1. Did you know?
New technical information is doubling every two years. There are so many things that are out there right now that I am unaware of, and technical things that I don't know how to operate. I can only imagine what new things are going to occur when my son starts school - he is only one right now. There are several programs that we had to download for this class that I had no idea existed. I have not had the chance to explore all of them yet, but I am very excited about the technical knowledge that I will gain by completing this course.
In today's world, people are meeting their lifelong partners on the internet. The amount of text messages that people are sending in one day exceeds the population. I thought that these facts were very interesting. Technology plays a major role in our lives today.
2. Mr. Winkle Wakes
It is sad that the only place comforting to Mr. Winkle when he awoke was school. After 100 years, schools have remained the same? Schools should change when new technology arises. After all, the children in our schools today are our future and their future jobs will require them to be up to date with technology.
I am going to be sure to include technology when teaching my students. I believe that technology can really help students want to learn. I love this class because I am learning new things with each assignment, and it is stuff that I will use for the rest of my life as an educator.
3. Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity
Sir Robinson is definitely right. Each child is born as an artist and needs to have the right to express that. We are forced to express what we learn in mathematics on a sheet of paper with multiple choice questions, so why can't children express themselves at school through music, dance, theater, or any of the other arts. Just because one child does not focus as easily as another does not mean that the child is "different." My fiance's little sister changed schools this year due to her not making good grades and not being able to stay focused. She LOVES her new school because her teacher has patience. She comes home with A's every week. Our job, as the educator, is to make school fun and interesting for the children.
As educators, we need to incorporate the arts in subjects. We need to have math and reading games that could involve the arts. An example of this would be while reading, make the students act as a character of the story. While doing math problems, make songs to help students solve the problems. A child that is easily distracted will learn to focus more when they are able to express themselves while acting, singing, or dancing.
4.Vicki Davis: Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
This was by far my favorite video. It is amazing to see her students so involved in learning. You could really tell that all of the students were so involved in the class because they were able to actually teach each other new things. I could tell that she was so passionate about what she is doing and it is truly an amazing thing.
We can do everything online in today's world. Just in the last year or so, South has offered more online classes and hybrid classes which is great for working students like myself. I am learning so much more in my online classes because of the hands on experience that I am getting. Before this class, I had read blogs, but not created my own. I have created my own blog, networked with another teacher, learned some html codes.. I can't wait to see what else is in store. I will definitely use everything that I learn in my classroom and believe it will be very beneficial to my students.
Reading your comments on Mr. Winkle Wakes really brought something new to my attention. What I got out of the video was that the concept of teacher and student had not changed over time but I see what you mean by schools not changing with technology and it is very true.
ReplyDeleteI love your idea about math and reading games. I am not strong in math and one of my teachers in the fifth grade would play math bingo with us. It was so much fun. I feel as though some teachers believe that learning can't be fun. They do not incorporate fun and creative things into it and I feel as though the children and missing out and are being ripped off in a way.
In regards to Kate's comment and your own post, I think each of you are right in your assessment that technology in classrooms has not evolved in the same way as it affects other aspects of our lives, AND the teacher student relationships have not changed-- We still dictate limited information instead of becoming resource guides for students to learn an unlimited of knowledge.
ReplyDeleteHaley, I want to encourage you to explore TED more thoroughly. Ted is not the name of the speaker (Ken Robinson is his name), TED is a meeting place for many of the most forward thinking intellectuals of our day. The TED website offers 20 min videos and podcasts about almost anything you could think of, and couldn't even imagine! Explore it, use it, and be inspired by it. I promise based on my own experiences that you will grow from a routine exploration of those twenty minute mind benders.
Anthony,
ReplyDeleteHow embarrassing! That was definitely a typo. Sorry about that. I will correct it. I have watched some of the videos on the TED website and find them very inspiring. I found Aditi Shankardass's story very inspiring. You should check it out. She talks about how she is using EEG to give children who have developmental disorders their correct diagnosis. Several children are diagnosed with disorders that are innacurate. They are being treated for disorders that they don't actually have and she is trying to eliminate that problem. That is what happens a lot in our schools today.
Thank you for your passion and excitement to teach the future generations.Students need teachers that are willing to go the extra mile and go out of there way to see success take place. Technology is indeed constantly progressing, and as teachers we can use these resources for our benefit. I agree,it is vital to stay up to date with the latest developments and to utilize them in the classroom. I hope the best for you as you continue to work towards your degree!
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