Blog Assignment #10

Blog Assignment #10

What can we learn from Mrs. Cassidy?

First Grader's in Mrs. Cassidy's class

Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 1

Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 2

Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 3

Mrs. Cassidy uses technology as much as she can in her 1st grade class. She lets them post in their own blogs, she uses a webpage for elementary students, Wiki, Skype, videos, and even their Nintendo DS for education purposes. She sees technology as "it's here to stay, it's not going anywhere" so she is preparing her students as early as possible to be technologically ready for the future. Although she does get support from her colleagues, Mrs. Cassidy's approach to teaching seems to be out of the "norm" for teachers in her school, . I thought that was interesting since she said she doesn't really use technology for personal reasons and that she just got a Facebook account. I would think that teachers wouldn't try to incorporate something they are not familiar with into their whole teaching strategy. I guess this just shows that she is a successful teacher who is doing what she feels is best for her students and their future.

She said she started incorporating technology in her classroom about 10 years ago when she received 5 computers for her classroom. Instead of letting them collect dust or use them for basic uses she chose to take advantage of them. She said the students really enjoy using technology in the classroom, Instead of just writing something on paper for the teacher to see, they write in a blog for the whole world to see. There is something exciting and motivating about that to the students. This is also a great way for the teachers and the parents to see the students writing progress since all of their posts are in sequential order. Mrs. Cassidy said she sees technology as an opportunity and you are only handicapping the students and teachers if you do not incorporate technology in your teaching strategy.

I will use a couple of her techniques in my classroom. I really like the idea of all of the students keeping a blog. If it motivates the students and helps the teacher keep up with their progress then I could only see it being helpful. It also opens them up to communication with other students around the world. I think letting my students use Skype to communicate with other students their age age around the world would be really neat. They could learn about different cultures and learn to communicate more effectively. I will also have my students use internet resources for research and other projects.

One of the major issues that could arise when using technology is first and foremost safety for my students. I would have to implement strict rules and keep an eye on all of the students to make sure they are following procedures. I will send home a permission slip, like Mrs. Cassidy did, that lists the procedures just to keep the parents informed. As a teacher I will also have to keep in mind that some students may not have a computer or other technology devices at home. If that is the case then I could only keep the technology assignments in the classroom to keep it fair. I really liked Mrs. Cassidy's response to the question one of Dr. Strange's students asked about the students using technology for cheating. She looks at it as collaboration, not cheating. All the information that everyone has is from somewhere else, it is just presented differently. I also really liked her idea about all of the students having a separate student Facebook page instead of using their personal page for school work. As a lower elementary education major I will have less worry about the students using it for personal reasons. I will mostly have to worry about "the outside world" using it to get to my students.

All in all I believe technology can be a very useful resource for my students. It will better prepare them for their future. I believe it will motivate my students and make me a more successful educator. My students could actually probably teach me more than I can teach them. It will definitely be trail and error and a learning experience for not only the students but also for myself.

Callie Barton