Blog Post #11

Little Kids...Big Potential

In Ms. Cassidy's Youtube video, she shows several pictures of her first graders using the internet to blog and find information. Teaching kids to communicate effectively this early can be a very positive thing. They learn writing skills by writing to their friends; Some of which who are in different countries. The students also learn internet safety. They know to only use their first name and to only say nice things. Cyber bullying is a growing problem in the cyber world today, and I feel that this is helping to solve it before it starts. The students are taught about search engines and what sites are appropriate to look at and what to do when they come across something on accident that is inappropriate. They use Skype to talk to other people in various places and they use Wikis to learn and find information from outside the classroom. 
I love the variety of technology that Ms. Cassidy uses in her classroom. It is refreshing to see a teacher using all of her resources to make sure that her students get the most out of school. I feel that these tactics used in Ms. Cassidy's class will help students to WANT to be in school. It makes learning interactive and fun!


Ms. Cassidy's Interview with Dr. Strange

Ms. Cassidy has been using technology in her classroom for 10 years! When she first started, she was given computers, but there was no way to download programs onto them. She was limited to use the internet to further her students learning and her own personal learning. She attended professional development workshops to help her become more technology literate. Ms. Cassidy talks about the support that she gets from the Technology Coordinator at her school. She also states that none of the principals she has worked for have been discouraging, but some of them also have not been interested. Ms. Cassidy sends a form home every year that has to be completed by the parents in order to be sure that parents are okay with the students being online and creating a blog. The parents usually accept this technological program because they can see the progress of their children through their blog. Students love learning new things, therefore they love the technology. It helps to keep the students excited about learning. 

One thing that stuck out to me in this interview was that Ms. Cassidy said she doesn't use a lot of technology in her personal life. I feel that this shows she is an educator who is there for her students. So many teachers stick to the textbooks and pencil and paper tests, but don’t want to take the time to share the technology that they use, with their students. This creates a burp-back atmosphere, which may hinder students in the future. I like that Ms. Cassidy stepped out of her comfort zone. She is dedicated to creating the best learning atmosphere for her students. Technology is an important part of life, and she is giving her students the opportunity to learn about what's out there. I feel that because of this, her students will be ahead of other classes, because of the knowledge they are gaining from her class.