Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/10887804@N04/3200153417/
Tonight in class we had three guests, Darren, Kathy, and Clarence, come and share how they use technology/computers in their classrooms. They are all teachers who came in and shared with us how they use technology and computer/internet in their classrooms.
I was introduced to the wonderful idea of Scribe Posts by Darren, which is basically allowing students to record, explain, and reflect on the material they are learning in classes. In a way they are creating their own text book as a class. It sounds like a great way to introduce students to social networking. I really like this idea because by allowing students to write their own text book they are learning and teaching others in words that make sense and are meaningful to them. Students can make more connections with the subject matter. Darren also had a quote in his presentation, “learning is a conversation.” I completely agree with this statement, and it just maked me think about another quote:
“What you hear you forget. What you write you remember. What you Share you Know.”-Burt Burrows
It was really interesting to hear Kathy share because she is one of my mentors, and because she teaches much younger students. I think allowing young children to post there work and thoughts to a wider audience can be very encouraging. Children love to share their work and knowledge, and to get feedback from a larger network of people can motivate them to continue to work hard in the future. It’s always wonderful to hear praises about your work. Kathy did mention the concern about the importance of learning how to write and develop those skills. Balance is key in many things. Technology is an amazing resource, but balance is needed to allow a well rounded learning environment.
Clarence mentioned that he doesn’t delete information from his class wikis once even after the class has ended. I found this intriguing. Is it really motivating to contribute time and energy into something that will just be deleted? I like the idea of just building what is already there. Then students can even go back and see how things have progressed over time. Clarence talked a lot about Literacy and what it means today in the 21 century. I feel that today there are many forms of literacy, its not just limited to text. Today we are hearing a lot about visual literacy and the power of imagery. Allowing students to explore different forms of literacy and mediums their minds are given the chance to think creatively and in new ways.
