presented at Kukulu Kaiaaulu 2014: Building Global Communities).  From these examples as well as the numerous resources at the Minecraftedu.com website, it is clear that Minecraft has supported learning in powerful ways and can continue to do so.

Therefore, I am definitely interested in this change as it relates to both the gamer and education realms (of course, my heart lies with the the educational realm more).  I am curious how the creators of the educational version (Teacher Gaming) are going deal with the change in ownership...which has its critics among the gamers.  What is very notable about the change in owners is the fact that the founders of Mojang (Notch, Carl, and Jakob) are LEAVING the company.  This is somewhat scary because it is clear that the educational version is supported by Mojang.

I am curious what others say.  Let the discussion begin and hopefully Teacher Gaming can have some input before anything too troubling happens.  Please share your thoughts!

NOTE: Keep in mind that Minecraft is not a panacea.  It has limitations and can even be implemented poorly, just like any other tool used for education.  Here is nice discussion of the pros and cons of Minecraft in Education.

[polldaddy poll=8309770]

Guns, guns, and more guns...in school even

I cannot resist to not just laugh at but I have to comment about the craziest ideas that are implemented to keep us safe.

So, I didn't realize the extend that people want to carry guns until I read this an article.  Most notably, the article states:

Missouri school boards already have the power to allow employees with concealed gun permits to carry weapons on their campuses. The new law requires the state Department of Public Safety to establish training guidelines for schools wanting to designate a teacher or administrator as a "school protection officer" authorized to carry a concealed gun or self-defense spray.

Give an A: Is It Entitlement...or Just Caring Too Much?

Last summer I had the privilege of attending the MIT-Lemelson EurekaFest as an Excite Award Recipient.  It was an amazing opportunity and experience that I will need to address at another time.  So why do I bring up this event?  Simple...it was the first time I heard that college professors were being contacted by students' parents who questioned (and possibly demanded higher) grades for their children.

As a high school teacher, I have see this such situation more and more (parents almost demanding higher grades for their children because it will affect their GPA)...but IN COLLEGE?  My first thought tends toward the negative: We (Americans) believe we are entitled to our success.  Success is not dependent on our accomplishments.  My child said she did the work and deserves the best grade.  

Of course, the first reason that pops into one's head isn't always accurate (or at least the only explanation).  So, I decided to find more information about this new phenomenon.  I definitely found that my first assumption about the motive behind parental involvement is not completely wrong as they could  be called "lawn-mower parents."  These parents are similar to what has been called "helicopter parents" but will "mow down whatever stands in the way of their child's success" (from the same article).

On the other hand, others had a more neutral rationale.  One article about this issue at the University of Florida noted that many Baby Boomers are parents now and have become very protective of their children.  The author recollects the "Baby on Board" signs that started in the 80s and parents requiring their children always wear bicycle helmets.  These parents wanted to ensure their children would never feel pain.  Another article had a similar take on the issue and quotes Dr. Sears, who says, "The protector instinct in all parents makes us want to rush and rescue the stuck baby."  So, maybe this intent is not necessarily about entitlement as much as it might be about protecting my child from any harm.

Unfortunately, this parental behavior, as all the articles note, does not help these young adults (and yes they are adults by 18 years of age) develop into competent adults.  They never learn how to handle these challenges on their own or how to solve the problem.  Of course, it is not necessarily clear if the child asks the parent to intervene or the parent is overly involved...but in either case, these young people really need to learn to deal with the issues themselves.  The student should be the one contacting the professor and trying to improve their grade, while parents can (and should) be available to counsel their college-age children.  An interesting view about extended childhood has been made by John Taylor Gatto.  In this audio clip, Mr. Gatto notes how childish our (American) society has become when even parents need a lesson on how to behave at their child's baseball game.

So, whatever the motive (entitlement, protection, or other reasons) parents should take the advice of the articles linked above and allow their adult-age children to learn and grow and even fail...because real learning cannot happen without real failure.

