The central message of the Mr. Dancealot video is that teachers should not only rely on lectures and notes to teach their students. Teachers should engage students to make them more eager to learn. Also, if the students were able to actively participate in the lesson, they would be more inclined to actually learn it.
2.Teaching in the 21st Century
The video Teaching In The 21st Century, leads one to consider what it means to teach in this day and age. It gets your mind going about how many different types of resources are out there and inspires one to learn how to utilize all of it to better yours, as well as your students' education. Teaching in the 21st century is a lot different and more technical than it was for teachers twenty or thirty years ago. We, as teachers, have to stay up to date on our technological abilities in order to be able to help our students succeed. It is ultimately up to us to teach our students to know the difference between a reliable source and one that is not. Also, to be able to teach them how some social media sites like Facebook and Twitter can not only be used for entertainment, but also as a learning tool to collaborate and share their work with others. As times change, so will teaching, and we need to be able to keep up with the changes.
3.The Networked Student
The video The Networked Student by Wendy Drexler examines a student that does a lot of his learning by networking with different sites, and talking to different people around the world. This video shows how well this student uses all of his resources to gain necessary information. At one point in the video, the viewer learns that this student was able to succeed in a course without the required text book. This proves that you can get enough information from sites and other people by networking and researching information that you need to know. It explains how he is taught to validate the information found from these sites to ensure its credibility. Why does this student need a teacher? Well, there are plenty of reasons why this student needs a teacher. As the video states, the teacher is there to serve as a learning architect, a modeler, a learning concierge, and many more things that he needed to be able to build his network. If the teacher did not help guide him through this networking process, it would have been very difficult to get as far as he did. If everything could be self taught, then there would be no point of college or any kind of education, then that would lead to no more resources for information, and the cycle would continue. So, we do need teachers to guide us and show us how to be as successful as they are, so we can pass it on to up coming generations.
Ms. Davis's short movie, Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts, is telling us that we need to engage our students, and use what they already know about technology inside the classroom. There are so many programs now that will help the students learn by talking and collaborating with other students around the world. I believe that by letting the students use computers, tablets and other technology makes them more excited to learn about everything. Blogging with other students and helping them, as well as receiving help, gives the classroom more of a fun atmosphere. Paper and pencil alone are not enough to keep students engaged about what they are learning. Being able to collaborate with others gives them more confidence in what they are doing, so there is less tension when it comes time to test.
5. Who's Ahead In The Learning Race?
Wow! Who's ahead in the learning race? I would definitely say the third graders. I am amazed and inspired at the same time. I already had an idea before watching this video, but by watching, I am positive that my place in this race is last. My nephew just started the third grade around the same time that I started EDM310. When I found out I would be required to post blogs, comment, make videos and much more, I will admit I was very afraid. When I found out my seven year old nephew would be doing the same thing, I was embarrassed. How could I be afraid of something that he is taking on full force? I discussed it with him and of course, now he has bragging rights for teaching his "Aunt Fefe" something, and a college student at that. Being in this class has really made me realize how "out-of-date" I am, and makes me want to give it my all to learn everything I can. I am glad I have my third grader to take this journey with. He will keep me on top of things. Maybe, we will start our own little learning race to keep one another motivated.
6. Flipping The Classroom
Flipping the classroom is something new, yet interesting to me. This approach would be very helpful to me, as well as my future students when I become a teacher. I love this idea because it gives the students more time to learn, and the teachers more time to pay attention to problem areas. It allows students to go to school prepared for what they will learn that day. They will already have questions, concerns, and maybe even helpful tips for their fellow students. I would definitely use this approach to learning in my future classroom. It would be a way for students to have fun while they are learning. As a teacher, you could always throw some fun, and creativity into these prerecorded videos, maybe points for knowing the "secret word" that I said in the video. Also, you could always let different students help you while recording the videos.
7. Bringing The Locker Room Into The Classroom
Going to school when I was growing up was a lot different than it is now. The only times we ever got to talk and play with other classmates were during extracurricular activities like P.E. and field day. While we were learning we were never allowed to talk to each other or do work together. In fact, talking or sharing work would result in some type of punishment. When I decided to be a teacher, I knew that I did not want my teaching style to be that way.
