After coming from a fun filled summer vacation, students are not all that motivated to face the "walls" of schools and the tasks that is are out for them to do. Vicki thinking about the needs of her students, creates at learning atmosphere through the use of technology and also incorporating the use of cell phones.
I would be excited to have Vicki as my teacher. She is very creative in making education through the use of technology interactive and interesting for students. Students have accounts where they have free access to their school work, daily calendar, the teacher's lesson plan, and class links ( just to name a few. They even are exposed to tagging which they use to display any given assignment. Tag ‘codes’ are used to help students remember assignments.
Looking at the detailed lesson plan, one can say that she is very organized and she knows what she is about. All students are aware of their daily task / classroom activities.
According to Carly Fiorina," Many people see technology as the problem behind the so called digital divide. Others see it as a solution. Technology is neither. It operates in conjunction with business, economics, political and social system.” http://thinkexist.com/quotation/many_people_see_technology_as_the_problem_behind/201925.html
I do agree with this quotation. I believe Vicki operates her classroom in his format in order for her students to be successful.
Simple Navigations are used, to create a student friendly environment and easy manipulation. Links and homepages are created for each grade level.
The video on the page even though seems entertaining, displays a meaningful picture of the importance of cell phones. Cell phones are most times viewed as “dangerous weapons” for the young minds. As a parent and also a teacher I am well aware of this. However Vicki being the “queen” of technology created an environment for her students, where they have the opportunity of using their cell phones as a learning tool. Students are allowed to store important information on any given topic related to various lessons, others chose to use their cell phones to remind them of upcoming tests and quizzes.
The good BOOK says, “Without a vision the people perish.” Vicki has a vision for her students. Based what I have seen and read the vision is to prepare them for the “working world” being equipped with technology in the 21st century.
What scares me the most is the fact thatI am not a technology specialty, therefore will I be able to create such meaningful gadget/s to benefit the students that I teach. Will my students become “technology frozen” because I am unable to create a technology atmosphere for them?
My concern is, as a regular ed teacher, when will I find the time to incorporate various web tools in my lesson planning or expose my students to these web tools when I have to prepare them for State exams/ assessments. One might say integrate technology in your lesson planning. Is their enough money in the budget that can be totally spend on Technology?
ED BLOGS
I was fascinated by the way in which Dr Scott McLeod created a list of Ed blogs that will be beneficial to educators including me. He had a wide variety of Ed blogs for elementary and secondary teachers to choose from.
I enjoyed reading the Canadian teacher list. She gave detailed description as to what each Ed blog entails and its purpose.
Finally I would also like to give credit to the top 50 Ed blogs. This gave full explanation on how educators should use the Ed blogs mentioned.
Ed Blogs have advantages and disadvantages:
* They most of them are user friendly.
* Encourage effective communication.
* Develop writing skills.
* Easy for students to read and give constructive feedbacks
* May not be easy to maintain and to update
* May be difficult for students who have low computer skills or no access to the computer/internet.
* Blogs are not confidential so you must be careful what you post.
http://www.journalpioneer.com/Opinion/Editorials/2010-09-17/article-1772036/Moving-toward-a-digital-classroom/1
I agree with your views. Everything in life has its pros and cons. I like you found this Vicki's blog very interesting.
ReplyDeleteWell said my dear. This video has again given us food for thought. I too share the concern of too much technology possibly having a negative effect on the state test. In this era where accountability as it regards to test results is so high, educators have to be so careful of what they introduce to students. Technology is great but has its place. We just have to be more innovative in how we use it so it enhances the preparation for state testing not hinder it. Thanks for a great post.
ReplyDeleteVery nice post. The very fact that you are reflecting on your use of technology versus state exams is healthy. I would caution you not to feel too old fashioned. After all, many of the tools we are exploring in our class are less than six years old. Vicki is obviously an early adopter, but we can all learn from her sharing of her experiences (as I continue to do by subscribing to her blog in Google Reader). Just think about the exposure to new ideas we have all seen in this class in just 3 weeks! As we progress, you will find your comfort level with exploring will increase...and that will give you ideas about incorporating those parts that make sense for YOUR class into your teaching, potentially improving learning for students (and raising state exam scores).
ReplyDeleteAs you speak that you are not in a comfort zone with technology, i definitey share the same experience with you. However as Dr Watwood suggests, reflect on the new ideas we have seen in the last 3 weeks.
ReplyDeleteWe may not all be like innovate Ms Davis with cell phones in our class but with our creativity we can utilize more of the wed2.0 tools in our lesson to meet our N-Gen learners
Your post is very interesting. I agree with you on your thoughts. But know soon you will feel more relaxed with using technology. Let me just point out that sometimes things look difficult, but when we start doing them its like a "piece of cake". So, I know you will find a way to incorporate web 2.0 in your classroom when you get the chance.
ReplyDeletePhenomenal woman is what I want to be just as you state it about Vicki. I wish I could be as organized as her and Wendy. These individuals are very creative and that is what some of us as teachers are lacking.
ReplyDeleteI share your pain, because I ask myself these questions daily and it truly bothers me. I want to be able to use technology as a tool to get my students from one level to the other but there are so many things I don't know and I am hoping that at the end of this course, I will be better able to foster growth and development in these creative minds that we have on a daily basis. Children are the future so we have to push them in this technological world. Can I do this? I will surely try. Great post. I enjoyed reading it.
I look at your definition at the begining of your post and I think of myself and laugh as I know I am in need of some form of organizational plan. Technology will provide that but sometimes I am so hesitant to get entangled with it.
ReplyDeleteMaybe if I had a teacher like Vicki who made it fun and a part of my learning I would be more inclined to use it.
This is not something I want for my students so I try to use technology with them and as I continue to learn I will pass on this information to them [as much as first graders can do]. I am their computer teacher :) .
I want to do right by my students as I prepare them for higher grades and life outside of the classroom.
Great job with your post!
My friend, I too would have enjoyed having Vicki as my teacher! Returning to school and having an interactive class and lesson to learn with a dynamic teacher would be loads of fun.
ReplyDeleteThis is how I want my students to think of their time spent in my classroom. Technology is a wonderful teaching tool, I agree, and the pros far outweighs the cons.