Below you will find the responses for the interviews on creating applications for interest driven learning and academic oriented learning. Since this is being posted on a public website, they asked to remain anonymous and will be referred to as Interviewee 1 (I1), Interviewee 2 (I2), and Interviewee 3 (I3). What do you notice about the interests students bring to their classrooms? I1: Being that we have students from all across PA, I often find that the interests students bring into my classroom vary quite much! I have a number of students who are all about hunting and outdoorsy type activities, another group that is all about gaming, and a third that is more introspective with art and writing. I2: I feel like some of the students I work with haven't really had enough experiences outside of their own communities to understand what their interests are. For many, its school, work, home without much in between. They are not working in a place of interest, and are only attending school so they don't end up in court. We need better ways of connecting students to interests. I3: I notice students often bring interests from their own communities, that don't neccesarily relate to other students across the state. While this is great for creating a diverse classroom, it is difficult to keep up with the many interests of one class (with over 300 students) and still be able to apply the state mandated curriculum, and interweave interest-driven assignments. In what ways do you (or can you imagine) connecting these interests to academics pursuits and curricular goals? I1: I think its a great idea, or goal to have, but I am not sure how feasible it would be for our population of students. Because there are such diverse differences, I think it might be easiest to create an open format of assignments or activities that allows some student choice. I2: I think it'd be a lot easier to do in a traditional brick and mortar setting. It's so difficult just to get these kids online to figure out what needs to be done, and then if we give them too many options it will be difficult for them to move forward. I think this type of pursuit would work well with advanced students, but our struggling students would need more structure. I3: The big thing I see connecting these students interests to academic pursuits is the use of such sponsorships like Schoolyard Ventures. In Schoolyard Ventures, students are able to bridge academics and interests by learning to create their own business, with all associated skills included. As for our classes, I think we would need to break our groups down to be more manageable so our students could have a better experience with mentors and that connection to their interests. How do you mostly use your phone? To connect with people? To create something new? To play? I1: Personally, I use my phone to connect with people, to post things I create, and to play on things like facebook and instagram. I guess its mostly to connect to others and share my own interests, or things I find interesting. I2: Everything! What don't I use my phone for? I am probably worse than my students' as I always have it attached to me, and use it more than a traditional desktop computer. I use it to complete school and work, to do banking, to connect and communicate, and to entertain! I3: I only use my phone when I am out and about to communicate and stay in touch with others. I don't use it muxch for entertainment, but rather for practical use like checking the weather. It is evident from these interviews that the interests of our students vary greatly, and cannot be confined to a singular area of interest. I think for cyber school, especially with the population of students we have, first and foremore we need to help them identify their interests. Often we are met with apathy and disinterest in everything, simply because students have had negative schooling experiences in the past. I think that this type of learning is a possibility, but there is a lot that needs to be done before we can jump right in.
