I believe that the biggest constraint to utilizing technology would be the cost to initiate these technologies throughout the district. But if we can afford it, then the sky is the limit in terms of preparing our students to be able to compete in a technologically advanced global society. I believe the biggest skill that we need to teach students is to how to research or gather information properly in order to promote efficiency. THey need to be problem solvers and we need to teach them how to solve problems in a methodical fashion. I will need to get acclimated to being a facilitator rather than a lecturer in my classroom. The teaching and learning will come from not just from the teacher but from the students as well. They will be able to teach and learn from each other. The creative aspect of technology has no ceiling also. The students can be very creative with their work that will lead to innovation with new projects and other tasks. There are numerous ways that I use technology now but I will have many more with this class. We can use these technologies to have the students check notes from home. I will utilize podcasts in class as well. Wikis will be prominent as well as other applications that I will learn.
As we discussed, I think we really need to concentrate on writing and keyboarding skills in order for the students to achieve success with blogging. Not only do the students have to be able to express their thoughts clearly, but they have to be able to express them succinctly. Lengthy posts will probably be ignored by other students. (They are used to “padding” their essays or responses to give the impression that they know more than they really do!) Also, the process will be tedious if their keyboarding skills are weak. I would hate for them to get frustrated with the process.
Because I only see the students once in a six-day cycle, I hope to be able to use a blog for additional time to address questions, receive feedback, clarify instruction. I’d also like to start a blog right away for the students to offer their opinions on their favorite books, websites, etc.
Dorian
I would use this technology to promote higher level thinking. Promoting higher level thinking in the classroom is extremely important. This technology allows the students to collaborate with one another in a pressure free atmosphere with all of their resources at their side to use in a time frame that can be adapted to their needs. The students are able to share thoughts, research if needed prior to responding, and make connections to their lives and the lives of others.
We need to make sure the teachers have a strong understanding of the skills needed before we try to start to teach the students these skills.
Teaching has changed since I started twenty years ago. As I learn more about Web 2.0, I realize the potential for these tools in education. I expect to see more change in the next five years than I have seen in the last twenty years. The classroom in the future will use technology as a tool for collaboration. Teachers will become facilitators. Students will become more engaged and more resposible for their own learning.
As a library media specialist, I have always been interested in the story. The new technology, specifically digital storytelling, allows students to create engaging, interactive stories. This creates heightened interest in projects and allows students to design stories with various forms of illustrations and to present facts in compelling ways (charts,videos,maps).In addition, they find ways to personalize their stories and make them unique.
Dorian and I are also brainstorming on how to utilize the new tech to develop an integrated project (bbok discussions….) between levels
I would like to foster creativity and “right brain thinking” through use of technology in the classroom. Blogging is one way to create connections with others inorder to critically assess classroom learning. Blogging means “conversation” and should stimulate critical thinking. Creativity often means “thinking-outside-the box” which can be difficult for many students. Seeing another’s perspective may stimulate that spark. I am excited about the potential for students to make global connections through blogging and to truly see an international perspective on a topic of interest.
I believe there are many ways I can use technology in the classroom after I become aware and comfortable with many of the tools. Blogging, one of the easiest ways, can enable students to comment and collaborate after reading an article/chapter. This can provide numerous advantages to both the students and the teacher. This also would allow all students the chance to voice their opinion and feelings about the content, but they could also question themselves and each other in the process. I also love the opportunity to provide differentiated learning experiences for students. By posing an essential question as a unit assessment they would be able to respond in a variety of ways, thus selecting the medium that best suits them.
Students are going to have to learn that a pc is a tool and not just a video game/entertainment device. They will have to learn to express what they are trying to say through text. Typing skills will help to get ideas out there faster so that students dont get frustrated. Also etiquette would help so that positive criticism could be left on topics.
I feel that students will need to know computer care, and also computer ethics. Without these computer skills blogging tools would be extremely difficult to monitor!!!
