After attending an area meeting to discuss and brainstorm ways to connect various school districts in order to better serve the students, the following questions have been generated for additional discussion. In order to maintain clarity, please note the number of the question you are referencing in your comment. If you are responding to another comment directly, please note that as well. This will simply help our on-going conversation to expand. If there is a great swell of conversation on a particular question, we can add a separate posting to handle that one in more depth.
Your contributions here are important and add to the brainstorming and idea generation that occurred in the face to face conversation that occurred. It is important to note that this is a public and freely accessible site and that all ideas and suggestions are theoretically based and hypothetical at this point. If you find there is a question you would like asked and has not been addressed/listed below, please include it in your comment and assign a number for reference.
Questions that surfaced:
1) How do we maximize our resources to teach all of our students?
2) How can we structure technology to meet the needs of our students?
3) What structures do we need to break down to make this work?
4) What structures do we need to maintain to make this work?
5) What structures do we need to create to make this work?
6) What are some of the concerns that exist in moving this direction?
7) What solutions and possibilities exist to manage the concerns?
8) How can we make connections to 21st Century Skills?
9) How can we make connections to Iowa Core Curriculum?
10) Does Project-Based learning lend to this opportunity?
11) What happens with student engagement on distance learning?
12) Can we emphasize/enhance differentiation through technology?
13) How do we maintain a personal connect with students?
14) How does this change how we view leadership roles?
15) What tools need to be accessed (Twitter, Facebook, Wikis, Blogs, etc.)?
16) How does this affect a need for brick and mortar buildings (physical changes)?
17) What other skills are needed to access the technology necessary to distance share?
18) How is the curriculum developed?
19) What is the goal of the curriculum?
20) How are Gifted and Talented and/or Special Needs students impacted?
21) In what ways can the technology be supported outside of school?
22) In what ways can the technology be supported outside of the school day?
23) Is saving money a major goal and is it possible and/or probable?
24) How will the state view shared on-line learning in terms of accreditation?
25) Which curricular areas are most applicable (vocational, electives, core)?
26) What kind of training can be made available for teachers, leaders, and students?
27) Is commonality a key aspect of this change?
28) What opportunities are available from AEA and ICCC (technology/leadership)?
29) How are concepts of oral communication, body language, etc. supported when learning is primarily supported through digital print?
30) How is a framework to provide these outcomes established?
31) What are the next steps that need to be established?
32) Is seat time still an issue with the state in this learning atmosphere?
33) How will differences in contracts (pay scales, expectations, duties, etc.) be affected by sharing among districts?
34) How do we ensure scheduling effectiveness or reduce scheduling conflicts?
In review, this is kind of an overwhelming and daunting list. Some of these questions seem to be more concise, and others lend to drifting outward in conversations about additional thoughts. Best of luck as you walk through the process and share ideas with the goal of providing the best educational opportunities for the students we collectively serve.
1:34 PM
Marshall
