Blog Post 2

  After watching the video Mr. Dancealot, I understood immediately what I believed the author was trying to portray. He showed us how much students today rely on being lectured in the classroom rather than being accustomed to a hands on approach. There are certain things in life students can only learn by doing, such as dancing. He proved his point when he required everyone to go into the ballroom to be tested on the dances. The video showed most of the students holding up their notes while looking lost and barely moving. I, personally, agree with the author. Many of the students today expect to only gain knowledge by hearing and reading the material. Students must take the extra effort to use different types of learning in order to gain full knowledge.

  Teaching in the 21st Century has some arguable points to me as a future educator. Kevin Roberts make some strong statements that he believes to be the way of our future as both students and educators. Roberts believes that technology will essentially replace traditional teaching methods and views on teachers by using them only help “filter” what students can find using computers.

Roberts stated: 1.Teachers role in the lives of students is obsolete. Students can find information on anything, anytime, anywhere. With technology information will be limitless. 2.Teachers are no longer the main source of knowledge, they are filters. 3.How we teach students to handle these resources. Teachers should show students how to: validate, synthesize, leverage, communicate, collaborate, problem solve.   I can agree with Mr. Roberts that technology is the way of the future, but I feel teachers play a much more active role than filtering information for students. I plan to utilize technology in my teaching career, but I will not allow it to become greater than myself. Students can learn a lot from computers, but through personal experiences in a classroom with the teacher and fellow students will make a longer impression. It Mr. Roberts beliefs are correct I feel students will be missing out on a greater education.

  The Networked Student shows a student who is guided by his teacher to create a network using technology. I believe that students can learn valuable tools when the teacher allows them to become individual learners. I do feel the teacher is a very important figure in the students learning journey. She guides them when they are stuck, she teaches them the proper ways to communicate with others, she is the architect as they build their networks, and she aids them in finding valid resources.

  In Harness Your Students’ Digital Smarts, Ms. Vikki Davis teaches a technological course that she customizes her curriculum to the individual groups in the class. By doing this it allows the students to grow as individual learners and help teaches them critical thinking. She discuses how when you limit the tools students can use to learn, you limit the number of students who WILL learn. I believe her methods are innovative. I agree that not all people learn using the same technique. I hope to someday take a part of theory with me into the classroom.

  Flipping the classroom is an approach I have never heard of until now. I think flipping the classroom will be more successful in certain subjects, such as history and literature verses math or science. I plan to graduate South Alabama to go on to teach history. I feel I could use this technique to help students be more prepared by giving assignments that will correlate with the following days lecture. I would hope it would allow parents to take interest and help their children. My concern would be for students who do not have access to the internet or computers. It would give some students an unfair advantage. I would really like to use this technique, but I would first want to make sure every student would have the opportunity to utilize it.