Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Blog Post #11

I watched the videos First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's Class and Skype Interview with Ms. Cassidy. Ms. Cassidy is a lovely elementary teacher from Canada. Compared many older teachers who are stuck to their old ways, Ms. Cassidy is different in her approach to the use of technology in the classroom. Her classroom is full of technology and she loves it! She was not a teacher to jump on the bandwagon and use technology because it was the new thing, but started from scratch ten years ago when she was given computers that did not allow additional programs. When other classrooms were doing the bare minimum with bulky overhead projectors that required transparency sheets she was making websites, blogs, and so much more with her classroom because she knew how important it was for her students to learn what they could do with technology.

I thought it was super cool all of the technology she used in her first grade class. I never expected to see her students using something like a Nintendo DS to learn. It may be outdated, but compared to other technology it is much cheaper and probably has many features that work well in the classroom. I personally would not want a DS in my classroom because of how limited they are in terms of capability, but I would love to have something more advanced like iPads for my students. Many parents may not see the benefit of students working with them, but in today's society people are connected to knowledge 24/7. Why not take advantage of it? Learning should not stay the same as it was 100, or even 20 years ago. By changing the way we teach the benefits range from more personalized learning to being more environmentally friendly. Some people may remain skeptical of technology in the classroom and I would encourage them to take a look at what students are doing with these resources. It just might amaze you.

saying

4 comments:

  1. Maggie,
    I enjoyed your post. I am also amazed at the technology Ms. Cassidy used in her first grade class. Some of the things she does with her first grade class I was never introduced to until edm310. I also agree with your statement "learning should not stay the same as it was 100, or even 20 years ago". I believe that as time changes so should the way we teach.

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  2. Great quote! I have to agree that technology is a positive thing for students! I always use my daughter as an example. Although she's only three, she has an iPad. Some people say that it's ridiculous and that she shouldn't have one, but I have seen great improvement in her speech, writing and letters since she's had her iPad. Just today she was playing a game and she said, "Mom! Is the letter be stand for ball?" I was amazed because the last time I saw her playing the game she knew what the picture was beside the "b" but could not tell me what the letter was! Why not use technology to allow children to have access to gaining knowledge all of the time?

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  3. Very true and realistic post! You are also thinking into the future and of your own classroom, which is great! I also loved the quote in the image at the end. Very practical and relative to the post and what you had to say. You seem to have a knack of picking images and quotes that are spot on! Keep up the good work, Maggie!
    Carly

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