I was having a meeting last week with a group of students and my ever-present smartphone began to vibrate. It was warning me that I had 10 minutes to my next appointment. Two of the students' iPads also chimed as they were going to the same meeting. This led me to ponder...
My wife, an international educational speaker and master teacher, has a concept that she refers to as the "silver platter syndrome." You know, we do everything for our kids and they don't end up learning to do it for themselves. She tells a story of being at a friend's home when two of the children asked their mother what 9 times 12 was. My wife, seeing this a teachable moment, said to the kids, "Well, what is nine times ten and and two times nine?" As their little faces scrunched up in deep thought, the mother called out "108!" My wife looked over her shoulder and the mother had pulled out a smart phone and used the calculator. The children called out "thanks!" and went on their merry way. Another teachable moment lost...
Here is a thought about what we can do to teach our students how to work with calendars, appointments and, at the same time, ditch the cattle herding school bells. I would suggest that this idea could be treasure trove of teachable moments!!
The school can create a GAFE (Google Apps For Education) master calendar that has appointments pre-programed based on the class periods for the day. This calendar would then be shared with all student and faculty. When the period ends, the smart phones would buzz or chime. If there was a change to the schedule, it would automatically update for the students and teachers. What a way to teach students how effectively use tech!
What are your thoughts on this? Is this a good simulation of the real world? As always, I solicit your input on the blogsite.
Don't forget that tomorrow at 1PM, I will be hosting a Google LIVE hangout on GAFE and security issues for filtering in schools. Here is the link to Eventbrite where you can register. tipe.eventbrite.com
See you all tomorrow!
Yossie
Yossie Frankel
IT Director - Shalhevet High School
Tech Specialist - CIJE
Checkout my blog: www.technorebbe.com
Twitter @yossiefrankel
Yossie,
ReplyDeleteUsing your wife's story, let's keep in mind that a school day is full of teachable moments, including taking responsibility. If the child decided on their own to place their schedule in their calendars, then that is their way of figuring out to take responsibility for their time management. If however, the school puts in the schedule into the calendar and then make the changes, it's like mom giving her children the answer to 9 x 12 and that it is "88" (which incidentally is 108 not 88).
Let's teach our children responsibility and let's let them keep their own schedule and if the come late one day or go to the wrong class, let them learn from that as well.
Good Point! Let the students create their own calendar and take responsibility for themselves. GREAT Teachable Moment!
DeleteBTW... to my readers... The blog gets posted two ways... one is via an initial email to about 150ish people and the other through the blog site. There was a type in the original send that had the math answer at 88 and not 108 - I caught the type just after I pressed send! A correction was immediately sent out.... Yossie