Blog Post #2

Mr. Dancelot

1. I think the central message of this video was to show people ways not to teach. This teacher was teaching a dance class and had his notes set up on a power point, but the students could't learn the dance steps by only looking at the power point slides. He tried to demonstrate the dance steps to the students, but remained behind his desk to where no on was able to see. One student actually tried to stand up to see his dance steps but was told to sit back down. At the end of the video when the students were taking their final exam, the teacher set up a video camera, left the ballroom and just told them to dance. The students didn't even know what dance they were being tested on because of the lack of instruction given by the teacher throughout the semester. I can agree to a certain extent that media, such as power points, are a very useful way to provide notes and main points to students. Would providing nothing but power points be a good way to teach a dance class? Probably not. The teacher should have stepped out from behind his desk, partnered the kids up, and explained his power points in further detail.

Teaching in the 21st Century

2. Roberts thinks teaching in the 21st century means to use technology. He doesn't expect us to just know how to use all of the new technological resources, he wants us to learn how those resources are used and once we master using them, teach them to the kids in our future classrooms. You see how teaching has already changed so much since we were in grade school. Teachers used chalkboards, then gradually moves to dry erase boards and now what is it? It's smart boards. Smart boards have so many features that are useful for teachers to teach their current students. Do all of us know how to use the smart board? No. Should we be taught? Absolutely, especially if that's what we are going to use in the future when we have our own students. Who knows what will come after the smart board so in order to be equipped with the knowledge of technology we must be taught by those in the classroom, the teachers.

The Networked Student

3. Before watching this video I read the instructions for this particular video. It says to "listen very carefully when the question is asked 'why does the networked student even need a teacher?'" The video was about 5 minutes long and up until the last 30 seconds I was thinking in my head that there is no way I can accurately answer this question. This student has very few lectures and seems to be excelling on his own. In the last 30 seconds it reminded me that there is much more to how the student was able to even get to where he was. Who taught him how to even set up his personal learning network? What if the student got stuck and needed help? Who provided the tools necessary for him even to be apart of this class? The teacher.

Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts

4. I think Davis' thesis is that students should also be the teachers. She also thinks students have trouble when they are only given paper and a pen. Students tend to learn better and pay more attention when technology is involved. Now is that a good or bad thing? Davis seems to think it can be a good thing. She showed us where students are started to excel further and are actually teaching her new things when being taught about the technology in the world. I agree with her about students being the teachers as well because there are going to come times when we need to step up and teach ourselves certain things. How do you think people these days take online classes? They get the assignments from their teacher via the internet and have to read and learn the subject themselves. Now, if they struggle and need additional help, they can always contact the teacher and get one on one time.

Who's Ahead in the Learning Race?

5. Elementary, Undergraduate, or Graduate? In my opinion there is not competition. I think the Elementary students are winning the race. Why? Well, in Dr. Strange's study it seemed clear that the Elementary students were more knowledgeable when it came to using technology. They seemed to pick it up rather easy. I mainly think they are ahead in this race because of the age they are being taught. I am in a college undergraduate class and I am just now being taught how to blog and I'm sure that wont be the only new thing I'll be taught how to do. Students who are 7 and 8 years old are learning how to use Macbook and blog so just imagine what they are going to do with that knowledge of technology as they get older and learn even more.

Flipping the Classroom

6. Flipping the Classroom is a method that I have never heard of before. Honestly, I have to say that I don't like it and hope to never have to use it. Whenever kids get done with school for the day they don't want to go home and watch more videos of teachers teaching them problems that they can learn in class. Elementary teachers jobs are to teach kids inside the classroom how to do certain things. To me, it just seems kind of lazy on the teachers part. Kids are too young to have to watch videos and basically teach themselves if they get confused. If this method were to become the new way of teaching, I would hope the kids would spend less time at school to where their time spent at home isn't bombarded with teachers home videos.

Bringing the Locker Room into the Classroom

7. As someone who has experience in this particular area, I can say that the ways we learn in the classroom and the ways we learn in the locker room are the same yet different. I played sports in high school from my freshman year to my senior year and the ways I learned in the classroom and on the court/field were different. For instance, if I was to miss a practice for a sport I played I would have to run for an allotted amount of time. In the classroom if I was to miss an assignment my final grade would drop a certain amount. In the classroom you are able to make up certain points for extra credit and end up with a certain grade and in the locker room you only get a certain amount of chances before you are done. Coaches tend to yell at their players for discipline, whereas teachers give F's for theirs. There are too many rules to really compare the two, but coming from a former student and athlete, the two coincide with each other to make you want to have the best outcome for both so that you can continue on as both a scholar and an athlete.