Unit three discussion.

Here is my response to unit 3 and the article by Tom March.

What ever happened to teaching, with kids, in a classroom?

I think that the easiest way to reach students is to get to know them better. If we talk to students and see what they are doing in their free time, we will be able to see what interests them. We can’t lure in the fish without knowing the right bait!

Students are using technology every day. For example, my son uses the internet to keep up with hockey teams, his favorite football team (Go Riders Go!), and his friends.
Younger students are on the “Webkins” website. Students love to interact with their peers using their cell phones and through online messenger. Can we find ways to use these technologies to engage them in learning? I think we have to.

The days of teaching, with kids, in a classroom are not over. They have changed. Flexibility is the key here. We need to be able to engage our students in learning by coming up with real-world problems and we also need to show them how sift through information to find what they are really looking for and find what is authentic. The classroom has become a place where learners are engaged in learning whether it is a face-to-face or an online classroom.

What’s the new job for teachers?

Our job then is to find out what our students are interested in, relate that to the curriculum objectives and find a real-world problem that will engage students in learning. It involves being creative and it involves knowing a bit about the web and technology. I say a bit because I have found that the students often know and are able to use technology. They find ways to use it to their advantage. I have learned a great deal from my students because I am not an expert at everything.

In our information processing class, I had the students design their own music video using power point. It is a bit of a tedious process getting the slides to line up with the music but they took pride in getting it right. I had some examples from what other students had produced to show them and that seemed to really motivate them. They were engaged from the beginning because they had control of the song, and the content. One student decided to put her music video together using “One True Media”. It was super! So in addition to the power point music video, many students decided to include their music video using the new program. The students showed each other how to use the programs and I was free to be able to help those that needed my direction. Everyone learned how to use powerpoint and some that were more advanced added the use of the new program. Am I an expert at using these programs? No. I know a little bit about them – enough to get them started. Were my objectives met? Yes, and then some. There was a whole lot of learning going on, and with not so much traditional “teaching” from me.

Our new job is to get past the idea that we need to be the “expert” and help the students realize that the they are not limited by what the teacher knows but by what they can learn from the web and their peers. We also need to know our students well so that we can design a program where they are engaged and focused on an outcome and not so limited to how they achieve it.