“If you wanted to design a learning environment that was directly opposed to what the brain was really good at doing then you would design something like the modern classroom.”

Want to hear more………?

Watch this great talk.

All Dr. John Medina’s research and book reviews can be found here: http://www.brainrules.net/

It has been a while since I have posted here. Being a parent, coach and busy Technology and Learning Coordinator has left me with little time to share and write.  Such is the life of the “semi-pro”.   In the coming weeks I hope to remedy this as I reflect on the last two years here in Bangkok and what the next chapter as in store.

Tonight  Dennis, Kim and I have been invited on the S.O.S – Shift our Schools Podcast to talk about our curriculum work , our vision for 21st century literacy and the journey of thinking, talking and collaboration that has taken us to our “temporary fixed position”.  We like to use that term around here as it speaks to our evolving and shifting thinking. The S.O.S – Shift our Schools Podcast is hosted by Jeff Utech and David Carpenter and is a great bi-monthly listen. Lots of great ideas and thoughts get tossed around.

The essential question for this week’s show is:  How Do We Connect Technology and Classroom Instruction Seamlessly?

For Dennis and I the road to answering this question began two years ago with another question.

How does an information and technology curriculum stay relevant and meaningful in the 21st Century?

Prior to our roles as coordinators we had both taught in schools with elaborate technology scope and sequence plans which we felt had little to no impact on learning and often became outdated the moment they were written. We also felt that the previous NET standards were too bulky and disconnected from the average classroom teacher. We wanted to create something that could stand the test of time and be manageable to the average teacher.

As we approached answering the question we felt strongly that as the world changed around our students, so must a curriculum if it was to remain a relevant institution whose mission was to prepare students for the shifting demands of global citizenship. Every day our pupils read and navigate through a “global electronic library” as well as through the media housed in traditional libraries. They have access to a wealth of information and resources unimaginable even five years ago. Student are able to access, create, design and present information in so many new and exciting ways that educators are having trouble keeping pace. A new literacy has emerged and with it comes a brand new set of skills, responsibilities and challenges. We felt it was time to rethink the role that information technology played in schools and transition from  a disconnected entity to a partner in learning.

Now how to achieve this………………..?

To quote an earlier post:

“Looking at Wiggins and McTighe’s Understanding by Design approach to curriculum and unit design we liked how big “essential questions” and “enduring understandings” had helped us plan and design units when we were teaching math and social studies. What if this same “best practice” approach could be applied to the way technology was used and talked about in the classroom? If this was good curricular design practice, why should technology and thinking curriculum be any different? What if that same approach was used in the way we looked at connecting technology and learning across the curriculum? What if there were only a few manageable questions that even the most tech-resistant teacher could see value in? ”

We shopped the ideas around and started to create understanding within our own institution. Lots of meetings and discussion followed and over the past year with many educators participating we have come up with:

Click on the ISB21 logo to visit our curriculum in progress.

Tonight we will discuss where we are at with all this and where we are going.

We have come very far but we have to much further to go.

“What a long strange trip it’s been”

Tune in if you can.