After reading Chapters 13, 14, and 15 what impressions did you have regarding suspended and homebound students, summer programs, and the ladder to success design as you shift to digital learning?
How do you plan to incorporate or apply any of the strategies or ideas that really made an impression on you?
Gary Norris Chapter 13
ReplyDeleteChapter 13 introduces a program designed to accommodate students who are either home bound or have been suspended. The elements necessary to administer this program are basically the same as those that have been addressed in previous chapters. Staff selection should be appropriate and teachers should be very familiar with the digital content. There should be exact expectations from students as well as stated policies and procedures. Although this program can work for many students who can not attend regular classes whether it be for suspension or home bound issues, there exists other factors that should be considered when adopting a suspension program. For example, there are students who simply do not like school or have been court ordered to attend school on a regular basis. In smaller school systems, some students feel as though they do not "fit in." They may be from the "wrong side of the tracks, don't wear the right clothes, are teased or live in dysfunctional environments. These students often "shut down" or "act out" preventing any chances for success in a traditional school system. Before assigning these students to a suspension classroom, they should be accessed as to what is an appropriate educational setting for them. Perhaps an alternative school program would serve them better. It is also important that administration monitor the suspension classroom to insure that teachers are actively involved with student progress in the suspension classroom. In reality, teachers are often over burdened with other activities required of them and might be tempted to used their time with suspended students as an opportunity for lesson planning or grading for their regular classes.
You make good points, Gary. Would it be beneficial to have a dedicated "homebound" or "In-school suspension" teacher? Or even a non-licensed person?
DeleteI think a case could be made to employ a non-licensed person to fill these positions as it would be an affordable solution for many schools. In the real world of of budget constraints, it is sometimes difficult for school systems to provide full time teachers to staff in-school suspensions.
DeleteIs there another option to benefit this group of students?
DeleteCh 13: With a small school, when a student is on in-school suspension the teacher generally checks in with the student during their prep for any teaching that is needed. We generally don't have more than one student on in-school at a time. I do however think this would be a great idea for homebound students, which we have only had two in the past several years. When a student is unable to come to school for instruction due to health issues we pay a teacher to go to that student and instruct them on the work they are missing. This is an issue because that teacher is only highly qualified in the subject they teach but have to try to teach the other subjects as well. Several years ago I was the homebound teacher for a high school student and the biggest issue I ran into was the self-discipline. She was not trying to do the work, but she was also depressed about being separated from her friends and the school as well as the injuries she sustained that kept her from school. It was difficult to get her back into the swing of things.
ReplyDeleteCh 14: I love the idea of summer programs for students who need to recover credits or those who are committed to getting a big jump on their college career. As I keep saying in my comments this is just not something our school can do. We cannot afford this type of program for the very few who would benefit.
Ch 15: Following the steps of creating a good blended learning program are an integral part of making things work in the school but again it all comes down to money. My district has a dedicated and well educated staff that can follow all of the steps to a tee but we would never be able to purchase the courseware that is needed. As I see it for us, we can begin small and do the integrated things that we can use from some of the newer textbooks and the benchmarking tool we use but we do not have many other tools at hand for teaching from a digital aspect. We would be able to create our own things within limits for the flipped classroom model. As the grant director I know that federally we lose money each year and there are fewer and fewer grants we are able to obtain due to the low poverty rate in our district. I just wish there was a way to make these things obtainable for all schools.
I agree, Lori, funding is always an issue. Is it truly feasible for most districts to afford their own digital or blended content? Or will it be more fiscally responsible to lean on virtual academies (such as IDLA or MTDA)?
DeleteI can't imagine a situation in most states where it would be feasible for individual schools or districts to offer their own digital or blended content as a standalone program in place of traditional face-to-face programs. Also, Lori brings up a good point of highly qualified teachers for all subjects. At the high school level, I know of no teachers who can also pull off the elementary school wizardry that is teaching many multiple subjects. When I was a credit recovery teacher, I struggled with helping in the math and science glasses but was fairly helpful in social studies and ELA courses. Still, being certified in international languages, neither of those areas were my areas of expertise in terms of recall, methods, and content knowledge.
DeleteI agree with Lori and wonder where a small school/district would find the funding. The homebound students would greatly benefit and this would be a great solution for the in/out of school suspensions.
DeleteI also agree with Lori and Kasart. While I see the benefits of some of these programs (most of them) our district it too small and would not have the funding to do this. We will have to approach this differently. BUT I think it does give us something to shoot for.
DeleteLori - I wish we had staff to accommodate writing course ware - it is probably not an option for me to purchase course ware for my courses, due to budgeting, even if I were to be fortunate enough to find a good course ware program.
DeleteI have also taught a home bound student. She was a second grader, and at the time I was aiding (with a degree) at her elementary school. I would simply check in with her teacher several times a week to get the needed work and go over instructions, and then go to her home a few days a week to do the work with her. Being as it was a small town elementary school, there wasn't/isn't a specific teacher to work with home bound/suspended/etc students, but I think that's a great idea!
DeleteCHAPTER 13: Suspension and Homebound
ReplyDeleteThe first realization that I had while reading Chapter 13 was that I actually have very little information/knowledge about how our district handles in-school/out-of-school suspensions or homebound cases in terms of the ongoing learning plan for our students. I would suspect that individual teachers are simply providing students with work either through the Google Classroom or by using more traditional packets/textbooks, etc. This is something that I will probably become more familiar with and perhaps even involved with as I am transitioning from teaching middle school GT to being our district-wide virtual learning coordinator. I wonder whether we use any digital courseware for these situations currently. Second, I appreciated the “Daily Events” schedule and description on page 166. I think this concept of basically block-scheduling the core classes could be a great idea for students taking multiple online full semester courses too. This example schedule can be part of my conversation with students when we meet each week for progress check-ins. As they get to know themselves as online learners, then we can discuss whether it makes more sense to complete their coursework in larger blocks of time every-other day as opposed to trying to work on every course every day.
After reading Chapters 13, 14, and 15, the ideas that made the biggest impressions on me were:
ReplyDeleteChapter 13
• Using the blended CIA classroom for homebound students;
• Structuring daily events for suspension students;
Chapter 14
• Structuring summer school for credit recovery with 4 days a week programs that allow the student to go home for the summer when completed;
Chapter 15
• Blocking re-enrollment if a student has not “demonstrated responsibility and progress (p. 193); and
• Dropping the student for inactivity with an attendance policy that matches the traditional attendance policy.
One thing I wished Loomis had addressed was how the way the teacher works with students who he/she might have had in the classroom before can change the blended learning. In other words, the use of blended classroom teaching might be very different if the student is homebound from the first day of class (say due to cancer) and does not know the teacher and has not experienced the ongoing structure/expectations of the classroom/teacher (so the student must deal with the illness as well as figuring out the “lay of the land” with the teacher, course structure, and content) versus a student who has been in a class with the teacher for 3 weeks and then is homebound. I have served as a homebound teacher after school for my courses and taken materials, tests, and other items for other teachers who could not go to the student’s homes, hospitals, or meet in a public place after school with the student. It would be fantastic for the teachers who could not meet the student to use online learning in this situation. I would love to see online content where the teacher of the course can assist the student via the courseware and design support for tough areas for the homebound students. Does anyone else see how this could be used in situations in their schools?
The format provided for daily events for suspensions students emphasis components that lots of schools which I have heard leaves out – blocks of time for subjects, adding in electives and chances for physical activity; and incorporating advisory to provide students with the skills necessary to perform better in school.
I could see a large benefit of allowing the student to go home for the summer upon completion when a student is enrolled in credit recovery. Keeping the students in the school to get “seat time” ends up results in teachers creating additional meaningful activities to fill time so the students are not or do not become discipline problems. Allowing the students to leave when their work is complete should promote them to get their work done (instead of messing around) so they can enjoy the rest of their summer.
Blocking the student from re-enrollment and dropping the students due to inactivity requires self-motivation and responsibility on the student’s part. I wish the school I retired from would incorporate these policies for the welfare of the teachers and the growth of the students.
I agree with impression about the CIA being beneficial to home bound students. Restructuring summer school to allow for kids to get through the work and then have the rest of the the rest of summer as their incentive, I think would be motivating.
