Journal 8 Virtual Success

In this Learning and Leading with Technology article from February 2009, Julie Young, et. al., praise the learning being accomplished at the Florida Virtual School (FLVS). The FLVS have no set schedules and no classrooms. They are virtual schools. They claim the FLVS provide students with high-quality, technology rich educational experiences. The curriculum is delivered through the internet. Teachers "coach" the students in one on one or small group sessions. The authors say that their success stems from the learning environment being structured to take advantage of the things their students value most. The article did not provide more than a couple examples of how this school worked. The idea sounds interesting enough, but other than a mention of an online literacy fair and the development of an online newspaper, details of how the process worked were a little sketchy. The authors advocate dramatic changes in the way we deliver education and instruction.

Question 1.

How did the FLVS students perform?

According to the article FLVS students consistently earned higher grades, received better state assessment scores, and achieved higher marks on AP exams than students at traditional schools.


Question 2.

According to the authors, what matters most in an interaction between a teacher and student?

The authors suggest that whether face to face or virtual the interaction must be authentic. The teachers at this school focus their attention on the student's concerns and they value the interaction.

Journal 7 Connecting Depth and Balance in Class

In this Learning and Leading article from August 2008, Matthew Kuhn discusses how the power of educational technology is making it easier to ensure the depth of lessons even if they do not mean to use one of the popular taxonomies. Kuhn makes specific reference to Benjamin Bloom's taxonomies. At the pinnacle of Bloom's Taxonomy are cognitive processes that require thinking involved with evaluation and ultimately creation and synthesis. Kuhn discusses how a typical "Water Cycle" project can be moved to higher levels of cognition simply by incorporating Movie Maker and the internet. He cites several examples of classrooms using wikis, blogs, applications from Explore Learning and Inspiration. He claims that if technology is wisely integrated a variety of learning styles with experiential depth will be met.

Question 1.

What was the point of Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences?

Gardner described how intelligence can be displayed in seven different categories: musical, verbal, physical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, visual and logical. The article claimed that wise use of technologies would lead to increased incorporation of these various intelligences.

Question 2.

What intelligences would a class blog incorporate?

A class blog would allow those with acumen in the verbal/linguistic and interpersonal learning preferences to express their intelligence. Blogs tend to facilitate group discussions, class notes and peer feedback.