Blog Assignment #10

What can we learn from Mrs. Cassidy?

Mrs. Cassidy video Little Kids...Big Potential is another video that constantly reminds me of how important it is to incorporate technology into my classroom. I learned several different factors about teaching and learning from Ms. Cassidy's videos. One fact is that incorporating technology into the classroom get students overly excited about learning and participating in class activities. Also students love to write in their blogs because other people outside their classroom such as family members, students from different classes or schools, and the community can view their blog post and leave comments. The comments really get the students excited because it re-ensures them that they have a real audience and that real people are actually viewing their work and commenting on it, which is a great way for students to practice collaboration and communication skills. The kids in the video were so awesome and very smart. They taught us how they log into their blogs and different resources they use to help them learn.

Technology help students see and sound out words better. Writing in blogs help students become better writers over time. One of the students in the video mentioned that her writing gets better every time she writes in her blog. In Ms. Cassidy approach to the use of technology in the classroom, she made a very important statement. Ms. Cassidy mentioned that there are so many opportunities online for collaborating, working together, and learning from each other, and teachers that are not taking advantage of the use of technology is actually handicapping their students by not allowing them to explore those options. I truly agree with that statement because as she mentioned, the world is changing and therefore it is time to make some adjustments and change the way we are teaching and learning as well.

There are two techniques Ms. Cassidy used that I will most definitely use in my classroom. The first technique is allowing students to work in groups. Studies have shown that group projects can help students develop a host of skills that are increasingly important in the professional world. Group projects can also help students develop skills specific to collaborative efforts, allowing students to tackle more complex problems than they could on their own and delegate roles and responsibilities. Group projects also teach students communication skills and how to be respectful, how to sure, and how to take turns. The second technique is using Skype to talk to other students in other classes or schools. Skype is also another tool that can help enhance student's communication and public speaking skills while at the same time having fun doing so.