Cassidy's video is about how the first graders use technology and teaching them about blogging. They also talk about when they use smartboards to for more hands on and interactive learning. The students talk about how writing on the blog makes them write better and better each time. The students also use Skpye to talk to other students when they do not understand something. I think using Skype in this way is really good because if they have a question on something it can't always be explained clearly through a blog or text so being virtually face-to-face will help the student more I think. I think however this is why we have teachers, and they could ask their classmates, but I suppose if you are trying to teach the children about technology at the same time this would be a good way of doing it.
I would probably use skype in my classroom, but not at a kindergartner level I think they do not need to be sitting in front of a computer all day! I think at middle school or high school I would try to assign a project to where they interview someone via skype! Maybe a distant relative or a teacher/ mentor that is not near by. I am not sure though how blogging is helping first graders with their writing, maybe with their spelling because it has spell check but it is actually making writing worse theses day I think because they are never ACTUALLY WRITING!!
I think you're absolutely right! I think Skype is a great to use especially to interview people they either would never meet or distant relatives but definitely not to use it at a kindergarten level like you said. I love technology as a tool but students still need to learn to be able to spell check on their own without the help of a computer or know how to actually write. I think that's whats wrong today because teachers always want the student's papers to be typed rather than hand-written. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean by "ACTUALLY WRITING!!" That seems to me to be what they are ACTUALLY doing!
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