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Thursday, September 20, 2012

Who's Vision of Effective Teaching?


As Educators, we strive to be Effective.  And maybe we have been effective.  Hopefully we still are...


 
Photo Courtesy of cybrarian77 via Flickr Creative Commons
 

Certainly there is always room to improve.  Or perhaps our years of experience have seasoned us so that we think there is little we need to change.


Who's vison of effective teaching are we modeling? 
 
Are we modeling antiquated methods or have we accepted and implemented change? 

As educators of "Digital Students" (Shelly, G., Gunter, G. and Gunter, R., 2012 p. 15), we must re-evaluate our teaching strategies.

For more info, check out this video (by Blackboard and JESS3) found on Scott McLeod's Dangerously Irrelevant site (also on YouTube) called:

"The Voice of the Active Learner"
Retrieved September 18, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ5Vy9BgSeY

Are we keeping up with the "digital natives?" (Blackboard video)  What strategies can we use to further engage them?

What makes us hesitant to change?  Are we afraid to fully switch over to digital templates? Is it even necessary to do away with methods we believe have been effective for years?  How can we incorporate technology and also hang onto "lost arts," like even pen & paper? 

How do educators achieve a balance of methods while integrating technology? 

  The goal is to build upon previous methods of effective teaching. 
 Integrating technology is part of the evolution of effective teaching. 

Check out the Teaching Channel's webpage to watch a video about how a 37-year veteran teacher in Finland incorporates and balances technology in her classroom.  Essentially, the story is about how technology can further the learning--and the learning network--of any subject.

 

The students in the video are active, engaged in learning, and they use technology alongside many other meaningful tasks.  

Ok, well... what about Internet Safety?  With how often digital learners are connected to the web, how can we effectively teach and encourage students to navigate the internet safely, and independently?

This is a great resource from the Teaching Channel's website.  Perhaps it may be appropriate and necessary to incorporate this type of lesson:  
 
 
The teacher chooses an interactive, true-to-scenario lesson about interet safety.  The students clearly are engaged because they identify the material/discussion as completely relevant and useful to their lives.  There are many effective and simple ways to confront the "risks" or "issues" that may keep educators hesitant to fully embrace and validate the use of technologies in the classroom.
 
For more information, visit https://www.teachingchannel.org/ and click on "Digital Literacy"  
 
Need more?  Check out the video "Collaborative Digital Presentations Enrich Projects" from Tech2Tech Learning Series found at  www.edutopia.org
 
Retrieved September 19, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzCQH58Bwpo
 
For now, happy clicking! 
 
 
References:
 
Blackboard. (2012). Retrieved September 18, 2012 from blog.blackboard.com
 
Edutopia.  (2012). Retrieved September 19, 2012 from http://www.edutopia.org/tech-to-learn-collaborative-digital-presentations-video
 
Flickr. (2012). Retrieved September 18, 2012 from http://www.flickr.com/photos/cybrarian77/6284697172/
 
McLeod, Scott. (2012). Dangerously Irrelevant. Retrieved September 18, 2012 from http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/
 
Shelly, G., Gunter, G., Gunter, R. (2012). Teachers Discovering Computers: Integrating Technology in a Connected World (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Course Technology, Cengage Learning.
 
Teaching Channel. (2012).  Retrieved September 18, 2012 from https://www.teachingchannel.org/
 
You Tube. (2012).  Retrieved September 18, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ5Vy9BgSeY
 
 
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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Fast Times, No Teachers Standing By!

 

Think quick--speedy--instantaneous:  21st Century students' minds are geared for rapid-fire.

 

Photo Courtesy of Brad Flickinger via Flickr Creative Commons 

Digital Students are:
 "hypercommunicators...multitaskers...goal oriented"
   (Shelly, G., Gunter, G., and Gunter R. 2012 p. 14). 
  
Whether it's the subject matter or the internet speed,
 
 "It's got to be fast!" (Pearson Education video)
 Check out the following video I found on Scott McLeod's Dangerously Irrelevant site:

 
 Retrieved September 10, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0pZE8WW_Ro
 
 Some say technological advances provide for instant gratification...a negative with children?
  Any way you look at it, students are digital learners, and they are ready to move on.

Are you?
 
    As the following video from Michael Pershan explains, effective teaching in America cannot solely rely on students "watching" the teacher and then "practicing" the methods on their own.
 
 

Retrieved September 10, 2012 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHoXRvGTtAQ 
 
Although Pershan's clip is about teaching math, it poses these questions: 
 
Are we modeling the most effective teaching strategies in our country?
and
What can we use to become more effective educators?
   
 
A SOLUTION through TECHNOLOGY
 
  Communications.  Networking.  The Web. 
Utilizing Technologies and Integrating these resources into the classroom.
 
Networked Resources 
 

 
Integrating these technologies into the classroom affords
  • more student interaction
  • more collaboration
  • infinite sources of "unlimited educational information" (Shelly et al 2012 p. 54)
  • real learning experiences
  • a genuine applicability to everyday, familiar life that will "enhance student learning" (Shelly et al 2012 p. 54).
Photo Courtesy of San Jose Library via Flickr Creative Commons
 
We can aim to become the classroom's Digital Concierge: 
  • provide learning opportunities through technology to "capture students' attention, eliminate boredom, and...arouse natural curiosity" (Shelly et al 2012 p. 23). 
  • Foster students' motivation to learn by making them "...feel that learning is relevant or important to their lives" (Shelly et al 2012 p. 23).  And these days, computers are relevant, familiar, and important to students' lives.
 
So, about instant gratification:  Shouldn't we stop saying kids need to learn to wait? ...when really, students can't wait to learn!
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Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Be inspired to teach your kids better online searching skills

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9yZco8bwI8&feature=youtube_gdata
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"11 Real Ways Technology is Affeting Education Right Now"

http://edudemic.com/2012/08/new-study-finds-11-real-ways-technology-is-affecting-education-right-now/
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