Blog Post #2

 Mr.  Dancelot

       A.  What is the central message?

       B.  How is the conclusion showed?

       C.  Do you agree with his conclusion? why or why not?

II.  Teaching In the 21st Century

     A.)  Robert’s thoughts on teaching in the 21st century

     B.)  Argument outline

     C.)  How I feel Robert sees teaching changing.  

     D.)  How I am affected as an educator

III.  The Networked Student

     A.)  Why does networked student even need a teacher?

     B.) My reaction

IV.  Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts

    A.)  Thesis of video

    B.)  My reaction

V.  Who’s ahead in the Learning Race?

    A.)  Answer questions/ Include position in that race

VI.  Flipping the Classroom

    A.)  Is flipping a classroom new to you?

    B.)  Will this approach be useful as a teacher?  Why or why not?

VII.  Bringing the Locker Room into the Classroom

    A.)  What I can use in my teaching that was discussed in the video.

1.)

I believe that the “Mr. Dancelot,” video had more than one central message.  Teachers should engage with their students to make sure they are actually learning the subject(s).  Also, teachers will be unsuccessful when they are strictly lecturing and reading from a powerpoint presentation as their only teaching method.  Mr. Dancelot is clearly an awful teacher.  He wouldn't even allow a student to get out of his seat to see and learn the foot steps for a dance that Mr.Dancelot was teaching.  The teacher just stood infront of the classroom lecturing and reading without letting the students practice or participate.  As a result of his teaching, all of the students are confused and unprepared for the final exam.  I do not agree with Mr. Dancelot’s teaching style whatsoever.  You must engage the students to know that they are learning what is being taught to them.

2.)

Robert makes his thoughts on teaching in the 21st century very clear.  He believes that teaching today should be mainly based on technology.  Teachers can not provide the necessary knowledge students need today by using only pen and paper.  It is all about technology these days.  As teachers, we must use technology to our advantage with engaging students and getting them to start learning!  

 Teachers no longer main source of knowledge

Students can find information about anything, anywhere, anytime

      A.)  Blogs

      B.)  Facebook

      C.)  Cell phones

      D.)  Twitter

      E.)  Youtube, etc. 

III.  As teachers, ask your students

      A.)  Remember

      B.)  Understand

      C.)  Apply

      D.)  Analyze

      E.)  Evaluate

      F.)  Create

IV.  Tech skills needed

      A.)  Paraphrasing, Attributing, Subscribing

      B.)  Editing, Twittering, Experimenting

      C.)  Reflecting, Tagging, Commenting

V.  Teach Professionalism

      A.)  Pirating, Plagiarism, Slander

      B.)  Copyright, Crowdsourcing, Confidentiality 

VI.  Ay tools chosen to use, must be

      A.)  Relevant

‘     B.)  Challenging

      C.) Engaging

VII.  Engaging versus Entertainment 

      A.)  Passive vs. Active

      B.)  Enjoyment vs. Learning

      C.)  Short lived vs. Long term results

      D.)  Relevance Vs. Applicability

      E.)  Engaging can be fun 

VIII.  It starts with you to provide meaningful and powerful engagement 

        A.)  See whats out there

        B.)  Start small

        C.)  Collaborate

        D.)  Take a risk

        E.)  Remember the big picture

I think the way teaching is changing is a positive thing.  There are now so many options for learning and teaching through technology.  Teachers should incorporate technology into every lesson plan possible to promote more engagement with the students.  If Mr.  Robert is correct, then I must increase my knowledge with teaching using the many tools of technology.  I will try to incorporate technology in fun ways for learning and having the information stick!

2.)

The type of learning style showed in “the Networked Student,” is similar to the learning/teaching style in EDM310.  There is so much independent learning done through the use of technology.  The teachers do not lecture, but engage you with independent assignments.  This was the first time I have heard the term “ connectivism,” but after watching the video I now have better understanding of the term.  I absolutely believe having a teacher is still a necessity for a networking student.  Teachers are there to steer students in the right direction, help them with problems when they are stuck, show them how to properly turn in assignments and write to certain people, and they also show them how to manage a network properly, which seems to be most important with a networking student.  

3.)

The thesis statement of Davis’ video, “Harness your Students’ Digital Smarts,”  is to empower students to share with one another.  Davis gets her students to work together to connect and expand their field of learning.  Having the students look up unfamiliar terms is a good tool for getting them to think and not relying 100% on the teacher.  Figuring out problems on your own can give you a feeling of accomplishment an empowerment that can keep a students motivated.

4.)

Elementary students are definitely ahead of the race!  By a long shot.  Myself being an undergraduate student,  I am behind in the race.  I just learned how to create and write a blog one week ago and third graders are doing this daily.  

5.)

Flipping the classroom approach is new to me.  This video was the first time I had ever heard of it.  I believe this approach could definitely be useful as a teacher. This could allow for my students to be well prepared on the lesson before coming to class, which will make the student more confident about his/her work.  Students could also have questions ready to ask the following day about the lesson.  I believe this approach could also benefit my teaching by making the students think greater with technology.  

6.)

After reading, “Bringing the Locker Room into the Classroom,”  the main advice I got towards teaching was the importance of teamwork.  I should focus more on the students sharing information and working together to learn more effectively.