Since we are in the process of creating future mockumentaries right now, let's take a moment and think about our ideal future school.
What are three characteristics that would be part of a "perfect school" five years from now? Think about the roles of the student, teacher, and technology as you describe your ideal learning climate. As you consider this question, you might also think about what you might look for in your ideal college.
Please consider this question seriously and realistically, as your responses will form part of a presentation to the 21st century learning community of teachers this week.
28 comments:
I think that 5 years from now the perfect school would be a lot different than what it is today. I think that there should be more emphasis on individual peoples learning because not all kids learn the same way, so its ridiculous to assume that one method of teaching fits all. I think every kid should be evaluated on how they learn best, and then placed into an environment that could fit their needs. Also I think that there should be more freedom in the classes that they take because if the student actually has some interest in the things that they are leaning about then they will want to participate and do well in the class. herrarar
I would like to see our school to be less pressure packed and more easy going, I personally think we have too much pressure to get things done on time and we never get enough time to work on things like we should. I feel like we can reduce the pressure by not taking the time to learn things that are no use to us and stuff that we will never use when we are out in the real world because that is just wasting our time and making us more stressed out. Also I think we should all be using laptops instead of just some classes getting the advantage over others. The last thing I would like to see would be that we do more group things and learn more stuff that will help us later on, if we work together we accomplish things faster and more efficient. We need to be less pressure packed and more into what we actually need to know.
I think that the perfect school would be a laptop in every class room so that the students wouldn't get disorganized so they could stay on top of things. I also think that they should allow you to listen to your ipod the whole time and there are no big tests. I also think that they should have on line high school courses so you don't have to come every day. I also think that if they are going to start requiring foreign language classes on the graduation requirements that they need to start learning them earlier then high school. I also think that they should lower the hours that you are in class because they are taking the entire day and I think that we should get the chance to have fun before we et jobs. Most of us work the summers when we turn sixteen and I think that freshmen year we needed more time off so that we could get our homework done and so we didn’t have to focus on school things the whole day.
I think laptops or computers provided for students in every classroom, to help take notes and expand the boundaries of our research to as far as endless; and keeping notes organized, neat, and surely legible. This would not only improve our grades, but improve the way kids overall felt about going to class. I think iPods could also be in the future of an ideal school as well. That’s because many kids work better while listening to music. Though I’m not saying it’s a good idea to let kids zone out all lectures and explanations with music, while they’re working individually on something, there really is no harm. This also would improve the way many kids felt about attending school, and class itself. Another characteristic of an ideal school would be the way kids worked. I believe that working in pairs or groups should always be an option, along with working alone. This is only be an option to improve grades, as many people have different learning styles, and this is highly important to how much they learn from the assigned project, and after all, projects are about how much a student can learn. All in all, I believe the ideal learning environment includes computers, iPods, and a choice of group or individual work.
I really like how the labtops bring in learning in some classes. I have two labtop classes, one is English-10 and the other is my writing class. I have two of the best grades in these classes because I think typing your ideas really help because for me it is a lot faster. Also I think what helps me in other classes, is reviewing by doing games, really helps me memorize a lot more and keeps it in my head. Also in my opinion, being able to listen to music during tests, and during activites that do not include talking should be alowd in almost every class because it helps some people including me to have something to listen to, to comsentrate more. Using these methods, would help a lot to many students and would improve the overall average grade of the whole school.
One characteristic that I see would make a “perfect school” is having the classes be discussion. I would like to see students participating and arguing points than to have a teacher lecture for and hour. Another characteristic would be providing laptops for the students in every class. Laptops would be an easier way to turn in papers and take notes off of. By using laptops you would save trees!! One more characteristic is giving more of the role to students. Not just can the teachers teach the students but the reverse could happen. Other students might profit more knowledge if you use this. Overall a better school would be students interacting more and taking more out of the classes rather than just sitting in a seat and trying to pay attention.