DeleteI really liked the summer school ideas in the chapter, but we do not have summer school. I'm not sure we can afford to have summer school. But if we did have the funding, I love the ideas. Allowing students to work on at their own pass and leave when finished is a great motivational tool.
DeleteIt does seem like there are great ideas in the book, but like so many other things it all boils down to money, and that can destroy the best ideas and intentions.
DeleteI agree with the fiscal restraints. I wish there could be a committed or group with ideas of how to get around this.
DeleteIn each chapter, continuous themes that appear over and over are the need to be clear with teacher/student expectations, setting course guidelines,and providing the necessary training for online programs to be successful. I agree with all of the above. There needs to be a concrete plan of action in order to aid in future successes. When I first started teaching, students placed on homebound were tutored by a teacher or mentor once a week. Now with the option of digital courseware, I believe teachers can communicate and instruct on a day to day basis, while providing individualized instruction and holding these students to the same standards as if they were in the classroom each day. I'd be interested in reading how some schools have adapted and changed their programs/course catalogs/classroom teaching to meet the needs of today's student.
ReplyDeleteYou have an excellent point regarding homebound students who can be instructed day to day and held to the same standards
Deleterds as if they were in the classroom. My school district is in the same model they have been for the 20 years I have been there. A tutor gathers the work from the teacher and takes it home once a week. In all the years I have dealt with homebound students, not once have I had a call or email to ask for additional help. That is where the digital world can really make the difference for these students.
Katie W.
DeleteI agree with both of you. I see the homebound student benefiting the most. Our old ways of sending work did not work very well. Students needed instruction and courseware that was suited to being out of the building.
After reading these three chapters, I am very interested in reading about how other schools are handling all of these topics and I can honestly say I have no idea how suspension, homebound situations, or summer programs are handled in my district. In our reading I believe the use of the CIA blended classroom for the homebound student is our best option, as long as the digital curriculum is a good one. Preparing digital content is time consuming, and most teachers are not given adequate time to develop the lessons-thus the need for high quality software. I also feel that the 4 day summer program where the student is allowed to go home when they have completed their work would be the best use of time. As far as suspensions go, I have always felt it is in the best interest of the student to keep them in some level of structured activity. I have also been doing some training for Social Emotional Learning, and in almost all cases of suspensions, the best outcomes are when the teacher and student have as much interaction as possible, and there are also many times where it is important to add behavioral supports and lessons as well. In every chapter we read, I agree wholeheartedly that we need clear teacher/student expectations, we need ongoing training, we need teachers who are willing to put the time in with some of these students who need the most of our time!
ReplyDeleteHi Jan, I agree with you 100% that students who have been suspended will benefit more from a structured a program. I believe the relationship between teacher and student is still one of the fundamental components for student success.
DeleteI agree!
DeleteWithout the student/teacher relationship and trust, many factors in the educational process are lost.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has taught Summer School, both online and f2f, I was pretty interested in this segment of the book. Students definitely use Summer Programs for all the reasons that Loomis shares, but I found the suggested daily schedule on p.173 the most thought-provoking. Loomis suggests a possible schedule of 8:30-11:30 with Fridays off. I am currently teaching in an 8-4PM 5 days a week program and it is grueling. The days are long, the students are apathetic, and after two months of this...so is the staff. I am curious if anyone has any experience with Summer Programs that run on a schedule similar to the one in this Chapter? The Administrator of our Program, which is Title I funded, tells me that in order to earn credits the students have to serve a certain number of “butts-in-the-seat” time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with summer school implementation, since it is not often the case where the teacher is skilled in the areas most needed. Facilitation is a great way to spread out a teacher in a classroom full of children who need motivating to get lost credit.
DeleteI am a credit recovery coach for science in the summer and while we "work" from 8-1 p.m. M-F, it would be safe to say that very few schools in the state operate their summer school programs on Friday. I've also taught F2F summer school and I've never gone past noon. It's just too long of a day for kids (and staff!) and I wonder how either students or teachers find any way to recharge and prepare for the upcoming school year?
DeleteI teach f2f summer school classes every year and we do a 3 week block for high school students to recover 1 trimester credit. Summer school hours are from 8am to 1:50 pm with an additional hour from 1:50 to 2:50 for students who need to make up time or catch up/redo time for students who need extra help. It is very much a "butt in seat" time situation. Students who don't have the required hours do not get the credit. We do not have Fridays off and we do just focus on one trimester credit. I teach the math courses and we get through an entire trimester of Algebra 1 or Geometry in just 3 weeks. Most students are doing sort of a work at your own pace but I do some whole class lecture of each concept with examples a few times a day. The rest of the time I monitor and work one-on-one with students as they learn and practice the concepts. It is a long 3 weeks and the students get bored and lose focus easily. We have tried other options, one was that students work completely independently and once they get through the material and have a C- or higher they were done regardless of the time, but most students didn't ever finish so we switched to the "butt in seat" time and it works a little better. Since most of the students are retaking the course there are some concepts we only touch on briefly if students already have a good grasp of those concepts.
DeleteAre there any rewards for accomplishing a goal scheduled in the day? Perhaps an ice cream break? Pizza for lunch? I couldn't sit very long and my productivity would wane. The schedule only looks good on paper!
DeleteOur only "reward" in our summer school program is that students can leave at 1:50 each day if they are caught up and on track but if they are behind or have a low grade they must stay during "make-up" time from 1:50 to 2:50. Though I wonder if it wouldn't be better to have fridays off rather than getting off an hour earlier. Something to look into! We do sometimes have treat breaks (and all students get free lunch on the school free lunch program) so that breaks up the day a little.
DeleteHello --
ReplyDeleteStudents who are not allowed or unable to attend school could certainly be served in by a blended classroom: “Homebound students can use digital content to maintain course progress while on temporary leave from the physical school” (163). I appreciate the points about establishing a daily schedule for these students, and having a staff member who maintains interactions with these students. Also found it interesting that in Nevada that the “suspension personnel does not have to be a licensed teacher” (168). This sounds similar to Idaho.
Certainly IDLA fulfills many of the summer educational opportunities that are outlined in this chapter. Idaho districts are lucky to have these courses available for all of these student needs, including credit recovery students and students looking to open up spaces in their F2F schedules. Interesting thoughts on non-credit prep courses as well.
A couple of takeaways for me in chapter 15 on the “Seven steps to program design” include the emphasis on “Facilities and Furniture” (189). It is difficult to imagine letting go of traditional classroom design, especially when it includes possibly “gutting libraries of books” (189). It does seem like less and less funds are being dedicated to keeping libraries full of a variety of books. As for individual classrooms, I am interested in different seating opportunities and what sounds like a bit more of an informal environment, more coffee shop than the stereotypical rigidity and uniformity of institutions.
Take care and thanks for reading. Travis
We had someone come to my school a few years ago and tried to tell use what the school of the future would look like. He mentioned the "un" library. Some teachers in my district have already given up traditional desks. When I walk into their rooms, it's like walking into some kid's bedroom or playroom.
DeleteChapter 14: Summer Programs
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this chapter on Summer Programs, I think that my district has a strong summer program in place which follows many of the recommendations set forth by Loomis. For example, we offer original credit for for PE which is generally utilized by students whose schedules are too full during the school year. We also offer credit recovery courses -- students can complete up to two 0.5 credits in the summer. We also provide very affordable enrichment classes such as engineering, culinary arts, etc. to elementary and middle school students. One question that I have is whether anyone has a good example of courseware that would cover material that is mentioned by Loomis on page 177 about Summer Bridge offerings -- “This is a fantastic opportunity to use courseware to teach skills such as note taking, calendaring assignments, and meeting deadlines.” I think this type of online content would be a fantastic tool to use for students who might need specific instruction or support regarding study skills and/or time management. I could see it being taken during the summer months or during the regular school year.
In Chapter 13, the homebound student must be held accountable to do the necessary coursework for the student to succeed. Visitation is more than not necessary for student accountability. If the student is under suspension in house, there is a teacher to facilitate the students work and effective use of time. The text mentions having a daily framework in either case, which can be difficult to do in the case of a medical leave, especially in the case of my niece who had cancer treatments. Some days are shot due to chemo, and even the good days are hard for her.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading chapter 13 I began to wonder how my district handles learning with homebound, out of school and in school suspension students. I really have no idea. The author talked a lot about in-school suspension students and how to make that work but did not discuss oss and homebound students much. I would have liked a little more detail.
