Thinking back over the semester, I feel that the most important items I learned in this course centered around our reading from Friedman's The World Is Flat, as well as the activities that went with that section of the course. I had never really thought about how technology will impact the lives of the students we are currently teaching and preparing for the future. Through the reading in Friedman, as well as the info provided in Shift Happens, it became clear to me that our students are going to need to be able to constantly adapt to new changes in technology in order to have successful lives. So, it's very important that our curriculum center on teaching students how to learn, rather than on specific skills that may become outdated. One way to do this is to provide our students with time to use and experiment with technology. When we had to create the video assignment in class, a lot of us figured it out through trial and error. By providing our students with these types of assignments and opportunities, we will be helping them to develop their abilities to learn new things, while also becoming confident users of technology. In the past, I have shyed away from just letting my students "play" on the computer because I didn't feel like that was a good use of their time. I now realize that there are many life long benefits to this type of practice and I plan to make time for my students to experiment with technology in the future.
One other thing that really impacted my thought process during this course was the style in which Professor Bachenheimer taught us. I was very impressed with the many different engaging activities and teaching methods he used with us. (ex. blogs, U tube clips, the class in the tech center where we voted on line, partner and group work that simulated real situations, specific readings rather than entire texts, etc) I think a lot of times people approach adult learning/teaching in a way that is much different from what the research defines as good teaching. Most of the workshops and grad school classes that I have taken center around power point slides, lectures, and lengthy readings that never get discussed. Clearly, we would never rely entirely on these methods to teach our students. So, I appreciated the time and effort that went into teaching this class in a way that was creative and engaging. As a potential future administrator, I would like to utilize this perspective when working with the teaching staff. It is more interesting and engaging, which should lead to increased learning. It also models the type of teaching that I would want my teachers to be using in their own classrooms.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
I also loved the readings! - esp. the Pink's except "A Whole New Mind". I've spent so much money on books that I stress about finishing, yet never actually get to discuss. You're right, the course was very well planned and looking back I really appreciate the free relevant information that was also interesting.
I agree that the readings were great and triggered some great thought. I really liked the idea that testing is destroying our creativity. Tha was "kinda" scary. We are spending so much time worrying about those tests; consequently, we are dismissing the real situations that are leaving our kids behind. Wouldn't you say that that was one of the main ideas of the course.
Ellen, I have always enjoyed reading your "well-thought out" responses. Now I know why we have always been a good team when we worked in groups. I like that you really analyze things and make me go back and re-examine before I take the plunge. You are sooooh right about this course. I think that everyone's ideas are that they did not know what they were in for. I really admire the professor's ease with technology. He taught me a lot too and has a simplified way that just cuts to the chase without too much emphasis on the "what can't be done". I have learned from the class and the prof. that in order to make changes we have to have a persuasive theory with enough back-up information to convince our audience.
Ellen, just like you I never really thought about technology as much as I should of when it comes time to our students. This course has taught me how important it is to get our students ready for the future. We need to think outside of the box in order to prepare our students for a world that doesn't exist yet. I agree with you that a lot of the assignments that we had to do in class can be given to our students in order for them to learn the skills needed to succeed. I have become a better user of technology and if I can do it than anyone can.
I agree that this was a very worthwhile class. I think that the majority of the readings were very valuable. I think the case study's, such as the case of ORange Middle School, is valuable to give us a chance to see what is workign and beign tried at different educational institutions.
Glad you found the readings relevant-- I suggest that if one of them spoke to you-- read the whole book. My summer read was Friedman; well worth the time!
Hi Ellen! I agree with you that it was really good to take a class where we learned some new things that had to do with the computer. I hope that I can keep up with continuing to increase what I know about technology for the future.
Ellen,
I too liked reading only the relevant chapters. Playing on the computer can enhance students levels of interest and technology (flat) skills, I too am hesitant to let them just "play" on the computer - maybe we should let them and maybe they can continue to teach us more and more. It's been a pleasure to have discussions with you in another class. Are you taking anything next semester?
I thought the readings were very helpful also. They helped to drive the class discussions and activities. They also made me realize that in order for the students today to be successful tomorrow they need to be able to adapt and adopt the new technology. I totally agree with you that today we must teach our students how to learn rather than specific skills.
Post a Comment