Reading Journal Meta-Review
Michelle Mehlberg

The Power Of Mindful Learning by Ellen J. Langer

The Digital Classroom by David T. Gordon

The Courage To Teach by Parker J. Palmer

     Even though these four books were written by different authors and include different content, they are all tied together with a common thread.  That thread is, what may have been good classroom practice in the past may or may not be good enough for today's classroom.  All four books challenge us to rethink what we know and apply what we are learning toward our changing students and the changing classroom of today.

   Langer challenges us to to think about the concept of mindful learning as we interact with those around us.   She suggests that the traditional method of drill and practice may make us imperfect.  How can that be?  I was always led to believe that practice makes perfect!  So does it seem that others feel the same way from postings on the WebBoard.  Lesa Lee states: "To begin with Langer said that practicing the basics until they become second nature is the wrong way to start. I am a believer in practice."

    Upon completion of the book, I do not feel that Langer thinks we should throw out all memorization - there is a time and place for it, but in creating lessons and working with students, we should make the learning "mindful".  What does this mean? To me it means to make the learning relevant to the student and applicable to the the real world.  Langer uses the example of learning to drive a car.  Do we learn to do it so well by rote memorization that we cannot transfer the skills to driving in another country whereby they drive on the opposite side of the road or can we do so with ease. 

    How can this be achieved?  It can be achieved in many different ways.  We can create "creative distractions" as Langer refers to them to help our students learn.  We can make the work fun by turning work into play.   We can help our students "forget" details and problem solve answers on their own.  I could go on quite some time here, but what it comes down to is again, make the learning meaningful, mindful and relevant to the student and they will remember the content.

   David Gordons book The Digital Classroom challenges us to figure out where and how technology fits into making learning meaningful for our students.  We in South Dakota need to put this piece of the puzzle together in education and do it well.   With the Connecting the Schools Project, the DDN and the Governor putting computers into our classrooms, we have to find the fit that works in our school districts and our curriculum for all students, males and females, alike.

  Technology is definitely changing the way we teach and the way our students learn.   We have students across the state involved in asynchronous courses through Apex; we have students taking courses over the DDN; we have students taking courses with asynchronous and synchronous components within them.  Like it or not, our classrooms are going digital.  We have enormous potential in the state of South Dakota to have an impact on our students and it is up to us to make sure it is a positive impact.   It is not to say that there are not going to be problems.  As with any change in education there will be growing pains.  Some of which might include teacher training, tech-support and money to keep hardware and software upgraded.

     Even though we read The Courage to Teach as our second reading for the class, I have left if for last to discuss in my journal meta-review.   This book really makes a person examine themselves as not only the teacher they are, but the teacher that they wish to become.  No one is perfect and needs to strive to improve upon their teaching skills and interpersonal skills in and out of the classroom, as I fully believe that we do not only teach within the confines of our schoolhouse walls.

     We must not be afraid to learn right along with our students.    In fact sometimes we will learn more from our students than they may from us in some given moments.  This is so true in the information age.  We will have students within our classrooms that will know much more than we in some instances.   We must be willing to accept this and learn from them.

    We as teachers must also be willing to take on a facilitator role or coaching role within the classroom. This differs so much from in the past when teachers were leaders and students were followers.  It takes a special person to be a teacher and deal with and handle all that entails.

     When these three books arrived at my home and I looked at them, leafing through them, reading chapter headings, my thoughts ran in many different directions.  I had many questions as to what the books had to do with "Teaching and Learning in the Information Age".  The only one that made sense at the time was The Digital Classroom, it obviously had to do with technology.  But what about the other three?
  
     As the readings are over and course discussions are over, it is now easy for me to see what each of these three books have to do with Teaching and Learning in the Information Age.  With the influx of technology into our classrooms, we have to be ready and willing to enhance our curriculum with the technology.  Our students will enter the workplace to work with different components of technology every day.  Therefore the teaching that we do, must be mindful for our students.  The students must see a relevancy to what is learned.  It is up to the teachers of today and tomorrow to make this happen.