In Mrs. Cassidy's interview with Dr. Strange, she stated that all teachers should be technologically literate. I must say that I absolutely agree with her. Mrs. Cassidy not only gave precise details on how to start, but she also demonstrated some of her techniques by making a video titled," Little Kids...Big Potential." In this video, Mrs. Cassidy's students shared with us the various technology they used and gave a definition of each tool. One student said that he liked blogs the best because of the comments he receives. Another student said they he likes blogs because every time he blogs, his writing gets better. The students also introduced us to their classroom webpage. This page consisted of pictures that you can click on to take you to your learning. This page also gave the children the freedom to choose whatever they wanted to read. The students went on to share what other project based learning tools that they utilized such as wiki for suggestions, video to collaborate and skype to talk to other people in different places including experts. Watch Mrs. Cassidy's first grade class for an inspiring video first graders blogging.
I previously stated that I agree with Mrs. Cassidy and Dr. Strange when they stated that all teachers should be technologically literate. However, being that I am an aspiring teacher, I did not know where to begin my technical journey. After watching the interview with Kathy Cassidy conducted by Dr. Strange, I can assure you that I am well on my way and it is not nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I do wish I could have seen this interview a long time ago. Like I said, it is very simple so here it is according to Mrs. Cassidy: First of all start with what sparks your interest and play off of that. For example, if you like video, then YouTube may be a good place to start. If you are moved by photography then flickr and photo sharing are two great tools to explore and if you like writing, you guessed it, start blogging. Mrs. Cassidy also recommended developing your own on line network such as Ning and personal learning network such as twitter.
Which of these techniques of Mrs. Cassidy might I use? Well, first and foremost, I will definitely create a classroom blog. I feel that if a first grader can testify to the fact that his writing gets better each time he blogs then I can't go wrong by giving my students the opportunity to experience blogging. I do realize that some parents may not want their children's writing to be displayed for the world see, so, I will assure them that this will only help them to become better writers and that I will be there to guide them through the process. I will inform the parents that the students will benefit greatly by using these tools because they will enable them to learn how to share, become problem solvers and to collaborate.For a greater insight of Mrs Cassidy's approach to the use of technology watchKathy Cassidy Interview movie.
I think you did a good job at summarizing what you learned from Kathy. I also thought about where on earth I should start with becoming technologically literate. Your classroom ideas are good. Hopefully you use them in your future!
ReplyDeleteGlad to know you will be a blogging teacher!
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