Cooperative Learning

I have picked cooperative learning that is one of the strategies that I have used in the classroom. Students sit in groups and in different situations work as a group solving problems, designing and building projects, and doing science experiments. I also have several centers in social studies and science that students work in groups. Most students work well in cooperative groups and do a good job of working with the other students. The students really like working with other students and do much better when they work with others. I like this strategy very much and use it quite often and will keep using it in my classroom.

Games In Education

This was a very interesting online conference about the use of games in education. What she talked about was the use of games that were educational not just playing a game. Some of the current games we use in the classroom now are not completely educational but more playing for fun not to learn. She talked about how games didn't have to be complicated to be educational and that students should learn to own their own learning. She gave lots of different sites to check out and how they could fit in. The important things to remember were to have; joy in learning, need adequate time, the teacher role is crucial, authentic assessment, reflective extensive activities and let student's design their own games. Of course this might work better for the older students than with the younger ones.

Never Too Young

After watching the k12 online conference on "Never Too Young", I see the importance of starting very young so that students will be where they need to be at every grade level to be able to compete, cooperate and collaborate with their peers in the future. They need to be blogging at a first or second grade level and using Tools such as Voice Thread and working with their teachers on other tools that the computer can give them. It would be great to get kids at the sixth grade level that already have the ability to use the tools that the computer can give them.

Ian Jukes interview

Wow! Ian definitely is making me rethink how we should be teaching our students. I see how students react to teacher instruction compared to digital instruction and how they want more of the latter. It seems to be the students like the "screen" version more. The digital bombardment is so true nowadays that these students grow up in. It's amazing the things they know that comes from digitalization but are so lacking in the little things like manners, organization and being able to handle being in a group setting and participating orally without blurting outloud. I am definitely all for digital learning but that sometimes comes with a price if we don't still teach the little things also. High school kids have such a problem not being able to text during supper or during a concert or during a school day in class. Even adults are getting worse about answering their cellphone when they're engaged in a conversation with another person. I want to see children learn everything they can but it has to be done in the right way. Ian talks about how the brain learns now compared to back then and has a good point about the new way of teaching. I want what's best for the student and what will make that student a great learner and respectable citizen.