Journal Post #2

I want to be a teacher that uses a Student-Centered approach. While I do understand that most schools still use the Teacher-Centered approach, I believe that it's becoming obsolete if you will. Sitting in the classroom listening to a teacher lecture does work very well for some students. However if you are like me, you are a visual learner. Doing things helps me learn much more than lecture and taking notes. An example would be sitting in a class right now where as I sit and listen to the lecture it sounds interesting, but ask me anything about it even the next day, I don't know. With working hands on I tend to retain much more information. My son's go to a STEM ( Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) school here in Lee County. I absolutely love their school. Even though they are in the ESE program, they are included in all areas of the school. They have three science classes and let me tell you, my oldest loves going to school the days he has science, but the day of the week he has Art, he doesn't want to go! He would rather go to science because they are literally building a robot that once done will actually work. He is in the first grade! Currently there is a waiting list to go to this school. Using technology at this school is the future.

      Using such technology will offer more opportunities for the students to learn and become creative in their learning. Last week I talked about the focus question first, but this week I really want to talk about the Tech Tool 2.1 because after reading it and going to the websites, I must save these to use in class once I start teaching. Not only is it interesting for me, I can only imagine how my students will react and want to collaborate with each other in using these sites.

www.eskeletons.org 

      What is so amazing about this site is it actually provides 2D AND 3D images of the entire skeletons of human and primates. Of course this site will be used on the higher grade levels especially if we were to teach them about the human body or that of the primates. Great tool for teaching.

     

http://www.bio.indiana.edu/%7Ehangarterlab

        Plants in Motion. This is currently one of my favorites. As a student back in the day we didn’t have the opportunity to just sit and watch a flower open or see how plants change. This website gives us great opportunities to see/view just that. My son enjoyed watching the videos of the flowers opening up. He kept asking me to play it again! This is a tool that I will be using in my own classroom! While I educate the kids on plants they are having fun! Perfect!

www.colorado.edu/physics/phet/web-pages/index.html 

       This site gives us the opportunity to show simulations of a variety of things to our students. All items are related to physics so this is of course going to be a site that will be used at a higher grade level. It does however offer simulations for K-5. Not complex so that is a good thing.

http://visual.merriam-webster.com 

       What can I say, as a child when I looked inside a dictionary, it was a book filled with words and their meanings. How I would have loved to have had a website like this when I was in school. I love that there are 15 different areas that you can look in and not only learn a word or meaning, but see images of this information. Amazing and again a great tool to have to teach my students!

    There are a few more websites on Tech Tool 2.1 but I am afraid that I will be going on and on if I add them in. Lets move on to the Focus Question. For this blog I chose Focus Question #2.

In what ways does technology promote unique, powerful, and transformative learning for students?

    This is a great question. Computers and well many other forms of technology (i.e.) iPads as well as other hand held devices offer opportunities that were not available before to teachers or students. These tools can give the students hands on training/learning on a variety of subjects and access to information that would not have been available otherwise. Depending on how creative the teacher can be we can literally change how learning is done! How exciting!

     As teachers we need to focus on creating unique, powerful, and transformative learning experiences using technology in our teaching. Information technologies make five unique, powerful and transformative experiences:

1)   Visual learning

2)   Accessing and assessing information

3)   Student engagement and collaboration- this is so important in any classroom

4)   Feedback

5)   Creativity

   

     For over 100 years, teaching has been modeled by the teacher lectures and the students listen and perhaps take notes. This worked for many. And when a student didn’t learn well at this, it was said that it was the student not paying attention. Ask yourselves, what if it was actually the need to have a more visual experience to learn? Having the technology we do today, being able to utilize it in our classrooms not only makes the classes more interesting it gives those students a much better chance of learning. We will have more collaboration and interaction between the students themselves and the students and teacher. Kids will be excited to come to school and learn! For example my son who can’t wait to go and work on his robot! I want to go and work on his robot! Well with all that said I think that is the conclusion of this blog! I hope you enjoyed it and well come back to read the next one!

Chau!




 Textbook - Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2011). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN:10 0-13-159611-X, ISBN:13 978-0-13-159611-5