I think that one ideal characteristic that would be a perfect school is that we could be able to listen to our i-pods when doing individual work because we are in high school and I feel we could be resposible with them, also, personally, they help me concentrate better. Another item that would make our school better is to arrange the tables in pods of four or a more creative way because then it is less overpowering and more comfortable. The last thing that I think we could improve is the communication to students and the consideration to know that we have a lot going on in our lives; therefore to take that into the act of assigning homework and singling out certain individuals in the classroom to make it more of a laid back environment.
I think the "perfect school" in five years from now would be a school that is based completely on computers. Every classroom would have lap tops and you could bring your own lap top to each class. It would be just like this English classroom. Everything would rely on technology and everyone would turn in their papers in teachers drop boxes. Classrooms would be about the same size and there would be a lot of discussions in the class. Some of the discussions could be on blogs and you talk through typing. Everyone could have their own profile that the teacher could go on and tell the student how they are doing in class and what they think they need to work on. The profile could also have your papers on it so the teacher could look it up. Also the teacher could know more about your personal life because you can put things on your profile so that you can relate to the teacher better.
Hmmmmmmmmm...
I think the perfect school in 5 years won't be too much different then it is today:
1]less boring classes= more exciting activities to help us learn
2]laptops in every class= it gets us technologically advanced and saves paper
3]teach us things rather then just have us review them cause most likely we forget them in a month
There are not many changes i would think that i would make to the school right now, but those are some ideas that teachers should take into account.
I think that in five years schools should have laptops in every classroom so that the students learning can be enhanced to the best of their ability. Also students should be able to utilize their iPods and text messaging for school reasons. IPods should be allowed but not necessary for tests because some students like I work more efficiently with some background noise. Text messaging could be used in class to be able to help further learn something from another student or to help explain something better. Teachers should be able to continue to help their students learn via text messaging because this is a simple way to communicate and every kid knows how to do it. The school as a whole should use technology to the best of its ability to enhance learning. With the new technology that is currently being created schools should try to take advantage of it to create the best possible learning environment.
There would have to be some sort of noise (music, people talking, etc.) in the classroom at all times. Even for tests the teachers would let us listen to our music with headphones. The teachers would be able to teach with more hands on activities and not be too strict about tests. Just mostly worry about getting the school work in on time, properly, and make sure that we know what we are talking about. The students wouldn't have to get up so early in the mornings and there would be no homework! All early mornings and homework does is make us fatigued and not want to do anything but relax after school or just hang out with friends.
Five years from now my ideal school would be one that has laptops in all the classes, because the world is getting more technologically based and it makes learning a little bit more fun and not as dull and boring as it usually is. I also like the idea of group work more than doing independent work because you are able to bounce ideas off one another and I think that that helps you have a better quality of work. I also think that it would be cool if the students were able to contribute more to the actual learning of the subject instead of just having the teacher’s lecture the whole hour, so I hope that schools are more like that five years from now.
The perfect school would be filled with technology and materials that can help all students learn. The teachers would be loose and have fun with their students, inside and outside of class. The teachers would be so loose in fact that they could have mini wars or games against one another. Thus, the learning environment would greatly change into a more fun and care free setting. The perfect school would focus on learning rather than grades. They would stress the importance of learning by using different methods to keep students attention rather than say “This will be for a grade.” This statement does not always work and provides a negative learning environment where the only reason students do the work is so that they can pass the class and get into a good college. The thing that needs to be stressed are that students do not appreciate and often dislike school because it puts a fair amount of strain on the individual. Giving students group activities allows the students to take the stress of by dividing it among themselves. Group activities should become a widely used method of teaching as you can still give a grade on it and the students will be more apt to complete the assignment. These simple changes can not just be 5 years from now but they can also be the now. These methods can be simply adapted into the current curriculum, thus, creating the perfect school far sooner than most could hope.
I think that three characteristics that would be needed in a "perfect school" five years from now would be: a teacher that interacts with the students and makes learning enjoyable, the students would be able to listen to iPod’s while they are working which can help them concentrate; there would be laptops in every classroom. When the teacher makes learning enjoyable and easy it makes kids want to learn, the students will listen to iPod’s to make them think better, and laptops will make taking notes and being organized easy. When learning is enjoyable kids will apply themselves to learning and not slack off.
