Aptly Named?

After viewing the Marco Polo website, it was very clear to me what types of things that an education website should strive for. Before I delve too deeply into my rubric comparison of the site contents, I just thought I'd comment on the title of the website. The name Marco Polo translated into English (Webster or otherwise) would be Mark "The" Chicken. Now, I don't want to offend the namesake, so I would also add that Marco Polo the Explorer transcends the very spirit of learning, and thus is very aptly named. Just a bit of irony, I suppose.

Now, the actual site itself is an exceptional collaboration of ideas and content for the classroom teacher. The cross-curriculuar content in literacy, technology and other subject areas is exemplary. I consider myself a good web harvester for all things school related, but I have not come across this site until Michael suggested it for review. I'm very glad he did.

My group website evaluation tool was designed in a traditional rubric format with seven categories, which looked at such things as site Accuracy, Authority, Relevance, Diversity and Inclusion, Evaluation, and Supports for Special Populations. In all, Marco Polo scored very high or perfect in many of the categories we selected. If I were an Administrator of a Elementary or Middle School, I would probably develop or mandate some of the professional development opportunities that are linked to the "Rollout" section of the site. The fact that it has a corporate sponsor in Verizon does not bother me in the least. In fact, I think it makes for good corporate citizenship to make significant contributions like the Marco Polo website. Overall, I would definitely use the site for it's content and structure and added value to the curriculum.

Baskin Robbins and The 31 flavors of Teaching

I believe this weeks reading on Gorski really just boils down to knowing your students and doing your best to meet their individual needs. The cultural and learning styles of the students I most recently taught were not necessarily all that diverse. The school's population was approximately 95% African-American, 4% Mixed-heritage, and 1% Hispanic. Given that scenario, I wasn't forced to dig to deep for culturally sensitive materials save for the usual 1 or 2 exceptional students who were placed in my program.

Having just completed my Teacher Education and certification, which has all student teachers complete BBE 5000 and SED 7050 (Diversity and Special-Ed), I feel I am able to meet the challenges of most of the diversity challenges of today's classroom. More importantly, my work in the Navy has prepared me well for most of the challenges of the workplace and school environments. A few years ago, I was selected for and received extensive diversity training, so that I may serve as a Workplace Relations Advisor at my Unit. That said, 13 years at Chrysler also prepared me well for my second career as a teacher. As a Business teacher, I was constantly bringing in workplace examples of differences in culture or opinion to better prepare my students for workplace realities. I believe this is often called the "Hidden Curriculum" in education.

Gorski lists his seven considerations for culturally appropriate multiculural education using Internet-based resources, which I won't repeat here, other than to say that most technology-savvy teachers do instinctively. That is, I carefully select resources that best fit or illustrate the main point of my instruction. For example, I taught a unit on Financial Literacy last semester and the students enjoyed it because it was highly interactive. It contained short video clips on banking and financial concepts, used actors that were culturally diverse, contained many cross-curricular activities, and allowed the instructor to easily adapt the content to the needs of the students (It even had a Spanish version !). In all, the site contained many of the considerations that Gorski considers, but I would caution any teacher to waste valuable time trying to find that perfect website that contains all of the above.

Generally speaking, I will not use a web-based resource if it is not authoritative (business or education endorsed), or does not reflect the curriculum I am required to give the students. I am conscious of my duties as a teacher to provide a culturally diverse and appropriate curriculum and I use my common sense when deciding to use any resource in my classroom. Finally, the Gorski reading basically highlights the things I do naturally as I plan my instruction on any given lesson or unit.

Teaching with Internet-based Resources: Considerations

When considering what Internet-based resources to consider for use in my classroom, I am initally drawn to that oft spoken phrase that Real Estate professionals use; "location, location, and location". More simply stated, I would consider when to use it, why I am using it, and where I have located the resource. When deciding on any resource it is best to look at the utility of the resources. Web-based resources should help with scaffolding complex curriculum or otherwise increase the creativity in both teachers and students. The selected resources should help teachers to expand the overall competency of learners. If all goes well, the students should be encouraged to explore and expand their learning experience beyond the scheduled class time and is always a good way of telling whether you have reached the students or not. Internet and web-enable resources can be a great way to engage the class and infuse the curriculum with technology.

The following suggestions or criteria are offered for additional consideration to determine the overall effectiveness of online educational resources:

• Is the resource supported or endorsed by an educational source or authority?
• Will it support students with different learning styles? How does the site cater to special populations, or students with auditory, visual, kinesthetic, or other preferences?
• Does it have appropriate links or refer to corresponding State or National Curriculum standards? Does your State endorse the site?
• Does the content make its educational purpose explicit?
• Is the site content accurate, up to date, reasonably comprehensive, objective and relevant for the learner, and does it use appropriate vocabulary?
• Is the site easy to use with well-organised material and clear navigation?
• Does the content meaningfully engage the learner with key content or concepts
• Does the resource provide support, give feedback, or otherwise offer students and teachers the opportunity for evaluation?
• Does the resource enhance collaborative learning by encouraging learners to discuss problems, share information and ideas and reach group agreement?
• Is the site suitable for your target age/grade level?
• Can your school's technology infrastructure support the site? Will your school's Internet safety (firewall) allow your students access?

While this is an exhaustive list of questions for consideration, it is by no means complete. The bottom line is knowing when it is approptiate to use the Internet in the classroom. As a Business teacher, the above questions are always on my mind when considering how to bolster my lessons or units with technology.

Brad.

Reeves and Oh (My God, I think they're right).

Of the four required readings, Reeves and Oh provide the most accurate evidence on the use of generational differences as a variable for consideration when designing educational technology. The fact is as Reeves and Oh stated that, "virtually no evidence can be found", despite the arguments that prognosticators Howe and Strauss make on the "Next Great Generation".
What I have deduced from the various arguments discussed in the articles, is that as a teacher, I will be best served by meeting the students where they are at. That is, if I can make the necessary leap (scaffolding) between teaching the required content and using assistive technology to drive home the point, then I will have overcome a perceived "generational gap".

To offer an analogy, grandparents provide this very same skill to parents whenever intervention is necessary in trying to get their grandchildren to understand their parents point of view. For example, a grandparent may offer a similar story or event to the grandchild and detail the decisions or results of a particular event. By smoothing over the "required learning", the grandparent has "bridged" the generational gap and the child should come away with the new knowledge. Teaching multiple generation in a variety of contexts is no different. In the workforce, HR Training and Development specialists do not necessarily break a company into 3 sessions of the different generations, they simply try to tailor the material to the needs of the company. One size may not fit all, but at the end of the day it gets the job done.

For my students, all of the articles raise a few good pointers on things to consider about thier learning preferences, or learning styles. Despite claims of being a diverse sample, the Howe and Strauss study did not describe my students. Prensky did highlight measureable differerences between the culture of todays' students versus those of my generation. However, the "Millenials", will still need to interact face-to-face in the world of work. As such, regardless of which side of the generational argument I side with, I have to do my best to get the students to learn by any means necessary. Sometimes this will be using technology and sometimes it won't.


Brad.