Collaborative Learning in the High School Setting

This is such a taboo subject in my district. If I'm lying, I am flying, but there is very little collaborative learning or sharing in my district. The only time when we collaborate is at grade level meetings and staff meetings. We very seldom use technology or learning environments to collaborate techniques, lessons, ahh ha moments, on-line. I think when you collaborate online, it opens up just that much more space for sharing. For instance, most schools are gearing up for the Michigan Merit Exam. It is a state test that is published in the news papers (results). Funding is apart of this as well. If we see that we are making way with a lesson or our students are really reaping the benefits from a concept covered, we wait till the staff meeting to discuss it. In the case of my district, we have whats called Big Picture On-Line. There we are linked with other schools across the United States. When you look at the information in the Knowledge Exchange, its over 4 years old. Our district rarely uses it and the others do not participate with it much either. I would like to see a change in the way instructors communicate. I think we would be able to share so much more if we utilized the tools we have more. I think a few reasons that instructors may not use it like they should is lack of training. Most schools throw programs at you, but don't properly train teachers. In addition to that, they don't assess much to see how its going. Some people are just down right scared of using technology. That's another topic in itself. I think all teacher and instructors need to get over their fears and use at a exchange of ideas. It should be used as a way of collaborating. So many learning environments have it as a feature. So I think at my next staff meeting, I will bring up staff using technology to collaborate more.

Been A long time

It's been a long time for me. I have been doing things with work and reading more in the past few months than I have in my whole entire life. But its cool, I will get over it. Besides I am learning some valuable information. I have been trying to develop a Blackboard site for my students to gain experience with. They have been having online discussions, quizzes and posting comments to each others discussion boards. I have been really pushing technology integration at my school. But I feel like administration may be resistant to it right now because state testing and other things are going on. Well, I think my kids are finally getting the hang of it. I want them to see that its more to the Internet than myspace and facebook. But after reading a journal that was assigned in my graduate course, some colleges are really embracing the on-line learning. I read how a school authentic assessments are on the rise in the graduate setting. I particularly took an interest to this article because as I develop materials for my students, I see how they freak when I say we are going to have a quiz on-line. They get so nervous, but they need to know that when they leave me and go to a place far far away, that's the way schools are handling test administration. They are moving to another level. Some may think that using a computer to take a quiz, should be very easy. But the design and tools of assessments is improving daily. It is adjusting to the fast paced world. My biggest fear is that my students may not feel like they received the exposure they should have while with me. I am trying everyday to give them something they are promised to see in the future, the evolution of the learning environment.