Blog Post #11

First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's Class

Ms. Cassidy's first graders video helped prepare me for her Skype interview. It did a good job of showing me exactly what the kids do in the classroom. Then her Skype interview gave me a little more in depth view of it.

The thing that caught my interest the most was probably the wiki's. I like how the kids can get information from basically anywhere. They aren't limited to a text book or just searching. They actually get to talk to other people, maybe experts. If I used anything this would be the first thing I'd want to use. Another one I really enjoy is blogging, especially since I started doing C4K. I think this is an awesome way to grab the student's interest.

If I was to encounter any impediments it would probably be some of the things Ms. Cassidy mentioned for example administration or parents. To use technology in the classroom like Ms. Cassidy I'd need to make privacy for my students a priority. I could research other teachers who have used technology in the classroom and take notes from them on how best it's done. Then if administration approves everything move forward.

Technology in the classroom could have great benefits if it's used properly. In order to make it great there needs to be a lot of thought put into it. It isn't something that can be thrown together, but we are going to be teachers we shouldn't be throwing things together anyway. Students have an opportunity to learn from experts and interact with other students and teachers. Also, I think it would be so much more intriguing for the students to learn through technology.

Extra Post

A world where grades will be left behind

This is a piece from USA Today online about the potential future of education. Sebastian Thrun has created a free online learning program called Udacity. Udacity allows people to learn in fun ways from professors from around the world. The key word here I think is free, free education for people from real professors? That sounds pretty impressive, but what does this mean for me as a future educator? Will I even have a job? I think the idea is to incorporate the way Udacity is being used into schools. I as the teacher would guide the students through their learning experience.

The idea behind this is wonderful. Students are learning at their own pace, never getting behind, and only having passing grades. That's a teachers dream, but is this reasonable? Could this possibly happen in our lifetime? I think it could to an extent. Things like this do not happen overnight, but I think it's a definite possibility for the future of education.

Project #11 Short Movie

Blog Post # 10

Adventures in Pencil Integration: John T. Spencer

At first I have to say I didn't understand the cartoon. Then, after some research it was quite easy to understand. The Papermate is the norm; it's what the majority of people will go with. The Ticonderoga is a little more expensive and not many people will purchase it. However, the more educated person might purchase the Ticonderoga because it holds up longer and is not easily broken. If you follow the crowd you'll most likely purchase the Papermate, regardless if it isn't a quality purchase. The message I got from this was to think for yourself, and do not go with the norm. Maybe there are smarter choices you could be making if you weren't caught up with the crowd.

Why Were Your Kids Playing Games?

This was a very enjoyable post to read. The principal is angry with the teacher for "playing a game" during class time. However, the teacher sees it as a fun creative way to teach his kids rather than the same boring stuff over and over again. The part I really loved was this one, "If we want students to pass the rote memorization test, we need to focus on rote memorization skills." The principal goes on to ask him if he was sleeping during their meeting about this. The teacher tells him of course he was paying attention, but he is thinking to himself that he wasn't. I think this sums up how most teachers teach, by trying to get student to memorize when we should be learning.

Acceptable Use Committee

I found a third post on Mr. Spencer's blog that I enjoyed. The committee's goal is to make kids aware of "pencil predators." The predators send notes to kids to lure them in apparently. Then a teacher speaks up and says what if that goal isn't acceptable, and what if it's about being ethical instead? He says if that's the case we need an Acceptable Use policy for everything. His point being kids should be ethical critical thinkers. The leader of the group completely misses the point and says, "I think that's a brilliant idea. I'll bring that back to my supervisor. We should have Acceptable Use policies for all subjects."

This blog has a lot of neat posts that are funny and educational.

Dont teach your kids this stuff. Please?

This is a post by Scott Mcleod where it's pretty obvious he being sarcastic. What he pretty much says is do not teach your kids to grow and learn with technology. However, I will teach mine and they will have the upper hand down the road. I commented saying I liked the way he tried to convince people or not convince them to embrace technology. I learned that Mr. McLeod is an Associate Professor and his blog is called Dangerously Irrelevant. I've commented on his blog before and I've always enjoyed reading his posts.

Smart Board Project #14

PLN Progress Report

On my PLN I'm still just trying to figure it out a little better and organize what exactly I plan to do. This is one project I'd like done right. There are a couple things I'd like to ask someone in lab about, and I plan to go there soon to do that.

Project #12 Book Trailer