Neil+Currie+Learning+Ecosystem

District 303 children live in a much different world than what their teachers, parents, and grandparents experienced. Lives are now centered on technology whether it is communicating, playing games, or learning technology has become the focal point of many peoples’ lives. Educational methods learned twenty years ago are hard to use with today’s learners and have almost become obsolete with teaching today’s children. Students need to prepare for employment in an ever changing world that uses technology to its fullest extent. It used to be that kids were competing against neighboring towns and states for jobs, now students are competing globally for occupations. Thomas Friedman, author of __The World is Flat__, sums it up best: “ When I was growing up, my parents told me, 'Finish your dinner. People in China and India are starving.' I tell my daughters 'Finish your homework. People in India and China are starving for your job.' “ Not only is information readily accessible for students but it is also ever changing. This means more information within a child’s reach which opens up all sorts of learning possibilities. As educators, we need to have greater and higher expectations for our students when it comes to learning. We need to teach our kids how to retrieve new information using all resources available and how to problem solve using this vast amount of information that is always changing. Not only will this help prepare them for whatever jobs might be available but employers are expecting this of their employees!
 * Creating a 21st Century Learning Environment **

It seems most students are “stimulated” by all sorts of technology. Whether it is video games, i-pods, or cell phones, it seems like children are attached to technology. In the past, students sat in large rooms and were lectured by teachers with very little interaction. Today, students expect to be entertained. We need to change our educational style in order to get them to understand the material in a format that they are comfortable using. With this is mind, we need to teach new important skills as collaboration and critical thinking, we need to teach them to be innovative and creative, adapt to new situations and become problem solvers.

**Ecosystem Element ** I teach social studies to 9th and 10th graders at St. Charles East. It is my goal to help them become better prepared for a future which will require critical thinking and decision making. Technology is a major goal for me this year and I am trying to create a Blackboard site for my classes. This goal is something I will continue to work on throughout my career because technology is always changing and critical thinking is the key to being successful in life. I want to create and include more activities within the transformation level of the SAMR model which will include technology but will also encourage deeper thinking. With that in mind, it is critical to choose and develop the ecosystem in depth within my classroom. I want to have my students become problem solvers each day in my class. Whether it is through a lesson or simple questioning, they need to be aware that this is a critical skill. Through the various lessons they will become aware of the many resources available to them. Based on those resources, I want them to learn what to do in new situations and to keep trying when they hit a road block. They need to learn that quitting, or saying “I don’t know” is not an option. In fact, I want to encourage them to think outside of the box and possibly use technology to help with that creative thinking. Learning how collaborate with each other in new situations and how technology can help them do this will be another critical component in my learning ecosystem. Edmodo

To achieve this goal, I am working to create an Edmodo site for problem solving. Many times in my class I use a lot of primary resource materials. I like to generate discussion in my class about our readings but sometimes there is little discussion either because people are still reading the material or are afraid to volunteer information. Using Edmodo and the “Say Something” learning strategy will allow kids to volunteer information without feeling intimidated to have an answer. The student can report on what they read by either summarizing the section, listing key points, identifying the main idea, asking a question, or make a connection. Edmodo is a tool which can allow the student to work at their own pace, make thoughtful inquiries or insightful identification. As I get more familiar with Edmodo, I will use it more as a tool to flip my classroom. This activity is just scratching the surface of flipping the classroom.

I will begin by teaching problem solving strategies to my class and how to effectively use a problem solving method. It is important that students learn to convey their thoughts in a written response on Edmodo.



Possible Edmodo page and assignment.



**Success Indicators** I will consider this technological addition a success, if I see the following:

Site activity

Ability to do more higher level thinking activities in class: virtual thinking, scenarios, and various activities

Engaging class discussions and debates on the previous night’s reading, lesson or PowerPoint

Crossover with other classes on Edmodo or through Blackboard

**Other Elements Impacted** Collaboration

Instructional Strategies

Empowerment

Classroom Norms and Routines