ReplyDeleteI have the same questions regarding the summer school chapter. I teach a summer school class but I have no idea how digital aspect of it works at my school. IDLA fulfills this role too and Idaho districts are lucky to have them.
I liked chapter 15. It starts to get into the nitty-gritty on how to implement what is presented in the book. The place I need to start is with goal-setting. What do I want to accomplish? Before reading the chapter I was definitely getting caught up in ‘junk and stuff’.
Thanks for your observations about Chapter 15 Josh! I too was spending a lot of time thinking about digital what-ifs and found the goal setting in this Chapter a sensible landing place. Does your school or district have any plans to increase the digital opportunities for your students?
DeleteI believe that as the digital learning process grows, many of the "what if's" will be explored and even implemented.
DeleteChapter 13
ReplyDeleteI use the entry and exit procedures in my regular classroom which works well for taking attendance plus is documented as a participation grade. I had not thought of utilizing it for the online class so this was a tool that I am familiar with and could work on adapting it into our school. Setting expectations and due dates are essential to the success of students as well as maintaining the sanity of the instructor.
Chapter 14
Our summer online programs have in the past appeared to be ran rather loosely. Meaning the district hires staff to monitor and watch the students work on courses that they failed to pass during the school year. I happened to witness just today a student taking a photo of the screen she was on with her phone. Now, I am not sure what it was she needed to record on her phone but the teacher was not watching the students adequately it seems. The summer staff mindset is not in an ‘arduous work’ mode. It would be great to have a non-credit program that would provide an orientation to gear up for the summer course work.
Chapter 15
Our district is at ground-level as far as the seven steps to program design goes. It is difficult to draw teachers to our area let alone ask existing teachers to begin planning blended learning goals for the district. I hope to see more training in the future for our staff surrounding the aspect of digital learning being multifaceted as page 183 referenced. We definitely have a high need for this in our community and schools. The Acellus program seems to be a start for us and I am sure they will continue to use it for our high-risk students.
For Chpater 14 - I agree that summer school programs can often be very loosely ran. I taught one "semester" of a PM math course and was constantly told I was the strict one for not letting them just sit there, use their phone, or leave early. You would think those are all general expectations. Summer school must have procedures and expectations to help ensure success.
DeleteI agree with the summers school programs being perceived as easier than the school year. I do not teach summer school, but I have to wonder how without digital content that students are learning the same during a short summer school as they are in the regular school schedule.
DeleteChapter 13-The school that I work at does not have a suspension class/room. If a student is suspended they are sent home. Many times I have sent home the work, granted for 1-3 day suspensions, and I never get it back. If they were required to report to a building/room and be supervised I could see this being beneficial. It they are sent home with digital work then it work be required of the student to have technology at home and that is not always the case which in turn creates an additional problem.
ReplyDeleteChapter 14-I think summer programs are good, but more for kids that want to do additional work, rather than those who need to. If a student is driven to take extra classes they are going to work harder than those who have to be there. If a student has to come to summer school to make up hours, they may become a behavior problem rather than benefiting from the program.
Chapter 15-We have digital devices at my school. I feel like we were just given them and told go teach. I wish we had had more time and training to figure out the ins and outs of them. The year that we got the devices, we got no books or supplemental supplies. I felt lost and honestly still do some days 4 years later. It is very important when switching to digital products that all stakeholders have the background and training in them. The administration as well as all teachers need to learn how to use the devices and the programs that come with it. This would help some confusion when one is trying to complete an assignment or task then all would know what is easy with it and what is difficult with it!
Jennifer, you definitely make some important points, especially that the effort is made for make-up work on the part of the teacher, but the students frequently do not make-up the work -- even though they were given the option. How can digital work be required at home (when, like you say) the student may not have access at home and the school has not provided it? Thanks for all of your excellent comments!
DeleteI teach at Kenosha eSchool which is a completely online program that supports our school district. We are in our own building and the majority of our students are part-time (online course(s) with us and the remainder of their schedule f2f at their home school). We do have full-time students and which consist of abeyance students. Abeyance students are those that have been put up for expulsion for varying reasons, but are given an abeyance period from 1 quarter to an entire school year in which they can't be in an actual school. This has been a challenge for our staff as these students now are doing their schooling completely online (not a choice or necessarily prepared) along with a mix of other issues that they are dealing with. Any comments on how to better engage these students when meeting weekly f2f is not an option as Loomis outlined in her book?
ReplyDeleteMy biggest question during this process of implementing a BL model is how do I communicate this to parents and students AND what do I communicate to parents and students? I don't want them to get bogged down in the details as they will learn it during the first couple of weeks of class, but I do want to be clear that this isn't a fad and it's also not rocket science. We already do BL (in various forms) throughout our school, this is just another version of it that we're implementing with some very motivated, intelligent, and mature students.
ReplyDeleteMy teacher and I have met many time to discuss our plan of attack in the end we decided to be succinct and specific to try to calm fears and also get them (students and parents) excited for this new opportunity. We also loved to use the diagram with the 7 different quadrants (not just three intersecting circles) to briefly explain that students will be moving in and out of these quadrants at any time. I feel really comfortable with our plan of attack, but only time will tell if we did the right thing!
I agree that communication is the key element.
DeleteIn Chapter 15, I found the steps very similar to anything that is new. I am starting to think about my new year at f2f school and a yearlong theme working up to our annual art show. I am doing through many of the same steps. The skeleton of a program is more important than the Pinteresty classroom.
ReplyDeleteMarianna, I like your adjective "Pintresty." Too often as Loomis points out, educators get caught up in how the external environment looks. I have actually had an elementary teacher tell me that if the classroom is too "Pintresty," it can distract students, especially those with any kind of ADHD or "spectrum" diagnosis. Ch. 15 does a great job with the Seven Steps design, your "skeleton". And I agree that the bones of a program are as essential as the bones of a solid house.
DeleteOh boy, I know so many teachers who would be so angry if there beautiful classrooms filled with bulletin boards, wall murals, and desks in perfect rows were referred to as "junk and stuff." I sit on the fence with this term and I am a bit side tracked by it. I see the need to have a solid structure or foundation. A house is only as good as its bones. Why paint the walls if they are going to fall down? But, I think "junk" is a strong term to use in this context. I do, however, like the seven steps and see the need for order and especially, step one with funding. I would like to have had Ch. 15 earlier so I could apply the other items of content to the seven step process.
ReplyDeleteYes, the term junk was interesting. I think the author made a valid point in stating that just because you have flexible seating in the classroom doesn't ensure the teacher and.or students know how to use it effectively. I had a colleague go all out and buy various flexible seating this year - at first glance everyone thought she had the "cool" room. But into the first quarter realized that there still needed to be structure and not all students did well with free seating.
DeleteChapter 13
ReplyDeleteI thought that this chapter had a lot of interesting aspects to it. I thought that the possibilities provided could be quite helpful, particularly to homebound students. As I’m sure most teachers have, I’ve had a number of homebound (or hospital-bound) students in my career and while I want nothing more than to provide them the best possible and equal experience that I can to my F2F students, I struggle doing so. Some resources/activities don’t translate as well to distance learning as others do and since I have maybe one homebound child every few years, I haven’t put a lot of effort into changing activities that work really well in a brick and mortar classroom. That being said, I will continue to do my best, as I remember I had one student in my elective course that was having severe depression and missed the first 7 weeks of my semester-long course due to being a mental health facility. I won’t go into the details, but I had her again in my year-long government course over a year later and at the end of the year she gave me a thank you note not only for the year, but “for being one of the only teachers that cared about her mental health and made learning possible for her while she struggled her sophomore year.” With that in mind, I think the idea of digital content to keep these kids in line with their classmates so that can neither fall too far behind or skip too far ahead is intriguing. This goes the same for the suspended kids, but today the homebound kids struck a chord with me. I could create units with notes and activities that could be dispersed one at a time so kids could keep up, but couldn’t jump ahead and leave the class behind resulting in them being bored when they got back.
