Blog Post # 11

Little Kids...Big Potential 

This is a compilation video created by Ms. Cassidy, that features her past and current students informing their audience about how they use certain technology tools in class and how those tools are beneficial to them. The students use many different forms of technology in the classroom, such as: blogging, wikis, webpages, and skype. Comments are very important to the students, when they receive comments they know that people are reading their blogs, which makes them want to write more. Some students stated that blogging has improved their writing and they are able to see and sound out words much better. The students also created a wiki, which they used to communicate and connect with many different people to learn about different traditions and rituals. Ms. Cassidy also allowed her students to use a DS in the classroom, while I'm not sure if the game they were playing was beneficial to their learning, I do believe this could be considered a "head fake". While playing with DS, students learned to share, make decisions, and became better problem solvers.

Skype Interview with Ms. Cassidy (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3)

"We have to change, the world has changed." I admirer Ms. Cassidy's approach to technology. She was given three new computers, and rather than letting them collect dust, she began researching different ways the computers could be beneficial to her students. 

One idea I really liked was the classroom webpage, created by Ms. Cassidy. I plan on having a classroom web page and a class blog. The web page is not only used for informing parents about what is happening in the classroom, but is a place that students can visit when they are at home and want to play educational games or activities. Parents don't have to search for content that is educational, because it is already provided by the teacher. With some assistance from their parents, students would only have to go to the classroom webpage and click on the links or material provided by their teacher. 

I would certainly use her technique for teaching students about protecting themselves on the internet and the dos and don'ts of the internet. In order to protect their privacy, students are only able to use their first names when blogging. If the teacher posts pictures of her students to the blog, she doesn't match the photo of the child with the name. Ms. Cassidy also said we should be teaching our students how to be digital citizens. Digital citizens try to be positive and offer constructive criticism when commenting. If conflict does arise, the best thing to do is to talk to the students and discuss any negative remarks they have made. 

Ms. Cassidy says that when approaching technology, start with what you are interested in. If you are interested in making videos, you should join YouTube, photography, you should create a flickr account, writing, you should start blogging. I hope to incorporate all of these tools into my classroom, and let my students explore and use them. Hopefully one of these tools will peak their interest and they will continue to use them outside of the classroom.

One impediment I might encounter, is the lack of tools and resources. As of right now, not all schools have an iPad, laptop, notebook, or computer for each student. Some elementary schools don't even allow their lower level students to use the computer lab. I would address the use of the computer lab problem, by talking to the Principal and discussing how using technology would be beneficial to my student's learning. 

One benefit from using technology in the classroom is that it will aide in creating a fun and engaging environment for my students. A benefit from having my students blogging is that their blogs will be online portfolios of the work they have created throughout the year. Parents are able to see their child's progress, teachers are able to see where their students were at the end of their last school year, and students are able to go back and reflect on the work they created and see how they have progressed.