What can we learn from Mrs. Cassidy?
Mrs. Cassidy is a great example of how to evolve a classroom with the use of technology. She has taken the resources she was given, to create a great technology based learning atmosphere for her students. From the video, Little Kids...Big Potential I learned a lot about using technology in the classroom. I love that Mrs. Cassidy uses a classroom blog and other online resources such as iWiki and Skype to use to connect to people around the world.
In the Part 1 Interview with Mrs. Cassidy on Skype, I was able to hear how she first started using technology in her classroom. It is very encouraging to hear how she didn't start out with a lot of resources but used what she had to expand from there. Mrs. Cassidy started her classroom with only having five computers, and she has since grown so much. With the help of her technology coordinator she was able to expand the use of technology in her classroom even further. I love Mrs. Cassidy's attitude about technology because she is so positive and willing to use anything that will promote engagement with students. In my future classroom, I will most definitely have a blog like Mrs. Cassidy does because it will expand the audience for my students.
From the Part 2 Interview with Mrs. Cassidy, I really enjoyed hearing her advice on starting with technology with where you are most interested. As a future teacher, I really hope to grow my PLN so I can have access to so many sources and opportunities that expand over the years. In my classroom, I will most definitely be using blogging, twitter, Skype, and other great tools! I really believe in sharing with those networks, to help gain a bigger audience for my students. It is exciting to see how much students will get more involved when they are showing others and not only their classmates.
From the Part 3 Interview with Mrs. Cassidy, she goes over some questions that former EDM 310 students are asking. A question that really stuck out to me was about protecting the students while online or on blogs. Mrs. Cassidy explains that she tells her students to not post their last names and also to not use negative language. I think that is great advice, and as a teacher I would go over with my students tips to help them safely navigate the web. For instance, we will go over what websites that they will be allowed to use and navigate. I think that it is important for students to think educationally when they are searching the web. I think that games may be a temptation to students, so I would want to go over which educational games they may play and others that should only be played at home in their free time. The use of technology is endless and I really believe in using it in my future classroom to further the education of my students!
I really enjoyed hearing Mrs. Cassidy's many thoughts and ideas about using technology in her classroom. She was very inspiring and I obtained a lot of ideas to take to the classroom. I learned so much about how she does things in the classroom to better engage her students, and I hope to do the same!
Very good post :)
ReplyDeleteRobin, great post. You were very thorough and you have great ideas for your future class. I thought this post was easy to follow, although (like myself) you tend to repeat yourself. :) Otherwise, great job!
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