Sunday, April 7, 2013

Blog Post #11


Technology in the Today's Classroom 
 Ms.Cassidy is a first grade teacher in Canada who is using technology in terms of blogs, wikis, videos and even the Nitendo DS games to help teach her students. In her first YouTube video titled First Graders in Ms.Cassidy's Class the students talk about what they have learned in her class and what they do with the technology. I loved the part where the students are talking about how you are to comment on another's page and what you can/cannot do so to not "be mean". It shows that what Ms.Cassidy is teaching is not only how to make a video or play a game but that they are learning how and why they are using this technology  With the blogs two students said that their writing was getting better because they kept using their blogs and you can tell that when others comment on their blog that it made them want to keep writing more. One part that I want to use in my classroom is the DS games because, while most might see them as a waste of time, over the years I have seen why they are very important. While babysitting one afternoon one of the boys showed me a game on his DS that he loved and in it you had to spell any item that would help the hero get to the end. Like if he was at a cliff, the boy needed to spell "rope" correctly so that the hero could keep going. Over time I saw that his spelling  and reading were getting better because of the game and I want my own students to see that they can both learn and have fun. In the second video titled Skype Interview with Ms.Cassidy talks about how she started using technology in her classroom, why she using Twitter and Skype, what other teachers in her school think about what she is doing and most importantly why those in EDM310 need to keep learning. In the past knowing how to type or make a PowerPoint was all that someone needed to know but today, as Ms.Cassidy and her students have shown, you need much more if you want to keep up and thrive. It was sad though to hear that there were many teachers in her school who did not want to change their teaching styles simply because they have been using it for so long and did not want to learn. She keeps going in spite of what others say or do and her students will not only be more prepared for the real world but will also see learning a new system or program as something to enjoy and not fear. I hope that I can inspire my own students to love all that technology can do for them in the coming years too. 

4 comments:

  1. Cari,
    What a great post! I haven't read the material for my own blog post 11 yet, but reading yours has made me excited to do so. I think it is great that this first grade teacher is using technology and things like DS games. It is hard to find an elementary student who doesn't know their way around a video game and to see that she is using them to her advantage is fantastic. It is sad to hear that some teachers are not willing to change to help encourage the children, maybe we will be those teachers in the future who will use technology for the betterment of the classroom. Keep up the great posts!
    Whitley Byrd

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  2. Hi Cari!
    When I was in high school, teachers wrote on overhead projectors. Yea, I feel old now. :o

    I would love to know the name of the DS game you mentioned the little boy playing. I have a 5 and an 8 year old, and they love their DS games.

    I too loved that the students mentioned that people reading their posts made them want to post more, and posting more results in them becoming better writers. I've said this many times before, an audience makes all the difference when writing.

    Nice post!

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  3. Thanks Amanda!
    The game is called "Scribblenauts". I've played it before and it's a lot of fun. I hope they like it too! :)

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  4. "... it made them want to keep writing more." What more could we ask for?

    "there were many teachers in her school who did not want to change their teaching styles simply because they have been using it for so long and did not want to learn." Did not want to learn. And they claim to be teachers?!

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