Blog Post #14

  Jose Picardo

      Mr. Picardo's blog is filled with stimulating posts and provides several different tools that are easily accessible by educators. Mr. Picardo has made using technology in the classroom seem simple. Before watching this video I never really thought about using any of the other tools Mr. Picardo suggested. I know plan to incorporate some of the tools he mentioned into my classroom. He suggests 10 tips on how to integrate the different forms of technology in the classroom. Here is a list of his tips:
1.Streaming Video
 2.Music
3.Teleconferencing
4.Interactive exercises
5.Interactive whiteboard
 6.Podcast
 7.Blogs and Wikis
8.Social networks
9.Internet tools
10.Gadgets.
 His tips can be used to enhance student learning. I never thought about using music to enhance learning, but the more I think about it children tend to remember every word of a song. I will defiantly allow my students to create blogs and collaborate with each other.  Podcast are fun to create and it allows people to show their skills through video. Interactive exercises allows students to socialize and work with others to complete assignments.

 Mr. Picardo

My Teacher is an App

    This article talks about various students taking classes  from their home. The article is a radical rethinking of how education works. The post begins with a story about Noah Schnacky of Windermere, Fla. He  really did not want to go to algebra, so he decided he didn't want to. He  looked over the lessons he was supposed to complete that week for his  high school conducted entirely online. Noah clicked on his global-studies course and scanned the lengthy article. He then went ahead to the quiz and did a few problems until he became restless. Meanwhile, his sister Allison was working on a essay. She gained a new appreciation for history more than at her old school. At her old school, the teacher just stood and wrote on a chalk board. The article displays the pro's and con's  of taking classes online. A few states, found that students enrolled full-time in online schools score significantly lower on standardized tests and make less academic progress from year to year. Critics worry that kids in online classes do not know how to get along with others or participate in group discussions. Some researchers found that these students are testing below their original grade level in one or more subjects.

     Several public schools in Virginia, Georgia and Florida have required their students to take at least one online class to prepare them for college. I believe this  is an excellent idea. With the increasing developments of technology, I believe taking an online class with help the students learn how to use the technology. Also, I believe that home school students can have social issues, because they are not around peers. Ways that can help with this issue is to get the children involved in activities around the community. Online schools are not all that bad. With online schools, you can advance in your grade level and can graduate early. The students can do their work whenever they want and relax when they want. Children who take  online classes need all the support than can get. Children who are home schooled,  should have help  from their parents, tutor and other people to guide them through their materials. IPrep Academy is a online school where students are  given instruction by teachers on certain days, but the majority of the work is done on their own. I think a main point  the  article illustrates  is that teachers need  to adapt to the changing world and learn how to use technology to help their students learn. We need to rethink our teaching methods and students need to be challenged.

My Teacher is an App

Kelly Hines: It's Not about the Technology

       In this post, Mrs. Hines talks about how technology is not the most important thing in the future. She believes that the different uses of technology are innovative tools for teaching and learning, but they are not the first things we need to use to initiate change in the classrooms. She displays four points that educators and others should focus on first when trying to make the classroom better. The first point was on how "Teachers must be Learners." Teachers need to be up to date on the current trends and tools that are developed. As teachers, we must know the educational background of our students when they enter our classrooms. Point two is that "learning and teaching are not the same thing." If a student has not learned anything from the lesson, then there was no teaching done at all. Mrs. Hines third point is that "technology is useless without good teaching." There are various technology tools to use, but these tools are useless unless we have teachers who are willing to innovate learning. Mrs. Hines fourth point is "Be a 21st Century Teacher Without Technology." She believes teachers can educate just as good without having to use technology. Teachers who encourage critical thinking, problem solving and creativity are doing their students a greater favor than those who misuse technology.

      I agree that we need to reinvent the way we teach today’s generation. I like that Mrs. Hines points out that no amount of technology is going to be effective without good teachers. Teaching with technology does not solve everything, because students learn in different ways. Technology may help students understand a subject matter better, but this is not the only way a teacher should educate her class. I will not depend on technology for teaching my students, I want to teach them. As a teacher, I will strive to make sure the children show they have learned what I have taught them. Also, I will never stop learning.

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It's not all about Technology

 Karl Fisch: Is It Okay to Be A Technologically Illiterate Teacher?
 
     No one should be proud of not knowing how to use technology. I agree that all teachers should have some knowledge of technology tools. Computers, internet and other forms of technology have been around for a pretty good while, so people need to adjust to these developments and start to use them. A lot of jobs require the knowledge of computers. I think headteachers, principals and staff members need to be held accountable for whether they are technology literate or not. Although, I do not agree that school inspectors have to find alternative employment just because they are technologically-illiterate. Our students need to be prepared for the future and since technology is part of the future, they need to know how to use technology. Technology is a indispensable tool to help us teach, learn and grow. Also, it is a main source of how we communicate with each other. Therefore, technology needs to be known to all people.

 Technologically Illiterate Teacher