Week 5...

Did the results of your TPI fit your image of yourself as a teacher? Do you think the TPI results are different for the same person teaching online and face-to-face?

I guess I wasn't that surprised once I looked at the results.  I am very focused on content and skill mastery in my class.  Many of my students will not pass their Regents Exams to graduate (standardized tests in NY state) unless we do major preparation in class - many are behind in reading and don't do much studying at home.  So when my highest section was Transmission that fit my ideas.  


My lowest score was social reform which makes me a little sad but it is probably true.  I want to work with my students on social reform but there just isn't enough time in the day! I like to add in pieces of real world reform but I rarely spend whole lessons on it.

As far as the middle ones I like to think that for a high school teacher I am nuturing and I care about the social, emotional, and intellectual development of my students.  I spend a lot of time with my students working on issues other than just the content - from study skills to things going on outside the classroom.  Even though these were "middle" I still think that I am "high" on these topics.


I think the results might be different if I were an online teacher.  A lot of the nurturing and developmental aspects might be different online.  How do you nurture a student online? I also think that the social reform area should be higher.  When a class is online you can do so much with current research and social issues on the internet! I hope that online classes are using this more than I do in the classroom!

Week 4 Reflection

What did you learn about the design of online courses this week that will affect how you think about this form of instruction in the future?

I was much more optimistic about these online schools before looking at the classes.  I was really disappointed in Virtual Virginia's classes.  I would never, ever, want to offer those classes to my students.  These classes were like reading a bad textbook.  There is so much information out there on how kids learn - and VV seems to take none of it into account.  On the other hand, I thought Aventa's classes were engaging and well designed - if you are a high level student.  I think that if a student is looking for enrichment beyond the regular curriculum a class through something like Aventa could be an answer.  If a student is looking for extra help I have not yet seen a class that would suffice.  The state schools (not including FVLS) should not have to always make new courses.  If Aventa and other big curriculum designers are actually making good classes - other places can benefit!

I still feel uneducated on whether virtual charter schools are a good answer for homeschooled student.  I don't have a lot of knowledge on homeschooling and I don't feel I can make a true judgment yet.

Week 3 Reflection

How has your thinking about online schools and online schooling changed since the first week? 


After looking at the Virtual Charter Schools I definitely see virtual schools as a viable option for students who would normally attend home school/tutoring (if you are a working actor or athlete).  However, I now think that students who don't have unusual circumstances (those who work, health issues etc) shouldn't entirely enroll in virtual schools.  The socialization factor is still a major issue in my mind for these students.  I don't think that "regular kids" who just enroll in online classes will have the needed social skills to attend college.


As far as online courses, my mind hasn't changed too much.  I still think that it can be a good option especially when a school doesn't have the resources to offer certain classes.  On the other hand, after looking at a few of the virtual courses I am not convinced that they all provide enough interest and support.  Some of the school seem to provide both ... but when I was investigating Virtual Virginia I was not convinced of that.  Overall, I still like the idea but I am not sure if all the programs are worth it - yet.

Week 2 "Paper"

Write a tweet-length paper (140 characters) that describes what you would be thinking if you were a parent choosing a school for your child, or if you were a student looking for an online school.

If I were a parent I would want an online school that maximizes teacher-student interaction - in multiple forms.  I would want the teacher consistently checking for understanding and if my child needed any clarifications.

Reflection on Week 1

First of all, I learned a lot about my own perspective.  I'm finding it really hard to separate my identity as a teacher when looking at the idea of "virtual schooling is a positive innovation."  My thoughts about motivation, use of resources are all linked to my identity as a high school teacher in an under-served neighborhood.  In some ways I think this gives me a good perspective but I need to try in future weeks to also try and take more objective view on the research.  Or, I should try and look at the perspective of someone who works in a very different kind of neighborhood.

Overall I learned a lot that I did not know before - all I previously knew about online schools were graduate school classes! In fact, all this information about K-12 online courses got me so excited that I brought some of the ideas to my instructional leader at school to see if we can start offering some classes online next year.


Further, the idea of disruptive innovation was completely eye opening as far as how the school system has been forced to morph over the years.  Lately in NYC there has been a push to treat the DOE like a business, from how charters schools are run to choosing a business woman to be the new chancellor.  However, this article shows that schools and school systems are NOT businesses and should not be treated like one.  Which leads me to the question of ....why does the government insist on treating schools like a business?


My biggest question so far is probably how can I implement some of these ideas into my school? How can NYC sustainably implement ways for online learning to be widespread and meaningful?

Week 1: About Me

I'm Sara Gerstein and I am a New York City Public School teacher and a student at Teachers College. I am in my fifth year of teaching and I teach 10th grade Science (Earth Science) at a high school in Washington Heights. Over the years I have also taught 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. I was a Geology major at Cornell (undergrad) so I love Earth Science! I also direct the school musical - this year we are doing Bye Bye Birdie.  I am currently in the Communication in Education program at TC.

When getting my Masters at City College (CUNY) I took two classes online through Seminars on Science (part of the Natural History Museum here in NYC). I got a lot out of those classes and I wanted to try online classes again. The content of the classes were really interesting; that is probably what made the class a positive experience for me. It was a successful model for graduate level classes but I wonder how successful it can be in a K-12 situation.

I'm interested in figuring this out - I'm curious how online learning can complement an in-school education. The school I work at is very small so we struggle with finding time and teachers to offer credit recovery classes for students who fail courses. (We previously had after school courses taught by teachers at our school, but this is not really a sustainable option) I would love to explore ways to offer this online to make it more manageable for all involved.  As far as bringing the online world into my classroom so far - I have not done too much.  I have a rarely updated class website and I'm exploring using some websites (like Study Island) for formative assessment.  Hopefully I'll learn a lot more this semester!