Blog Assignment #11

The video "Little Kids... Big Potential," is about Ms. Kathy Cassidy's first grade class. These first grade students use technology in their room everyday. It helps them share, learn, and collaborate in the classroom. They use blogs to help them improve their writing skills and the comments they receive boost their self-esteem to work harder. Every time they write a blog, their skills get better. During center time they can go onto different websites with games on different subjects. The good thing about having their work and information online, is that they can access it anywhere and anytime they want. The students in Ms. Cassidy's class make wikis. They use it for research, learning, and keeping information. They also Skype. This allows them to speak with kids from other schools, other places. It also allows them to speak with experts on different subjects. The students are allowed to use their Nintendo DS. It teaches them problem solving and to share with others. In the Skype interview between Ms. Cassidy and Dr. Strange, Ms. Cassidy believes that in this generation, students can not be taught using methods that once worked years ago and I agree. I think that their are many more skills that the younger kids can learn from incorporating technology into the classroom.

Technology is growing everyday. The children in this generation use ipads, tablets, computers, laptops, and smartphones often in their everyday lives. I think Ms. Cassidy is doing a great thing for her students. It is allowing them to learn on their own. Two of my favorite methods she used is blogging and Skype.

The reason I like blogging is because of how blogging helped those students. It helps them improve their writing, to be creative, and they can access it anywhere. They can easily go home and view their blog, write on it, and view the class blog. I think it is great that the students can receive comments from any of their followers. It makes them feel better about themselves and makes them want to work harder and improve. I also have found a love for blogging. I love receiving comments on my work. I like reading the comments and seeing if I did good or if I need to improve. I think that blogging is good for students and I will probably use it in my future classroom.

The reason I like Skype is because it allows the students to meet people and kids from all over the world. I like that it allows them to speak and talk to experts without having to try and have the person come to the school. You can Skype from anywhere and the students can meet people just like them. I think video chatting with someone on Skype catches a kids attention better than a video of that person in an interview. Children are naturally curious and for younger children who have never seen this type of technology before, it will get them interested and wanting more. I think after they realize that they can speak to anyone they wish, they will ask to chat with more people. I would like to try this in my classroom one day.

I like the use of technology in the classroom because it exposes students to people outside of their classroom. I think this helps the shy students break their shyness. I have always been a very shy kid, even now as an adult, I can be shy. If my former teachers where using technology in the classrooms back then, I do not think that I would be as shy as I am today. It allows students to be open and not be judge for what they do. I think it brings students in a classroom closer together.