Deciding on a topic

Service learning is something that I believe is missing from many public institutions based here in the United States. Students are graduating from high school lacking prior knowledge and experience and shifting ever so quickly into the self centered state of mind that we see running rampant in society today. But, what if students were given an opportunity to engage in civic arenas, solve real problems that exist not only in the world beyond our borders, but also around the block from where we live? What if students went into the world’s work force equipped with the attitude of what they can do for others instead of what can the world do for them? Would this change things? Would the next era of students be change makers?
How does technology fit into the equation? Our students, for the first time in history, are better equipped in an area than the most of the adults teaching them. Technology is moving, it is moving quickly, and in order to keep up, educators need to be better equipped with the tools to make the connections in the classroom. Once these connections are made, how will we assess the products that are being produced from it?
Looking at how I can use technology to actively engage my classroom in these incredible service learning scenarios and researching how these technology additions can be assessed, is what I wish to explore for my practicum research project. Blogging, wiki sites, I-Movies, garage band, and Skype are just a few pieces of the puzzle. What are some projects that our students can do with these tools and what can be assessed with each piece? So often assessments are just thrown together with haste, and are not even measuring what our kids have actually learned through the process.
I believe that this type of research is necessary because many educators are afraid of digging into the machines that are second nature to our students. Many educators are willing to scratch the surface with emailing and possibly the occasional blog, but the reality is, they don’t have much time to tinker with the possibilities.
Orono High School is getting ready to launch a new Civics Engagement Curriculum which will give a much needed arena for the service learning project to receive its initial backing of what public policy is and allow each student to receive the same information for them to make a valid decision on a topic that they are passionate enough about to do something to make their community a better place. Over the years past, during the students sophomore year, they have written a public policy paper somewhat blindly because they lacked a common forum for policy to be discussed and have their questions addressed. Finally they have been granted an environment for rounding up information, researching their topics, and carrying out these findings.
Will they continue to write a paper or is there another approach to the research and the final product that makes more sense for these students than the ones of yesteryear? I have had several meetings with Deta Pearce, the service learning coordinator at Orono High School, which finally led to the selection of this sought after topic. I have spent moments browsing different articles, hoping to secure the topic that would benefit not only my own teacher training, but the colleagues that I have the honor of working next to throughout this phase of research. Mr. Dan Baker, Ms. Shawna Goodall, and a few others will be collaborating with me as we sift through what is already available. I have been reflecting on service learning since last fall, when I had my first opportunity to research exactly what it is and put together a brief presentation on how it could benefit a middle education classroom. From there I met with Deta and began to see how service learning was being used at Orono High School already. This year is a year of transition at the school where Dan is busy familiarizing himself with the students and beginning to create the curriculum that will see its first light next year. After meeting with Dan and Shawna, it became clear that technology should play a role in the Civics Engagement coursework, but what would it look like and how would it be assessed were both attributes that came up in discussion. Dan is very comfortable behind the computer, but is also at ease allowing his students to man the control center when creating products through the use of technology. I believe that we will work well on this adventure of discovering where all the pieces fit. I plan to continue meeting with Dan, Deta, and Shawna throughout the research phase of this practicum.
As with all practicum’s, they are designed to allow the educator to research a topic that will in the long run make them a better educator. Without having my own classroom to implement this research in, I have some boundaries that I am working with. Luckily, I have landed myself with a great team of educators whom have graciously allowed me to work alongside them as I use qualitative research to dig for information that will help to make all of our classrooms more productive arenas for our students.

To serve is to learn

Some might ask what I am doing here so I will take a moment to share. I am planning to use this blog site to see where my research takes me as I discover how technology can be used in service learning and then how to assess what this technology use. I assure you, this will be an exciting journey and I invite all to share any tidbits of information that you might have on this subject. Now, without further ado, lets get on with the postings.