Cathy Molumby, Supt

Sep 18, 2011 at 9:21 pm

Our V-ii Learning (Visionary-innovation incubator) is up and running in NE Iowa! We are thinking BIG, and starting small. Only five Valley Community Students at this time have made the commitment (with their families) to "learn by doing" in a self-selected area of passion. [Eventually it is hoped to be a regional learning lab.] Individual Learning Networks are still in the development stages for each Vii student, yet in the meantime the students have started to grasp the process of "learning by doing" with an ample supply of self-directed and discovery learning. The biggest challenge is trying to fit "flexible, alternative, innovative" learning into some lingering 'traditional time frame' and 'traditional thinking' by some other classroom demands. Shifting a teacher's paradigm is not easy and can be uncomfortable. That work and dialogue continues. Follow my learning as a learning facilitator on my Vii blog at http://v-ii.blogspot.com/ The Vii students are working on creating their Vii Learning website which will provide a space to share their learning, to be transparent, reflective, challenged, and celebrated.

Blobthe15

Aug 26, 2011 at 7:11 pm

I don't think the educational system can be solved with small things here and there. There doesn't just need to be a change, there needs to be a complete change, a change for the student directed, for more freedoms and less testing and grades. I think the ideas here are good, and innovative.

Dr Dahlby

Aug 11, 2011 at 4:01 pm

Consider changing one comm college into bi-lingual CC to attract diverse learners and encouraging more English skills while learning high-end job skills. #nobarriers

Cathy Molumby, Supt

Mar 5, 2011 at 9:22 am

Valley Community School District will be implementing an incubator pilot this fall (2011). We call our program V-ii (Visionary-innovation incubator). Over a year it has been developed (and continues to develop) with various partners in business, post-secondary; regional/state-wide (and eventually globally) partners to create learning networks with participating students and HS teachers. Hybrid/blended education modalities will be utilized through an innovative calendar for the purpose of students learning in areas of passion/high interest through complex community/world problems and challenges. Students will learn 21st Century skill sets to assist them in entrepreneurial and innovative endeavors. It will assist in local and regional economic development for both students and community members. Our V-ii Center will also provide a "live" (hands-on) learning lab environment, not only for our students, but also for aspiring teachers and current teachers to immerse themselves in the learning environment to practice the instructional modalities required for our students of today and in the future. The 'adventure' is about to begin!

Trent Grundmeyer

Feb 2, 2011 at 5:20 pm

Indianola HIgh School does not have up-to-date technology for student or staff use. We have plenty of work to do and priority to be made to move to the 21st Century. However, we are doing some creative and meaningful things with the technology we have. To update our high school library we have purchased 15 Nooks. These online books are very popular with students and engage some students in reading that would not otherwise read. Furthermore, they are very efficient and cost effective. We are able to download almost 1400 classic books on each Nook for free. Other books cost $4.00-10.00 and can be put on various Nooks so that multiple students can check out a book at the same time. This cannot be done with a traditional book. Because we have invested in the Nooks we have been able to update our library. Many students have even went and bought their own Nook from Barnes and Noble. Barnes and Noble in West Des Moines has been great to work with and most helpful through the process of getting the Nooks up and running. I would recommend Nooks over Kindles to any high school library. The other idea I woud recommend is the use blogs. Our district has established a blog for each teacher and administrator. The blogs are to be used as another communication tool between teachers, parents, and students. Various teachers are using the blog in different ways but those who are using it are seeing the benefits. Many students and parents now check the blog for updates to homework assignments, projects, and test preparation. Some teachers have even went as far as to post podcasts and videos of their teaching so that students are able to see the taught lesson again. The blog we utilize is through the company that hosts our website. However, free blogs can be found at www.blogger.com or www.pbworks.com. I'm excited to see how tools like a Nook or blog benefit students and evolve in education.

Erin Olson eolsonteacher

Feb 2, 2011 at 2:40 am

As my English II students embark on their next inquiry quest, I seek to connect their learning with the world. In a few weeks, they will read To Kill a Mockingbird just like many other high school English courses around the country. This unit is not a TKAM unit; the book serves as a source to answer our guiding questions. How do I fight for social justice? Why should I? How does one become racist?...just to name a few. Last week, students backchanneled while watching footage of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. They searched the massacre using China's internet domain only to find information about the Google v. China censorship struggle and geographical information about Tiananmen Square. Students discussed censorship and social media. I watched my students’ amazement as they discovered social media as the source of organization for the protests in Egypt. Our conversation continued on the backchannel through the day and through the weekend. Students read “Letters from Birmingham Jail” and inferred Martin Luther King Jr.’s position on the protests in Egypt. The bell sounded ending the class, but the conversation does not end. It continues. Students are able to access the world, and we should encourage safe access guided by an ability to discern, to feel empathy. Creating a backchannel is easy: www.todaysmeet.com