tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24316273.post2955112890489336222..comments2022-01-09T05:16:16.434-05:00Comments on The Connected Classroom: Students Speak are you listening?Kristin Hokansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04644948722592900823noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24316273.post-88538700321364848562008-01-11T10:31:00.000-05:002008-01-11T10:31:00.000-05:00So we have students that are blogging about things...So we have students that are blogging about things that matter to them. That's great! These students are beginning to embrace the 21st Century and are starting to make education their own.<BR/><BR/>But who are these students? These are students who have motivated themselves to do what they feel needs to be done. But if you were to take a cross-section of your entire school, which students would be in the group contributing to this?<BR/><BR/>I imagine you will see the answer as being the cream of the crop, those that need something like thsi because NCLB has taken away so many opportunities from them. But what about those struggling students? You know, the ones that are being placed in extra math and English courses so that they can become "proficient" and "meet the standards?" Where do these students fit in?<BR/><BR/>I feel we are at an educational divide, and we have been there for well over a decade, where education cannot continue down the path we have been following for so long. We DO need to take a more individualized approach to each student's education. Do they all need the same things? No. My student who is going to become a mechanic will need different skills than my student who will become an engineer. The student who will become a teacher has a different path than the one that becomes a park ranger.<BR/><BR/>Why is it then that we have such a narrow path for them to follow while they are in high school?<BR/><BR/>I know they need to have a wide variety of offerings so they can discover themselves and get a broad knowledge base built. But where do we go from here?<BR/><BR/>Students2.0 is a wonderful thing. Students are finally beginning to see this divide and take action. I think that in the long run, it won't be the President or teachers or administrations or parents or the government or industry that determines what a student learns and how they learn it. It will come down to each individual student. They will step up and take that responsibility. It's just a matter over how long the rest of us hold onto the status quo that is restricting these students from achieving their true potential.Jimbo Lambhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10637594269507424367noreply@blogger.com