Blog Post Assignment #2

Blog Post Assignment #2

1.)   a. I believe the central message in this video is that an educator needs to use accurate methods of teaching based on their subject. A PowerPoint and a book can only get you so far in a dancing class. In the end, it isn't going to make you a good dancer at all.
       b. The author makes that evident by pointing out that he is using a PowerPoint (wow!) to teach a dance class. The students are obviously confused in class and do not understand the moves at all based on his teaching technique.
       c. I agree with the conclusion 100%. In order to be a good teacher you have to know the best way to present the information to the class. Otherwise, your students will not learn the material affectively and in turn, their grades will suffer.

2.)  Robert believes that to teach is not to simply transfer facts to students. He thinks that teachers must be just as up to date with technology as the students and it is our job to teach them how to apply their skills in real life.

       Outline:
              What Does It Mean To Teach?
                       1. Teachers are now only used to transfer facts
                       2. Children now have instant access to all information
                            a. Google, Twitter, Facebook, etc.
                       3. Teachers must now teach students how best to use these resources
                            a. How to validate information is the most important skill
                            b. How to apply this in the real world
                       4. Teachers need a new strategy of teaching
                            a. We must now learn to use technology to connect with students

        Personally, I don't like how Robert sees teaching changing. It's a sad realization that life has now become completely reliant on technology. This means for me as an educator, there is a whole lot more for me to learn. I have to learn how to reapply technology and use it to connect with my students by teaching them how technology can further their education.

3.) In The Networked Student, Wendy Drexler addresses how a "networked student" professionally uses technology to further his own education experience by subscribing to blogs and websites, contacting professionals, and connecting all of his medias into one location. The author is saying that student are becoming less and less dependent on teachers for facts and instead need someone to guide them into this technological world.
     It's true, students no longer need teachers for their original purposes. It's important for us as educators to know where these new advances are leading students and it is our jobs to teach them how to best apply these skills in their education. Whether we recognize or not the fact remains that students are being pulled further and further out of the classroom and more and more into their cell phones and laptops. These tools can either have negative or positive affects on a students educative experience.

4.) In Vicki's Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts , she discusses how her students are not just learning but also teaching themselves and each other how to connect with the world by using new software. Vicki doesn't think she should have to be up front all the time and she is more of a guide in the classroom. I think this is an exciting new take to the educator role. It allows for us to also still always be learning and it requires our students to learn things for themselves by working together and asking questions when they get stuck. This is an improvement from the previous methods of feeding them information and then asking them to regurgitate back on tests.

5.) In Dr. Strange's video, he talks about his visit to Gulf Shores Elementary School. He explains how Kindergarten through first grade students had just received mac books and were already using them. In doing this, he compares their progress with undergrad and grad students simultaneously. I believe, that elementary students are indeed ahead in the race. I don't however believe this is our fault. Like every generation before us, we are coming to the end of our education tracks. In turn, new generations are being introduced to the newest technologies. This was true for my own generation at one time. Technology is constantly advancing, for all older generations we only have ourselves to rely on for making sure we keep up with the race.

6.)  In Ms. Munafo's video Flipping the Classroom, she explains the process of "flipping". Flipping a classroom is not a new topic for me. I had a taste of this myself in my high school chemistry courses and of course, most of my college courses so far. I believe this approach will be very useful to me as a teacher. I've seen it work in my own personal experience already and it helped me learn a lot easier than I believed possible. Ms. Munafo was right about all the positive outcomes of flipping a classroom. Students come to class more prepared and it allows us teachers to talk about the next step a lot quicker than if the lesson had taken place in class instead of online the night before.

7.) I absolutely adore this article Bringing the Locker Room into the Classroom. There is nothing I enjoy more than open discussion in a classroom. My favorite classes at South so far are the ones where the students debate, discuss, and collaborate together on an idea that a teacher throws out on the table. I think that's one of the things a teacher should do. We shouldn't be the only ones talking. We should simply guide discussion and answer questions when needed. I believe this is a tactic that I will use frequently as an educator. So, yes, I believe bringing the locker room to the classroom is a fantastic tactic.

Let's Bring the Game to the Classroom