Blog Post #11

Little Kids...Big Potential

In this post I will discuss Ms. Cassidy and her approach to the use of technology in the classroom. I will discuss her techniques, the benefits, and the impediments of these teaching techniques. I watched Ms. Cassidy's video, Little Kids...Big Potential and watched the Skype video between Dr. Strange and Ms. Cassidy.

Ms. Cassidy uses many tools in her classroom for her students to utilize. They use blogs, wikis, videos, Skype, and even their Nintendo DS's. Ms. Cassidy provides her students with ways in which they can learn by using the technology that they are faced with each and everyday at home. She allows her students to create blogs. These blogs benefit the children by way of writing. The student's writing skills improve after using blogs, just as they would while writing with paper. They become more focused on what they write because others from around the world and just up the road will see them. Their parents are now able to discover how their children are utilizing the internet and how their writing is improving. Ms. Cassidy teaches her students that thee need to be careful when they use the internet. She teaches her students that they need only use their first name. She also teaches them what sites are safe and which sites they are allowed to use. The students use videos to learn about many aspects of their education including the alphabet and counting. The students also use Wikis to learn about topics such as tradition and rituals from people around the world. Her students also use Skype. Skype is utilized by communicating with professionals in a field of study to help the students learn about the topic they are discovering. They also use Skype to communicate with students from different states. Ms. Cassidy's students use their Nintendo DS's to learn about problem solving and sharing.

in her interview with Dr. Strange, Ms. Cassidy explains many things. She explains that she started using technology in her classroom because she was given five computers to utilize. She explained that students love to use technology and enjoy learning using it. The parents are able to see their students development. She explains that some educators are comfortable with the traditional way of teaching without the use of technology. This is an issue because technology is part of the lives of the kids in this generation and will become a larger part of the lives of future generations. I don't think there would be impediments with technology in the classroom. I thinks students need to be taught how to utilize it effectively without giving out private information. They ned to learn that some sites are not allowed. I think that teachers might become dependent on the technology. They might depend on videos about certain topics to teach their student, rather than do their job. I think many students would begin to use programs on computers that should not be used in the classroom. Students might become dependent on spell check. They need to learn how to spell and write if they are going to become bloggers. I think that the price of education would increase, because technology would be demanded more in classrooms. These are a few issues that I think might be consequences of the new technology era in schools.