Blog Post #11

"Using Technology To Our Advantage"

Kathy Cassidy's video "Little Kids...Big Potential," we get a glance at how the first graders in Kathy's classroom are using technology in their classroom. She begins by telling us a little about how her classroom has evolved to incorporate technology into their daily routine. I found it very interesting to hear about how young these students are and they are learning about, and doing, the same thing I am learning in my class. The students sounded so excited to be learning something new, and even more excited they were able to incorporate computers into their daily routine. I really enjoyed hearing the students speak about their blogs and the comments they get on them. It just reassured me that all the C4C's we leave for students do have an impact on them, whether it is just a short little message, or a long paragraph. Those comments boost their confidence just by knowing someone out there is reading what they wrote. Kathy Cassidy's students seemed to have a vast knowledge of how to use the technology in the classroom to their advantage in many other ways as well. They explained they can find things on the internet through their webpage, and look to see what other classrooms have on their blogs.

After watching Dr. Strange's interviews with Kathy Cassidy Part 1, 2, and 3, she gives a lot of advice about how to incorporate technology into our future classrooms. She starts by telling us about her journey with technology in the classroom in Part 1. In Part 2, she offers many ideas such as FLIKR, Twitter, and blogging for students who have special interest in certain subjects. These online resources can contribute to the construction of the students' networks, because all three allow the students to connect with other students and teachers all over the world, and enable them to share their knowledge and experiences. This will aid not only in their educational journey, but also in their creative journey. Kathy spoke specifically in the Part 2 video about how she built her PLN (Personal Learning Network). I was intrigued to find out that she built her PLN from being an avid Twitter user. She explains that Twitter can be used to find other teachers who you can "follow," and share ideas, links to helpful websites, and your thoughts about what is happening in your classroom right now with. I personally found it interesting when Kathy explained that new or future teachers can follow each other and help one another by sharing tips that have helped them so far. Before I watched these videos, I was not exactly sure how using Twitter fit into building my PLN, or why I needed to have one for class. However, I am aware now of the benefits having and using Twitter can have for me and my future career. It can definitely be used for more than just sharing my weekend plans.

Although I am a Secondary Education major and will not be teaching children as young as Mrs. Cassidy, I plan to use some of the techniques she has used with her students. I love the idea of having a class website! I think that is an excellent way of keeping track of the weekly agenda, homework assignments that are due, and any resources that can be used in the studying process. When I was attending High School, the teachers gave out so many papers. You had papers for homework, papers for study guides, papers for a syllabus, papers for the class agenda. It was all papers, papers, papers! Of course, all of these were the responsibility of the student to keep up with. It never failed however, that someone always lost something. Having a class website will keep everything the students need all in one spot. This will be more organized, require the student to carry less around with them, and is way more convenient. The students will have everything they need for class, to do homework, and to study all at their disposal all the time. I also plan to have the students keep a blog on the assignments they do in my class. PBL is going to be a big center for my classroom, and I would like the students to keep a blog about their experiences with each project, what they learned from it, and their part in the projects if they were a group project. I am going to be a Math teacher and incorporating PBL can be somewhat of a challenge, so I believe it is important for all of us Math teachers to share our ideas with each other when possible (maybe on Twitter). The links to all of the students' blogs will of course be posted on the class website to aid as another resource for the students.

Mrs. Cassidy has some great ideas and a lot of experience to share when it comes to incorporating technology into your classroom. However, I know I will face a few bumps in the road when it is time for me to implement some of them. One thing, I am assuming by the time I have my own classroom, all my students will have access to their own computer or iPad. However, that may not be the case. I know most schools are working toward that now, but I have to consider the possibility that I may be teaching at a school this is not in effect as of yet. In which case, I will rework my lesson plan to include Lab Time. For this, we will go to the computer lab as a class, once or twice a week, and work on our blogging, etc. then. Although I love the convenience and accessibility of having a class website with "all you need to know" information for the students, I know not all my students will have access to internet connection when not at school. Which means, they will have to use the website at other times when they have access to internet. Another bump I may face is the students not knowing how to blog. In this case, I will have to set aside time in the lesson plan to instruct the students on setting up their blog and how to use it. I know it will not be easy at first, but I fully believe that the end result will be worth all the work and the bumps in the road. Knowing my students experienced that confidence boost and feeling of achievement, like that of Kathy Cassidy's, will be all the proof needed to show just how beneficial technology can be to an "Ever-Evolving Student and Teacher."