In this assignment, we were encouraged to read the list of Seven Stupid Mistakes Teachers Make and Seven Brilliant Things Teachers Do With Technology. These were found at the following link. (http://is.gd/3WWXJ) While I found all of them interesting, I chose two to comment on briefly. On the Seven Stupid Mistakes made by teachers, I found that the unwillingness to use technology with our students in our classrooms was an important mistake to discuss. I feel that we, as educators, must rise to the occasion of changing with the times. That is not to say that we go all out with the technology and use nothing other than that. I feel that we should incorporate it, because of the fact that our students are using it daily in their personal lives. It seems natural to them, and they feel at ease with it. Also, it provides a wonderful way of bringing excitement into learning and simply bringing education to life. The second mistake that caught my attention was the lack of supervision with the students and technology. If we make the choice to use technology, we HAVE to monitor it closely and safely. We are not only liable for ourselves, but also for each student that we teach. While technology can be a wonderful thing that brings about several positive benefits, it can be a deadly weapon if it is mis-used and abused.
As for the seven brilliant things, I found several that caught my eye. The idea that technology can put kids in touch with the world, and it can be a wonderful communication device with parents both are huge positive advantages. My favorites, however, were using technology as a resource for our classroom. It is so convenient to "google" things that we are looking for whether it is activities/games, projects, experiments of even a whole set of lesson plans! What a huge resource element right at our finger tips. We can also use it for enhancing our own education by participating in professional teachers blogs. The other thing I was drawn to the most was that it is able to empower kids with their learning. Students can use it to become better debaters, speakers, problem-solvers, and writers. Using good assessment strategies to determine the quality of technology will enhance educational projects. I agree with him when he states that delighting in the fun of technology makes good teachers better teachers.
After viewing the mistakes and brilliant things teacher do with technology, we were to visit http://is.gd/3WKrk and read about the New Classroom Rules by Education Innovation. I found these to be very comical. I liked the very last rule the best. It stated that we are to find what we are learning. We are to know what we are learning, why we are learning it, and have ideas for how we will use the new knowledge. I liked this one the best, because I feel that we are always to be at our best for our students. We expect that from our own children's teachers, so we should strive to be that for the student's we have in our classroom on a daily basis. We also expect the best from our students and should therefore model our best for them. My second favorite was on being polite and respectful at all times. I am a firm believer in giving respect if you want to gain respect. I found all of the other rules amusing and did get a laugh at it. It is amazing at how far we have come in our society in just a few short years!! This is must read for everyone!!
Again, Great Job.
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