Chapter 14
In this chapter the piece that piqued my interest the most was the idea of an AP summer prep program. I find this somewhat amusing as in my F2F school, I don’t actually teach AP. But it still intrigues me, because my department struggles to keep its AP Government class afloat for a variety of reasons (one being the school doesn’t always support it highly, as we are largely IB and moving away from AP, but maintain the course because there is no real IB equivalent and the other being the workload attached to it). An AP prep program that could help kids either by offering the whole course in the summer or letting the kids dip their toes into the program and prepare for its complexity ahead of time. It could be a meet once a week format F2F for perhaps a discussion or debate and then the rest online for content and pre-discussion prep. I think it could be useful! For the other pieces, credit recovery and summer bridge, they obviously could be useful too. I think a summer bridge program for incoming Freshmen could be a great place to teach things like calendaring/time management, confirming basic computer skills, and guarding mental health. I honestly think you could have a bridge program like that almost every year - like for incoming seniors have it be a two-week thing on career or college prep (perhaps make it two tracks and students can choose) where they can learn to write a resume or look for scholarships or fill out college applications or for incoming juniors they could learn standardized testing prep (like ACT or SAT). It could have real possibilities!
Chapter 15
ReplyDeleteWhile this chapter was quite important, honestly it’s probably beyond my pay grade on how and what could be implemented in terms of overall blended learning in my school. That being said, some of the items that stuck out at me was the author’s warning to not get distracted by the flashing lights, gadgets, and doohickies that often come when you are redesigning something (anything really, not just a school - it’s kind of like building a house, the type/size of wood used to build the frame is probably the most important, but we tend to focus on things like shiny appliances, sparkly granite countertops, and sleek wood floors - it’s not just the look we have to worry about, it’s the function!) My own school had a hiccup like this - they ordered dozens of these sleek and modern chairs and tables for the school commons/cafeteria area...and within a few weeks of being used by the student population, the tables started to break and it made the janitors’ job much harder because they couldn’t just fold the tables up to clean, etc., so I can completely see her point. I can also see, however, why schools start here - it’s an easy place to start (not much planning required) and it can be shown quickly to the public as progress toward a goal - look at these colorful chairs, you can see how they will enhance learning! I think she has good points when she states that there needs to be a plan and it needs to be stuck to in order to have a successful blended implementation.
As I read chapters 13 and 14 I kind of felt that the same "core" concepts of planning and execution were being repetitively discussed as they have been the past few chapters. In its basic form, all of the "scenario" chapters were essentially the same concepts, just with tweaked suggestions and an accompanying story. I do feel the information was helpful to visualize how these concepts could be incorporated, but much of the book seems geared towards administration rather than teacher preparation.
ReplyDeleteI felt that chapter 15 did a nice job of pointing out that we cannot focus on the flashiness of a program, room, etc. but rather we should focus on the actual content. Its no good to have a Cadillac if the motor doesn't run. I feel that the seven steps that Loomis discussed would be a great professional development seminar for teachers to work collaboratively to discuss implementation of digital content into the curriculum.
I agree with your statement about Ch 13 and 14. The design is nearly the same however credit recovery, independent study, suspension and homebound students are all in the same boat needing credits for a course just for different reasons.
DeleteKatie W.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Brandon: Chapter 13 & 14 do repeat information from previous chapters. Again, it appears important to prepare teachers and students.
Chapter 15 - This chapter on setting things up for success is informative. Each section and details are excellent. I would add that our school also had to do some rewire of classrooms to accommodate the use of technology for students and teachers.
Again, I believe that for any type of blended learning to work - schools, teachers, students and parents need to be on the same page regarding expectations. Communication is vital! Loomis mentions that selecting the right teacher (with the right mindset) and ability to hold students to high expectations is also paramount to the success of online/blended programs.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of developing a "bridge" program and would love to see the district that I work with try something like this now that all students have access to a Chromebook. I think it could start as an optional "orientation to high school" culminating in a fun (kick-off) to the school year. I think we often times assume that students and parents are familiar with technology and just expect that they will be able to jump right into blended/online learning.
I completely agree with you Patti. I think we make a lot of assumptions about what skills parents and students have in relation to technology when I have found that it varies greatly. I have had students in a digital course not check their email until the course was almost complete and parents who check their grades every five minutes, a bridge program would be a wonderful way to increase that ever important communication factor!
DeleteOur school definitely has a different mindset regarding suspended kids versus homebound kids. While we are legally required to provide services to both, our hearts just aren't into services those kids whose behavior led to their suspension (our last was student who made a shooting threat). I used Google classroom to deliver lecture notes, assignments and some virtual labs, but it wasn't successful. The student made the threat because she didn't want to be in school in the first place. I don't know if sending a tutor to her house would have been effective. I piloted a new program as a digital teacher this last fall for students who are homebound, incarcerated, etc. that proved to be very interesting. It was successful enough that we are rolling the program out this fall and I hope to be involved. It required an incredible amount of effort on my part to try to stay in contact with the students and keep them on task. But, we were successful with some.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if having a child-parent-teacher-administrator meeting before starting the digital curriculum that would have valid contact numbers and emails (parents and students and teachers)as well as a time once a week for a consistent online (Collaborate, Skype...) call for addressing help with content would help. Sometimes when I call home the information provided is a bad number. Communication has to be the key.
DeleteMelanie, you hit the nail on the head with identifying TWO student populations. They may well each need different solutions to their learning needs.
DeleteI am all for in school suspension solutions. While the girl you reference who threatened to shoot someone does give one pause, (... Maybe she would warrant a police escort to school to make sure she was unarmed??) most acting out students are not going to apply themselves to their studies if given a home suspension. More likely, they will sleep or play video games or Netflix binge. Something like the Graduation Academy from last week might be just the ticket.
For the home bound students, the truly blended classroom would be a wonderful solution. The content would be at the student's fingertips. Online discussions would make them feel part of the class. Schools using platforms like Blackboard even have the grade books available online.
Homebound and suspended students represent an interesting cross-section of the student population at most schools, I think. On one hand, they can be some of the most challenging students we encounter in many ways, but on the other they are also the ones that can benefit most from a looser type of schedule and program. Interestingly though, as we talk about these type of digital learning environments we must also consider the student’s access to such environments. Many times the suspended students are coming from a lower socio-economic background with potentially limited family support and less access to the digital learning environment. From a philosophical standpoint, I have never agreed with in-school and most out of school suspension cases because they are most often the consequences of students who need the most structured support. Having dedicated out reach specialists and content area teachers seems to be very important here, especially ones who may be more flexible in their own teaching schedule and not tied to normal school days. I know that our school works a lot with modified classes and schedules for students with different needs and this also includes waiving some of the requirements for electives/non-core classes. Similarly, for homebound students adapting a schedule that fits their physical and learning needs through individualizing their instruction and pace seems to be the key to a successful digital educational outcome.
ReplyDeleteChapter 13
ReplyDeleteI think having the students work on something is better than nothing. Yes, they may have a difficult time with some of the material but at least they are working on something other than just sitting in a room staring at the wall. Yes, I believe that the staff still needs to have an understanding of the courseware and that it would probably be more beneficial to have the same staff member in the room the entire day or most of the day. I do like the idea of having a schedule for the students to use. I feel this will have them work on more than just one subject area, especially if a student does not like a certain subject they would always intentionally skip that subject matter. Communicating & motivating the students will be difficult but again if the same staff member can be in the room all day that would be a plus for everyone involved. This way the rules never change!
Chapter 14
I feel that summer needs to be carefully planned out. I teach face-to-face summer school for students who have failed during the school year.It can be difficult keeping their attention for the full 4 hours. I can see a benefit if I did have a digital curriculum for them to work with that each student could than work at their own pace to a point. I would still need to set deadlines of when chapters or topics needed to be completed by but I feel that those students that needed more time on a topic could maybe get more time or at least a short individualized lesson.
Chapter 15
I agree in order to make a digital program useful you have to carefully select the correct program. I do like how the 7 steps were given to helpguide the process.I think one of the biggest goals is professional development. Almost every chapter that we have read they have discussed the importance of the staff being trained in the digital courseware, of course this is true with any course material but when it is a big change from what staff is used to it should be priority number 1!
Gary Norris Chapter 14
ReplyDeleteIt has been my experience that students who enroll in our summer program are highly motivated to complete credit hours. All classes are available in digital format only which allows students to work at their own pace.
