Week+02+Reflection

Week 2

__Reading__ (Understanding Digital Kids - PART II) This reading again reminds us that students communicate in a variety of different ways compared with other generations. The current method of teaching does not necessarily support how students learn and access information. Mike Josiah states that the students must be motivated and engaged to learn in a classroom, as they are when they learn outside the classroom.

I find that is article targets exclusively technologically advanced students; however, many rural schools even in Ontario do not have students with high-speed internet or accounts on networking websites. The article suggests that all students are the same, that they all use technology and that therefore it is necessary for teaching methods to change. I agree that this is the case in many schools, yet to make the assumption that it is true for all children seems unjust. The article also **overgeneralizes** by stating what kids do before and after school, and while it may be true for the majority of students, it certainly is not an absolute fact. In consequence, I believe it is necessary for teachers to be aware of the community in which they teach, and to be conscious of its continuous evolution.

I liked the use of the term **velcro learning** to explain situations in which learning "sticks". I believe that all students, not just modern students, learn best when through personal experiences and when they participate actively ("do"). This helps learning become meaningful and therefore ensures retention of information.

I understand the author's suggestion of encouraging the use (instead of banning) technological devices in classrooms; however I am uncertain of its effectiveness. Is this technology really an "everyday part of their culture"? You cannot say that every student uses Wikipedia, Facebook, or Google every day. Nevertheless, if half the students have technological devices present in the classroom, the teacher still needs to teach in a relatively traditional manner to the other half of the class. Not all students can afford these nor do all choose to use them.

Furthermore, I am upset that this article blatantly states that writing with a computer is "obviously" better than writing with pen and paper. Many great writers choose to have some of their first drafts on paper before typing them on the computer. Writing with pen and paper has a different feel than typing and therefore should also be practiced in class. I agree that editing might best be done on the computer, yet students should first learn how to do this on paper before learning it on a computer. I feel that otherwise would be skipping a necessary step. Similarly with math, do we not teach how to solve problems a certain way and then introduce an easier way so as to provide the students with two methods? I am angered by the belief that there is no benefit to working with pen and paper and that students should only be taught to edit on a computer like real publishers.

I do agree with the article that change is necessary. As a young future teacher I already embrace the technological world. I may not use all the devices and programs common among today's youth but I still have yet to decide how they will affect my future class.

__In-class discussion__

Our first activity in class involved using clickers. I found that there are many benefits to this technology since more students are likely to **participate** in quizzes. It helps them be aware of: However, when we did the first quiz, I found it very challenging as I could barely read the questions in time. I realized the importance of making the font big enough for all students to read. I also found it unfair when the teacher limited the time to answer a question. I am a slow reader and was not even able to read the question before most people had answered.
 * 1) What information they already know
 * 2) Where they stand in comparison with their peers.

After this activity we learned about **WEB 2.0 - a virtual collaboration tool**. We were introduced to Google Docs (which I found to be very user friendly) and given a few simple projects in order to become more familiar with this technology. Google Docs helps students: Google Docs helps teachers:
 * 1) Work together on projects (since they are able to share information easily)
 * 2) Have their work always accessible (no need for USBs or emailing it to yourself)
 * 3) Focus on the task (and less on making it creative - since there are less features than Microsoft programs)
 * 1) Check when students did the work by checking their updates.
 * 2) See which students made which contributions, (this limits the excuses in class on the day of presentations because the work is easily accessed)

I enjoyed making a form, which was similar to a quiz, and then send it to my classmates to get an understanding of their use of technology. I preferred having the opportunity to learn on my own how to create a form and send it. It took me a while to discover how to send the form (which differs from sending a presentation because one must not send the form but the link to participate in it), but the time spent figuring it out allowed me to become more familiar with the technology.

Below is a very simple form I created specifically for this wiki.

My Wiki Form