Blog Post #10

What can we learn from Mrs. Cassidy? 

The first video assigned for blog post #10 was “First Graders in Ms. Cassidy's Class.” Mrs. Cassidy has her students demonstrating and showing their enthusiasm for technology in the classroom.  The students discuss all of the technological resources they us such as blogs, Skype, Wiki, and Nintendo DS.  They use all of these things to learn and collaborate in the classroom.  This video shows a great perspective from the kid’s point of view on technology in the classroom.  It seems to be a successful and fun tool to use in teaching!

The next three videos provided are conversations between Mrs. Kathy Cassidy and Dr.Strange.  In the video “Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 1”  Mrs. Cassidy discusses the start of her technology journey in her classroom.  She began with having a webpage ten years ago, then started her classroom blog five years ago. It was interesting to hear that some of the principals she worked with were not that into the idea of incorporating technology in the classroom. She explains to us how to keep classroom privacy and students identities safe. When using the web, students should only post their first names and not last, and also to post pictures, but not match the picture with a name.  I like how she has her students blog set up like a portfolio so that parents can view and see what their kids are doing.  I agree with Mrs.Cassidy that we have to change because the world has changed.  Technology creates so many opportunities for learning.  She makes an excellent point that blogs give students an audience, which can make them work harder and feel proud about their work.  Blogs also help students have more developed writing skills.  Mrs. Cassidy encourages educators to keep up and learn technology to better their classroom.  All teachers should be technologically literate because it is “not going away, its here to stay.”

The next video, “Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 2,” is another conversation between Mrs. Cassidy and Dr. Strange.  They are discussing where to start when beginning to use technology.  Mrs. Cassidy tells us to start with what we are interested in.  If we enjoy videos, then start out with something like youtube.  Blogging would be ideal for people who enjoy writing.  Once you find something that you like to use, you can begin to build a network and add to it.  For myself, I enjoy youtube and blogger.  So it definitely just depends on what you are into.  Any way that you can connect with other educators to share ideas can be beneficial for teaching.  

The last video provided is yet another conversation between Mrs. Cassidy and Dr. Strange.The video “Interview with Kathy Cassidy Part 3,” starts out with students from USA asking Mrs. Cassidy questions.  She explains how she has her students post or comment on blogs almost everyday, but it depends on the year and how things are running in the classroom.  I agree that blogs are more so used for collaborating than “cheating” in the classroom. She discusses the importance of sharing safe links and showing students games that are fun and educational. Mrs. Cassidy then touches on the balance between work and family life.  As a future educator, I will take all of Mrs. Cassidy's advice and try my best to apply it in my classrooms.  All of her techniques seem to be very beneficial and fun as well!