I really liked the ideas to use summer as a bridge to digital learning. Allow students to learn the digital platform for the course. Student orientations in the summer - or at the beginning of a fall term - are excellent suggestions to prep student for digital learning success. Another suggestion by Kim that caught my eye is to NOT assign an entire course to a student that could lead to frustration. Summer school and or kids that are suspended do not have the entire semester to complete a course. I like the suggestion of Kim to set Policy and Procedure for such situations before they occur.
ReplyDeleteQuestion: What is the Policy and Procedure for your school with suspended students? If possible, please share a link to your policy and procedure from which to glean insights.
Thank you.
Ch 13-Suspension and Homebound
ReplyDeleteSchool districts can’t skimp! They have to plan this model to include a full time monitor in the suspension room to build relationships and to ensure that students are accomplishing their planned curriculum. I do like the idea that the face to face teacher would also be expected to make contact with his/her students weekly. A school district would have to agree to have a substitute for the teacher which not only would cost more but take time of the regular teacher away from his/her classes and would need extra time to plan for a sub. It gets complicated.
Obviously, this model would change for homebound students. I used to make home visits, if parents agreed, to help homebound students understand the new material. I am not sure if I would do that today, at least by myself. I think an online real-time meeting would work using Collaborate or Skype or other online means. These help sessions could also be recorded.
I do wonder what the success rate is for digital learning for suspended or homebound students.
Ch 14-Summer Programs
At the end of the chapter under Mindsets, there is a statement that seems to sum up success for taking online courses from home: “Students must understand the importance of time management and self-motivation, with so many other things pulling at them, such as sleep, summer jobs, and friends.” I would like to add to that list. Many students sign up for more than one course along with various camps, vacations and longer than 40 hour/week jobs. It is a wonder that they have time for an online course or courses.
Ch 15-Ladder to Success
Since I have been teaching for IDLA, everything in this chapter I would assume would be happening in any digital learning environment as it is so logical. Perhaps if you were starting from scratch, many ideas would be part of your list to accomplish. There are certainly many facets for starting up a program and it would be wise to hire a consultant with experience and contacts with curriculum vendors. In Idaho, IDLA provides the digital learning for the school districts which gives consistency for the state. They don’t provide lap top computers and count on the schools to do that. But everything else seems to be in place that K.Loomis mentions. Yeah for IDLA
Chapter 13
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with Brandon who writes above that Chapters 13 seems very similar to other models written about in earlier sections of the book. Again, the key idea is that there must be a teacher who has to be engaged and on top of things. The scenario that Loomis writes about on p. 167 where a different teacher monitors the suspended students every period probably occurs more than we realize!
Chapter 14
I teach for IDLA and so online learning in the summer is a great service we provide. Right now I have students taking courses for a variety of reasons: some take Spanish to get ahead, some are retaking a class, some just want to study Spanish for fun or because they already speak Spanish and don't know the grammar or how to write. I think IDLA provides a good learning experience for students. However, as Jo Dodds mentions above, they have to learn to negotiate all the other summer activities they may have. It is a great chance to them to experiment and experience online learning.
Chapter 15
I once again thought that this chapter was going to give me more insight into blended learning, but it is written for a different audience than the classroom teacher. Again, she mentions the importance of "content purchased from a vendor" which my school didn't really do. We use Schoology for our LMS but it is up to the individual teacher to use that platform to create content. As I have mentioned in previous posts, writing and preparing content is very, very time consuming. My partner teacher and I spend hours upon hours looking for materials. There is no program that we can plug into that I know of. I appreciate the "Seven Steps to Program Design" that she describes, but most of it, while interesting, doesn't apply to my situation.
The previous post was by Mary Bieter of IDLA. I don't know why my name wasn't included.
DeleteDo you and your partner teacher use deliclio.us or diigo.com to share resources for your courses? They were most beneficial to teachers in my department who taught common courses.
DeleteCh 13 - I like that it mentioned there needed to be a behavior modification element taught to the suspended student. Structure was key in the suspension room to keep students on track - with a strong teacher. On p 167 the author mentions: program design, setting expectations for students and staff or there will be poor results. At our school there is no room, students may be working in the conference room or at the front office and thus no one to monitor their work or computer usage.
ReplyDeleteCh 14 Lots of variety could be offered. I would like to see electives offered in the summer for credit recovery and students take their failed core courses during the year when they have access to a highly qualified teacher each day. I wager that the pass rate might be higher on a summer elective versus a summer core course.
Ch 15 I like the quote that talks about the difference between blended learning and just adding computers to the classroom. It needs to be an intentional change in delivery to boost learning and leverage teacher talent. I think many schools fall short since they do not have a good definition of blended learning. This also means that when you understand what it is you will realize how much preplanning needs to be done to ensure a highly qualified program.
In this weeks’ chapters the importance of having an instructor be both qualified but also be knowledgeable of the content, software and in how to work with students who have some struggles to traditional learning. While I believe that digital learning can truly transform classrooms, the emphasis on having the right mentor/coach/teacher in place in addition, the need to have carefully planned expectations, and procedures in these programs give me the understanding that these must be more thought put into how digital learning programs are implemented. This is repeated throughout the book and while the population of learners shift with the chapter, these standards for implementation run continuously. While I hadn’t considered the changes in pacing to be an issue, I can see how that could be an issue with suspended students. As I am hoping to bring more digital learning into the classroom, I would like to work through the steps in program design to see how to get started for a strong beginning. I also think that there are steps in this process that could be used to evaluate existing programs that are not working as well as we had hoped.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this week's chapters I am ready to create my goals for implementing blended learning and start creating instructional videos and other digital resources to use with my students this school year. It will help so much with students that are absent due to health issues, sports, family trips, etc. as well as the students that are struggling with a standard. I am looking forward to see what I can create.
ReplyDeleteI have started creating a Video Library that I provide to students through Google Classroom for students to review or view if they have been absent. Sometimes they are something I created or others I find online. I use screen castomatic for my video production.
DeleteDina, your post made me smile! It sounds like Loomis has inspired you. What a great way to spend your last few weeks of summer. You might also look for things already available and organize them in delicio.us. Teacher tube is useful, as are TED talks.
DeleteWhen reflecting on the lesson learns with this unit, I am excited to implement my knowledge with new forms of technology based off individual students needs. Yes, I believe that the teacher should be trained and knowledgeable (as any content), and yes, I believe that blended learning is here to stay due to the modern learners ability.
ReplyDeleteI do feel that there needs to be some sort of accountability factor for those students who need the extra push.
This unit reflected on each of these concepts. Good read
I definitely agree with the idea that with the advancement of digital coursework, homebound students are able to be held accountable and held to the same standards as their classmates. However, in a language course, not having daily instruction in the target language, even the 50 minutes that they might have in my class, is something that is incredible difficult to replicate by online classes or even by a tutor. I believe that how we teach online language course must adapt to best practices that are being taught in our f2f classrooms in order for it to work best and that means an engaged and involved teacher, quality content. etc.
ReplyDeleteWeek 5 -- July 22nd - 28th Chapters 13 - 15
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Chapters 13, 14, and 15 what impressions did you have regarding suspended and homebound students, summer programs, and the ladder to success design as you shift to digital learning?
How do you plan to incorporate or apply any of the strategies or ideas that really made an impression on you?
Chapter 13: I wish we could have done this in the old days. I tutored am 8th grader when he was expelled years ago at the public library (because he wasn’t allowed on school grounds) from 4:00-6:00 in the evening. It was hard getting teachers to give me assignments for him and for the teachers to even remember the assignments. It would have been so nice to have digital content to keep him on track.
I’ve said this before, but smaller school districts just don’t have the funds for the nice setup as discussed in this chapter. I think it could be done on a small level as needed, possibly.
In my school district, a student who got expelled was put in the storage room next to the vice principal’s office and she was responsible for keeping the student on task. They didn’t trust the student with a computer so encouraged teachers to send down daily work. The vice principal would go to the lunch room and bring back lunch.
How to incorporate? I’d begin with the check list in this chapter under setting policies and procedures. Again, changing the mindset would be number one.
Chapter 14: I teach a summer Consumer Economics on-line course in the summer. Consumer Economics is required in Illinois to graduate (like health in Nevada). During the introduction paragraph, most students said they were taking the course to free up space for their semester face-to-face classes.
The summer school idea sounded good, but I did wonder if students would do this when there were jobs, camps, vacations, and summer activities to be involved in. Since I’m from a small area, I’m not sure there would be enough students to make it financially sound.
