ODYSSEYWARE

If matchmaking can be done for singles seeking the perfect mate, why not for students seeking their perfect match in education, complete with the right STEM-proficient minds to lead them?

Today they can. Introduced last November by a coalition of educators and science and engineering associations, National Lab Day aims to inspire a new generation to innovate and collaborate, by teaming up veteran scientists and engineers with students in grades K-12. The result: lots of kids having fun with science all across America, and with a little luck, igniting a passion for STEM disciplines in these young scientists. It’s a nationwide initiative set to build local communities of support to foster ongoing collaborations among volunteers, students, and educators, with the focus on STEM.

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If I had all the time in the world, a concern for the future of education, and a Facebook login, I think I would spend my time reading “Teachers’ Letters to Obama”. 

According to a recent article in Education Week, this popular Facebook group began when a science coach from Oakland Unified School District, Anthony Cody, wrote a letter. He remembers it this way: 

“In November, I accidentally launched a groundswell. I posted an open letter to President Barack Obama online and invited other teachers to join me.”

As of today, the group boasts 751 members who start and join in regular discussions about the state of education. They offer ideas, insights, and a ground zero perspective of what’s happening in their world. From test-driven policies and analogies that liken the educational system to Wall Street, there are more than 100 eloquent letters and almost as many topics and opinions.

At ODYSSEYWARE, we believe in the power of digital technology. We use it to provide curriculum and tools that help students learn. Social media channels, a product of the digital age, provide students, educators, and politicians a forum for examining issues and collaborating toward solutions. 

Looking for a good read? Join a discussion at teachers’ letters to obama on Facebook.

The results are in and the future is digital, say teachers, at least according a recent survey completed by Grunwald Associates LLC for PBS. Key findings of Digitally Inclined are not surprising for tech-savvy educators who recognize the benefits of providing digital learning tools to students living in a digital world. 

Survey results include the following: 

• Teachers are becoming more strategic in their media use and savvier about integrating it into their repertoire of instructional strategies and resources. 

• Teachers value many different types of digital media, with games and activities for student use in school topping the list. 

• Increasing numbers of teachers are joining virtual professional communities, and many are comfortable using social networking tools in their personal and professional lives. 

This all bodes well for students who function best in a wired (or wireless) world and could usher in changes in both the pre-K and K-12 education. These changes include more “engaging, creative, and collaborative learning environments,” the implementation of more specialized individual learning plans for students with different learning styles and abilities, more teachers actively engaging in their own professional development, and increased opportunities for students to take charge of their own learning. 

At ODYSSEYWARE, we know how important it is for teachers to have access to the digital tools that support academic achievement. Our curriculum not only offers students a media-enriched curriculum that engages the mind, but offers teachers effective and efficient tools for providing individualized instruction that most suits each learner. 

As our schools become increasingly technology-driven, the tools teachers use in their classrooms continue to evolve, driving individualized learning and promoting 21st century skills. What digital tools are you using in your classroom to keep students connected to their own learning?

Your students and their parents are tweeting, socializing, and sharing information via social media outlets everyday. Their messages are not sanitized, filtered, nor distilled, yet they yield great power. On the other end of the spectrum, the information that administrators and communication directors release to the public has been carefully written, removing any words or phrases that may cause controversy, and crafting sentences cautiously to deliver precisely aimed messages. 

Unfortunately, the voices and posts of the masses may be loud enough to drown out your messages. A small but heated discussion by the school board will no doubt be interpreted as a major conflict on Twitter, or a tiny policy change may be linked to a civil liberties violation then spread through Facebook to hundreds.

 While there may be a place and a need for your sanitized messages, it may be time to expand the scope of your communications to mimic that of your constituency. They’re communicating to others in your community with their opinions and even their understanding of the facts.

 In a recent blog post, Reaching for the Heart: 5 Tips for School District Communications Directors, Miguel Guhlin suggests,

 “As a citizen-journalist, as a person who has embraced social media as a way to share the exciting actions being taken by educators around me, I also see an important need for K-12 educators to tell ‘their’ story, sharing what is happening at their schools, in their classrooms, in the offices, as openly and transparently as possible. My bias is that I believe that most educators live in fear of speaking up, fear of losing their jobs, being censured, being called into their supervisor’s office or at Human Resources and asked, with the force of temporal power lurking behind each word, ‘So, tell us. What do you really believe and why should we continue to employ you if you’re going to say this about us?’ Instead, anyone with the temerity to be transparent about the work they are doing should be celebrated and applauded.”

 Mr. Guhlin has great suggestions for diving into social media, and tips for success on his website.

 As innovative educators and administrators, it’s time to ask the hard questions: Are you using social media to tell your stories, applaud accomplishments, and discuss local initiatives? If not, maybe it’s time to start.