Visual Media is extremely important to have in a 21st century classroom. Students are all different types of learners, and if the teacher doesn't provide different opportunities for students to learn, it isn't fair.
It's also important in a classroom to be visually stimulating, so children stay interested and paying attention to what you say. If you don't have an interesting thing for them to look at, children will become distracted and may not listen to your lesson. Then, their grades will suffer.
Not everything has to be taught with a video or pictures, but it is a good idea to have these available for students who learn in this way. These might even make it easier for the teacher, as you will have less to do during the lesson, and can focus on making sure that the children are understanding what is being taught. Its easier for one on one if you don't take up the entire class time explaining one thing.
Not all videos shown in class have to be made by the teacher either. In fact, teachers rarely make their own videos because there is a wealth of educational videos on the internet. They are on websites such as Youtube, which has a separate education section, Brainpop.com, and Teachertube.
Just remember these things when selecting a video to show in class- is it appropriate for both the age group and the lesson? If you answer yes to both of these questions, then it is okay for you to show it in class.
Thursday, February 16, 2017
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Week 3- Social Media in the Classroom
Is social media necessary to use in an elementary classroom? Many of us would say no, because we all grew up in a world without it, but it may be necessary in the years to come.
Children are growing up in a technology obsessed world. Everyone has a phone, a computer, a laptop, a tablet, and can access hundreds of social media websites. As elementary school educators, we must ask, is it necessary to open children up to social media before they even turn ten? Some may say yes, while others disagree. The truth is, there's arguments for both sides of the story.
Social media, and the internet as a whole, has made our world a lot smaller. Not smaller, in a way that makes people feel trapped, but smaller in a way that makes us feel more connected with people all over the world. Every time I go onto YouTube, I am reminded that it is an extremely global platform,and almost every country in the world has access to it. It excites me, and I feel like I can learn anything and interact with anyone, anywhere in the world. Students can feel this way too, by integrating social media in the classroom. They can interact with sister classes all over the world, and discover different cultures and ways of life. This generation is truly the first generation to say that they have always been connected and felt connected to the world through technology.
Now, there are a lot of good things about social media in the classroom, but there can also be a few things that are a little iffy, or even bad. First thing's first, these popular websites were all created for people at least thirteen years of age or older. The content is approved for that age range, and some of it could be inappropriate for a student any younger than that. These children could be exposed to things online that they weren't meant to see. This doesn't necessarily mean entirely bad things, but you never know with the internet, anything could link you to someplace else.
We are seventeen years into the 21st Century, and already, so much has been accomplished. Our daily lives are changed forever thanks to the personal computers we carry around with us. With this "great power comes great responsibility", and it's up to you whether you incorporate social media into your classroom.
Children are growing up in a technology obsessed world. Everyone has a phone, a computer, a laptop, a tablet, and can access hundreds of social media websites. As elementary school educators, we must ask, is it necessary to open children up to social media before they even turn ten? Some may say yes, while others disagree. The truth is, there's arguments for both sides of the story.
Social media, and the internet as a whole, has made our world a lot smaller. Not smaller, in a way that makes people feel trapped, but smaller in a way that makes us feel more connected with people all over the world. Every time I go onto YouTube, I am reminded that it is an extremely global platform,and almost every country in the world has access to it. It excites me, and I feel like I can learn anything and interact with anyone, anywhere in the world. Students can feel this way too, by integrating social media in the classroom. They can interact with sister classes all over the world, and discover different cultures and ways of life. This generation is truly the first generation to say that they have always been connected and felt connected to the world through technology.
Now, there are a lot of good things about social media in the classroom, but there can also be a few things that are a little iffy, or even bad. First thing's first, these popular websites were all created for people at least thirteen years of age or older. The content is approved for that age range, and some of it could be inappropriate for a student any younger than that. These children could be exposed to things online that they weren't meant to see. This doesn't necessarily mean entirely bad things, but you never know with the internet, anything could link you to someplace else.
We are seventeen years into the 21st Century, and already, so much has been accomplished. Our daily lives are changed forever thanks to the personal computers we carry around with us. With this "great power comes great responsibility", and it's up to you whether you incorporate social media into your classroom.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Week 2- Blogging in the 21st Century Classroom
Blogging Article
Technology has changed everything in the world. From how we cook, to how we wake up, to how we teach students. That last part might seem a little unnecessary, but let me explain.
The article I linked above was written by a teacher who was having difficulty connecting with her students in this digital era. They just didn't have enough time to write enough in class, and their teacher knew that that aspect of her teaching needed to be fixed. To remedy this situation, she decided to have each student create a blog that she would routinely check.
These blogs didn't have to all be school related, though some posts were regulated as such. Pretty soon, their teacher, Michelle Lampinen, realized just how much the students were enjoying their blogs. They were able to write about whatever they wanted, and no longer had to conform to what anybody wanted them to, as a result, their writing almost immediately improved. They became more enthusiastic, and many students said they enjoyed the assignment.
Writing a blog is good practice for writing essays and assignments, and allows students to develop their own styles and ways of writing. Once they become more comfortable with writing in general, they will become more comfortable with writing for a grade.
This article was written about Juniors in high school, but I believe that this style of blogging would be appropriate for students in middle school up through college. It could possibly be used for fifth or sixth graders, but I believe the process of maintaining a blog might be too difficult for many younger students. What do you think is the right age to start using this style of teaching? Discuss it in the comments below.
Technology has changed everything in the world. From how we cook, to how we wake up, to how we teach students. That last part might seem a little unnecessary, but let me explain.
The article I linked above was written by a teacher who was having difficulty connecting with her students in this digital era. They just didn't have enough time to write enough in class, and their teacher knew that that aspect of her teaching needed to be fixed. To remedy this situation, she decided to have each student create a blog that she would routinely check.
These blogs didn't have to all be school related, though some posts were regulated as such. Pretty soon, their teacher, Michelle Lampinen, realized just how much the students were enjoying their blogs. They were able to write about whatever they wanted, and no longer had to conform to what anybody wanted them to, as a result, their writing almost immediately improved. They became more enthusiastic, and many students said they enjoyed the assignment.
Writing a blog is good practice for writing essays and assignments, and allows students to develop their own styles and ways of writing. Once they become more comfortable with writing in general, they will become more comfortable with writing for a grade.
This article was written about Juniors in high school, but I believe that this style of blogging would be appropriate for students in middle school up through college. It could possibly be used for fifth or sixth graders, but I believe the process of maintaining a blog might be too difficult for many younger students. What do you think is the right age to start using this style of teaching? Discuss it in the comments below.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)