In Mrs. Cassidy's video Little Kids, Big Potential she gives viewers a peek into how her first graders are using the Internet and technology in class. Throughout the video the students show how they're using laptops, SMARTboards, blogs, and wikis to expand there learning and improve their writing skills. I think it is amazing how computer proficient Mrs. Cassidy's first graders are. It is wonderful that they are getting the opportunity to start using helpful tools like wikis and skyping experts at such a young age.
I really hope that I am lucky enough to be in a school that isn't afraid of today's technology. I definitely would love to have my students have a class blog. It is a great way for the student's to track what they've learned during my class and see how they've improved throughout the year. I also liked that Mrs. Cassidy had a class verbiage. A class web page would be great for communicating with students after school is out. By posting links that I've found to it, I can be sure my students are finding safe and informative information. In her Skype interview with Dr. Strange Mrs. Cassidy mentioned that teachers need to change their way of teaching because the world has changed. I know that students today LOVE technology, I'm one of them, and that if I refuse to embrace that fact then I'm only hurting my students. I agree with Mrs. Cassidy, we have to take advantage of the tools and technology around us in order to keep from handicapping our students. I know it won't always be a walk in the park and there's bound to be a few speed bumps, but that's life and there's usually a lesson to be learned in the process.
I totally agree with you Paula. Mrs. Cassidy is doing great things in her classroom. I too plan to follow her methods and let my students have blogs. I think all teachers should model their methods similar to hers and use as much technology as we can.
ReplyDeleteAs you know, I am an enthusiastic fan of blogging. I hope you will be a blogging teacher!
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