Week+03+Reflection

Week 3

__Reading__:(Will Richardson)

The reading for this week raised many good points about the focus on having new technology available in classes instead of having a focus on curriculum integration. How are we going to use this technology to further their learning? Without answering this question the technology is being wasted on students using it for other purposes (email, chatting...).

During my practicum two out of three of my classrooms had a SMART board, and the third had a computer hooked up to a projector with a screen. I did not have the feeling I was in a very technologically advanced classroom since I never once saw a cell phone or laptop. I had never used a SMART board before and cannot imagine going back to an overhead projector, but the teacher was the only one in the whole class that used technology. I admit that this does create a very teacher focused classroom since the students do not have the opportunity to manipulate the technology; however, it was more interactive and interesting than simply using a blackboard. I found that viual learned greatly benefited from the SMART board since they had a visual reference. My classroom therefore looked nothing like the picture in the reading.[|From Article]

I'm not necessarily convinced that students are learning more in the top picture of a modern classroom. In the traditional classroom students are likely to fall asleep, and in the modern classroom students are likely to be distracted by their computer. It all depends on which time wasting activity the teacher finds more distracting of the two. Were students thinking more critically in the traditional classroom? Were students remembering more in the modern classroom?

__In class discussion__: (January 25th 2010)

Does school really have to change because of the brain development in children? Yes. You have to reach out to all the students, and most are not motivated to be there. School is boring because they aren't being stimulated, thus school must change to meet the needs of this new generation. It might be an exaggeration to say that students have to **power down** for class since they are often not allowed to use technology, but this leaves the teacher with the responsibility to stimulate this brain. This can be quite a challenge for teachers since this generation, who attempt to multi-task (but not always well), is accustom to being entertained. The problem is that many teachers teach the way they were taught, but since the students have changed, **teaching must adapt**. Students expect to be able to create and consume as they do outside of school, but if teachers do not have experience this new technologies, how do they even being to adapt?

Teachers must ask the question: "how does what I teach help my students?" Since teachers cannot have the same expectations for all students, they must teach the necessary skills to survive in the real world. More and more this world requires a knowledge of technology. **Students are digital learners**, and need to learn how to use technology in different ways than they might do at home. They can learn how to improve their learning through this technology.

__Learning Activity Thoughts__: In class we were given the opportunity to learn how to use **Audacity** the way most students learn: by doing. After a few minutes I already felt bored because I lacked the creativity to invent something myself just based on my speech. I realized that students need a purpose when exploring technology. Just like in school, they are not interested in learning something if they don't know why they are learning it. Students are usually self motivated when they explore technology on their own. This creates the optimum learning conditions. However, in such situations, I felt uncomfortable listening to my own voice over and over again as I played with the effects. Benefits to learning independently:
 * At your own pace
 * Allows you to make discoveries based on your own interests
 * Motivated to learn (if there is a purpose)
 * Proud feeling of teaching others when they ask for your help

Below is a podcast I created with Audacity and **Movie Maker**. This was how I included some photos (for visual interest). Enjoy! media type="file" key="podcast1.wmv" width="300" height="300" align="left"Projects like this one could be used for presentations by students, especially in language courses where they must make connections between words and images.