Thursday, May 31, 2012

New Learners of the 21st Century Reflection

When I first started watching this video I kept thinking, "how can students learn all they need to learn by creating video games."  The more I watched, the more I became intrigued with what different educators and students were saying.  Technology is becoming a huge part of our society and no doubt about it, kids need to keep up to date with it.  The new innovative ways teachers are bringing technology into the classroom is amazing and seems to be a success.  I just can't help but think how students need to learn the basics first.  Although it may be unrealistic, I feel it is so important for students to learn the traditional basics before they can jump into a constant technological learning environment.  For example, learning how to write (by hand), having legible handwriting, learning cursive, learning how to speak in front of groups, etc.  With that said, I also technology is a very important component to education today.  I think the challenge is finding a balance between "traditional education" and this new idea of technology based education.  Allowing students to explore new technology and communicate with technology allows students to be engaged, but also to be ready for the future.  Allowing students to communicate via chat rooms, blogs, discussion boards, etc. encourages students who may be quieter in class to participate and share their ideas.  Technology in the classroom opens doors and allows for all students with different learning styles to come together and work together.  I really liked the part of the video where teachers spoke out about being replaced by technology.  The teacher responded by saying, yes, technology is advanced and is being brought in the classroom more and more but there still needs to be the teacher to teach and lead the class.  Technology is just another resource we can use in the classroom.
I also couldn't help thinking about the schools that cannot access technology resources for their classrooms.  Are those students going to be left behind?  How can we allow for all students to have access to these new technology resources?  If technology is going to be leading the next generation, it only makes sense that all students have access to it. 

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Giving Reluctant Students a Voice Reflection

This article was really interesting to read.  Like the article said, there are always certain students in a classroom that are the quiet ones, or don't feel comfortable participating in class discussions.  Allowing those students to participate in a safe, anonymous, comfortable way, makes great discussion possible within the classroom.  Technology has opened so many new doors in the classroom, one of which brings everyone together.  There is always going to be students that are uncomfortable sharing their ideas but have great ideas to bring to the table.  Through chat rooms, blogs, group chats, and other various forms of communication via new technology, classrooms are becoming more collaborative and inviting to everyone.  I think teachers, especially teaching older grades should incorporate various forms of technology into their classroom so students can be exposed to new technology, but also, so everyone feels comfortable participating. 

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Target Standard for Summer 2012 Semester

Reading
5.7 The student will demonstrate comprehension of information from a variety of print resources.
a.) Develop notes that include important concepts, summaries, and identification of information sources.
b.) Organize information on charts, maps, and graphs.

There are lots of ways to link different activities for different learning styles to this standard.  Some of these activities include, setting up a discussion board for students to share comments on relating to what they are reading or certain reading strategies they used while reading, using a program like wall-wisher for students to post ideas about what the theme of the book is or certain features of the book, etc.  There are lots of different ways to incorporate technology into this standard.

iLearn Technology Blog Reflection: Replacing the Friday Folder with a Podcast

After reading this blog on using voxie pro as a Friday folder substitute, I found it interesting and motivating to think outside the box using technology in the classroom as well as at home for parents.  Assuming all parents have some sort of technology to view these audio updates, this sounds like a really great idea.  I agree with the teachers in that this is a much more efficient way to update parents on their children rather than just sending a sheet of paper home.  Because teachers are recording during the activity/during the school day, students are able to recall information better and are more focused on giving details.  I also agree with the comment about how interesting it would be to start this with a kindergardener and follow them through their years of schooling.  That would be a remarkable way to track progress and visually see and hear where students may need improvement.  I can imagine parents find a certain joy in seeing and hearing their child and their child's teachers give updates on what they are learning in school.  This is a fantastic idea that takes "Friday Folders" to a new level!