Students First

Wow- 3 weeks have gone by so fast and there's a lot that I have learned in my ED110 class with Faye. My Xs and Os (strategies~ duh! =)) on teaching has definitely been molded into something that will be life changing- for myself and for my future students! 

Things I've learned: Students First. I will not go wrong if I true hold to that statement. All the lesson planning is done for the students, so it should be focused around their interests. So if they're interested in technology, use it! 

How I'll engage 21st century learners: Center the lesson around real-life scenarios so that learning is real to them. And during the curriculum time, make sure I involve the students in some way. And lastly, there are so many programs out there- free of cost!- that will grab most, if not all, of the students' attention. Use it!

I loved how Faye made the class mostly self-directed. Instead of just showing us programs that are out there, she gave us time in class to explore and see what the programs are all about. And one thing she said was "never take the mouse and do it for the student." At work, I caught myself reaching my hand out to help a child- basically doing it for the child. I quickly pulled my hand back to allow the student to learn for himself.  

Thank you, Faye. 

SMART boards, SMART me, SMART them

A pastor said once in a sermon "You may have the right stuff, but you may not succeed. A Christian might have all the components in living a life for Christ- a church they attend, have brothers and sisters in Christ they can fellowship with, and read the Bible- that doesn't mean that they're going to succeed. Why?  Because they might not be using the components to their fullest. The article Teaching with Interactive Whiteboards by Robert J. Marzano is echoing the same message- we have something amazing that will engage the students in learning and raise their percentile point gain by at least 16 points (!), but if we do not learn how to use a SMART board and use it to its potential, then the students will not succeed. 

So now what? 

1. Remember that less is more. The IWB (interactive whiteboards) do not have to be over-the-top to grab their attention. 

2. Make sure the objective of the lesson plan is being carried out. Slow down if you have to!

3. Most important- make sure the students are engaged.

SMART board is a tool to engage the students. SMART me is what becomes of me when I effectively use this tool. And SMART them is what happens as a result. =)

Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants

According to Marc Prensky, digital natives are the children and students who use technology on an every day basis and is incorporated in their lives. Digital Immigrants are the opposite of them: they are learning to adapt to technology. This concept changes the teachers' roles because we have to do more than stand up there and teach. We are responsible to engage these students at their level, in their language. To engage these digital natives, we need to adjust our curriculum and add in technology in order for the students to learn. I like the way Marc Prensky puts it- "learning new ways to do old stuff." In Jr. High, I remember learning about history through the game Oregon Trail and taking reading tests through a game. Playing those games did not seem like learning at all! 


Is there a solution for digital immigrant teachers? Yes! 
1. Understand that there IS a change in how children learn today. 
2. Take classes to see what's out there that we are able to incorporate into the lesson plans. Don't want to take classes? Just ask the students!


Easier said than done. However, if children are our future, shouldn't we do our best to engage and educate them? 

Technology

When it comes to technology in school, five common ideas that I've noticed are . . .

1. Technology is a great way to engage students in learning.

2. The world expects there future students to be technologically advanced.

3. Students feel like they are not able to express themselves in classrooms.

4. Technology is everywhere.

5. When technology is used right, it is a powerful tool.

21st century skills is the ability to utilize the resources around us and knowing where to find it to research about anything and everything. 21st century skills are important for learners today because they are living  in a world that requires them to be able to use technology (emails, blogs, Microsoft, etc.) and implement it in their daily lives. With the vast amount of information that's out there, the role of technology with regard to 21st century skills is to enable people to access the information and use it to its maximum capacity.  I think using technology in classrooms is a great idea, but how would I go about it in a 1st grade classroom where they don't have cell phones? Is it too early for technology to be introduced in 1st grade?