I liked the idea of credit recovery provided when the course was freshly failed. Just like the last line I wrote for chapter 13; mindsets would have to be changed.
Chapter 15: What did I take away from this chapter? Communication, communication, training, communication. It is all about changing the mindset! I liked the sentence about the spokes in a wheel…if a strut is weak or missing, the wheel begins wobbling. Isn’t this the truth. We often wonder why something fails after so much effort and time and it’s just because one area has been neglected.
I thought the goal seating of starting small was wise. Infrastructures-my school was smart to install digital hot spots throughout the building. They are ready when they take more steps to digital learning. Another informative chapter.
Chapters 13-15 I found the policies and procedures for allowing students to retest very interesting and informational. I agree that restesting is often a difficult sale to classroom teachers. The list of questions to consider was very helpful. Plus having written policies and procedures in place for everybody, would make retesting beneficial.
ReplyDeleteFrom Shea-Alison Thompson
DeleteKasart, I agree that retesting is a difficult sale to teachers, especially teachers who are unwilling to "think outside the box" easily. Darling-Hammond, a prominent American researcher actually tells us that we should do away with the bubble tests if we are going to be better teachers in this 21st century.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteChapter 13 discusses the concept of digital learning for suspended and homebound students. While the concept of providing continued learning for those unable to attend school is a good one, often times it may be an unrealistic concept. Loomis suggests the way for success for these homebound students is to have a “teacher guide” available for these students (p. 162). The reasoning behind my thoughts of it being unrealistic for some schools is the financial aspect involved. Coming from a small rural school district, money is tight. Being able to provide digital coursework in addition to a teacher guide is a cost that some schools may not be able to provide.
ReplyDeleteIn my district, the school is not obligated to provide tutoring/outside schooling for suspended students. They do, however, provide tutoring for homebound students (medical issues, etc.). In this case (where we do provide tutoring), it would be easier to provide online coursework so that the teachers wouldn’t be travelling to student homes. Again, money would be the biggest hangup for our school.
With the assumption that schools can afford the coursework and the teacher guide, Loomis suggests having a strict daily schedule to insure success (p. 166-167). I completely agree with that. Having a schedule is a definite way to be sure that actual learning is taking place, rather than having students that are clicking through page after page without actually learning/working on the content of the course.
Chapter 14 goes on to suggest using digital coursework for summer programs for a variety of reasons. This is a wonderful and convenient idea. Many rural schools in my area do not have the appropriate staff to provide “summer school” for our students. The summer school students are forced to travel to a larger community to attend classes. Having access to courses from home and having one teacher proctor would be a wonderful way to accommodate those families.
Chapter 15 lays out the framework for designing a digital program. The 7 steps listed are a fabulous map to follow in order to get a program started and to make it work. I appreciate that the first step listed is “goal setting.” Goal setting is essential in any program you make as an educator...from regular coursework to digital coursework to personal growth, setting goals is what it’s all about!
Gary Norris Chapter 15
ReplyDeleteA recurring theme in this book has focused on the importance of planning ahead when creating a digital curriculum for students and teachers. Critical to any successful online program is choosing a vendor that fits your particular learning needs and is available to answer questions and is flexible enough to tweak their software to accommodate a particular need your program might require. After staff has agreed as to what they want their digital learning system to look like and to insure that it will work as planned, conduct several "dry runs" before introducing digital curriculum to students. I wish we would have completed this step before we began our online learning...our first day would have been a lot more pleasant for both students and staff! Following the Seven Steps mentioned in Chapter 15 is a must when beginning a digital learning program!
Chapter 13: I can see so many benefits for homebound students. At my school students are at the most suspended for three days and teachers barely learn they are suspended unless another student tell us. If suspensions were longer and we were actually notified about there would be much more we could do for them at my school. Homebound students are a whole different ball game. This past year, I had several students who were not able to attend for lengthly periods of time. THe cuurent set up at my school is communication is done through the counselors, work is collected and sent home for the student to complete. Most times the student becomes overwhelmed by all the work from all the classes that needs to be completed and the counselors usually contact us asking us to extend deadlines or exempting them from some work. Some situations a student is not at home and is in a hospital for mental health reasons and they have limited access to a computer if access at all. I had two students last year at different times of the year in this situation and both were there for about a month. A blended classroom would be very challenging for this case. My students had zero access to a computer and zero access to the internet. We were required to provide paper copies of everything. Not to mention not every home has access to the internet. The student might have the device because a school issues it to them but it doesn't mean they can utilize it for blended classroom when at home. I think in theory blended classrooms are a wonderful way to teach and learn but in practice it isn't always practical.
ReplyDeleteChapter 14: My school does a summer school schedule very similar to the schedule mapped out in this chapter. Students who need credit recovery or are taking advanced credits attend Monday through Thursday 8am- 11:30am or 12:30-4pm for 4 weeks. I taught one week of a STEAM summer course (it was a rotating teacher program were each week was a different topic) I spent very little time lecturing and more of helping the students research, collaborate, and complete projects. Everything was done digital through google classroom. I did spend weeks preparing for my 4 days of teaching.
Chapter 15: I appreciated the 7 steps followed by an evaluation. Sometimes when starting something new it is hard to get started because you don't know where to start. It seems so obvious that goal setting should be the starting point. I've taught at a school where each student is provided with their own personal device since 2007. We were given very little to zero training on how to incorporate it in the classroom. We were basically left to figure it out on our own and then asked to report back how we are using it in the classroom. To this day I still have to seek out my own training (like this this course) to better serve my students. I feel overall that adminstration fails to prepare teachers beyond providing them with devices and wifi. It is a huge job to do alone. I like the idea of having a team and a leader for each of the seven steps. Each person takes a small piece to a much larger puzzle.
Chapter 13 Offered many thoughts on students who are out of the classroom for an extended period of time and why digital curriculum might be the best for them. I thought the point made by the author stating that staff know how long students will be out of school so that if they come back to class the student will not be too far ahead or so far behind they can't catch up. This would be important to consider. I also thought this would be good for students who have medical concerns that require them to be away from the school for extended periods of time. The author states again that teachers are an important piece and need to communinicate with students on a weekly basis.
ReplyDeleteChapter 14 was a great chapter to think about for students who want to get a "jump start" for the upcoming schoolyear. I hadn't thought about the software being a year long subscription but only a traditional school year of 9 months. I also felt the scheduling of 8:30-11:30 seemed like a smart suggestion and the idea of not offering every class but only 1 or 2 would be a good information to think about. I thought this chapter offered good points for that .
Chapter 15 I thought this chapter offered great suggestions for districts who are looking into a digital curriculum. The most important piece is professional development and many times
this piece is only a one time workshop if that. I need help more than just the initial workshop. I like that this chapter asked those questions. This is often forgotten when administrators start new curriculum in a district.
Chapter 13-
ReplyDeleteI wish we would implement this at my face-to-face school for suspended students. It would mean training the staff and making a curriculum on Google Classroom for our in school suspension classes but I think it would be well worth it.
Chapter 14 -
I teach online summer school. The Credit Recovery Chemistry could use more home school support in the summer. They struggle with some of the work especially the dry labs, which is why I suspect they have to repeat the course.
Chapter 15 -
I like the idea of evaluating and restructuring as needed the online programs. It is an important part of the process for a successful online program. Some places set something up and just let it go with out looking at it again especially if it is successful for some of the students.
In Chapter 13, there is a great deal of discussion for students using online course work due to extended suspensions, but not as much was discussed in terms of homebound students. It seems that every year the number of students who are homebound or are part of an in-patient care facility are increasing. The digital courseware could help tremendously with these students who are dealing with various forms of school anxiety or depression. Being able to stay on top of the work would help with their transition back into the classroom as they are less likely to be overwhelmed. I see how it would be necessary in these situations for one teacher to be overseeing the student’s course work while homebound or in treatment.
ReplyDeleteWhen dealing with students that are out on extended medical I have a few questions:
-Which teacher should be the liaison between faculty and students? Often times in these situations, the social worker or school psychologist is in contact with the student’s family. Can one of these individuals be the coordinator for the student on extended medical?
-When the student resumes school there still may be issues where they are behind in coursework compared to other students. How can you use the digital course ware and adjustments to schedules to reintegrate the student into the classroom and make sure they are caught up on all course work?
