Mod 5 add on

The post I commented on was from http://davidwarlick.com/2cents/. Post is from 9/18.

Jen

Technology in the classroom

The blog I would like the comment on is the 2 cents blog by Dave. In the blog post on 9/18/08, he was in a teaching conference in Shanghai (which I thought was quite interesting) and summarized some important points. One being-

"Teacher now talking says that for it to be about the kids, "it’s got to be about me first." The teacher has to understand the value of the technology, and then the professional can figure out or invent ways to take into the learning experiences. She says that wikis are easier to maintain in the classroom than blogging with students. Also,
lots of talk about people Skyping into classrooms and talking about stuff with they’re doing."

I found this post important because we have all these sources of technology out there for use, and it sometimes can be overwhelming. We have to choose what is best for our students, and in turn find out which type of technology fits into their learning style. For example, if students are more auditory learners, podcasts might be a valuable tool, or if they are more visual/hands on, a blog is a nice way to foster that learning style. We can't let the technology be the "creative" aspect, but instead we need to take what we have to work with and use it in creative ways for the students. Also, the "value" of this technology is worth more than tearing down the classroom walls. It allows students to think outside the box and exposes students to different kinds of technology they might encounter in the future in their careers. In conclusion, we can't just throw that technology out to the students and tell them to pick one. It is the teacher's responsibility to tweak what we expose them to and make sure it makes the most of the way they learn and the material they produce. Teachers need to "monitor and adjust", even with technology choices.

Mod 3-Social Networking

The social networking site I believe will be the most useful to me is http://nextgen.ning.com/ Because I am not yet a teacher, being a part of this networking site will allow me to connect with progressive teachers that are trying to look toward the future as far as new methods tied in with new technology. I would rather look at "collaborative" methods that the students can relate to instead of the standard or isolated methods. Also, I am studying to be a French teacher, and looking into new innovative methods within this site can help me show my future students the culture in a new light, instead of feeling isolated within the classroom.

Mod 3-Connectivism

After thinking long and hard, I finally realized that if I could compare a learner in today's world with anything, the answer is simple: a chameleon. I say this because like a chameleon, the learner is constantly changing and tweaking ideas because of his/her environment. We need to adapt the way we learn and what we learn to a changing world to fit the circumstances of the workplace, or in everyday life, for example. Siemens said it well in his idea of connectivism when he stated:

"Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision."

A chameleon needs to change its colors depending on its environment in order to survive. For our survival, we need to make crucial decisions as to how we learn material because of constant change. If, for example, tomorrow the internet was completely obsolete and we still needed incoming information. The lens is "shifted" and we would have to decide how to adapt to that. We learn essentially through the decisions we need to make, and therefore are adapting to the fickle environment of today.

3 Main Uses for Teaching and Instruction

3 ways I could use this blog in the classroom are:

I could use this to facilitate learning by having students critique each other's work and/or give suggestions in an organized way. Within the classroom, this is hard to do because the students might be afraid of putting others or themselves "on the spot", however on the blog they have the time to think about how to give a suggestion without pressure. This would be beneficial for a paper or project the students are working on to get a more global opinion.

Another way a blog can be used is by posting videos for students. Teachers can post additional instructions/lectures through a video on a blog in case something was not covered in class that day. This could also help for a very diverse class (inclusion) because of the various levels of learning. The teacher can modify things as they wish and not have to explain things more than once in class (hopefully).

A final purpose for blogs in the classroom is to prepare students for the future. Using blogs allows students to "think outside the box" in terms of how we analyze just about anything. It shows students new technology and this is important in a world that one really needs to be technologically literate to succeed in a career later in life.

Image from Letchworth State Park, summer 2007 :o)

Hello

Hello Everyone!

This is my new blog. I'll be putting up some more interesting stuff later...

Jen