Week 2: Putting it all Together

Summary
3 Translation Tools To Address The Language Barrier with Students & Families
Lisa Nielson: The Innovative Educator

• Spoke about computer and phone applications that would help teachers communicate with students AND their families. 
• Microsoft Translater, Google Doc Tranlater, Remind App
• Understanding that the classroom does not just include the child but their families, their backgrounds, their language, etc 

Authenticity Matters: 12 Ideas To Make Learning ‘Real-World’
TeachThought

• Ted Talks-giving them a tool to explore into multiple perspectives 
• Guest speakers that relate to the subject being taught 
• Contacts in the real world-identify people they can and should ask for help 
• Connecting lessons to their interests 
• Connect students with organizations dealing with their interests and make a project or lesson out of it 
• Job Shadowing assignments 
• Presenting their interests to the class and a job in that field 
• Project based learning and Problem based learning 
• Community interactions with people in the field of their interest 
• Have students bring in guest speakers they've interviewed--active listening required here 
• Include the school counselor 
• Genius hours* 
• Reach out to Alumnis 

All lies and jests...
Learning with 'e's

• "And yet, try as they might, no-one, including Tim - has yet been able to refute my claim that the main reason teachers will always be needed is because they have a distinct advantage over computers. Computers always follow the rules. It's the nature of their programming. However, teachers can and do break rules - this often happens when a teacher intuits the need to help a student." 
• In this blog Wheeler is responding to another blogger who argues that technology will override actual human teachers in the classroom. So while "Technology is useful for supporting, enhancing and even extending the capabilities of humans", Wheeler believes nothing can really replace humans and I have to agree with him. 

My Thoughts
At a recent conference held by Masa for the Israel Teaching Fellows, the following question was brought up: "What would learning look like, if we invented it today?" This was a question that was posed by Roe Deutsch of Jolt.

Technology is an absolutely amazing tool that needs to be used in the classroom. The coming generations are being born in a new world and the classroom needs to keep up and adapt to their interests. These tools can not only aid students learning but the teachers, and the teacher student relationship. Students include not only the individual but extend to their families, backgrounds, etc. In my own work as a teacher aid in English for Israeli children, there are times translation needs to be a part of my lesson to make sure what is being taught is in fact correct.

But how do we keep the authenticity of what is being done in the cyber world to the real world? Guiding students on how, what, and when technology can be used is key. Similar to the thought that we shouldn't just give a man a fish but instead teach him how to fish. TeachThoughts article suggested many great tools such as TedTalk but with that included the many real world benefits of guest speakers in the classroom, school counselors, interest based projects and presentations. A new concept I learned about was Genius hours . A tool I would personally love to use for myself but also for my own students.

Finally Wheeler, in his blog, argues that while "Technology is useful for supporting, enhancing and even extending the capabilities of humans", nothing can really replace humans and I have to agree with him. This goes back to TeachThoughts article on Authencity in the Classroom and maintaining a balance between what technology can teach versus the actual live human experience.