Empowering Students with Technology
Blog for Preface, Introduction, & Chapters 1-3
Honestly...I have always been somewhat apprehensive about teaching with technology. My daughter has a technology teacher separate from her classroom teacher. In my school the classroom teacher is responsible for the weekly lessons. I see this book as a catalyst into my journey as a student and teacher. The possibilities are extremely clear and attainable. As Mihaly Csikszentmihakyi (1991) would say about Yves, "he was into the flow of an optimal experience." I can connect with Yves, Mr. November's former high school student, when he felt he could work better on his own terms. I was really in a great flow when I was creating my Animoto. It was bringing back memories and allowed for creativity. I was having fun and I didn't want to stop. When I shared the Animoto with parents they were amazed and were excited about how technology was being used.
A couple of common statements you'll hear me repeat throughout the day to my students are, be a problem solver, look it up, and three before me (3B4Me). I encourage them to ask each other questions and to peer tutor. I see why it's important to shift control and empowerment. Students love to learn from their peers and from different people. One of my former students began her love for poetry by using an
interactive online poetry tool. She would write several poems a week at school and began to love it so much she would go home and continue writing poems to share with the class the next day at snack. It became like a virus and others joined in but nothing matched her enthusiasm. It was cute! I hope you like the website.
I love being able to access my son's records daily. His high school, uses PowerSchool and it's been very helpful in keeping me informed of his grades, attendance, homework, and connected with his teachers. I would hope that the administrators in my school get a chance to read Mr. November's book. If a very compelling reason to informate is competition...maybe it won't be long before the competition gets serious and technology becomes commonplace in every class. Reality and a reminder of a book I read during my Undergraduate class titled Savage Inequalities reminds me that not every school budget is equal. Some districts have plenty of money and others skrimp by.
Anatomy of a web address, new to me! I learned how to read the structure of a URL to help me determine validity of a site. When I asked my son if he knew what the tilde~ in a web address means...he said no. He has never been taught how to read the structure of a URL, and like I've said he's in high school. How can learning about URL's and their structure be simplified and developmentally appropriate for young learners? Are there any simple sites or tutorials for teaching URL structure, testing/checking for validity, and assessing purpose?
Hello, my name is Michelle Klock and I am a digital immigrant. I have something in common Lisa, we both took used electronic typewriters in college. I guess we're both digital immigrants. A digital immigrant is anyone who was born before digital technology was widely adopted. Digital immigrant may also apply to those who were not exposed to computers or technology at a young age. My children and class are digital natives. They have had technology in their lives since they were babies. I know that everyday I am pushing myself to improve professionally. Yes, the "real bottleneck to creative use of technology," as Mr. November stated, is staff development and time. Of course money comes into play for my district, but these are hurdles worth leaping in my opinion. I think it would be the most amazing feeling to experience my student as my teacher. Have you ever experienced that feeling?
No comments:
Post a Comment