Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Post #2
I really enjoyed the Creating Classrooms We Need article. I think sometimes we, as teachers, can get so bogged down in paperwork and conferences and learning objectives that we can forget to enjoy our jobs. I particularly liked the bulletin point about being flexible and letting students guide their own learning. Everyone produces better and more meaningful work when it's tied to something that interests them. I think that introducing more technology and Web 2.0 tools into the classroom or media center only fosters that kind of meaningful learning. With resources like Twitter and other social media, students can easily be drawn in to new topics. From there, they can use other resources such as podcasts (like the My daily info-wrangling routine article suggested) to learn more and become more passionate about what interests them. I can truly see the significance of keeping a PLN as a media center specialist, and even as a teacher. Keeping up-to-date and in touch with new technology will lead to digital fluency, which will in turn lead to reaching more students and helping them find their passions. And isn't that the most important thing a teacher can do?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
As a new teacher it is often times overwhelming to not become bogged down. Even though I went to school for 4 years I am learning something new about the job daily. I think if I use some the resources that I learned about in these classes, the students will become interested in their learning. I now understand why it is important to keep an up- to- date PLN.
ReplyDeleteAt my school it seems that some want to embrace technology and others want to hold it back some. For example, we have all these cool educational websites, but we have to wait for them to be unblocked in order to use them in the classroom. My school is moving towards BYOT, but it isn't quite there yet. I think in 2 years we could potentially have it.
ReplyDeleteI think you make a valid point about people producing better and more meaningful work. The way we differentiate lessons for our students should be the same with Web 2.0 tools. Not every tool is right for every learner or for every purpose. It seems to me that as much as we are willing to explore Web 2.0 tools, we should allow our students to explore tools as well. If we work with our students to explore new technology, we can come up with valuable and meaningful projects.
ReplyDeleteI am not yet a full time teacher nor a media specialist, but I can already anticipate an eventful career ahead of me. Every day there are new and exciting tools to be accessed, but I agree with Stephen that many of these sites are blocked and we have to wait to access them. In another one of my classes we are about to be discussing computer filtering and what our students can access. I think it will be very enlightening to discuss. Should we keep the standards we have now or change them?
ReplyDeleteIt is sometimes hard to incorporate new ideas and technology into our lessons because of everything that must be covered. I do agree that it is a great way to differentiate with all different types of learners. I do think it is important for teachers and media specialists to be up to date on technological advancements. In order for our students to be lifelong learners, we must be.
ReplyDeleteI feel that our kids need to be encouraged to use all the technology we can allow them to use. The world is becoming more a more technology based and they have to be able to navigate the world they live in.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on the benefits of keeping a PLN. It is not only a great way to stay abreast on the issues or topics that you are interested in but also an excellent way to manage your information.
ReplyDelete