This article is about the parent
role in the blended classroom. It opens dealing with the cyclical nature of
education, and how a lot of the “new” ideas that people in education have are
simply just recycled from 20 years ago and given a different name. Having only
been in the business for 6 years, I can’t say if this is true, although the
more experienced staff members do seem to echo this sentiment. The article goes on to say that even with this
seemingly endless cycle, there are a few things that have stood the test of
time. The article says that two important parts of a child’s education that
hasn’t changed are a literacy rich environment for young children, and parent
involvement in the education of their children.
The
author writes that parent involvement can be somewhat of a challenge in the
new, technology rich, blended classroom. This is because parents aren’t sure
how to support their students because it is so different from their educational
experience. According to the author, there are five ways parents can support
their children in the blended environment.
The
first way parents can support their children in the digital age is by
understanding that these devices are learning tools. Sure they can be for
entertainment too, but the learning aspect should be focused on and reinforced
at home. This can be done by using the devices with their student to enhance
the knowledge of both the parent and the student. I agree with this whole
heartedly. I’m actually not sure if this happens in my school or not. Prior to
reading this article, I hadn’t really thought to ask the students if they use
the ipads with their parents. I know in my own home, when my son asks me a
question that I don’t know the answer to, I generally say, “grab your ipod, and
let’s look it up.” That being said, I also allow him to use it for
predominately entertainment. After reading this article though, I am going to
try to make a conscious effort to try and reinforce the educational value of
his device. This is extremely important for young children, because as they get
older they will look to these devices for knowledge, instead of just mindless
games.
The
next thing the parents need to understand if that the teacher in the blended
classroom has a new role. They are trying to improve the students skills in
communication, collaboration and problem solving. Just because the teacher is
not assigning nightly homework, or doing loads of multiple choice questions
doesn’t mean they aren’t working. Again, I don’t know if this is a problem in
my school, but I could see where it could be, and I feel like this is going to
be the toughest change for parents of the digital age students. They were
skilled and drilled and they believe that’s how a school should work. A change
in that mentality can be tough, but in order to reach the maximum potential of
learning, the parent and the teacher need to be on the same page.
Along
those same lines, the parents need to advocate for their child. Communicate
with the teacher. If there is some aspect of the digital classroom that the
student is struggling with, ask the teacher for ideas on how to improve those
skills. Again, communication with the teacher is vital. This also ties in to
the first change in that parents and students will learn and work on the skills
together as well as learning the device with them.
The
final suggestion for parents of a student in a blended classroom is to follow
the school on social media. They can learn what is going on at the school, as
well as have a good example of what a positive internet footprint looks like.
EPG has a facebook page, and it is very informative for the community. I
believe a large number of parents follow it.
All of
the skills listed in this article are good advice and tips for parents today. It
has been, and will always be important for parents to support their students’
learning. The form of that support has and is changing. I believe following the
advice of this author will help make that change easier. And hopefully I can explain
this to my students and their parents.
Interesting article. I purchased iPads for my first three grandsons, and filled them with educational apps. Since then, I believe more apps have been added for entertainment purposes. Kind of makes the point of the article.
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