I have addressed credit recovery options with blended learning in other posts and how it could be a beneficial tool in helping students get back on track for graduation. We also have a wide variety of enrichment type courses that are offered to students in the summer, but I would see a good deal of push back from educators if they were asked to create a blended format. Many of these enrichment classes do fall within the arts and these teachers love being able to work in a smaller classroom setting with a select group of students. I know that these teachers enjoy being able to work in a face-to-face setting and would not want to give that experience up to digital courseware. The blended format would help as a bridge to AP courses as my district is making a huge push for allowing any student interested in AP classes to take them. For some students to be successful, they could benefit from a summer, blended bridge program. This type of class would either prepare them for the AP courses in the fall or give them a better idea of what AP courses are like so they can get their schedules changed if necessary.
I found Chapter 15 very amusing and frustrating when reading the excerpt about the teacher who bought all the fancy furniture without having a definite plan as to why she needed it or how she could use it effectively. This sadly is what our district has done and it feels like we are using blended learning as a means to justify all of our nice furniture and open learning spaces. Our blended program has started with a group of pilot teachers without much guidance, no digital courseware, no expectations other than students in blended should learn the same material as a face-to-face classroom. To the best of my knowledge, no real, hard data is being used to work with students and provide them with individualized instruction. I think that school districts have to be very careful with blended learning so as not to fall into the trap of “Keeping up with the Jones”. I think many school districts jump into blended learning because someone saw a presentation or attended a workshop and feels that blended learning can solve so many issues and problems that plague education. Chapter 15 certainly reinforced the fact that when a district adopts blended learning, they must go into it with a plan, proper training for both teachers and students, and have a way of evaluating its effectiveness and making changes when necessary.
Tony - I too noticed the smaller amount of homebound students...I addressed some situations that I have faced along with a couple out of the box that I still an not sure how to deal with - students with concussions and students traveling with family for 4-6 weeks to start with...
DeleteI think that offering coursework online can be a great way to provide suspended or homebound students with the materials they need to study. It is also very helpful to have a teacher that makes sure these students complete assignments and provide help with coursework.
ReplyDeleteSummer programs seem like a great way to use blended courses. I agree there are a variety of reasons that students might want to take a summer class, such as credit recovery, working ahead, preparing for an AP course, and bridge programs.
I thought chapter 15 was interesting. I think all of the steps listed in the chapter for designing a blended learning program are important, and it was helpful to see them listed.
Cathy Howlett
I agree that summer school sounds like a great way to use a blended course. From my understanding summer school courses are done at an accelerated pace. I believe it would help students greatly to have the added benefit of digital courseware in these situations!
DeleteRight from the start of chapter 13 I found myself nodding at the idea that every student deserve "equitable education opportunities." (pg. 162). Students in situations of suspension or being homebound have just as much right to an education as their peers. This is something that I had not given much thought on previously, even though it seems like such an obvious idea. Unfortunately, however, I don't believe this is always what happens. When students are suspended or homebound in my f2f school, teachers supply pages to read and assignments to do, but the content supplied was created with the intent of teacher reinforcement and interaction. That student is then left with unintended holes in the content. If the content was delivered to students via digital courseware, the student would have all gaps filled in.
ReplyDeleteThis, however, is something that needs to be changed on the administration side of education. What power does the teacher have to provide these types of resources without adequate funding? It would be interesting to do a book study perhaps on insights of a teacher who has overcome these obstacles to provide this type of elevated blended education.
Even though I do not teach summer school in my f2f district, this chapter really stood out to me with the ideas presented. First of all, the author mentioned students/parents paying for summer school and I realized how little I actually knew of the basic details of summer school. What I do know, however, is that summer courses are done at an accelerated pace because students have less time to complete them. Going in to the chapter with this base knowledge, I enjoyed reading about how providing content digitally or in a blended format could really help students! Not only would students have access to the content constantly for continued reinforcement, but they could also work on it when it is convenient for them and therefore increase student success. I like how the author mentioned the importance of enforcing a certain structure to maintain this success and motivation by scheduling students to come in to the school to work in the mornings. I wonder if the site coordinators for online courses do this, as well?
ReplyDeleteBefore even getting to chapter 15 I understood quite clearly that, being a teacher, I am not the intended audience of the author. This is something that I had felt through out the book, but when she said "...your staff..." (pg. 180) I felt a bit more powerless to create change in my school than I had before. Perhaps she had mentioned this before I didn't catch it, but as I continued to chapter 15 and reflect on the previous 14 chapters I felt as though I was reading instructions for an administration (not a teacher). Despite this, I found it interesting to think of the choices my administration make in my f2f school on various things, including furniture! I also began reflecting on how I use the tools my school give me: do I use them for their intended purposes? Was I given training and subsequent reinforcement on how to use them? Did we ever discuss if they were successful in use?
ReplyDeleteIn regards to my online instruction, I enjoyed the author's hard truth given on page 191: "My stance is that either you instruct, or you don't." Great reminder of our importance as educators, even from the other side of a computer screen!
In the private school, we do not offer summer school. However, extra summer work is available. Some of us teachers will stay in contact with students and parents during the summer to make sure these students are staying on task. This is the best scenario that my small private school is able to offer and is seems to work.
ReplyDeleteChapter 13: Suspension and Home-bound:
ReplyDeleteOut of school suspension never made sense to me. I would send assignments home - but the students I had never completed anything. Fortunately, this has not recently been the case. I am really not sure how our in-school suspension works. Last year I had a student who was placed there, but I never was communicated about assignments etc. I didn't even really know where the student was until another student told me. Yes! I think we should be holding students accountable even if they are taken out of class for specific reasons. Again - the author reaffirms that the most important thing is to have the right teacher, coach, staff member etc assigned to be with the students - to be able to display "tough love" and one who the students must be able to relate to. I appreciate the policies/procedures listed...without structure, these programs are usually not successful. There needs to be expectations, calendars, dues dates - without structure, there may be behavior problems and that is what we are trying to avoid.
For the Home-bound students - this seems to happen quite often - sports injuries, illnesses - a situation I would like advice on is what to do with the students who have experienced a concussion - they miss days, then when they are back in class, they still cannot do assignments etc. Another issue - at least 2-3 times a year, is a student is pulled from class to travel with their family - they will be away for 4 -6 weeks - I spend time pre-planning and preparing, I offer assignments etc, but most of the time, they return with little accomplished. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Chapter 14: Summer Programs:
There are many opportunities for Summer Programs - I know many situations are for students who did not pass a required class...but I would like to focus on those who want AP courses, or to open their schedule for more educations choices. IDLA is great for this - they offer some many great opportunities. I like teaching the online courses for students who want to get a jump start. From what I hear, summer programs seems to be successful, but I would be surprised if they were using digital course-ware. I was impressed with the idea of doing a fully online program with a teacher/staff member/coach there...this would work with IDLA also. It is nice that the schedule allows long week-ends and shorter days. Again - the author stressed the importance of managing time - it is the key to success.
Chapter 15: Ladder to Success:
Where do we begin? Remember the goal - to ensure that digital learning programs are enabling student to be successful and excel in academics. There are 7 steps to designing a program - after reading these, I was aware that our school district has accomplished several of them and so my next step would be to find the curriculum. I will be looking for ideas, but I have a feeling that I will be the designer for my won content. I wish we had some staff that this was their position and we could share the information, they could design it. It sounds fun to get the classroom ready for a new era - digital learning - but we need to not just focus on this - but focus on the meat of the course. I need to remember to document the guidelines, expectations, including academic integrity etc. I know that academic integrity is huge - because so many students don't think it is wrong to cheat....they don't see the problem. I feel digital learning will eliminate some of this - but am open to others to share about their experiences. I like what the author suggested on page 193 - the 9 week interval would fit best in our schedule...so I will attempt this to start and take small steps. Here we go - "Go slow, to go fast"!
From Shea-Alison
DeleteCrisha, I wholeheartedly agree with the reasons you offer regarding homebound students and why they would need access to online coursework. I especially understand the travel plans families make. If we have a blended learning class, students can access our handouts, materials, and lessons online while they are away, assuming they have access to the Internet.
Shea-Alison - I think the blended learning class with access to everything is the best way to meet the needs of all students. I am just hoping I can find the time to stay at least a couple of weeks ahead of my students when I introduce this option.
