Educational Blogging

 Educational blogging can be used in a variety of ways whether that is to inform parents, enhance a student's understanding, or to spread knowledge to other educators. For many, a blog gives parents and students the ability to stay updated on certain topics pertaining to the classroom. Creating a classroom blog can ensure that communication given out to all students and parents so that everyone is up to date on any important information.

An image of a school desk with a test on it

Additionally, reading other educator's blogs as a teacher can be helpful when understanding current topics that are important within the field. For instance, a very popular topic of standardized testing is discussed and debated among many educators. After reading some of my peer's blogs pertaining to standardized testing, I have gathered several points as to why it is harmful to students. In Saylor Johnson's blog post Standardized Testing, she points out that one of the most negative takeaways from this practice is the various test taking skills among students. Every student is different when it comes to how they take a test. For some, they can be the brightest and most knowledgeable on a subject, but when it comes time to take an exam they do not perform well. Additionally, there is an issue with expecting one test to determine an entire semester/year worth of material in one day. Haylie Daugherty explains this further in her blog post titled Negatives of Standardized Testing. Many students can wake up on the day of the exam and have a rough start to their morning. This may cause them to be off the entire day and bring down their normal performance. Lastly, as a future English/ESL teacher myself, ensuring that non-native English speakers receive the modifications they need in order to be successful within the classroom is extremely important to me. Audrey Blackburn does an excellent job of bringing in the other side to this issue as a future Spanish educator in the blog Standardized Testing and Non-native English Speakers. Expecting students whose second language is English, take a standardized test is that language is an issue within itself. Outside of the other issues previously mentioned, not allowing the student the full opportunity to show their knowledge is unfair and in ways unethical. Overall, it is helpful to read other future educators posts about certain hot topics within the field of education. 

Personally, I find blogging to be extremely helpful when it comes to sharing ideas to other educators and informing parents/students. I enjoy having information easily assessable, so ensuring that I have any important updates available in one place is important to me. By having a classroom blog, I can allow my students and parents to stay updated on any changes within our classroom or special projects we have been working on. Additionally, the idea of allowing my students to create their own blog is fun to me. This can allow students to enhance their knowledge on certain topics and express their ideas in a different way. 

Home Environment

A Drawing of a Family

A student's home environment is critical to how they will function within the outside world. A child receives most of their knowledge from within their home. They model their parents/guardians and carry that behavior with them into other areas of their lives. Most of the time, a teacher is one of the people in a student's life to evaluate their home environment.  

For every teacher, understanding a child's home environment is critical to grasping their behavior, success, intellectual abilities, and social skills within the classroom. Most of the time, a child with a positive home environment will be a bubbly and bright child that fits within the average norm of their peers. Their parents are typically more involved with what goes on in the classroom and wants to be informed on how they can help while at home. On the other hand, those that tend to steer from the average norm on certain levels, typically have a dysfunctional home environment. Now, this does not mean it is a set one or the other; in other words, just because a child is a bright student and social around their peers, does not mean they have an amazing home life. This is not always the case and it should be notable that every child does not fit within the norm of these statistics. The main way to gain more insight into a child's home environment aside from observation, is by using an informal assessment to gather data. For example, some teachers may use journals as a way to gather data about what may be going on at home. Giving a child the creative freedom to write about whatever it is they are interested in or passionate about, may allow them to open up about themselves. Additionally, reaching out to every child's parent on a regular basis is another great way to determining what their life is like outside of the classroom. Setting up one on one parent meetings will allow for a teacher and parent connection to form so that the student can feel supported in more than one area of life. 

Flipped Classroom

 The concept of a flipped classroom has become increasingly popular over the last few years. Within a flipped classroom, students have the ability to engage in more useful discussions/activities with prior knowledge of a certain topic. For example, students in a flipped classroom would be required to read/watch materials before class meetings and come to class prepared to test their knowledge.

A Descriptive Image Comparing the Traditional Vs. Flipped Classroom

    Throughout my experience within middle and high school, most of it consisted of a traditional classroom setting. Many times, we would read a book in class and only be expected to do occasional homework outside of the class. Most of the coursework and materials required for us to learn, only happened in the classroom. However, as I have progressed through college, I have noticed more professors using the concept of a flipped classroom for their lessons. I have experienced this mostly in my English courses, which required me to read chapters or short stories before class so that we may use class time for an open discussion. This taught me not only discipline within my coursework, but also prepared my brain so that I am thinking about bigger ideas that I may share with the class. This tactic would also mean allowing students to take over in a way so that the teacher is there merely as support. Additionally, this concept may not be fit for everyday use or for certain ages. It is important that both the teacher and students come up with ways to design the classroom to fit their needs. Maybe, it is functional for some classes to use a flipped approach occasionally, giving the students various opportunities to change how the course is designed. Often, a flipped classroom can be a nice refreshment to allow students to feel in control. On the other hand, it may be too much for certain students to do all of the coursework outside of class depending on their ages, routines, and other responsibilities. Regardless of the way a classroom is set up, the only outcome that matters is that both the teacher and students are happy and thriving within their environment. 

Virtual Schooling

A Picture of a Teacher Instructing Students On a Laptop

Virtual schooling has become a popular form of education over the last decade. With virtual schooling, students and teachers are offered many opportunities to expand their discussions outside of the standard classroom. In the state of Tennessee, virtual schooling is offered as a way to adequately ensure each student receives an equal chance of an education. There are several factors that play into virtual schooling and is a reason as to why it is a huge topic within the education community. Additionally, the last few years surrounding a pandemic have opened the doors to a much larger discussion over the consideration of the effectiveness of virtual schooling. 

 

 Virtual schooling provides many families with the opportunity to educate their children in a way that fits within their lifestyle. During my last two years of high school, I decided going to public school was no longer for me. I felt as if having the ability to do my classes at my own pace, would allow me to create a schedule that felt more flexible and less restrictive. As a junior and senior in high school, I was able to do my online classes at any time of the day and choose from several different online programs/formats that best fit me. Additionally, this change prepped me for the transition into the pandemic my senior year of high school and going into college. Since I had already experienced what it was like to do school asynchronously, I was able to transition into the online classes in college in a much smoother way. While doing asynchronous courses, I became aware of some of the advantages and concerns others had of online school. These observations have led me to draw a few opinions about the current popular topic of virtual schooling. 

 Nowadays, students entering school are familiar with the technological world around them. Most of them are already learning through mobile apps/websites on their laptops or tablets. In school, they use technology incorporated into their curriculum in order to ensure they are not only technologically savvy, but learning in a way that stays in touch with the outside world. For many students, virtual schooling works for them. I have noticed some who prefer to be able to have a flexible schedule so they can also have time to focus on extra curricular activities and/or responsibilities. As well as other students who may be struggling in a general classroom and may need the safety and calmness of their own home in order to learn. On the other hand, there are some who need the structure and face to face interaction in order to feel involved in the curriculum. However, whatever the standpoint and opinion is for many students and teachers, there is one aspect that many can agree on: the convince. Virtual schooling offers a convenient alternative to in person school for whatever the case may be.