6 Schools and Their Beginnings

I've wanted to write an article about technology and its uses in our classrooms forever. We've come a long way since PCs and VisiCalc emerged in the 1980s. Over the past 45 years, devices kept getting smaller, more powerful, and, best of all, so much easier to use. That, coupled with the explosion of information online, means that any student, any classroom, can have the resources of a Library of Congress to the Nth degree at her fingertips.

Given the scope of this subject, I will divide it into two articles. The first deals with technology in the classroom, what's used, how it's used, its pros and cons, and so forth. The second will examine the future of educational technology, its sustainability, and its use in school offices.

Technology in the Classroom

There's no doubt that technology enhances learning experiences for students. Learning Management Systems (LMS) organize and deliver those improved experiences.

A Learning Management System is a software application or web-based technology used to plan, implement, and assess a specific learning process. Think of it as an electronic lesson plan book on steroids. Typically, an LMS provides an instructor with a way to create and deliver content, monitor student participation, and assess student performance. Source: IBM

This video explains Learning Management Systems.

Threaded discussions, video conferencing, and discussion forums are

AI is fast transforming the way businesses operate. So, I was curious how AI might affect our K012 classrooms. The inevitable sensational headlines, such as "Will AI replace teachers?" generate tons of speculation by the talking heads on TV and blogwriters looking for the next way to scare their readers. However, having been a teacher at both the K-12 and college levels, I can tell you that AI will not replace our teachers any time soon. With that in mind, let's look at some of the ways AI can enhance teaching and the things AI cannot do.

Successful Uses of AI in the Classroom

AI is another tool that can be used successfully by both teachers and students. I look at AI the same way I have viewed slide projectors, televisions, smartboards, computers, and all the other bits and pieces of technology that have appeared in our classrooms over the years, i.e., they help present the material I am teaching. People learn in so many different ways. Depending on the material you are presenting one of these technologies might spark that "Eureka!" moment we teachers all seek. While our student may not run into the streets as Archimedes did, she will have that look that says, "I got it!" Ultimately, it is always up to us teachers to remember that one size does not fit all. Each student learns in her way. Varied ways of presenting what you are teaching will help make the material understood.

Personalized Learning

Exams can be nerve-wracking at any age. So, show your child where exams fit in and, more importantly, how to prepare for them. Beginning at an early age, your child will encounter various methods teachers use to assess whether she has learned and understood the material being taught.

The Purpose of Exams

Exams are a formal, structured method of assessment. Unfortunately, what makes exams stressful in high school, college, and in our professional lives is that so much is riding on them. For example, you must pass the LSAT to get into law school. Then, you must pass a state bar exam to practice law. The pressure to succeed is enormous. That's why I recommend you tell your child how you handled preparing for and taking the exam. The more your child understands how exams work and how to handle them, the more successful she is likely to be.

Exams and tests are a great way to assess what the students have learned with regards to particular subjects. Exams will show what part of the lesson each student seems to have taken the most interest in and has remembered. Source: Edu-Quip

Understand Your Learning Style

As soon as you can, identify your child's learning style. Observe her preferences and tendencies in how she processes and retains information. Contrast that with how you learn and what has worked for you. Sharing how you learned will help her understand how she knows. Understanding how

When applying to private schools, you will find two kinds of admissions at American schools: admissions with a fixed deadline and rolling admissions. Let's look at rolling admissions and how they compare with admissions with fixed deadlines.

What is rolling admissions?

Rolling admissions refers to a school's practice of accepting applications within an admissions application window and acting on them within a couple of weeks or months, as opposed to waiting until a fixed deadline.

How does rolling admissions work?

Let's assume the rolling admissions window opens on September 1. You could submit your completed application on September 2 and expect to have a decision back from the school within a time frame from two weeks to two months. At a school with a fixed deadline for admissions, you could submit your application on September 2 but not hear whether your child had been accepted until sometime in March, assuming the fairly common January 31 deadline.

Professor Allen Grove explains the various kinds of admissions in great detail. This is a longish but in-depth video that is well worth bookmarking for later viewing.

Many schools with rolling admissions have a priority deadline. It would be wise for you to submit your application before that deadline. Once all the places are filled, applications from candidates who would otherwise have been accepted will go on a waitlist.

Which schools use rolling admissions?

Many private schools use rolling