One of the biggest lessons I've learned in reading these articles and watching these videos is that technology stops for no man. Just because a bunch of people have gotten used to doing something one way does not mean that's the way it should remain! The Tools For Change article addresses just that concern! Of course we are all used to reading from text books and regular books but it's very possible that it's going to be more cost effective and easier for students do download their books and texts to e-reading devices! The teacher shouldn't be the one telling the students how to do things EXACTLY. They should be letting the students explore new ways with new technologies. It should not be left up to the "geeky" teachers to stay current with technology. No teacher should rely on another one to teach their students about the technologies that exist for them to use. Every teacher should be actively seeking new and better ways that will help them teach students and for students to better understand and learn.
The Social Networking article taught me a lot more than I knew about social networking websites. I (along with millions of other people) am on Facebook but I never really saw any potential for it beyond status updates and looking up old girlfriends (which I don't do anymore because I'm married...anyway). I never thought that every class could have a group on Facebook that could allow students/parents/teachers post questions, comments, assignments, or basically anything. In fact this is the first semester that I've experienced something similar in my own learning experience. Our cohort has a group on Facebook and it's amazing at how much information I have gained from it. I am reminded of assignments that are due, I can post questions that I have for other students or teachers, and I can live chat with anyone if I want to go over specifics of an assignment or test. I never made the connection that I could do the same thing with my own future classrooms. Obviously there needs to be the understanding that not all parents want their kids on Facebook or something like that but there must be other more "kid friendly" social networking sites that could deliver the same results. This is an idea that I will definitely use because I really want to stay connected with my class on a day to day basis.
One of the biggest lessons I learned was regarding the workshops that are available to educators. I know there are some listed on the class website but in doing a little more research I found hundreds of different workshops that can help educators develop their skills further. I always assumed that workshops were day long events where you had to listen to someone lecture for 8 hours and you had to pay 200 dollars to get in and all there is for lunch is some cheese and crackers. With online workshops, however, you can complete them at your own pace and don't have to do them all in one sitting. I did notice that they had workshops that you can participate live though. The benefits of this is that you can ask questions and get almost instantaneous responses! Who doesn't like attending a workshop in their PJ's? :) I love the idea that no matter what form of technology I may be struggling with or have questions about I can basically find any workshop to fulfill my and my student's needs.
No comments:
Post a Comment