Blog Post 2

1. Mr. Dancealot

The central message of the video is to show that a lecture method of teaching does not help students learn the material. The author makes a good case for this because even though students came to class every day, practiced at home, and the final exam was open book and open notes they still had no idea how to dance. I agree completely with the author of the video. The author is not only saying that dance can not be taught just from a book he is wanting us to draw to the conclusion that this is how lots of students feel about a lecture type style of teaching. One of the students said at the end of the video, " I thought I got it in class but when I got home none of my notes made any sense." I have heard this from lots of classmates through the years and have even experienced it. To really learn something and have it stick with you, not just for the test, you have experience it and draw some connection to it.


2. Teaching in the 21st Century

Roberts thinks what teaching means in the 21st century is to be a tool. Everyone now has access to the internet. Everyone can look up things on google and have tons of information at their fingertips in seconds. One of Roberts big points was that we need to show students how to filter all this information. Anyone now a days can write anything they want on the internet. If I was to google a talking fish I bet I could find somewhere some information on a talking fish. This is where common sense comes into play. Roberts said, " Teachers are no longer the main source of knowledge we are the filter" As teachers we need to teach our students that the internet is an amazing tool for us to learn we just have to learn how to use the tool properly. I agree with what Roberts is saying. Teachers can not just stick with old ways of doing things. The world is constantly changing and we as teachers have got to change with it. Roberts asked questions on how to solve real life problems. For example, How do I invest my money? Granted as an elementary school teacher I will probably never come across this. But if we teach children how to use the right tools for the right situation then that is something I can teach them. It is kind of like that old saying you can give a man a fish and he will eat for a day but if you teach a man to fish he can eat for life. Technology will affect every teacher. It is weather or not they choose to use it. Methods of teaching keep changing with new research and teachers change their teaching style to fit it. Technology is no different. Roberts said teaching must me engaging, but not entertaining. I love this. He goes on to say entertainment is an escape from a problem and engaging is problem solving. So as a teacher we need not to think oh will with be fun for my students, but more along the lines of how can I teach this lesson to where it is interesting and gets them involved in the process.


3. The Networked Student

The internet is not a teacher. The internet is a resource for information. It is what you can do with that information that is important. A teacher can teach information management. A teacher can show how to filter out the unnecessary and false information. We need teachers because what if a student gets stuck. Teachers can offer guidance and show them why they got stuck and teach them the steps on how not to get stuck. A networked student who writes on blogs needs to know how to communicate properly. If a student was to write and he/she had so many grammatical errors who would take their information seriously. After a student leaves your class you want them to be able to have the skills he/she learned with him so he/she can mature into a more successful networked adult.


4. Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

Davis' thesis on the video was that teaching needs to be turn upside down, her words. She says that it is okay that we do not know all the information before we teach it. We can learn right along with the students. I agree with this and I disagree. We as teachers, need to know what we are talking about so if a student ask a question we can give them a right answer. Also if we teach information we need to make sure it is correct. On the flip side of that I do believe that students can teach us things as well. She brought up some really good points on teaching. She said students need to learn how to learn. They need to be comfortable with any technology so they can learn quicker instead mentally freaking out if they have to learn how to use a different software. I really liked how she used new vocabulary so the students would have to look up the definition of unfamiliar words. It is a crossover skill from literacy. It expands the students vocabulary and makes them active in the learning process.


5. Who's Ahead in the Learning Race

I believe that it is very safe to say that elementary school students are far ahead in the learning race. The things that even the kindergarten students can do is amazing. They have a big advantage over us because they are starting at a young age and progressing forward. I think this has a big impact on how advanced they are. Have you heard the saying that you can not teach an old dog new tricks? Well you can it is just harder. When you are teaching how to use technology at such a young age and constantly use it every day it becomes second nature. I was never given a computer in elementary school. The first time I ever had to do anything on a computer for school was sixth grade. The fact that they have the opportunity to do all this from such a young age is amazing. If students in third grade are working on what we are working on now then they will be learning so much more by they time that they are in collage.

6. Flipping the Classroom

Flipping the classroom is new to me as a requirement. Meaning that I have mostly always read before I came to class or familiarized my self with the lesson before class. I just find that I learn more if I repeat things over and over. I do like how it is becoming a requirement so it teaches students how to study on their own and become independent learners and thinkers. It is always good to have some foundation when learning about something brand new, so it is not such a shock to the students. The only thing that makes me concerned about using this is if they learn the wrong way. For example, in math there is lots of different ways on getting the right answer. With a child being at home they could have done all their work the way that they thought was best and missed a step. After doing several math problems they believe that they understand how do it. When they come to class they have to learn all over again how to work the problems which in some cases may be harder for the student to correct themselves than to just learn it the right way from the beginning.


7. Bringing the Locker Room into the Classroom

I would use several techniques in my future classroom that he pointed out. The discussions and debates, it gets everyone in the classroom involved. It gets students to start thinking and to get passionate on what they are talking about. When students are allowed to discuss aloud they can collaboratively problem solve, which is a key skill to have if they ever want to get a job in the future. Having students openly discussing topics also gives them the opportunity to fail openly and not be scared to do so. As a teacher we hope that as they are not afraid to fail they will be open to improvement. Guarantied, if someone says something wrong another student probably was too and helping one student we can help another. Also, students have a sense of leadership over their learning and feel empowered they are more willing to learn and participate. If we teach students the system they can be independent learners and thinkers.