Friday, July 6, 2012

Blog Post #11


Ms. Cassidy's talks about how she began the use of technology in her Skype Interview with Dr. Strange.  Ms. Cassidy's technological journey started about 10 years ago when she was given 5 computers to operate in her classroom.  She began to think, "How can I use this technology to help educate my students".  So, she researched ways to use technology in her classroom and became a successful teacher in the process.  She had a very helpful support group that made it a little easier to accomplish her goals.  Ms. Cassidy had to make sure the identity of her students would be protected and she needed permission from all parents before she could post anything on the internet.  Therefore, she sent a form for the parents to sign at the beginning of the school year.  Ms. Cassidy states, "Technology is here to stay, that we have to change because the world is changing and if we do not, then we are handicapping ourselves and our students".  This is a very powerful message because if we do not change then our students will be the ones to suffer.
She explored many different ways to incorporate technology and demonstrates how useful it is in her video, 1st graders in Ms. Cassidy's Class.  Her students looked very excited and enthusiastic while making this video.   I gained many great ideas that I would like to use in my classroom.  For example, having a class blog because it gives the parents a convenient way to view their child's progress.  I also loved Wiki's because it showed a different variety of answers and helps them learn from other people.  I also like the idea of students posting their work on the class blog because it made them proud and they enjoyed seeing new comments from people across the world.   I loved the use of Nintendo DS, which showed them how to share with others.  I enjoyed learning how Skype can be used to communicate with classroom all around the world.
I did have one concern, will our students still have great penmanship?  Even though they are writing on blogs, they should still learn the proper way of forming letters with pencil and paper.  A way to address this issue is to not forget about pens, pencils, and paper.  Teachers should make sure their students still learn the proper way to write a sentence without typing it on a key board.

3 comments:

  1. Hey Angelia! I couldn't agree more with you on this post. I loved Ms. Cassidy's technology learning environment. I loved the use of Skype, blogs, wiki and the Nintendo DS. I will definitley use most of those in my classroom when I go back to teaching. Your point about penmanship is great and I've never thought of that! That is a great question! I think in Kindergarten (which I taught for 2 years) they will learn how to read and write fluently and will be able to improve it as the year goes by and even into first grade before they get to involved on the computers. I certainly agree that teachers should make sure their students still learn the proper way to write a sentence with all the proper grammar and mechanics! Great post and interesting points made!!

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  2. Angelia,

    I understand your concern about students not learning to write with a pencil and paper. I feel that students should not lose this skill as well. Ms. Cassidy is an incredible educator! She proves that you should always use all of your resources to the best of your ability.

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