Blog Assignment 11

First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's class and Skype Interview with Ms. Cassidy
Ms. Cassidy, a first grade teacher in Canada, made a video with her students called, "Little Kids...Big Potential", in which they illustrated how they use technology to learn in their classroom. They used blogs, Wikis, Skype, Nintendo DS, a classroom webpage, and videos to share, collaborate, and learn. It was incredible to see how much these kids know about technology at only the age of six. I'm sure they could probably teach me a few things about computers and the internet.

Dr. Strange and his class also skyped with Ms. Cassidy and asked her questions about her teaching strategies. She gave some great tips that we should follow as future educators. She explained how she has become such a supporter of Twitter, and how it has helped her connect with so many people all around the world. She also expressed how important a Personal Learning Network is to our careers. They allow us to find information and to talk to, and stay connected with, educators everywhere. Another tip she gave us was to start using technology with something that we enjoy doing. If we like to write, then we should blog; if we like pictures, we should use Flickr, and so on.

I think Ms. Cassidy's approach to the use of technology in the classroom is brilliant! Allowing students to use technology, which they are so comfortable with now-a-days, and to have more freedom in assignments will make them enjoy school more; hence, they will learn more because they are actually enjoying it. I like that her class used videos, such as Skype, to learn because they could have face-to-face conversations with other students and teachers from all around the world.

The technique that I would be most likely to implement in my classroom is blogging. I think that students can do so much with this powerful tool. They can blog about what they learned that week, ask questions to have other classmates answer, and can stay connected with so many other students. An impediment that I'm sure I'm going to have with my classes is the students getting on websites that are not educational. I will have to have strict rules for this and consequences that will result if they do not follow my rules.

There will also be many benefits to adopting some of Ms. Cassidy's teaching strategies. My students will probably be more willing to come to class to learn because they actually like using technology. They will have more freedom in the way they complete their assignments, thus increasing self-determination, which will make them strive to succeed. Ms. Cassidy's ways of teaching are great, and I will definitely be implementing some of them into my own techniques.