In 5 years, I will be in college and hope for the most amazing experience ever. When I think of my dream college, I think of laid back environment where everyone enjoys learning. Also that school and government policies wouldn’t be as strict and the students have the freedom of speech. I hope technology doesn’t change, for things seem to get harder when newer developments emerge. For the teachers in future schools, I hope they are more lenient and are more personal with the students. Like in lectures they could be more detailed and show examples of what they want us to learn, not just for them to rant for hours. Also I hope for a more trustworthy and safer environment. No more stories or worries of school shootings and for the school board to trust us and not go as intense as they are right now. Do they really think having old people on bikes is working or helping anyone? School should have kids wanting to learn and go, not just by force.
I think in five years from now there will be laptops in every classroom. Technology will be used everywhere in the school. I like it when the teachers involve the students and have discussions. The teachers will have their lessons on the internet for students who have to stay home one day. Students will be able to talk to their teachers over the computer on a video to ask questions. I really like learning in a clean environment.
My perfect school would be well, perfect. It would have the most up to date learning as well as technology. My ideal school would be full of teachers who love to teach, and crave to be in front of the classroom. They would also be there for help whenever a student had questions. Also my school would play around with new activities to help students learn, not only would there be lectures and notes from a PowerPoint but also games and tricks to open up the brain. The teachers and students in my school would be incredibly knowledgeable on the current issues surrounding them in the world. What I look for in an ideal college is a good school that will get me well prepared for the real-world, a school that teaches me the new ways of learning and doing things that are being created in the world as we speak, so that in life when we encounter a new problem we will have some backround on how to face it. But not only would my perfect school prepare students for their dream careers but it would also help students in their everyday life. It would get them more involved in the community and more interested in current events, and when they sat down after dinner to read a challenging novel they could understand perfectly. It would very technology based with computers in every classroom and with students comfortably using them.
My Ideal Classroom/Learning Environment
1. The most important part of the classroom to my although it may sound like every kids dream, I really do believe it is vital to having a thriving class, and that is a light homework load. I am not saying no homework at all, I believe homework is good for helping work out gaps one may have missed in class. However one key thing that schools are beginning to forget is that we are still kids, even in high school. We don’t need or want to spend three hours doing work that we may never see or use again, and then only get an hour with our friends. This also takes away from time you can even spend with family. It should simply make sure you are on the same page as the teacher, not take longer then the class period even lasts.
2. Individuality is another key to learning in the classroom. It is something that everyone can benefit from, not only the students. When a teacher is able to make a student feel that he/she has his complete and total attention, and the student has the ability to listen to their iPod. I believe that can make a world of a difference in the students learning.
3. The availability of a computer or laptop to use in every classroom. Availibility being the key word, students cannot and should not be forced to use them. Computers are an incredible resource, however not best for all students learning. But the fact that they are there to use if needed is a great relief to a student.
This is Kelli's blog.
Five years from now, my perfect school would be every class had laptops and mostly everything would be group discussed. Kids could use their iPod all the time for school, for example, putting notes on them or listening to teachers talk. I think it would be really awesome if we did not have to walk from class to class, we could use technology scooters.
THIS IS NATHAN'S BLOG!!!
My ideal learning environment consists of great student-teacher communication. I like having that whole personalized learning thing. I think laptops are great for taking notes and writing papers. We need the freedom, trust, and responsibility. I think trust is also a big factor. If the teacher trusts us then we feel more like learning. Also being lectured is not the way to go. The teacher needs to get the class involved. K I’m done. I’m sick of writing.
I think in five years, my “perfect school” would be much different that it is today. Every student learns in a different way and benefits from different environments and activities. Students would be evaluated on what their best learning techniques are, and then placed into the appropriate classroom. My ideal learning environment would include mainly a lecture, and discussion based classroom. Technology would also play a big role in my learning development, so we would be very interactive with laptops, ipods, and more. The classroom would be a place for free discussion, so we can all get our thoughts out on the table and learn different perspectives on what we are discussing. Class would be like one big giant fishbowl, except everyone is a leader, discusser, and note taker. The teacher would also be very active in our everyday discussions. With such a free atmosphere, the pressure that is currently forced on students today would be relieved. Pressure and stress is a big role in many students’ lives today, so my ideal learning environment would be stress free and easygoing. All of these things would help in making school a better place for other students and me.