Hawaii College and Career(?) Fair

On somewhat of a whim, I decided to head to the Hawaii College and Career Fair this past Friday.  I thought it would be a good opportunity to really start moving forward on developing a high school internship program by making connections with businesses and/or apprenticeship programs...and I wanted to see if there was any interesting careers that might interest me personally.  So, off I went with high hopes.

As I entered the free event, I was handed a program listing all the organizations that had a booth at the fair.  I quickly scan through the list of organizations only to find that 91% of them are post secondary schools (see scanned program).  Furthermore, the "careers" is clustered with scholarships and financial aid organizations, which combined only had a whopping six organizations.  So, as you might imagine...I was frustrated and even dumbfounded.  How does a college and CAREER fair have only a very few career organizations!?  

To make the best of it, I decided to walk around and observe the event and fount that this event was really only about colleges recruiting students. Nothing more.  It really made me think about how commercial our society has become...and these schools are making some serious money as realized by noting the largest "booths" were occupied by two of the most expensive private schools in Hawaii (Chaminade University and Hawaii Pacific University).  Your telling me this event is for the students?  Are you sure it isn't a money making scheme for these schools?

I was about to leave when I decided I should actually go visit organizations that appeared to be a "career" related.  I head over to that area and see that one company (a helicopter tour company) is also selling their training program ("Learn to Fly").  The other booth that had potential (besides the military booths) was Hawaii Behavior Health...here was what I saw:

So...I guess they either never showed up or thought that the morning was such a bust that they didn't need to return for the night shift.  So, beyond the military booths, there was NO REAL career organizations or businesses that were not "selling" their training or schooling at this event at all.  

This was extremely troubling to me because the more time I spend in a school setting, the more I realize that a school is NOTHING like the rest of the world.  Numerous educators have noted the lack of adolescents interaction with adults is absurd when we expect them to leave high school ready to easily interact with adults.  I want this "adults-in-training" to be around adults more often so they gain the experience of working with adults and learn how "the real world" operates (not stuck in the bubble of high school).  Furthermore, as Tony Wagner noted in a recent speech at Microsoft (at about 27:40), the blue collar (but well-paying jobs) are not easily outsourced...such jobs like electricians, mechanics, and plumbers.  Why weren't these organizations at the College and Career Fair?  In Hawaii, we have  a Workforce Development Division that lists apprenticeship programs and other programs and a Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism.  You would think either these organizations or some of the listed programs would be at this event, but they were not.  

Well, I guess there is a need to develop more opportunities for adolescents to get into the world of adults.  I now just need to take the initiative and make it happen...and be sure that such a program IS at the Hawaii College and Career Fair.

The Abundant World

One of the most interesting motives for people and society has been a belief that resources are limited; what Stephen Covey has called a scarcity mentality (I read about it in the 8th Habit). However, I simply cannot accept this belief anymore (if I ever really did). I cannot help but come to the conclusion that there is an abundance of resources in our world and there is enough resources (whether natural or created) in our world (and solar system, and galaxy, and universe) to sustain all of us.

Another author, Thomas Freidman who wrote The World is Flat, also spoke about this abundance mentality. He proposes the belief that as long as people have ideas and can imagine possibilities, there is no limit to what we can have or do. Imagine what life was like simply one hundred years ago. The only way to "see" someone from another country (or even another town) was (1) look at a photograph or (2) go to the country (or town). Now, we can watch and listen to someone on the other side of the world in our own home. We can even interact (via video conferencing, web cams, etc.) with anyone who has access to the equipment. If you lived in the early 1900s, this type of communication wasn't even envisioned by most of the population, so how can WE (those living today) not see the abundance that surrounds us (why does a scarcity mentality continue)?

Another example that I just can help but see (but I must first refer you to the web video, "Did You Know?" that mentions that today, we have five times more words in the English language than in Shakespeare's time). Lately, I am amazed about how may people use the phrase, "Goggle it." We can create (and obviously do) new words every day! Our language is ABUNDANT.

