Blog Post 2

Blog post 2 Outline

I.               Mr. Dancealot

a.     Some classes require a different way of teaching

b.     Makes the case by showing an example of what not to do

c.      Shows students failing miserable at the class

II.              Teaching in the 21^st century

a.     Technology based learning

b.     Emphasis on teaching skills rather than facts

c.      Teachers need to be efficient with the internet

III.           The Networked Student

a.     Teachers beginning to serve more as a guide than a facts source

IV.            Harness Your Students Digital Smarts

a.     Technology is essential to the classroom environment

b.     You can teach without knowing everything

c.      Students thrive from learning for themselves

V.              Who’s Ahead in the Learning Game

a.     Children are more eager to learn

b.     Children are ahead in the learning game

VI.            Flipping the classroom

a.     It is new to me

b.     Love the concept of night-before learning

VII.          Bringing the Locker Room to the Classroom

a.     Treat your class as a team

b.     Encourage engagement

BLOG POST 2

I.               The central message of the video Mr. Dancealot by Kari Johnson is that there are ways of teaching that are more effective than others. Dancing is a skill based course and therefore needs to be an interactive class. You simply cannot learn to dance by taking notes and never physically practicing.  The author makes the case for this by showing you that being stationary and taking notes ends up really bad in the end. By the time of the final exam, the students had no idea how to put their notes into action. Yes, I agree with his conclusion. There are some things that cannot be taught by sitting and taking notes. Imagine a driver’s ed course taught like that. That’s not only ineffective, but dangerous as well. All in all, there are many different ways to teach a subject and (varying by subject) some are more effective than others.

II.             When referencing Teaching in the 21^st Century by Kevin Roberts, its clear the he thinks teaching has way more to do with teaching learning SKILLS and less to do with teaching FACTS. The internet is literally endless information at our disposal. We need to teach children how to effectively and carefully use this information. I agree with the way Roberts sees teaching changing. People are always saying things like “why do I have to learn this high level math when my major has nothing to do with math?” Well, its not about the numerical information. It’s about learning the steps to solve a problem and putting them to use effectively. It has nothing to do with the actual numbers. I see the internet the same way. He asked all those questions at the end of the Prezi to see if you could effectively use the internet. That’s a skill that the students of the 21^st century will need to use. This will effect me as an educator immensely. The students that I will  be teaching will never know a world without the internet. I will need to teach them the rights and wrongs about this endless information source and how to properly get the answers they need.

III.           After watching The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler, you really wonder, why does a 21^st century students even need a teacher. EDM310 is a good example of this. All of our assignments are online and all the information we need for this class is found through the internet. However, without meeting in class with the guidance of all professors in charge of EDM310, I would be so beyond lost. Teachers provide guidance and reinforcement rather than facts and information. They show us how to effectively use the resources we have and let us find the facts on our own. 

IV.            In Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts by Vicki Drexler, you can tell that she is a strong advocate for the use of technology in the classroom. I loved what she said about the sense of empowerment students get when they figure out new ways to use a program without being taught how. Vicki said you don’t have to know everything to teach it, and I believe this is very true. Students are capable of figuring out how to use technology with just an initial nudge; you don’t have to hold their hand and walk them through every step of the way.

V.              After watching Who’s Ahead in the Learning Race by John H. Strange, I think its clear who is ahead. Children are so eager to learn new and exciting ways to use technology whereas us older people are somewhat resistant. Dr. Strange said one of his graduate students said her new macbook was hard to use whereas the 8 year olds were practically making movies on it after two days. I would say that the elementary school aged students are ahead in the learning race. This means that us aspiring educators need to step up and take initiative to change that. It is a dangerous position to be in if your students know how to more effectively use technology than the teacher in the classroom.

VI.            After watching Flipping the Classroom by Lodge McCammon I would say yes. flipping the classroom is new to me. I like the idea of it. If the students already have a preview of what they’ll be learning the next day, it prepares them to come into the subject and really grasp what the teacher is saying. It will also save precious class time that there never seems to be enough of. I think this approach will definitely be useful when I’m a teacher and I hope it will be implemented in the school that I get hired to.

VII.          I love the idea of Bringing the Locker Room to the Classroom by Craig Owens. Students who play sports in the high school and collegiate level obviously have an immense love for the sport. If we can get them to engage in the subject the same way they’re engaged on the court or the field, the possibilities are endless. Make each section of a class really feel like they’re a team striving to reach a goal just the same way as a sports team does. This is an awesome idea and I’ll definitely remember it as I start my career.