DeleteI agree, Out of School suspension seems more like a reward to get out of school and school work than a punishment. The In School Suspension is what is used most in my f2f school, students stay in the ISS room the entire day working on their school work independently (so blended learning in this scenario works well).
ReplyDeleteShea-Alison Thompson
ReplyDeleteI am definitely on board with digital learning, so I wouldn't call my own practice a shift, more an increase in "how" to keep my values of 21st century learning as viable as possible in a stifling traditional model. As for my online work, that is already a more progressive environment as far as digital learning. However, I do have to work to infuse myself into the curriculum and weekly experience for students. Otherwise, digital learning that could be more interactive and personalized becomes just another independent study moment.
Homebound students are homebound for multiple reasons. Digital learning can be advantageous for these students if it is relevant to their course outcomes and they have access to an online platform to complete studies for a particular course.
Summer Programs--I think we've already seen the value of summer programs in online settings, especially those of us posting to these blogs each week. I have been a summer school teacher for years, in the digital setting. This is a great way for students to complete courses that they either failed or wanted to get ahead in. What I still see as a setback in summer (speaking from the experience of running IDLA classes) is that several students, especially the ones who are doing credit recovery, would rather have their free time than buckle down and do the work. This is a tough task for the teacher because no matter how many extensions and late work opportunities I provide, some students just won't do the work.
Ladder to Success--What stands out to me most in this chapter is #3, infrastructure and devices. To facilitate coursework online, students must have access. Even my online students have been tied to on-campus computers to do their work. This is a problem when families don't have Internet at home or can't afford computers/devices for students to get online. These students are limited to in-school infrastructure, and that can be a hindrance to success if access is limited. Again, I value how Loomis returns to the idea of goal setting. This really is paramount in digital learning processes. The reasons why we are employing technology and digital settings for learning should drive the work we do.
I really like the ideas presented in Chapters 13 & 14 regarding utilizing digital learning for situations where students are suspended outside of school or in-school, as well as for creating an alternative learning environment within the regular school day for students who are consistently disrupting the learning of others due to their behavior and inability to follow school/classroom guidelines & rules. I do not like the idea of it being more work for the teacher to assign tasks, follow up, communicate with the student while they are out, etc unless time is somehow carved out from the normal day and workload to add this responsibility (which it likely wouldn't be). I DO like the idea of a "coach" which could even be a certified teacher who oversees this type of alternative learning arrangement. Calling the person in that role a coach seems to be more inviting for students as well.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of using digital learning for students who want to get ahead in summer without attending summer school (sometimes summer school is not offered for students who are at or above grade level). I also really like the idea of creating a bridge program in which students that are new to the district could choose to participate in to get themselves prepared for entering the grade level in the new district.
Ch. 15 again seems mostly like administration would need to follow through with what needs to be done to make digital learning successful for teachers and students. Teachers are always up for being properly trained and prepared, but how much training we get or how to implement a new program is never a decision left up to us, and rarely is our expertise on those things taken into consideration.
I kind of feel like this book is more geared towards administration, but I do like the idea of using blended learning for summer school as well as suspensions and children with illness that keep them at home. They are all good ideas but getting true buy in form teachers and parents I think can be a tough sell. Also like so many other things that have come and gone in education it makes teachers that have been teaching for a while less likely to embrace on line digital content. I know there are teachers in my building at school that would refuse. Not that I am against digital content I use it a lot and have created a lot of it, but some will not be as open to it as others.
ReplyDeleteI think the thing I like the most so far is the unit recovery piece. I know it is not from these chapters but it is the most important to me and the part of digital content that I think even reluctant teacher would be interested in. I think I will look at the concepts in my courses and begin creating content for the parts of my classes that I usually end up going of repeatedly. It would make the students that got it the first time a lot less bored with have to keep going over concepts they already learned.
Ch 13 – Homebound students have a different view of their learning than the student who is suspended for a couple of days. Injury or illness is usually the cause for a homebound student that is likely trying to keep pace with their peers, but most of the students who are suspended usually have a different view of school. Behavior modification needs to be taught to the suspended student and maybe they way to come back to school is to have completed all assignments sent home. The Author mentions on page 167: program design, setting expectations for students and staff or there will be poor results. I think setting expectations need to include parents too. Students with in school suspension may be working in the conference room or at the front office with no one to monitor their work, computer usage or cell phones.
ReplyDeleteCh 14 This summer I have been teaching Math 8B. Half of my students are trying to advance a grade and the other half are making up a math credit so they can go to high school next year. It is sad that I have several credit recovery kids who are making no attempt to pass the course and there are several who are working, but won’t work online for extra help to pass. It is tough for the credit recovery kids because if they didn’t already struggle with math they wouldn’t need to take a summer course.
Ch 15 In order to make a digital program useful and successful you have to carefully select the correct courseware. The 7 steps given to help guide the process were helpful. Professional development, teacher and administration buy-in are key. Nearly all chapters that we have read they have discussed the importance of analytics, proper staffing, and the staff being trained in the digital courseware.
Overall, I would agree that there are benefits to Blended Learning in an education environment. Suspensions, however, is one area that I disagree as one that would benefit from Blended Learning. You can absolutely design a program with all the important considerations: staff that will teach the program, software considerations for staff and students, schedule and procedures. All of this can create an effective program, in theory, but it won’t matter if a student views anything associated with a suspension as punishments. To truly think outside the box on this issue, we have to rethink suspensions as penalties and punishments. Instead, we must think about ways to encourage learning with students who have behavioral concerns through creating supports for these students. Once this is addressed, then we can implement Blended Learning effectively in these situations.
ReplyDeleteHaving previously taught summer school, I have seen the importance in face to face learning and opportunities for it. Providing students with more flexibility in the summer is also incredibly beneficial. Blended Learning can really improve the learning of students in a summer school program. Give them a chance to be kids and teenagers at an incredibly important social time during the summer, as that is important for their development, too. By giving students flexibility in their schedules, there is an improved chance that they won’t view summer school as a punishment and engagement has a better chance of improving, too.
From chapter 13 through 15 what I took away was the importance of scheduling. For any of the programs that were talked about it is important to set up a set schedule for the students. In teaching and taking online courses I have seen how important it is to make sure that the students have that guidance otherwise they think they can put off the work for something else and get back to it whenever. Unfortunately the time allotted quickly ends and the student is trying to cram work into a short amount of time. I think this also helps the student start to structure and time manage themselves.
ReplyDeleteChapter 13: This is great for suspended and homebound students. We currently have a staff member hired to monitor in-school suspensions. Students are losing so much instructional time, and this would alleviate that problem. Unfortunately, some of our out-of-school suspended students and our homebound students do not have access to the internet. This makes it a problem for us to get them to catch up on instruction.
ReplyDeleteChapter 14: We currently use online curriculum as a summer credit recovery program, but it is not monitored by a teacher. This poses the problem of parents doing the students' work. It would be beneficial to offer to pay a teacher to facilitate the coursework and interact with the students who choose or have to take summer courses. For our school, however, the coursework itself and the teacher stipend will be a financial issue.
Chapter 15: I was thrilled to get to this chapter! The design of a blended program can make or break it. The structure of the course is key, and would probably be my biggest hurdle.
After studying this Unit's readings, and reflecting on my personal experience regarding student learning, I am definitely on board with regard to the promotion of education.
ReplyDeleteThe promotion of blended learning, innovative review games, and virtual tours will definitely be a goal of mine to focus on.
I also would like to collaborate more with regarding the "flipped" classroom.
Chapters 13-15
ReplyDelete*Although I dislike the notion of a "suspension room" (surely wordsmiths can come up with a better name for the setting), I appreciate Loomis' attention to Policies and Procedures and the highlighted need for daily schedules, expectations, and due dates for students receiving digital learning assistance.
*Ch. 14 content is what I was longing for when reading Ch. 12 on the Graduation Flex Academy! The pilot program approach is much needed. These summer opportunities can be fine tuned if we start small. We need to "go slow to go fast" (Loomis 180).
*Here we stand, facing the Ladder of Success. We must gird our loins with "intentional change" and be brave in our attempts. Too bad this book group could not continue as a support group. lol Loomis tells us not to be afraid to ask for help (p.195), but she directs us back to this book for the help.