A Teacher Still Learning

In this technology class, I have certainly gained a lot of knowledge about different projects I could use in my own classroom. Things ranging from KWL (What you know, What you want to know, What you learned) charts, blogs, Portaportals, and Google sites, documents, calendars, etc. Each of these things would create a hands-on experience for the students in my classroom which will engage them in their studies to improve their learning! Technology is becoming a daily part of our lives. Though the paper and pencil method may be good and useful for some, children in today's society are more familiar with computers, touchscreens, and television. As educators, it is our job to be able to teach our students with what they are most familiar with.  If technology will make learning more engaging and easy for the classroom, the question is why not take advantage of it?

In what I have learned, these are a few ways that I would use the projects in my classroom. KWL charts would allow the class as a whole to see where everyone stands. This can create a goal for everyone to focus on, and also let everyone see what kind of progress is being made. Learning to create a blog for myself would be a good way for parents to see my thoughts about the class and even my teaching methods. This would keep everyone up-to-date on things because thoughts are always changing! For a class, students could create their own blogs to create stories, to express feelings, or as a whole, it would be used in place for a classroom website. Portaportals are very unique, and I am thrilled to have been able to create one. This makes connections with other teachers, students, and parents. Student and parents can work together by getting on the internet and playing games, looking up interesting facts, and whatever other links I provide to broaden their thinking. Lastly, Google and all the wonderful things it provides can be used in the classroom for presentations, classroom websites, and much more. Teachers can make a calendar open to student and parents to make sure everyone is on the same page. Students can use Google presentations to create group projects. There are so many ways Google can be used in a classroom, and the point is to experiment with it!

The Importance of Creativity!

In Sir Ken Robinson's video, The Importance of Creativity, Robinson stresses creativity in education. He states that creativity is just as important as literacy, and should be treated at the same status. Society puts stigmatisms on mistakes, and that we are educating people out of their creativity because of it. Children take chances. Children also are not afraid of being wrong. Robinson says if you are not prepared to be wrong, you cannot produce original and creative thoughts. Whenever we become adults we are not growing into creativity, but growing out of it. Education is not all about what goes on in the inside, but also the outside. We should be encouraging the arts. We should be the ones creating these opportunities.

Like Robinson, I believe that we should be using this gift we have wisely. Robinson states, "We should be seeing creative capacities for the richness they are, and children for the hope they are." This statement is so very powerful because as educators we are to be preparing them for the future by educating them as the whole person. We may not be able to see the progress and changes we have made in their lives, but they certainly will in time. It would be such a sad thought to know that we robbed children from their creativity when it could only benefit them in the future.

Mr. Winkle Wakes!

Mr. Winkle Wakes is a video created by Matthew Needleman . Needleman creates a short humorous video about Mr. Winkle who wakes up after a hundred years to find out changed and advanced out world has become. Mr. Winkle goes to a work place to find co-worker video chatting, telephones constantly ringing, and everyone working on computers. He begins to feel overwhelmed, so he goes to a hospital. At the hospital, Mr. Winkle quickly finds that technology surrounds him there as well. There are so many medical advances saving lives and helping people become healthier, but because Mr. Winkle is so unfamiliar with these things, he decided the hospital cannot help him. Mr. Winkle then goes to a nearby school. At the school, he finds himself sitting in a classroom full of children who are listening to the teacher talk. They seem very uninterested and not engaged in what the teacher is teaching. Mr. Winkle feels comfortable in the school because it is a place where nothing has changed since he took a nap. He spots a dusty, unused computer out of the corner of his eye, but is glad that is not being used. For Mr. Winkle, change is not good.

Needleman's message is that schools and educators are not taking advantage of the progression of technology. While everyone and everything is moving forward, classrooms are stuck in a time period of pencil and paper. Though this is not a negative thing at all times, we should be implementing what interests our children as well. We should be creating a bridge that connects their life at home and their life at school. Technology is always going to be advancing and changing. We should definitely be a part of the movement! I, as an educator, do not want to wake up one day like Mr. Winkle to find that I am unfamiliar with the things around me that I could be using only to better my classroom.