Thursday, May 30, 2013

Blog Post #2

Mr. Dancealot
This was a very fun video to watch. It showed a teacher that was trying to teach the class how to dance by just speaking and showing them diagrams on a powerpoint slide. When it came time for the students to actually dance, they had no idea how to do it. The teacher was teaching at them and not with them. Even when they tried to get up and learn the dance the teacher made them sit back down. It really shows the power of incorporating effective teaching methods into the classroom.

Teaching in the 21st Century- Brittnee
 I think that Kevin is right, things are changing and that everything is moving to all sorts of different types of media. Kevin Roberts is basically saying that one day teachers will no longer be needed. The video shows that children will be using computers more. Even though children will be used to using all kinds of different technology, they still need someone to show them how everything works. Using all kinds of different things in the classroom would be handy, but in some parts of the world children have never even seen a computer. That’s why we as teachers should have the knowledge of all the the different types of advancements so that we can keep the kids up to date as well as ourselves. We are now a filter to education rather than the only source. 

Networked Student- Hannah
Wendy Drexler's "Networked Student," served as an eye-opener for me. Everything that children will be able to do online now, and even more so in the next few years, makes me wonder if children will even need a teacher. All learning can be done online. This is if the children find reliable sources. They can communicate with the teacher and other students using any social network.


 As of right now, I am not sure if I am prepared to be a teacher of the networked student. Up until the past few years, I have not been a networked student myself. I have also learned more about the use of the internet this year than I ever have. There is still so much more that I need to understand. Hopefully, by the time I graduate, I will be prepared to be a teacher of the networked student.

 I really enjoyed watching "A seventh Graders Personal Learning Environment." She had all of her sites organized so well. It made it so much easier for her to find everything she needed. She had her school work separated from her leisure activities. I would have to say that her PLE was more organized than mine but it made me want to change mine for
the better.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts- Amber 
Harness your students digital smarts is a video about technology in the classroom. Teacher Vicki Davis teaches her students to use their creativity as they use their computers. They create blogs and comment on other students blogs. They are a  very interactive class and are technology savvy. I think that is important in the classroom today. Vicki Davis is a great example of a 21st century teacher. She is open minded and allows the students to teach her as well. We both have something in common. I believe in learning together instead of standing in front of a classroom teaching and having students feel inferior to me. Vicki Davis inspires me to become a open minded teacher and more importantly have FUN in the classroom. 

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Blog Post #1

If you built a school, what would it be like?

What I want my students to know

I want my students to know how to have fun while learning. I think that the best way to do that is to incorporate the tools that children have fun on at home into the classroom. This means bringing in computers, cameras, tablets, and hopefully ipads.

What I want my students to be able to do

I want to emphasize the importance of reading and I want my students to be able to take advantage of the technology that I bring into the classroom. I want them to be able to use the technology in the most effective ways.

The primary way I want to teach my students it
I really want to teach my students how to use technology. I use technology everyday and I know that they do to. The use of technology is just growing and I think that it is one of our duties as teachers to grow with it.

The tools I will use in the classroom are
I want lots of books. I know that books are available through technology but I love paper books. I also want plenty of computers, flip cameras, and tablets. It would also be amazing to have a smartboard but i am sure that is just wishful thinking.

The role my students will have in the classroom
My students will play a huge role in the classroom. They will learn to set up the computers and even teach the class using them. I think that the students will have a lot to offer. I really want to focus on their  independence.

Krissy Venosdale had a great blog. The blog was very inviting due to her use of colors and styles of text. Her content was also amazing. I love how she made a comparison to Willy Wonka The picture that she paints of her dream classroom is beautiful. It makes me want to come in and teach in her classroom. Sugata Mitra's speech was very intriguing. He made some points that really stuck with me. One point was that he said "Schools as we know them are obsolete." As scary as this is, it is completely true. Overall this video was inspiring.