Friday, May 31, 2013

Blog post #2

1. Mr. Dancealot by Haley Torries

In "Professor Dancealot" by Michael Johnson, Mr. Dancealot was an awful teacher! He demonstrated the steps behind the desk and then got mad whenever a student got up to watch. He was teaching a dance class and did not let his students practice the moves. It saddens me that almost all of my previous teachers taught this way as well. They would give me different concepts and then expect me to piece them all together without any starting point. This video helped me see how not to teach.

2. Teaching in the 21st Century by Kaitlyn Parker
Roberts believes teaching in the 21st century is about engagement instead of entertainment. Teachers are no longer the only source of information for students, but teachers are the filter for the information. Students now have access to iPad's, computers, and smartphones where they can access Google, You-tube, or Facebook wherever and whenever they want or need. Technology gives them access to anything they need. Students can easily "Google" any question they have and within seconds get millions of responses. I feel that teachers are still needed in the classroom but they can utilize technology to excel their teaching and engagement with the students. Technology is growing and improving each and every day. As an educator technology will be used in my classroom to help me engage with my students. This will help teach them concepts I may not have been able to teach them using just a textbook and chalkboard.

3. The Networked Student by Haley Torries

"The networked student" video allows students to discover more of what technology has to offer. I enjoyed watching this video. I believe students become more engaged with this type of learning.  They also connect with other people and their ideas. 

This is a diagram of the networked student.


Why does the networked student even need a teacher? The student needs a teacher as a coach whenever they feel like their research has hit a brick wall, to help them organize what they discover and keep them in the right direction. The teacher makes sure the student understands how to communicate properly with people all over the world by being kind and eager to learn. The teacher is also needed to make sure they are searching on sites that use correct information to back up their opinions.


I definitely believe a networked student needs a teacher. I think a better name for the teacher would be mentor. Mentors are there to answer any questions the student has
while helping them become more independent in the field they are studying. I look forward to mentoring children and watching their imaginations grow.

4. Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts by Paula Lu
In the video “Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts,” by Vicki Davis, Davis shows us how technology can be good for students. If you give them something they do not know how to use, then they will figure it out. She allows the students to teach each other and work together. Students can get bored of listening to a teacher lecture. Therefore, Davis lets her students demonstrate what they have learned. She gets them involved with technology. Technology is expanding and will eventually start invading the classroom, why not put it to good use? 

I like the way that she teaches her students to use technology to teach themselves. If they have questions or do not know something, she is always there to help but they also have the tools to look it up.

The Edutopia website has many tips and ways to make teaching and learning fun for the students. Showing teachers ways that can keep their students interested and wanting to learn. 


5. Flipping the Classroom - 4th Grade STEM by Kabrina Harris

Flipping the classroom is a great concept that allows all students to learn at their own pace. I really believe that this way of learning could be helpful to all children and should be used in all schools. The best part of this program is that children get a chance to review the material before coming to class. Skipping the lecture allows students more time to ask questions to clear up problems that they may be having. Children can benefit from this program by being able to see the material more than once. I believe that the more time that they get to spend on a subject, the better they will become at it. This method gives students the opportunity to ask questions in class. Students can pause, rewind, and watch the video as many times as needed to effectively understand the information. This method seems to be very effective and I may even flip my classroom in the future!

7 comments:

  1. Great! I see you have correct the mistake that I found. "More of what" sounds 100 % better.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree with you that Mr. Dancealot had poor teaching skills. I have also had teachers teach this way and not give clear instructions and expect the students to figure it out themselves.

    I like that you said teachers are like mentors and find it interesting but correct.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I think "the networked student" is cool. It gives students a chance to explore what is outside of their school, their city, or their district. It gives them an opportunity to connect to other people in other places who have the same interest as they do. The only thing that I do not like about it is that there is so much on the internet for them to access, what are the chances they access something that they are not suppose to or should not see?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is what scares me the most too. Who is going to stop a child predator from seeking out these children new to the internet? Or keep them from accessing things they are too young to understand?

      Delete
  4. Haley,

    You still need alt and title modifiers for your pictures. I agree that teachers should be called mentors. They should be there to help but not do the work for the students. Do not be afraid to add more detail next time!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your advice. I will go add the alt and title to my pictures.

      Delete