Long time no blogging. I have been busy with the "school work" that is suppose to help me in the "read world". Aside from that the title of this pretty much tells you alot of what I Want to address today.
DROPOUT RATES
The No, 1 reason contributing to student dropout rates is a lack of engagement. The billion-dollar question for our education system is: How do we motivate and stimulate students to take a more proactive role in their academic success?
Awhile back I held a technology seminar. (See my last blog post)It went over better then what I planed:) Got to hear from a school called Van Meter. You might heard them in the news. Let me fill you in if you haven't.
This school is a K-12 school & in 2009 recently rolled out 1:1 Computer Program. Every student has their own Laptop and carries it with them from classroom to classroom while using it to engage each other as well as kids across the globe. Yes, I mean from New Jersey to Singapore.... This is only ONE thing that has help make this school great. What has gotten Iowa and other educators attention is the way they are teaching the students. SAY what? STUDENTS!
Van Meter School has realized and took action that today students learn in a whole new way. Instead of the normal way of students going to school getting a boring assignment and then forgot about it later on in life this school is changing that.
You know that old saying “it’s never too late.” Doesn’t apply here. If we don’t change the way we are Educating our students and our teachers...it will be TOO LATE.
Here is there Statement:
The rate of change at Van Meter is accelerating exponentially with our focus being to empower students to THINK, LEAD, and SERVE.
WOW say what? I thought most schools are like that. Well they might say they are but ask the students or start listing to what the students post on there blogs, Facebook, & twitter pages you might think otherwise.
Today’s students are currently engaged, all day, every day—posting tweets, talking to friends on facebook, and texting.
To date, a significant chasm has existed between students’ interactive, stimulating experiences with social media and the reality of their “low-tech” classrooms.
Now that is what I call preparing them for a future of successes. Teaching them to
* collaborate
* connect
* compare
* contrast
* create
* communicate
These are all the skill sets of the Entrepreneur. John Carver and Van Meter Schools are changing the face of Education and impacting the world as we know it…in a very positive way.
WELCOME THESE SCHOOLS:)
More to come---