One last observation of mine (which may be a LEAP of faith on my part) relates to job availability.  Always a concern is the number of jobs available for more and more people (this is the basic premise of the scarcity mentality...as population grows but resources stay the same, there is less "stuff" for everyone).  However, I propose that we can continue to create jobs that are not "extra" but extremely useful.  One example is On-Star, the security system for automobiles.  This service has to be manned by someone on the other line ready to help out those in need.  This service may not be a necessity, but it can possibly save lives (bad accident) as well as just save the day.  Another useful job is reviewers of college applicants.  As more and more individuals apply for college, it is becoming difficult to select quality students and it is so difficult to really know someone without taking the time to really review the information (and even do some follow up).  This is why some universities (sorry I don't have a reference right now) are hiring numerous reviewers to get a holistic view of its applicants, not a job for just anyone either.  Therefore, I do believe we can continue to have more and more (abundance) as we need it and as long as people have ideas they act on.

Letter to Mazie Hirono

Ms. Hirono,

I am a teacher at Moanalua High School and am have concerns about the Re-Authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

First, any good educator knows that a single source of evaluation (e.g. a state test) cannot possibly provide enough information to determine whether a person or organization is successful or failing.  This type of evaluation does, in effect, limit what good teachers can do, and eventually what students will be able to do.  This is the most damaging aspect of this Act.  However, I do believe in standards.  There are many renowned educators that promote standards (but not the typical state standards we see) without standardization.  I am sure you know of these educators, but here is a short list: Debbie Meier, Ted Sizer, Grant Wiggins, and Dennis Littky.  All of these educators promote high standards, but really work at preparing out students to contribute and compete in our democratic society.  They have even proposed better ways of school accountability (see Tony Wagner's "Making the Grade," which was highly publicized by our own DOE).

Second, any good educator knows that people do not develop at the same rate (both physically and mentally).  A true standards-based system allows students to progress appropriately and provide adequate support along the way.  This does not mean students are left to stuggle, but it provides more of a time cushion than expecting all 3rd graders (who are not all born on the same date) to have the same reading ability at the same time.  An excellent example of standards-based progression is being done in the Chugach School District in Alaska.  This allows students to progress accordingly but not let them flounder without support.  Therefore, the examination system (an important part) should take differences in development, such as students take the exam when they are at that stage and schools report who has been at all stages for how long.

Third, in order for education to be successful, teachers need to know their students.  It is difficult (if not impossible) to motivate and support a student you do not know.  This again is nothing new.  The highly recommended Breaking Ranks and Breaking Ranks II both make a teacher load a priority.  However, I must make a concession here.  I personally do not believe "class size" is the issue as much as total "student load."  This is usually more prevalent in secondary schools where a teacher sees multiple classes of students in a day.  I believe good teachers can handle reasonable size classes (25-35 students) but should only have two or three of these classes.  This would limit a teacher's load to around 80-100 students.  Although this is one way of organizing the day, it would also provide teachers what they need in order to actually respond and plan to the students' needs: TIME.  Could you image if the U.S. actually gave teachers the time they need to plan and assess and respond to students?  (Most other countries do it.)  This idea would impact several areas of the law such as funding, possibly teacher quality, and others.  However, if this issue (knowing students well) is crucial to education, it must explicitly or implicitly be address in this Act.

Lastly, I do want to comment that the actual concept behind the 2001 version of this Act is not bad.  I do believe that schools and teachers need to really examine their work and reflect on what is working to make improvements.  However, the implementation has been misguided and led to a lack of understanding about what started as "standards."  The General Learner Outcomes (with some additional details) really provide us with the guidance of real standards, but these outcomes cannot be measured by a test at the same time for the same "cohort" of students.  Push for methods that take multiple data points from a variety of sources and provide teachers with limited number of students and necessary time to actually know and respond to those students.

Thank you,
Robert Widhalm
Teacher