Learning Technologies in Schools

Too much responsibility has been placed on schools and teachers. Teachers can do a lot, but we do not have super powers! Like Clayton Christensen listed, teachers are expected to  preserve our democracy and instill democratic values, eliminate poverty, keep America competitive, keep students competitive, and provide something for every student." I would love to know how they expect us to do all of that! We are trying to teach our students academics, how to function in the 21st century, and how to be good, respectful members of society. Most of the people coming up with these expectations of teachers have never even stepped foot in a classroom. I think that may be the most frustrating part. I do believe that things in the education system need to change, however, the people on the front lines (teachers) need to be part of the conversation. As mentioned  by Ken Robinson, there are two pillars of the education industry. There is the intellectual pillar and the economic pillar. Ou...

  Online and virtual schooling is most often offered to 9th-12th graders. This makes complete sense! These students know how to use computers and have the ability to navigate them on their own. According to Freidhof in his "Michigan's K-12 Virtual Learning Effectiveness Report," about 50% of those attending a virtual school use online learning to supplement their in person instruction, not completely take the place of it. Teachers in online schools that are very structured are noticing that their time is not all that flexible, it is planned out for them. The one on one instruction that kids need and desire in online learning really depends on the student to teacher ratio. If one teacher has 30 students, there really is not enough time for that teacher to provide individual support and instruction to each student every day. Through my Poplet , I have noted some of these challenges. Online learning isn't all sunshine and rainbows, and during Covid, all teachers have lea...

As with any job, there are benefits and challenges and online teaching is no exception. In normal online teaching (not Covid teaching) those who teach online say there are many benefits. These teachers have flexibility in their schedule as well as what they teach. Teachers have the opportunity to teach courses that are not offered in their current face-to-face environment. They have more time for reflection and and providing feedback to students. Graham Borup in his journal article, "The Nature of Teacher Engagement at an Online High School," states that many teachers feel that in an online setting there is more time to interact with students individually. Therefore, students are getting more individualized instruction in order to meet their needs. There are definite benefits for both teachers and students in an online learning environment, however, there are also challenges. Teaching virtually requires immense organization. The entire semester or course must be planned out s...

Who knew there were so many different forms of online learning? I for sure did not! As someone who grew up in the traditional education world and continues to be an educator in that world today, I have not been exposed to too many online learning opportunities. All of my courses from elementary through high school were in person. In college, my classes had some online components, but majority of the instruction took place in person. Now that I am in gad school, I am getting a taste for online learning. But lets take a step back and think about k-12 education. Most of us have spent our entire k-12 career sitting in in person classrooms. However, there are online options that I never knew about. While reading "Making the Choice to go Online: Exploring Virtual Schooling as an Option for K-12 Students" I learned that there are state virtual schools, multi and single-district programs, consortium, and post secondary options. Some of these virtual schools are full time while others...

Hi everyone! Welcome to Learning Technologies in Schools!  My name is Jordyn Jelstrom and I am a third grade teacher at Union Mill Elementary School in Fairfax County.  I earned my degrees in Elementary and Special Education from West Chester University of Pennsylvania in 2017. I am currently pursuing my Masters in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Designing Digital Learning from George Mason University. I have a passion for teaching and integrating technology into the every day routines of my classroom. This is the perfect time to be learning about different technologies to incorporate in my teaching. Fairfax County Public Schools as well as many schools across the nation start the school year with distance learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This will for sure be a year to remember and I am looking forward to taking on this Learning Technologies in Schools journey!