THIS IS TREVOR’S POST
I think that the most important thing about the future will be the access of documents and the internet from anywhere. Being able to work on documents at any time of day any where will be one of our most needed accomplishments because we never stop going through the day we are always working and doing things with our families. This would allow us to get things done on a plane ride home the Sunday night before it due or on the ride home from your grandparent’s house. The last thing would be the ability to access the teacher when ever you need them. I’m not sure how this can be done because I don’t think it’s really possible but I think we can find a way maybe not to access that teacher but another one that can help us.
A perfect school in the future would have to be very clean and such since then there would be no chance of when one person happens to retract the e. choli virus the whole staff and student body gets it too and then there is the sick period where everyone is at home watching The Price is Right and consuming large amounts of mass produced soup while trying to forget any possibility of homework or any work for that matter and creates a giant snowball of sorts of laziness and brings the society down from a 4.5 to 4.45 on a scale of one to ten. Also when it comes to honor classes, now I don’t want to offend anybody who’s in one because it’s and “honor” to be in those classes, but with every new subject the teachers will see which students are better and then put them into a group of other students who also happen to be good at a certain subject like let’s say, long division while juggling plates or fractions. So the kids who are good at fractions get harder questions and the kids who are not so great get stuck with the 2 divided by 2 stuff. Then when a new subject comes by the teachers will see which students are really great and grand and wonderful at that new subject. This might be the exact same group of students but probably not. This way, there is a good chance that everyone will have been put into an honors type of class and they can brag to their parents because we all know that’s who they are trying to please with those classes. Then the parents can brag to their friends and coworkers and those friends and coworkers can say something like, “That guy’s a jerk, my kid’s in flag football. Beat that.” And another benefit from this crazy idea is that the kids can excel in things they have the ability to excel in instead of putting them in a class and expecting them to be good at it all. But I guess it is quite the “honor” to be put in those classes so I do suppose that that is what is expected of you when you are in one of those classes. Gee what an elite group of people. Awe inspiring indeed. Another really cool thing for the future would be if all the kids had to do was take this pill and they would know everything they needed to know and also the teacher is on a big screen TV and teaching the class. That would be really cool and that is why I think the future schools should incorporate something like that since I think it would be really cool. And the other students would surely love it since they spend most of the time looking at screens of different sizes and pixels and fibers and what not. Whether it’s a TV screen or a screen on a cell phone or a screen on a door. So all in all in the future big screen TVs and pills would be really cool. But in all seriousness I think it would be kinda neat and pretty retro if at school students were required to have one indie study ordeal on an occupation that student is interested in. I really have no idea why I typed that it just seemed really good at the time and the newspaper does pay me for every word so right now I’m just sort of keeping this going so I can afford that new pair of Crocs I want. I mean those things are so cool. So in conclusion in the future it should be neat, apply to real life for all the poor uneducated students, and be complicated enough for me to write a bunch of stuff about it to get paid for a new pair of really stylish crocs.
THIS IS CHELSEA'S BLOG!
For me the "perfect school" five years from now would be a lot different from what it is now. Three characteristics that come to mind when thinking of the school's future would be individuality, constructive responsibility, and advanced techniques. I said individuality because every student here has a different learing style then everyone else and some teachers think that their way of teaching fits all the students. I feel that teachers here make us have responsibility that is hard to manage. So in the future it would be nice for the teachers to hand out homework and projects that each students responsibility can handle if you know what i mean. A lot of the times students are so stressed with the combination of school, activities (sports, clubs), and social life that what the school expects of the students is really high. I agree though with everyone else that the laptops help us learn better.
This is Jake's Post
My ideal learning environment would be i think to let the students listen to there mp3s and use lap tops in every class because it minimizes the amount of paper being used and there easy to use , also being able to work with partners because it makes you learn better and faster .these would be my perfect learning environment because I learn better from doing it on my own and with partners.
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