Sunday, June 2, 2013

Blog Assignment #2

1. Professor Dancealot
In the video “Professor Dancealot,” Professor Dancealot’s teaching and exam formats were not in sync. Professor Dancealot lectured everyday in class and expected the students to be able to learn the dance moves without getting up and practicing them. He taught behind a desk and when he demonstrated the foot work, the students could not even see what he was doing. The students came prepared and ready to learn, but he did not know how to teach. If I was teaching this class, I would go over the slide during the first part of class and then take my students to the ballroom to demonstrate and let them practice. This way, even if the students do not get much practice time in class, they will have some basic knowledge of the steps to go home and be able to practice.

It is sad to say, but I have taken many courses where the professor has taught in a similar way. You can’t always choose what professor you get. They are either very good at teaching or very bad. Professor Dancealot was not a great teacher and I think many can agree with me. If the teacher does not teach well, this does not mean that you will fail the class. If your professor is a terrible teacher then it is up to you whether you pass or not. The students could of went home and looked up the dance moves on their own but chose not too. What I am trying to say is at the end of the semester, if you fail because he is a bad instructor, then you deserve to fail; but if you failed because you tried your best, then there is really nothing else you can do.

4. Harness Your Students' Digital Smarts
In the video “Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts,” by Vicki Davis, Davis shows us how technology can be good for students. If you give them something they do not know how to use, then they will figure it out. She allows the students to teach each other and work together. Students can get bored of listening to a teacher lecture. Therefore, Davis lets her students demonstrate what they have learned. She gets them involved with technology. Technology is expanding and will eventually start invading the classroom, why not put it to good use?

I like the way that she teaches her students to use technology to teach themselves. If they have questions or do not know something, she is always there to help but they also have the tools to look it up.

The Edutopia website has many tips and ways to make teaching and learning fun for the students. Showing teachers ways that can keep their students interested and wanting to learn.
Image of Teaching with Technology


2. Teaching in the 21st Century - Kaitlyn Parker
Roberts believes teaching in the 21st century is about engagement instead of entertainment. Teachers are no longer the only source of information for students, but teachers are the filter for the information. Students now have access to iPad's, computers, and smartphones where they can access Google, You-tube, or Facebook wherever and whenever they want or need. Technology gives them access to anything they need. Students can easily "Google" any question they have and within seconds get millions of responses. I feel that teachers are still needed in the classroom but they can utilize technology to excel their teaching and engagement with the students. Technology is growing and improving each and every day. As an educator technology will be used in my classroom to help me engage with my students. This will help teach them concepts I may not have been able to teach them using just a textbook and chalkboard.

3. The Networked Student - Haley Torries
The networked student video allows students to discover more of (what) technology has to offer. I enjoyed watching this video. I believe students become more engaged with this type of learning. They also connect with other people and their ideas.

Why does the networked student even need a teacher? The student needs a teacher as a coach whenever they feel like their research has hit a brick wall, to help them organize what they discover and keep them in the right direction. The teacher makes sure the student understands how to communicate properly with people all over the world by being kind and eager to learn. The teacher is also needed to make sure they are searching on sites that use correct information to back up their opinions.

I definitely believe a networked student needs a teacher. I think a better name for the teacher would be mentor. Mentors are there to answer any questions the student has while helping them become more independent in the field they are studying. I look forward to mentoring children and watching their imaginations grow.

5. Flipping the Classroom - 4th Grade STEM - Kabrina Harris
Flipping the classroom is a great concept that allows all students to learn at their own pace. I really believe that this way of learning could be helpful to all children and should be used in all schools. The best part of this program is that children get a chance to review the material before coming to class. Skipping the lecture allows students more time to ask questions to clear up problems that they may be having. Children can benefit from this program by being able to see the material more than once. I believe that the more time that they get to spend on a subject, the better they will become at it. This method gives students the opportunity to ask questions in class. Students can pause, rewind, and watch the video as many times as needed to effectively understand the information. This method seems to be very effective and I may even flip my classroom in the future!

5 comments:

  1. I agree with you that Mr. Dancealot's teaching methods were poor. I have also had teachers that taught this way. I like your example of a proper way to teach a dance class by going over it in a power point and then letting the students physically practice the dance moves.

    I like the idea of having students teach themselves using technology to go along with what the teacher has taught to keep the students engaged.

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  2. I agree with your example on how to teach a proper dance class. It still baffles me that a teacher taught a dance class in that manner. Dancing is mostly muscle memory, which means you need to actually dance to learn how to dance.

    I agree with allowing the students to teach and work together. I believe some concepts come better from someone your own age. Working together will also help build students' people skills. Demonstrating will be a fun way for students to secure the information in their brains. I believe technology will continue to make classrooms more interesting and enjoyable for the students.

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  3. Paula,

    You made some good comments about "Harnessing Your Students' Digital Smarts." I found this quote of yours from the "Professor Dancealot" section interesting, "What I am trying to say is at the end of the semester, if you fail because he is a bad instructor, then you deserve to fail..." I do not know if a student would always deserve to fail if they had a bad instructor. As future educators, it is our duty to engage ALL of our students and make them want to learn whatever it is we are trying to teach them. So, if a student has a bad instructor, they might not be engaged and therefore do worse in the course. It reflects badly on an instructor when many students fail. Just keep that in mind as you continue on to get your degree!

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    1. I agree. It is our job as future educators to teach students, to keep them interested. But I think that if you wanted to pass that class, you would try your hardest to pass. I guess that quote relates to more of college classes and classes that I have taken.

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  4. " If I was teaching this class..." Conditional statement; therefore were not was.

    "The students could of went home..." could have gone home...

    "The students could of went home and looked up the dance moves on their own but chose not too. What I am trying to say is at the end of the semester, if you fail because he is a bad instructor, then you deserve to fail; but if you failed because you tried your best, then there is really nothing else you can do." An interesting argument as Elizabeth has pointed out in her comment. Very interesting. I had a terrible teacher in college for World Religions but I loved the course because I could do the work on my own. Fortunately the grading process worked in my favor. If, however, a teacher is a bad instructor AND a bad evaluator, what then? You may have learned quite well on your own but a bad evaluator may never have known that. You do have the satisfaction of knowing you did well even though your grade does not reflect it. But should that happen in college? Or any school? Very interesting!

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